They were angry enough to kill him, but Hsün Yü checked them. “He is a paltry fellow, it is not worth soiling your blades with his blood.”
“I am paltry, am I? Yet I have the soul of a man and you are mere worms,” said Mi Hêng.
They went their ways all very angry. Mi Hêng went on his journey and presently reached Chingchou, where he saw Liu Piao. After that, under pretence of extolling his virtue, he lampooned Piao, who was annoyed and sent him to Chianghsia to see Huang Tsu.
“Why did you not put the fellow to death for lampooning you?” said one to Liu Piao.
“You see he shamed Ts‘ao Ts‘ao, but Ts‘ao did not kill him as he feared to lose popular favour. So he sent him to me, thinking to borrow my hand to slay him and so suffer the loss of my good name. I have sent him on to Huang Tsu to let Ts‘ao see that I understood.”
His clever caution met with general praise. At that time a messenger from Yüan Shao was also there with certain proposals for an alliance and it was necessary to decide which side to espouse. All the advisers came together to consider the question. Then the secretary, Han Sung, said, “As you have now two offers you can please yourself and choose your own way to destroy your enemies, for if one refuse you can follow the other. Now Ts‘ao Ts‘ao is an able general and has many capable men in his train. It looks as though he may destroy Yüan Shao and then move his armies across the river. I fear, General, you would be unable then to withstand him. That being so it would be wise to support Ts‘ao Ts‘ao, who will treat you with respect.”
Liu Piao replied, “You go to the capital and see how things tend. That will help me to decide.”
Han Sung said, “The positions of master and servant are clearly defined. Now I am your man prepared to go all lengths for you and obey you to the last, whether in serving the Emperor or in following Ts‘ao Ts‘ao. But lest there should be any doubt you must remember that if the Emperor gives me any office then I shall become his servant and shall not be ready to face death for you.”
“You go and find out what you can. I have ideas in my mind.”
So Han Sung took his leave and went to the capital, where he saw Tsʻao. Ts‘ao gave him rank and made him Prefect of Lingling. The adviser Hsün Yü remonstrated, saying, “This man came to spy out how things were moving. He has done nothing to deserve reward and yet you give him an office like this. There were no such suspicious rumours connected with poor Mi Hêng and yet you sent him off and would never test his powers.”
