Unity of mind and action

When I returned to the Prime Minister's residence, I still felt heavy-hearted.

I glanced at Ah Shi, who was looking at me with a worried expression, and decided to go back to the palace first.

The palace remained as peaceful and prosperous as ever. Although the Kitchen God's spirit no longer protected the Imperial Kitchen, it was still bustling with activity. It seemed that this world had never stopped for any one person...

I suddenly felt a bit disillusioned. What does it matter if someone dies? What does it matter who dies? Even if this dynasty falls, so what?

So what's the point of people striving so hard? And what about me? I've been dead for decades. What connection does this dynasty have with me anymore? Even if the one who ascends the throne is that prematurely deceased third prince, so what? It's all just an illusion...

Even after I sat back down in the rocking chair under the eaves of the Imperial Observatory, I still couldn't understand why people should stay.

"Supervisor, why should people linger? Everything in this world is but a bubble; we bring nothing into this world and take nothing away when we die. We come into this world naked and leave naked, so what is the meaning of all this? Sages say that people should uphold virtue, guard their hearts, maintain righteous thoughts, and be kind..."

I turned to look at the supervisor: "Aren't these virtues all meaningless? Just like tangible gold and silver, they all vanish when you die... What is the meaning of a person's lifelong commitment, Supervisor?"

"Oh?" The supervisor chuckled twice. "Little Xu Yi, you're thinking about such profound questions now? I can't give you the answer; you'll have to find it yourself."

I turned to look at Xu Baohe at my feet: "Baohe, tell me, what's the meaning of life?"

"I'm not human, how would I know?" Baohe threw the question back at me.

"Why don't you count as a human being?"

"When did I become a person? I perished in this world before I was even born, and after death I am nothing more than a lonely soul that can't escape. How can that be considered a person?"

"Sigh...this..." There's no problem with that, but when you consider Baohe, it doesn't really count as a person...

“However,” Baohe changed the subject, “since I met you, I feel like a human being. I can eat osmanthus candy, I can go out with you, and you even promised to take me to see the lanterns. Hehe, now I’m finally a human being.”

I felt like I had grasped something, but it floated away in an instant.

At this moment, the supervisor laughed and said, "Xu Yi, this is the significance. Bao He knows it, but you don't. You deserve a beating!" After saying that, he actually hit me with the palm-leaf fan in his hand.

I was a little confused by what he said. "This is the meaning?"

“The meaning of life itself is what matters. Before, Baohe was alone in the well, without any connection with the people of this world; he was dead then. But since he met you, he has come to understand the sweetness of osmanthus sugar; he has come to understand the warmth of family that cares for him; and he is filled with beautiful fantasies about his future. This in itself is greater than the meaning of survival; or rather, this is the meaning of life itself.”

"I don't think I understood quite well, Supervisor."

"You didn't even understand that?" The supervisor clicked his tongue twice and asked Baohe, "Baohe, are you happy now?"

"I'm so happy!"

Why are you happy?

"I can live with you all, have an endless supply of osmanthus sugar, and travel around the world with Xu Yi. Isn't that wonderful!"

The supervisor nodded, then looked at me and said, "Xu Yi, you heard from Bao He that he's happy now. Do you feel anything about that?"

“I’m very happy too; his happiness is contagious.”

“Yes! That’s the meaning of life, that’s the essential meaning of people relying on each other to survive.” The supervisor paused here, “Just like Chef Deng, he must have been happy when he left, without a doubt.”

"How could that be? If he were truly happy, why would he seek death?"

"You're blinded by a leaf, little Xu Yi! If Chef Deng is unhappy, he will find other ways to vent his unhappiness, but he is obviously proud of his son's death on the battlefield, and happy that you are willing to let him choose for himself; he will even feel gratified that Mu Li knows how to cook for you. It is precisely because he has no more attachments to this world that he happily followed his son in death."

How can a person be happy because they have nothing to worry about? If there is nothing around a person that can move them, then... isn't he dead even though he is alive?

"Yes, Chef Deng was an honest and upright man, so after he had no more attachment to this world, he manifested the state of 'death'. Just like you said: he was already dead while he was alive. He was just being honest and not having illusions."

I think the supervisor was just trying to comfort me by finding a topic to talk about, but strangely enough, I felt like what he said made a lot of sense...

"Supervisor, did you say those things just to comfort me?"

"Yes!" Unexpectedly, the old man nodded frankly: "So Xu Yi, the important thing is not what nonsense I just said, but that I am comforting you. In terms of actions and intentions, I am in harmony with you at this moment, and this is the Tao I want to convey to you."

"I...I still don't quite understand..."

"It's nothing," the supervisor said casually, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan. "I don't really understand it either!"

"So you're saying this to fool me?"

"Yes!" The supervisor nodded with a smile. "I was just teasing you, little Xu Yi."

At this moment, Xu Baohe, who was sitting at his feet, also chuckled foolishly: "Trying to fool you, Xu Yi!"

Looking at their smiling faces, I didn't know what they were laughing about, but I still felt...it was pretty good...Is this the meaning of preservation?

Forget it, I won't dwell on it anymore. In the end, my existence is still meaningful to some people around me. As for myself? I'll think about it some more.

At this moment, someone from the Imperial Observatory came to report that the Prime Minister's office had sent someone to look for me.

"Hmm? Is there something you need?" The person shook his head and replied, "He didn't say."

"Then I'll go take a look." I got up to leave, but Baohe stood up and looked up at me: "Take me with you, I'll go with you."

"Okay." I squatted down and waited for him to sit on my shoulders again before I got up and walked out.

I met a servant from the Prime Minister's residence at the entrance of the Imperial Observatory. The servant bowed to me and said, "Miss Xu, the Prime Minister invites you."

I actually wanted to ask what was going on, but thinking it best to go and see for myself first, I nodded and said, "Okay, let's go now."

After I left the palace and arrived at the Prime Minister's residence, the servants led me directly to the study where Ah Shi was. I heard Ah Shi reciting poetry inside: "Following nothing, following nothing, the wind is magnanimous...magnanimous, magnanimous, the wind stops...stop, stop ...

I frowned. What is this song about?

The prime minister's voice came from the side: "He's nervous."

"Huh?" I turned my head to look at the prime minister beside me: "What's the matter?"

The prime minister rolled his eyes at me: "The imperial examination is coming up, what do you say?"

"Hiss..." I took a deep breath: "This..." Then I looked at the Prime Minister: "Were you nervous when you took the imperial examination back then?"

"I'm nervous!" the prime minister nodded. "I even went to visit a brothel!"

"Huh?" I couldn't even imagine what it would be like for the prime minister to visit a brothel, so I asked, "Then why did you call me here?" You don't mean you want me to take Ah Shi to a brothel, do you?

The prime minister clearly guessed what I was thinking, and glanced at me sideways again: "At this time, relaxation is the most important thing. There's a lantern festival tonight, take him there to relax!"

"Me?" I probed. "I don't have any money!"

He was met with a cold shoulder from the prime minister: "Go find the steward, Zhi." Then he left.

Hehe, it's rare to have the money from the Prime Minister's mansion. I went straight to the steward and withdrew a thousand taels. The old man who was keeping the accounts was so surprised that his hand trembled. In the end, he still gave me a thousand taels of silver notes.

Holding a thousand taels of silver, I rushed straight to Ah Shi's room, pushed open the door with an air of grandeur, put my hands on my hips, and shouted, "Ah Shi, come on, Auntie will take you to visit the capital!"

Ah Shi propped himself up from the table, having slumped over, and asked me weakly, "Playing in the capital? Auntie, how do you play?"

"Play however you want, okay?"

I tapped Baohe's head on my shoulder: "Baohe also wants to see the lanterns, let's go together! The Prime Minister gave me some money!"

"Hmm?" Ah Shi's interest was piqued now, and he visibly perked up: "Did the teacher give you money?"

"That's right!" I nodded. "I've been given a thousand taels! Let's go all out and spend it all!"

“A thousand taels? Wow…” Ah came over in a dozen steps: “Teacher is so generous!” Then he raised an eyebrow: “Then Auntie, wait for me, I’ll change my clothes.”

"Okay!" I nodded. "I'll wait for you in the main hall."

I had just finished a cup of tea in the main hall when Ah Shi came over, having changed his clothes. The madman he had looked in the study was gone; he was all smiles now.

I breathed a sigh of relief and happily went up to him, patting him on the shoulder: "That's more like it! Let's go."

When we happily left the mansion and walked onto the street, we saw a lively scene.

Lanterns hung on both sides of the street, their various shapes and fabric colors creating a vibrant and colorful atmosphere reminiscent of the mortal world.

Baohe happily stood up on my shoulder, exclaiming, "Wow, it's so lively! So many different lanterns!"

"You like it?" I tilted my head and asked him, "Tell me which one you like, and I'll buy it for you."

"Really?" Baohe was overjoyed and jumped down to light several lamps nearby: "This, this, this, I like them all!"

"Okay, buy them all!" I splurged generously, then turned to Ah Shi: "Ah Shi, you choose one too, buy them all."

"Me?" Ah Shi looked at me, a sly smile on his face. "I want Auntie to win a cup for me."

"Win?" Indeed, many of the lanterns involved solving riddles, but I'm not good at that at all, so I frankly admitted, "Ask me to win one? That might be a bit difficult; I'm not good at that..."

“Then Auntie, you should try harder,” but he didn’t let me off easily: “Just keep watching, there’s bound to be one that Auntie can win.”

Unexpectedly, Xu Baohe was also moved by my words. He walked up to me and said, "Then I don't want any of these. I want you to win me a cup."

"So... I have to guess at least two of the riddles correctly?" I suddenly felt immense pressure.