Side Story 1: Eastern Tour - Orchid Pavilion Gathering

Since Sun Quan, the Great Emperor of Wu, established his capital here, and Sima Yan later proclaimed himself emperor here, the gentry and elites have migrated south, leaving behind countless elegant and refined figures in Jiankang.

Liu Jun and Sima Ye lingered in Jiankang for more than ten days, reluctantly leaving. They stayed in Wuzhong for several more days before finally rushing to Kuaiji, the last city on their eastern tour.

The emperor's intentions were unknown to others, but Sima Ye understood them perfectly. For nearly a century, the Central Plains had suffered immensely, but Jiangdong remained a peaceful corner of the country, with powerful families from the south establishing prefectures and reclaiming wasteland. Now, it was no less prosperous than Guanzhong. If they harbored rebellious intentions, the distance and the natural barrier of the Yangtze River would make it difficult for the court to deal with them in the short term.

Therefore, Liu Jun first intimidated the remaining loyalists of the Jin dynasty in Jiankang, suppressed the four families of Gu, Lu, Zhu, and Zhang in Wuzhong, and when he went to Kuaiji, his aim was undoubtedly the powerful families like Wang and Xie who had migrated south.

When the emperor arrived in Kuaiji, he happened to hear that many scholars were holding a purification ritual at Lanting in Shanyin. And coincidentally, someone was leading the way. Under these coincidences, the emperor suddenly felt inspired and decided to go there in white dragon robes to join the scholars in their merriment.

So Liu Jun and Sima Ye, along with Liu Jia and their attendants and guards, followed the winding mountain road of Lanzhu Mountain. Everywhere they looked, they saw wildflowers in full bloom in early spring, and all they could hear were the sounds of flowing streams and birdsong. Liu Jia, being young and impetuous, would sometimes look at the stone chickens in the stream, and sometimes shout at the deer in the forest.

Sima Ye found it delightful and couldn't help but smile slightly, "It's rare to see him so lively."

“Spending all his time studying and practicing martial arts is indeed too restrictive for him,” Liu Jun said. “Didn’t I plan to have the Crown Prince stationed in Xijing Chang’an? After that, I will rebuild Shanglin Garden so that he can have as much fun as he wants there.”

"I thank Your Majesty on his behalf." Sima Ye frowned slightly again, and Liu Jun quickly said, "Don't worry, he is just a grandson of the emperor. I will still keep him by my side and will definitely be able to show filial piety to you from time to time."

Sima Ye then relaxed his brows and said, "Alright."

Upon hearing voices, they saw hundreds of servants guarding the area in the distance. They looked on guard when they saw them, until one of the elders in charge stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, “I’m sorry, everyone. My master is having a banquet here. This is just a small gift. Please take a detour.”

Although his words were polite and he apologized, the arrogance in his expression was genuine. Before Liu Jun and Sima Ye could speak, Liu Jia pleaded, "Old man, we have been traveling for a long time. If we take another detour, we will have nowhere to rest before dark. Could you please make an exception? We will not disturb your peace."

The old man still refused, so Liu Jun smiled and took out a note from his sleeve. "I have a past relationship with Xi Sikong. Please give this note to your master. Whether or not we should take a detour is his decision."

Before long, a handsome man of similar age to Liu Jun hurried over, took the invitation, glanced at it, and then looked at the group of people with suspicion.

Wang Xizhi, upon first crossing the Zhejiang River, had the ambition to settle down there. He never cared much about his official career, but instead wandered among the mountains and rivers. He also came from a prestigious family, the Langya Wang clan. Therefore, after several attempts to influence the situation, he spent his entire life in the Jiangnan region. He was currently serving as the Prefect of Kuaiji. Apart from Emperor Sima Jian of the late Jin Dynasty, he had never seen the face of any emperor.

But he also knew that someone who could command such respect and courtesy from his father-in-law, Xi Jian, could not possibly be an ordinary person.

"I originally only wanted to pass through, but now that I see so many wise men gathered here, I can't help but feel admiration. I wonder if I could humbly take the last seat and join in this grand event?" After saying this, Liu Jun casually broke off a willow branch next to him, dipped it in water, and wrote the seven characters "Spring waters flourish and red flowers bloom" on a large stone.

Instead of using the clerical script commonly used for reviewing memorials and the cursive script favored by his predecessors, he used the running script that Wang Xizhi was most skilled in. Although this might be considered presumptuous, he genuinely hoped to receive guidance from Wang Xizhi.

Even though he died young in his previous life, Cao Mao's calligraphy was already renowned. Now, with fifty years of military campaigns and a life of high status, he is far more accomplished than the imprisoned dragon he once was in the palace.

Wang Xizhi glanced at it briefly and was immediately captivated by its grandeur. Upon closer inspection, the watermarks had mostly dried. However, partly out of a desire to emulate the virtuous man, and partly because he had already determined that the other party was a noble person he could not afford to offend, he politely said, "Today, a few friends and I are gathered here for the purification ritual. It is an honor that Your Excellency has not taken us in. Please come in."

She smiled at the helpless Sima Ye, then took the hand of the bouncy Liu Jia beside her. Just as she was about to take her seat, she heard Sima Ye say, "Master, please take your seat. The boy is unpredictable, and it would be unpleasant if he disturbed your enjoyment. Bi Nu and I will just watch from the side."

Without forcing him, Liu Jun pressed his wrist and said gently, "If you find it boring, go and enjoy the scenery and play in the water. I'll come find you later."

Once seated, Liu Jun realized that besides Wang Xizhi, there were forty other people gathered here, all wearing tall hats and wide belts, their bearing elegant and refined, just like the famous scholars from the south he had heard about before.

The crowd seemed to have been enjoying a leisurely gathering by the stream, composing poems along the water. Many poems and essays had already been published, and some of the retainers were copying them down. It seemed that they would be compiled into a collection in the future. Liu Jun, sitting at the end of the table, glanced at the collection and his gaze involuntarily settled on a name—Xie An.

I heard that he was a talented and promising young man from the Xie family of Chen Commandery. I don't know if he was loyal to the Jin court or if he was too indifferent to fame and fortune. He simply retired to Dongshan and taught the Xie family's children.

Liu Jun recalled that his former son-in-law Huan Wen had once commented on the people who had fled south in front of him, and his admiration for Xie An was so obvious that he could hardly hide it. Therefore, Liu Jun also had a good impression of this person.

"Let us rejoice together on this festive day, and hastily lift our robes. Thin clouds veil the sun's rays, and a gentle breeze carries our light boats. Fine wine soothes our souls, as if we were wandering among the immortals. All things are unified by one principle, and we can no longer discern the difference between life and death." This was Xie An's second poem for the Orchid Pavilion Gathering. Liu Jun remained noncommittal, then looked at the poems of the others and found that, including Xie An, eleven people had each composed two poems, fifteen people had each composed one poem, and sixteen people could not compose a poem and were punished with three cups of wine.

At this moment, Wang Xizhi's ten-year-old son, Wang Xianzhi, was red-faced and punishing himself with a cup of wine. Liu Jun was still watching the commotion when he heard someone say, "Your Excellency, may I ask your name? Do you have any poems to present today?"

Liu Jun felt that this person was unfamiliar, so he just raised his eyebrows and remained silent. Wang Xizhi, who had been silently observing the scene, spoke up, "This is Sun Xinggong, the foremost scholar in the southeast."

Liu Jun thought for a moment and laughed, "Sun Chuo? He does have some talent, and that poem about Mount Tiantai is indeed quite good. Apart from that, I only remember a few lines about the vast Taiji and the leisurely Xuan Yun."

His tone was quite arrogant, which drew attention not only to Sun Chuo but also to other famous scholars.

It was unclear which of the people present was a fan of Sun Chuo, but someone said sarcastically, "Since you are so talented, why don't you emulate the Prince of Chenliu who can compose a poem in seven steps?"

Liu Jun frowned. He disliked the world spreading stories about his grandfather and brothers whose authenticity was uncertain, and he also disliked others not being discreet about Sima Ye's title. He stood up in slight anger, and with a powerful stride, he composed a profound poem within seven steps, which he wrote on paper: "If you want to plant the root of extinction, you should uproot the plant of life and death. If you ponder, you will fall into the netherworld, but you can only sit and cherish your body."

Leaving aside the poetic beauty, the calligraphy, with its silver hooks and iron strokes, resembled a phoenix soaring through the air, drawing cheers from many in the audience.

But Liu Jun keenly caught a "good" and turned around sharply. Sure enough, he saw Sima Ye holding Liu Jia's hand by the willow tree by the stone, looking at him with a smile, his eyes full of the same admiration that had remained unchanged for decades.