Chapter 51 You Promise Me Three Things

Xiao Xun lay on his side on the couch, gently stroking Lin Yuan's jade pendant with one hand.

amulet.

He looked at the dragon-tiger pendant, murmured those words, and chuckled softly.

She was protecting him, watching over him.

That night, he had a different dream.

The sound of galloping hooves and rain-like footsteps still lingered in my ears, while the pain in my shoulders and back could be faintly felt.

He seemed to care about nothing else; all he could think about was running.

The singing spring, the stone waterfall, the red stream, and the bamboo forest flashed by like flying clouds.

"Ah Xun, are you out of your mind?!"

"I'll teach you a lesson!"

"Just you wait and see!"

These sounds chased after him like the wind.

A long branch flew from behind, brushed past my shoulder, and blocked my way.

The broken end was stained with blood.

The footsteps and words that had been following him came to an abrupt halt.

"Oh dear, you're bleeding!"

Turning my head, Xiao Yu's face came into view.

He stopped in his tracks, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead dripping onto his eyelashes.

Her eyes were also glistening with tears, clearly showing self-reproach, guilt, and panic.

Where the gaze fell, there was a glaring gash on Xiao Xun's shoulder, staining his clothes red.

The voices of the Crown Princess, Wang Fu, and the guards of Siqi Garden all came one after another, crowding into Xiao Xun's ears and buzzing.

"I made this when I was vaulting just now."

The Crown Princess personally treated his wound, carefully picking out wood chips, mud, and fine sand from the frightening two-inch-long gash.

Xiao Xun gasped for breath, winked at Xiao Yu who was standing to the side, pale-faced and silent, and laughed, "Thanks to A-Yu's skill in riding horses, otherwise I would definitely have been thrown several feet away by Xueying, or trampled by the horse's hooves, and I wouldn't be sitting here in peace."

After the Crown Princess and the physician left, Xiao Yu walked over, bowed deeply, and solemnly said, "Uncle, I will remember this favor."

Xiao Xun stood up and stretched out his uninjured arm, trying to help him up.

With a quick glance, she playfully patted the back of his neck.

Xiao Yu straightened up and sat down next to Xiao Xun, still feeling lingering fear.

"Otherwise, Mother will definitely punish me by forbidding me from learning any more strange horsemanship or swordsmanship from wandering knights, and will lock me in the library to copy the Analects several times. If Father finds out, he might even report it to Grandfather, saying that I am unfilial and disrespectful, and I will have to kneel in the ancestral temple to apologize. That would be terrible."

Xiao Xun narrowed his eyes at him and smiled slyly: "So how do you plan to repay me?"

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Yu said solemnly, "If you are in any danger in the future, I will protect you."

Xiao Xun pondered for a moment: "How about you promise me three things?"

Xiao Yu shook her head and glanced at him: "I owe you a favor, so why should I agree to three things?"

Xiao Xun patted Xiao Yu on the shoulder: "You said you'd protect me forever, that's a lifelong commitment! Three things, is that too many?"

After a short while, seeing Xiao Yu frowning and remaining silent, he added, "Besides, we have a blood oath of brotherhood. Heaven and earth know—the world has witnessed it all."

It was only because when Xiao Yu went forward to check Xiao Xun's wound, his hands were stained with Xiao Xun's blood.

On a whim, Xiao Yu readily agreed: "Alright, go ahead. But it has to be something I can do."

"Of course," Xiao Xun said with a smile. "The first thing I want is Xueying."

Xiao Yu frowned: "Xueying is so unruly, are you sure you want it?"

Xiao Xun laughed and said, "I like being unruly and taking things by surprise."

"Alright, Xueying was originally a horse my father gave me. I promise you. Once it's tamed, I'll send it to the palace for you."

"The second thing is that, as I mentioned before, we were supposed to have a swordsmanship contest in half a month. But I'm injured now, so let's postpone it for a while."

"how long?"

"Well, it will be delayed by three to five days at the very least, and by more than... well, I'll write to you in a few days."

Xiao Yu hummed in agreement. "Wait, you injured your shoulder and neck, not your arm."

He cried out that he had been tricked: "Xiao! Xun!"

"You promised yourself, you can't go back on your word!"

Xiao Xun was naturally worried that half a month was not enough time and that he would lose badly. He would only be willing to compete after he had learned from the Imperial Guards and the Palace Attendants to perfection.

Xiao Yu saw through his thoughts, and his face flushed slightly. He stood up, put his hands behind his back, and said in a serious manner, "Words cannot be uttered, my dear nephew. Although you no longer need to copy the books, you still need to keep in mind the words of the sages."

Xiao Yu's expression changed drastically. He chuckled and ran several feet away in a flash.

"There's a third thing. Well, I haven't thought about it yet..."

He ran and laughed, "You owe me first! I'll tell you next time we meet!"

Seeing Xiao Yu chasing after him angrily, he clutched his shoulder and said, "Ouch, my wound is bleeding again."

Xiao Yu stopped in her tracks, while Xiao Xun laughed until tears streamed down her face. "It hurts so much, it hurts so much!"

Even in his dream, he smiled.

"Ah Xun, are you out of your mind?!"

"Ah Xun!"

Turning my head, I saw the child's face flickering in the light and shadow of the phoenix tree.

The first thing to fall into the light was those eyes, shimmering with moisture.

Once the dark eyelashes covered the shadows, a slanted ray of light shone from the center of the face to the temples.

His nose was high and straight, and his sideburns were as if cut by a knife.

The narrow beam of light moved down to his lips, which were slightly pursed, without a smile.

Unable to see the whole picture, he anxiously pieced together the facial features.

That became Lin Yu's face.

A sudden chill ran through my chest.

When I woke up, my hands were empty; the jade pendant was gone.

Xiao Xun propped himself up and anxiously searched for it, only to find that the dragon-tiger pendant had fallen onto his undergarment at some point.

As he got up, the sweat rolled down his loose clothes to his chest.

He clutched the jade pendant in his hand, stood up, slowly walked around the screen, and sat down at the desk.

No lights were turned on.

A dim moonlight fell on the bamboo slips on one side of the desk, casting shadows like rolling mountains.

"Cheng Xuanzhi... He was a man of high aspirations, devoted to poetry and books, and did not associate with many people. Of the Five Classics Doctors of the Imperial Academy who studied and discussed classics with him in the Shiqu Pavilion back then, only a few are still alive. Two of them are very secretive, fearing that the old case from the third year of the Tian Shou era would be brought up again and bring trouble upon themselves. Therefore, they used old age as an excuse to stay away from home."

"There was only one named Xie Zhang, who was also a professor at the Imperial Academy and a friend of Grand Tutor Cheng. However, he disagreed with Cheng Xuanzhi on the authenticity of the lost chapters in the Book of Documents, and the two argued about it for half their lives."

Last night, Lingfeng finally delivered the bamboo slips sent by carrier pigeon.

He presented it to Xiao Xun, shaking his head and sighing as he spoke:

"When these scholars get into a fight, neither of them will give in, and in the end, the two become bitter enemies, and it is said that they will never speak to each other again. Later, because Cheng Xuanzhi's opinion was adopted in the Shiqu Pavilion discussion, Xie Zhang, in a fit of anger, resigned from his post and returned to his hometown."

"After that, he lived in the countryside of Yizhou and never set foot in Chang'an again. Some officials in the prefecture and some former colleagues from the Imperial Academy invited him to take up a post, but he ignored them and refused to see them. He just stayed and tended his few dozen acres of poor land, raising chickens and pigs for a living, and occasionally teaching the children of local gentry to read. When the Prefect of the Capital came to invite him, he was sunbathing at the door, feeding chickens with a handful of millet in his hands."

"How can you possibly get someone like that to come?"

Xiao Xun quickly scanned the memorial, then asked curiously.

Ling Feng was also completely confused:

"I heard that they didn't really invite him. They just mentioned Cheng Xuanzhi's name and he agreed to come."

"Upon hearing Cheng Xuanzhi's name, his face darkened, and without uttering a word, he turned and went into the house, closing the door of the thatched hut. Just when the Prefect of the Capital and his men thought they had returned empty-handed again, the door opened again. Xie Zhang had two books in his hands: one was the currently used version of the Book of Documents, and the other was the old version of the Book of Documents from more than twenty years ago, before the debate at the Shiqu Pavilion."

"Xie Zhang is old and frail, and is also plagued by illness. He insisted on riding in an oxcart for three days and three nights. During this time, if it weren't for the repeated persuasion of the Prefect of the Capital, the ox would have almost died from running. He didn't even have the intention of stopping to rest for a while."

"Upon reaching the western outskirts of Chang'an, Master Cheng resided on a secluded mountain, overgrown with weeds and strewn with rocks. Furthermore, it was January, and the winter snow had not yet melted, making it difficult for carts and oxen to ascend the mountain. Yet, without a moment's rest, he used both hands and feet to climb to the mountainside in one go..."

I only caught a glimpse of it from afar.

I saw a profile of someone hunched over, with gray hair and wrinkles all over their body.

Tears streamed down my face.

"Cheng Xuanzhi, Cheng Xuanzhi. You are still alive."

"I knew it! The matter of the Minister hasn't been clarified yet, how can you just walk away like this?"

Something flashed in the moonlight on the dragon-tiger pendant.

The hands that were holding the jade pendant trembled, rolled away, and disappeared.

When Xiao Xun asked Lin Yu what she had said before saying, "Are you out of your mind?", he was sitting high on the Cloud-Stepping Platform, looking down, so he couldn't see Lin Yu's gaze or expression.

Lin Yu clasped his hands in a fist salute and bowed his head.

He has a light-colored mole the size of a sesame seed on the back of his neck.

He was in the same spot as that little boy who bowed and worshipped him many years ago.

He closed his eyes.

Thoughts surged like a tide.

"Your Majesty, Lin Yu's tutor is indeed Cheng Xuanzhi. Therefore, Lin Yu's identity is highly suspicious. Could he really be the late Crown Prince's..."

Xiao Xun raised his eyes, stared at Ling Feng, and interrupted him: "I grew up with Xiao Yu. If he were right in front of me, after all this time, how could I not recognize him?"

"..."

Ling Feng fell silent.

"I ordered you to investigate this Master Cheng, and you've found out. You've done a great job. There's no need to worry about anything else."

Xiao Xun smiled faintly at him and said calmly, "Cheng Xuanzhi is worthy of being called a great Confucian scholar for being able to teach a disciple like Lin Yu. The court is in need of talent right now. If he is still willing to come out of seclusion, he can set up an academy to give lectures, or sit in the Imperial Academy and give some guidance to the newly selected Five Classics Doctors from various prefectures and kingdoms. If he is willing, he can also serve as the Grand Master of Ceremonies."

Ling Feng frowned: "Your Majesty, Cheng Xuanzhi has been hiding his identity and living in seclusion in the mountains. He usually refuses to meet with outsiders or say a word to them. How could he possibly be willing to come out of the mountains?" He pondered, "If we force him, what can such a scholar, who is also old, possibly do?"

Xiao Xun smiled and said, "If you are sincere, why not ask him to resolve the Minister's doubts?"

“This…” Ling Feng sighed, “I’m afraid even ordinary questions will be difficult to answer. It has to be a question that he finds worthy of his attention, such as the kind of question that Xie Zhang has been arguing about for half his life.”

“I do have some questions that I would like to ask him. When I was young, I also listened to his lectures. I remember that he said that there was a chapter in the Book of Documents called the Mandate of Marquis Wen, which was written by King Ping of Zhou to Marquis Wen of Jin. King Ping bestowed upon him black wine and jade tablets to commend Marquis Wen of Jin for killing King You's brother, supporting King Ping as the emperor, and restoring the ‘legitimate rule of the world’.”

"At the same time, Cheng Xuanzhi also said that the book of Sima Qian contains the "Hereditary House of Jin", which regards the event mentioned in the "Decree of Marquis Wen" as a gift from King Xiang of Zhou to Duke Wen of Jin, Chong'er. This is actually a mistake. When the Zhou dynasty passed to King Xiang, the emperor had no power and the royal house was in decline. Duke Wen of Jin was able to summon King Xiang to Heyang. Even the sages felt that this was a great disgrace, so they avoided saying "hunting at Heyang".

“I was only six or seven years old at the time, and my reading was just superficial. Now, so many years later, I would like to ask him for advice.”

Xiao Xun composed himself and slowly said:

"What constitutes the legitimate succession of the empire? Is it based on lineage, legitimacy, or the mandate of the emperor and father? If King Ping intended to murder the emperor and his father, would that be considered legitimate? Or is it simply a matter of whoever wins and whoever holds the pen, whoever is legitimate?"

"This question has troubled me for many years, and I really need to ask him to solve it. Do you think this question is good enough for him?"

Ling Feng was stunned and startled, unsure how to answer, and even more so, dared not answer.

He clasped his hands in a respectful bow and said, "Your Majesty's memory is exceptional. I truly admire it."

"It's just about reviewing the old to learn the new," Xiao Xun said calmly.

He put away the bamboo slips, his thoughts wandering, and sighed softly, "Never mind. Although you hold a military post, you can read these books more often when you have free time."

Speaking of which, the last time I "revisited" it was the Sima Qian's book that I brought out from the Lanyue Pavilion.

Xiao Xun put it on the bookshelf in the Xuan Room.

He later propped his chin on his hand, flipped through the tattered book, and laughed uncontrollably.

The book, except for the one with Yi Yin missing, turned to the very end of the Zhou Annals, and almost every bamboo slip was covered in black ink.

The ink marks on it are also quite particular.

From light to dark, first, sentence by sentence, ink was applied. Then, paragraph by paragraph.

Later, it turned into black crosses, and in the end, it was almost like ink being splashed onto the bamboo slips.

He imagined Lin Yuan annotating the book back then, gradually becoming sullen, frowning, pursing her lips, gritting her teeth, and drawing a big X on "Zhou made the order of Marquis Wen of Jin". Finally, in a fit of anger, she threw the ink-soaked pen onto the book.

The next day, Lin Yuan saw the book on Xiao Xun's desk and blushed instantly: "Why is Your Majesty still reading this book? This book is all, all, torn."

"The fact that it's broken proves that you've studied it very deeply. I've benefited greatly from reading it."

"Your Majesty, please don't tease me. What benefit could I possibly gain from this?"

Xiao Xun did not laugh. He calmly opened the book. The ink was thick and thin, and large sections of the text were illegible. So he pointed to the cross mark: "For example, when King Xiang of Zhou went hunting in Heyang, he still acted as if he were Marquis Wen of Jin and sang praises for him. He was so humiliated that he was unfit to be the emperor. He deserved to die."

He laughed and said, "If it were me, I'd rather just kill myself."

Lin Yuan's ears turned red, and she bit her lip: "I didn't think that way. The cross is because it was written wrong."

Xiao Xun was quite surprised and asked with a smile, "Wrong?"

Lin Yuan nodded: "The order of Marquis Wen was not made by King Xiang of Zhou to Duke Wen of Jin, but clearly by King Ping of Zhou to Marquis Wen of Jin."

Her face was flushed crimson, her eyes reddening, as she muttered, "It's not about cutting yourself off from the world. If that were the case, wouldn't King Goujian of Yue have cut himself off a thousand times over?"

Xiao Xun suddenly regretted his careless joke.

He saw, in the deep darkness, one after another, faint circles of varying sizes.

He gently traced the blurred words with his fingers and hummed in agreement, "I've heard people say something like that before."

However, Sima Qian's version of events has been widely circulated and his interpretation is frequently used. He swallowed the last part. Su Dan's teachings on classics and history were meticulous and never went against the prevailing trend.

Returning to his senses, Xiao Xun put away the dragon-tiger pendant and tossed the secret report about Cheng Xuanzhi on the table into the charcoal brazier.

Flames shot up a foot high.

As he stared blankly at the crimson fire, a knock sounded at the door.

"Is Your Majesty having trouble sleeping?"

Footsteps were mixed in with the cracking of wood chips.

The curtain beside the desk moved slightly, and he turned around to see Lin Yuan's face appear in the moonlight.

"Oh, I saw the light suddenly turn on here, I thought you were having another nightmare."

Lin Yuan's gaze fell upon the charcoal brazier, the bright red flames illuminating half of his figure.

He sat at his desk, wearing a loosely draped outer robe, his expression indistinct.

She pursed her lips and explained shyly, "I came here to tell you that if you want to take a bath, you must not let your wound get wet again. On the way back from the archery range today, I asked Master He, and he said that hot spring water contains a lot of sulfur, which can irritate unhealed wounds and cause them to bleed. If the wound has healed, soaking in it every day can help remove scars."

He didn't look like he was about to take a bath; there wasn't even a single light in the inner room of the east wing.

Lin Yuan wished she could hide in a crack in the ground, but forced herself to say, "Well, since there's no bath, that's good."

"It's so late, you saw the light on here?"

Xiao Xun remained seated, slowly repeating her words.

Lin Yuan lied: "I was there to admire the moon. The moon is beautiful tonight. I was looking at the moon when your window suddenly lit up. It was quite noticeable. It was dark all around, so I saw it immediately."

"Looking at the moon?"

Xiao Xun glanced at the water clock and couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"It's so late, are you still reading?" Lin Yuan asked awkwardly. "Then I won't disturb you."

He was about to leave when he said that.

“You’ve come at the perfect time. Let’s talk. I’m also admiring the moon.” Xiao Xun said gently with a smile. “The moon looks brighter from here, facing west, than it does from where you are.”

Lin Yuan looked over and saw that the curtains on the right side of the desk were half-rolled up, and the side door she had just entered through was still half-open.

Looking out through that half-open door, a crescent moon had already moved to the west and was hanging on the roof ridge of the west wing.

After nightfall, the moon was no longer visible through her east-facing window. Her face was flushed, almost as if it were about to bleed.

"What would Your Majesty like to discuss?"

"How about telling me... about your childhood?"

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Author's note: Sorry, I was being a bit pedantic. The content of the book is not important and can be ignored. What is important is the question the male protagonist asked: "Why is it considered orthodox if King Ping intended to kill his emperor and father?"

①Reference: Zhao Shengqun. Why did Sima Qian misunderstand the "Mandate of Marquis Wen" in the Book of Documents? [J]. Wisdom China, 2024, (Z1): 106-107.

Jin Dejian. A New Historical Evidence for the Commentary on the “Mandate of Marquis Wen” in the Book of Documents [J]. Historical Studies, 1990, (01): 79-52.

The original text from the *Records of the Grand Historian*, "The Hereditary House of Jin," states: "The Son of Heaven sent Prince Hu to appoint the Marquis of Jin as Earl, bestowing upon him a grand carriage, one hundred red bows and arrows, one thousand black bows and arrows, one *you* vessel of black millet wine, a jade tablet, and three hundred tiger-like guards. The Marquis of Jin declined three times, then bowed and accepted. The Zhou dynasty's *Decree of Marquis Wen of Jin* states: 'Your Majesty said: Father Yihe, greatly illustrious Wen and Wu, was able to carefully cultivate his virtue, which was manifest above and spread below. At that time, the Supreme God gathered his mandate upon Wen and Wu, and spared my life, granting me the sole successor to reign eternally.'"

② *Records of the Grand Historian, Basic Annals of Zhou*: In the twentieth year, Duke Wen of Jin summoned King Xiang of Zhou. King Xiang met with him at Heyang and Jiantu. All the feudal lords paid homage, but the record euphemistically stated, "The Heavenly King hunted at Heyang." This means that Duke Wen of Jin, as a subject, summoned King Xiang of Zhou at Heyang and Jiantu, which was not in accordance with the proper relationship between ruler and subject. Therefore, Confucius subtly referred to this meeting as a "hunting expedition." It was similar to the Northern Hunt of the Two Emperors during the Jingkang Incident.