The Living Yama (Part 9)
The children filed out, laughing and taking off their shoes and socks, running barefoot into the mountains and fields. As they passed by me and Xiong Tu, they all bowed and paid their respects.
I grabbed one of them and asked, "Why are you running so fast? Where are you going?"
"Let's go up the mountain to cultivate the fields!" the child said proudly with a beaming smile. "The Master said that scholars should be self-reliant and not be bookworms who are lazy and ignorant of farming!"
I patted him on the shoulder: "Go ahead! Be careful."
The children in the courtyard, except for Daxin who was still catching grasshoppers, had all dispersed.
I approached the window, leaned out, and smiled, "Mr. Liu, I've brought a friend over today. Would it be convenient for you to meet him?"
Liu Xingjian stepped forward with a smile: "Qing Niangzi's friend is naturally also my friend. The tea is ready, please come in and chat."
The room was filled with the aroma of tea.
Liu Xingjian said, "Lord Xiong became a general at a young age, hated evil as if it were his enemy, and his prestige shook the barbarians. He had a great military record. When I was far away in Huainan, I also heard of Lord Xiong's reputation for pacifying the southwest."
"Mr. Liu, you flatter me." Xiong Tu grasped his hand, his expression earnest. "This time, I, Xiong, was greedy for merit and acted rashly in my investigation of smuggled goods. I fell into the trap of salt smugglers and almost caused a great disaster. Fortunately, Brother Ji Zhou captured the criminals and comforted the people, turning the war into nothingness. Only then did I understand the true meaning of 'a good warrior does not boast of his achievements'."
"Brother Jizhou often says that Mr. Liu's insights are unique and that he has always benefited greatly from learning from him. I admire him greatly, but I have never had the chance to meet him before. Now that I have the opportunity to meet him, I hope that he will not hesitate to give me his guidance."
"It's hardly an offer of guidance," Liu Xingjian said with a wave of his hand. "Since Lord Xiong is so magnanimous, I shall speak my mind. Please, both of you, have a seat!" With that, he took a teacup from the tea tray and poured tea from the teapot.
I thanked Xiong Tu and took a seat.
Liu Xingjian asked, "May I ask you two, what is your opinion on the word 'evil' in the phrase 'punish evil'?"
Without hesitation, Xiong Tu replied, "Of course, he's an evil person."
Liu Xingjian smiled and looked at me: "What does Qing Niangzi think—?"
“Atrocity”.
"I ask you two again, are evil people exclusive to barbarians or Han people?"
Xiong Tu paused for a moment, then said, "It is not exclusive to any one person. There are wicked people among the barbarians; there are also wicked people among the Han people."
I echoed, "That's exactly right."
Liu Xingjian slowly took a sip of tea: "I have another question. Now that evil has been eradicated and criminals have been executed, should we transfer our hatred for the wicked to those who wear similar clothes and have similar skin to the wicked?"
Xiong Tu held the cup, his eyes lowered, and remained silent.
I glanced at him and replied softly, "No need."
Liu Xingjian put down his cup: "Then I must ask Qingniangzi again. There is a saying: 'Don't advise others to be kind if you haven't experienced their suffering.' Although the murderer has been executed, the victim's relatives and friends are still alive, and the hatred cannot be resolved. What should be done now?"
"Even if it cannot be resolved, one should not vent hatred on innocent people. If doing so makes one feel better, how is that any different from being a villain?"
Liu Xingjian gave me a deep look and said, "As Qing Niangzi said, the difficulty in eradicating evil lies not in the clash of swords, but in the hearts of men. Evil thoughts are like a carbuncle that clings to the bone; it is easy to cut off its form, but difficult to sever its root."
Xiong Tu suddenly asked, "Mr. Liu, how can one eradicate the evil within one's heart?"
Liu Xingjian stroked his beard: "Lord Xiong, what do you consider to be the opposite of evil?"
"Nature is good."
Liu Xingjian nodded: "Human nature has both good and evil aspects. If a person's good nature is nurtured and cultivated, then goodness will grow; if their nature is evil, then evil will grow." (Note 1)
Xiong Tu stood up, bowed to Liu Xingjian, and said, “I am ashamed. I have been trusted by the court and stationed on the border for many years, but I have acted rudely and neglected to educate others. I have only used evil to control evil and have ignored the principle that ‘human nature has yin and yang, and good and evil are nurtured (Note 2).’ Today, at Yanziping, I have received your guidance. I am deeply grateful and cannot express my thanks!”
Liu Xingjian, holding hands, smiled and said, "Botong, you flatter me. Sit down and have some tea!"
Xiong Tu looked regretful: "It's a pity I didn't meet you sooner, sir, otherwise—"
“Botong, you are mistaken.” Liu Xingjian smiled and poured me tea. “Our meeting is perfectly timed. If it had been any earlier, you might not have listened to what I had to say.”
Xiong Tu shook my hand and said, "Thank you Qingcheng Inn for taking me in and treating me despite past grievances. I have benefited greatly from this experience, all thanks to Qing Niangzi's generosity."
Liu Xingjian nodded approvingly from the side, and I could only continue to be "magnanimous," chuckling twice as I replied, "There has never been any discord between Qingcheng and you, sir. You are self-disciplined and dedicated to your duties, and your actions are based on the facts, not the person. Qingcheng is not unreasonable either, so how could I make things difficult for you, sir?"
"Well said!" Liu Xingjian clapped his hands and laughed, "Officials and people in the southwest, working together with one heart; Han officials are one family, and the future is promising."
As the sun begins to set and dusk approaches, the light of day fades.
On the way back to the inn, Xiong Tu and I chatted idly.
As egrets flew overhead returning to their nests, Xiong Tu suddenly asked, "I heard you say the other day that Zhou Hong had done you a great favor. I wonder what he did that made Qing Niangzi value him so much?"
My gaze followed the birds into the distance: "When I was sixteen, the Yujing Salt Rebellion spread to Nanguang. My mother was wounded by a stray arrow while delivering a message. She encountered Song Dynasty soldiers on the road and asked her last wish—my mother hoped that her body could be sent back to the inn. It was Zhou Hong who risked his life to fulfill her wish, and also fulfilled the wish of our whole family."
Xiong Tu lowered his eyes and remained silent for a long time before saying, "My sixteenth year was also unforgettable. Would you like to hear it, Qing Niangzi?"
I crossed my hands and said, "I would like to hear the details."
Xiong Tu slowly said, "When I was seven years old, my father passed away, and my mother remarried. My grandfather was old and had no choice but to send me to a school opened by a friend in Yuanzhou."
“Yuanzhou is a place where Han and Yi people live together. I have been staying at my master’s house for many years. My master and his wife treated me very kindly. They not only taught me carefully, but also made a marriage agreement with me, betrothing their only daughter to me, so that I could have a place to belong.”
He paused slightly, then continued in a hoarse voice, "Fourteen years ago, I bid them farewell and went to Yichun County to take the imperial examination. Before I left, my teacher's wife prepared dry food for me and told me to be careful on the road. Who knew that this farewell would be our last?"
"Shortly after I set off, the Wuxi barbarians rebelled and stormed into the towns and villages inhabited by Han people, looting them. The town where the academy was located—137 households, more than 600 people—were all wiped out. My mentor, my teacher's wife, my junior sister, my classmates at the academy... all perished in that calamity."
“It was from that time that I made a vow—to dedicate my life to protecting the homeland of the Han people and never again let the Han people on the southwestern border live in fear and suffer the slaughter of barbarians.”
Upon hearing this, I sighed and asked softly, "So, do you think you've achieved that all these years?"
Xiong Tu looked at me intently and said, "I am ashamed. All along, I have favored the Han over the barbarians and focused on suppression rather than appeasement. This has not only failed to eliminate hatred, but has also allowed it to spread."
"Looking back now, many Han Chinese who had lived here for generations were so disturbed that they abandoned their land and migrated north, moving their entire families to Jiaozhou, Rongzhou, and even Changzhou and Zizhou. Over time, the number of Han Chinese gradually decreased, while the number of Yi people increased, and the Han Chinese who remained lived a more and more difficult life."
"The most worrying thing is that if the imperial court wants to hold onto this land, it can only keep increasing its troops. Maintaining an army is extremely expensive, and these funds will eventually come from taxes, which will ultimately weigh on the ordinary people in the Central Plains."
I sighed softly, my hands behind my back: "Bear Butcher, Lord Bear, if I hadn't heard it with my own ears, I truly wouldn't have dared to imagine that these words could have come from your mouth."
Xiong Tu bowed to me and said, "I sincerely apologize for any offense I may have caused in the past. I hope that Lady Qing can forgive me."
I bowed slightly and said with a smile, "It's a pity that your injuries have been slow to heal. Otherwise, according to the customs of our Liao people, you should at least treat me to a drink."
Xiong Tu also smiled and said, "How about I treat you to a drink tomorrow?"
"I don't have time." I shook my head and continued walking. "Tomorrow is the end-of-month market day, and I have to go to the Tea and Horse Market to be a judge."
Xiong Tu said with great interest, "I've heard that the Yuezhou border market has only been open for half a year, but its trade volume has already ranked among the top three in the southwest. I'm interested in going there; why don't we go together with Qing Niangzi?"
When will this person ever stop...?
I stamped my foot, glared at him, and said, "Go back to your Luzhou government office as soon as possible, Lord Xiong. You've stayed at my inn for so long, and your injuries are almost healed; you've also met Mr. Liu, whom you've been wanting to see. Is there anything else you wish to do? Why don't you tell me? I, Qing Niangzi, will see this through to the end and see if there's anything else I can do to help you?"
"Since Lady Qing asked me to speak, then I will speak."
"Tell me, tell me."
Xiong Tu's smile faded, and he turned to me, taking my hand. He said solemnly, "I am deeply grateful for your kindness, Madam, and admire your virtue. I hope to marry you. I wonder if Madam Qing would agree?"
I stared at the man, regretting my earlier words: the trouble before us wasn't just "not bad," it was "top-notch"...
Lin Zhong, oh Lin Zhong, what exactly did you pick up and bring back...?
I took a deep breath and waved my hand dismissively: "Xiong Botong, that's enough. Although you're not bad-looking, which is an advantage, I'm past the age of judging by appearances. We're not a good match!"
Xiong Tu's long eyelashes trembled slightly: "My strengths are not limited to this; you might as well try to learn more about me."
"Save my breath." I turned my head and saw the setting sun, my mood inexplicably irritable. "Your strengths are nothing to me!"
Xiong Tu stepped forward and said in a gentle tone, "Qingcheng, why can't you calm down and not have such a big prejudice against me?"
"Alright! I'll tell you calmly—Xiong Botong, we are not suitable for each other."
"What...is wrong with us?"
I quickly replied, "Nowhere is suitable."
Xiong Tu bowed slightly, his expression serious, and said, "I think it's quite suitable."
I raised my eyebrows and looked him straight in the eye: "Then tell me."
Xiong Tu touched his nose: "For example, I have epilepsy, and the smell of cosmetics triggers it, but you seem... not to like these things. I feel very safe with you."
"Tch," I said irritably. "I've never seen anyone so one-sided. Does not wearing makeup necessarily mean you don't like it? Does that mean all the poor people in the world don't like money?"
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