The Su family is a large family that controls military horses. Any high-ranking official who is in charge of weapons, food, military horses, etc. always seems to be superior to others.
The Su family held a prominent position in the military and cavalry, having maintained a well-governed military presence since the founding of Ming Qi. The same was true of Pingnan Earl Su Yu. He believed the Su family's prosperity would endure for a long time. Perhaps loyal officials all shared this sentiment: as long as they served with loyalty, the royal family would surely treat them well.
But since ancient times, serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. Who can tell the truth about the things in this world?
Su Yu was over forty, and he and his wife were quite affectionate. Although he had several concubines, they all gave birth to daughters. He only had two legitimate sons, so he was always particularly strict in educating his sons.
The eldest son, Su Mingfeng, had already entered the civil service at a young age and, like Su Yu, still held the helm of the Military Horse Department. In fact, he had even performed even better than Su Yu in the past six months. Some time ago, Su Mingfeng, in consultation with the veterinarians at the Imperial Hospital, reformed some of the regulations governing the military horses. As a result, the annual number of horses dying from equine plague had been reduced by half, a significant achievement. Once the military horse statistics were reported back to the court next month, Su Mingfeng would undoubtedly be rewarded.
The reward was secondary; the honor it represented was paramount. Su Yu was already over forty, and now that Su Mingfeng was at the right age, it was time for him to follow in his father's footsteps and expand his fame. If Su Mingfeng were even more outstanding, he might become a trusted talent for the next crown prince.
Su Yu was naturally delighted by his eldest son's outstanding performance, but his youngest son was a source of worry. Perhaps because his youngest son, Su Minglang, was born when his wife was quite old, she doted on him, leading to his pampered nature. Not only was he not as outstanding as his eldest son, but he also often lagged behind his peers.
Originally, Su Minglang wasn't the eldest son, so naturally he didn't have to inherit the throne, so a little stupidity wouldn't matter. However, Su Yu was a stubborn person, and wouldn't tolerate any bad behavior from his own son. So every time he came back from Guangwen Hall to take exams, his youngest son would be scolded and punished, while his wife would protect him, which was a real mess.
One day, Su Yu was discussing matters with Su Mingfeng in his study. Father and son had endless conversation about military horses. Master Su was incredibly proud; having such an outstanding son, what could he possibly be dissatisfied with? As they talked, they mentioned that Su Mingfeng's reward would be coming next month.
"In my opinion, His Majesty will definitely confer an official title this time. I won't talk about jewels or anything like that for now. Dad only hopes that your official career will be more stable. Now that the Xiongnu are ready to make a move, the power of the army and horses needs to be valued more. Mingfeng, as long as you gain His Majesty's attention, our Su family will only go further and further in the future. Your brother is still young, and the Su family still needs you to shoulder the responsibility."
Su Mingfeng nodded in agreement. He was still a young man, his features brimming with righteousness. Yet, a hint of pride couldn't help but flicker in his gaze. Adolescence is a time of striving for success. Furthermore, the recognition from his father made even Su Mingfeng, always known for his composure in officialdom, beam with joy.
Both father and son were in a good mood when they heard the servant outside the door calling, "Master, the second young master is back."
It was the time when the Second Young Master Su Minglang was finishing school. Every day after school, Su Minglang would be called into Master Su's study to test his homework, and today was no exception.
Master Su held his forehead with a headache, looking at his excellent eldest son and then at his second son who was as stupid as a pig. It was really funny. Su Minglang came to the study every day, and in the end, it only made Su Yu furious.
The same is true today.
Su Minglang slowly walked into the study, curled his lips, and called out, "Dad, big brother."
He was like a round ball, silly and adorable. Su Mingfeng smiled and patted his brother's head: "Minglang, did you have a good time in school today?"
Su Minglang pursed his lips and said nothing. Every time he did this, it meant that he was not doing well, not at all. He was scolded by his teacher.
Master Su said to Su Minglang with a stern face, "Hold out your palm."
Su Minglang shrank back, stretched out his hand with a wronged look, and saw several red marks on his white and tender palm. Could they be the marks of being beaten with a stick?
Master Su looked as if he had expected this. However, Su Mingfeng felt a little sorry for his younger brother and asked, "Why did the master hit him so hard? He's just a little kid."
"It's because you spoiled him like this all day long that he got spoiled!" Master Su flew into a rage upon hearing this and angrily asked, "What went wrong today?"
Little Su Minglang paused for a moment before he said shyly, "The teacher asked me to recite the four words 'The rabbit dies and the fox mourns', but I can't..."
"What can I say about you?" Master Su said with a look of deep sorrow. "You can't even recite the word 'silently'. Look at the other young masters your age, none of them are like you. When your elder brother was your age, he already started learning military tactics. You've almost ruined the reputation of our Su family!"
Just as Su Mingfeng was about to offer some advice, he heard his second brother sobbing, "Although I can't recite the four characters 'The rabbit dies and the fox mourns', I can recite the six characters 'The cunning rabbit dies and the running dog is cooked'. Actually, there are two more characters. Since they both mean the same thing, wouldn't reciting 'The cunning rabbit dies and the running dog is cooked' be the same?"
"Nonsense." Master Su didn't know what to say. Su Mingfeng smiled and said, "Second brother, these two words don't mean the same thing?"
"What does that mean?" Su Minglang asked with his little face raised.
"The fox mourns the death of the rabbit means that when the rabbit dies, the fox feels sad because he feels that he has the same fate as the rabbit. And the meaning of 'When the rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked' is that when the rabbit dies, the hunting dog used for hunting has no value and is also cooked. It means that once the tools are no longer useful and can no longer be used for profit, they can be discarded. 'When the rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked' and 'Demolishing the bridge after crossing it' are somewhat similar." Su Mingfeng is a good brother and patiently answered his brother's questions.
However, Su Minglang shook his head, still looking confused, and said, "Since they all happen after the rabbit dies, shouldn't they be exactly the same? After all, the rabbit is dead."
Su Mingfeng was about to explain when he saw his father's expression suddenly pause and he repeated softly, "The rabbit is dead?"
"Yeah," Su Minglang spread his palms, his chubby face still showing an innocent yet stubborn expression. "After all, it's the rabbit that's dead. Don't these words mean that as long as the rabbit dies, the fox and the dog will be unlucky? Since everyone is going to be unlucky, then don't these words mean the same thing?"
When the cunning rabbit dies, the running dog is cooked. This is a natural rule. The reason why a fable is a fable is that it must have a great truth in life.
The rabbit dies. The fox, being smarter than the dog, can probably foresee its own fate. But who is the hound? What happens to the dog that helps its master catch the rabbit?
Su Yu's expression gradually became gloomy.
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