Chapter 148 The Powerful Minister Returns to His Youth 2.
What does death feel like?
In the past, when he couldn't sleep and would wander the nights by candlelight, Yu Shiqing would chat with Ye Zangxing. In the many years after Ye Zangxing's passing, he had speculated about it more than once. But only when this moment truly arrived did Yu Shiqing realize that all those past thoughts were nothing but conjecture.
Pain, suffocation, helplessness—the illusions that are being torn away from the world bit by bit are nothing but dust drifting outside the light.
Beneath the dust, the only thing that seems real is the invisible tide.
Confused and listless.
It spread from his feet, seeped up from his toes, slowly and gently, pressing down on him and dragging him into the pitch blackness where joy, anger, love, and hate no longer existed.
That was the deep sea, and also the abyss.
Yu Shiqing didn't know how long he had been floating or trapped in it, only that at a certain moment, the extreme cold suddenly subsided, and he faintly heard shouts in his ears, as if they were muffled by a drum.
"Shichiro, Shichiro!
"It's time to get up. If we're any later, we won't be able to squeeze in! I just asked the waiter, and on the day the results were announced, practically everyone in Huai'an Prefecture came. Some people were already there before dawn..."
The chatter went on and on, seemingly unfamiliar yet somehow familiar.
Shichiro...
Ever since he fell out with his clan over the land reform and investigation, no one has called him that anymore, not even on the day the results were announced, or in Huai'an Prefecture...
Do these things also exist in the underworld?
In a daze, Yu Shiqing sensed the presence of his eyelids. He struggled to open them, peeking through the crack. The first thing he saw was the hazy morning light and a young face with round eyes and pointed cheeks, a face that was both honest and lively.
“…Brother Big Tree?” Yu Shiqing asked hesitantly.
"What's wrong? Still half asleep? Don't you recognize your big brother Yu?" Yu Dashu teased Yu Shiqing, noticing the strange look in his eyes, as he shoved a handkerchief soaked in hot water into his hand. "If you're awake, hurry up and wash up. The provincial examination is over. Why were you studying so late last night..."
The warm handkerchief landed in his hand, and Yu Shiqing was slightly startled, his dizziness instantly dissipating.
He raised his hand somewhat stiffly.
These are still tender hands, fair and slender, untouched by swords and bloodshed, with only a few thin calluses and ink stains.
My heart began to pound wildly, as if it were throbbing.
Yu Shiqing slowly pressed the handkerchief to his face, showing no sign of anything amiss, and simply fixed his gaze as he looked around.
A scholar in a blue robe, an old inn, paper windows reflecting flowing golden scales—the rising sun illuminating the Huai River.
The sounds of rippling water, rowing, and street vendors' calls could be faintly heard through the window.
"Qilang, you wash up first. I'll go downstairs and get a plate of steamed buns. We'll eat before we go. Otherwise, when we get there, we might not even have a place to stand. It might even be like the time during the prefectural examination, where a bowl of sweet soup could cost ten coins!"
As they were talking, Yu Dashu had already vanished like a gust of wind.
He was the only one left in the room, and Yu Shiqing felt a sense of relief.
Everyone says that Yu Shiqing and Yu Xiang were child prodigies from a young age, possessing the ability to remember everything they saw. But Yu Shiqing himself knows that he doesn't have that ability. However, he still remembers everything right now, as well as Yu Dashu, to some extent.
Her mind was sometimes heavy, sometimes light. Yu Shiqing clutched the handkerchief, slowly rolled out of bed, and walked to the basin. A familiar yet unfamiliar face was reflected in the basin, as young as a dream.
He paused for a moment, then walked to the window.
A cool morning breeze blew in, and Yu Shiqing pushed open the window.
In an instant, countless sounds mingled with familiar local accents that had been unheard for years, clear and distinct.
Along the banks of the Huai River, whitewashed walls and black-tiled roofs stand, stone bridges curve gracefully, and willows sway gently. The morning sun casts its glow on the shimmering water, and a misty haze of smoke rises from the stove, as if a steamer basket of buns has just been opened or a pot of hot tea has just been started.
The porters were laughing, the vendors were calling out, the women were carrying vegetable baskets, and the scholars were walking quickly into the distance in twos and threes.
Huai'an Prefecture, seventeen years old...
This is neither a delusion of the underworld nor a dying illusion!
Yu Shiqing stared blankly for a moment, then his fingers, which were gripping the handkerchief, suddenly tightened, and his palm became damp.
Almost without hesitation, he turned to run outside. However, just as his hands trembled as he pressed the door shut and was about to pull it open, Yu Shiqing suddenly stopped, as if waking up.
Ye Zangxing...
He met Ye Zangxing on the day the results of the Huai'an Prefecture provincial examination were announced, but that was an hour or two later. He had no idea where Ye Zangxing was now, and even if he ran to the list immediately, he wouldn't be able to find him.
Don't panic.
Yu Shiqing closed his eyes and raised his finger to press down on his throbbing temples.
Whether it was divine mercy or the mercy of the underworld, he returned, back to his seventeen-year-old self, back to the banks of the Huai River where golden scales rippled, and it was not too late.
No, it can't be said that everything is still in time; at the very least, he will never see his mother again.
Human nature is always greedy; once you reach seventeen, you crave thirteen, ten, and six years old.
But things in life rarely go as planned.
Yu Shiqing smiled wryly, turned around, and pressed the already damp and cold handkerchief into the water.
...
"My goodness, I underestimated them. There are even more people here today than when the results of the prefectural examination were announced!"
Around dawn, Yu Shiqing followed Yu Dashu to the Huai'an Prefecture Examination Hall.
As Yu Dashu pushed his way through the crowd, he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, while also protecting Yu Shiqing even more carefully.
Yu Shiqing remembered that, starting from the county examination, he had always been accompanied by this cousin who was said to have seen some of the world during his imperial examinations.
Yu Dashu was five or six years older than him and talked a lot, but he never caused trouble because of it. He was also meticulous in his work despite his rough exterior. Later, he rose rapidly in rank, and Yu Dashu, because of these past connections, became a rather young clan leader in Yujia Village.
Unfortunately, in Yu Shiqing's memory, their last meeting was not good; one of them was cursing while holding the ancestral tablet, and the other had drawn his sword.
"Seventh Brother, watch your step! Oh dear, where did this melon rind come from? Leaving it here is a real nuisance!"
Yu Dashu bent down to pick up a melon rind that someone had thrown onto the street, muttering angrily under his breath.
Hearing those familiar accents again, Yu Shiqing could only laugh; he had no other thoughts.
"Brother Tree, it's too crowded up ahead, let's stop here."
Yu Shiqing spoke up, pressing down on Yu Dashu's shoulder as he tried to push forward again, "Although this place is spacious, there are just too many people. Pushing and shoving, it's inevitable that people will get hurt in the chaos."
“What injury?” Yu Dashu said. “We can’t even see the wall clearly here, how are we supposed to read the list? Hey Qilang, why don’t you go and rest over at the teahouse? I’ll go to the front and come back to tell you as soon as the list is posted!”
Yu Dashu was burly and strong, and he tried to shake off Yu Shiqing's hand to continue forward. However, to his surprise, Yu Shiqing, who looked like a thin scholar, was surprisingly strong. His hand was as heavy as a weight, and Yu Dashu couldn't shake it off.
"Brother Big Tree, listen to me."
Yu Shiqing's voice was calm, like a gentle breeze passing through the noisy crowd, "Neither of us needs to rush. We can just go to the teahouse and wait. When the results are released, if we are among the top, people will shout and announce the good news. It's the same thing."
Yu Dashu paused, looking at his usually taciturn cousin, and for a moment felt a little unfamiliar with him.
It was still that face, even more handsome than a portrait of a deity, and that faint smile, but something seemed different from before.
Perhaps... it's those eyes?
The seventeen-year-old boy had eyes that, for some reason, were gentle yet dark, exuding an indescribable majesty and depth, as if they held many unseen years within them.
Yu Dashu's determination to get to the front row suddenly waned under those eyes.
He scratched his head and said, "Well, that makes sense. Let's go wait over there, we can sit down for a while..."
"Wait a minute, ranked among the top?" Yu Dashu suddenly snapped out of his daze, his eyes lighting up. He lowered his voice and said, "Seventh Brother, you just said you ranked among the top. You're so confident about this provincial examination? Oh my, could it be that... what's it called Yuan? The top spot! Good heavens, if that's really the case, our Yu Family Village will be incredibly prosperous!"
“The top scholar,” Yu Shiqing said, “Huai’an is a place where literature flourishes, I am nothing special.”
That being said, Yu Shiqing knew that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would indeed be the top scholar this time.
After that, everything went smoothly, and the following spring, he was crowned the top scholar in the imperial examination, dressed in red and adorned with flowers.
But these things cannot be said right now.
"Yes, yes, the top scholar! Oh, Qilang..."
"Brother Big Tree, it's my treat. Sweet soup or hot tea?"
"Sweet soup! You know me, I've always craved something sweet since I was little..."
Yu Shiqing interrupted Yu Dashu's rambling, went to the teahouse and ordered two bowls of sweet soup. He squeezed into a quiet corner, sat on the stone steps, and waited for the results to be announced.
Those as unrefined as him were mostly peddlers and laborers who came to join the fun, and a few poor students in old clothes. Anyone with a bit of self-respect would rather stand with their teacup in hand than bother to sit down.
If Yu Shiqing were truly young, he would naturally be too ashamed to admit it, but now he doesn't care about such things anymore. When he was the Grand Secretary, he was still carrying a pair of worn-out straw sandals and had planted rice seedlings with others. What is there for him to hold onto?
No matter how powerful or influential one is, in the end, all that remains is ashes.
Yu Shiqing held a large ceramic bowl, propped up his long legs, and gazed at the noisy crowd in the marketplace before him, slowly sipping his sweet soup.
Yu Dashu, however, couldn't stay still. He finished his sugar water in a few gulps, stood up, and joined the fun at the next table.
The table was filled with scholars. Some were laying out paper and placing bets on the list of candidates who were likely to win the provincial examination. A middle-aged scholar was also placing bets and introducing the candidates to others.
This man, Min Dongshan, was a brilliant scholar from Feng County. At the age of ten, he composed a poem called "Song of the Heavenly Palace," which even astonished the prefect, who praised his talent and invited him to meet him, rewarding him with ten taels of gold...
And then there's Lu Hong from Ningzhou, whose fame is even more widespread. He achieved the "Minor Triple Crown" at the age of fifteen and even became a disciple of a great Confucian scholar...
Oh my, this one is even more remarkable. Fu Jiaxi is the top of the three great talents in Jiangnan. After passing the county-level examination, he entered Huishan Academy. This time, winning the provincial-level examination is just a piece of cake for him!
"And this one? This one, Feishui is clear and calm when it is calm!" Yu Dashu's voice rang out, asking the middle-aged scholar.
“Yu Shiqing…” the middle-aged scholar stroked his beard. “If you really want to bet on him, I advise you to bet only on his passing the imperial examination. Don’t bet on his ranking or anything like that, it won’t be much higher.”
Yu Dashu didn't like what he heard, but he didn't show it. He only asked, "Why do you say that?"
Before the middle-aged scholar could answer, someone next to him laughed: "Why is there any reason! A few years ago, Yu Danzhi's reputation was quite remarkable. He was a child prodigy at the age of ten and a scholar at the age of thirteen. He was also said to have a photographic memory, which was indeed extraordinary. But now, after four years, his reputation has not been known. I heard that he has not even written a single poem or an article, let alone studied under a famous teacher or entered an academy."
"Taking the imperial examination to become a Juren is different from taking the examinations for Tongsheng or Xiucai. It's not something you can achieve by simply studying the Four Books and Five Classics. Yu Danzhi stayed in Yujia Village, built a hut to observe mourning for three years, and didn't even leave his house. For him to pass the Juren exam is already a pipe dream. How could he possibly get a good ranking?"
Yu Dashu said, "Who said Yu Shiqing never leaves his home? He's been traveling and studying for the past year; everyone in Feishui knows that..."
"What good is a year of studying abroad?" another scholar scoffed, fanning himself. "Learning isn't that simple!"
Yu Dashu's round eyes widened slightly. "Whether it's useful or not, we'll only know after the results are released! Here, twenty coins, I'm betting on Yu Shiqing to be the top scholar!"
Everyone at the table was startled, fell silent for a moment, and then burst into laughter.
A young scholar reached out to stop him: "Brother, we kindly advise you not to pawn him; it's a waste of money. Why are you so ungrateful..."
Yu Dashu ignored him, took out a coin, and placed it on the table. "I'll bet on him, I'll bet on Yu Shiqing!"
The middle-aged scholar shook his head, and the people around him pursed their lips as if watching a spectacle.
Yu Shiqing, who was sitting to the side, smiled helplessly upon hearing the commotion. He stretched out his legs, stood up, and was about to speak when another hand reached out from the table, holding a silver ingot and pressing it under the three characters "Yu Shiqing".
Immediately afterward, a spirited, clear voice belonging solely to a young man rang out: "What are you all laughing about? Come on, bookmaker, remember, Feishui Yu Shiqing, I'm betting on him too, the top scholar!"
Yu Shiqing paused.
Spring thunder, summer rain, autumn frost, winter snow.
Countless days and nights passed, each watch a heart-wrenching lament—
Compared to today, the dawn is bathed in a myriad of rays of light.
For a fleeting moment, Yu Shiqing's restless heart became incredibly still.
Author's Note:
The repairs have been a bit slow lately, they usually arrive around 7 PM, and I'll try to get back to 6 PM afterwards [please!].
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com