Chapter 8 Family Reunion
Just when Liu Jun thought he would spend the summer there, an unexpected turn of events occurred.
One night at midnight, the barracks suddenly erupted in commotion, with the sounds of horses' hooves, shouts, and footsteps filling the air.
Having been well-fed and warmly clothed lately, Liu Jun, still half asleep, opened his eyes and thought, "It seems someone has attacked the camp."
Liu Fan immediately realized, "It's A-Kun, he's come to save us!"
His haggard face instantly brightened, making Liu Jun's heart ache—no matter what hardships he had endured, he had never blamed his son, and had never doubted that his beloved son was filial and capable of saving him from dire straits.
Liu Jun composed himself and saw that the surrounding guards and the others were running around like headless flies. He quietly took the two short knives that he had bribed Xue Taoshu to hide earlier, and pulled Liu Fan over. "Grandpa, let's go!"
When they were picking reeds, he had already scouted the area. Fortunately, with the chaos of war, no one paid attention to them. Liu Fan also managed to run with him all the way, and the two of them ran for several miles outside Xuchang City before stopping.
After catching his breath, Liu Jun asked Liu Fan to hide behind the rocks and rest, while he climbed up a tree to look out into the distance.
Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, he saw a banner bearing the character "Liu" fluttering in the wind.
It's a pity that Liu Qiao was also a Liu, and Liu Hong was also a Liu; it's just that our ancestors were too prolific.
Although Liu Jun was inwardly complaining, he burst out laughing when he saw the army clearly. He immediately jumped down from the tree and exclaimed joyfully, "It really is my father!"
Although Liu Fan was also pleased, he remained somewhat composed. "How did you know it was your father?"
"This small force is not large, but they are all cavalry, with fur trim on their helmets. The general in charge is wearing a fur coat, so he must be from the north. I remember that my father has connections with the Xianbei Duan clan and Wang Jun, the governor of Youzhou, so he must have borrowed these cavalry from the north. If you are worried, I will go and investigate further."
His words were reasonable and well-founded, and Liu Fan had no more doubts. He nodded and said, "Be careful."
Liu Jun quietly rose from his hiding place and approached the main road, holding his breath. He watched as the leading cavalrymen swept past him without finding Liu Kun. In desperation, he cried out, "Where is Mother? Mao Tou wants Mother!"
Several cavalrymen stopped and looked this way, all finding it very strange that a child looking for his mother had suddenly appeared in the middle of nowhere.
Liu Jun was still unsure and afraid that the northern cavalry would indiscriminately slaughter civilians, so he only dared to stay far away from them, repeatedly calling out as he ran, "Maotou wants his father, Maotou wants his mother!"
Suddenly he was lifted up around the waist and held tightly in his arms. When he looked closely, he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Father!"
Liu Kun looked even more dashing than when they last met, with a heroic air about him. He was looking at his beloved son, who was still whole but had lost weight, and said with heartache, "Maotou, you've suffered!"
Liu Jun didn't have time for pleasantries and said urgently, "I'm with Grandpa, he's over there."
Liu Kun's purpose in coming here was twofold: to avenge his father and to save his humiliation. Upon hearing this, he immediately turned his horse around and, guided by Liu Jun, found Liu Fan.
Seeing that his father looked haggard but was still generally healthy, he breathed a sigh of relief and knelt down, saying, "Your son is unfilial, causing you to suffer!"
Liu Fan looked at him, tears streaming down his face. "This time, we owe it all to Mao Tou. Without him, I would be dead! By the way, how is your mother?"
"I previously sought help from the Prince of Youzhou and obtained eight hundred elite cavalry. We first defeated the Prince of Dongping, Sima Mao, and then stopped at a remote village on our way to Xuchang. Unexpectedly, we encountered a young man who turned out to be a servant we had just taken in. Upon further inquiry, we learned that his family was all here. I have now settled them in, so please rest assured, sir."
Liu Fan was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly.
Seeing that he was really exhausted, Liu Kun ordered, "Liu Hu, quickly take the master and young master back to rest."
A general ordered his men to harness the horses to the carriage. Liu Jun wanted to go to the battlefield to broaden his horizons, but his father and grandfather both refused.
Although somewhat regretful, Liu Jun was also at his limit. He helped Liu Fan into the carriage, then suddenly remembered something and solemnly said to Liu Kun, "I have something to say, Father, please listen."
Liu Kun was extremely pleased with his son and naturally had no objections, saying, "Speak freely."
"Although Liu Qiao is arrogant and disrespectful to my grandfather, he is still a member of the Han imperial family and not a truly wicked person." Seeing Liu Kun's displeased expression, Liu Jun knew that he resented Liu Qiao for capturing Liu Fan, so he quickly tried to smooth things over. "In particular, his sons are quite well-mannered. If it weren't for them pleading for us and not depriving us of our food, clothing and other necessities, my grandfather and I would probably have had a very difficult time escaping this time."
When Liu Kun recalled the disheveled state of Liu Fan in the prison cart, his anger flared up, and he couldn't help but furrow his brows.
Seeing this, Liu Fan also advised, "Fortune's wheel keeps turning. In chaotic times, who knows when the favors we've made will come in handy? Anyway, my husband and I are both safe and sound right now, so there's no need to do anything too extreme. Let's just consider it as accumulating good karma for future generations."
Since Liu Fan had said so, Liu Kun had no choice but to nod in agreement.
Only when he was sitting in the carriage was he truly out of danger. Liu Jun finally let out the breath he had been holding on and slept soundly.
In his deepest dreams, he was a concubine's son in the royal palace who was frequently beaten and scolded by his father, a member of a collateral branch of the imperial family who was imprisoned in Ye City by Sima Yi, a puppet emperor who was ordered around by Sima Zhao, a young emperor who died a bloody death in the southern capital, and a noble village duke who was hastily buried.
"My poor son, he's suffered so much all by himself, look how thin he is now..."
"We've turned misfortune into good fortune; our Maotou will surely have great luck in the future."
"I wonder when my lord will wake up..."
Liu Jun woke up with a muffled cough. He looked up and saw that Guo Shi and Cui Shi were both watching over him by the bed. As soon as they saw that he was awake, they all came over to ask him how he was doing.
Having finally managed to appease his elders' concerns, Liu Jun leaned against the armchair and asked, "How is the war going? Father must have won, right?"
"Before your husband left, he asked you, 'This is what it means for father and son to be of one heart,'" Cui said with a smile, covering her mouth. "Your father defeated Liu Qiao and even captured his eldest son, Liu You, alive. Now he is waiting for Liu Qiao to come and sue for peace."
Upon hearing this, Liu Jun breathed a sigh of relief and laughed, "Father is a hero of our time, so little Liu Qiao is nothing to him."
Guo and Cui exchanged a smile. After the Liu family members escaped danger, they recounted what had happened since they last met. The women talked about how the Second Young Master had defied all objections and proposed to live in seclusion in the countryside. Lu Jing talked about how Liu Jun had stepped forward to draw away the pursuers so that he could protect the women. Liu Fan also recounted in detail how Liu Jun had been in the enemy camp for several months and how he had been filial to his parents in extremely difficult circumstances.
In particular, many scholars who were in Liu Qiao's camp at the time, perhaps out of a desire to curry favor with Liu Kun, publicized Liu Jun's filial piety in taking care of things personally and his composure in the face of danger when he was only six years old.
I humbly believe that the Holy Dynasty governs the world with filial piety. With this reputation, Liu Jun will have no worries about a smooth career path when he enters the court in the future.
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