Dust and Old Things
"In your opinion, Shaoqing Sun, how should this case be handled?" Emperor Hong leaned on the dragon throne, removed his hand from his forehead, and looked at Sun Zili with a worried look.
Sun Zili didn't even look up, but spoke each word with emphasis, "If a noble breaks the law, he should be punished just like a commoner. I believe that the way the laws of the Qi Dynasty were established should determine the punishment."
Emperor Hong closed his eyes and said, "If a golden pillar in the hall is eaten away by insects and decays, and it is a load-bearing piece of wood, then if it is lost, the hall will be in danger of crumbling and collapsing. In your opinion, Shaoqing, what is the best way to repair it?"
Sun Zili bowed his head, remained silent for a moment, and said resolutely: "In reply to Your Majesty, I think that once the golden pillar is corroded, the decay will spread like a flood and it will be out of control. If it is not removed, the termites will not only corrode one golden pillar, but also other wooden pillars and beams, and even the entire building will be devoured by the termites. Your Majesty, do you want to see the building collapse, or are you willing to make drastic measures and save this dying building even if it means taking the risk of removing the rotten pillar and replacing it with a load-bearing one?" He raised his head, looked at Emperor Hong and said, "The importance of this is very important. Your Majesty, please consider the overall situation!" After speaking, he leaned forward and bowed deeply.
Silence reigned within Qianyuan Hall, no one spoke. Zhong Yujing and Shangguan Yichen exchanged glances several times, then simply stared at Emperor Hong in silence. The Setu rebellion was a national affair, but Prince Ping's involvement became both a state affair for the Qi Dynasty and a personal affair for the Emperor. State affairs are easy to resolve, but family matters are difficult and impossible for outsiders, unless they are in control.
The air in the hall was filled with the scent of ambergris, like the accumulated dust in an old house. As soon as the door was pushed open, traces of time filled the air, hazy with the mist of the past. Sun Zili looked inside through the mist, and the young man's handsome face gradually became clear.
Ancient trees cast a shadow, a clear spring gurgles, and the sound of reading fills the Shansi Academy. Imperial Tutor Pei leads a young man to the center of the study hall. A dozen or so students in the hall immediately put down their books, peering up at the young man with curiosity, whispering among themselves. Imperial Tutor Pei introduces him to the assembled students, "This is Minister Wen's grandson, Jinhong. From today on, you will be my classmate. We must all live in harmony and learn from each other."
The students clapped perfunctorily in welcome, but inwardly they were deeply disapproving. The students in this private school were all sons of the imperial family, teenagers, most of them embracing a certain dandyism, making them the most difficult to discipline. Because of their noble births, they were inevitably constantly competing with one another, resulting in a deep resentment among each other and a tendency to form cliques, engaging in open and covert infighting.
Jinhong nodded slightly to his classmates in the hall and said nothing more. Master Pei ordered him to sit at the desk in the east. He bowed to Master Pei and quietly took his seat. During the break, a few troublemakers gathered, pointing and mocking him. Sun Zili was already used to it. Compared to the fake clapping just now, this was their true welcome to every newcomer. He rolled his eyes, lowered his head, and went about his business, ignoring them.
Seeing that Jinhong was just studying with his head down and not paying attention to what was going on around him, a few troublemakers felt bored, so they teamed up to go towards him and surrounded his desk. Jinhong didn't even look up and continued studying. One of the troublemakers slammed his hands on Jinhong's desk, trying to scare him. Jinhong didn't even tremble his brows, and didn't close the book. He slowly raised his eyes to look at the troublemaker. The troublemaker looked down at Jinhong with a sinister smile. Suddenly, he saw Jinhong's handsome face, so he pretended to be startled and shouted, "Oh! I thought I was a noble son of a king, but I'm just a delicate and tender little rabbit." After that, he started laughing, which attracted the attention of the troublemakers and the other students who were taking a break at the side, and looked at him sideways.
There was no anger or resentment in Jinhong's eyes. After they finished laughing, she straightened the books and study that had just been messed up by the prickly hair, and continued to read with her head down.
The troublemaker felt ignored and was furious. He smashed Jinhong's inkstone to the ground. The hall fell silent, and everyone stared at him. Jinhong was startled by the shattering sound and looked up suddenly. Seeing that his eyes were still calm, the troublemaker provoked her again. He grabbed Jinhong's inkstone and threw it to the ground, staring at her and saying, "Are you convinced? Little Rabbit Master!"
Jinhong ignored him and bent down to grab the bookcase on the ground to find another brush and inkstone. The troublemaker continued to push forward and leaned forward to grab the bookcase in her hand. However, he slipped and fell to the ground to her left. As Jinhong bent down to grab the bookcase, the troublemaker rushed over and fell in front of her. Jinhong's voice said slowly, "Stand up. There is no need for such formalities." He stood up again, took out the stationery he wanted, placed it on the desk, and continued to work. The whole room was immediately amused by the troublemaker's failed attempt to steal the chicken and eat the dog's shit.
Several of Troublemaker's accomplices helped him up and discovered that he had stepped on a pen he had thrown on the ground, as well as a piece of fruit peel that had fallen on the ground. Troublemaker was furious and wanted to pick a fight with Jinhong again, but he had fallen too hard and was afraid of getting hurt again, so he left in embarrassment.
Sun Zili couldn't help but look at Jinhong again.
After school, Sun Zili met Jinhong again at the gate of the private school. As expected, those troublemakers were not willing to give up and came to seek revenge.
The troublemaker who led the attack had a bruised face and nose. After brewing for half a day, his eyes were unusually large as he continued to glare at Jinhong. When Sun Zili arrived at the private school door, he heard the troublemaker pointing at Jinhong and saying, "I didn't expect that you are so weak, but you have so many tricks up your sleeve. Do you know that I am the boss of this private school? Instead of serving me obediently, you are plotting against me. I think you are tired of living!"
One of the accomplices, perhaps frightened by Shangwu Jinhong's sudden counterattack, whispered to the leader, "In my opinion, we should stop. He is the grandson of Minister Wen, and Minister Wen is the father of Concubine Ying. If we offend him, we will suffer the consequences."
The leader spat and said, "Concubine Ying? The Concubine Ying who is now hiding in Yong'an Temple, eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist scriptures? What's the difference between that and being banished to the cold palace? Even if she was favored, it is just a thing of the past. A hero should not boast of his past achievements, but only dare to talk about heroes in the present. Who still remembers the Concubine Ying back then?"
Fire flashed in Jinhong's eyes as he glared at Citou. Seeing Jinhong's expression, Citou became even angrier. "How dare you stare at me? Believe it or not, I will dig out your dog eyes!" He raised his fist and punched Jinhong in the face.
But he was grabbed by a hand and thrown back fiercely. The thorny head looked carefully and saw Sun Zili standing in front of Jinhong, looking around. "Fan Song, stop it, don't go too far!"
The troublemaker spat again and said, "Sun Zili, stop meddling in other people's business. This is none of your business. Get out of here!"
Sun Zili did not waver, he was as steady as a stick and did not move. The troublemaker then raised his fist and aimed it at Sun Zili's face. Sun Zili raised his hands and his whole body was in a defensive state, but the fist did not reach him. A whirlwind rushed in front of him, and the short hair on Sun Zili's forehead fluttered twice. Then he heard a "Ah!" and a heavy object slammed to the ground.
Sun Zili looked up and saw the troublemaker Fan Song rolling on the ground, screaming and groaning. Jin Hong, who was originally behind him, had slipped in front of him without him knowing when, still maintaining the posture of grappling with him with one hand.
Sun Zili blinked blankly and stayed where he was.
What happened next was that Fan Song and a group of troublemakers had to flee in disgrace when they saw that the situation was not good, leaving behind the dumbfounded Sun Zili and the extraordinary and unexpected Jin Hong.
Jinhong turned around. It was the first time that Sun Zili saw him smile that day. It was indeed much funnier than when he was silent. The two of them got to know each other after a fight, and they walked side by side and went home together.
Sun Zili happily said, "Does Jinhong also take this road back home?"
Jinhong nodded in agreement.
"All the students in the school are picked up and dropped off by horse-drawn carriages. Today I had to go to the market to buy stationery, so I didn't send a servant to pick me up. Why didn't you take a carriage either?" Sun Zili was puzzled.
"My father often told me that he wanted me to see more of the people and not just sit in the hall all day poring over papers. Otherwise, if I were to serve at the court one day, I wouldn't be able to be a good official for the people. So please walk all the way to the front, and the servants will come to pick you up."
Grandson Li Yousheng admired her and said, "Your mother is truly kind and compassionate, and has foresight. Jinhong's father must be Wen Yijian, the Minister of Works."
Minister Wen had no sons, only two daughters. The eldest daughter was Concubine Ying, who was sent to Yong'an Temple by Emperor Wu in her early years. The previous dynasty and the harem only regarded her as a loser in the struggle and was banished to the cold palace, with no descendants. The only one who could be sent to Taifu Pei's private school in the name of Minister Wen's grandson was probably the son of Minister Wen's youngest daughter.
Sun Zili hurriedly bowed and said, "Brother Wen Jinhong, I am Sun Zili, and my uncle is Sun Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites."
Jinhong also smiled and said, "Brother Zili, you are polite."
The two continued on their journey. Sun Zili recalled what had just happened and asked, "By the way, Brother Jinhong, I just saw that you were very skilled and ruthless. Have you ever practiced martial arts?"
Jin Hong smiled and said, "My father is a martial artist. He often took me to practice martial arts and swordplay when I was a child. So I have some martial arts skills. I'm not proficient in them, but I use them for self-defense. Occasionally, I can also do some chivalrous things. I'm sorry to have revealed them today, Brother Zili."
Sun Zili waved his hands and said, "No, no, Brother Jinhong, don't be so modest. Although I am a little weak, I was able to single-handedly knock Fan Song, that burly man, to the ground, leaving him powerless to fight back. This kind of skill cannot be mastered in a short period of time. I envy you very much. I will definitely spar with you someday. I hope Brother Jinhong will not despise me and will be willing to teach me."
Jinhong hurriedly bowed and said, "Brother Zili, you are so polite. We are just learning from each other."
The two chatted happily, and it seemed they had known each other for a long time. Sun Zili forgot about buying a stationery and walked straight to the sign on the first floor at the foot of the mountain. Jinhong turned to Sun Zili and said, "I am very fortunate to meet Brother Zili today. I feel that there is still a lot to talk about. It is a pity that we must part ways. I have to say goodbye for now."
Sun Zili looked at the mountain opposite and asked doubtfully, "Is the Jinhong family residence on this mountain?"
Jinhong smiled and nodded, "My mother likes quietness, so my father asked someone to buy her a separate courtyard in the mountains, and we often come here to live."
Sun Zili nodded and smiled, "My mother is truly elegant and refined." He pointed to the right and said, "I'm going this way too. Brother Jinhong, see you tomorrow at the private school."
The two waved goodbye.
The next day, when he went to the private school again, as soon as Jinhong entered the hall, several troublemakers from yesterday hid far away and did not dare to get close. Even if they met at the door, they would give way to Jinhong first and then they would follow behind. Other students who saw Jinhong's skills after school that day spread the matter throughout the private school that day. From then on, no one dared to provoke Jinhong. He became the bully of Shansi School. Sun Zili felt even more powerful when he was with him. The two of them became inseparable, just like twin brothers.
During lunch break that day, Jinhong and her grandson, Sun Zili, were playing on the grass in the backyard of the private school. Sun Zili looked at Jinhong lying beside her and suddenly said, "I heard that Concubine Ying is very beautiful and favored by the emperor. Jinhong's mother must have been a beauty too, otherwise how could she have given birth to such a handsome you?"
Jinhong smiled and looked at the clouds in the sky, remaining silent.
Sun Zili also looked at the sky and asked, "Does Jinhong have a sister?"
Jinhong turned around and asked, "Why do you ask?"
Sun Zili smiled and said, "If you have a sister, she will definitely be as pretty as you. She will definitely be a beauty. You must leave her to me, your brother, and don't let anyone else get her!"
A fist hit Sun Zili's abdomen, causing him to cry out in pain. "I meant well. Besides, if I marry your sister, we'll become brothers-in-law, which would make us even closer."
Jin Hong narrowed her eyes and said, "It's a pity that my mother didn't give me a sister. I'm the only child. Your dream may be ruined."
Sun Zili touched his abdomen, rolled his eyes, and suddenly said happily, "How about this? You and I will become sworn brothers here today and become brothers of the opposite sex from now on. Even if we can't be brothers-in-law, we can at least be closer relatives. What do you say?"
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