Chapter 28: The Emperor's Belt Was Teared Off
What are you standing there for?
Xiao Xun's voice, tinged with the smell of alcohol, reached Lin Yuan's ears, "Aren't you going to see your guest out?"
Lin Yuan glanced dejectedly at the other two people on the food table, who were completely drunk by Xiao Xun, and the three empty wine jars.
The other jar, which was still full, was held in He Ji's arms.
He Ji hung his head, half of his unkempt hair submerged in the wine, as if determined to add some osmanthus fragrance to the pepper wine.
Yes, He Ji was paying attention to his appearance, and even Lin Yu couldn't help but sigh, wondering why He Ji had suddenly started to care so much about his looks these days.
Even after bathing, she would use osmanthus hair oil borrowed from Wang Ao.
She followed Xiao Xun closely into the courtyard.
As he stepped out the door, he could still hear He Ji's voice, amplified by the wine jar: "Young Master Xiao, don't forget to play pitch-pot tomorrow at midday!"
"I will certainly not forget Master He's invitation," Xiao Xun replied with a smile.
Lin Yuan was heartbroken.
Tomorrow we'll play pitch-pot in the middle of the day, the day after that we'll play cuju (ancient Chinese football) in the afternoon, and the day after that we'll ride horses at dusk...
She watched helplessly as the group continued their drinking and revelry until the third day of the third lunar month, when they would perform a purification ritual by the water.
If the wine hadn't run out, and someone hadn't called Lin Yuan to fetch another jar, changing the subject, we'd have to start recounting everything from the beginning. Around the fifteenth of August to watch the tide at Langya, and the ninth of September to climb a high place for a panoramic view, everything had already been arranged.
However, for the first time ever, she heard Lin Yu mention the words "the world" and "the imperial court" in this wine.
Xiao Xun then began to discuss the rites and music education mentioned by Cui Heng, mentioning that the court should establish local official schools in order not only to educate the people, but also to change the long-standing problem of the court's recommendation system for selecting officials.
He humbly sought advice: "I have traveled to various places and met some scholars from humble backgrounds who are learned and ambitious, but have no way to enter officialdom. I am very curious about how much the official schools of the prefectures and states benefit talented scholars from humble backgrounds. Is the path from the official schools to the Imperial Academy controlled by officials and gentry? You two have been teaching in the prefectures and states for many years, so you must have some insights."
Qu Yang devoted more than ten years to promoting the prefectural and national schools. With the downfall of him and his faction, a number of remonstrating officials submitted memorials, saying that his policies should not be abolished.
Xiao Xun threw those memorials far away.
Why would he want to be dismissed?
Was he a ruler who couldn't distinguish right from wrong, or good from bad?
He always remembered and longed for the scene of renowned scholars and students engaging in lively discussions in Siqi Garden.
Lin Yuan didn't really hear Lin Yu's reply to Xiao Xun; she just felt a little dazed.
In the past, Lin Yu explained the Analects to her. She didn't understand much, but she was lost in thought for a long time watching Lin Yu talk eloquently about "governing with virtue, and the world will be well-governed".
When Lin Yu turned back to investigate, Lin Yuan could only change the subject, slapping his forehead and praising, "Brother, you are so good at studying, you will surely be a high-ranking official in the future."
Lin Yu pursed her lips, looking unhappy, and remained silent.
"If you don't want to be ennobled or appointed prime minister, do you want to be ennobled and appointed high-ranking officials?" Lin Yuan wondered.
No, while the sight of swords and spears looks impressive, they are dangerous and indiscriminate. She was unwilling to let her brother put himself in such a perilous situation.
My elder brother, and my father and mother. My father and mother are even more reluctant to part with him.
Besides, although my elder brother is good at fighting, he doesn't like fighting; he prefers reading.
Therefore, Lin Yuan guessed that Lin Yu must have thought that bestowing titles and honors was too vulgar.
She recalled that all the kings and high-ranking officials she had seen in the market were pot-bellied, fat-headed, and oily-faced, and they were all much older than her father. They were indeed vulgar and unbearable.
So he mobilized all his knowledge and changed his words: "I will definitely cultivate myself, regulate my family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world, and benefit all under heaven."
Lin Yu replied, "The world belongs to the Xiao family. The imperial court belongs to the Xiao family. I study not for them, not to secure their rule."
He paused, patted the bewildered Lin Yuan, and smiled faintly, "Just say cultivate oneself and manage one's family well."
Lin Yuan was even more bewildered after hearing this.
Do we need to read so many books to cultivate ourselves and manage our families?
My father knew very few characters, and my mother was completely illiterate.
One day, Lin Yuan was by the stove, trying to coax her mother into adding an extra spoonful of honey to the rice cake. She mentioned that "sweetness makes people feel good," and even put her hands behind her back in a grand manner, imitating the way Confucius said, "That's what I said." Her mother immediately got angry.
Before she could retract her hand from behind her back, she was struck by a bamboo chopstick. "How can a proper young lady keep talking about 'father' and 'grandson'? Be careful your father scolds you when he gets home!"
But aren't they often praised as excellent homemakers?
Not to mention that my father practiced "Tao follows nature" by believing in heaven, fate, and luck. When things went wrong, he would pray to heaven, earth, and the local gods, and everything would pass through his prayers.
The mother's trick of coaxing the father into revealing his hidden money was even more effective than Sun Tzu's "Warfare is based on deception."
She originally thought that Lin Yu was influenced by his reclusive teacher, Master Cheng, and had seen through fame and fortune early on, and did not seek fame.
However, Master Cheng clearly retired after he turned sixty.
He maintained the Xiao family's rule for half his life, until he was almost too old to continue, at which point he stepped down to focus on self-cultivation and family management.
—Although, at this age, he is all alone and has no home.
Lin Yuan didn't know if Master Cheng had any children or grandchildren. Lin Yu had never mentioned it, but it seemed that he didn't.
Therefore, he always looked at Lin Yu with a kind expression, as if he were looking at his own grandson—and it would be even more so if he occasionally gave Lin Yu candy and honey instead of old books.
Even the only valuable item, a seven-stringed zither, looked like it had been patinated on its paulownia wood.
Moreover, he taught Lin Yu the Confucian Five Classics, not the "divine man has no merit, sage has no name"①.
Now, it was Xiao Xun who asked the question that had been lingering in her heart for so many years.
He also said, "A gentleman serves in office to uphold righteousness."②
Lin Yuan learned this sentence when she was a child. The preceding text of this sentence tells the story of a hermit who planted a staff and grew herbs.
At that time, she thought of Master Cheng and asked Lin Yu why Master Cheng had retired to the mountains and forests, living a simple life of poverty and hardship, wearing only a black robe.
Lin Yu simply pointed to the next sentence and said to her, "Because the Way is not practiced."
Lin Yuan didn't understand what he meant at the time.
Why can't the Way work?
Because Chang'an's roads are well-connected, even their remote suburbs have just had official roads repaired.
If Master Cheng were willing to go down the mountain, he could walk five miles along the official road to reach the market, where he could buy delicious pork and mutton.
People also say that if you travel by oxcart, you can reach Dragon Head Mountain in a day and a night. That's where the imperial city is located.
It took her a long time to realize—it must be that the teacher was too old to walk anymore.
He can't ride a horse, nor does he have an oxcart.
When Xiao Xun said this, Lin Yuan looked nervously at Lin Yu.
She was somewhat afraid that he would still give that answer, "The Way cannot be followed."
Xiao Xun is a young monarch, full of vigor and ambition. Although he has only recently regained power and has not yet made great strides, even though Qu Yang was in power before, it was in Xiao Xun's name.
To say that the Way is not followed is tantamount to pointing fingers and calling him a wicked ruler.
Moreover, although she herself did not understand the true nature of the world, whether it was good or bad, to be fair, since the first year of Jingyuan, her own family had been gradually and steadily improving.
In this vast village, there were no kings or nobles. When it came to wealth, the first class were naturally the officials, and the second class were the merchants.
Although they were far richer than officials who received salaries from the imperial court, they could not afford to wear silk and ride in carriages. At first glance, they did not appear as extravagant as officials who wore brocade and traveled on four horses.
The third class consisted of farmers and artisans. By the time Lin Yuan entered the palace, her family already had fifty chickens, thirty pigs, three cows, a horse, and three hundred acres of fertile land. For a family of four, they could be considered wealthy within this third class.
Father lost his blacksmith shop, but the imperial court provided subsidies in the form of money and grain. Father and Mother's endless cries of grief, mingled with the clatter of coins and grain, sounded more like maniacal laughter.
After all, being a blacksmith is a tough job. With the flickering firelight and the smoke from the fire, my mother would often look at my father's dark red and muscular body and sigh with heartache, "After a day's work, the pork has turned into jerky!"
Lin Yu simply smiled calmly and retorted, "The sage did not serve as an official, but set up an altar to teach, educating all without discrimination, with three thousand disciples. Is this not righteous?"
Xiao Xun raised an eyebrow and pressed on, “There is an Imperial Academy in the capital. Master Lin is a man of great talent. Since you aspire to serve in this academy, wouldn’t it be better for you to teach others and have disciples everywhere? Wouldn’t that be killing two birds with one stone? Serving in the academy is a matter of righteousness, and teaching is a matter of righteousness.”
Lin Yu humbly said, "There are countless talented people in the Imperial Academy. If I were to study there, my knowledge would certainly be very shallow."
He Ji interjected, "Actually, I think Ayu is much better than those corrupt scholars and so-called learned men."
Xiao Xun said, "If Master Lin is willing, although I have no official position or title, and my father has only a princely title but does not concern himself with court affairs, we are still surnamed Xiao and have some connections. We can recommend you to the Imperial Academy as a doctor."
He Ji's eyes widened in surprise, his heart filled with excitement.
That was what his grandfather and father had wanted all their lives. Although, to be fair, it wasn't his.
Lin Yuan's heart was pounding.
She thought that if Lin Yu intended to enter officialdom, Master Cheng had students all over the world, and it would only be a matter of writing a letter to get into the Imperial Academy.
But Master Cheng never mentioned it, never recommended it.
He clearly said that Lin Yu was his prized student and his last disciple.
Those words made the father so happy that he slaughtered a fat pig and dug up two jars of aged wine that had been buried for six or seven years, which he then hauled up the mountain in an oxcart.
She still remembers this vividly because—
"Father, didn't you say that the wine was buried underground and was meant to be drunk when I got married?"
However, Lin Yuan had no doubt that Master Cheng's words were true.
Lin Yu's ability to teach her to be well-mannered and knowledgeable is a testament to his expertise.
Of course, she felt that since she and her brother were siblings from the same mother, her own achievements should not be overlooked.
Yes, Lin Yu said the same thing.
Lin Yu declined, saying, "I appreciate Young Master Xiao's kindness. However, I am reluctant to leave the scenery of Huaiyang Academy and the villagers of Cuiwei Mountain, and I do not wish to leave."
Even He Ji was deeply puzzled: "The villagers of Cuiwei Mountain? You wouldn't happen to be unable to part with A Yao, who brings you food every now and then? Oh right, and Hong Xiu from the Music Bureau? Every time she eagerly plays the zither for you, she refuses to accept a penny, and insists that it's to thank you for correcting the pitch."
Even after drinking too much, he didn't forget to tease Lin Yu, saying in a strange voice, "No wonder. If it were me, I wouldn't be willing to do that either."
Xiao Xun sighed.
The sigh made Lin Yuan look up.
If He Jiruo were to say a few more words, the story that she and Lin Yu were childhood sweethearts, bound by a marriage agreement, and deeply in love would be completely disproven.
Moreover, if her fiancé were such a womanizer, she would lose face. Ah Yao is one thing, but why is there a musician playing the zither and singing?
Xiao Xun said slowly:
"I sigh. Master Lin is a man of great talent and a heart full of righteousness, yet he is content to live in a corner of Huaiyang, in the countryside, where he faces ordinary people and petty people all day long. It is truly a pity."
"Young Master Xiao, you are mistaken."
Lin Yu downed a cup of wine in one gulp. “Even commoners can have noble principles, and ordinary people can be chaste.”
Xiao Xun remained silent for a moment, then looked up again, his eyes filled with admiration.
Lin Yu then recounted some stories of his travels and friendships with villagers, including tales of the people of Cuiwei Mountain. For instance, the youngest son of the Zhao family was lame because he was indignant at the bullying of the elderly and weak by powerful figures, and he intervened to help those in need.
This was the first time Lin Yuan had heard her brother say these things, and she was very interested and amazed.
He Ji scratched his head, completely bewildered, and said, "I've been in Cuiwei Mountain for several years now, how come I've never seen such loyalty before?"
Lin Yu smiled and said, "That's because no one can compare to Master He's noble spirit of practicing medicine and helping the world."
Xiao Xun then learned that He Ji came from a family of doctors, and toasted him with a cup of wine, saying, "The benevolence and virtue of doctors in saving the world are in no way inferior to those of scholars."
He Ji then beamed with joy.
Lin Yuan truly felt the effects of the alcohol.
They drank heartily, chatted happily, and went back and forth, leaving Lin Yuan with no further involvement.
She finished three pancakes and drank five bowls of chicken soup without saying a word.
She rested her chin on her hand and watched them.
For some reason, after Lin Yu finished speaking about the "righteousness of the common folk," he drank one cup after another, accepting all offers and pouring for himself, drinking a lot of wine.
He drank too much and got very drunk. In the end, he even picked up his wine glass, staggered into the courtyard, and said to the empty snowfield, "I pay homage to the nameless, to the nameless righteousness, to the sun, moon, heaven and earth."
Then he tilted the cup in his hand.
Lin Yuan remembered that her brother rarely drank alcohol.
He said that alcohol cannot relieve sorrow.
It only brings people bizarre and fantastical dreams.
Like a revolving lantern.
In Siqi Garden, guards, soldiers, eunuchs, maids, singers, and cooks appeared one by one.
They wore ill-fitting armor splattered with blood.
He couldn't see their faces clearly. He would never see them again. He regretted not stopping earlier to see their features clearly, to ask their names, and where they came from.
Their stories are outside the Five Classics, but they are just as captivating.
Their skills were not within the Six Arts, but they were equally exquisite.
His father, his true father, had told him: "Even a commoner can have great righteousness. Outside the court, there are hidden dragons and crouching tigers." "A ruler should recognize and employ people without being bound by conventions or considering their background."
Therefore, despite the grand mansions and wealthy households of Siqi Garden, there was never a shortage of ordinary people.
Those scholars, literati, and chivalrous heroes also appeared on that revolving lantern.
Some stood tall and explained to him the profound and mysterious debates about the white horse not being a horse and the Hao Liang Bridge; others traveled thousands of miles to tell him strange tales comparable to the Classic of Mountains and Seas.
Some held his hand and taught him how to shoot an arrow through a willow leaf from a hundred paces away; others leaped up and demonstrated to him how to tame a wild horse.
He could no longer see their faces clearly either.
And those other people.
Those bad people, villains, and rebels in the eyes of the world.
His father pardoned the prisoners in the capital, and they fought for his father, for him.
With their flesh and blood, and with only a thousand men, they held off tens of thousands of Southern Army soldiers, Changshui Xuanqu Hu soldiers, and the spears, lances, and swords of the Imperial Guards.
They blocked his escape, while black snow swirled in thick and fast.
The revolving lantern kept spinning and spinning.
The north wind howled, carrying with it her mother's voice: "Live on, Ayu."
He realized he had forgotten to ask his mother, and he longed to ask her how he should live.
Fine, white snowflakes fluttered down onto her wooden clogs. After crossing the courtyard and reaching the veranda, Lin Yuan stopped and said, "Take care."
Xiao Xun raised the corners of his lips and said casually, "You've only escorted me a few steps? Such perfunctory hospitality? It seems that Master Lin didn't properly bestow the gift upon his 'childhood sweetheart'."
Lin Yuan gave a soft scoff: "I see that you are completely at ease, chatting and laughing, clearly taking the initiative as the host. Where is the slightest bit of courtesy?"
Xiao Xun didn't argue: "Do you know why?"
Lin Yuan remained silent, and didn't want to speak. Ha, isn't it just that the emperor doesn't observe proper etiquette for guests?
Xiao Xun saw through her thoughts and put away his nonchalant expression: "Since I came out incognito, you don't need to treat me like the emperor here."
He looked at her and said slowly, "I don't stand on ceremony because someone once told me that a warm and inviting place is home."
Lin Yuan said disdainfully, "A steaming hot place is home, so why doesn't the young master consider the kitchen, hot spring, and bathhouse as his home?"
Xiao Xun chuckled upon hearing this, "Yes, I also think that person is wrong. Very wrong."
Lin Yuan naturally remembered that these were her own words. Hearing Xiao Xun say this, she suddenly felt a little unconvinced and wondered what he was trying to say.
After all, the first time he said, "Okay, then wait for me at home for dinner tomorrow."
He insisted that Lin Yuan sit down and eat with him at the same table, and when he piled her plate full of coriander, he said, "I've never been home, so I don't know what it's like. I just feel that it should be like this."
That was the first time she had ever tasted the astringency and bitterness of coriander since she could remember.
"Home is where there are people." His voice, tinged with the smell of alcohol, grew closer and closer.
"Where you are."
Lin Yuan involuntarily stepped back.
Before they knew it, the two had arrived at a hollow in the rocky outcrops of the artificial hill.
She looked around in bewilderment, and what came into view were the countless pores of the Taihu stone, leading to the endless expanse of snow.
You can hear voices from elsewhere, but the figures are all on the distant horizon.
It is assumed that others would see it that way.
When the princess was describing the wonders of the royal gardens, she mentioned that within a small space, there is a hidden paradise, and now she has experienced that firsthand.
Xiao Xun lazily leaned against the rocks, easily blocking the small space: "Tell me, are you really engaged?"
Lin Yuan lowered her eyes and said, "Yes."
"I don't believe you because you weren't looking at me."
Lin Yuan raised her face, gritted her teeth, and said crisply, "Yes."
He stared into Lin Yuan's eyes for a long time before uttering two words: "Doesn't seem like it."
"Doesn't resemble what?"
"It doesn't seem like she has feelings for him."
He asked repeatedly, "You're just trying to make me angry, aren't you?"
Lin Yuan was speechless: "Then, what does it mean to have feelings? Does it mean that whether you have feelings or not is written all over your face?"
He remained silent for a long time.
She just stared intently at Lin Yuan, and the delicate head, eyes, and nose that had been drawn on the silk gradually became covered with a layer of light pink.
Seeing that Xiao Xun was speechless because of her words, Lin Yuan couldn't help but sneer in her heart. She was about to leave when she looked up and vaguely saw the answer.
The face was bathed in sunlight, and the holes in the Taihu stone, like the window lattice of a straight-lattice window, were projected onto it.
Semi-dark.
It appears to be smiling on the surface, but it also seems to be tinged with sadness on the surface.
For some reason, she felt that when the Yue people sang "My heart is pleased with you, but you do not know," they also had the same expression.
She had seen it before.
She paused, then suddenly remembered.
That day was not actually dusk, but rather the early afternoon.
He stood tall and straight, enveloped in the halo of the setting sun.
Lin Yuan's heart skipped a beat.
"Change clothes?"
The emperor's attire was governed by strict etiquette, with specific belts matching each garment. If the belt broke, the entire outfit would naturally need to be replaced.
At least that's what Xiao Xun told her.
For the first time, Lin Yuan harbored resentment towards Zhou Gong and his etiquette.
She quickly said, "Then, I, I'll go and call the royal attendant."
"Do you want Eunuch Wang to come in and see us like this?"
Those words startled her so much that she quickly stopped in her tracks, only to realize that she hadn't actually taken a step.
Back and forth, he stumbled and instinctively reached out to steady himself, pulling Xiao Xun's outer robe, which was still half hanging down his shoulder, up to his elbow.
It seemed that Xiao Xun had never seen such a decisive palace servant, nor such a swift manner of changing clothes.
He was unable to speak.
Fortunately, he didn't say anything.
Lin Yuan's face naturally burned even hotter, and she lowered her head even further, looking down at the scenery below her.
He simply closed his eyes.
But my hands trembled violently.
He almost tore his belt off along with his shirt.
Just before Xiao Xun almost lost his belt, he grabbed Lin Yuan by the back of the neck.
He pressed her against his chest.
Lin Yuan held her breath blankly, unable to breathe at all.
In the utter silence where even breathing was absent, her ear was pressed against his chest, and all she could hear was his heartbeat.
Bang bang bang.
They jump very fast.
In that dazed moment, she couldn't tell if the heartbeat was his or her own.
It's like they've been combined into one.
I don't know how much time passed, but the scalding heat slowly slid down my neck.
Through two layers of clothing, it traveled down the spine, along the arms, and finally to the palm.
Xiao Xun's fingers clasped tightly around hers, their five fingers intertwined, as he reached towards her waist.
His voice seemed to come from her ear, yet also from her chest, making her whole body tremble.
“Remember this…” The voice trailed off with a trembling quality.
"Um."
Lin Yuan knew she would never forget it.
"This is……"
Lin Yuan's breathing became increasingly rapid.
"...My waist measurement."
"Um??"
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Author's Note: ① This is from Zhuangzi's "Free and Easy Wandering".
②From the Analects
The phrase "The emperor does not need to be treated with the courtesy due to guests" also comes from the Book of Rites.
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