Jinting Han people

Chapter 154: Shadow of the Cup (4k)

On the other side, after settling Lu Zhu, Liu Xian still had one thing to deal with, which was to have a detailed talk with Li Sheng.

Although everyone in the world considered Bashu the birthplace of the Anle Palace, Liu Xian's hometown, he had heard countless times over the past twenty years about its scenery, climate, and culture, through the descriptions of his parents, uncles, the reminiscences of his maids, and the teachings of Li Mi and Chen Shou. It was as if he had been bound to this land since birth.

But words are just words, and it's hard for them to become concrete reality in the mind. For so many years, Liu Xian still couldn't set foot on the land of Bashu.

In fact, of all the people he knew so far, only Li Mi's family was actually in Bashu. And with Li Mi's early death from illness, he didn't know what other connections he had. He could only believe Li Mi's words: someone was waiting for him in Shu, and he must have a mission there, just waiting for the right time.

Just as his teacher Li Mi had said before they parted, neither Li Mi nor Liu Xian knew when the right time would be. He only knew that now was probably not the right time. The Jia family was at its peak, and if he fled to Shu, he would probably be immediately surrounded and attacked by the army, and his family in Luoyang would probably be wiped out because of his involvement.

But even so, he still needs to understand the current Bashu, or at least understand the Wuyang Li family, so as to prepare for his future plans.

So the day after his breakup with Lu Zhu, Liu Xian was busy with chores all day. When the sunset seemed to be sucked into the mountains and fields of Luliang Mountain, and the sky was filled with colorful clouds, he went to visit Li Sheng.

Li Sheng stayed in the guest room of Liu Xian's courtyard all day. When Liu Xian knocked on the door, he immediately stood up and opened the door to greet him. He showed an expression of long-awaited expectation and said:
"It's you, my young lord. Welcome, welcome."

Liu Xian greeted him, "I'm really sorry to have wronged Binshuo. County affairs have been very busy lately. As the county magistrate, I need to lead by example. I'm sorry to have kept Binshuo waiting for so long."

Li Sheng smiled ambiguously and replied, "Young Lord, why are you so polite? I've been waiting for several years in my hometown, so I'm not afraid to wait a little longer."

It was already dusk, and the view inside the house was a little dim. After the two of them entered the house, Liu Xian found an oil lamp and lit it. Then they sat on the couch facing each other, looking at each other.

Although the two had met once before, at the county gate, it was late at night and the view wasn't clear. Now, as they stared into each other's eyes, Liu Xian looked at Li Sheng again. His first impression was still of a tough figure, with his prominent brow ridges and jawline, giving him a sharp, angular appearance. However, Li Sheng's demeanor was very decent, and his gestures were well-balanced, giving him a sense of dignity without feeling arrogant.

However, Liu Xian could clearly feel that beneath this decent surface, Li Sheng had some doubts about himself. Just as he wanted to understand Shu through him, Li Sheng also wanted to understand himself through this conversation.

Liu Xian spoke first, "I'm sorry to bother you taking care of Luzhu's family during this time. I guess I've caused you a lot of worry, haven't I?"

"How could that be? Before he passed away, the master told us brothers that the young master was going to accomplish great things, and we should assist him wholeheartedly and not complain no matter what happened."

"I'm deeply ashamed to say this. If I had no other choice, I wouldn't have resorted to this desperate measure. This implicated many people, and it should have been my responsibility, but in the end, it was passed on to you. It's truly my fault, and I apologize."

To be honest, the Li brothers did secretly resent Liu Xian's arrangement. After all, after Li Mi returned home, he gave his sons a long speech praising their former master, asking them to give up their official careers and concentrate on waiting for the call from the Anle Mansion.

However, the first thing the young lord did when contacting the Wuyang Li family was to send a beautiful woman, which made it hard not to doubt Liu Xian's morality. If they didn't have such special respect for their father, they probably wouldn't have accepted Lu Zhu at all.

Although Lu Zhu's family got along well with the Li family after their arrival, the suspicion made the Li brothers uneasy. So after receiving the letter from their mistress Shang Rou, they thought of taking this opportunity to come to Xiayang in person to see Liu Xian and confirm their father's opinion.

Before coming, the image of Liu Xian in Li Sheng's mind was that of a very arrogant person. Unexpectedly, upon first contact, he found that this young lord was humble and polite, like a modest gentleman. Now, seeing him apologize very naturally, without any hypocrisy, the barrier in his heart could not help but be diluted a lot.

Therefore, Li Sheng replied: "Young Master, don't worry. My mother likes Luzhu and Xiaomei very much and is willing to adopt them as her daughters. It is not a big deal at all."

"That's great. I have a lot to ask you. It's dinner time now, so we can talk while we eat."

As he was saying this, Luzhu brought in dinner, which was two bowls of hot wheat rice with some braised turnips in sauce.

Liu Xian smiled at her, took the food, and then, while distributing the tableware, he jokingly said, "When my mother was alive, she often said that the turnips in Luoyang were not as sweet as those in Shuzhong. I don't know if it's true or not. Please tell me."

Liu Xian and Li Sheng started their conversation by talking about the customs of Shuzhong.

To Li Sheng's surprise, although Liu Xian had never been to Shuzhong, he seemed to know everything about Shuzhong's specialties, scenery, people, and customs. There were many things that Li Sheng himself was accustomed to and did not pay special attention to, but when Liu Xian talked about them, he realized that it seemed to be true.

Hometown is always the best topic to resolve barriers. Unconsciously, Li Sheng put aside his attitude of being a bystander and began to take the initiative to talk to Liu Xian.

At first, Liu Xian spoke more and he spoke less, but gradually, the content of their conversations became balanced, and in the end, Liu Xian was listening and Li Sheng was talking.

At this time, they talked about Li Mi's six sons, who were Li Sheng's brothers. Li Sheng introduced them:

"There are six people of my generation, and I'm sixth."

"My eldest brother's name is Ci, and his courtesy name is Zongshuo. He is thirty-four this year. His writing has embodied the true essence of your Excellency, and he can be said to be the most outstanding person in the entire state."

"My second brother's name is Yan, also known as Xueshuo. He is thirty-two years old this year. He is a humble and polite person. He serves as the county magistrate. He is proficient in general affairs and has a good reputation."

"My third brother's name is Chao, courtesy name Gongshuo. He is thirty years old this year. He excels in classics and is proficient in the History of the Han Dynasty and the Han Dynasty."

"My fourth brother's name is Kan, also known as Yuanshuo. He is twenty-seven this year. He is determined to live in seclusion and is quite fond of elegant conversation. He has no rivals in the village."

"My fifth brother's name is Xing, also known as Junshuo. He is twenty-three this year. Although he is young, he is also talented in literature and is not inferior to my second brother."

"This is all thanks to my master's careful instruction and his reputation, so the locals mistakenly call us six brothers the 'Six Dragons.'"

As he said this, Li Sheng suddenly changed the subject and said, "My lord, I have something to ask you."

Liu Xian was already listening attentively at this time. When he saw that Li Sheng had something to say, he shook his upper body and replied:
"Whatever you want to say, just tell me."

"To be honest, I sincerely admire my brothers, but when it comes to talent, I'm no match for them in any way. Yet, the villagers call us the Six Dragons, and that puts me under immense pressure... But then I wonder, what good does this reputation do me? I don't have much talent to begin with. I'm just the way I am, and I can't fake it. So, from now on, I'll just be an ordinary person. What do you think?"

This question was very abrupt, but a smart man like Liu Xian quickly heard the hidden meaning in the words.

Li Sheng was certainly not without talent. He was simply using this self-comparison to describe his brothers' feelings about their father, Li Mi's plans. They clearly disagreed with Li Mi's plans, nor did they feel any responsibility to restore the country. While the world often emphasizes loyalty and filial piety, risking their lives for their father's wishes was a bit too much.

So Li Sheng used this to test himself. If Liu Xian responded well, the Wuyang Li family might continue to bet on him. If he responded poorly, the two families might part ways forever. Liu Xian thought about it, then shook his head and replied, "That's right, and that's not right."

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

"Ultimately, whatever choices a person makes are their own. If the pressure of carrying the Six Dragons truly pains you, then you don't need to worry about what others think. As long as you've made up your mind, no one can stop you. So I say, this is right."

"Then why is it wrong?"

"Because when people think for themselves, they always make mistakes. The saying 'Even the wisest man makes a thousand plans, yet he is bound to make mistakes' is exactly this principle."

"But the world's evaluation doesn't come out of thin air. They consider you the Sixth Dragon because you have something outstanding, or maybe you just haven't discovered it. If you give up on a possibility because of self-deprecation, it would be a pity. Time can't be reversed. If you regret your life after living a mediocre life, you can't start over."

When Li Sheng heard this, he couldn't help but lower his head, full of emotion.

Liu Xian gave a relatively satisfactory answer. Although the situation was very difficult at the moment, he did not threaten himself with his father's last wish. Instead, he gave the choice back to him and tried to persuade Li Sheng patiently to consider it carefully.

So Li Sheng came to a conclusion: this young lord does have certain merits.

But, facing this current predicament of being targeted by the Hou Party, is there any way he can survive? This is what Li Sheng most wants to understand when he comes to Xiayang. Of course, people should have great dreams, but if the dream is so big that it cannot be realized, then it is not pursuing a dream, but asking for trouble...

By this time, both of them had finished their meal. Liu Xian tidied up his sleeves, got off the couch, and said to Li Sheng, "Bin Shuo, I think the moonlight outside is beautiful. Why don't we go out for a walk and talk while we walk?"

"That's fine, I also want to enjoy the night breeze."

The two young men opened the door, walked out of the courtyard and to the outside of the county government office, then began to circle around the wall of the county government office.

Although they were walking at night, Liu Xian did not light a fire because the light in the darkness was still bright.

The road on either side was now lined with bare, withered tree trunks, allowing the two of them to clearly see the beautiful Milky Way overhead. Blending with the Milky Way was the moon's radiance. The shadows of the branches fell on the ground and passed across their faces.

Li Sheng turned around and saw Liu Xian's calm expression. He asked, "My Lord, are you afraid of the dark?"

"Afraid of the dark? Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I'm embarrassed to tell you this. When I was a child, four years old, my parents went to the capital to serve as officials. My mother was in poor health at the time and was recuperating at home. My eldest brother asked a Taoist priest from the village to come and see her. The Taoist priest said that there was a ghost in the house causing trouble, especially at night."

"Then the Taoist priest set up an altar and oil lamps in our home. After praying, he lit the lamps and said they could ward off evil spirits. We had to watch over them day and night and not let them go out for even a moment until my mother got better."

"So during that time, I stayed up late every night to look after the lights. I was also very afraid of the dark, fearing that if the lights went out, the evil spirits would not only kill my mother, but me as well."

"Even now, when I sleep alone at night, I still light an oil lamp. In the pure darkness, I am too frightened to fall asleep."

This was another indirect hint, and Li Sheng did not hide it, and Liu Xian could also hear it.

Liu Xian stopped and said to Li Sheng slowly, "Binshuo, I was afraid of the dark too."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"Because when I was five years old, a man died in front of me. He was hacked to death with a knife, and blood was all over the ground. So after that, I often had nightmares at night, and I suspected that I was haunted by an evil spirit."

"I see……"

"But I'm not afraid anymore. Do you know why?"

"why?"

"Because I met Lord Yan Fu, you should know who that is, right?"

"Are you talking about Le Guang and Le Yan Fu Gong?"

"Yes, Lord Yanfu once invited a friend to drink at his home. The friend saw a snake in his cup and mistakenly thought Lord Yanfu was trying to harm him. Unable to find a way to refuse, he drank the snake-tainted drink anyway. He fell seriously ill the moment he returned home."

"When Mr. Yan Fu saw that his friend was ill, he went to visit him, but his friend refused to see him. Mr. Yan Fu didn't understand why, so he forced his way in and questioned his friend profusely, only then did he learn the reason."

"He was very confused because he didn't put a snake in the wine! So he went back to the table where his friend had been drinking and poured himself a glass of the same wine. He found that there was indeed a snake in the wine! But when he picked up the wine cup, the snake disappeared again!"

"Mr. Yan Fu was puzzled. He looked up and saw a bow hanging on the wall opposite his seat. The shadow of the bow on the wine looked like a snake, but there was no snake at all."

"After Lord Yanfu told his friend about this, he suddenly understood and soon recovered as before, his serious illness disappeared without a trace."

After recounting this famous story, Liu Xian slowly said to Li Sheng, "Since then, I've learned that being sick is like this, and so is being afraid of the dark. A lot of things are just self-inflicted scares. Aside from some natural disasters that are simply too much to handle, there's really no need to be afraid in ordinary life."

"If you don't have faith in me, you can stay here for a while. I will prove it to you. Maybe I can't return to Luoyang or go straight to Bashu. But those plots to harm me are nothing but illusions."

It was just a conversation; the two didn't discuss anything particularly practical. But Li Sheng was still struck by the magnanimity emanating from Liu Xian, for he possessed qualities simultaneously of humility, arrogance, sincerity, hypocrisy, indifference, and kindness. These seemingly irreconcilable contradictions blended together in a wondrous and harmonious manner, forming an unfathomable being.

It is like a dragon hidden in the clouds. Sometimes you can see its head, tail, scales and claws, but it is difficult to get a glimpse of its entire appearance.

"He is the only one who can afford the sacred weapon of the country." Thinking of his father's decisive yet exaggerated last words before his death, Li Sheng couldn't help but look up at the bright moon. The moonlight was dim but clear, forcing him to admit that this absurd plan might, probably, indeed, have a chance of success.

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(End of this chapter)