Jinting Han people

Chapter 22: Rumors about White Deer

Time flies like a white horse, and the years flow like the Luo River. In the blink of an eye, spring goes and winter comes, and more than a year has passed.

In the first month of the third year of the Taikang reign (282 AD), the snow still lay thick on the Luoyang plain, the fields a blanket of white. Farmers had shut their doors tightly. If it weren't for the gray smoke rising from the houses, the world would have seemed completely deserted. Twelve-year-old Shi Chao, accompanied by a few followers, wove like a short, twisting black earthworm through this vast, cold white world.

They set out from the streets of Luoyang, dressed in sharp black garb, with three-foot-long swords at their waists and riding six-foot-tall green-maned horses. They clearly came from wealthy families, yet the path they took was unexpectedly desolate. They left the official road and continued eastward along the solid ice of the Luo River. The population gradually thinned, Mount Mang in the north loomed, and the snow beneath their feet gradually buried them from heels to knees. After about two hours of riding, they finally reached their destination: the East Village of Anle Duke.

Although Dongwu was called a fortress, it was actually a small village of about thirty or forty households. The houses were arranged along a canal, surrounding a three-story courtyard with a mezzanine. A fence surrounded the courtyard, and roughly speaking, the area covered only two or three acres.

Shi Chao arrived at the attic with ease, dismounted, and, without regard for etiquette, hurried to the door. Holding his whip, he knocked repeatedly on the door, shouting, "Liu Piji! Liu Piji! I'm here! Open the door!"

With a creak, the door swung open, revealing a tall woman before Shi Chao, his eyes catching his eye. She was about thirty years old, wearing a long-sleeved, pleated skirt with lotus flowers printed on it. Her hair was tied in a high bun, and she wore a pearl ornament on her head. She looked dignified yet elegant. Although time had left some wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, it had made her gaze even more timeless, as if perpetually smiling.

The woman was none other than Zhang Ximiao. She looked delighted at the young man before her. She took Shi Chao's cloak with her hands and said, as if it were her own child, "It's Xi Nu! You came from such a long distance, why didn't you send someone to tell me in advance?"

"It's not a big deal." Shi Chao blushed and lowered his head to ask, "Aunt, is Bi Ji at home?"

"Yes, he's copying books on the second floor! If you're looking for him, just go straight up." Xi Miao pointed the way and asked with concern, "Are you cold? I'll heat you a pot of honey water later."

Before he could finish his words, Shi Chao had already run upstairs. Zhang Ximiao smiled and shook his head, quickly calling the guards at the door to rest in the front hall. Then he went to the kitchen and instructed Ah Chun to get some candied fruit and put it on a plate with the honey water.

After finishing preparations, Zhang Ximiao personally carried the tray upstairs. As she went upstairs, she heard the two children's laughter and chatter, which made Ximiao feel both relieved and a little unbelievable.

Roughly speaking, it had been twenty years since the fall of Shu Han, and eleven years since the death of the old Anle Duke Liu Chan. After the fall of Shu Han, the Shu Han royal family in Luoyang, while not entirely smooth sailing, generally speaking, had no worries about food and clothing. However, for such a long time, the Anle Duke's mansion had never been accepted by the Luoyang nobles.

This wasn't difficult to understand. Royal families of enemy states had always been viewed with suspicion. Furthermore, after decades of development, the connections between the northern clans had become unprecedentedly close, dividing up all power at court. Aside from the military, there was no room for outsiders in the court. Consequently, the interactions between the clans became increasingly tight-knit. Anyone who could associate with the founding fathers of the Western Jin Dynasty was either exceptionally talented or a member of a similarly powerful clan.

For example, Zhang Hua's family lived next door to Anle Mansion and could even hear the sound of piano coming from next door at night, but apart from exchanging gifts on major holidays, the two families had no further interactions.

Under such circumstances, it was truly a miracle that Liu Xian was able to break through the barriers of family background and become friends with Shi Chao, who came from the Bohai Shi family.

The reason for their friendship can be considered a matter of fate. Back when Ma Long led 3,000 men to attack Liang Province, Liu Xian happened to run into Shi Chao and discussed Ma Long's success and failure with him. This was an unintentional remark, but unexpectedly, it earned Shi Chao's favor.

It turns out that Shi Chao was different from other children of noble families. Most descendants of founding fathers, such as Jia Mi and Pei Song, longed to rest in the shadows of their ancestors and become pampered officials in the imperial court. This high position of power and authority, without the risk of any consequences, was the dream of most officials. However, Shi Chao, by nature, was restless and disliked the daily rituals and bows of the imperial court. Influenced by the early military exploits of his grandfather, Shi Bao, he had aspired from a young age to leave the capital and become a military commander.

Seeing that Liu Xian also enjoyed history and military affairs, Shi Chao instantly connected with him. Later, when news of Ma Long's recapture of Liang Province reached Luoyang, Shi Chao grew even closer to Liu Xian, frequently visiting him to discuss historical wars. He compared Liu Xian to Sun Bin and himself to Tian Ji, declaring that Liu Xian would achieve great things for the country in the future.

For Liu Xian, this was just another friend, but in the eyes of his mother Zhang Ximiao, it was a miracle of some magnitude.

Of course, in Ximiao's heart, Liu Xian created more than just this one miracle.

Before his enlightenment, influenced by Liu Xun's madness, Liu Xian developed a gloomy and aloof demeanor unbecoming of his age, which caused Xi Miao to worry and blame herself, suspecting that Liu Xian would become passive and withdrawn in this environment. But surprisingly, after a few years, Liu Xian not only did not show this tendency, but instead became more calm and composed, even possessing a level of patience rarely found in adults.

How could Zhang Ximiao not be proud of her child's growth? When Liu Xian was born, the mansion was suffering from the cold eyes of others. Even his biological father, Liu Xun, had no expectations for him. But now, not only was he no longer a puppet, he was also doing what his father had failed to do... This gave Zhang Ximiao a sense of hope: she had reason to believe that even if his birth brought various limitations to Bi Ji, he would still find a way to break through them and continue to move forward with confidence.

Thinking this, Xi Miao pushed open the door and saw Liu Xian and Shi Chao sitting by the stove, chatting and laughing. Shi Chao had taken off his boots and was warming his feet by the brazier without any scruples, while Liu Xian, dressed in a purple silk robe, was laughing as he stirred the charcoal in the brazier.

Seeing his mother coming up, Liu Xian quickly stood up, took the tray from her hand and said, "Mom, just call me. Why go upstairs?"

Zhang Ximiao was delighted to see him so sensible, but she still said, "How can I be rude to such a distinguished guest?" She then asked Shi Chao, "What would Xi Nu like to eat? Lunch is just about to be prepared, so it's not too late to tell me now."

"Don't bother, just order whatever you want." Shi Chao was still a little shy in front of Xi Miao.

Zhang Ximiao rarely interacted with other people's children. Seeing Shi Chao's demeanor, she found it interesting. She also wanted to get to know more about her son's friends, so she didn't leave immediately. Instead, she wanted to join their conversation:

"Don't be so reserved! I was just listening downstairs. Weren't you guys having a good chat? What were you talking about?"

Liu Xian said, "Xi Nu was saying that he and some friends went hunting in Wan'an Mountain last month and came across a white deer."

"White deer?"

"Yes." Shi Chao's eyebrows lit up as he described his personal experience to Zhang Ximiao: "It hadn't snowed in those days, and my sixth uncle (Shi Chong) said he needed a bearskin hat for the New Year. He also heard that bears were roaming Wan'an Mountain, so he arranged a group of people to go bear hunting there, and I went with them. But that day was unlucky. We spent three hours in the mountains, but we didn't see any bears, not even a few foxes. We only shot a few rabbits."

"It was almost dark, and the water and food we brought were all gone. Everyone was thirsty and hungry, so we had no choice but to turn back. As we were turning back and reaching a shallow slope, a white shadow suddenly jumped out from the grass next to us. Before I could see it clearly, my sixth uncle shouted, "White deer!" and led his men to chase it." "I ran after it for a long time and almost couldn't catch up. Fortunately, my sixth uncle ran fast and led his men to force the white deer into a dead end at the bottom of a cliff. That way I could catch my breath and squeeze to the front to take a look."

"Let me tell you, that deer is pure white! From head to tail, except for its eyes and horns, it's as white as snow!" Shi Chao became excited and began to dance, gesturing in mid-air to measure the size of the white deer. "It's about the same height as me, with small tail, ears, and horns. Its eyes are as black and bright as longan kernels. It's very delicate and adorable. My sixth uncle and the others are very happy, saying that we've encountered a rare auspicious sign!"

"Indeed!" Zhang Ximiao was also fascinated by this rare experience and echoed, "Did you shoot the white deer?"

"No, my sixth uncle said that it would be a shame to kill and skin such an auspicious sign. It would be better to put it to good use if we presented it to the emperor's palace. What a pity! We didn't catch it!" Shi Chao's face showed an expression of regret.

"Ah? Why didn't we catch it?" Xi Miao felt a little surprised.

"We thought we'd definitely catch it, but we didn't expect the white deer to be able to climb walls! It was such a high cliff, and it actually jumped along the cracks a few times before climbing straight up! We tried to climb up and catch it, but there was no way!" Shi Chao slapped his knees, as if he was back in the moment. "It was getting dark, and my sixth uncle was unwilling to return empty-handed, so he wandered around in the dark with a torch. After searching for another two hours, he found nothing and finally returned to Luoyang."

At this point, Shi Chao drank a glass of honey water and told the final outcome: "Later, my sixth uncle took people to Wan'an Mountain a few more times, but we never had such good luck again. Not to mention catching the white deer, we didn't even see it. The day before yesterday, he sighed to me and said, 'If I had known this would happen, I might as well have shot it and skinned it!'"

After hearing this, Zhang Ximiao couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. After all, such auspicious signs are rare to see. If it could be presented to the emperor, the emperor would definitely reward him handsomely.

Liu Xian spoke up at this time. He had remained silent while Shi Chao was talking, but that didn't mean he wasn't interested in the topic. On the contrary, he was very much attracted to the white deer, but his thoughts were different. He said:
"Heaven and earth have created this auspicious sign, wishing peace on earth. Skinning it would be a real spoiler. It's a shame not to catch it, but releasing it back into the mountains wouldn't be a bad thing either. The white deer is in the forbidden area, and no one besides the royal family can admire it. And now it's still in the mountains. Maybe one day you and I will see it again."

As he said this, Liu Xian's eyebrows rose slightly, his pupils sparkling, clearly happy that Bai Lu had escaped. But beyond this joy, he seemed to have a firm belief in his own luck, as if he would definitely meet Bai Lu in the future.

Shi Chao was also inspired by this optimism. He smiled and said, "Great minds think alike. So, after the snow melts in a few days, I plan to invite some friends to go hunting in Wan'an Mountain. Even if we don't see any white deer, we can still catch a few rabbits. Do you want to come?"

Zhang Ximiao was still beside him, so Liu Xian didn't know how to express his opinion, so he turned his gaze to his mother.

Zhang Ximiao was a little worried and asked, "Aren't there bears in Wan'an Mountain? How many of you are going? Will it be okay?"

Shi Chao replied, "It's no problem. There are about seven or eight of us, and we'll all have followers. If one or two bears see us, they won't have time to run away!"

Zhang Ximiao felt relieved for a moment, then asked, "You said seven or eight, who are they?"

"Jia Azhen, Zhang Sanlang, Pei Wulang, Wang Hutou, Chen Zhinu. Originally, there should have been Xun Guannu, but Xun Guannu is not easy to hunt, so he didn't give a definite answer."

Zhang Ximiao's expression changed slightly when these names were announced. Although she didn't know who these nicknames specifically referred to, there was no doubt that each of them belonged to a prominent family of the current dynasty. Could Bi Ji, powerless and without influence, get along well with these people? Ximiao was a little worried, but then she thought: if he could get along with these children, at least it would provide Bi Ji with more support in his future career, which was also the most difficult thing for the Anle Mansion to provide.

While Xi Miao was thinking about it, Liu Xian also noticed this problem and said to Shi Chao: "I still remember that year at Sunset Pavilion, they all laughed at me as the Duke of a Lost Country. Now that I'm there, I won't be laughed at by them anymore." His tone was calm, but the emotion behind it was not without ripples.

"What are you talking about!" Shi Chao patted Liu Xian's shoulder, feeling a little embarrassed. After all, he was among the group that mocked Liu Xian back then. He could only laugh it off and said, "It's been so many years. I wouldn't have remembered it if you hadn't mentioned it. Let's just think of it as getting to know each other again and starting over. If anything goes wrong, I'm still here!"

Liu Xian looked at his mother again, seeking her opinion. Zhang Ximiao smiled, stood up and said, "This is your business. Since there's no danger, you can decide for yourself."

After saying that, she stood up and left, closing the door, but she did not leave immediately. Instead, she quietly listened to her son's decision at the door.

Liu Xian said to his friends, "I've wanted to meet them for so many years, and this opportunity is great."

"Do you want to prove yourself?"

"Yes, I want to prove myself." Liu Xian sighed and said slowly, "But more of it is curiosity. I want to understand them and what kind of people they are."

"What's there to understand?" Shi Chao was a little confused. "It's just a mouth and two hands, it's not a monster."

Liu Xian shook his head slightly and said with a smile: "Not necessarily. Some people are scarier than monsters."

"Who is scarier than a monster?"

"Boring people are the scariest! After such a long journey, if I'm surrounded by a bunch of boring people, hahahaha..."

Hearing Liu Xian's hearty laughter, Zhang Ximiao closed her ears, rolled up her skirt, and slowly walked downstairs. She had initially harbored some concerns, but now they were offset by her child's optimism. She couldn't help but think of the legendary First Lord, who grew up beneath a mulberry tree. Did his unnamed mother, who mentored him, share the same struggles and joys as herself now?

　I will test it tomorrow, preparing~~
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(End of this chapter)