Jinting Han people

Chapter 61 Wang Cui Asks About Relatives (4k)

Gathering a hundred people is just like plucking a leaf from a bamboo forest for Luoyang City, which has a population of hundreds of thousands. But for a lonely and penniless stranger, it is like an ant trying to shake a big tree.

But Afule agreed firmly and confidently. Early the next morning, Afule came to say goodbye to Liu Xian.

"Just wait for good news!" He patted his chest and said this, nodding his head heavily, with a heroic look. But the next second his expression changed immediately, and he begged, "I'll leave my brother to you, can you lend me some money first?"

"I really am your father!" Liu Xian cursed with a smile, but still gave him two hundred coins.

After Afule easily set foot on the road leading to the market, Liu Xian watched his gradually receding back for a long time, and Afule never looked back.

Liu Xian returned to the mansion, and a smile appeared on his lips: "What a weird guy!"

What was this Jiehu youth going to do? Would he infiltrate the inner circle of knights and make a name for himself, or would he use his eloquence to trick a bunch of desperate outlaws? Either option would be a daunting one, and Liu Xian seemed to have completely forgotten the possibility that he had been deceived by Afule.

Ah Luo brought him breakfast and sat down beside him. "Who on earth is that dragonfly-like guy?"

"He," Liu Xian replied happily, "I have a feeling he will either become my best friend or my mortal enemy."

"Premonitions are unreliable. He is just an illiterate Jiehu." Although A Luo is smart, she is not as smart as Liu Xian. She always has an aristocratic reserve.

"No, a hero's origins are not important. Wasn't Emperor Gaozu just a village headman back then?"

"Grandfather...you've only known him for a short time, yet you think so highly of him?!" A'Luo was extremely surprised to hear this evaluation.

"The bond between people begins with the first meeting, whether it's friends, brothers, husband and wife, or even father and son. This is true for everyone," Liu Xian said as he sipped his porridge. "However, if someone can't master the technique of letting others understand their strengths upon first meeting, they're useless. On the contrary, those who master this technique can easily become leaders."

Liu Xian smiled and made a judgment about the Jiehu boy: "He is a natural born leader."

After dinner, Liu Xian went to the Shiping Palace as usual to accompany his son in his studies. While leading his horse, he looked at the majestic and powerful Fanyu in the stable and felt an urge to test the strength of this steed. However, after staring at it for a while, he gave up.

"It is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but it is difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. There will be no thousand-mile horse to ride in the future." Comforting himself with this, Liu Xian still led a green-maned horse out as usual and slowly headed towards the Shiping Palace.

Speaking of which, Princess Yingchuan’s birthday is over.

As Sima Wei had said before, he personally caught two fox cubs in Wan'an Mountain. Although he did not find a tiger, he hunted a bear and temporarily made a bear-skin hat, which he gave to his younger sister on the same day. The result was indeed a great success.

The other princes were obviously not interested. The more vulgar ones gave corals and agates directly, while the more elegant ones gave chess pieces and lanterns.

In contrast, Sima Wei arrived, dusty and exhausted, and gave his sister two small, adorable foxes. He also personally took out a bearskin hat, and "unconsciously" revealed the scratches on his face and hands, which clearly showed his superiority. This moved Princess Yingchuan to tears, and the emperor and his ministers also praised Sima Wei endlessly.

Sima Wei was also very happy after returning home. He once again invited his staff to a banquet and celebrated with great fanfare.

At the banquet, Qi Sheng, Gongsun Hong and others praised Sima Wei loudly, giving all the credit for the matter to their lord. Sima Wei became so flattered that he completely forgot about Liu Xian.

Liu Xian had no complaints about this, but now he thought: while His Royal Highness the Prince of Shiping possessed courage and executive power, compared to the commoner Afule, he lacked the crucial self-reflection and independent thinking. Surrounded by such a group of mischievous instigators, how far could he go? Liu Xian expressed deep doubt.

But that happened a long time later. At least for now, the Prince of Shiping's Mansion is still a good place to relax.

When he arrived at the Shiping Palace, Liu Xian was surprised to find three carriages parked in front of the gate. Looking inside, he could see with the naked eye that the number of guards had nearly doubled.

This was unusual. He dismounted, greeted the familiar Wang Wei and Qiu Hu, and asked, "What distinguished guest has come to your house?"

Qiu Hu smiled and said, "It's nothing serious. His Highness the Fifteenth and Princess Yingchuan are visiting today and are looking for His Highness to play with them!"

"Oh." Liu Xian suddenly realized that Sima Wei was a brother of the same generation. Logically, he should have been visited by princes and princesses. However, Liu Xian had only been in the palace for a short time, and this was his first time experiencing it personally.

He tied his horse to the stable and headed for the palace's backyard. Sure enough, he could hear the noise of young men clamoring through the wall. Stepping inside, he saw Sima Wei, the King of Shiping, standing at the shooting range with a bow and arrow, his gaze fixed on a straw man about a hundred paces away. His staff scattered around, leaving two young men and women in brocade robes to stand on either side of the King.

Standing on the left was the fifteenth prince Sima Yi [1]. He was thirteen years old and had not yet been given a title. He was Sima Wei's younger brother from the same father and mother. Although he was very young, he had a slender figure and a sharp eye. As Liu Xian stepped into the shooting range, he saw him glance at him from the corner of his eye, appearing extremely alert.

Standing on the right was none other than Princess Sima Xiuhua of Yingchuan. She wore a wide-sleeved, blue satin palace gown, her hands clasped to her chest. True to the legend, she was a delicate, beautiful girl. Standing in the crowd, Liu Xian was struck by her round, full profile. He thought, while not as pretty as Miss Lu Zhu, she was certainly charming and adorable.

Qi Sheng and others around were also moved. Even though they were all married and had families, they still couldn't help but secretly glance at her. Among them, Wang Cui's eyes were even more undisguised, as if a sudden snowstorm in the summer had frozen his whole body.

Fortunately, Sima Xiuhua was already used to these looks. She just looked up curiously, revealing an innocent face, and asked, "Fifth Brother, why did you pull for so long? Can you shoot it?"

Sima Yi laughed and said, "Little sister, it's not that Fifth Brother can't shoot, he just wants to shoot the straw man's throat, that way he can show off his skills!"

As soon as he said this, Sima Wei released the bowstring. With a swish, the arrow hit the straw man's neck, precisely where it was thinnest. Judging by the length of the feathers, the arrowhead had penetrated the wood by more than an inch, demonstrating not only the archer's accuracy but also his immense strength.

Seeing this, everyone couldn't help but shout "good" in unison.

But Sima Wei sighed and joked, "Fifteenth brother, since you understand my thoughts, why bother saying it out loud? If I see it, I'll just think I'm showing off."

Sima Yi laughed and said, "It was I who said that. It made it seem like Fifth Brother, you can shoot wherever you point, your archery is like a god!" "What do you mean like a god? How dare I not know it?" Sima Wei pointed at the guards and said with a smile, "These people around me are all warriors picked from a hundred miles away. The so-called shooting an arrow through a willow leaf from a hundred paces is easy for them. In comparison, my archery skills are just for show in front of you."

Upon hearing this, the princess tugged at her brother's sleeve and said, "But I see that Fifth Brother is really powerful!"

This simple compliment made Sima Wei's heart blossom. He actually picked up the princess in public, put her down again, and said lovingly, "Haha, as long as it's what my little sister said, even if she said I could shoot down the sun, I would take it as the truth."

Hearing this, Xiu Hua narrowed his eyes happily, revealing two shallow dimples at the corners of his mouth, and jokingly said, "Then can the fifth brother shoot down the sun?"

Sima Wei was speechless. Qi Sheng stepped forward to offer his help, saying, "Your Highness, this isn't ancient times. There's only one sun in the sky. If you shoot it down, what will happen?"

Xiu Hua was a little reluctant when he heard this: "Then can Fifth Brother shoot down the stars?"

"Didn't my king already shoot her down?" Wang Cui, who had been staring at the princess for so long, finally recovered and flattered her, "Your Highness, you are the star of our Great Jin!"

These words were so cheesy that even Sima Xiuhua, who had heard so much flattery, couldn't stand it. She stopped pestering her brother and hid behind Sima Wei in shame. Wang Cui then realized that he had said the wrong thing. He was at a loss and fidgeted, and everyone watching laughed secretly.

With Princess Yingchuan and the Prince of Changsha present today, the studies at the palace were naturally put on hold. However, Sima Wei had no intention of sending anyone back. Instead, he hosted a banquet, inviting the staff present as guests. Sima Wei was known for his frugality, usually feasting on pickled meat and radishes. But today, he made an exception, presenting a variety of delicacies and seafood, even lychees sent from Nanzhong.

The center of the banquet was of course Princess Yingchuan. Sima Wei invited famous musicians from the capital to play music, while he played games such as hidden hook, backgammon, chess, and pitching pots with his younger sister. Most of the staff members were there to accompany them, but everyone understood the ways of the world. Playing was just a formality, and naturally they did not dare to really win.

The same thing happened to Liu Xian. When it was his turn, the princess was playing Chupu, a game involving rolling five black and white dice and betting on the size of the dice. Liu Xian lost three times and then substituted Sima Wei. Then, he leisurely grabbed a cup of tea and stood by to watch, thinking, this is just the ordinary aristocratic fun.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, Wang Cui suddenly came over and whispered to him, "Huai Chong, come here for a moment. I have something to talk to you about."

Liu Xian was stunned. Before he could react, Wang Cui pulled his sleeve and dragged him into a corner.

Wang Cui first looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to them, then whispered to Liu Xian, "Huai Chong, what do you think of Princess Yingchuan?"

Liu Xian looked at his flushed face and immediately understood his intention. He said, "He is naturally beautiful, flawless, and has a good temperament. Although he is still young, as the saying goes, one can see the big picture from the small details. The princess will definitely be a good match for him in the future."

Wang Cui nodded, clearly agreeing with Liu Xian's assessment. He then asked, "Then tell me, with my qualifications, do I have a chance of winning the princess's favor?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Xian looked Wang Cui up and down. Wang Cui was fifteen, the same age as Liu Xian. He was plain-looking, his conversation unsophisticated, and his comprehension average; he wasn't the stereotypically elegant scholar. But having been chosen as a companion to the Imperial Academy, Wang Cui certainly had his own unique advantages: his resilience and diligence. Despite his favorable circumstances, he was able to push himself to study diligently, achieving a profound understanding of the classics.

"Hongyuan, I'll be honest. You're talented, perseverant, and genuine. I admire you." Before Wang Cui could finish her joy, Liu Xian continued, "But it's obviously going to be difficult for you to please the princess."

"Ah!" Wang Cui almost cried out, but managed to suppress it. He then hurriedly asked, "Why?"

"Hongyuan, although you write well, you're not very quick-witted and your reactions are a bit slow. You don't have the handsome looks of Pan Anren. If you want to talk about love, these are all flaws."

Wang Cui was obviously self-aware. Every time Liu Xian said something, his face became darker. Although he did not refute, his disappointment was evident in his expression.

But his infatuation with the princess was so simple and clear that after just one glance back at her, his spirits perked up again and he continued to ask, "I know what you said, but even so, I still like her. Huai Chong, don't you always have good ideas? Can you help me think of a solution?"

You want to be a prince consort, why do you want me to find a way? Liu Xian laughed to himself.

But he also realized that although he was ostracized by Qi Sheng and others, he had inadvertently created an image of being indifferent to fame and fortune and not interested in fighting for power. Even if people were wary of his intelligence, it was not difficult for him to gain the favor and trust of others.

Liu Xian thought for a moment and decided to help Wang Cui out of friendship. However, before doing so, he decided to give her a warning. "Hongyuan, do you really want to marry the princess? This is a lifelong matter. If you and she are not suitable, and you divorce her in the future and report it to the emperor, don't blame me."

Young people are naturally only thinking about the present. When Wang Cui thought about the moment when he could hug Xiu Hua, his joy almost overflowed from his chest. How could he complain? He immediately said happily: "Huai Chong, tell me quickly. If it really works out, I will never forget your kindness today!"

Liu Xian glanced at him and sighed, "It's actually very simple. Just go home and ask the Lord to submit a petition to the Emperor, and then the Emperor will summon you, and the matter will be settled."

Wang Cui was stunned: "Is it that simple?"

"It's that simple." Liu Xian spread his hands and said, "You love the princess so much that you've lost your mind! The decision on marrying the princess is originally the Emperor's! You are the descendant of a meritorious official and a county marquis, your family background is clean and noble, and you truly love the princess. As long as you tell me sooner rather than later, what reason does the Emperor have to refuse?"

"But my family has only been around for a few decades. My grandfather conquered Wu and was granted the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households, but that wasn't more than ten years ago. We can't compare to top aristocratic families like the Xun and Shi families!"

"This is actually your advantage!" Liu Xian patiently explained, "The higher your status, the easier it is to get caught up in power struggles. If your status is too low, it will affect your life. So if Your Majesty truly wishes for your children to live a peaceful and prosperous life, your family's position is perfect."

"Think about the late Duke of Lu, Jia Chong. He had three daughters. The eldest married the King of Qi, the second married the Crown Prince, and the youngest, his most beloved, ended up marrying Han Shou, a man of neither high nor low status."

These words successfully convinced Wang Cui. He was extremely excited. What he originally thought was an extremely difficult task was easily solved by Liu Xian. For a moment, he held Liu Xian's hand, not knowing what to say. Liu Xian was still worried in his heart: he really didn't think these two people were suitable.

On the other side, Sima Xiuhua was chatting and laughing with her brother. At this moment, she didn't know that her destiny for the next few decades had been quietly decided by a stranger at this moment.

[1] There are three versions of Sima Yi's age in the Book of Jin. This book adopts the version that Sima Yi was fifteen years old when Sima Yan died, and changes his ranking from sixth to fifteenth.

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(End of this chapter)