Jinting Han people

Chapter 7: Inquiries from Strangers
By the time Liu Xian was five years old, it was already the third year of Xianning (277 AD).

This year was very strange. First, there was a sudden solar eclipse at noon on the first day of the first lunar month.

This was the first time Liu Xian had witnessed a solar eclipse in his life, so he was deeply impressed: he was teasing his yellow dog in the backyard patio at the time, and the world, which had just been clearly defined by light and shadow, became blurred in the blink of an eye.

At first everyone thought that the sun was covered by clouds, but the sky continued to darken. Soon, the whole world was as dark as mud. The yellow dog was so scared that it barked at the sky, and the horses in the stable also neighed softly. Coupled with the frantic screams of people on the street, it was like the end of the world.

But Liu Xian only found this scene novel and interesting. He ran to his mother, cheering as if he had seen a flower he had never seen before, to share his experience:
"Mom, look, the sun is gone!"

Zhang Ximiao was embroidering on the couch at the moment, and Fei Xiu was beside her. When she saw Liu Xian running in, she hugged the child on her lap and said with a smile:
"Don't look at it. The sun will be out soon. Be careful not to hurt your eyes."

Liu Xian seemed to understand, but then he heard his mother and aunt discussing it.

After lighting an oil lamp, Fei Xiu sighed to Zhang Ximiao, "I still remember the last solar eclipse when you were still worried about your illness. In the blink of an eye, it was already five years ago."

Zhang Ximiao nodded and said, "A solar eclipse is a sign of yin invading yang. Back in Chengdu, everyone said it was a demon swallowing the sun. It meant war was imminent."

Fei Xiu said, "I'm afraid it wasn't just a military operation. That year, I remember that General Yang Gong of Zhennan was defeated by Lu Kang in Xiling, and there was also an outbreak of plague in Hanzhong!"

She concluded, "This year, with an eclipse on the first day of the first lunar month, I'm afraid it won't be a good year."

Although this statement seems superstitious in the eyes of later generations, the harvest in the fourth year of Xianning was indeed not a good one.

First, spring arrived very late. By mid-February, Luoyang's peach blossoms, which should have faded, hadn't yet opened. Instead, a strong wind arrived unexpectedly. The wind roared deafeningly across heaven and earth, causing the trees to dance wildly and even the doorframes of Luoyang to creak. It was as if some angry spirit was raging, and the mortals were terrified.

By late February, when the strong winds subsided, people went out to see the fields in ruins. Many slender trees, such as orange and apricot trees, were literally broken in half, with dead branches and dust scattered all over the ground. Not to mention the roofs of many poor homes, which were completely stripped of their thatch.

But that wasn't the end. Following the strong winds came the arrival of Frost. In early March, several days of freezing cold covered the streets, door lintels, eaves, window sills, riverbanks, and treetops with a pulpy layer of frost. The ground was so hard that even a galloping horse wouldn't leave a hoofprint. Under these conditions, farmers couldn't plant and transplant rice seedlings normally. Some experts predicted that Henan would face a famine this year.

In June, just as the weather returned to normal, envoys from Guanzhong arrived in Luoyang and reported two more pieces of bad news.

The first one was also a natural disaster. It was said that a major earthquake suddenly occurred in Guanxi, affecting six counties including Hanzhong, Wudu, Yinping, Tianshui, Longxi and Jincheng. Tens of thousands of people were displaced and urgently needed relief from the court.

The second was a man-made disaster. After the earthquake, the Xianbei rebel Tufa Shuji Neng realized that his support for Liang Province had been cut off. He took advantage of the situation and launched a surprise attack on the troops of Liang Province Governor Yang Xin. Yang Xin was caught off guard and beheaded on the spot. This was the third Liang Province Governor and the fourth provincial governor to be killed in battle since Tufa Shuji Neng's uprising.

For a time, the people of Luoyang were in a state of panic, discussing the misfortunes that had occurred in the country that year. Even the phrase "If the emperor lacks virtue, the country will not prosper forever" was circulated. Emperor Sima Yan was forced to publicly burn the pheasant-head fur coat presented by the imperial physician Sima Chengju as a testament to his integrity. He then offered incense and sacrifices at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, praying for the protection of the heavens and earth. Finally, after three days of continuous court deliberation, he issued a decree stating that the difficult situation necessitated a reduction in government spending to meet emergency needs. Consequently, the salaries of all officials for the year were cut in half.

Five-year-old Liu Xian, however, didn't understand these events. His specific memory of that year was that the family's meals suddenly became much more vegetarian. The usual minced meat was replaced with wheat rice, and the flatbread became soup flatbread, with radish, yams, and amaranth as side dishes. Occasionally, they ate mutton, but the lack of spices made it taste fishy and bland.

Fortunately, Xi Miao always knew how to make children happy. She collected all the mulberries this year, dried them and made candied fruits. She stored two large baskets and sealed them in the cellar. Whenever Liu Xian cried, she would give him two. Sweetness always calmed Liu Xian like motherly love.

This is actually a peaceful and leisurely life, and it can even be said to be happy in an era when most people are hungry and eat anything, and a few people fill their stomachs with soil.

If he had always grown up in such a happy environment, I'm afraid Liu Xian would really become a happy and contented man, just as Zhang Hua wished, without knowing any suffering.

But this tranquility was eventually broken, in a way that could be called a curse.

It was mid-July. During that time, due to financial difficulties, the imperial court was cracking down on official corruption, focusing on the issue of nobles hiding their possessions and land. Even the Anle Mansion was no exception. At the behest of the Luoyang Magistrate, Liu Xun frequently went to the county government office to reconcile accounts. His six uncles also had their own affairs, leaving the mansion feeling empty. While Liu Xian could still play with his friends, he also wondered what his parents were up to.
So in the evening, when it was almost time for dinner, Liu Xian would sit quietly at the gate of the mansion, counting the drooping leaves of the willow trees on the roadside, while glancing at the passers-by, looking for his father's figure among them.

Then Liu Xian felt something was wrong.

He felt someone was watching him quietly.

At first, Liu Xian thought it was an illusion. After all, Anle Mansion was located in a busy city with a lot of traffic and people coming and going. It was normal for someone to glance at a child.

But when a man in green clothes passed by the street and glanced at Liu Xian casually, little Liu Xian suddenly felt a sense of familiarity for no reason, as if they had met several times before.

Was he an acquaintance of his father's uncle? A friend of Lai Fu, Wang Qi, and the others? Or was it just his own imagination? Liu Xian pondered the question for a long time. But just as he was about to give up and looked up again, a familiar figure caught his eye again. It was the man in green. He passed by the mansion gate with the same casual gait, glancing at the gate once more. Liu Xian took in his appearance and knew it was indeed the same person.

Who is he and why is he hanging around here?

During dinner that night, Liu Xian discussed this matter with his elders. Liu Xun's face darkened, Zhang Ximiao remained silent, and only his second uncle, Liu Yao, said:

"Biji, don't worry about it. Just pretend you didn't see it."

"Huh? Why?"

"This is not something you should ask. If nothing else, just treat them as guards."

This ambiguous answer made Liu Xian even more confused, but seeing the expression on his elder's face, he tactfully lowered his head and ate his meal, but various thoughts were turning in his mind:

Were they really guards? If so, why did they pretend not to see anything? Was Second Uncle referring to them? Wasn't there just one person?
These questions both troubled Liu Xian and intrigued him; he felt he had encountered a mystery worth solving. So, for the next few days, Liu Xian lay on the roof, observing the bustling crowd around him with unprecedented interest.

The goal is clear, which is to find some strangers who seem to have nothing to do but stay near the house for a long time.

A five-year-old's eyesight is at its sharpest. He can see everything others can see, and even things others can't see clearly. So Liu Xian's search went smoothly. By the fourth day, he had a rough idea of the situation: there were fourteen similar people in total, six at the South Gate, six at the North Gate, and two at the Side Gate.

Liu Xian was thrilled by this discovery, but it also immediately gave rise to new questions: Who were these people? Where did they come from? Why were they here? Where did they live? What did they eat? Would they stay here forever?

There are no definite answers to daydreaming, but that doesn't stop children from spending endless time daydreaming.

He initially thought that perhaps these people were knights that the family had secretly made friends with. Although they had the duty of guarding the house, they were unwilling to be bound by the rules, so they hid their identities and acted quietly.

But those people looked too ordinary and did not fit Liu Xian's imagination of a knight.

So Liu Xian thought again, maybe these people were Taoist priests in the Taoist temple, invited by the elders of the family to protect the feng shui of the house, so they did not dare to make it public.

But those people didn't seem to have any magical powers or any immortal aura.

Then Liu Xian thought, perhaps these people were cursed by some ghosts, bound by some irresistible magic, and were waiting for others to rescue them.

This idea was what satisfied Liu Xian the most, because he felt that it was most in line with the cold expressions of those people, and it also made him feel fresh and exciting.

But these emotions faded just as quickly as they came. After all, these people's existence had no impact on his life, like two parallel lines, seemingly close but never intersecting. So, these thoughts gradually faded from Liu Xian's mind. Only when he occasionally saw these people would he wonder, "Wouldn't they be bored? Wouldn't they be tired?"

On the 23rd day of the seventh lunar month, a torrential downpour suddenly fell all day, only letting up in the evening. The resulting muddy roads prevented Liu Xun and his companions from returning home as scheduled, leaving Liu Xian to go out for a look as usual. The normally bustling streets were now unusually deserted. Few people were on the road, save for a few beggars on the left, sheltering from the rain under the eaves, their clothes half-covered and shivering.

What caught Liu Xian's attention was that a beggar was crying like vomiting, so hoarse and weak that it was almost impossible to tell his age.

Liu Xian looked carefully and found that the one crying was actually a girl. She was in her mother's ragged arms. She was probably the same age as him. Her hair was messy and stuck together. It was hard to tell whether it was rain or tears on her face. Her body was so thin that it looked like a skeleton.

This scene made Liu Xian feel enlightened. He looked at his new clothes and then at the rags on the beggar. He suddenly felt that the crying was a question, a test. He subconsciously wanted to move closer, but after taking two steps, he felt at a loss because of the beggar's appearance, so he went to call Lai Fu and asked if he could give them some food.

Lai Fu glanced at the beggar and sighed, "Sir, there are so many beggars in the world. Giving alms to one or two of them is useless."

Liu Xian said, "Laifu, there is so much rice and flour in the mansion, you won't feel hungry even if you eat one or two bowls less."

This left Lai Fu speechless. He had no choice but to ask Zhang Ximiao for instructions, then took some steamed buns left over from yesterday from the mansion, piled them in a ceramic basin, placed it in front of the beggar, and returned home.

The beggars didn't even bother to express their gratitude. They immediately started to eat voraciously in the mud, with ferocious expressions as if they were fighting.

The crying stopped, but Liu Xian, standing aside, still felt confused and doubtful in his heart.

He then turned his head to look into the distance. After the rainstorm, the dark clouds in the sky were like billowing smoke, and fallen willow leaves were floating everywhere.

At this moment, he saw a stranger walking along the wet road.

The man was dusty and travel-weary, looking as if he'd walked a long way. He wore a tattered black suit, a yellowed bamboo hat, a chopping knife at his waist, and a slate-gray cloak that fluttered like a banner under the gloomy sky. The approaching sight made Liu Xian's heart suddenly tighten, reminding him of the rumored ghost. The man's sharp gaze, starting from a distance and continuing to fixate on Liu Xian as he approached.

Just when Liu Xian felt puzzled, he stopped, and his wet cloak made a rustling sound, like a downpour.

The man looked down at Liu Xian and said, "Excuse me, how do I get to Anle Mansion?"

At this moment, Liu Xian saw the man's face clearly beneath his bamboo hat. A venomous scar stretched from the corner of his eye to his jaw. He couldn't imagine what kind of trauma could have caused such a horrific scar. But it couldn't hide the man's tired expression and bright eyes.

Liu Xian said, "This is it. Who are you looking for?"

The man's eyes suddenly lit up. If his gaze was like sparkling sparks just now, it was now like a blazing torch.

He looked at the mansion in front of him with a look that seemed to be from another world, and his face changed into various expressions that Liu Xian could not understand. Then he turned back to look at Liu Xian and continued to ask:
"Are you from Anle Mansion?"

"Yes, my name is Liu Xian, and my father is Lord Anle!"

"Ah!" The man leaned back slightly, sizing up Liu Xian with a look of satisfaction and caution, and said with a smile, "So, you are the Prince of Anle!" "Yes! Are you here to see him? He'll be back soon, come in and have a seat!"

The man shook his head slightly, sighed in a weak voice, and then said:

"I won't go in. I'm just passing through Luoyang and on a whim I just wanted to see an old friend. I'll leave right away. Going in will only cause trouble."

Liu Xian didn't quite understand. Shouldn't the longer the better for reminiscing about the past, the better? Why did they just leave after just one meeting? But then he remembered that he hadn't asked the man's name yet, and he didn't know how to address him.

"Uncle, what's your name?"

"My name is Wang Fu, the seventh child in the family. You can just call me Uncle Wang Qi."

This name greatly disappointed Liu Xian. He frowned and said:

"No! Uncle, your name is wrong!"

Wang Fu took off his bamboo hat, leaned against the wall, and said with a smile, "What's wrong?"

"That name is too vulgar. Uncle, you are a knight, right? You should have a more handsome name!"

"for example?"

Now it was Liu Xian's turn to hesitate, as he was not yet old enough to choose a name.

But Wang Fu did not take the opportunity to make fun of Liu Xian. Instead, he showed a rare patience and care. He reached out and rubbed Liu Xian's head, then asked:
"You said I was a knight, do you want to be a knight?"

"Right!" Liu Xian beamed, his words pouring out one after another: "I want to learn swordsmanship and buy a good horse. In the future, I will be able to travel thousands of miles and be invincible!"

"Do you have a sword?"

Wang Fu's words put Liu Xian in a difficult position. At his age, Zhang Ximiao naturally wouldn't give him a sword. On weekdays, Liu Xian could only wrestle with his fantasy with a peach branch, a feat he never tired of. But fantasy is still fantasy, and it won't become reality. This was clearly an unspeakable embarrassment before the knight he had imagined.

Fortunately, Wang Fu quickly skipped over the question. He and Liu Xian opened up a conversation, neither doting on the child nor disdaining his ignorance. Instead, he spoke respectfully, like a teacher, about his experience with swords. Soon, he had gained a five-year-old admirer. Liu Xian fantasized for a while before glaring and saying,
"Uncle Qi, you must be an extraordinary knight." Then he cast his eyes on Wang Fu's sword.

Wang Fu knew what he was thinking, so he untied his axe and showed him the blade. The blade was light and thin, and when it was revealed, it revealed a white light and a clear sound, which intoxicated Liu Xian for a long time.

When Wang Fu put away the axe, Liu Xian felt that he and Wang Fu were very familiar with each other.

"Did Uncle Seven really only see my father once?"

"No way, time is tight."

"Will you come again in the future?"

"do not know."

"I do not know what that means?"

"Those who wield swords do not know whether they will live or die tomorrow. If I die, I will not be able to come."

Death? It was the first time Liu Xian had heard someone speak of death so seriously, but he didn't understand it, just as spring leaves couldn't imagine ice and snow. His youthful ignorance had made him accept his disdain for death as normal, believing the man before him had nothing to do with death. But Wang Fu's denial left him deeply perplexed, and he pondered the causal relationship. Most people fear death because they fear pain, but the scars on his face showed he wasn't afraid of pain. So what was he afraid of? Could there be anything more painful than this?
Liu Xian couldn't figure it out, but he knew that today's conversation had made him like the person in front of him very much, so he said:
"If you...if you're not dead, remember to come again!"

After hearing this, Wang Fu stared at Liu Xian for a moment and nodded slowly:

“If I have the chance, I will definitely come again.”

By the time he finished speaking, the rain had completely stopped. The dark clouds in the sky were dissipating, and a faint white light shone through the gaps between the thick clouds. The chirping of a yellow oriole also arrived at the right time. Liu Xian looked at Wang Fu's indifferent expression and felt that there was a world behind him that he was completely unknown to him, the world of adults.

This forced Liu Xian to wonder how he could grow up quickly. He longed to grow up, to explore new worlds, to become a completely different person. But he was still a child, completely lost as to how to grow up. Yet, at this moment, even the rustling of his cloak felt like a response, a source of satisfaction. So much so that years later, he could still clearly remember the sound, like a torrential downpour.

And what happened next was something he would never forget.

At first, there was a strange noise coming from the corner of the street, like the sound of something breaking, which Liu Xian couldn't distinguish. But then he could hear clearly the sound of footsteps as chaotic as rain. They appeared from the left and right almost simultaneously. By the time he realized what was happening, over forty people had already blocked the passage from both sides, surrounding the gate of the mansion completely.

And the leader was the man in green shirt from before.

He drew out his sword in a leisurely manner, and his followers followed suit by drawing their knives. The knife light was like snow, and the streets and alleys were instantly covered in white, dazzling Liu Xian's eyes.

Seeing this, the beggars nearby immediately crawled and rolled, wailing and running away in all directions.

But Wang Fu's expression did not change. He seemed to have expected this scene. He calmly drew out his axe with his right hand, and with his other hand, he secretly nudged Liu Xian, asking him to walk towards the gate of the mansion, while whispering:

"Sorry, my lord, it seems there won't be a next time."

The words were so soft that when they floated into Liu Xian's ears, he thought it was an illusion.

But Wang Fu's figure was clearly imprinted in his eyes.

Wang Fu leaped out like a cheetah, rushing towards the sword light with an indomitable attitude and without hesitation!
This scene startled Liu Xian. It was the first time in his life he had witnessed a public fight, one man facing dozens of others. With his imagination, he couldn't imagine any other outcome besides Wang Fu being chopped into a pulp. So he closed his eyes, unable to bear to watch this brutal scene.

But what was unexpected was that what rang in my ears were other people's screams.

Liu Xian opened his eyes and was shocked to find two people lying in the mud, blood oozing from their necks. Their eyes were filled with fear of death. They tried to hide their wounds, but they couldn't hide the fleeting vitality. Meanwhile, the screams continued. Wang Fu was in the crowd, constantly spinning and swinging his knife. Like a long snake, he weaved back and forth through the dense crowd, yet his movements were so slippery that no one could catch him.

The secret lay in his cape. The tattered, grayish-blue cloak danced through the crowd like a surging wave, constantly obscuring their vision and impacting their resolve. They could only swing their swords blindly, often missing the target. The few that were about to strike lost their power in their confusion. But Wang Fu was different. He swung his sword with a dance, each stroke as swift as lightning, striking his foes in a single blow before they were taken aback. Blood splattered profusely, dripping onto the blade, the muddy water, the cape, and even the eyes of the men.

Liu Xian stood at the gate, stunned. He should have immediately returned to the mansion, but now, from afar, he saw Wang Fu swirling through the crowd, swinging his sword back and forth, stepping and sliding, water splashing repeatedly from his feet, disrupting everyone's reflection. Even so, Wang Fu's sword gleamed brightly, like a white swallow in the evening clouds. No one was faster than him, and no sword was faster than him.

Liu Xian had never thought that a person could be so majestic, but this person was as calm as a glass of cold water just now.

He felt that there was a mysterious connection between him and this person, and it was because of this connection that they were both here.

Some of the enemies who hadn't yet gotten close realized that hand-to-hand combat was futile, so they set up their crossbows. Dozens of sharp arrows, like locusts, immediately pierced the air with a sharp sound, suddenly enveloping Wang Fu's surroundings. It was like an iron curtain descending, like a brief meteor shower.

Four arrows hit Wang Fu, and more arrows hit the enemies he was fighting with. People around him were wailing, but Wang Fu just paused. He seemed to be unaware of the pain and fatigue. He turned around and rushed towards the crossbowmen again, then jumped high and slashed down like a tiger.

However, a second volley of arrows arrived, this time piercing Wang Fu's body, causing blood to spurt from his back. He then fell to the ground like a bird with broken wings. The people who were still standing put away their crossbows and drew their swords again, advancing step by step towards him, who was gasping for breath on the ground.

With a "puff" sound, a knife pierced through Wang Fu's back and firmly inserted into the ground, causing Wang Fu to finally let out a groan.

But this was his last sound in this world, and another knife cut his vocal cords.

This was Liu Xian's first real witness to death. Amidst the vast crowd, Wang Fu's gaze pierced through the gaps between the crowds, illuminating Liu Xian's face. There was no fear or sadness in his eyes, only a sense of relief, as if a long-awaited release had finally arrived. Then, he smiled at Liu Xian.

Liu Xian stared at that smile, stunned. He watched Wang Fu's eyes gradually close, his posture peaceful and comfortable, as if he were asleep. The mottled mud stains on his clothes resembled the gray, nameless flowers on the fields. This was Liu Xian's true feeling at age five: death, it turned out, was like falling asleep.

At this moment, a familiar voice suddenly sounded in my ears, and he said:

"What's going on? What happened? Why are you killing people in front of my house?"

It turned out that it was Anle Duke Liu Xun who had arrived. He got off the ox cart with an extremely impatient look and shouted loudly at the group of knife-wielding men in front of the door.

Upon hearing this, the man in green immediately sheathed his sword, took out a token from his bosom, strode forward and held it before Liu Xun, saying respectfully:

"Lord Anle, we are the school officials from the school administration office, and we are here to arrest a criminal. If we have disturbed Lord Anle, please forgive us."

When Liu Xun heard the word "school affairs", his expression suddenly changed, as if the token in front of him was some kind of serious trouble. However, he did not want to lose face, so he forced himself to say:

"Who is this criminal? How could he kill so many people? You better clean up the mess and don't pollute my family's feng shui."

The man in green robes laughed and said:
"He's a bandit who's been causing trouble in Yizhou. I think his name is Wang Fu. Seven years ago, he pretended to be Zhuge Zhan and gathered people to rebel in Baxi. Although his plan failed, he wasn't caught. I didn't expect to run into him here. Lord Anle, would you like to take a look? He might be someone you know."

Liu Xun's face froze instantly. He remained expressionless like a puppet and replied coldly:
"I don't even know him, why would I bother to see a dead person? It's bad luck!"

After saying that, he took Liu Xian's hand and walked straight into the mansion.

Liu Xian stared at his father and found that he didn't look back once.

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(End of this chapter)