Jinting Han people

Chapter 9: Sour Green Oranges
After Liu Xun took a concubine, the entire family became increasingly secretive about the bloody incident, and no one was willing to mention it to Liu Xian. Even when Liu Xian pestered his mother about it, Zhang Ximiao would only smile dimly, ruffle his hair, and say, "You're still too young. I'll tell you when you're older."

This answer was the one children hated most, yet it was also irrefutable. Precisely because they were young, they yearned to grow up, but the more they yearned, the longer it seemed to take. Liu Xian, however, had at least secured a promise, so while there was no specific timeframe, there was also a glimmer of hope for resolution. This allowed him to temporarily put aside his doubts and attempt to return to his childhood.

But the atmosphere in the mansion could never return to what it was before.

After Anle Gong took in two concubines, his temper became increasingly erratic, his moods becoming unpredictable. First, after breaking Lai Fu's leg, he finally stopped hiding his indifference towards others. No matter who he treated, Liu Xun would narrow his narrow eyes, scrutinizing them like a venomous snake, a terrifying sight.

And once someone reveals a flaw, he will show a long-awaited smile and punish them directly with actions.

One day, Zhu Fu, the groom at the palace, couldn't buy the best wheat beans, so he substituted hay. As a result, Liu Xun's favorite colt, Qingmao, skipped two meals and became somewhat thinner. Liu Xun noticed something was wrong and, after learning the reason, pointed at the hay that Qingmao had refused to eat and said to Zhu Fu with a smile, "We've already bought it, why waste it? Why don't you just eat it?"

So the next day, Zhu Fu vomited grass debris, gastric juice and blood.

One night, the maid, Ah Chun, heated the bath water a little. Liu Xun dipped his finger in the water and shook his head. Without a word, he lifted the kettle of boiling water from the side and poured it over Ah Chun's head. That night, Ah Chun's wails, like those of a ghost, continued throughout the night, keeping many awake. From then on, Ah Chun covered her face with a gray cloth, never daring to appear without makeup again.

In addition to the above things, Liu Xun also did many other generally brutal things, such as flogging, beating, etc.

But the most noteworthy thing is that he went to the human market and bought three white-skinned, blue-eyed Hu women.

At first, no one thought this was strange. After all, there had been little rain in the north this year, and Bingzhou was impoverished. Many of the Hu people had come to Sili or Jizhou to seek a living, and quite a few had sold themselves into slavery.

But when everyone tried to communicate with these Hu women, they found that they were hesitant and could not speak, and could only gesture. They really couldn't express themselves clearly, so when they opened their mouths subconsciously, they were shocked by the darkness inside!
In order to get some peace and quiet, Duke Anle actually cut off their tongues!

When these stories spread, they immediately became the talk of Luoyang. People said: Even if all the powerful people in the north and south were combined, Anle Gong's cruelty would probably be ranked first. Later, when Liu Xun's words and deeds spread to Shu, scholars and former officials in Liang and Yi provinces also submitted petitions to the court, requesting that Anle Gong's title be abolished.

It was the Palace Attendant Wen Li who stepped forward and said, "This incident has not harmed the common people, it has only ruined his own family business." This stopped the trend, but that's a story for later.

For Liu Xian, who wasn't even six years old, the changes in his family were undoubtedly earth-shattering. He rarely saw the servants' smiling faces anymore, and even his mother and uncle's smiles were rare. The entire Anle Mansion was shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere, so gloomy that Liu Xian felt like a prison, and even speaking loudly seemed like a sin.

Liu Xian had tried to stop his father, but after that day, no matter the arguments or cries, Liu Xun remained indifferent, continuing to do as he pleased. This wasn't surprising; Liu Xian was only a child, after all. If Zhang Ximiao, Liu Yao, and the others couldn't do it, then he certainly couldn't. He didn't have the strength yet to pull those trapped in the abyss out one by one.

Fortunately, Liu Xun's habits hadn't changed much. Although he was brutal and indifferent, he had few desires and no ambitions, and he lived a secluded life. After the servants got to know him for a while, as long as they were extremely careful and suppressed their emotions, they could still get by.

But Liu Xian couldn't stand this atmosphere, and from then on, he gradually began to go out more frequently.

Living in Luoyang, you will never lack places to have fun.

Just exit the first alleyway at Anlegong Mansion and walk south for two blocks, and you'll find some of the busiest and most spacious streets in the world today. Streets like Dongyang Street, Nanshi Street, and Taohuaqiao Street are lined with colorful pavilions and open-air houses, displaying silk scarves, embroidered hats, gowns, skirts, jackets, collars, flowers, pearls, jade, Sichuan brocade, gold jewelry, as well as saddles, swords, books, antiques, seasonal fruits and preserved meats, fresh pickled and cooked dishes, zithers, pipa (Chinese musical instruments), slave dancers, and other consumer goods of all kinds. The display is exquisite, with every detail beautiful and exquisite. It attracts thousands of customers from the capital, thronging the city walls daily. This has led to the continuous expansion of Luoyang's markets. Today, the area of the outer city markets is said to be enough to build five more Luoyang cities. This level of prosperity is said to be unmatched even during the heyday of the Han Dynasty.

But for Liu Xian, who came from a noble family, what made him most happy in Luoyang was not the dazzling array of goods, but the country's leading spiritual entertainment.

Although the rebellion in the western border regions had reduced the number of Hu merchants visiting the capital, and dancing Hu girls were no longer seen on the market, the number of performers who came to the capital to perform was still considerable: some danced and fought with swords, some performed acrobatics, some sang for money, some performed sumo, some engaged in cockfighting and dog fighting, some handled insects and ants, and so on. Each of these individuals came from far and wide, and their journey to the capital was to curry favor with the powerful, hoping to use these skills to achieve advancement. After all, the Western Jin Dynasty's powerful and wealthy were quite fond of supporting scholars, and many, emulating Mengchangjun, kept petty thieves.

Liu Xian’s favorite thing to watch before was the sword dancing at Wansui Pavilion: two female dancers held a three-foot-long sword, the sword light was bright and clear, sometimes pointing to the sky, sometimes pointing to the crowd, their postures were skillful and light as a flying swallow, and the dancers’ long sleeves fluttered, when they moved they were like flowing clouds and water, when they were still they were like green bamboo and pine, which made them look even more elegant and graceful, which made Liu Xian yearn for it.

But that day, Liu Xian went out with Zhang Gu and Xi An again. Standing in the same place, watching the same people perform the same dance, he found it somewhat boring. Perhaps it was the dancers' slow sword movements for the sake of elegance, which reminded him of the flash of swords in his dream. Comparing the two, he couldn't help but think: Sword dance is too slow. Each killing blow should be as swift as lightning. This is a dance, not true swordsmanship.

Then he looked at the faces of the dancers. These performers had relaxed expressions and fair complexions. They were all extremely beautiful women, but he couldn't help but think of a horrifying scar, and thought to himself: They are not people who can really kill, and they don't have the calmness that comes from the trials of life and death.

As he watched, Liu Xian couldn't help but recall the situation that day. When the sword dance ended, he was still standing there in a daze.

Zhang Gu patted Liu Xian on the shoulder and said, "Sir, it's getting late. We should go back."

As they grew older, these children gradually began to understand the hierarchy of status. Zhang Gu's father, Zhang Tong, and Xi An's father, Xi Zheng, were both retainers who followed Liu Chan to the end. Therefore, Zhang Gu and Xi An would also become retainers of Liu Xian. In public, they would address Liu Xian as "Young Master."

But Liu Xian would think of the disfigured Ah Chun and the crippled Lai Fu when he heard this. He felt a little uncomfortable and didn't want to go back, so he said, "Ah Tian, it's not time for dinner yet, let's walk a little longer."

"Where are we going?"

"You say, young slave."

"I heard the oranges at Sunset Pavilion are ripe. Let's go pick some."

The oranges at Sunset Pavilion grew outside the pavilion director's courtyard. They were said to have been transplanted from Xiangyang thirty years ago. Of the twenty-five pavilions in Luoyang, the rest of the orange trees were privately planted. Only the trees at Qianqiu Pavilion were open to the public for viewing, thus becoming a Luoyang landmark. However, Liu Xian had clearly arrived too late. By the time they arrived, most of the ripe oranges had already been picked, leaving only a few unripe fruits hanging on the branches. The sight was quite discouraging.

The three children looked at each other, and Xi'an said:
"Are we going back?"

Liu Xian shook his head and said firmly:

"Since we're here, how can we go back without picking a few?"

Zhang Gu agreed and said, "It's okay if it's a little sour, it's no big deal." So the three of them found two longer dead branches, and Zhang Gu and Liu Xian slapped the green tangerines on the tree, while Xi'an picked them up on the ground. After a while, they had picked down more than ten tangerines, filling Xi'an's robe pockets.

The three of them picked and chose, discarded a few of the particularly small ones, and finally each of them got four. They immediately peeled the skin and put it in their mouths. As expected, all three of their faces wrinkled up. However, after seeing their companions' miserable faces, they all laughed at the same time.

"It's really sour, why not throw it away."

"No, my mother likes sour food, you can take it back."

"I don't know what sweet tastes like."

The three of them were about to leave when they turned around and bumped into a group of people their own age, all dressed in vibrant colors and extravagant attire. Being the same age, both couldn't help but look at each other.

"Isn't this Bi Ji?" someone in the crowd said. Liu Xian looked over and was surprised to find someone he actually knew: Zhang Wei. His nickname was A Pu, and he was the second son of the Zhang family next door. Liu Xian had met him a few times, but due to their fathers' indifference, they were just acquaintances, not close friends. This was their first encounter, now running into each other outside the mansion.

Seeing that the two knew each other, the children across from them started to make a noise and looked over, asking about the origins of Liu Xian and his group. Zhang Wei said:
"I told you, he's the Bi Ji from Anle Mansion next door!"

Then, with a familiar air, he walked over and introduced his companions to Liu Xian: The two in front were Pei Song and Pei Gai, grandsons of Julu County Duke Pei Xiu; the tallest was Shi Chao, grandson of Leling County Duke Shi Bao; the youngest was Wang Zhou, grandson of Boling County Duke Wang Shen; and the two who seemed quieter: the one on the left was Xun Chuo, grandson of Jibei County Marquis Xun Xu, and the one on the right was Chen Zhi, grandson of Gaoping County Duke Chen Qian. The two at the back were He Sui and He Ji, grandsons of Langling County Duke He Zeng.

Among the crowd, the graceful child, like the moon surrounded by stars, was Jia Mi, the adopted grandson of Jia Chong, the Duke of Lu and the current Grand Marshal.

The ancestors of these children were all important founding ministers of the Western Jin Dynasty. They were unparalleled in terms of wealth and glory. In the future, they were destined to enter the government, become generals or ministers, and decide the fate of the entire country. But at the moment, they were still just children.

Liu Xian followed Zhang Wei in greeting these people his own age, wondering what his relationship was to them and how he should get along with them. However, this was his first time encountering so many people his own age, and while he didn't feel scared, he still felt a little uneasy.

But Jia Mi clearly had no qualms. As the leader of the children, he seemed naturally confident. He looked at Liu Xian with interest and took the initiative to start a conversation:
"Are you Liu Piji? I've heard of you. I also heard recently that your father cut off the tongues of all the servants in the mansion. Is that true?"

Liu Xian felt embarrassed for a moment when he faced this question. To him, his father Liu Xun's brutality was a shame, making him feel ashamed and unable to raise his head. However, he obviously could not allow others to exaggerate his father's evil deeds, so he said:

"My father did cut out the tongues of two people, but not that many."

"Hey, are there only two of you?"

Jia Mi's face showed regret, as if this was a very common occurrence and had actually disappointed him. Liu Xian looked at his calm, flat brows and the dismissive corners of his mouth, and couldn't help but feel nauseous. He was very familiar with this expression; it was an expression his father, Liu Xun, also showed.

But he couldn't get angry either. What right did he have to blame others for his own scandal? He could only listen to Jia Mi continue to ask:
"I also heard that your mother is the granddaughter of the fierce general Zhang Fei. Is that true?"

"Zhang Fei? Which Zhang Fei?"

This question truly baffled Liu Xian. He had occasionally heard his parents talk about their hometown and their parents, but he had never heard them discuss their ancestors, much less their deeds. He assumed he was born the son of Duke Anle, and that his father was also born the Duke Anle, as were his grandfather and great-grandfather.

"You don't know? He was the man who followed your great-grandfather Liu Bei and held the Broken Bridge in Dangyang. He was invincible with his spear and drove back thousands of enemies!"

As Jia Mi spoke loudly, the other children also showed great interest. Liu Xian, however, became increasingly confused. Actually, he only knew his grandfather's name was Liu Chan. He had no idea his great-grandfather's name was Liu Bei, let alone his ancestors' extraordinary journey. But seeing the curious looks from his peers, Liu Xian subconsciously straightened his back and thought: Is this true? This must be true!
He told Jia Mi the truth:
"I haven't asked my mother yet. I'll tell you when I ask her."

The children were quite disappointed, but then the taller Shi Chao squeezed to the front and asked:
"Hey, I heard that last month, the school captured and killed Zhuge Zhan, the son of Zhuge Liang, right in front of your house. Is that true?"

Who was Zhuge Zhan? And who was Zhuge Liang? Liu Xian was even more bewildered. But when he heard the words "last month" and "school affairs," he knew Shi Chao was referring to the bloody incident at the government gate, the very mystery that had baffled him for days. New mysteries overshadowed the old ones, yet they gave him a premonition that he was getting closer to the truth.

But he could only answer that he didn't know. When he finished speaking, he was about to ask his peers for the answer, but he was met with a look of contempt. Pei Song suddenly said:

"What's there to ask? My grandfather told me that the people of Shu have no family education. Duke Anle is also a duke of a fallen country, the most despicable person in the world. This kid doesn't even know about his own ancestors, let alone the Zhuge family?"

Pei Song looked only half a year older than Liu Xian, but his tone was pretentious, and he even called Liu Xian "boy," which was quite funny. But for Liu Xian, this look was something he would never forget.

Children are the most innocent, but in fact they are also the most cruel. They have not yet fully learned sympathy and like to compare. After Pei Song said this, all the sons of nobles were convinced. They all showed contemptuous eyes. These eyes were like a sharp knife, suddenly stripping off Liu Xian's clothes, making him stand naked in front of everyone, at a loss as to what to do with his existence.

Wang Zhou raised his head and shouted at him, "Duke of the Lost Country!"

A group of children followed suit and shouted, "The Duke of Lost the Country! The Duke of Lost the Country!" and then burst into laughter.

Liu Xian did not refute. He still didn't know what the three words "Duke of the Lost Country" meant, just like the child opposite him didn't know either, but they all knew that these three words meant shame.

It was getting dark, and it was getting late. Liu Xian clenched his fists. Amidst the laughter of the crowd, he pocketed three sour green tangerines and turned expressionlessly as he walked home.

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(End of this chapter)