Jinting Han people

Chapter 91 Breakup (4k)

For a long time thereafter, Liu Xian was deeply influenced by the Qingming Literary Society.

Although Liu Xian had known for a long time that the Pingyang Jia family was extremely powerful, it was only when he faced the tip of the iceberg of this behemoth that he realized firsthand the unparalleled deterrent power of this first-name clan of the Western Jin Dynasty.

After just one day, the officials from the three provinces Liu Xian had befriended over the past year had essentially all severed ties with him, with the exception of a few like Zhou Xi and Zuo Si. The rest wore a cold mask, their faces, once warm and welcoming, now stiff and cold. Their words were all businesslike, and as soon as their business was over, they hurried away, as if escaping the underworld.

If Liu Xian had simply been treated coldly and with estrangement, he wouldn't have been incomprehensible. But what he found particularly intolerable was the numerous sycophants within the palace who fawned over Jia Mi's power and influence, often fabricating rumors from nowhere. They claimed that Liu Xian had been known to pull out tongues since childhood, had indiscriminately murdered maids, and even seized the concubines of the Duke of Anle. Furthermore, they even claimed that Liu Xian had secretly murdered his mother, Zhang Ximiao, out of fear that his brothers would seize the throne.

When the rumor first started circulating, everyone knew it was a fabricated lie to curry favor with Jia Mi, and few took it seriously. But as the saying goes, "Three people make a tiger," and the majority of people are unaware of the origins and circumstances, it spread over time, becoming ubiquitous. Since Liu Xian couldn't refute every rumor, some naturally began to believe it, believing it wasn't just fabricated.

Therefore, when he walked in the palace, people gradually pointed at Liu Xian and showed him sneering and contemptuous eyes from time to time, which made Liu Xian extremely unbearable.

Before the Qingming Literary Festival, Liu Xian was the latest second-rank scholar and the rising star of the Western Jin Dynasty literary world. But after the Qingming Literary Festival, Liu Xian became a prickly hedgehog.

Just because of Jia Mi's words, people's circumstances would undergo such earth-shaking changes, which shows the power of the Jia family.

But having said that, although these things were a serious blow to Liu Xian, he was extremely puzzled as to the cause of the incident:
Before this, Jia Mi's attitude towards him had always been very harmonious, even close. The Zhaowu sword he wore was given to him by Jia Mi himself when he was eleven years old. But what was the reason that caused his attitude to change so drastically that he suddenly attacked him at the Qingming Literary Conference and was determined to destroy his reputation?
Liu Xian repeatedly recalled every detail of his acquaintance with Jia Mi. He could be said to have been very polite to the Duke of Lu, who was as beautiful as a woman. He had never done anything to owe him anything in normal times. Recently, at most, he had been keeping a distance from him, and it was impossible for him to anger him.

After much thought, Liu Xian still couldn't get the answer.

It was not until one day in April when he went to the Ministry of Personnel to get the latest imperial edict and met Jia Mi again that he finally got the answer.

Jia Mi and Liu Xian entered the imperial court in the same year. Jia Mi currently held the position of a fourth-rank imperial attendant, whose duty was to advise the emperor on government matters. However, with the emperor now ill, he naturally had little to do. His days were either spent feasting or outings, rarely appearing in the palace.

When Liu Xian met him that day, Jia Mi was lying on a bamboo couch in the Menxia Province, flipping through two volumes of drafts written by the Zhongshu Province. He looked bored, as if what he was handling were not state affairs but just a few annoying flies.

When Liu Xian saw Jia Mi, his eyes suddenly changed, and he finally managed to control his emotions. He had no intention of communicating with Jia Mi, and was thinking about handing the latest disaster relief draft to Le Guang. Unexpectedly, when he passed by, Jia Mi suddenly called out to him: "Liu Huai Chong, are you still hiding from me? Haven't you suffered enough?"

As soon as he opened his mouth, the other officials from the Menxia Province tactfully left, leaving only the two people alone in the room.

Liu Xian stood there, raised his eyebrows, turned around and said, "I don't understand."

"Don't you understand, or are you unwilling to understand?" Jia Mi sat up, but still leaned lazily on the table, rolled the paper in his hand into a stick, and tapped it intermittently. "I'm a very easy-going person. As long as someone is kind to me, I will always be kind to them. But if someone lets me down, I will not show mercy."

"Betrayed?" Liu Xian hadn't understood it to begin with, and the more he listened, the more confused he became. "Where did this even begin?"

"Are you truly confused? Or are you just pretending to be confused?" Jia Mi's face also showed an expression of disbelief. He seemed puzzled by Liu Xian's behavior. "Ever since entering the Imperial College, you've been avoiding me. You've never shown me your talents."

When Jia Mi said this, a sweet irony appeared on his lips, and he pointed at Liu Xian and said, "You look down on me."

What's the logic behind this? If it weren't for Jia Mi's serious expression, Liu Xian would have almost thought he was joking. You and I are not related at all, and we've only met a few dozen times. I'm not some peacock courting a mate, so why should I put on a show in front of you? Besides, we didn't get along before. Keeping our distance is the true friendship of gentlemen. What's there to be proud of?
So Liu Xian said, "I really don't understand. What does what you said have to do with it? I've never thought about it."

"You really don't understand?" Jia Mi frowned slightly, as if he thought Liu Xian was being so foolish that his own importance was being wasted. He said calmly, "It seems I overestimated you."

"To someone like you, especially someone as smart as us, you should understand that there are only two kinds of people in this world: those you can be friends with, and those you want to eliminate. It's either a win-win situation or a life-or-death struggle. There's no third option."

"I originally treated you as a friend, but you distanced yourself from me. Logically, I should have killed you immediately, but I've always been very tolerant. I'll give those with bad intentions a chance to mend their ways, so I'll just teach you a little lesson to help you find your way back."

Jia Mi spoke these words with a matter-of-fact air, as if he were some truly magnanimous and benevolent person. But to Liu Xian, they sounded only magical and distorted. Jia Mi's point was this: he was the only hunter in the world, and the rest of the world was either his yellow dog or his goshawk. The rest were merely prey to be hunted for his own pleasure.

What kind of environment could have shaped such an unreasonable thought? I'm afraid even the current emperor wouldn't dare to dream of such a thing.

After Liu Xian figured this out, his eyelids twitched. He realized for the first time: In Jia Mi's eyes, he was probably an eagle that needed to be trained and tamed.

He asked Jia Mi, "What does it mean to return to the right path after having lost your way?"

Jia Mi thought he had surrendered, so he smiled and said, "It's very simple. You just need to be like Lu Shiheng."

"From now on, wherever I am, you will be there. You will do whatever I tell you to do, and you will say whatever I want to hear."

"You are a talented person, and I won't make any harsh demands."

"I also know that it's impossible to expect friends to give only one thing. So I will also promote you. Whether it's gold and silver treasures, beautiful women, power, or eternal fame, no matter what you want, I will give you everything."

"What do you think? I said I am a very tolerant person. Is that reasonable?" After he said that, he looked at Liu Xian leisurely, waiting for the affirmation and praise from Prince Anle.

Liu Xian couldn't help but laugh. It was a low laugh at first, then gradually became bolder and more outspoken. Liu Xian made no secret of his contempt for Jia Mi. He laughed and said:
"Chang Yuan, what you just said, do you think you are the emperor?"

"Even the Son of Heaven has things he cannot obtain, and you, a county lord with no real official position, dare to claim to have everything? Ji Jiji, the chief priest at the Imperial Academy, often said that people like you and me should not be moved by poverty, corrupted by wealth, or bent by power. You haven't learned anything!"

Originally, Liu Xian was still concerned about Jia's power and reflected on his own mistakes. But after listening to Jia Mi's absurd words, Liu Xian finally woke up: Some people cannot be judged by common sense. Faced with such aggressive and unreasonable solicitation, if he believed what he said, he would never have peace.

Jia Mi claimed to be a friend, but in reality, he treated others like slaves. Can slaves and masters have an equal dialogue? Let alone having everything you want, selling out your dignity and begging for mercy, how can you possibly earn the respect of others? Giving you some leftovers is considered a favor from your master.

But if the master gets angry, what will happen to the slave?
Therefore, he made up his mind to stop playing coy with Jia Mi and directly pointed out: "Chang Yuan, you have no self-awareness!"

"As the saying goes, pride brings harm, while humility brings benefit. Changyuan, you have indeed gained some power thanks to your grandfather's legacy and the support of your two aunts. But what can you do? Can you provide disaster relief to the local people? Can you quell border troubles? Can the people sing your praises?"

"What do you mean by having everything? Your so-called power is nothing more than a bunch of villains gathered under your command, whispering and distorting right and wrong all day long. Do they dare to actually kill anyone? Do they dare to take the responsibility of being the first to kill the two kings and three Kes? You're the one who started something that even the emperor hasn't done yet?"

"Your ancestors committed the crime of regicide, and many people throughout the world criticized them. As a descendant, you don't think about making contributions to the country and redeeming the reputation of your ancestors, but instead you come here and show off your power. You even talk about helping others leave a good name for eternity. Isn't that ridiculous?"

With every sentence Liu Xian finished, Jia Mi's expression darkened. By the time Liu Xian finished speaking, Jia Mi's charming face had turned as cold as ice, and his eyes were almost murderous. Perhaps no one had ever spoken to him like this since he was a child, and he simply felt that Liu Xian was unreasonable.

"So, you want to die?" When saying this, Jia Mi's tone was unprecedentedly free of any frivolity, and so low that it frightened others.

But Liu Xian leaned forward, staring at Jia Mi fearlessly. He sneered, "I don't have time to mess around with you. If you really can kill someone, why not try it?"

Having said that, and with no one around to watch, Liu Xian no longer cared about public opinion. He took two steps at a time and quickly approached Jia Mi.

He moved without warning, swift as a rabbit. Before Jia Mi could see clearly what was happening, Liu Xian had already approached him. Before Jia Mi could react, Liu Xian's right hand, like an eagle's claw, had already grasped his neck. Then, with a loud thud, he pressed him directly against the wall.

Jia Mi cried out in pain and tried to resist, but he had no strength. Furthermore, he had been pampered since childhood, and his skin was smooth and delicate, even more so than that of an average woman. When Liu Xian's calloused hands collided with his, he struggled for only a moment before his neck felt a sharp pain.

Only then did he remember that Liu Xian was a master who could defeat Wang Zhou with swordsmanship when he was only eleven years old, but he himself had completely forgotten it.

Faced with the threat of life and death, Jia Mi finally felt a little fear, but he still didn't believe Liu Xian would make a move. He sneered, "Are you going to die? You're committing treason. If we really start a fight, aren't you afraid I'll frame you for a crime?"

Liu Xian sneered unconcernedly, "What's the big deal? Everyone is born to die, no matter if they're kings, generals, or commoners and beggars. When they die, they'll all turn into bones, their bodies crawling with maggots. How can you be an exception?"

"If I want you to, even if I have no power, you will still become like that. You can also shout it out now and let everyone come in to see how the four generations of the Pingyang Jia family have been disgraced by you alone!"

After saying that, he pressed Jia Mi's mouth without any hesitation, put his left hand on Lu Gong's shoulder, and pulled it lightly like cutting tofu, and removed Jia Mi's right shoulder.

Jia Mi shuddered all over and wanted to cry out in pain, but Liu Xian held all the sound in his mouth, not a single drop escaped. The severe pain made him break out in cold sweats. However, before he could adapt, Liu Xian casually pulled Jia Mi's arm up and put it back in place.

This time the pain went deep into his bones. Jia Mi's whole body was twitching. When he recovered, his summer clothes were soaked and his throat became hoarse and weak.

Liu Xian had already let go of his hand and stood in front of him leisurely, looking down and asking, "Do you have anything else to say?"

"I've changed my mind." Jia Mi's voice was hoarse, and a delicate blush rose on his face, like a girl in love. He smiled and said, "Liu Huai Chong, I don't want to kill you anymore."

"How dull would it be if someone like you died so simply? I will cripple your sword-wielding hands, tear apart your clever mouth, break your straight back, and blind your mocking eyes. I will make you kneel and bark like a dog before my eyes. When that time comes, I'll see if you can still uphold the so-called "poverty and humbleness cannot move you, and might and power cannot bend you!"

As Jia Mi uttered such a vicious threat, he was trembling with excitement. The smile on his face told Liu Xian that he seemed to be immersed in such a fantasy.

"Whatever you say." This was the first time Liu Xian had treated someone so roughly, and that was the dignified Duke of Lu. "As for today's incident, you slandered me, and I beat you up. Now let's consider it even. If there's another one, you'll have to decide for yourself. I'll be waiting for you."

His heart was still as calm as the heavy rain in Jingu Garden that night. His only thought now was that it was a pity that he really couldn't kill Jia Mi.

Since it was impossible, Liu Xian had no desire to stay any longer. Without even turning his head, he threw the document from the Secretariat on Le Guang's desk, turned around and walked away.

For some reason, after offending Pingyang Jia to death, Liu Xian felt a sense of freedom as if he had escaped from a cage, and he was not afraid even though there would be extremely terrible consequences.

After all, outside the courtyard, he could raise his head and see the infinite sunshine.

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(End of this chapter)