Jinting Han people

Chapter 93: Emperor Gaozu's Mind (4k)

To be fair, Liu Xian's impression of Lu Ji was complicated.

Liu Xian was initially annoyed by Lu Ji's reputation. He had always believed that for a scholar to achieve fame, military or political prowess was paramount, and that practical work should come before fame. Lu Ji, however, preferred to entertain through literary pursuits, wandering the streets among the elite like a singing girl, completely lacking the integrity of a traditional scholar.

Therefore, in Liu Xian's imagination, Lu Ji was probably a scholar similar to Jia Mi, who was as weak as a woman on the outside and as gloomy as ice on the inside.

But at the Qingming Literary Gathering, Liu Xian witnessed a completely different Lu Ji. He was imposing and heroic, clearly not a mere scholar. Instead, he possessed the aura of a Confucian general, a master of both civil and military skills, as one might imagine his grandfather, Lu Xun, to possess. Every word he spoke was sharp and powerful, his literary grace flowing yet evoking the clashing of swords.

Coupled with his astonishing theory of the five-class feudal system, Liu Xian was truly eye-opening. Although he disagreed with it, the clarity of his thinking and the profoundness of his perspective were unmatched by others. The views Liu Xian subsequently expressed were actually inspired by Lu Ji. From this perspective, Liu Xian deeply admired Lu Ji.

However, Liu Xian was disappointed by Lu Ji's reaction when Jia Mi humiliated him. Although he didn't humiliate him as much as Jia Mi did, he undoubtedly acted as an accomplice. Recalling Jia Mi's subsequent disdain for Lu Ji during their showdown, Liu Xian also developed a disdain for Lu Ji.

No matter how talented Lu Ji was, if he lacked the courage to be independent and self-reliant, he would ultimately be a sycophantic villain. With a patron like Jia Mi, his future career would likely be a disaster for him.

But unexpectedly, at his teacher's house, Liu Xian heard Chen Shou make such a suggestion: he should make friends with Lu Ji.

Liu Xian was very puzzled. He said to Chen Shou, "Teacher, this isn't very appropriate. I know you've always had high hopes for him, but Lu Shiheng is new here, and he's so eager to pursue fame and fortune. He's not a trustworthy person, is he? If I go and associate with him, how can I avoid being sold to Jia Mi by him?"

But Chen Shou saw through his thoughts and asked, "Why, do you look down on him?"

Seeing Liu Xian remained silent, Chen Shou patted his hand and said with a smile, "I see you're still blinded by the feud. Who doesn't have their own hardships in this world?"

"Just like you are the great-grandson of Liu Bei, he is the grandson of Lu Xun. Who in the world doesn't know the great reputation of your ancestors? He also has his responsibilities. He has to do many humble things. These humble things don't mean that he doesn't yearn for the right path and light."

"If people want to become enemies, it's easy. Everyone can do it, just as everyone is born to die."

"But if you want to achieve great things, you must know that you can never kill all your enemies, and although it is difficult to win over some friends, once you succeed, no one can stop you."

Seeing that Liu Xian was lost in thought and showed no resistance, Chen Shou was quite pleased. He described it this way:

"You have to understand that everyone will encounter difficulties in life. Some of them are huge, like a huge rock blocking the road. Ordinary people would choose to go around it or move it, but the rock is too big, and whether you go around it or move it, it will make you exhausted."

This metaphor is very vivid. Liu Xian nodded. To him, Jia Mi is the hardship he is facing now, a stone that he has to avoid or move away.

"But for those who are truly wise, they have another trick."

"What's the secret?" Liu Xian asked.

"Yes, that's the secret," Chen Shou said slowly. "They neither move nor go around. Instead, they choose to climb up, using obstacles as stepping stones, failures as crutches, and enemies as bridges. Ultimately, they can overcome everything."

"Ah?!" This answer was beyond Liu Xian's expectations. He felt that it made no sense at all, like he was arguing. Difficulties are just difficulties. How could they become something else?
"Isn't it hard to understand?" Chen Shou chuckled and said confidently, "This is also very natural. I only understood this principle in the past two years."

"Mortals are stuck in ruts, but the wise often transcend form, transforming into water and wind. No matter how rugged the mountain path or how narrow the crevice, nothing can stop them from moving forward."

“For ordinary people, mountains and rivers are also bumpy, but for the wise, they are just a memorable scenery in life, because they transcend personal likes and dislikes and have no set path. They just want to live a free and wonderful life.”

"Huai Chong, do you know who I'm talking about?"

Liu Xian was indeed a little confused. He shook his head and waited for the teacher's instructions.

Chen Shou said, "I am talking about Emperor Gaozu."

"Looking back on Emperor Gaozu's life, he was a remarkable man. He was born in humble circumstances, but he had great ambitions. Many people looked down on him, but he never let himself get into trouble."

"When the rebellion in Pei County began, Xiao He and his men were unwilling to take the risk, yet they couldn't go against public opinion. So they nominated Emperor Gaozu as their leader. If they failed, Emperor Gaozu would be blamed. Didn't Emperor Gaozu know this? He still relied heavily on Xiao He and his fellow villagers, acting as if nothing had happened."

"When he raised his army, he was betrayed by Yong Chi, leaving him with little place to stay. Later, he was repeatedly obstructed by Yong Chi. According to him, of all the people he had met, he hated Yong Chi the most. But in the end, what happened? Yong Chi returned to Han and destroyed Chu, and he still made Yong Chi a marquis."

"Not to mention that Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Yidi agreed that the first to enter Guanzhong would be king, but they were later forced to flee to Hanzhong by Xiang Yu. However, after years of bloody battles, Emperor Gaozu finally defeated Chu. However, he did not stop the worship of Xiang Yu. Instead, he changed the surname of Xiang Yu's remaining clansmen to Liu, treated them as members of the royal family, and buried Xiang Yu with the honors of the Duke of Lu."

"Is Emperor Gaozu a cold-blooded man? Does he not feel hatred? Does he not feel pain? Does he not feel regret? Of course he is not such a person. He is just too open-minded. In a person's life, only these few short decades belong to him. The rest of his life is his merits and demerits for future generations to judge."

"Thus, Emperor Gaozu cared nothing for momentary honor or disgrace. His likes and dislikes were born of the mundane world, yet he transcended it. He only wanted to let the people and events he encountered in the mundane world become embellishments of his life, stepping stones for his advancement. By the time he died, he had become the most unparalleled emperor in history."

When discussing Liu Bang's deeds, Chen Shou's tone was low and sincere. Liu Xian could sense the earnestness in his words, and also realized more deeply the greatness of his ancestor.

As he walked out of Chen Shou's mansion, Chen Shou's exhortation was still echoing in his mind: "You are not only a descendant of Liu Bei, but also a descendant of Liu Bang. You should have a broad mind, like the breeze blowing across all the hills..."

Liu Xian wasn't naturally broad-minded. In stark contrast to Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang, he was actually quite stubborn. He stubbornly believed that good was good and bad was bad. If one of his friends did something wrong, he would find it difficult to cover it up.

If Liu Xian decided that something should be done, even if the person involved never asked for anything and there was no follow-up, like Lu Zhu, he would do it with all his might. Otherwise, he would think that he had lost and surrendered to this muddy, dark and obscure world.

His original ideal personality was to sharpen himself into a sword, sharpen it to an extremely sharp edge, and then challenge all the things in the world that he disliked, was unwilling to accept, and even hated to flatten them all. Either the sword would be broken and the person would die, or the sky would be clear and the water would be clean.

He may have vaguely felt that this road was full of difficulties, thorns, and had no good future, but he didn't care, he still stubbornly wanted to go on.

But now, Chen Shou pointed out another path for him, a great path, hoping that he would let go of his original ideas and become another kind of person, like his ancestors, who were unpredictable and incomprehensible, but who profoundly changed China's history for thousands of years.

Liu Xian felt very confused for a moment. He felt that it was difficult to do and it went against his own conscience. But after thinking about it carefully, it was hard not to be moved by the connotation.

In the final analysis, Chen Shou's words can be summed up in four words: the benevolent are invincible, because they have no enemies, so no one can match them.

Liu Xian was deeply moved by this magnificent vision. He returned home and pondered for two hours. Then, while reading Little Ruan Gong's letter, he unexpectedly found the same words. Liu Xian finally came up with an answer:
Why not give it a try? There's no harm in trying.

With this mentality, Liu Xian decided to visit Lu Ji.

Lu Ji's residence wasn't far from Liu Xian, just two lanes away, a quarter-hour walk south. It was said that Lu Ji had bought a carriage so that he could visit Zhang Hua more easily. Liu Xian often saw Lu Ji's carriage in front of Zhang Hua's residence, but to show the seriousness of his visit, he chose not to block the way at Zhang's gate. Instead, he took some gifts and went to visit Lu's residence specifically.

Lu Ji had only been in Beijing for three months. When Liu Xian arrived, he found the gates of his mansion open, with rockery and flower saplings outside, apparently undergoing renovations. Liu Xian knocked on the door and discovered that the person staying there was Lu Ji's younger brother, Lu Dan. According to Lu Dan, Lu Ji and Lu Yun had gone to attend Wang Ji's poetry gathering that day and had not yet returned. Liu Xian suggested visiting them the next day.

Liu Xian didn't go back. Lu Dan was about the same age as him, and even though Lu Dan was wary of him, Liu Xian said in a friendly manner, "I have great admiration for Brother Shi Heng, but due to various misconceptions, we haven't had the chance to meet on a normal day. I came to visit you today, just like Xu Ru longing for Chen Fan's bed. How could I leave just because I waited for a moment?"

His attitude was so sincere that Lu Dan couldn't refuse, so he let Liu Xian into the house.

Upon entering the Lu Mansion, Liu Xian discovered it was even more cramped than he'd imagined. The Anle Mansion boasted a large courtyard with four entrances and four exits, while the Lu Mansion had only two. Furthermore, half the houses were rather dilapidated, some even covered in thatch instead of tiles. It was hard to imagine that Lu Ji, so glamorous outside his home, was so poor within.

Lu Dan asked Liu Xian to sit down and rest in the hall. Liu Xian glanced around and found that the hall was also very plainly decorated. Apart from the necessary desks, lamps and candles, there were only two pieces of calligraphy hanging in the entire hall. The one on the left read "Wenwu Jinglüe" and the one on the right read "Sujing Sifang". They looked quite old. Liu Xian looked closely and found that both pieces of calligraphy were signed by "Lu Xun" and "Sun Quan". They looked like they were authentic.

The servants in the Lu Mansion obviously had no experience in entertaining guests. After serving tea, they looked at Liu Xian with strange and impolite eyes, as if they were looking at some rare creature, and were then driven away by Lu Dan.

Lu Dan was a little embarrassed. He said, "My brothers and I just moved in not long ago. We hired the servants and waiters right away. We don't have any rules, and we don't usually have many guests. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Your Highness."

Lu Dan's embarrassment actually dispelled Liu Xian's doubts. For the first time, he realized that beneath Lu Ji's glorious and famous appearance in the capital, he was actually in an embarrassing situation.

Come to think of it, while the Lu family was well-known, that very fame also made them a target of public criticism. The Western Jin Dynasty also issued the Land Seizure Order, which drastically deprived the various Jiangdong clans of their land and wealth. Later, they appointed a figure like Shi Chong as the Governor of Jingzhou. If Jingzhou suffered such a fate, how could Yangzhou be spared? The various Jiangzuo clans must be feeling apprehensive and uneasy, just like the remaining ministers of Shu Han in previous years.

Lu Ji brought his second brother to the capital this time, probably because he was unwilling to see his family decline and wanted to restore the glory of his ancestors and fathers. To this end, he made friends with people and entertained people with his literary works. He himself thought he had no integrity, but did he not think so?

While celebrities may appear friendly when socializing, their relationships are actually quite distant. People tend to flock to those in power, regardless of the feelings of those without. A powerless person like Lu Ji must have also experienced the harshness of life. The fact that his mansion was deserted suggests that his situation was even more awkward than Liu Xian's.

While he was lost in thought, he heard footsteps outside the door, accompanied by Wu dialect that Liu Xian could not understand.

Then a yellow dog jumped out from the shadows and ran happily towards the source of the sound, which scared Liu Xian. He followed the dog with his eyes and happened to see Lu Ji rubbing his dog's ears with a doting and tired smile on his face.

Their eyes met.

When Lu Ji saw Liu Xian sitting in the hall, he wanted to turn his head away at first, with shame, guilt, anxiety, and doubt in his eyes, but then he suppressed them all with his cunningness, and instead revealed the confident temperament he had at the Qingming Literary Meeting.

He smiled at Liu Xian and said, "How come you have time to visit my humble abode, my prince?"

After not seeing each other for half a month, Lu Ji's Wu dialect accent had almost disappeared, which surprised Liu Xian secretly. It seemed that in order to avoid being laughed at, he must have been secretly practicing harder to correct his accent.

This made Liu Xian admire him even more, and he said straight to the point with a smile: "Brother Shiheng, calling me that is a bit too distant. Just call me Huai Chong!"

"I came here today mainly to make friends with Brother Shi Heng."

Lu Ji was startled, a look of confusion on his handsome face, and he echoed, "It is my honor to be friends with Prince Anle."

"No," Liu Xian praised sincerely. "Ever since we parted ways, I've been thinking about Shi Heng. It's a pity that because of the disagreement with Duke Lu, we parted on bad terms that day, and I couldn't have a free conversation with Shi Heng about the affairs of the Three Dynasties. Now that I think about it, it was truly a sin. Today, I'm here to seek friendship and to make amends."

After saying this, he bowed deeply to the landing machine.

Liu Xian's humble attitude shocked Lu Ji. He was already feeling guilty, and now he was even more moved. He quickly helped Liu Xian up and said, "That's all in the past. I'm thankful that Huai Chong doesn't mind my sin. How could I dare ask Huai Chong to bow?"

"If I can gain a good friend, what harm can a simple greeting do?"

Liu Xian smiled and opened the gifts he had brought. "I heard that Shi Heng's favorite dishes were Qianli's water shield soup and unsalted black beans. It's a pity I didn't get to see them. Today, I brought Jiannanchun from Mianzhu and smoked meat from Wuyang. I hope Brother Lu will enjoy them."

In his usual interactions with scholars, Lu Ji had seen plenty of harassment and ridicule directed at him, and he suppressed his dissatisfaction, secretly practicing his eloquence and responses. But it had been so long since he had encountered such a serious and kind response, and he felt a little overwhelmed.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, he asked from the bottom of his heart, "I know that my daily behavior has been lacking in virtue, and I'm sure I've been criticized a lot in private. Huai Chong has forgiven me for not holding a grudge, which has deeply touched me. But I also know that everything you love has its own purpose, but I don't know what Huai Chong's purpose is."

"I just want to make friends with Brother Shiheng." Liu Xian looked into Lu Ji's eyes and said slowly, "Friends are the most abundant thing in the world, but they are also the most precious thing."

"Because some friends are just superficial, while others are deep in your heart."

"I don't know if Brother Shiheng has this feeling. Fate is cruel. No matter how many heartfelt words you say to some people, whether intentionally or not, they still can't understand your sincerity, which makes people feel very frustrated."

"But fate is kind. Sometimes you meet someone you didn't know existed, and even though it's just your first meeting, you can tell from just a few words that what they're thinking is exactly what you're thinking."

"In this world, if I don't have a close friend, how lonely life would be! The Book of Songs says, 'The chirping birds are seeking the voice of their friends.' All birds long for friends. We all share the same heart and mind. In the capital, I am just like this chirping bird, trapped in a quiet valley, filled with loneliness, wandering back and forth, longing for a soulmate."

"I wonder if Brother Shiheng is willing to be my soulmate?"

At the beginning, Liu Xian did have other thoughts, but when he thought of the last debate with Lu Ji, he really felt genuinely happy. With this happiness, there was no grudge that could not be resolved. He believed that the same was true for Lu Ji. The more talented a person is, the lonelier his soul will be, and the more he will yearn for a soulmate and friends.

No, perhaps this is true for everyone. After all, people are born alone and they are alone after they die. In this journey between life and death, without friends to accompany you, life would be too lonely.

After listening to Liu Xian, Lu Ji was moved. He felt the abundant emotions and broad mind in Liu Xian's words, which soothed the scars and fatigue in his heart.

But Lu Ji still hesitated. He asked, "Wouldn't Huai Chong be offended by my status as a descendant of the Lu family?"

Obviously, he could not completely ignore the grudge between the two ancestors.

Liu Xian said, "It's precisely because Brother Shiheng is a descendant of the Lu family that I admire him so much. I'm also a descendant of Zhaolie, and I know the immense pressure Brother Shiheng carries. To live up to the honor of his ancestors and to maintain the family business, even if he secretly puts in ten or a hundred times the effort, he's often questioned."

"Bloodline isn't power, it's responsibility. How could I be surprised that Brother Shiheng is able to shoulder such a heavy responsibility and rise up?"

At this point, Lu Ji no longer had any doubts. He looked up to the sky and sighed for a long time, then said: "Since entering Luoyang, I have finally found a good friend."

He then waved to Lu Yun and said, "Shilong, bring over the two pots of Huadiao wine that I treasure. Tonight, Huai Chong and I will have a chat and drink together! We won't leave until we're drunk!"

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(End of this chapter)