Chapter 41: Ears Reddened
Ji Heng had only come to Yong’an City a few years ago, so naturally, he didn’t know Han Min. Hearing from his servant that he was just a young master whose family had been confiscated and imprisoned, he didn’t take him seriously.
Han Min only glanced at him but then lowered his head to ask Wen Yan, “What happened to the old man who sold fans?”
Wen Yan started to reply, “I…”
Ji Heng’s loud voice cut him off: “Young Master Wen is kind-hearted, of course…”
Han Min patted Wen Yan on the shoulder, turned to Ji Heng, and said in a serious tone, “Young Master Ji, doesn’t the Ji family lack proper upbringing? Didn’t the Li family teach you anything?”
Ji Heng replied, “You know the Li family—my uncle…”
“Duke of Xin?”
“Exactly.”
“You call Duke of Xin ‘uncle.’ Do you know what I call him?” Han Min smiled. “I follow the Emperor and Fifth Prince, and I call him ‘little uncle.’ By this reckoning, the paternal side seems closer than the maternal. Moreover, your surname isn’t even ‘Li,’ you’re neither his son nor my brother. What’s the point of bringing it up?”
Ji Heng was stung and retorted, “Nonsense! My uncle doesn’t have a nephew like you!”
“Whether he does or not, after your Little Uncle returns from Mingshan Mausoleum, you can ask him yourself. Or, if you can’t wait, go ask the Emperor or Fifth Prince directly.”
Ji Heng’s face turned iron-gray, his teeth grinding loudly.
The things he had done were completely unknown to the Duke of Xin, Li Shu; how could he possibly ask? And asking the Emperor and the Fifth Prince? Even less likely.
Han Min pretended to realize he had misspoken, covering his mouth with mock surprise: “Ah, it seems Young Master Ji has lived a muddled life. Unlike Lord Wen Bianzhang, who served in the court for years under the emperor, or Chu Zhuoshi, the scholar who passed the imperial exams, you’ve never had the chance to meet the Emperor or Fifth Prince.”
He patted his head: “Seeing that Lord Wen and Lord Chu are truly outstanding, how could Young Master Ji compare? Spending time among such clever friends only makes me seem even more foolish.”
Han Min exhaled, smiling: “Fortunately, my talented friends do not despise me. Life is pretty good following them around.”
Every word Han Min spoke belittled Ji Heng while praising Wen Yan. He spoke quickly, leaving Ji Heng unable to respond or find fault.
Frustrated, Ji Heng said nothing and retreated to the cabin.
Chu Yu, seeing him go, laughed aloud, pinching Han Min’s cheek: “Han Min, your mouth… I’ve seen this twice today!”
Wen Yan shook his head, smiling: “I didn’t go when the Duke of Gong pressured the court; today, I’ve opened my eyes.”
Han Min, folding his arms, smirked: “It’s definitely different.”
Against the Duke of Gong and his group of scholars, one must use reason and evidence to corner them. Against Ji Heng, who wielded his uncle’s name arrogantly, just comparing him to stronger people was enough—no extra effort required.
Han Min, in a good mood, hummed a tune, leaning on the bow of the boat, one leg propped up, enjoying the view.
At Yuanyang Lake, there was a small islet in the middle, supposedly built when the city was constructed by piling up lake sediment. A century later, bamboo and trees grew, and a wealthy patron built a stone pavilion with upturned eaves, making it a must-visit spot.
The boat slowly approached the islet, the lapping water carrying faint laughter.
As they neared, a few tables were set in the pavilion, adorned with seasonal fruits.
A young man in a blue robe spotted them and stood, waving: “Are you Master Chu Zhuoshi?”
Chu Yu replied, “Indeed,” taking Han Min’s hand: “Come, let’s go see.”
It was just a gathering of literati. Han Min hadn’t returned to Yong’an City for two years; the city’s young masters seemed all changed.
Previously, he played with Fu Rang and Wei Gui, but now everyone had their own pursuits.
Han Min greeted Chu Yu and found a spot. He picked up a cup of slightly reddish peach blossom wine.
Wen Yan held his hand: “No drinking. If you drink, you won’t see clearly. What if you push me into the water?”
Han Min sipped lightly and set the cup down: “Just a taste. Quite good. Want some?”
Wen Yan shook his head: “No, drinking hinders things.”
Han Min leaned back, watching the young masters chat and amuse themselves.
Soon, a familiar boat arrived. Ji Heng, fan in hand, entered the pavilion.
Chu Yu, carrying a plate of green apricots, walked through the crowd to Han Min and Wen Yan, sat down between them, and reminded them, “Ji Heng is here.”
Han Min casually picked up a green apricot, took a bite, and then gasped.
“It’s so sour.”
Ji Heng waved his folding fan and greeted everyone, saying, “I heard that you were all gathered here, so I came uninvited. Please forgive me.”
His reputation in Yong’an City wasn’t very good, but because of his status, people still greeted him with clasped hands.
Ji Heng waved to the servant behind him: “I just happened to acquire a piece of calligraphy by Xie Dingyuan from ten years ago, to add to the enjoyment of you gentlemen.”
The servant was indeed holding a brocade box.
Xie Dingyuan’s reputation in Great Qi was well-deserved. As soon as he said this, everyone else forgot what kind of person Ji Heng was and began to whisper about Xie Dingyuan.
However, Ji Heng said leisurely, “It’s not difficult to offer the inscription for your appreciation. But I humbly believe that Xie Dingyuan was once a top scholar in the imperial examinations, and you all possess exceptional literary talent and upright character, so you are naturally welcome to admire it. As for those who are still burdened with guilt, perhaps—”
His gaze fell on Han Min: “Could Young Master Han please step aside? It would be good to avoid sullying Xie Dingyuan’s calligraphy.”
At that time, Han Min was eating small bites of green apricots, which were so sour that he frowned and didn’t pay any attention to what he was saying.
Everyone looked at him. Because he hadn’t said much, they hadn’t paid much attention to him before. It was probably only now that they recognized him as Han Min.
Someone hesitated and said, “Wouldn’t that be inappropriate, Young Master Han…”
Han Min quietly asked the system, “Do you want to see your Xie Dingyuan?”
The system hurriedly replied, “Yes!”
“Then I’ll have Ji Heng open the brocade box himself and show it to you. If it’s fake, don’t be disappointed.”
Han Min sat in his seat, looking back without flinching, and asked in return, “I can stay in Funing Palace, I can go to Fengqian Hall, but why can’t I come to the island in the middle of Yuanyang Lake?”
He continued, “Xie Dingyuan was dissatisfied with the factionalism prevalent in the Song court, which is why he resigned in anger. Now, Young Master Ji wants to drive me away by using Xie Dingyuan’s calligraphy and paintings. Isn’t that using Xie Dingyuan’s name to form factions, which makes him even more despicable?”
“Sigh, never mind, Young Master Ji can’t tolerate me.”
Han Min got up to leave, then patted Chu Yu’s shoulder and said to him, “I’ll wait for you on the boat.”
Chu Yu and Wen Yan naturally knew he wouldn’t leave, but how could anyone else let him go?
If he leaves, wouldn’t they become the same kind of people as Ji Heng?
So they quickly grabbed Han Min.
“Young Master Han, Young Master Han, please don’t be angry. Anyone can come to this small island. How can you just leave like this?”
“Young Master Ji, if you’re willing to take out your inscription, then please let us take a look. If you’re not willing, there’s no need to do this.”
Ji Heng originally wanted to take the opportunity to get rid of him, but now he was in a difficult situation and had no choice but to open the brocade box himself.
Han Min turned his head, thinking to himself, “System, come and see, your favorite Xie Dingyuan is here…”
Before he could finish speaking, the system scoffed, “This isn’t Xie Dingyuan’s handwriting.”
“I also see some differences.”
Before Han Min could speak, Chu Yu burst out laughing.
Everyone looked at him again: “Young Master Chu?”
Chu Yu covered his face and laughed. After laughing for a while, he explained, “Everyone, I’m sorry. This is just a parody I made in my spare time.”
Ji Heng’s expression changed: “Don’t talk nonsense, I know you and Han Min are together…”
“That is indeed my forgery. Xie Dingyuan was originally from the State of Song, and so am I. We studied together in Jiangbei when we were young. I have seen him write and can write a few strokes myself. I think his calligraphy is worth a fortune in the Great Qi in Jiangnan. A few days ago, on a whim, I wrote one for fun.”
Chu Yu suppressed a laugh: “Originally, I told the servants to burn it, but unexpectedly they framed it and sold it, and even sold it to Young Master Ji.”
Ji Heng said, “Impossible. I had a calligrapher and painter examine it, and this…”
Chu Yu slumped to the side, leaning against Wen Yan’s wheelchair, as if he had laughed until he was too exhausted to continue.
“Look at the bottom right corner of that seal, don’t you see the vertical stripes? I carved those out of a radish. If you take the mounting off, there’s a tiny ‘dull’ character after the ‘thank you’ character. I wrote that to make fun of him.”
He spoke with such conviction that Ji Heng, being stubborn, insisted on seeing if it was true or not.
Ji Heng muttered, “Impossible, impossible, I spent several thousand taels…”
He originally bought this calligraphy to show off at the spring gathering, but today Han Min offended him, so he took it out to ostracize Han Min, not expecting that even this calligraphy was fake.
He was busy unpacking the paper. On the other side, Chu Yu didn’t care how much money he spent to buy this forgery. He smiled and tossed a green apricot to Han Min, saying leisurely, “That’s not Xie Dingyuan’s inscription from ten years ago. It’s my forgery from ten days ago.”
Just then, a somewhat quaint painted boat unknowingly docked at the shore, and Eunuch Yang and Little Jizi went ashore, their purpose unknown.
Not knowing exactly what had happened, they watched from outside for a while, and after roughly understanding what was going on, Eunuch Yang told Little Jizi to go over first.
Little Jizi trotted forward and said to Han Min, “Young Master, what are you doing here?”
Han Min asked, “What’s wrong?”
Little Jizi said, “Someone from the palace has arrived.”
He didn’t say it loudly at first, but Ji Heng was paying close attention to their movements, just to find something to use against Han Min.
Hearing him say that, how could that be allowed?
He then said, “It seems the Emperor has sent someone to question us…”
Little Jizi, usually quick-witted and eloquent, pretended to be tongue-tied at this moment: “Young master, you can’t say that, our young master…”
Ji Heng was waiting to see him make a fool of himself. Han Min thought to himself that although he and Fu Xun didn’t get along well over trivial matters, Fu Xun wouldn’t go so far as to undermine him at this time. Seeing that it was Eunuch Yang standing next to him, he felt relieved.
He flicked Little Jizi’s forehead, feigning anger, and said, “You can’t even speak clearly. Go and invite the eunuch over there.”
Few people knew that Eunuch Yang had left the palace. Seeing that he was old, they assumed he was the emperor’s chief eunuch.
Having served in the palace for so many years, Eunuch Yang had seen plenty of instances of people flattering the powerful and snobbish the weak.
He was eager to help Han Min vent his anger, so he bowed to Han Min as if it were a casual greeting, and said, “Originally, this old minister had already led his men to the Liu residence, just waiting for Your Excellency to return and receive the decree, but I did not expect Your Excellency to be here. It has been quite a search for this old minister.”
He straightened his face and said solemnly, “By imperial decree, Lord Han is requested to wear his official robes when he enters the palace to express his gratitude. This will allow His Majesty to check whether the robes fit properly. If they do not fit, the embroiderers from the Imperial Textile Bureau will be summoned to alter them.”
Han Min had tried on the official robes before, and they fit him well. It’s likely that the other robes were also made to that size. Bringing it up again now is also to support him.
Eunuch Yang continued, “A few days ago, His Majesty noticed that the pen holder you were carrying was old, the same one you used a few years ago. He picked out a few for you, but I don’t know if you’ll be used to them. Don’t worry about anything else, just use whatever you’re comfortable with.”
Ji Heng’s face flushed red, and he was speechless. He looked around at the crowd.
He originally wanted to use these people to teach Han Min a lesson, but they didn’t fall for it and instead became even more disgusted with him.
One minute they’re saying that Young Master Han is a criminal, the next they’re saying that someone from the palace has come to interrogate him. They’re really malicious. Why don’t they wish for something good from him?
Han Min smiled. Although Fu Xun liked to play with his hair, he still gave him face in front of outsiders.
He bid farewell to everyone, saying, “In that case, I shall take my leave.”
Han Min instructed Chu Yu, “Be careful of Wen Yan’s legs.”
Chu Yu patted his shoulder: “Don’t worry, I will definitely get him back safely.”
“And the fact that you and Xie Dingyuan were classmates, I’ll interrogate you about that when I get back.”
Chu Yu waved his hand: “Go ahead.”
Han Min waved his hand gently: “Bianzhang, I’ll be going now.”
“Go then.”
Finally, Han Min thought for a moment and stuffed the green apricot in his hand into Ji Heng’s hand.
Han Min raised an eyebrow at him: “Hmm?”
On Ji Heng’s painted boat, there is a painting of a branch of twin red plum blossoms.
Red plums and green apricots.
No matter how much a green apricot acts arrogantly, it will never become a red plum.
Eunuch Yang and Little Jizi, one on each side, helped Han Min onto the simple little boat.
The small boat has sailed far away, and Ji Heng can no longer stay here.
As he boarded the boat, he snatched the calligraphy and painting with the name “Xie Dingyuan” from the servant’s hand and threw them into the water along with the green apricots.
—
The boat that Han Min boarded was very simple; it was not large and did not have many decorations.
Han Min recognized the boat; it was the same boat he used to go boating on the lake with his friends when he was a child, from age five to fifteen.
This boat belongs to Duke of Yue, Fu Le.
I don’t know how Eunuch Yang made the transfer.
Han Min walked along the corridor, turned around and asked Eunuch Yang, “What’s wrong with you, old man…?”
Eunuch Yang pushed him towards the door and winked at him.
Han Min was a little confused, so he knocked on the door and then pushed it open to go inside.
A wisp of smoke rose from the window, and a person sat on a cushion by the window.
Fu Xun was dressed in a dark blue casual outfit, his hair tied up with a jade crown. He tilted his head to look at the flowing water outside the window, exuding both nobility and leisure.
Han Min originally thought that it was Duke of Yue, Fu Le, or Fifth Prince Fu Rang who had helped him out of the predicament, so he happily pushed open the door. When he saw that it was Fu Xun, he was a little taken aback.
Before he could even bow, Fu Xun said, “What are you standing there for?”
Han Min touched his face, feeling that he wasn’t actually that stupid.
Fine, fine. Fu Xun did him such a big favor in front of so many people, so I can barely tolerate being criticized once. Just once.
Han Min stepped forward and bowed, saying, “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Before Fu Xun could speak, the pleasure boat rocked, and Han Min lost his balance and swayed to the side. Fu Xun reached out to support him and pulled him towards himself.
Seeing that Han Min was about to throw himself into his arms, Fu Xun even raised his other hand in preparation.
As a result, Han Min grabbed his arm and sat down on the ground.
Han Min chuckled twice: “My apologies, my apologies.”
Fu Xun quietly withdrew his other hand, which he had been trying to put his arm around, and said casually, “It’s alright, go and sit down.”
“Okay.”
Han Min straightened his clothes and sat down on the cushion in front of him, with a small square table between them.
Some fresh seasonal fruit was laid out on the table. Han Min picked up a small cherry and ate it, asking, “Why did Your Majesty come here?”
“This morning I sent someone to the Liu residence to deliver something to you. I was waiting for you to come and express your gratitude at the palace, but they came back and said you weren’t there.”
Fu Xun calmly turned the fruit plate around so that the cherry side was directly opposite him.
He continued, “I borrowed a pleasure boat from Uncle to go boating on the lake, and we just happened to run into each other. Eunuch Yang and Little Jizi came out looking for you, wanting you to hurry to the palace to express your gratitude.”
Han Min asked, “Has the reward arrived at the Liu residence? Should I go back now? But if I go to the palace now to express my gratitude, who should I thank?”
Fu Xun then said, “No rush. I’ve already told the Liu family not to hurry. You can go back after you’ve had your fun.”
Han Min looked troubled and glanced out the window.
Fu Xun followed his gaze and heard him say, “Then Chu Yu and Wen Yan should have been brought along as well.”
How dare you mention other men in front of me, two of them at that!
Fu Xun said without changing his expression, “They’ve already gone far away, it’s too late.”
“Alright then.” Han Min reluctantly withdrew his gaze, propped his head up, and casually said, “In the past, when we came to cruise the lake, we always came with a large group of friends. This seems to be the first time I’ve come alone with you.”
“Yes.”
Han Min smiled, looked down and saw a wine pot on the table, so he picked it up and poured half a cup of wine.
He was under twenty and rarely drank alcohol.
Fu Xun frowned and asked, “Were you drinking outside just now?”
Han Min sniffed his sleeve and said with a smile, “I only took one sip. Wen Bianzhang was afraid I would push him into the water, so he didn’t allow me to drink any more.”
He picked up his wine glass, glanced down at it, and said, “The one I drank earlier is a little different from this one. That one was a bit red and a bit sweet. This one… doesn’t have much color.”
Before Fu Xun could stop him, he picked up his wine glass and tilted his head back.
He was very careful, only taking a small sip, but unexpectedly, the stuff was so spicy that it made him cough.
Han Min covered his face with his sleeve, turned his head away and coughed for a while: “I… my God, you drink this? No, no, you’re not just putting this here to fool me.”
Fu Xun chuckled, raised his hand to fill the wine glass in front of him, and then held it up to Han Min, waving it around.
Han Min backed away, waving his hand as he said, “No, no, you do it yourself.”
Out of a sense of competition, Fu Xun downed the wine in his glass in one gulp.
He covered his mouth with his sleeve and coughed a little. Han Min watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, but he didn’t blush at all.
Han Min exclaimed in surprise, “Wow! You’re amazing. I even stood up for you when Grandpa wanted to drink with you back in Tongzhou. Turns out you can drink!”
Fu Xun put down his glass, the strong liquor burning his throat, and his voice was a little hoarse: “Do you think everyone is like you, that you can’t do this or that just because you’re not an adult?”
“So what if I’m not an adult? I’m young.” Fu Xun raised his hand and pressed his thumb against the corner of Han Min’s eye, which was slightly red from coughing, but Han Min slapped it away.
Han Min said fiercely, “Don’t move. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to.”
Fu Xun chuckled softly: “What do I want to do?”
“You want to play with my hair?” Han Min said very seriously, extending his index finger and waving it from side to side, saying each word clearly, “No way.”
“Ah…yes, I want to touch your hair again.”
“No way, no way.”
Fu Xun withdrew his hand and spun the fruit plate around.
Han Min lowered his head to peel and eat fruit. After a long time without hearing him speak, he assumed that Han Min was angry because he wouldn’t let him play.
So he peeled two fruits, gave one to Fu Xun, and then started a conversation: “When did you learn to drink?”
“When I was leading troops in the Northwest.”
“I see,” Han Min understood.
The Huai River here divides the region into two sides: Jiangnan and Jiangbei. Jiangnan is their Great Qi, and Jiangbei is the State of Song. Xie Dingyuan and Chu Yu were originally from the State of Song.
Fu Xun, who began leading troops at the age of fifteen, along with Duke of Xin, Li Shu, and the blood of previous generations, pressed forward, bringing the northwest border under the control of the Great Qi. The map gradually revealed a situation of encirclement of the Song state.
The Northwest is bitterly cold, so people would probably drink some strong liquor to keep warm.
Fu Xun casually remarked, “Sometimes, the howling of wolves echoes through the desert, making it hard to sleep at night. Drinking a little helps.”
Han Min understood, nodded, and patted him on the shoulder like a good brother: “You’ve worked hard, guardian of peace.”
Fu Xun choked, unsure how to respond, and could only say, “It’s only right.”
Perhaps because he drank two kinds of alcohol at the same time, Han Min, who doesn’t drink much, couldn’t take it anymore. He rubbed his temples and wanted to lie down and sleep for a while.
There was a possibility that this was somewhat disrespectful to the emperor, so he specifically sought Fu Xun’s opinion.
Fu Xun agreed, and only then did he straighten his sleeves and lie down on the table.
He had only closed his eyes for a short while when he suddenly sat up.
He said seriously, “Don’t play with my hair.”
He was probably startled, and Fu Xun chuckled, “Alright.”
The alcohol had an effect, and Han Min had been dragged out of bed by Chu Yu that morning. Fu Xun was right next to him, and Han Min was fast asleep. Fu Xun called him several times, but he didn’t respond.
Instead, he smacked his lips and hugged his arm.
There was a small table between them, which felt a bit awkward, so Fu Xun sat down next to him and let him hug him.
As a result, Han Min did not overstep any boundaries. He said he would hold his arm, and he would only hold his arm, absolutely not moving forward even a little bit.
Fu Xun couldn’t understand it at first, but then he did—it was the way Han Min was holding him.
The posture he used to hold that long sword when he slept at night was exactly the same.
For the first time, Fu Xun hated his sword so much, and looked out the window.
He casually picked up the wine glass on the table and took a swig.
When he tried to put it back, he realized that he had drunk the half-cup of wine that Han Min had left behind.
Fu Xun felt a slight burning sensation in his ears and pushed the wine glass over.
If Han Min saw this, he would definitely laugh at him.
But back in the Northwest, when he drank at night, he would always want to see Han Min, and his ears would turn red with longing.
—
At noon, the pleasure boat docked. Han Min was awakened by the rocking of the boat. He opened his eyes and, after a while, realized that he was not in his room and that he was not holding the sword.
He released his hand, and Fu Xun withdrew his hand expressionlessly, shaking his arm.
Han Min felt a little embarrassed and massaged his arm, saying, “I’m sorry.”
Knowing that the pleasure boat had docked, he was puzzled when he saw that Fu Xun showed no intention of leaving, so he didn’t move.
Fu Xun said, “Go back when you’ve had enough fun, there’s no rush.”
The palace servants were already waiting on the shore, holding various food boxes.
Then the servants on the ship took the food box and laid it out on the table.
The plates were small, but contained very delicate dishes, which were placed very securely.
There was no need for anyone to serve the food; it was still just the two of them.
When Han Min was young, his friends often spent the whole day on the boat, and he didn’t find it strange at all, accepting it calmly.
They chatted idly and ate lunch slowly for half an hour.
The two of them left the palace servants to pack their things and went out to stand at the stern of the boat to enjoy the breeze.
The afternoons in March were already quite hot. The pleasure boats that had taken a morning boat trip on the lake had already docked at the shore. The lake water was azure and stretched for miles.
Han Min woke up from a nap feeling very refreshed.
The wind billowed his robes, and he secretly hid underneath, stretching his arms and yawning.
Fu Xun stood beside him and noticed his subtle movements.
Han Min turned around, found him looking at him, and smiled at him.
A southeast wind was blowing across the lake, and at that moment, two small boats on the river took advantage of the wind and current to quickly approach the area.
Fu Xun caught a glimpse of this out of the corner of his eye, narrowed his eyes, and quickly realized what was happening. He grabbed Han Min’s hand and escorted him back to the cabin.
He said sternly, “Don’t come out.”
Author’s Note:
Fatty’s pre-drama briefing: Your Majesty, in this chapter, Min-Min will get drunk, and there are many words about boats.
Old Fu: Cough cough, it’s alright, isn’t it?
