Chapter 60: There’s Someone Ahead
The candlelight flickered as Han Min grabbed his writing case and ran out of the room.
He turned and closed the door, giving his older brother—whose fists were clenched—a small smile. “I’ll be right back.”
Han Shi casually pulled out the small pillow Han Pei was resting on. Han Pei let out an “Aiya!” and opened his eyes, pushing at his hand. “What are you doing?”
Ignoring him, Han Shi tossed the little pillow toward Han Min. Han Min caught it and tossed it back.
He pressed his hands together. “I really will be right back.”
After saying that, he closed the door and ran outside alone.
The moon was nearly full. Han Min found a lantern-lit corner along the corridor, sat down, and took out paper, brush, and ink from his writing case. He twirled the brush tip with his fingers, dipped it in ink, and began to write.
Fu Xun had asked him to reply—but only asked one simple question: whether he was safe.
Han Min reported his safety, and then… had no idea what else to say.
The moon was high now, its cold light spilling into the corridor, casting the shadows of bamboo and trees across the wall.
A breeze passed. The shadows swayed like dancers, and here in the early summer of May, Tongzhou—being further south—already had tiny fireflies flitting about.
Han Min pressed his lips together, thought for a moment, and wrote a casual line: “Are there any fireflies in the palace yet?”
Then he paused and summoned his system. “System, send me a copy of the Illustrated Animal Encyclopedia.”
Just writing a reply to Fu Xun—did it really need to be this troublesome?
The system’s face drooped, but it still sent him the book.
Han Min flipped a few pages and said, “Actually, give me a Simple Drawing Guide. The kind meant for children.”
The system searched again and delivered a brightly colored picture book.
Han Min found the page on fireflies and copied the simple drawing of a little firefly with a glowing backside.
He set the brush aside, picked up the paper strip, examined it for a bit, and nodded in satisfaction.
Rolling up the slip and tucking it back into the bamboo tube, he released the falcon from Yong’an. Then he packed everything up and returned to the room.
The system muttered, “Boring.”
Han Min snorted. “Then tell me what I should write back.”
“You could ask about affairs of state, how the Song envoys are doing, or when the unification of the realm will happen. But no—you ask about fireflies.”
“It’s called enjoying life. You wouldn’t understand.”
The system fell silent. Floating beside Han Min as he opened the door, it saw his older brother Han Shi.
The system thought indignantly that if it had a physical form, it would get along splendidly with Han Shi. They would have endless things to talk about—might even form an alliance.
The Protect-the-Cabbage Alliance.
Han Min entered the room, put away his writing case, patted the dust from his clothes, and went to the bed. He nudged his brother inward. “Brother, move in a little.”
Han Shi stared at him, but Han Min didn’t notice. Suddenly recalling something, he ran off again.
The luggage they brought back hadn’t been sorted yet. Han Min rummaged through the pile and retrieved the longsword Fu Xun had given him.
Han Shi saw he was about to hang it at the bedside and narrowed his eyes slightly. With one swift motion, he grabbed the sword. “Let me see that.”
The longsword was old—clearly used for many years, probably since its owner began weapon training in childhood. Even sheathed, the restrained hum of the blade was clearly perceptible.
Han Shi, of course, knew this wasn’t Han Min’s. Han Min had been frail since childhood; writing too long already made the family worry. How could they let him train with swords?
But something about the weapon felt familiar—he just couldn’t recall why.
“Whose is this—”
He didn’t finish the sentence.
Han Shi turned the sword over—and saw the engraved character on the hilt.
—Xun.
Fu Xun’s sword.
At last he understood why it looked familiar.
Before Han Min could answer, Han Shi sharply unsheathed the sword.
The blade sang, no longer suppressed.
Han Min immediately backed away, clutching his head, squatting down. “Brother, careful! Blades have no eyes!”
Han Pei, who had been lying on the bed asleep, woke at the commotion. He blinked, then jumped up, hugging Han Shi’s arm and yelling, “Big Brother, don’t kill Second Brother!”
Of course Han Shi wasn’t trying to hurt him. He took a deep breath, wanting to scold Han Min, but couldn’t bring himself to be harsh. His face flushed from holding back the words. Finally, he sheathed the sword with a snap and barked, “You little troublemaker—whose things did you take?!”
“Fu Xun’s.”
In his panic, Han Min forgot to say His Majesty, blurting out Fu Xun’s name directly.
“That’s the sword he’s used since childhood. Why would he give it to you?”
“Huh?” Han Min tilted his head in surprise. “What do you mean, ‘used since childhood’?”
“His Majesty started weapons training at eight. The late Crown Prince ordered the forging bureau to make this sword. I was there when it was tempered, and so was the Crown Prince. He’s used it from age eight until now. It’s basically his lifeblood. And he gave it to you. Why would he give you his lifeblood?”
Han Shi looked at him coldly, waiting to hear what nonsense he’d come up with.
Han Min squatted on the ground. “I said… because I can’t sleep, and I can only sleep well near him, so he gave me this to help me sleep. Brother, do you believe that?”
Han Shi asked flatly, “Do you think I believe that?”
Han Min’s eyes filled with tears. “How would I know?”
If he had known this thing was Fu Xun’s… lifeblood, when Fu Xun gave it to him, he definitely wouldn’t have taken it.
But at the time, Fu Xun had laid out a pile of weapons for him to choose from. After looking carefully, the silver spear wasn’t comfortable to hold, the meteor hammer was inconvenient, and axes were a bit dangerous—so he picked the sword.
Fu Xun hadn’t said anything else and even praised his good taste.
Back then, Han Min didn’t understand what he meant. He just hugged the sword and grinned foolishly, refusing to let go.
So that’s what “good taste” meant.
After a moment of stalemate, Han Shi handed the sword back to him and said irritably, “Take it.”
“Oh.”
Han Min stretched out his hands and took the sword. As he was about to put it back into his bundle, his brother added, “Didn’t you say you couldn’t sleep without it?”
Han Min paused. Then he turned around and hung the sword on the bronze hook in front of the bed curtains.
“Just like that.”
To quell his brother’s anger, he even added deliberately, “Nothing else.”
If his brother ever learned that he normally slept holding this sword, he would probably leap up, regain full mobility, and chase him across a thousand miles.
He said obediently, “Brother, can I get up on the bed now?”
Han Shi braced his arm and moved a little farther inside.
When the candle was blown out, the room fell into darkness. Han Min lay down beside his brother, trembling with caution.
From the innermost side of the bed, Han Pei suddenly said, “I want to sleep with Second Brother.”
He sat up, hugging his small pillow, and tried to climb over Han Shi.
Han Shi gritted his teeth. “Don’t step everywhere.”
So Han Pei dove into Han Min’s arms. The two younger brothers clung to each other at the edge of the bed, shivering.
Han Shi said again, “What are you doing? Move over. It’s not like I’m going to eat you.”
The two pushed each other politely.
“Pei, you go over.”
“No, no, Second Brother should go.”
After a bit of back-and-forth, it was Han Min who rolled in a full circle and ended up beside his older brother.
He poked his head out from under the blanket, grinning. “Brother.”
Han Shi took a breath to steady himself. “I’ll ask you one thing. Answer truthfully.”
Han Min tugged at his small blanket and nodded. “Okay.”
“What do you think of Fu Xun?”
Han Min thought about it. “He… he’s pretty good.”
“Explain in more detail.”
“Oh.”
Han Pei hugged his arm. “Who is Fu Xun?”
Han Min pushed his head back down. “Don’t make noise.”
He thought seriously, watching his brother’s expression. “I’ve known him since long ago. When he was little, he was annoying. I remember I used to fight with him all the time.”
“Later, when our family fell into misfortune, no one could help. I begged Fu Quan—well, never mind him, I misjudged his character—and I also begged Prince Wu, Fu Rang, but he never cared about these matters. Even if he wanted to help, he couldn’t.”
Han Min ran a hand through his hair, uncomfortable. “I didn’t expect Fu Xun to help me.”
Han Shi asked, “Really?”
“Yeah. I always thought with the tiny bit of friendship we had, he wouldn’t get involved.”
“These past months in Yong’an, staying at Funing Palace for a while, following him as a qijulang (attendant)… he’s actually a really good person. His character and resolve are top-notch. He’ll make a good emperor.”
He rubbed his chin and muttered, “Though he hasn’t gotten rid of that annoying streak.”
Han Min patted his brother’s shoulder, smiling. “But he really is great. Brother, you don’t need to worry. We don’t fight anymore.”
Who’s worried about you two still fighting like children? Han Shi was worried that Han Min liked him too much.
Seeing his brother’s expression grow darker and darker, Han Min looked baffled. What did he say wrong this time? Wasn’t Fu Xun becoming a good emperor a good thing?
Finally, Han Shi asked, “Does he treat you the same as he treats other officials?”
Han Min thumped his chest. “Of course not.”
Han Shi frowned. “Hm?”
Just then, a mosquito flew into the bed curtains. Han Pei reached out but missed.
He said, “Big Brother’s eyebrows could pinch a mosquito to death.”
Han Shi grabbed his hand. “Stop messing around. Min, tell me—how is he treating you differently?”
Han Min put his hands on his hips, speaking with absolute conviction. “I am a once-in-a-century talent! A heaven-sent scholar destined to support the state. I sent grain funds to Liuzhou, wrote memorials that defeated the Duke of Gong, and now Qi and Song are competing. Song calls themselves the great Central Plains nation, but what Great Qi lacks is cultural talent. He recognizes brilliance—of course he treats me differently. Monarch and minister in harmony, monarch and minister close—completely normal!”
Silence.
After a moment, Han Pei asked, “Second Brother, are you asleep?”
“No, why?”
“Since you’re not sleeping, why are you talking in your dreams?”
Han Min hugged him and said to Han Shi, “Brother, let’s throw him out.”
Han Shi looked at him with a very complicated expression. “I’ll throw both of you out.”
He turned over to face the wall.
He suspected that when their mother gave birth to Han Min, she traded all of Han Min’s sturdiness—and the wits meant for other purposes—for his talent.
Otherwise how could he be so hopelessly stupid about this sort of thing?
At that moment, Han Min wrapped his arms around him from behind. “Brother, it’s okay. Imperial Physician Liang will definitely heal your leg.”
Han Shi froze. He hadn’t been thinking about that at all.
He replied vaguely, “Mm, I wasn’t worried about that.”
Then he thought, Han Min may be clueless, but that surnamed Fu must be burning with urgency.
Good.
—
The next morning, Han Shi propped himself up and sat up from the pallet.
Han Min and Han Pei were still sound asleep. Han Min slept very neatly, just lying there, while Han Pei twisted his waist, stretched his arms, and was clutching a lock of Han Min’s hair—half his body sprawled across Han Min’s chest.
Han Min didn’t sleep very well. Besides having his face squashed red by Han Pei lying on him, he also kept lifting his hand from time to time to touch the sword hanging at the bedside, making sure that Fu Xun’s belonging was still there—only then could he fall back asleep.
Han Shi dismissed the thought of waking him. Instead, he lifted Han Pei off and moved him down toward the foot of the pallet.
He picked up the cane leaning beside the bed and pulled his wheelchair closer.
Because of his injured leg, getting up, dressing, and washing took two to three times longer than it did for others.
But over the past year, he had insisted on doing everything himself, and he had gotten much faster compared to before.
By the time he changed into clean clothes and finished washing, the two on the bed were still asleep. He wheeled himself out of the room.
He wasn’t waking late—the time simply stretched because of how long everything took.
When he came out, Grandfather was already watering the plum tree in the courtyard, while Liu Ting, sleeves rolled up, was drawing water at the well. Wei Huan was practicing horse stance by the wall.
Smoke was rising from the kitchen. Little Jizi walked toward the hall carrying bowls and chopsticks and gave him a smile as he passed.
Suddenly, there was knocking at the door. Little Jizi put down the items, wiped his hands on his apron, and said to Han Shi, who was about to move forward, “I’ll get it.”
He untied his apron and quickly strode to open the wooden door.
Outside stood a father and son—the father already middle-aged, the son around twenty-five.
The two resembled each other: long eyes, thin lips. The son was lean, fair-skinned, holding a folding fan, carrying the air of a refined young gentleman.
The father looked Little Jizi up and down, then laughed twice. “So Min is really back. There’s even a servant to open the door now.”
He pushed past Little Jizi, stepping inside in two hurried strides, and cupped his hands toward Grandfather, who was watering the plum tree.
“Uncle, since Min wasn’t home before, the Magistrate asked us to look after your household. We originally planned to bring some things today, so we came early.”
He turned to his son. “Han Li, pay respects to your grand-uncle.”
Han Li stepped forward and bowed. “Grand-uncle.”
These two weren’t truly close relatives of Grandpa Han—they were distantly related, and Grandpa Han only gained the ‘uncle’ and ‘grand-uncle’ titles because of the generational order.
Even though they lived in Tongzhou City, they had hardly interacted with the Han family before.
It was only after Han Min went to Yong’an that the Magistrate of Tongzhou asked them to look after the Han household. So every ten days or so, they would send over some rice and a few strings of coins.
Their family owned a restaurant in Tongzhou, and business was good.
Others called the middle-aged man Boss Han, and he had four sons. The one who came today—Han Li—was the youngest.
The other three older brothers were already married and making their own living.
Only Han Li was still at home. He passed the provincial examination last year and was preparing for the metropolitan exam.
He was the only scholar in the Han family, so naturally he was favored.
He also frequently came by the Han residence to help with chores.
Grandfather replied with a polite “thank you for the trouble,” then gestured for them to enter the hall.
Using his cane, Grandfather made his way to the hall and, after seating Boss Han, took the main seat himself.
He turned to Little Jizi. “Go call Min over. Guests are here.”
Little Jizi nodded and walked through the corridor.
Boss Han chuckled with squinted eyes. “I heard there was a carriage parked in front of your gate yesterday, so Min must’ve been back. Has he not woken yet? An official like him still…”
His words went too far. Han Li, standing behind him, quickly tapped his father’s shoulder, making him stop.
Madam Yuan came out of the kitchen holding a tea tray, and upon hearing this comment, her face darkened.
Grandfather set aside his cane and smiled warmly. “Oh, he stayed up reading last night. I urged him several times before he finally went to sleep. I even told him specifically not to wake early—he’d just get up to help me dress otherwise.”
Even if Min slept in, he was still Grandfather’s good grandson.
In front of outsiders, Grandfather must make him look good.
Boss Han let out two awkward laughs. Han Li said, “I’ve always heard little brother is bright and hardworking, though I’ve never had the chance to meet him. I’m glad I can today.”
He actually did visit occasionally and had shown his own essays to Grandfather for guidance.
Grandfather had a good impression of him. “You’re very good too. When he comes out, you two can talk about writing.”
Han Li replied, “Thank you, Grand-uncle.”
He then noticed Liu Ting and Wei Huan in the courtyard. Grandfather introduced, “They’re the ones who came back with Min. The one in blue clothes is his senior brother, Liu Ting—Liu Xizhou. The one practicing is the Wei family’s child, Wei Huan.”
After greeting them, Han Li turned to Liu Ting. “I’ve long heard of you—the youngest academic official in Great Qi, Scholar Liu.”
Liu Ting smiled politely.
—
Inside the room, Han Min was shaken awake by Little Jizi. He blinked groggily.
“What is it?”
“Guests have arrived. Old Master asks you to get up quickly.”
“Okay.”
Han Min pushed the still-sleeping Han Pei off himself, yawned, and climbed down from the bed.
Little Jizi rummaged through the still-unpacked bundle, found clothes for him, laid them on the bed, and went to fetch water for washing.
While yawning, Han Min slipped his arms into his sleeves—only to put one on inside-out.
He was truly exhausted; his vision was still blurry.
Little Jizi soon returned, helped him wash and combed his hair.
Han Min asked, “No need to fuss so much. When did you wake up?”
“Not early.”
“Mm. Talking with the guests might take a while. If you get hungry, go to the kitchen and have my mother fry two eggs for you. My mom makes the best fried eggs—make sure you tell her to make them crispy.”
Little Jizi lowered his eyes and patted Han Min’s clothes clean. “Thank you, young master.”
Han Min bounced twice on the spot, then slapped his cheeks lightly to wake himself up.
He then pushed the door open and went out.
In the main hall, his grandfather and a middle-aged man were seated, his elder brother was there as well, and Liu Ting was speaking with a young man he had never seen before. From the fragments he overheard, they were talking about official careers and economics.
Unfortunately, Liu Ting only taught at the academy and had never instructed anyone on how to write civil-service exam essays, so there wasn’t much he could say.
Grandpa Han instructed him to greet Boss Han and Boss Han’s son, Han Li, and then let him sit at his side.
Hanging in the center of the hall was the portrait of an ancestor who had once served as an official.
Boss Han looked at the portrait, then at Han Min. “Who knows, a hundred years from now, that portrait might have to be replaced.”
Grandpa Han said, “Don’t flatter him. He’s just a minor official, nothing worth boasting about.”
Han Min quickly waved his hands. “I wouldn’t dare, wouldn’t dare. I’m not even half as capable as my grandfather—how could I possibly compare to our ancestors?”
Boss Han chuckled and added, “My son is nowhere near Brother Min’s level. Brother Min is already an official at such a young age, while my boy only passed the provincial exam last year. You’re both scholars—Brother Min, you must teach my son more.”
Han Li looked at him and nodded with a warm smile.
He kept waving his hand. “I wouldn’t dare.”
“Ah, don’t be so modest. You entered the tutelage of the greatest scholar in Great Qi—Old Scholar Liu—when you were only six. Who doesn’t know this? Old Scholar Liu taught countless students at the academy, but he personally acknowledged only three disciples. The Grand Chancellor Jiang and the younger Scholar Liu are your senior brothers. Don’t be modest—teach Brother Li more.”
Han Min shook his head vigorously. “I’ve never taken the palace examination. I’m afraid I don’t really know how to write civil-service essays.”
“That’s fine.” Boss Han turned to Grandpa Han. “May I ask when Uncle plans to return to Yong’an City?”
“We’ll leave in a few days after finishing our packing. Thank you for taking care of everything. Whatever expenses you’ve covered, write a bill later, and I’ll have Brother Min pay you double.”
Boss Han waved his hand generously. “It’s nothing but a small expense. But I do have one request—please grant me this favor, Uncle.”
“Go ahead.”
“Brother Li will be taking the palace exam in a few years. His mother and I can’t bear to send him away for travel studies, so he’s never left Tongzhou City. Now that Uncle is traveling to the capital, where many scholars and sages reside, could I trouble Uncle to take my son along?”
Grandpa Han glanced at Han Min. “Minmin, you decide.”
“Brother Min, Uncle only needs to bring him to the capital and introduce him to a few teachers and peers—people like Old Scholar Liu or Grand Chancellor Jiang. And if Old Scholar Liu could offer him even a little guidance, that would be wonderful.”
Han Min hesitated. “Teacher is old now, and hasn’t been guiding students lately. I’m afraid…”
“It doesn’t matter. In the future, whenever you go out for gatherings, just take him along.”
Seeing Han Min’s unease, Han Li quickly spoke up: “Father, you don’t study—you don’t understand. Don’t make things difficult for my younger brother. Let me speak with him.”
Han Min, who was never good at socializing with unfamiliar people, stood and slowly shuffled over.
Han Li smiled brightly as they walked along the corridor.
He said, “Don’t feel pressured. My father just sees me studying at home every day and thinks it might be good for me to get out more.”
Han Min nodded. “I understand.”
As they passed by Han Min’s room, Han Li pointed at the door. “This is your room—I recognize it.”
He continued, “Earlier, Grandpa was worried the room would get dusty, so he wanted it cleaned. Something almost fell during the move, but I got there in time.”
“Thank you. I’m grateful you took care of things while I was gone.”
“It was nothing.”
After a brief silence, Han Min finally asked, “Your palace exam is the year after next?”
“Yes.”
“It’s not too late to go with us. Teacher may not have the strength to guide students anymore, but I know last year’s third-ranked candidate, the Flower-Seeker Chu. I can introduce you.”
Han Li’s smile grew, and he gave him a deep bow. “Thank you, thank you.”
Han Min helped him up. “No need to be so polite.”
Han Li laughed and held his hand. “Then from now on, may I call you Brother Min?”
“…All right.”
—
When they came to Tongzhou two years ago, they hadn’t brought much. Now that they were leaving, there wasn’t much to pack either.
They stayed in Tongzhou for two or three days and finished their preparations.
On the last night before departure, Han Min accompanied his grandfather on a walk around their ancestral home, personally locking the gates.
Grandpa Han had a feeling that after this trip to Yong’an, he might never again return to their ancestral land in his lifetime, and felt somewhat sentimental.
He told Han Min, “When Grandpa dies, you must bring me back to Tongzhou.”
Han Min immediately spat three times. “Don’t talk nonsense! Grandpa will live to a hundred. Grandpa, you spit too!”
The next morning, Grandpa Han locked the gate of the small house outside the city, and the family boarded their carriages.
As before, half a day later they reached the dock and switched to traveling by water.
The boat was comfortable and convenient, but Han Min still worried about his grandfather’s age and fatigue from travel, so he stayed with him on board at all times.
On the morning of the eighth day, they arrived at Zhoushan Town. Several carriages—already arranged beforehand—were waiting at the dock.
Before disembarking, he had Little Radish send a letter to Fu Xun, telling him they would arrive around noon.
Grandpa Han, Han Shi, and Little Jizi rode in one carriage; Han Pei and the women rode in another; the third carriage carried their luggage; the others rode on horseback around the carriages.
Wei Huan was at the front when he suddenly spotted rising dust from horse hooves ahead. He raised his hand to stop the carriages.
Han Min rode forward. “What is it?”
“Someone’s ahead.”
When the rider came closer, Han Min recognized him at once. “Why is he here?”
Wei Huan also stared in astonishment.
The approaching horse stopped with a tug of the reins, right in front of Han Min’s horse. Meeting Han Min’s questioning eyes, Fu Xun explained rather awkwardly, “I was hunting here.”
Their two horses nuzzled each other’s necks. Han Min looked around at the utterly silent mountains and forest.
Hunting? Where was the prey supposed to come from?
—
Author’s Note:
Old Fu: I’ve spotted my prey! (Eyes light up)
Brother: My long-standing ailment was cured in an instant.
