Early summer was the rainy season, but the rain was always light and continuous. It was never heavy. On the contrary, it made the air humid and stuffy, which was really annoying.
Yan Sikong sat at the table. When he was looking out of the window at the twilight matching with the misty rain, he felt a strong urge to compose poems, yet there’s no one he could talk to freely.
Ah Li was the only servant in this house. He had
been with him for four to five years. When the Yellow River was flooded and the
people were unable to make a living, Yan Sikong passed through a small county
and saved this mute who was starving to death and insisted repeatedly on
selling his body to bury his parents.
There was nothing special about Ah Li. At least he
didn't see anything special at that time. It’s just that they were fellow sufferers that had mutual sympathy*, and he couldn't speak or write, so
it’s safe to keep him by his side, and he bought him due to a wrong thought on
the spur of the moment.
When he met Yuan Mao, wasn’t it also because of
Yuan Mao's wrong thought on the spur of the moment that he had all kinds of
things in the future?
It's all fate.
Later, he found out that Ah Li was called Ah Li
because he had extraordinary strength*. Although he was ugly, he was
honest and obedient. He never acted on his own and was a trusted loyal servant.
He took Ah Li with him to join the rebel army. Later, he found that it was just a mob who only knew how to burn, kill, and loot. It was difficult to have a good future there, so he took Ah Li with him and fled.
He traveled south all the way from Liaodong and
walked across half of Dasheng’s territory. He already knew the hopeless
situation in the imperial court and there would be no peace anywhere. However, being
at the center of the storm was the only thing that could give him comfort
because he knew that he was one step closer to liberation every day ----
whether they die, or he dies.
-----
By midnight, the food was already cold. Yan Sikong
called Ah Li and asked him to heat the food again.
Ah Li didn't say anything. He turned around and
went to heat the food despite this being the second time tonight.
Yan Sikong sat quietly at the table and waited.
Before the food was brought back, he heard the window squeak, and a clammy wind blew into the house. Yan Sikong put down his book and turned his head: "Your Highness, why didn’t you come in through the door?"
"You only gave me two empty wine pots, so I’m
not qualified to come in through the door and visit you." Feng Ye threw
the two wine pots on the ground. The wooden pots collided and made a dull noise.
Yan Sikong smiled, got up, and saluted: "Greetings
to Your Highness."
Feng Ye curled his lips and ordered, "Hurry
up and dry me."
Yan Sikong took the cloth towel and handed it to
Feng Ye respectfully with both hands. Feng Ye squinted at him arrogantly and
slowly spread his arms.
Yan Sikong smiled helplessly and carefully wiped the rain on Feng Ye's face and clothes with the cloth towel. Perhaps because Feng Ye was too tall, when he was standing next to him, there was always an inexplicable sense of oppression.
Feng Ye looked down at Yan Sikong: "What do
you mean?"
"What does Your Highness mean?"
"Don't pretend to be confused."
Yan Sikong said with a smile, "I don't think Your
Highness likes to make friends with people, so naturally, I don't want people
to know that you and I have met. Therefore, I used the empty pots as an
invitation. If Your Highness showed up, I would glorify my humble home. If Your
Highness didn’t come, I wouldn’t be too embarrassed, right?"
Feng Ye looked at the bowls, chopsticks, wine, and
utensils placed on the table and narrowed his eyes slightly: "I think you
expected me to come."
"I dare not."
"Then did you have an appointment with
someone else?"
"If Your Highness didn’t come on this summer’s rainy night, it would still be a pleasure for me to have a drink with sages and close friends.”
As he was wiping, the door was pushed open. Feng
Ye turned his head and saw a strong-built man with an ugly face holding several
dishes while staring at them.
Yan Sikong said, "Ah Li, go and have a rest
after you’ve finished your work."
Ah Li nodded, placed the dishes on the table one
by one, and retreated backwards. He even secretly glanced at Feng Ye.
When Ah Li closed the door, Feng Ye frowned and
said, "Why did you find this kind of servant?"
"What's wrong?" Yan Sikong took a step
back and made a "please" gesture, "Your Highness, please take a
seat."
"If he had some evil intention and was greedy for your money, can you defeat him?"
Yan Sikong said with a smile, "I’m just a
mere editor with a seventh rank. Why would I have money?"
Feng Ye thought about it, and it made sense: "The
thief would take a detour when he saw the shabby house you live in."
"That’s why it’s peaceful and quiet."
Yan Sikong poured wine for Feng Ye. "I'll give Shizi a toast first."
Feng Ye watched Yan Sikong drink a cup by himself and became increasingly puzzled by this person. His gaze was naturally full of inquiry: "Why did you ask me to come?"
"I....." Yan Sikong's expression looked
a little lonely. "A few days ago, Lord Yan* had promoted me to be
the crown prince’s royal tutor."
Feng Ye said while maintaining his composure,
"That’s a good thing."
"Yeah, I’ve received constant invitations to the
banquet. All of them said they wanted to celebrate for me. If I weren’t busy
compiling and editing history recently, I couldn’t reject one at all."
"In that case..."
"But I don't have anyone I really want to
celebrate with." Yan Sikong smiled lightly, and his eyes flickered a bit,
"After thinking about it repeatedly, I could only think of Shizi."
Feng Ye was stunned, and his guard against him was
immediately lowered. However, seeing Yan Sikong's trembling eyelashes and dispirited
gaze, there was unspeakable loneliness. That look was like a small thorn
that was poking him.
Feng Ye let out a breath and finally smiled. He took the initiative to pour the wine: "Okay, I'll celebrate with you tonight." He raised his cup and said, "Congratulations to Lord Yan on your promotion."
Yan Sikong also raised his cup: "Thank you, Your
Highness."
Feng Ye thought of their previous meal and was quite dissatisfied: "You actually ran away when you came to my house last time. Tonight you have nowhere to run. I must see you get drunk."
Yan Sikong teased, "I'm afraid Your Highness
will get drunk first before I do.”
Feng Ye raised his eyebrows: "We shall see who has a good drinking capacity tonight."
"I’ll take you on right to the very end."
The two exchanged wine and soon became spirited, it's just that Yan Sikong kept himself sober throughout this whole time, and deliberately pretended to be slightly drunk and chatted with Feng Ye: "That day, I went to the Eastern Palace with my teacher to see the crown prince. Although he was young, he had an extraordinary manner. It seemed that his majestic spirit had not been eroded despite being neglected.”
"If he’s a real dragon*, the auspicious aura will never dissipate even after being thoroughly tempered with." Feng Ye took a sip, "It’s just that he is so young, and the emperor is in his prime of life. It's hard to say what will happen in the future."
"The world is changing. It is hard to even
say what will happen tomorrow." Yan Sikong said, "The current
situation is so unpredictable that no one can just take care of themselves and
not care about others. Is Shizi still going to stay at home and not go out?"
"I’m just planning to ask His Majesty for a
job." Feng Ye looked at Yan Sikong, "What do you think I should do?"
Yan Sikong thought: "His Majesty will not give you an important job. If it’s an easy job, he’s afraid to make Shizi feel wronged, so I don’t know.”
Feng Ye drank a mouthful of wine dispiritedly: "Precisely. Zhao Fuyi, the Vice Chief Soldier of Shuntian prefecture, is my father's former subordinate. I decided to go to him first."
Yan Sikong had guessed it for a long time, but he
still pretended he just understood. The name Zhao Fuyi was familiar to him as he
was the one who led 20,000 troops from Shuntian prefecture to reinforce
Guangning. He said, "How many defenders are there inside and outside the
capital?"
"About thirty to forty thousand."
"In that case, Your Highness no need to worry about having nothing to do." Yan Sikong thought: There are only thirty to forty thousand soldiers and horses. If the King of Jingyuan didn’t guard Datong and Wala marched their troops here, Dasheng would be finished.
Yan Sikong naturally didn't dare to say this, but Feng Ye dared to say it. Feng Ye snorted heavily and said what everyone already knew: "If it weren't for my father, Dasheng's territory would have been lost. His Majesty still constantly sends those civil officials to take care of this and that. If my father wanted to rebel, he didn’t need to wait until now.”
Yan Sikong patted Feng Ye's knee: "Let’s stop
here."
Feng Ye disapproved, and a fierce look flashed in
his eyes: "Now my father finally controls the military and political power
of Datong, yet he traps me in the capital."
"If not, how could His Majesty be at ease?" Yan Sikong looked at Feng Ye deeply, "Shizi, this is not a bad thing. The King of Jingyuan has your help in the capital. Isn't it like adding wings to a tiger*?”
Feng Ye narrowed his eyes, and he seemed to sober up a little: "What do you mean?"
Yan Sikong smiled with a slightly bewitching look in his eyes: "When you and I met for the first time, I already said that the King of Jingyuan is not in the imperial court. If someone was against him, he wouldn’t be able to defend himself no matter what. Shizi should be self-reliant, help the King of Jingyuan sit steadily in Datong, and protect the Central Plains."
Feng Ye snorted lightly: "Of course. I joined the army at the age of 11. Whether it's a sword in the open or an arrow shot while hiding, I've never been afraid. Whoever dares to plot against my father, they shall land themselves in serious trouble."
Yan Sikong sighed in his heart. Feng Ye was still
too young and domineering. He could tell that Feng Ye had never encountered any
setbacks at a glance and didn’t know whether he was lucky or unlucky.
The two drank a lot, and the smell of wine filled the
house, which could fumigate a person drunk.
Feng Ye was too drunk to sit steadily on the stool. Seeing that his body was sliding down, Yan Sikong went to hold him up: "Your Highness, let me help you take a rest." He drank so much that he was also unstable. He supported Feng Ye's body with some difficulty, and they were swaying unsteadily.
"I want...still want to drink..." Feng Ye reached out for the wine pot.
Yan Sikong only felt that Feng Ye was extremely
heavy. His legs were shaking constantly, and he wanted to call Ah Li for help,
but he remembered that he asked Ah Li to go and rest. He really didn't have the
strength to help Feng Ye to the guest room, so he had no choice but to stagger
and throw him on his bed.
As soon as he got up and was about to leave, Feng
Ye grabbed his wrist. That strength was so great that he really didn't look
like a drunken man.
Feng Ye looked at Yan Sikong in a trance with a
pair of dense eyes: "Where are you going?"
"Your Highness, it's time to rest."
"Haven’t…finished drinking. You dare to run away?" Feng Ye blinked. "I call...my younger brother…to bite you."
Yan Sikong wanted to laugh, but he was too tired to laugh: "You still say he’s intelligent. He’s still a...uhh…beast."
"He’s intelligent in nature. Whoever I asked
him to bite, he’ll…bite.”
Yan Sikong grabbed Feng Ye's hand and wanted to pry open his fingers, but Feng Ye was like a competing child, and he gripped tighter instead: "You are not allowed to go."
Yan Sikong was helpless. He stood up while swaying and insisted on withdrawing his hand. With a sudden force, Feng Ye pulled Yan Sikong onto the bed and let him fall heavily on himself.
Yan Sikong's head hit the bedpost. He swore twice,
and Feng Ye laughed out loud: "You dare to run, dare to run?"
Yan Sikong struggled a few times and became gradually
powerless.
"Don't run." Feng Ye hugged Yan Sikong,
buried his face in his chest, and muttered dispiritedly, "Sikong..."
Yan Sikong's body stiffened. He seemed to recall the hug when they bid farewell ten years ago, it's just that Feng Ye was still a thin and soft child in his arms. Now, he was as hard as iron. He was a general and a real man who went through fire and water on the battlefield.
Yan Sikong let out a low sigh and repeatedly
pondered that "Sikong" called by Feng Ye. It seemed that he was not
calling him, but calling the little boy ten years ago through his body and time.
"...Feng Ye." Yan Sikong's body slowly relaxed. Although their postures were very awkward and indecent, his dizzy brain made him forget etiquette. He only felt the warmth he had not experienced for a long time.
"...When you died, I've been sad for a long time..." Feng Ye gradually hugged Yan Sikong tighter, "for a long time..."
Yan Sikong was on the verge of shedding tears and
did not speak for a long time.
He heard an even snoring sound and closed his
eyes. At that moment, he suddenly forgot everything. He just wanted to have a
warm and steady sleep.
----
PS: my Weibo friend won’t be helping
me out anymore due to her busy schedule, so I’m on my own now.
PPS: time to build up some sweetness ♥
fellow sufferers that had mutual
sympathy* [同病相怜]--- Similarly afflicted people pity each other;
Company in distress makes trouble less; Fellow
sufferers commiserate with each other
extraordinary strength* [力大无穷]---力 means strength in 阿力
Yan* [颜]---this 颜 is Yan Zilian‘s (second tone). This 燕 is Yan Sikong’s (first tone)
real dragon* [真龙]---full idiom is 真龙天子. In ancient times of
China, the emperor is the true dragon and Son of Heaven and the Chinese people
are descendants of dragon. Meaning: the rightful king/emperor
adding wings to a tiger* [如虎添翼]---double the power
Edited on 14 Aug. 21 (Emzie)
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