Every morning, Ah Li would bring warm water to Yan
Sikong’s room for him to wash his face and rinse his mouth.
Yan Sikong had to practice martial arts every
morning, so he often woke up at this time. However, when Ah Li pushed the door and
came in, there was a pungent smell of wine in the room accompanied by a uniform
snoring sound, which showed that the person was sleeping soundly on the bed.
Ah Li walked gingerly to the bedside and took a glance. The washbasin in his hand almost fell to the ground.
He saw Yan Sikong and Feng Ye were hugging each other and sleeping until the whole bed was a mess. Their usual well-dressed and elegant appearances no longer existed. The two looked exactly like drunkards behind the dance pavilions.
Ah Li put the washbasin on the stool. When he turned his head, his gaze collided with Feng Ye’s, who was staring at him coldly. Ah Li was very scared and looked at Feng Ye, not knowing what to do. Those eyes were as sharp as a wolf's, which chilled him to the bones.
Feng Ye slanted his gaze at him lightly, motioning him to get out.
Ah Li bowed and retreated.
Feng Ye was a very light sleeper. Due to all the marching and fighting, he kept a high vigilance all year round, so he was already awake when Ah Li pushed the door open.
His arm had been pillowed by Yan Sikong all night
and was extremely numb, but he didn't move. He just looked at Yan Sikong
silently. That handsome and defenseless sleeping face seemed to have a tranquility
that could stop time.
Feng Ye was fascinated. He came back to his senses immediately, his mind was suddenly in a mess, and he couldn’t tell what was wrong. He couldn't resist reaching out to lift a lock of Yan Sikong's hair, and hold it tightly in his hand.
Not knowing how long it had been like this, Yan
Sikong's eyelids trembled and there were signs of awakening.
Feng Ye quickly closed his eyes and pretended to
sleep.
Yan Sikong opened his eyes and saw a sharp chin
first. He was stunned and got up suddenly, and he only saw Feng Ye sleeping on
his bed with his clothes in a mess.
Yan Sikong patted his own face in frustration, and
then pushed Feng Ye: "Shizi, Shizi?"
Feng Ye opened his eyes and looked at him in a
trance.
"Shizi, get up. We drank too much."
Feng Ye said lazily, "Since we drank too
much, why do we have to get up?" He loosened his aching arm and seemed to
be planning to continue to stay in bed.
Yan Sikong didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, "Are you planning to lie in bed for the whole day?"
"Why not."
"It's inappropriate."
"Propriety is nothing." Feng Ye yawned.
"Then have a good rest, Shizi." Yan Sikong
said and was about to get up.
However, Feng Ye grabbed him and said domineeringly,
"You’re not allowed to get up if I don’t.”
Yan Sikong was surprised and said, "For what
reason?"
"The reason is hospitality." Feng Ye hooked his lips and smiled, "You invited me first, so you must do your part as a host."
Yan Sikong was helpless: "How do I do my part
as a host by lying in bed?"
Feng Ye suddenly pulled him to himself and said into
his ear, “You can accompany me to sleep.”
Yan Sikong pushed Feng Ye away: "Please don’t joke around, Shizi. Are you hungry? I’ll ask Ah Li to get something to eat."
"Why aren't you as interesting as when you were young?" Feng Ye curled his lips. "At that time, you taught me to play this and that, and it was different every day.”
Yan Sikong thought. Those interesting things were
taught by Yuan Nanyu. When he was young, he only knew how to read.
Feng Ye sat up and said, "Don't live in this shabby
house anymore. Bring along your servant and come and live with me."
"Thank you for your kindness, Shizi. However, that's very inappropriate."
"What's wrong? The Feng residence is very big and there is no shortage of a room for you."
Yan Sikong said indifferently, "I live comfortably here. Thank you for your kindness." As a courtier, no matter how poor he was, he couldn’t depend on someone to make a living. Moreover, he had many secrets. If he was too close to people, it would be very inconvenient.
"Is it because you’re afraid of Feng Hun?"
Feng Ye joked.
Yan Sikong said honestly, "I'm afraid of him."
"I'll ask him to stay away from you."
Yan Sikong smiled but said nothing.
Feng Ye suddenly became a little angry: "Why do you always refuse my kindness? Last time, I asked you to go to Datong with me. If you agreed, you wouldn’t have been displaced."
Yan Sikong said slowly, “There are things in this world that can never be done as one wishes. Shizi was born under a lucky star, so you probably wouldn’t understand.”
"You..." Feng Ye pushed him away, turned
over, and got out of bed.
Yan Sikong also followed suit and got up: "Is
Shizi angry?"
"Yes." Feng Ye threw the harsh word at him and walked to the door.
Yan Sikong caught up to Feng Ye, then blocked him and said with a smile, "Why do you still get angry so easily like when you were a child?”
"How am I the same as when I was a
child?" Feng Ye looked at him condescendingly, "You’re the one who’s the
same as when you were a child, always making me angry."
Yan Sikong sneered.
Feng Ye snorted: "When you were young, you had the ability to make me angry. You hit me as soon as we met. I had to spend the whole day washing out the horse dung in my hair."
Yan Sikong held back his laughter: "Shizi
still bears grudges huh.”
Feng Ye's eyes flashed. Suddenly, he grabbed Yan Sikong's arm and twisted it behind his back.
Yan Sikong shouted, "Your Highness..."
Feng Ye mocked: "Speaking of which, I just remembered when you punched me at that time, my father asked me to practice martial arts more frequently so that I can get back at you in the future."
Yan Sikong gritted his teeth and said, "How
am I Your Highness's opponent now? Ouch..."
Feng Ye quickly loosened his grip and helped him
up: "Does it hurt?"
Yan Sikong said with a bitter smile, "I’m
just a scholar. Your Highness is a person of great moral stature who doesn’t remember the offenses committed by anyone of low moral stature*. Please let
me go."
"Scholar?" Feng Ye raised his eyebrows. "Uncle Xue tested your kung fu. What’s the point in pretending in front of me?"
"It's just for self-defense. If I met an
expert, it wouldn’t be enough to defend myself."
Feng Ye pretended not to hear the sarcasm in that
remark and changed the topic: "On the first day of next month, I will hold
a banquet in my residence to entertain the officials and gentries in the
capital. You have to come too."
"Alright."
"Also, next time when you come to my
residence, just come in openly." Feng Ye grinned, "You don't need to
beat around the bush if you want to see me."
Yan Sikong said with a smile, "Okay."
----
After that day, Feng Ye indeed sent out many banquet invitations, saying that he wanted to apologize to all the distinguished people that he refused to meet because of his poor health. When Feng Ye had given a flight of steps*, the invited naturally walked down the steps*. The banquet at the Feng residence immediately became the hottest topic in the capital for the past few days.
Yan Sikong didn't mention that he had been invited as he was afraid that Liang Sui and the others would ask all sorts of questions. Moreover, he had more important things to prepare, that is, giving lectures to Crown Prince Mu.
He got up before dawn for his first lesson, and
the skylight just appeared when he was waiting in the Eastern Palace.
Crown Prince Mu did not make him wait for too
long and even invited him to have breakfast together.
Yan Sikong declined and said, "I dare not to overstep my boundary. Please have a meal first, Your Highness."
"There’s no need to be formal, teacher."
Chen Mu patted the stool beside him, "Sit down."
Yan Sikong declined a few more times before sitting down.
"Have you had breakfast, teacher?"
"Not yet."
"Thank you for your hard work, teacher."
Chen Mu took the initiative to pick up a piece of meat and put it in Yan
Sikong's bowl. "Teacher can teach me attentively when you’re full."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Yan Sikong had some appreciation for this young prince. It should be that he has seen all the fickleness of human nature in the harem over the years, which made him especially sensible. If he could sit firmly on the throne, he might be a wise ruler.
"Teacher Shen taught me yesterday. He lectured very well, it's just that he was a bit more serious." Chen Mu said.
"Lord Shen is a scholarly and talented man. Your
Highness is also very intelligent. As long as you devote yourself to study,
your learning should naturally advance by leaps and bounds."
Chen Mu nodded and looked at Yan Sikong with a
light smile: "I heard that teacher’s talent is not inferior to Teacher
Shen’s in the jingyan, and my father liked you more."
Yan Sikong arched his hand and said, "I’m
flattered. His Majesty might have been a little tired with his day-to-day
business, so I said something interesting to win the emperor’s face. That's
all."
A trace of ridicule flashed on Chen Mu’s face. Yan
Sikong was not sure whether he misinterpreted him, but Chen Mu didn't say
anything.
During the lecture, Yan Sikong occasionally made the young prince laugh with his usual style, which made him very focused. He listened to his biological father's teaching in the private school since he was young. His father was a humorous man and was famous for running private schools everywhere. Every time he gave lectures, whether to the emperor, the crown prince, or teaching children to read for a living, he always seemed to be continuing his father's talent and learning.
After the morning lecture, Chen Mu couldn't refrain from giving praise: "Teacher lectures really well and is more interesting than anyone. My knowledge will only increase and not decrease."
Yan Sikong said with a smile, "It is a great
pleasure for me to make Your Highness gain something."
"With your talent, how could you not enter the top three?"
"Those who passed the civil examinations in the same batch as I were full of knowledge, so I was nothing."
"I don't think so. In that case, if you stubbornly read those boring stereotyped writings and entered the top three, you would not have such an abundan hundred schools of thought*, and your lectures would not be this interesting. Teacher is really a genius."
Yan Sikong said humbly, "Your Highness has overpraised me. I’m flattered.”
Speaking of this, Yan Sikong sighed in his heart.
Ever since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty dismissed the hundred schools and only revered the Confucian*, the glorious era of the contention of a hundred schools of thought during the Spring and Autumn periods and the Warring States was gone forever. Scholarly honor had become the only way out for scholars. If they wanted scholarly honor, they could only read the Four Books and The Five Classics*. Therefore, from generation to generation, the variety of learning ideas that once had their own merits have gradually withered and been swept into the corner of the elegant and noble hall.
When he was young, he was also devoted to the doctrine of Confucius and Mencius. When he grew up, he had time to read some "miscellaneous and evil books" because he had extraordinary talent. The great changes during his youth in the past destroyed everything he believed in. The ten years of wandering truly widened his knowledge of the world. If the only benefit he got from those nightmarish experiences was jumping out of his limited way of thinking, he would use his actions to let this rotten imperial court witness how "treacherous" his ideas were.
----
PS from Emzie: lol, Ah Li is like NOPE, I don't see anything XD
a person of great moral stature who doesn’t
remember the offenses committed by anyone of low moral stature* [大人不记小人过]--- hope the other party will not care about one’s own fault
given a flight of steps*…walked down the steps* [给了台阶]---full phrase is: 给个台阶下 (given some a flight of steps to walk down) Meaning: you stood on
a high platform and couldn’t get down, and you felt embarrassed, so someone
gives you a flight of steps for you to come down. Proper meaning: someone saved
you from embarrassment by doing sth.
hundred schools of thought* [百家]---or 诸子百家 were philosophies and schools that flourished from the 6th century
BC to 221 BC during the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period
of ancient China.
dismissed the hundred schools and only
revered the Confucian* [罢黜百家，独尊儒术]---means abolish other ideas and only value the doctrine of
Confucian school. Every official should understand Confucianism and interpret
the law with Confucianism. It was proposed by
Dong Zhongshu in the first year of Yuanguang (134 BC)
Four Books and The Five Classics* [四书五经]---are the authoritative books of Confucianism in China written before 300 BC. They are the most important classics of Chinese Confucianism.
Edited on 16 Aug. 21 (Emzie)
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