Chapter 50 – Bestowal

On this day, the emperor did not attend court, citing the empress dowager’s serious illness. The filially devoted emperor had spent fifteen days in fasting and prayer at the imperial temple, praying for the empress dowager.

When Xia Chao went to the Imperial Academy early in the morning to take leave for Xu Chun, he reported back that due to the leaking roof, the Ministry of Works had arranged for repairs. Thus, the students of the Imperial Academy were instructed to study independently at home for half a month, with several essays on statecraft assigned.

Xu Chun was pleasantly surprised and enthusiastically took Jiu Ge along to go fishing. “Since I have a holiday, let’s make the most of it and stroll around the manor, Jiu Ge. Do you have any matters to attend to?”

Xie Yi replied, “Yes, there is important business.”

Xu Chun felt a bit crestfallen but quickly rallied his spirits. “Then, when will Jiu Ge be free?”

Xie Yi reached out, pulling Xu Chun into his embrace, and said solemnly, “Accompanying my little Langjun, that is important business.”

Xu Chun collapsed into Xie Yi’s arms, his heart pounding. Leaning against his shoulder, he looked at Xie Yi, who usually dressed impeccably, now wearing only a gauze robe with his raven hair cascading over his shoulders, simply tied with a cloth band. Realizing that Xie Yi was indeed going to spend time with him, he was elated. “Then I’ll have them prepare everything. Let’s go fishing.”

Seeing Xu Chun’s boundless energy, Xie Yi supported his waist. “Very well—though after such a heavy rain, can we even catch any fish?”

Xu Chun proudly proclaimed, “The best time to fish is right after a heavy rain, the fish are especially lively. And I have excellent bait…” He paused mid-sentence, staring wide-eyed at Xie Yi, disbelief written all over his face. “Jiu Ge.”

Xie Yi asked, “What’s wrong?”

Xu Chun couldn’t believe how Xie Yi could speak to him so seriously, completely ignoring his body’s reactions.

As the weather grew warmer, both of them wore gauze robes. Xu Chun shifted slightly, feeling the distinct sensation growing stronger, his face suddenly flushing red. The clothes were truly too thin.

Supporting himself on Xie Yi’s shoulders, Xu Chun swung his long legs and, without further ado, knelt beside Xie Yi on the armchair, lowering his head to kiss Xie Yi’s lips. Despite the flush on his face, Xie Yi’s arms encircled Xu Chun’s waist.

The sunlight outside was bright. They had risen late, and by the time they finished breakfast, it was already close to noon. Xu Chun clearly observed Xie Yi’s face, his long lashes half-closed, eyes calm, posture composed, lips pursed in restraint, as if he could stop at any moment, except for his body, which burned like fire.

The Book of Rites says, “A gentleman does not misstep before others, does not show inappropriate expressions before others, does not utter inappropriate words before others.”

Xu Chun didn’t know why he thought of this passage from his studies.

Although Jiu Ge didn’t emphasize teaching him the Book of Rites, Xu Chun had always believed that Jiu Ge was a gentleman.

He never imagined that Jiu Ge could also bear with such restraint.

The more so, the more he teased him, mischief rising within him. Right in front of the window on the rooftop, he rubbed against Xie Yi, entwining with him until finally, Xie Yi lifted him up and pressed him onto the smooth, hard surface of the huanghuali table. “Didn’t you say we were going fishing?”

Xu Chun’s face was flushed, his shoes long gone, twisted somewhere during their tussle. Looking up at Xie Yi’s gaze from below, he suddenly felt a twinge of fear. Xie Yi leaned down, grasping his slender ankle. “There’s a fish here that’s rather mischievous. Let’s soothe it first.”

Xu Chun bit his lip, turning his head, his heart pounding. He saw his painting pushed aside, the waterfowl swimming in the clear stream, a bird beside it looking down intently, its beak poised, ready to strike, waiting quietly for the right moment.

It wasn’t until late afternoon that Xie Yi and Xu Chun changed their clothes and arrived at the lake, preparing to fish.

The heavy rain had raised the water level significantly. Water grasses flourished by the lakeside, and ducks swam leisurely on the surface, occasionally pecking at the water, snatching small fish.

Xu Chun had been eagerly anticipating this day, but now, he suffered the consequences of his own actions. His spine and legs seemed to tremble faintly, soft as if they weren’t his own. He picked up a cushion to lean against, lazily directing them. “The fishing rods are all prepared here. Just attach the bait and set them up; you won’t tire your hands if there’s no movement. In that basket… Jiu Ge, pull out that bag of bait and scatter it on the water. Also sink two fish traps over there. Later, when you haul them up, they’ll be full of fish. That way, even if we don’t catch any fish, we can still have fish cakes.”

His face still bore a rosy hue, his forehead damp, and his lips were unusually lustrous.

Xie Yi turned to look at him, following his instructions, scattering the bait and sinking the fish traps. Then he took a fishing rod, even threading the bait for Xu Chun’s rod and casting it for him, before preparing his own rod.

Xu Chun was shocked by his proficiency. “So, Jiu Ge, you know how to fish too?”

Xie Yi replied, “Yes… My maternal uncle loves fishing. He says it cultivates one’s character, hones one’s concentration, so he often took me fishing. Actually, I think he just used it as an excuse to indulge his fishing addiction, since my aunt didn’t like him fishing, and he would often go on wild fishing trips and not come home for days.”

Xu Chun nodded. “Your maternal uncle treated you quite well, didn’t he?”

Xie Yi said, “Indeed. He taught me many things, from the Five Classics and Four Histories to the Six Arts. He laid the foundation for my education and opened my mind. He taught me calligraphy, guiding my hand every step of the way. His knowledge was extensive, both adept at antiquities and deeply versed in medicine, Zen principles, Daoist theories, and a myriad of miscellaneous studies. He was a very interesting person. Those painting appreciation skills of mine, most of them were taught by him.”

Xu Chun was filled with respect. “That’s truly a great teacher then.”

Xie Yi fell silent. Xu Chun remembered that Jiu Ge hadn’t had a good relationship with his birth mother, later even falling out with her. He guessed that he had also severed ties with his maternal uncle.

Regretting bringing up this sad topic, he simply pointed to the water and tried to lighten the mood. “Look, Jiu Ge, aren’t many fish coming over? This is all thanks to my bait! Just wait, soon these fish will be drunk on the surface, and we can pick them up at will. Hehehe.”

Xie Yi asked, “Is it some kind of secret technique?”

Xu Chun chuckled. “Soak rice in wine for three days and three nights, mix it with salted vinegar and minced shrimp meat, add in water caltrop grass and barley, and grill earthworms with sugar. Mix it all together, soak it in wine, and that’s the bait to get the fish drunk! This recipe came from a storybook I read, I tried making it, and it actually worked!”

He shook his head and wagged his tongue. “This is called ‘drunken fish caught by slow rowing.’”

He laughed heartily for a while, then suddenly realized that “drunken fish caught by slow rowing” wasn’t exactly a compliment. He wished he could bite off his own tongue and stole a glance at Xie Yi. Xie Yi noticed his gaze and smiled slightly, looking at him. “It’s good, indeed clever.”

Xu Chun panicked internally but was worried that Xie Yi might take note of it or settle accounts with him later at night. He hurriedly changed the subject. “Today, Jiu Ge told me about my given name, but I also have a nickname, and it has quite a history.”

Xie Yi smiled. “Oh? How so? What is it?”

Xu Chun patted the Dragon Scale Sword at his waist. “I have a nickname called ‘Youlin,’ Jiu Ge mustn’t have expected that when you gave me the sword, right?”

Xie Yi’s eyes flickered. “Oh? I thought it was the word for qilin, but it turns out to be dragon scales? What’s the origin of this name?”

Xu Chun animatedly recounted, “When my mother was pregnant with me, it was said that she wasn’t in good health. My grandfather, far away in Minzhou, was very worried, so he prepared a lavish gift and went to pay homage to the Heavenly Empress, hoping that she would protect my mother, ensuring a safe delivery and the safety of both mother and child. After returning, that very night! Guess what dream my grandfather had?”

His eyes sparkled as if he had witnessed it himself. “My grandfather dreamed of golden light shining in the sky, with colorful auspicious clouds. The Heavenly Empress stood amidst the clouds, holding a golden scale in her hand, throwing it down towards my grandfather from the clouds!”

“The golden light descended, and my grandfather was startled awake, feeling that the dream was extremely auspicious. Half a month later, news arrived from the capital, saying that my mother had given birth to me safely. Asking the messenger about the time, it turned out to be exactly when my grandfather dreamed of the Heavenly Empress throwing down the golden scale, not a moment off! Isn’t that amazing?”

Xie Yi said, “Indeed miraculous. No wonder you have a noble appearance, clear eyes, a broad forehead, ears above your eyebrows, red lips, and white teeth. You have the features of someone destined for greatness.”

Caught off guard by such praise, Xu Chun blushed deeply, somewhat embarrassed. “It’s just something family members brag about among themselves. It’s not proper to say such things outside. I’m just telling Jiu Ge for a laugh.”

Xie Yi said earnestly, “I’m not exaggerating. I’ve studied physiognomy to some extent, and looking at your appearance, it matches a very famous physiognomic trait.”

Xu Chun was very curious. “What destiny?”

Xie Yi replied, “A supportive spouse destiny.”

Xu Chun: “…”

Xie Yi laughed. “Don’t you believe me, my dear?”

Feeling a bit shy, Xu Chun picked up the bamboo rod, his ears burning hot. “I need to concentrate on fishing. I must catch a big fish.”

Xie Yi smiled inwardly, not teasing him further, and focused on his fishing rod, seeing that some small fish were indeed floating to the surface, drunk. So he put down his fishing rod, took the fish basket, and scooped up those greedy fish that had died from drunkenness with a strainer, placing them in the basket and sprinkling some water on them.

More and more fish floated to the surface. After scooping them up once, Xie Yi had a bountiful harvest. He assumed that the fish baskets submerged in the water would also be full, so he didn’t rush to lift them up. If they were only going to make fish cakes, this amount would be enough. Seeing that Xu Chun was trying to maintain his spirits but was likely quite exhausted, he decided it was best to return early for dinner and rest.

Turning to speak to Xu Chun, he saw that Xu Chun had fallen asleep leaning against the cushion, his face turned to one side. One hand still held the fishing rod, while the other hung down, like a drooping flower bud. His eyelashes were densely closed, his expression peaceful and obedient, the vivacious expressions from last night to today turned into tranquility.

Xie Yi stood by the lake and watched quietly for a while, watching the sunset slowly descend. At this moment, he felt the years pass idly, the world was so tranquil, and today he was no longer a sage at heart, but a common man catching fish.

“I have been wandering for a long time. For ten years, I have neglected profound kindness, the life and death of teachers and friends.”

The fishing float sank, indicating a fish had taken the bait. Xie Yi returned to his seat, slowly reeling in the rod, but removed the hook and released the fish back into the lake. Turning to look at Xu Chun, who was still sound asleep, this full moon was inherently flawless, soothing life’s sorrows without necessarily being an old friend. (Note)

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At the Duke Jingguo’s Mansion, Xu Anlin rushed back from outside but went straight to the matriarch first. He said, “Something strange happened today. The palace bestowed many gifts, saying that the emperor felt I had been meritorious and diligent lately, and commended me for raising my son well. There were many gifts on the list, not only for me, but the entire Duke Jingguo’s Mansion received rewards.”

The matriarch was also quite surprised, ordering someone to bring the list of gifts for inspection. Indeed, starting from the matriarch, there were high-quality palace fans, two strings of coral beads, a ruyi, sachets, prayer beads, and medicines from the palace. Everyone received something, including Lady Bai and Lady Sheng, who each received their own rewards. Among them, Duke Jingguo and Lady Sheng received particularly valuable items, including jade Guanyin statues, incense paperweights, and white jade bracelets.

The matriarch wondered, “Although the Dragon Boat Festival has just passed, it’s unusual to give festival gifts after the festival. Judging from the quantity, it seems more like rewards for imperial concubines and relatives of the royal family.”

Lady Bai laughed. “Was it bestowed by the empress dowager? I should send someone to inquire whether others received similar gifts.”

The matriarch wondered, “They say the empress dowager is seriously ill, and the emperor is fasting. We should accept the gifts and express our gratitude, without making unnecessary inquiries.”

For a while, everyone was puzzled, but they could do nothing but accept it.

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Only Xu Chun, who ate the fried fish cakes and fish soup at night, still felt a bit ashamed for falling asleep while fishing during the day and not having enough fun. At night, he stubbornly asked Jiu Ge to admire the paintings he had collected here.

Xie Yi knew that Xu Chun’s previous attempt to appreciate paintings with others had ended unhappily, so he didn’t spoil his mood this time. Indeed, he carefully accompanied him to view the collection. Seeing that the Auspicious Crane Painting he had gifted him was prominently displayed in the center, he smiled inwardly, realizing that at that time, his heart had been moved by the youth’s laughter and tears. He hadn’t known that he had already fallen into the depths of affection.