Only this one path exists OR blocked on the road
After about an hour of “fierce struggle,” the crowd gradually thinned, and Lu Min couldn’t help but wipe away a cold sweat, his previous longing for the civilian life of the capital turned into horror.
Along this road, the carriage moved through perilous situations.
The convoys in front and behind were constantly changing; initially, everyone had a clear direction, but later it turned into a complete mess. This was due to not just the poetry and painting of the exceptional Young Master Wei, but also Eastern Lin Academy’s Luo Juren, the Pipa-playing Zhu family’s eldest, the Pear Garden’s leading Chen sisters, and so on.
Whenever someone shouted loudly, the crowd would erupt into chaos.
These beauties wouldn’t stay in one place, so some turned their horses around, some hurried forward, and nearly came to blows in their conflicts. Fortunately, everyone was eager to see the beauties and didn’t want to waste time, otherwise, what might have happened is hard to say.
On the other hand, Lu Min was completely frustrated by the carriage bought from the capital’s horse and carriage shop.
Think about it, the Second Prince, known for his bravery but not for strategy, had “bravery” that was quite commendable. Although his horsemanship couldn’t compare to Liu Dan, who came from the northern borders, which horse in the palace’s Imperial Horse Supervisor could he not control? Lu Min even felt horses were easier to understand than people, but he never imagined that one day he would be bested by a horse.
The carts carrying goods were drawn by inferior horses, slow to react, which was good in that they didn’t panic and run at sounds, but bad because they were very unagile in turning, always moving in small steps, don’t even think about them moving fast.
That’s not all; they also didn’t respond well to commands, often wandering off to the roadside to munch on tender grass contentedly.
Lu Min: “……”
Compared to the exhausted Second Prince, Meng Qi appeared quite at ease.
The smile on his lips was so radiant that not even the veil of his hat could hide it. Despite the surrounding noise and the coming and going of people, he leaned on the shaft of the carriage, watching the spring willows by the road, facing the warm breeze and sun, utterly relaxed and comfortable.
Doctor Mo, after being nibbled on by a fat mouse, initially felt a bit uncomfortable, but Meng Qi quickly went out, and Mo Li, touching the place that had been licked for a long time, quietly suppressed the suddenly restless internal energy.
The carriage moved and stopped, and Mo Li, holding a scroll in his hand, couldn’t turn a single page for a long time, so he leaned against the window and watched the spring scenery, although his gaze always ended up wandering around a certain person.
For masters, being stared at is noticeable.
Meng Qi could be so relaxed and at ease precisely because of this.
Thus, on the surface, these two were enjoying the spring scenery, but Mo Li, in watching, ended up watching people, and the watched person pretended to know nothing, yet the pride was almost overflowing.
“……”
Lu Min felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, shifting around every so often, wishing he could just ride the horse pulling the carriage, so he could control this disobedient horse and escape the strange atmosphere between these two people.
“What are you doing?” Meng Qi suspected Lu Min had upset his stomach, not only unable to sit still but also with a pained expression on his face.
“Nothing…”
Lu Min shuddered, sitting up straight under the Imperial Teacher’s icy gaze.
He stealthily looked inside the carriage, and finally couldn’t help but say, “That, why don’t you go inside?”
“Do you know the way?” Meng Qi gave him a sidelong glance.
The Second Prince dared not speak anymore, continuing to struggle with controlling the horse.
The road to Qingjiang Ferry was only one.
A jam appeared ahead, but this time it seemed not to be because of the beauties, as many scholars dressed individuals dismounted their carriages and walked towards a barricade encircled by colorful fabrics in the distance.
Their left-behind sedans and carriages, parked together without moving, naturally caused congestion.
Some passersby also slowed down to look in that direction.
Those who could afford to use barricades were naturally from noble families.
The spring outing wasn’t just attended by the citizens of Taijing but also by many foreign merchants and visitors, some for business, others to visit relatives or friends, and still more scholars coming to the capital under the guise of lecturing or studying.
Having seen the citizens of Taijing’s admiration for beauty, their expressions were quite ugly, and some of the more temperamental ones directly lamented the decline of public morals. In a place like the capital, where literary culture flourished, especially during spring outings, one should emulate the ancients, indulging in poetic and drinking contests by meandering streams. Yet, the most sought-after were not the highly talented scholars but Young Master Wei, causing people to be indignant.
Now, seeing a gathering likely to be a literary meeting with a host of high status, they couldn’t help but inquire.
“……It seems to be people from Prime Minister Zhang’s residence, inviting many students and colleagues for a drinking and singing gathering. It’s said that in a while, Prime Minister Zhang will retire and return to his hometown.”
“Ah? Prime Minister Zhang is only fifty, isn’t it Prime Minister Jiang who should be retiring?”
“That’s unclear. How could we possibly understand the matters of the court?”
Listening to the various discussions of the passersby, Lu Min sneered disdainfully, then caught Meng Qi’s interested probing gaze.
Lu Min felt a chill down his back.
“What do you think about Prime Minister Zhang resigning?” Meng Qi casually asked.
Since they were stuck in traffic anyway, might as well use this jester to kill time.
Lu Min, forcing himself, said, “What can I think? I know nothing about court politics.”
“Nonsense.”
This time, Mo Li spoke up, slowly saying, “You’ve already forced a palace coup, how can you know nothing about court politics? Haven’t you thought about how to win over the ministers after succeeding?”
Lu Min’s expression was subtle, Meng Qi noticed something was off and asked in surprise, “Really never thought about it?”
“……”
Lu Min awkwardly turned away.
Previously, the Second Prince thought that with the Crown Prince around, ascending to the throne was something that would never fall to him. Later, with the Crown Prince’s serious illness, the Second Prince only thought about making a desperate move, with subduing the court officials as a secondary concern.
Especially after finding Ancestor Qingwu, who claimed to be the top expert in the world, Lu Min was full of confidence, believing that with the protection of such a master, seizing military power after regicide would ensure no one dared to oppose him.
To cover his mistake, Lu Min honestly confessed, “I just felt that my royal brother would not let Prime Minister Zhang go.”
“Oh?”
“Before my brother ascended the throne, the vice commander of the Jinyiwei, Gong Tongzhi, and General Liu were investigating evidence of Prime Minister Zhang abusing power. Although I don’t know the outcome, Prime Minister Zhang directly requested leave during the coronation, which is very abnormal,” Lu Min seriously listed, “Unless he really couldn’t get up, there’s no reason not to attend such an important event. Prime Minister Zhang might have realized my brother was against him.”
“That’s interesting, what else?” Meng Qi continued to ask.
The Second Prince scoffed, “What else could it be? The same old tactics of the civil officials. I’ve seen enough of it, resigning and then, according to tradition, the emperor must retain them. Probably this is Prime Minister Zhang’s probe; he wants to see how much evidence my elder brother has gathered, then flaunt his influence, with half the court being his people… Prime Minister Zhang doesn’t actually want to resign; this is actually a threat! Hmph, he misjudged my elder brother, who won’t be blackmailed nor will he allow him to retire and return home. Not taking action now is just to clarify Prime Minister Zhang’s clique. When the time comes, killing the chicken to scare the monkey will do, Prime Minister Zhang’s students and old officials, who clung to him for power, will naturally abandon him for power as well. Those who came to attend what literary meeting today, I think are all fools!”
Meng Qi raised his eyebrows, he was quite surprised and almost started to see Lu Min in a new light.
He whispered to Mo Li, “Lu Min seems to have gotten smarter, maybe fighting with the Sixth Prince cleared some blockage in his brain.”
“If the meridians in the brain were blocked, the person would either be foolish or paralyzed, not like Lu Min…”
Meng Qi immediately corrected, “Perhaps after going through these ordeals and being forced to leave the capital away from his brother, he’s begun to use his brain more, so he seems much more agreeable than the Sixth Prince.”
Mo Li thought, if not agreeable, Lu Min wouldn’t possibly be here.
If it were the cowardly, scheming Third Prince or the erratic Sixth Prince, not to mention asking for a hundred taels of silver to commit regicide, even for a thousand taels Meng Qi might not spare a glance, let alone take someone out of the palace.
Not interested in the silver, the subsequent matters wouldn’t exist either.
Now, the reason Lu Min has a place in this carriage is because over these days, Lu Min’s behavior hasn’t shown any “disagreeable” aspects, thus with Lu Min’s request, it was a small effort to bring the Second Prince along.
—After all, it’s just leaving the capital, there will be people sent by Lu Min to meet them.
“If Lu Min keeps up this momentum, thinking more and working hard on his studies, maybe in a few years, he could surpass his brother Lu Ren, allowing Lu Min to pass the throne to him,” Meng Qi said seriously.
Mo Li was about to speak but stopped. He wanted to say that the Crown Prince might not live that long, and he also wanted to say that Lu Min’s thorough thoughts were all because it involved the Crown Prince, if it were about Lu Min himself, he might not have this sharpness.
But Mo Li then thought, Meng Qi has experienced more and has a better judgment of people than he does, maybe Lu Min really will have such a day!
After all, people change, especially now that Lu Zhang is dead, meaning the shadow hanging over these princes no longer exists.
“If Lu Min wants to return to Taijing, to be by his royal brother’s side, he must strive to become a person above others,” Meng Qi slowly said, “I was initially planning to remind him, but it seems he understands this principle now.”
Mo Li gave Lu Min a deep look, sympathetically saying, “That’s not an easy thing to do.”
“No matter how difficult, that’s the only way, because it’s the only path that can fulfill what he desires in his heart.”
Not just to support Lu Min, as a prince, Lu Min also harbors ambitions, at least he is unwilling to cede the throne to either of his two younger brothers. Whether during Lu Min’s lifetime or after his death, the Second Prince would not truly engage in fratricidal conflict over the throne, as that would leave him ashamed to face his elder brother in the netherworld.
Meng Qi wasn’t clear about the brothers’ affairs before, but now, as an observer, he can easily discern Lu Min’s thoughts.
Mo Li sighed softly, whispering, “Lu Min may see his path clearly, but the true way out of this world remains unknown.”
The Crown Prince’s life is short, unable to implement new policies or bring a new era to the Qi Dynasty.
—Their trip to Taijing seems to have changed nothing.
Mo Li looked out the carriage window at the bustling scene, sensing what Meng Qi was thinking—wishing only that the people of Taijing could enjoy such days every year, traveling lightly and enjoying the spring without burden.
Anything beyond that is a luxury.
“The doctor need not worry, the so-called way out may just be like the one before us, merely blocked. Truly stumbling and bumbling along, just keep going, and eventually, we will reach the ferry.”
“Let’s hope so.”
Mo Li was about to say more when suddenly, a commotion arose from the road behind them.
A luxuriously decorated carriage, in its haste to get here, accidentally scraped against another smaller carriage. The latter had someone standing on the shaft watching the commotion, who then, caught by surprise, fell off in an undignified manner.
Fortunately, since the horse was short and the carriage low, and it was stationary, serious injury was avoided.
The offending carriage didn’t even spare a glance, its coachman merely shouted, ordering the obstructing vehicles ahead to make way.
But with the road in such a state, even power was ineffective, and the carriage had to stop. The occupants grudgingly disembarked, intending to walk to the literary meeting.
“The Vice Minister of the Ministry of War,” Lu Min muttered.
Not just Lu Min recognized him, but Meng Qi found him familiar as well, having seen him often in the palace lately.
Meng Qi’s gaze flashed, and he quietly gathered his internal energy, remotely poking the two black horses pulling the Vice Minister’s carriage.
“Psst!”
A stench spread, making people cover their noses.
Meng Qi was stunned; he just wanted the two horses to jump in place, causing the disembarking Vice Minister to also fall, but it turned out, those high-headed horses, perhaps due to something they ate before leaving, intended to defecate anyway. Now stimulated by the internal energy, they directly dropped a large pile of horse manure.
Mo Li instinctively held his breath, adjusting his internal energy.
Lu Min could only cover his mouth and nose like the people nearby.
The most unfortunate was the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, who was directly enveloped by the stench, with horse manure piling up around the carriage, leaving him unable to disembark or escape the foul smell.
Now, attending the literary meeting was out of the question; with his clothes reeking, how could he show his face?
The Vice Minister, his face turning purple with rage, retreated into the carriage, repeatedly calling for the coachman to leave.
However, the spring outing had its rules, with all major roads under the jurisdiction of the Taijing Prefecture. Given the abundance of vehicles, collisions and awkward situations like that encountered by the Vice Minister were inevitable. Animals are not humans, and defecating in the street is common. In such cases, a fee must be paid for someone to clean it up.
Inside Taijing city, where carriages have limited access, those who collect horse manure for money roam the markets daily. Today, for the spring outing, they too had left the city, pushing carts and carrying baskets nearby, ready to approach with auspicious words at the sight of any animal mishap, immediately seeking a reward.
“Give them the money, and let’s move on!” the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War stomped his foot.
With the road so congested, leaving was not an option; they could only move slowly.
The carriage, which had originally attracted attention, was now being avoided by everyone, as not only the ground but also the shaft and wheels were smeared with horse manure.
While no one dared to say anything to the face, there was plenty of whispering behind the back.
What on earth did the horses of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War eat? To defecate so much at once? Could it be that being an official’s household means being this extravagant? No, other noble households haven’t had such an embarrassment.
The third of March is a grand festival for the people of Taijing, and those responsible for feeding the horses are experienced. It’s not even noon yet, and even the horses rented from the horse carriage services shouldn’t be like this.
Meng Qi decided to pretend he knew nothing.
“Brother Meng.”
Oh no, did the doctor see it?
Meng Qi calmly turned around, only to hear Mo Li pointing at the scholar who had been knocked down by the Vice Minister’s carriage, saying, “Isn’t that Mr. Jinshui?”
Meng Qi was taken aback, then realized something was amiss.
It seemed that Mr. Jinshui wasn’t out for a spring outing. A box fell from his carriage, along with vaguely visible bundles and items, as if he was traveling far from the capital or moving.
“His carriage is damaged.”
Meng Qi noticed that one of the wheels of the carriage was bent from the collision.
After thinking, Mo Li said to Lu Min, “It seems we may have an additional companion.”
Lu Min was very surprised. For someone to be an old acquaintance of Meng Qi and Mo Li and to receive their proactive invitation, he must be no ordinary person! Who is this seemingly ordinary scholar?
“What might be the esteemed name of that gentleman?”
“…This, I’m not sure.” Mo Li only knew the name the other party signed on paintings.
Lu Min looked bewilderedly at Mo Li, then at Meng Qi, hesitantly asking, “What does that gentleman do?”
“He painted the Spring Palace Albums, the ones we saw at Fengxing Pavilion,” Meng Qi quickly explained, while reminding, “Mr. Jinshui doesn’t like people bringing this up, so pretend you don’t know later.”
Lu Min: “……”
Life is indeed fraught with hardships.
Author’s Note:
Lu Min: QuestioningLife.jpg
Fat Mouse + Fish: Mr. Jinshui, we are fans, really! Do you want a ride? We have a carriage!
——————
“Shang Jun Shu · Shuo Min” says that people desire many things, but the way to achieve them is singular.
This saying isn’t particularly nice, but it’s very fundamental, speaking to governance.
How to control the populace? By making them rely on only one method to obtain what they want (i.e., farming or joining the military), this way, the populace will always serve the state’s purpose.
——————
The character for Lu Ren, the Sixth Prince, is composed of “straight” above and “heart” below, meaning “virtue,” pronounced the same.
Only this one path exists OR blocked on the road
After about an hour of “fierce struggle,” the crowd gradually thinned, and Lu Min couldn’t help but wipe away a cold sweat, his previous longing for the civilian life of the capital turned into horror.
Along this road, the carriage moved through perilous situations.
The convoys in front and behind were constantly changing; initially, everyone had a clear direction, but later it turned into a complete mess. This was due to not just the poetry and painting of the exceptional Young Master Wei, but also Eastern Lin Academy’s Luo Juren, the Pipa-playing Zhu family’s eldest, the Pear Garden’s leading Chen sisters, and so on.
Whenever someone shouted loudly, the crowd would erupt into chaos.
These beauties wouldn’t stay in one place, so some turned their horses around, some hurried forward, and nearly came to blows in their conflicts. Fortunately, everyone was eager to see the beauties and didn’t want to waste time, otherwise, what might have happened is hard to say.
On the other hand, Lu Min was completely frustrated by the carriage bought from the capital’s horse and carriage shop.
Think about it, the Second Prince, known for his bravery but not for strategy, had “bravery” that was quite commendable. Although his horsemanship couldn’t compare to Liu Dan, who came from the northern borders, which horse in the palace’s Imperial Horse Supervisor could he not control? Lu Min even felt horses were easier to understand than people, but he never imagined that one day he would be bested by a horse.
The carts carrying goods were drawn by inferior horses, slow to react, which was good in that they didn’t panic and run at sounds, but bad because they were very unagile in turning, always moving in small steps, don’t even think about them moving fast.
That’s not all; they also didn’t respond well to commands, often wandering off to the roadside to munch on tender grass contentedly.
Lu Min: “……”
Compared to the exhausted Second Prince, Meng Qi appeared quite at ease.
The smile on his lips was so radiant that not even the veil of his hat could hide it. Despite the surrounding noise and the coming and going of people, he leaned on the shaft of the carriage, watching the spring willows by the road, facing the warm breeze and sun, utterly relaxed and comfortable.
Doctor Mo, after being nibbled on by a fat mouse, initially felt a bit uncomfortable, but Meng Qi quickly went out, and Mo Li, touching the place that had been licked for a long time, quietly suppressed the suddenly restless internal energy.
The carriage moved and stopped, and Mo Li, holding a scroll in his hand, couldn’t turn a single page for a long time, so he leaned against the window and watched the spring scenery, although his gaze always ended up wandering around a certain person.
For masters, being stared at is noticeable.
Meng Qi could be so relaxed and at ease precisely because of this.
Thus, on the surface, these two were enjoying the spring scenery, but Mo Li, in watching, ended up watching people, and the watched person pretended to know nothing, yet the pride was almost overflowing.
“……”
Lu Min felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, shifting around every so often, wishing he could just ride the horse pulling the carriage, so he could control this disobedient horse and escape the strange atmosphere between these two people.
“What are you doing?” Meng Qi suspected Lu Min had upset his stomach, not only unable to sit still but also with a pained expression on his face.
“Nothing…”
Lu Min shuddered, sitting up straight under the Imperial Teacher’s icy gaze.
He stealthily looked inside the carriage, and finally couldn’t help but say, “That, why don’t you go inside?”
“Do you know the way?” Meng Qi gave him a sidelong glance.
The Second Prince dared not speak anymore, continuing to struggle with controlling the horse.
The road to Qingjiang Ferry was only one.
A jam appeared ahead, but this time it seemed not to be because of the beauties, as many scholars dressed individuals dismounted their carriages and walked towards a barricade encircled by colorful fabrics in the distance.
Their left-behind sedans and carriages, parked together without moving, naturally caused congestion.
Some passersby also slowed down to look in that direction.
Those who could afford to use barricades were naturally from noble families.
The spring outing wasn’t just attended by the citizens of Taijing but also by many foreign merchants and visitors, some for business, others to visit relatives or friends, and still more scholars coming to the capital under the guise of lecturing or studying.
Having seen the citizens of Taijing’s admiration for beauty, their expressions were quite ugly, and some of the more temperamental ones directly lamented the decline of public morals. In a place like the capital, where literary culture flourished, especially during spring outings, one should emulate the ancients, indulging in poetic and drinking contests by meandering streams. Yet, the most sought-after were not the highly talented scholars but Young Master Wei, causing people to be indignant.
Now, seeing a gathering likely to be a literary meeting with a host of high status, they couldn’t help but inquire.
“……It seems to be people from Prime Minister Zhang’s residence, inviting many students and colleagues for a drinking and singing gathering. It’s said that in a while, Prime Minister Zhang will retire and return to his hometown.”
“Ah? Prime Minister Zhang is only fifty, isn’t it Prime Minister Jiang who should be retiring?”
“That’s unclear. How could we possibly understand the matters of the court?”
Listening to the various discussions of the passersby, Lu Min sneered disdainfully, then caught Meng Qi’s interested probing gaze.
Lu Min felt a chill down his back.
“What do you think about Prime Minister Zhang resigning?” Meng Qi casually asked.
Since they were stuck in traffic anyway, might as well use this jester to kill time.
Lu Min, forcing himself, said, “What can I think? I know nothing about court politics.”
“Nonsense.”
This time, Mo Li spoke up, slowly saying, “You’ve already forced a palace coup, how can you know nothing about court politics? Haven’t you thought about how to win over the ministers after succeeding?”
Lu Min’s expression was subtle, Meng Qi noticed something was off and asked in surprise, “Really never thought about it?”
“……”
Lu Min awkwardly turned away.
Previously, the Second Prince thought that with the Crown Prince around, ascending to the throne was something that would never fall to him. Later, with the Crown Prince’s serious illness, the Second Prince only thought about making a desperate move, with subduing the court officials as a secondary concern.
Especially after finding Ancestor Qingwu, who claimed to be the top expert in the world, Lu Min was full of confidence, believing that with the protection of such a master, seizing military power after regicide would ensure no one dared to oppose him.
To cover his mistake, Lu Min honestly confessed, “I just felt that my royal brother would not let Prime Minister Zhang go.”
“Oh?”
“Before my brother ascended the throne, the vice commander of the Jinyiwei, Gong Tongzhi, and General Liu were investigating evidence of Prime Minister Zhang abusing power. Although I don’t know the outcome, Prime Minister Zhang directly requested leave during the coronation, which is very abnormal,” Lu Min seriously listed, “Unless he really couldn’t get up, there’s no reason not to attend such an important event. Prime Minister Zhang might have realized my brother was against him.”
“That’s interesting, what else?” Meng Qi continued to ask.
The Second Prince scoffed, “What else could it be? The same old tactics of the civil officials. I’ve seen enough of it, resigning and then, according to tradition, the emperor must retain them. Probably this is Prime Minister Zhang’s probe; he wants to see how much evidence my elder brother has gathered, then flaunt his influence, with half the court being his people… Prime Minister Zhang doesn’t actually want to resign; this is actually a threat! Hmph, he misjudged my elder brother, who won’t be blackmailed nor will he allow him to retire and return home. Not taking action now is just to clarify Prime Minister Zhang’s clique. When the time comes, killing the chicken to scare the monkey will do, Prime Minister Zhang’s students and old officials, who clung to him for power, will naturally abandon him for power as well. Those who came to attend what literary meeting today, I think are all fools!”
Meng Qi raised his eyebrows, he was quite surprised and almost started to see Lu Min in a new light.
He whispered to Mo Li, “Lu Min seems to have gotten smarter, maybe fighting with the Sixth Prince cleared some blockage in his brain.”
“If the meridians in the brain were blocked, the person would either be foolish or paralyzed, not like Lu Min…”
Meng Qi immediately corrected, “Perhaps after going through these ordeals and being forced to leave the capital away from his brother, he’s begun to use his brain more, so he seems much more agreeable than the Sixth Prince.”
Mo Li thought, if not agreeable, Lu Min wouldn’t possibly be here.
If it were the cowardly, scheming Third Prince or the erratic Sixth Prince, not to mention asking for a hundred taels of silver to commit regicide, even for a thousand taels Meng Qi might not spare a glance, let alone take someone out of the palace.
Not interested in the silver, the subsequent matters wouldn’t exist either.
Now, the reason Lu Min has a place in this carriage is because over these days, Lu Min’s behavior hasn’t shown any “disagreeable” aspects, thus with Lu Min’s request, it was a small effort to bring the Second Prince along.
—After all, it’s just leaving the capital, there will be people sent by Lu Min to meet them.
“If Lu Min keeps up this momentum, thinking more and working hard on his studies, maybe in a few years, he could surpass his brother Lu Ren, allowing Lu Min to pass the throne to him,” Meng Qi said seriously.
Mo Li was about to speak but stopped. He wanted to say that the Crown Prince might not live that long, and he also wanted to say that Lu Min’s thorough thoughts were all because it involved the Crown Prince, if it were about Lu Min himself, he might not have this sharpness.
But Mo Li then thought, Meng Qi has experienced more and has a better judgment of people than he does, maybe Lu Min really will have such a day!
After all, people change, especially now that Lu Zhang is dead, meaning the shadow hanging over these princes no longer exists.
“If Lu Min wants to return to Taijing, to be by his royal brother’s side, he must strive to become a person above others,” Meng Qi slowly said, “I was initially planning to remind him, but it seems he understands this principle now.”
Mo Li gave Lu Min a deep look, sympathetically saying, “That’s not an easy thing to do.”
“No matter how difficult, that’s the only way, because it’s the only path that can fulfill what he desires in his heart.”
Not just to support Lu Min, as a prince, Lu Min also harbors ambitions, at least he is unwilling to cede the throne to either of his two younger brothers. Whether during Lu Min’s lifetime or after his death, the Second Prince would not truly engage in fratricidal conflict over the throne, as that would leave him ashamed to face his elder brother in the netherworld.
Meng Qi wasn’t clear about the brothers’ affairs before, but now, as an observer, he can easily discern Lu Min’s thoughts.
Mo Li sighed softly, whispering, “Lu Min may see his path clearly, but the true way out of this world remains unknown.”
The Crown Prince’s life is short, unable to implement new policies or bring a new era to the Qi Dynasty.
—Their trip to Taijing seems to have changed nothing.
Mo Li looked out the carriage window at the bustling scene, sensing what Meng Qi was thinking—wishing only that the people of Taijing could enjoy such days every year, traveling lightly and enjoying the spring without burden.
Anything beyond that is a luxury.
“The doctor need not worry, the so-called way out may just be like the one before us, merely blocked. Truly stumbling and bumbling along, just keep going, and eventually, we will reach the ferry.”
“Let’s hope so.”
Mo Li was about to say more when suddenly, a commotion arose from the road behind them.
A luxuriously decorated carriage, in its haste to get here, accidentally scraped against another smaller carriage. The latter had someone standing on the shaft watching the commotion, who then, caught by surprise, fell off in an undignified manner.
Fortunately, since the horse was short and the carriage low, and it was stationary, serious injury was avoided.
The offending carriage didn’t even spare a glance, its coachman merely shouted, ordering the obstructing vehicles ahead to make way.
But with the road in such a state, even power was ineffective, and the carriage had to stop. The occupants grudgingly disembarked, intending to walk to the literary meeting.
“The Vice Minister of the Ministry of War,” Lu Min muttered.
Not just Lu Min recognized him, but Meng Qi found him familiar as well, having seen him often in the palace lately.
Meng Qi’s gaze flashed, and he quietly gathered his internal energy, remotely poking the two black horses pulling the Vice Minister’s carriage.
“Psst!”
A stench spread, making people cover their noses.
Meng Qi was stunned; he just wanted the two horses to jump in place, causing the disembarking Vice Minister to also fall, but it turned out, those high-headed horses, perhaps due to something they ate before leaving, intended to defecate anyway. Now stimulated by the internal energy, they directly dropped a large pile of horse manure.
Mo Li instinctively held his breath, adjusting his internal energy.
Lu Min could only cover his mouth and nose like the people nearby.
The most unfortunate was the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, who was directly enveloped by the stench, with horse manure piling up around the carriage, leaving him unable to disembark or escape the foul smell.
Now, attending the literary meeting was out of the question; with his clothes reeking, how could he show his face?
The Vice Minister, his face turning purple with rage, retreated into the carriage, repeatedly calling for the coachman to leave.
However, the spring outing had its rules, with all major roads under the jurisdiction of the Taijing Prefecture. Given the abundance of vehicles, collisions and awkward situations like that encountered by the Vice Minister were inevitable. Animals are not humans, and defecating in the street is common. In such cases, a fee must be paid for someone to clean it up.
Inside Taijing city, where carriages have limited access, those who collect horse manure for money roam the markets daily. Today, for the spring outing, they too had left the city, pushing carts and carrying baskets nearby, ready to approach with auspicious words at the sight of any animal mishap, immediately seeking a reward.
“Give them the money, and let’s move on!” the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War stomped his foot.
With the road so congested, leaving was not an option; they could only move slowly.
The carriage, which had originally attracted attention, was now being avoided by everyone, as not only the ground but also the shaft and wheels were smeared with horse manure.
While no one dared to say anything to the face, there was plenty of whispering behind the back.
What on earth did the horses of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War eat? To defecate so much at once? Could it be that being an official’s household means being this extravagant? No, other noble households haven’t had such an embarrassment.
The third of March is a grand festival for the people of Taijing, and those responsible for feeding the horses are experienced. It’s not even noon yet, and even the horses rented from the horse carriage services shouldn’t be like this.
Meng Qi decided to pretend he knew nothing.
“Brother Meng.”
Oh no, did the doctor see it?
Meng Qi calmly turned around, only to hear Mo Li pointing at the scholar who had been knocked down by the Vice Minister’s carriage, saying, “Isn’t that Mr. Jinshui?”
Meng Qi was taken aback, then realized something was amiss.
It seemed that Mr. Jinshui wasn’t out for a spring outing. A box fell from his carriage, along with vaguely visible bundles and items, as if he was traveling far from the capital or moving.
“His carriage is damaged.”
Meng Qi noticed that one of the wheels of the carriage was bent from the collision.
After thinking, Mo Li said to Lu Min, “It seems we may have an additional companion.”
Lu Min was very surprised. For someone to be an old acquaintance of Meng Qi and Mo Li and to receive their proactive invitation, he must be no ordinary person! Who is this seemingly ordinary scholar?
“What might be the esteemed name of that gentleman?”
“…This, I’m not sure.” Mo Li only knew the name the other party signed on paintings.
Lu Min looked bewilderedly at Mo Li, then at Meng Qi, hesitantly asking, “What does that gentleman do?”
“He painted the Spring Palace Albums, the ones we saw at Fengxing Pavilion,” Meng Qi quickly explained, while reminding, “Mr. Jinshui doesn’t like people bringing this up, so pretend you don’t know later.”
Lu Min: “……”
Life is indeed fraught with hardships.
Author’s Note:
Lu Min: QuestioningLife.jpg
Fat Mouse + Fish: Mr. Jinshui, we are fans, really! Do you want a ride? We have a carriage!
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“Shang Jun Shu · Shuo Min” says that people desire many things, but the way to achieve them is singular.
This saying isn’t particularly nice, but it’s very fundamental, speaking to governance.
How to control the populace? By making them rely on only one method to obtain what they want (i.e., farming or joining the military), this way, the populace will always serve the state’s purpose.
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The character for Lu Ren, the Sixth Prince, is composed of “straight” above and “heart” below, meaning “virtue,” pronounced the same.
