Jinting Han people

Chapter 120: Stay Out of It (4k)

After that meeting, Liu Xian decided to leave the Chu King's party.

He had already thought clearly that he was already a close ally of the Prince's faction. No matter how fierce the court struggles were, whether it was open slander or veiled coup plots, it had nothing to do with him. He had been granted six months of sick leave by Sima Yi, and only two months had passed. Why bother running around for others?
For the past year, he had gone against his will and tried every possible means to gain a foothold in the officialdom, simply to protect himself. He wanted to prevent Jia Mi from showing off his power and bullying others after Empress Jia came to power. And after Yang Ji rushed into the Eastern Palace that night and rescued the Crown Prince, as long as he did not actively interfere in government affairs, nothing could bring him down.

It's time to concentrate on gaining experience.

The summer of the first year of the Yuankang reign was no more scorching than in previous years; it was characterized by favorable weather and favorable harvests. Whenever the heat and dryness became apparent, rain would fall, relieving the heat. The rains were usually brief, though they did occasionally produce frightening roars of thunder and strong winds that whistled through the trees. These rains usually subsided after a day or two, maintaining a relatively pleasant climate across the vast South China Plain.

This also brought some interest to Liu Xian's recuperation. He moved a wooden couch to the shade of the trees by his pond. When the weather was fine, he would invite friends over to chat about the wonders of the world and heroes of the past and present. When it rained, he would lie down, listen to the rain, and write poems for A Luo. Besides that, he would think about what to eat and even cultivate some hobbies like imitating the prince. He remembered that his mother Zhang Ximiao loved to grow flowers, so he tried to grow some azaleas and crabapples.

Of course, this doesn't mean that Liu Xian lived a lazy life. Whether he was in mourning or at the Imperial College, unless there were very special circumstances, Liu Xian always maintained amazing self-discipline in his life, practicing bow and sword every day, and never missed a day.

Although he is recuperating now and his right arm is not strong enough, Liu Xian practices left-hand sword and left-hand calligraphy in his spare time.

Many people mistakenly believe that weapons skills, whether swordsmanship or spearmanship, can only be achieved through experience on the battlefield. However, this is not the case. Even during wartime, people spend more time preparing for war than engaging in combat.

The outcome of a battle often depends on preparation, and the same is true for swordsmanship. Hard work alone determines 90% of one's skill, while talent determines the remaining 90%. Ultimately, the only difference between masters is experience and practice.

For lazy people, physical hardship may be a torture, but for Liu Xian now, wielding the sword and making himself sweat in this vast world is a kind of enjoyment, because it allows him to forget many sorrows and worries in the world and become a simple person again.

But he was an adult after all, and even when recuperating, he still had to take care of some chores at home. After becoming the Prince's Left Guard Commander, the dozens of people in Anle Mansion basically regarded him as the head of the family, and Liu Xun let go of everything, happy to relax.

Taking advantage of Liu Xian's free time, his uncles and aunts came to him and said that they hoped Liu Xian could help arrange some marriages for his unmarried brothers and sisters.

Speaking of which, in the Anle Mansion, although Liu Xian was the only son of Liu Xun, he still had many brothers and sisters among the children of his uncles and aunts, about twenty people, big and small. Liu Xian was the eleventh among them. Those who had a good relationship with him when he was a child included Liu He, the eldest son of his fourth uncle Liu Zan, Liu Xuan, the eldest son of his twelfth uncle Liu Chen, and Liu Ke, the second son of his seventh uncle Liu Qian.

However, due to Liu Xian's special status and the fact that he was raised separately by Chen Shou and Ruan Xian since childhood, his relationship with his peers became somewhat distant, but basic family affection still existed. Now that Liu Xian's career was promising, the clan members wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to make their children's lives more comfortable.

Among them, the second aunt Wang Zhi was the one who cared the most about this matter. Originally, Liu Xun had taken away the title of Duke of Anle that was originally held by the second uncle Liu Yao, which had always resentful her. When Zhang Ximiao was alive, she had rarely given him a good face, but now, she took the initiative to find Liu Xian.

Because her second daughter, Liu Daorong, was already thirteen years old and had reached the age for engagement, she did not want her second daughter to marry into a poor family like her eldest daughter.

She said to Liu Xian, "Biji, although your mother only has you as her son, you are not without brothers and sisters. Ah Zhao (Liu Daorong's nickname) is your sister. Your uncle and I cannot decide whether she will be happy or not, but we still hope that she can be better. Now the times have changed, and we are old. You are a young swan, and we are sparrows who don't know our place. I just hope that you can be more careful and help your sister."

Wang Zhi's words reached this point, and Liu Xian quickly responded, "Second Aunt, what are you talking about? No matter how capable I am, I can't soar to fame and fortune alone. I'll need the support of my relatives in the future. What kind of family do you have your eyes on?"

Seeing Liu Xian so sensible, Wang Zhi couldn't help but say with joy, "Of course the higher the better! If possible, I heard that the Wang family of Langya has several unmarried young men. Do you think it would work?"

The Wang family of Langya did have two young men approaching marriage, one named Wang Dao and the other Wang Kan, but neither was clearly suitable for the Anle Palace. Liu Xian reluctantly admonished Wang Zhi for a while, then thought about the right candidate, but after a long time, he still couldn't decide. So he told Wang Zhi to go back and rest while he picked a partner and then discussed it.

That night, Liu Xian talked about this with his wife, A'Luo. A'Luo said, "Can't you pick someone from your friends? I think there are a lot of talented people there!"

Liu Xian sighed, "Most of them are married, only Xuanming and Yongming are still single. I admire them very much, but putting aside whether they are willing to be my brother-in-law, would Second Uncle be willing for A Zhao to marry a Xiongnu?"

So Liu Xian thought for a while, and finally said: "I think we should go to the Ruan family and ask. Although they are not rich, they have good family education and are considered a prestigious family."

Seeing his gloomy expression, Ah Luo couldn't help but burst out laughing. Then, scratching Liu Xian's eyebrows, she said, "My husband is already having such a headache just looking for a husband for my sister. What will it be like if we have a child in the future?"

Seeing his wife suddenly thinking about the future, Liu Xian's mouth curled up slightly. He smiled and said, "I'm not really sure what it will be like, but there is one thing I do know: it will definitely give you and me a headache."

"Why do I have a headache?"

"Because we must have had a lot of children then, not one, two, three, four, five, six..."

Liu Xian really likes children. Although children are ignorant and often do things that are difficult for ordinary people to understand, children are also pure. Liu Xian always can't help but miss his childhood when he knew nothing.

But unexpectedly, his words suddenly made his wife beside him sad. Ah Luo grabbed Liu Xian's sleeve and asked in a low voice: "But my husband, we have been married for four years and still have no children. Will it be..."

Ah Luo's face was filled with worry, and a wave of anguish welled up in her heart. In this era, women who gave birth only to daughters or no children at all were ridiculed by the world. Even a woman of noble birth like her was not immune to this common practice. Furthermore, Liu Xian had just expressed his desire for a child, which made her worry about her own future.

Liu Xian immediately knew he'd made a mistake. He recalled Lu Zhu's words before they parted, and then thought of his mother, Zhang Ximiao. He felt the world was truly cruel. Was the value of a woman's life truly so narrow? In his eyes, charm wasn't just about outward beauty; it also came from inner insight. Many women possessed wisdom beyond his comprehension, a wisdom he felt ashamed of. But he couldn't think of a way out, and felt deeply lost.

But at least he knew how to cheer Ah Luo up. He didn't need to say much. He just needed to gently hold Ah Luo's hand, warm his wife with his arms, and touch her skin with his lips. Ah Luo smiled, and her voice was also tinged with charm. Sometimes the touch of skin, the gaze of eyes, can be worth a thousand words...

After a night, Liu Xian felt refreshed. After changing the medicine on his right arm, he went to discuss with Ruan Fu and asked if there were any suitable young men in the Ruan family.

Ruan Fu was now the head of the Henan Yin Mansion. When he heard that Liu Xian was coming to visit his relatives, he was naturally very pleased. He agreed and said that there was a young talent in the Ruan family named Ruan Fang. He was twelve years old this year, half a year younger than A Zhao. Although his family was ordinary and had only fifty acres of land, he loved reading and was very talented. He would definitely become an official and famous in the future.

This was indeed a good match. Liu Xian immediately decided on the candidate and then casually asked, "Is the teacher doing well in Shiping County? I haven't heard from him for a long time."

Ruan Fu replied, "You know, at your age, it's hard to say when you'll be buried. If you have the chance, you could ask the Crown Prince to allow him to retire early so that you and I can see him one last time."

This was indeed a reasonable request, and Liu Xian naturally agreed. As a disciple of Little Ruan Gong, Liu Xian had already achieved some success. How could he not want to show his teacher how far he had come? Moreover, Xun Xu, who had envied Little Ruan Gong and instigated Sima Yan to transfer Little Ruan Gong to the pass, was now dead, so there should be no resistance.

So on the way back, Liu Xian immediately began to compose a draft of his article. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that the journey home flew by in a flash. However, just as he was about to reach home, the oxcart suddenly stopped. Zhu Fu, the driver, turned around and said, "Sir, there seems to be someone in front of the mansion?"

Is there anyone here? Liu Xian's train of thought was interrupted. He looked up and saw a gorgeously decorated ox cart parked in front of his house. In front of the cart stood a young man wearing a green robe with cloud patterns, standing tall like a bamboo. Liu Xian frowned when he saw him.

It turned out to be Sima Yue, the prince of Longxi.

When Sima Yue saw Liu Xian coming back, he didn't exchange pleasantries but got straight to the point: "Huai Chong, His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu has something urgent to discuss with you. He wants you to come over."

If Liu Xian had heard this in the past, he would have definitely followed Sima Yue directly. But now he had made up his mind to leave Sima Wei's faction, so he remained unmoved and asked, "Your Highness, what is the matter that has brought you here? Why are you bothering me? Is it a public or personal matter?"

Sima Yue was surprised by his response. His expression remained unchanged, only his eyelids drooped slightly. His eyes, which had been smiling, became fierce. He asked, "Huai Chong, what do you mean? What about official business? What about personal matters?"

Liu Xian replied, "If it's official business, please report it to His Highness. I'm currently recuperating and haven't officially started work yet. I'm afraid it would be of no use to contact me."

"If it's a private matter, please report it to His Highness. These are extraordinary times, so private matters should be put on hold until the government stabilizes."

Liu Xian's words went around in circles, but for Sima Yue, who was playing politics, the meaning was very clear. He didn't want to get involved in Sima Wei's affairs now, or it could be said that he wanted to leave Sima Wei's party.

Sima Yue certainly understood what Liu Xian meant, but he couldn't just give up on such an important statement. Instead, he narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "So, Huai Chong is fed up and wants to draw a clear line between himself and His Highness?"

Liu Xian said, "I'm not drawing a line. I'm just tired and want to take a break."

"But this kind of thing is beyond the control of you and me. Even if I don't say it, you should know that His Highness is looking for you for no other reason."

Liu Xian raised his eyebrows and said, "Has the Queen's reply arrived?"

"Yes," Sima Yue replied, "Your Highness will be ready to take action in two days, so His Highness would like to ask for your opinion."

"My opinion remains the same as before. Collaborating with the Queen is courting disaster," Liu Xian said frankly. "Since Your Highness is unwilling to comply, why would I bother going there in vain? I'd just like you to convey my regards and wish Your Highness all the best."

Liu Xian's resolute attitude was beyond Sima Yue's expectations. He couldn't help but stamp his feet slightly and admonish him again, "Huai Chong, I understand your resentment, but no matter what, you are from the Shiping Palace. In fact, your relationship with His Highness is closer than mine. If you do this, His Highness will be very sad."

Liu Xian actually shared this sentiment, but he also knew that they were not on the same path. Continuing on would only be forced and hurtful, so it would be better to leave behind a more pleasant memory. So he said, "I told Your Highness the other day that he who wins the hearts of the people wins the world. Since Your Highness doesn't even care about the hearts of the people, why would you care about a crippled heart like mine?"

"Just tell me that I am also very sad and hope Your Highness will take good care of himself. That's all."

"Huai Chong has no regrets?"

"I dare not say I regret it, but I have no regrets in my heart."

After this conversation, Sima Yue returned empty-handed and left alone. Liu Xian watched his receding figure under the setting sun, and the sadness in his heart was like a pierced cloud. Although he had lost many times in his life, this time, he was the one who took the initiative to give up a friend. It was hard for Liu Xian not to feel sad about this.

But no matter what, the result was good. Liu Xian still acted according to his own ideas and successfully kept himself out of the matter.

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(End of this chapter)