Jinting Han people

When Sima Yu was a child, his grandfather Sima Yan told him this story:
Once upon a time, there was a man who invited four guests to a banquet, all of whom were his friends. One of them couldn't come that day because he had something to do, and the host, who was talkative and prone to nagging, kept saying during the banquet, "Alas, those who should have come didn't show up."

At the banquet, a guest with a short temper became annoyed after hearing so much and said, "So, does that mean I shouldn't have come?" He immediately turned and left.

The master couldn't catch up and returned, sighing even more, saying, "Alas, those who shouldn't have left have left."

This was even more outrageous. One of the remaining two guests, a man of short temper, couldn't sit still any longer and said angrily, "Then should I leave?"

The master tried to persuade him to stay, but couldn't, so he could only call out to his retreating figure, "I wasn't talking about you..."

Now even the last friend couldn't be kept.

For some reason, Sima Yu remembered the story the first time he heard it, and often thought of it in the years that followed.

Sima Yu remembered this story mainly because of his grandfather, Sima Yan. To be honest, he didn't know that Sima Yan was his grandfather when he was young, because in the palace where he lived, apart from the palace maids, there was only him, his mother Xie Jiu, and his grandfather Sima Yan. His grandfather Sima Yan was the only man he had seen besides his peers, so he regarded Sima Yan as his father.

Unexpectedly, one day, Sima Yan suddenly summoned him and pointed to a middle-aged man with a fat head, big ears, and a simple and honest appearance, saying, "Shamen, this is your father."

Then, pointing at Sima Yu to the middle-aged man, he said, "Zhengdu, this is your son."

Sima Yu was not the only one summoned; Sima Wei, Sima Yun, and other princes were also present. It was the first time they had heard this news, and they couldn't help but look at Sima Yu in surprise.

Sima Yu himself felt confused and surprised, and a thought couldn't help but surface in his young mind: "Is this talking about me?"

In fact, Sima Yu often had this kind of doubt during his short life.

I remember it was an autumn after they had recognized each other as family. Although Sima Yu had acknowledged his father, his father was unable to take care of himself, let alone be a qualified father. Therefore, his life didn't change much; he spent every day with his grandfather, receiving instruction. Sima Yan also loved him very much, taking Sima Yu out every day, never leaving his side.

That night, Sima Yan took him to Chengfeng to watch the stars. Suddenly, a fire broke out in the southeast of the palace. In the pitch-black night, the flames could be seen dancing wildly like a demonic dragon. In the distance, people's cries and noises could be heard, and the figures kept changing, like invisible demons.

Sima Yu was somewhat frightened and tried to hide from the firelight by pulling on his grandfather's robe. Sima Yan found his terrified expression amusing and picked him up, asking, "Shamen, what are you afraid of?"

Sima Yu said, "I'm afraid, I'm afraid something might happen to you."

He still remembered his grandfather's expression at that time. His grandfather was taken aback at first, then the wrinkles on his face gradually bloomed like flowers, and he chuckled. Holding Sima Yu, he slowly said to the accompanying Minister of Justice, Fu Zhi, "This child will bring prosperity to our family and the nation!"

This was the first time Sima Yu had heard the words "state" and "empire," and he was still confused: "Is Grandfather talking about me?"

But for some reason, from that day on, everyone in the world said he resembled Emperor Xuan, Sima Yi. And when Sima Yu learned to read and write and understood what Emperor Gaozu Sima Yi had done, his confusion only increased: he really didn't know how he and Emperor Gaozu could be similar.

However, the clever boy knew that this was his grandfather's high expectation for him, hoping that he could become a great monarch, a great monarch who could stand with all the great monarchs in history and not bow his head.

So he began to study diligently, especially after his grandfather fell ill. He studied very hard; while other princes were idle, he would be reading. Articles that would take others four or five days to finish, he could often understand in a single day. This was certainly due to his intelligence, but it also proved his diligence.

As the saying goes, reading history books can enlighten one's mind. As he read more and more books, Sima Yu quickly understood his situation: he had a stepmother who hated him to the core, and she also came from the most prestigious aristocratic family in the country.

This means that he will be facing an unprecedentedly powerful and unparalleled maternal relative.

Besides the maternal relatives, there were also a dozen or so powerful members of the imperial clan and dozens of powerful and influential families.

He thought to himself: Perhaps only by emulating King Zhuang of Chu, keeping a low profile and blending in with the world, can I achieve something after ascending the throne.

So he began single-mindedly to play the fool, a capricious, unconventional, and ultimately useless fool. He knew his grandfather's expectations of him were incredibly high, practically staking the future of the entire nation on his fate. Therefore, he couldn't have normal human emotions, couldn't cry or laugh normally; even emotions were superfluous. And he truly did just that. On the day Sima Yan died, the thirteen-year-old played among the azalea bushes, seemingly feeling no grief whatsoever.

But two months later, his father Sima Zhong had already ascended the throne, and his grandfather Sima Yan's coffin had been placed in Junyang Mausoleum. At the ceremony of appointing him as crown prince, he looked around blankly. The surroundings were filled with people, a dark mass like a boundless sea. Sima Yu's eyes wandered around as if in a dream, searching for something.

He was looking for his grandfather.

He knew that Sima Yan would be very happy to see him in imperial robes, because his grandfather had said since childhood: "I want to see the monk become the crown prince and the emperor."

At such an important moment, he had so much to say to his grandfather. He wanted to tell his grandfather: I have become the crown prince. I will be cautious and diligent in the future and do my best to become the greatest emperor in history! The kind of emperor that future generations will not be able to help but give a thumbs up when they read history books a thousand years later.

This is a simple youthful ambition. In front of so many people who look up to him, he only wants to make a vow to one person, and then prove it with his actions.

However, Sima Yu did not see that figure. His gaze swept over everyone present, including his stepmother with her squinting triangular eyes and his bewildered father, but he still could not find the figure he was looking for.

It was only then that he realized with a start that his grandfather had really passed away.

Two months ago, when Sima Yu heard the news of his grandfather's death at the Prince of Guangling's residence, he didn't feel anything was real. He was still immersed in his role of enduring hardship and biding his time, and he didn't even cry when he attended his grandfather's funeral. Unexpectedly, two months later, the feeling of "my grandfather is dead" finally came back to him in a roundabout way.

"What should have come has not come."

At that moment, he felt an indescribable emptiness in his heart.

The court officials, seeing Sima Yu's handsome appearance, couldn't help but nod in approval, saying, "This is truly the crown prince of our Jin dynasty." But Sima Yu found it all rather dull. At the banquet that day, which was centered around him, he excused himself, saying he couldn't hold his liquor, and left early.

In the years that followed, Sima Yu remained indifferent to the political situation in Luoyang.

With the downfall of the Three Yangs and the mutual destruction of Sima Wei and Sima Liang, he indeed witnessed his stepmother's seizure of power. This was followed by the Empress Dowager's faction's oppressive rule over the entire city of Luoyang, as well as numerous disasters and popular uprisings in various regions.

In the intercalary month of the fifth year of the Yuankang era, on the day of Gengyin, after the great fire at the armory, an official submitted a memorial stating: "The White Tiger appears amidst the Seven Stars, the armory is on fire, and the Di and Qiang tribes rebel. This is a very ominous sign. There must be some disorder in the court. I hope Your Majesty will act in accordance with the will of Heaven and govern accordingly."

The implication was that he hoped the Empress could make some changes and reform herself for the sake of the country.

As a result, the official was quickly imprisoned for spreading seditious rumors. The official's family sought help from Sima Yu, hoping he could intervene, but Sima Yu remained unmoved.

It wasn't that he was truly indifferent, but rather that he increasingly realized he couldn't actually do anything about it.

In fact, he learned this lesson from a story his grandfather told him.

Life is a grand feast, or rather, everyone hopes their life is a grand feast. They meticulously prepare every detail of this feast, every dish, every bowl, every plate, choose an auspicious day, and invite relatives and friends, all in the hope that this feast can be grander and more exquisite.

But just like the friend who couldn't come, no feast can be perfect. Or rather, imperfection is the norm. Some feasts have more attendees, some have fewer. But human nature is the same.

When the host lamented the shortcomings, he also dampened the festive atmosphere of the banquet, leaving the guests with a sense of incompleteness as well. They could not experience that perfect feast, and if the lament continued, the incompleteness would only grow, leaving only one person drunk and dejected.

For the Jin Dynasty, Sima Yu was not the master, but rather the flawed perfection that Sima Yan spoke of.

My grandfather, as the founding emperor, did not keep his promise to Emperor Jing. In the struggle for the throne, he killed his uncle Sima You. Then, in order to deceive himself and show his affection for his relatives, he praised Sima Yu, supported his son Sima Zhong as emperor, and lavishly enfeoffed princes and heavily relied on the Three Yangs, in order to cover up his coldness towards his brothers.

In reality, however, my grandfather was going further and further down the wrong path. By the time he passed away, the grand feast was over, and all the guests had left. The regret that I, as his grandfather, had left behind could never be fulfilled.

He was hated by everyone, and his destiny was to be a sacrifice for the dynasty.

Thinking of this, Sima Yu often lamented those who lost their lives in the struggle for power:
"The person who shouldn't have left has left."

In this situation, Sima Yu realized early on that it was better to accept things sooner rather than later, rather than regretting and agonizing over them. At least that way, when he reached the end, he could still have lived a relatively pleasant life.

Now, Sima Yu has arrived in Xuchang. He knows his life is nearing its end. But for some reason, despite having long since reconciled with his regrets, he feels a surge of resentment. After thinking for a long time, he finally realizes what he's resentful about:
If life is destined to be imperfect, then what is there to cherish about this life that is destined to fail?

The answer is to fight even knowing it will be fruitless; this is a gesture of mockery towards fate.

At this time, he met Sun Lü, who had come to secretly kill him on the orders of his stepmother.

Sun Lu spoke a long string of high-sounding words, the gist of which was that he had heard that Xuchang had been experiencing continuous rain recently, making it prone to epidemics, so he had come to deliver a good medicine to the deposed crown prince to help him strengthen his body and fulfill the bond between mother and son.

Sima Yu asked directly, "What kind of medicine is it?"

Sun Lu said, "It is a special croton and apricot kernel pill made by the Imperial Physician."

Sima Yu laughed and said, "Croton is a laxative, and raw almonds also have intestinal poison. Combining the two is adding poison to poison. How can it strengthen the body? If you really think so, you might as well take one first. If you are fine with it, I will take one too."

Sun Lu, unaware that Sima Yu had read medical books, was dumbfounded and at a loss for words. He had no choice but to retreat, and then devised a plan. He joined forces with Wang Jun, the General of the Eastern Army, to seal off the Xuchang Palace, intending to emulate the method used to secretly execute the deposed Empress Dowager and starve Sima Yu to death.

Eight days passed in the blink of an eye. Eight days later, Sun Lü opened the palace gates, intending to go in and examine the deposed crown prince's body. If he wasn't dead, he would give him one last quick death. Unexpectedly, upon entering, he smelled the aroma of food. It turned out that Sima Yu had been raising chickens and dogs in the Xuchang Palace, and had also grown vegetables, cooking his own meals every day. He had also made friends with several palace servants in Xuchang Palace, who would secretly bring him some wheat and rice as his staple food each day.

When Sun Lü entered, Sima Yu was steaming toon sprouts with eggs, then making a sauce with dogwood and preparing a cold dish of houttuynia cordata. He casually invited Sun Lü, "Would you like to eat with me?"

This infuriated Sun Lü. He knew that things had reached a point where there was no way to end things gracefully. So he immediately grabbed a pestle and ordered his palace servants to surround the deposed crown prince. Seeing the situation was dire, Sima Yu immediately started running, shouting and laughing as he ran, "You think you can kill someone just because I invited you to dinner?!"

The two chased each other until they reached a locust tree. Just like the King of Qin and Jing Ke five hundred years ago, they ran back and forth around the locust tree. Although it was already spring, the locust tree didn't have many leaves and hadn't blossomed yet.

Sun Lü was not as physically strong as Sima Yu. After running for a while, he was panting heavily. Holding a pestle, he pointed at Sima Yu and said, "You traitor, you still want to defy the imperial decree here and plot to overthrow the court?"

Upon hearing this, Sima Yu stopped, a bewildered expression on his face. Then, an overwhelming sense of absurdity welled up within him, causing him to burst into laughter. He even took a few steps closer, pointing at himself to Sun Lü and asking, "Are you talking about me?"

Before he finished speaking, Sun Lü struck Sima Yu on the head with a pestle, making him see stars and bleeding profusely. He fell to the ground, feeling several more blows to his head, and his consciousness began to fade. In these final moments of his life, he smiled in a daze:
Life is truly a tragic and absurd affair, yet also a comedy. But at least he escaped the sorrow that fate wanted to impose on him, and in the face of inexplicable fortune and inexplicable hardships, he could also put up a somewhat ironic resistance.

Regardless of the circumstances, he can say to everyone without any hesitation, "You're not talking about me..."

Sima Yu collapsed beneath the locust tree, his blood flowing to the roots, before his body was carried away. Several palace servants who had only recently become acquainted with him were heartbroken and couldn't help but weep for his fate.

Unexpectedly, the next morning, the branches of this withered and sluggish locust tree were covered with purple flowers!
A golden glow enveloped the courtyard, and the delicate fragrance of locust blossoms wafted through the air, refreshing and lingering. The scent of locust trees surrounded the ground, and the morning glow bathed the body, truly making one feel as if this were a secluded paradise, a place beyond the sea of ​​suffering.

Upon seeing this, the palace servants said that Sima Yu's soul resided in this locust tree, so they secretly erected a stele under the tree and would come to worship it when they had nothing else to do. (End of this chapter)