Jinting Han people

Since Sima Yu was deposed and the situation in Luoyang spiraled out of control, Duke Lu Jia Mi had been staying in the Golden Valley Garden.

The luxurious lifestyle within the Golden Valley Garden goes without saying. Every day, a variety of delicacies were served: bear paw with honey, Ling wine with perch, drunken pufferfish with shrimp, wild rice and bamboo shoots—all prepared by chefs specially hired by Shi Chong, making them among the finest in the world. Two years prior, to curry favor with Jia Mi, Shi Chong had even opened a trade route in Yizhou, allowing the transport of lychees from Sichuan and Chongqing. Their sweetness and exorbitant price were beyond the comprehension of ordinary people throughout their lives.

But this did not please Jia Mi. For those in power, no matter how much they pursue material enjoyment, it is nothing more than the taste of food, the warmth of body, and the sounds of music; it easily becomes boring. In contrast, the flattery, sycophancy, and fawning of others, and the various ugly behaviors that arise from them, are what truly leave a lasting impression.

Otherwise, why would Bao Si smile so sweetly in front of the feudal lords who came from afar to serve their king? And why would Fuchai be so overjoyed by the obsequious Goujian that he forgot all about revenge? This shows that people have enjoyed the pleasure of teasing others since ancient times.

Jia Mi was, of course, also infatuated with this kind of happiness. He had been enjoying this happiness for far too long. Ten years before now, he was the focus of everyone's attention in Luoyang. Ten years before that, he was surrounded by followers and had everyone at his beck and call.

But now, as they went from one victory to another, this lively scene suddenly turned bleak. Jia Mi felt very uncomfortable. While drinking with Shi Chong, he glanced around the hall and saw that the seats around him were sparse, the maids playing music seemed lonely, and the music sounded desolate. This made him feel agitated, and he couldn't calm down no matter what.

When a blush rose on his fair face, he said to Shi Chong, "The music is too chaotic! The wine is too weak!"

Upon hearing this, Shi Chong gave a look. A guard beside him immediately strode forward, wielding his sword with swift, decisive strokes, the blade cutting through paper. The maid merely gasped in surprise before her slender body collapsed to the ground, a faint groan escaping her lips as blood soaked her otherwise serene face.

The smell of blood stimulated Jia Mi's nerves, but it still couldn't satisfy him, because everything was too commonplace, he had become accustomed to it, and his heart felt increasingly empty.

Shi Chong was a perceptive man. After drinking a few cups of wine, he claimed he couldn't hold his liquor and left with his maids and guards, leaving Jia Mi alone in the palace. It was dusk, and the palace was brightly lit, but the outside world seemed even more gloomy and dark, causing Jia Mi to inexplicably recall his childhood feelings, which then aroused fear.

Who would have thought? Although the Duke of Lu, Jia Mi, considered himself extraordinary at the time, he was just like any other child when he was young, fearing the dark and being alone.

At that time, Jia Mi was so small, like a toy. When it rained, the sound of water dripping from the eaves would fill him with fear. The drizzling rain indicated the silent existence of the world. In the silence, three- or four-year-old Jia Mi felt incredibly small, enveloped in darkness as if endless malice was hunting him. He could only wrap himself tightly in his quilt, close his eyes tightly, and pretend he couldn't see, and the darkness in the world would disappear.

For a time, the faint sobs of a woman could often be heard from the Lu family mansion, as if a path was leading mysteriously to Jia Mi's eyes. He couldn't help but open his terrified eyes, but when he looked around through the gaps in the cold quilt, he could see nothing at all.

He so desperately hoped that another voice would appear to answer the woman's cries and quell her weeping. But no answer came. There is no sound more terrifying than the sound of utter loneliness and helplessness, especially in the empty night of rain.

So little Jia Mi would suffer in the darkness with trepidation until daylight came, then he would go to his grandfather Jia Chong, hoping to sleep with him that night.

"Ah Zhen, are you scared to be alone at night?" Jia Chong put down the book in his hand and looked at his cute little grandson with kind eyes.

In young Jia Mi's eyes, his grandfather Jia Chong was probably the strongest and most imposing man in the world. He was over eight feet tall, with a lean face and a lithe physique. Although he was over sixty, his speech and manners possessed both the composure of a warrior and the refined wisdom of a man of great stature. Standing among a crowd, he was truly like a crane among chickens. The many officials and nobles of the Luoyang court, regardless of their rank or reputation, all fawned over Jia Chong to the extreme. Even the emperor himself dared not show him the slightest disrespect.

Therefore, Jia Mi thought: As long as I am with Grandpa, there is probably nothing in the world that I am afraid of.
Unexpectedly, Jia Chong refused, saying to Jia Mi, "No, A-Zhen, you should overcome this fear."

"Overcome?" Jia Mi was puzzled, her small hands still clutching her grandfather's sleeves, unwilling to let go.

Jia Chong imparted his philosophy of life to his grandson, saying: "When a person is born, he is all alone, and it is normal to be afraid because an infant has no power. When facing the vast heavens, we cannot live on our own. We can only attract our parents' embrace and love by crying out, and then we can be nurtured and grow up."

Therefore, everyone has been afraid.

"But people have to grow up, and parents will grow old. In the years of growing up, you must learn to overcome this fear, to adapt to loneliness, and to enjoy loneliness. Because the only person you can truly rely on is yourself. No one is trustworthy except yourself."

"Only the weak rely on others; one's destiny can only be determined by oneself. Remember, you are my grandson, the future Duke of Lu. Therefore, there is nothing for you to fear, and nothing for you to love. You are destined to become a fierce tiger, and a fierce tiger has no companions!"

Xiao Jia Mi only vaguely understood what he was hearing, but that wasn't enough to overcome his fear of the dark, especially the faint, almost inaudible sobbing. One night, unable to sleep, he quietly followed the sound to its source, only to find himself in the backyard of the Lu family mansion. There, the woman's cries were no longer cries, but hoarse so that no tears could be heard; they were merely animalistic howls, her breathing incoherent.

The guards at the courtyard told him, "Princess Qi has returned to visit her family and wants to bring the First Madam (Li Wan) back, but the lord refuses. Her Highness is heartbroken, hence this mournful cry."

It turned out to be his aunt, Jia Bao. Little Jia Mi had seen his aunt during the day; she was a graceful and gentle beauty. He never expected her to utter such sorrowful sounds at night. But he also realized that what troubled him at night was the weeping of the weak.

From then on, he was able to sleep peacefully in the dark.

But this does not mean that Jia Mi fully accepted his grandfather's philosophy. While people should rely on themselves, why should they reject friends and care?

From the age of five, Jia Mi already lived a life surrounded by his peers, for a simple reason: he was Jia Chong's grandson and the future Duke of Lu. Even when the children were too young to understand, the nobles of Luoyang would instruct their children, "Never mess with Jia Zhen, or you'll be in trouble!"

Therefore, Jia Mi's life was exceptionally smooth during that period. He played and had fun with his friends, always seeming to be the center of attention and receiving the most care. Often, whatever he wanted, all he had to do was say a word, or even just start a conversation, and someone would do it for him. Therefore, Jia Mi genuinely considered his friends as friends.

But children can't truly understand everything, and childhood can't be all smooth sailing.

This likely happened shortly after Jia Mi's first meeting with Liu Xian. Once, Jia Mi visited Wang Ji's residence, where Wang Ji's son, Wang Yu, found a beautiful stone, its color as vibrant as a blue butterfly's wing. Jia Mi liked it very much and asked Wang Yu for it.

But there are some things that children will never share, no matter what. The two started arguing. At first, it was just normal stuff, like angry words about not being friends anymore, but Jia Mi suddenly said, "My grandfather is the greatest grandfather in the world, can your grandfather compare?"

Wang Yu, of course, couldn't compete. Enraged, he immediately retorted, "Your grandfather is nothing but a traitor! My grandfather wouldn't want such a duke!" Upon hearing this, the surrounding children burst into laughter, just as they had mocked Liu Xian's family as dukes of a fallen state, laughing and repeating to each other, "Traitor! Traitor!"

Jia Mi was completely bewildered. It was only then that he learned the true great achievement of his grandfather, Jia Chong: Jia Chong's greatest accomplishment was killing the emperor of Cao Wei in the street.

This made him feel ashamed from the inside out, and he covered his face and cried, unable to stop even after returning home.

The next day, all the children who had joked around were dragged by their parents to kneel before the Lu family mansion, trembling as they kowtowed to the threshold of the Jia family mansion. Jia Chong, carrying Jia Mi, came out to watch and casually said, "It's going to rain soon, everyone should go home early."

Even after the rain stopped, these people, shivering from the cold, remained kneeling before the Jia mansion, refusing to leave until they received Jia Chong's forgiveness. Even Wang Ji, a renowned scholar, could only kowtow repeatedly. Wang Yu, who spoke recklessly, had his leg broken.

Seeing their various shameful acts, Jia Mi finally smiled with relief. At this moment, Jia Mi finally understood his grandfather's philosophy:
Those grand gestures of care and self-respect are the most illusory things; they are nothing more than illusions for human self-comfort. In the struggle for survival, people are capable of any shameful and despicable act.

Only by seeing through this can one truly understand that in this cruel world, apart from power, survival, and loneliness, everything else is insignificant and can be discarded.

True beasts are always solitary and need no care.

From then on, Jia Mi fully embraced his grandfather's philosophy. He admired Jia Chong from the bottom of his heart and actively moved in the direction of Jia Chong. Although there might be a difference in talent, in the eyes of others, their natures were exactly the same.

However, Jia Mi later discovered that her grandfather was actually just an ordinary person.

This happened when Jia Mi was ten years old.

That year, his grandfather Jia Chong fell seriously ill, and he went to visit him. It turned out that Jia Chong was so ill that he was almost blind in both eyes and deaf, unable to distinguish who was speaking. Even when Jia Mi was right in front of him, he still couldn't recognize his grandson and thought it was some kind of ghost.

So this first meritorious official in establishing the Great Jin Dynasty widened his cloudy eyes and began to talk nonsense to himself, as if he were talking to a ghost.

He clasped his hands together and pleaded softly to the void, "Father, this is not my fault! The Wei dynasty is in decline, and I had no choice but to do this for the sake of the family's survival!"

He then made a fist and forcefully clenched it upwards, before shouting, "Your Majesty! Why are you forcing me! Is this what I want?! I also want to be a good subject, as long as you abdicate peacefully, I can live a comfortable life as a wealthy man!"

He then pretended to hold a baby, weeping bitterly, saying, "My people, my child! Why have you left me! Is it because my good deeds are insufficient?"

A moment later, she wrapped her arms around herself, as if embracing her lover, and whispered tenderly, "Wan'er, Wan'er, I thought I would never see you again in this lifetime..."

After tossing and turning all night, he finally calmed down and sobered up for a while. Perhaps because his breathing was weak, he seemed to have completely forgotten his embarrassing behavior just now, and appeared very calm, asking Jia Mo beside him:
"Sifan, what do you think I'll receive as a posthumous title after I die?"

Jia Mo replied, "Sir, the merits and demerits of our predecessors will be judged by future generations; they cannot be concealed."

Upon hearing this, Jia Chong smiled bitterly through his aged wrinkles. He sighed for a long time before finally saying, "Then let it be. After I die, bury me with my ex-wife, Li."

These were his last words. After saying them, he stared blankly out the door, as if waiting for something. Soon, he stopped breathing.

This night left an indelible impression on Jia Mi. Only then did he realize that even his grandfather, whom he had always looked up to and imitated, had failed to uphold his philosophy. He, too, had failed to completely convince himself to become someone who enjoyed solitude. On the contrary, he had merely concealed himself, only revealing it on his deathbed; he still craved affection.

But his desire was destined to fail. His grandmother, Guo, would certainly not allow him to be buried with Li Wan. In fact, she scolded Jia Chong in front of the grave, saying that he was heartless and ungrateful.

This incident only deepened Jia Mi's prejudice. At his grandfather's funeral, he thought, "My grandfather was right after all. How ugly and ridiculous he was, unable to enjoy solitude! No wonder my grandfather only became a duke, not an emperor."

But this is for the best. Only in this way can I surpass my grandfather and not be his follower or imitator.

In the blink of an eye, time has passed, and Jia Mi is now almost thirty years old. He has started a family and established a career, rising steadily in rank. Although his official position has not yet surpassed that of Jia Chong, in terms of actual political status, Jia Mi has far surpassed his grandfather. Not long ago, his aunt executed his most hated political rival, Sima Yu, which was not only a victory for his aunt but also a great victory for him.

Unexpectedly, his power seemed to have failed him, and his political situation not only failed to improve but appeared to be deteriorating. The reasons for this puzzled Jia Mi greatly.

Why? Now that I have won a decisive victory in the political struggle and clearly possess supreme power, why are there still people who disobey my orders? Why do I still feel fear when I recall the darkness of my childhood? Why do I still feel endless loneliness and emptiness when I am alone in the hall?

Is it possible that I don't have enough power? Or is it that deep down I still crave the approval of others?
Jia Mi could not answer these questions. In this increasingly lonely and quiet night, he could only keep drinking to himself. When he was completely drunk, he staggered back to his bed and fell asleep.

In his dream, he heard a woman's crying again, growing louder and closer until it became unbearable. Suddenly, the crying turned into a terrifying roar, and Jia Mi was jolted awake.

He got out of bed and found himself covered in a cold sweat. He then heard a commotion downstairs, a stark contrast to the quiet of Golden Valley Garden these past few days.

He walked to the window and looked down, only to see countless torches and a sea of ​​gleaming armor, dazzling and mesmerizing him. (End of Chapter)