The Four Pages Academy.

Prince Yu, Yang Jixing, strode in through the Academy’s main gate. The gatekeeper didn’t recognize him and hurried forward to intercept, stopping him with an outstretched arm.

“What brings this gentleman to the Academy?”

“To see someone.”

Yang Jixing answered.

The gatekeeper, Gao Weicheng, looked him over carefully while maintaining courtesy.

“Whom does the gentleman wish to see?”

“Xiahou Zuo.”

The moment those three syllables were spoken, Gao Weicheng’s expression shifted. His fellow gatekeeper Liu Geng had gone missing recently — rumors connected the incident to Xiahou Zuo’s injury — and now, the very day after Xiahou Zuo had been brought back, someone was already here asking for him. How could Gao Weicheng not be on edge?

“The gentleman may be disappointed. The Academy is currently on its summer field holiday, and Young Master Xiahou is not here.”

“He is here.”

Yang Jixing’s reply was exceptionally straightforward.

Gao Weicheng was about to say something more when one of the guards behind Yang Jixing stepped forward and removed his official token, presenting it to Gao Weicheng: “We are from Prince Yu’s estate.”

Gao Weicheng was startled. Not daring to press further, he didn’t even dare look at the token closely. He stepped back a pace and said, “My respects to the gentlemen… Still, might I be permitted to consult with the Academy Director first?”

The guard was about to lose his temper when Yang Jixing waved a hand. “Go.”

Gao Weicheng quickly instructed his companion at the gate, then turned and ran into the Academy. It wasn’t long before Academy Director Gao came striding out rapidly, and the moment he laid eyes on Yang Jixing, his pace quickened further.

“I pay my respects to His Highness.”

Director Gao had not even cleared the gate before he bowed deeply.

That bow gave Gao Weicheng quite a fright — how could he have imagined that this simply-dressed person was actually the Prince himself?

“Director Gao, please, no formalities.”

Yang Jixing stepped forward and helped Gao Shaowei up, smiling slightly. “I’ve come without notice and without sending word ahead. Please forgive me, Director.”

Gao Shaowei quickly replied, “Your Highness is too kind — please, come in.”

The two walked side by side, and even this great Confucian scholar kept a slight bend in his back as he spoke, not daring to stand fully upright. People are no different from one another at birth — yet once different ranks are conferred upon them, hierarchy takes hold.

Having learned that Yang Jixing had come to find Xiahou Zuo, Gao Shaowei led the way while saying, “Xiahou Zuo only returned yesterday. He is staying at the residence of Instructor Yan Qingzhi, so there is someone to look after him.”

“Yan Qingzhi…”

The mention of that name seemed to bring a touch of emotion to Prince Yu. He smiled slightly and said, “Years ago I invited him to come with me, but he absolutely refused — he only wanted to stay at the Academy as an instructor. I offered him a position and he wouldn’t accept that either.”

Gao Shaowei said, “He has always been accustomed to an easy, unbound life.”

Yang Jixing said, “That’s precisely the sort of person I like. Even now, if he were willing to come with me, I would welcome him just as gladly.”

Gao Shaowei wasn’t quite sure what to say — the whole Academy knew about the time Yan Qingzhi had talked back to Prince Yu, yet rather than being angered, the Prince had seemed to hold him in even greater esteem.

Meanwhile, at Yan Qingzhi’s small courtyard, Xiahou Zuo was sitting in a rattan chair watching the other two water the seedlings, thinking that what was missing from his hand was a small whip and a clay teapot — only with those two things would he truly look the part of someone who was no gentleman.

That thought made him spit in his mind — just yesterday he’d been running his mouth about “once a teacher, a father for life,” and now here he was imagining he was no gentleman. Had taking that injury beaten him stupid? And thinking back, he’d never been like this before — it had all started after meeting Li Chi. So if he had indeed gone stupid, it must have been contagious from Li Chi. Then again, could stupidity actually be contagious?

“Over there, over there.”

Xiahou Zuo spoke to Yan Qingzhi: “You’ve missed a seedling — it hasn’t been watered. What kind of job do you call that?”

Yan Qingzhi straightened up and glanced at him: “Get lost…”

And then he noticed Prince Yu was almost at the courtyard gate. That “get lost” was already out of his mouth and couldn’t be pulled back, so he hurriedly tacked on a few more words, forcing them out.

“Get lost… on the great river eastward, waves rise and crash, washing clean all heroes’ seedlings.”

“Well said!”

Prince Yu reached the gate smiling: “The Academy’s teachers are truly exceptional — even tending vegetable seedlings inspires verse.”

Yan Qingzhi thought to himself: if I wasn’t cursing your son, would I have managed to come up with that?

But he was already bowing: “I pay my respects to His Highness.”

He also tugged at Li Diudiu: “Li Chi, this is His Highness the Prince.”

Li Chi bowed along with him, thinking to himself — so this is Xiahou Zuo’s father? Out of curiosity he couldn’t help stealing several glances upward, which was somewhat impolite, and Academy Director Gao who stood behind the Prince shot him a stern look.

“Please rise, all of you.”

Yang Jixing looked toward Xiahou Zuo. Xiahou Zuo turned his head to look away.

Yan Qingzhi quickly said, “We’re out of water — perfect timing. Li Chi, come help me fetch a bucket.”

Li Diudiu looked at the more-than-half-full bucket, shuffled over with tiny steps, and gave it a kick with his foot. The bucket rocked in protest a moment before tipping over.

Li Diudiu said with a look of sudden realization: “Oh my, we really are out of water.”

Director Gao watching this wanted to cover his face.

“I’ll go help fetch water.”

Xiahou Zuo rose to leave. Yang Jixing sighed and said, “I’ll say just a few words and then go.”

Xiahou Zuo sat back down in silence — but at least he wasn’t leaving.

Yan Qingzhi and Li Chi walked out carrying the wooden bucket. Director Gao lowered his voice: “Take a long way round before coming back — give the father and son more time to talk.”

Yan Qingzhi glanced at the well, which was only a few paces beyond the courtyard wall. He looked at Li Diudiu. Li Diudiu gave the wooden bucket another kick — this one with full force, punching a hole clean through it.

“Oh no, the bucket is broken, Teacher. Shall we go buy a new one?”

Yan Qingzhi sighed: “I suppose we must…”

Director Gao also needed an excuse to leave, so he said, “Not a shred of frugality — this bucket only has a hole in it, it’s hardly beyond repair. You two are completely impractical; you think money can solve everything. Come with me, both of you. Watch how I fix it.”

He turned and walked ahead. Li Diudiu lowered his voice to Yan Qingzhi: “Teacher, ginger is indeed the old fox, and the old fox is indeed spicy…”

Yan Qingzhi gazed up toward the sky.

Fortunately Director Gao hadn’t heard that. He was saying as he walked, “There is some bamboo in the Academy — we can break off two strips, use bamboo pieces to stop up the hole… Where is my bamboo?!”

Yan Qingzhi said, “Could there be a thief in the Academy?”

Director Gao turned around: “Tell me! Where is my bamboo?!”

Li Diudiu pointed at Yan Qingzhi. Yan Qingzhi’s eyes expressed his fury… You traitor…

Yan Qingzhi said, “This student can explain.”

Director Gao suddenly recalled — in that small courtyard there had appeared to be some bamboo, though it all looked half-withered. He glared fiercely at Yan Qingzhi and said, “Next month’s allowance — docked.”

Yan Qingzhi: “Oh…”

Director Gao: “Well, your explanation?”

Yan Qingzhi: “Docked along with the allowance.”

Director Gao had spent the past few days at the Military Governor’s offices, busy working out details for the summer examinations. By Great Chu convention, the imperial civil examinations were held in autumn — hence they were called the autumn examinations — but regional selection tests were typically held at the end of summer. The Jizhou regional summer tests were naturally inseparable from Gao Shaowei’s involvement, and the Military Governor himself oversaw the process of selecting candidates for the court, so these past few days had kept Director Gao entirely occupied.

Being so busy, Gao Shaowei had not noticed that the grove of slender bamboo was gone at all. He thought for a moment and said, “I can hardly go back to your courtyard for bamboo. Fortunately I have a few stalks growing at home…”

Before he could finish, Li Diudiu suddenly clutched his stomach and crouched down: “Director, Teacher — your student is suddenly seized with terrible cramping…”

Director Gao frowned: “Then why aren’t you off to take care of it?”

Li Diudiu thanked him profusely and bolted away.

Director Gao and Yan Qingzhi returned to Director Gao’s residence. As they entered, Director Gao pointed toward the side of the ornamental rock garden and said, “The bamboo I personally transplanted is right over here by the rockery — where is my bamboo?!”

Gao Xining, who had been crouching by the fish pond near the rockery and was about to come forward to pay her respects, immediately doubled over the moment she heard her grandfather’s words: “Ouch — my stomach really hurts.”

Yan Qingzhi sharply sensed something, but had no evidence.

Director Gao snapped his gaze to Yan Qingzhi. Yan Qingzhi stumbled back a step, waving his hands frantically: “It wasn’t me, truly it wasn’t.”

—

Back at Yan Qingzhi’s courtyard, Prince Yu Yang Jixing was silent for a moment before asking, “How are your injuries?”

Xiahou Zuo answered, “Not enough to kill me.”

Yang Jixing sighed and said, “You always speak to me in this tone. I know I have failed you and your mother. But I have tried many times to invite you and your mother to come back to the estate — your mother, she…”

Xiahou Zuo said with a flash of anger, “Come back to be harmed to death?”

Yang Jixing opened his mouth, but the words were stopped in his throat.

The woman he loved most was Xiahou Zuo’s mother. Though her birth was humble, she had a fierce and unyielding nature — she would rather raise her children alone than go to the Prince’s estate to live as a concubine, and given his own position, no matter how much Yang Jixing cared for her, he could not give her the status of a secondary consort. So Yang Jixing had always felt he owed her and their children a debt — especially after the disappearance of his daughter Xiahou Yili, which had only deepened his guilt.

“Let us not speak of that matter.”

Yang Jixing softened the air between them and continued, “I came only to see how you were. If your injuries are not yet improving, I can send people to find a renowned physician…”

Before he could finish, Xiahou Zuo cut him off. He looked Yang Jixing in the eyes and said, word by word, “No need to trouble yourself, Your Highness. Someone like me isn’t so easy to kill.”

Yang Jixing sighed again.

After a long silence, Yang Jixing forced out a smile that looked somewhat strained and said, “If you prefer to recover at the Academy, so be it. I’ll leave a few of my men here — if anything comes up, just tell them what you need.”

“No need.”

Xiahou Zuo’s reply remained sharp as a knife’s tip.

Yang Jixing had no choice. He nodded and said, “If you don’t want them, I won’t leave them with you. Be at ease — I will see to it that you receive a reckoning for what happened to you.”

Xiahou Zuo didn’t respond, but countered instead.

“It seems you really were deceived by that favored son of yours? Otherwise why would you have come back so soon? When you talk about a reckoning — are you planning to go back and make him drink three cups of wine as punishment?”

Yang Jixing’s brow twitched, but he held himself in check.

After a moment of silence he said, “It was not that he intended to deceive me. His Majesty did send word commanding me to go to the capital — the purpose was that the rebellions north of the Nanping River have been growing ever more numerous. With Grand General Xue Shi of the Left Guard of Valor taking his retirement, His Majesty wished for me to take command of the Left Guard and suppress the rebellions in the three northern prefectures. But partway there…”

Xiahou Zuo heard this and could already guess what had gone wrong. The reigning emperor — Yang Jixing’s older brother, Yang Jizheng — was befuddled and incompetent, easily swayed by slanderous ministers. How else would he have fostered a eunuch like Liu Chongxin? It was plain that partway through his father’s journey, the emperor — who was known to reverse his orders by morning — had issued another new decree.

“The appointment went to someone else?”

Xiahou Zuo asked.

Yang Jixing nodded. “Yang Jing has received the imperial edict to command the Left Guard. He has already departed from the south and will reach Jizhou’s jurisdiction in a little over a month.”

Xiahou Zuo was quiet for a moment and then said, “If you don’t command the troops, then don’t command them — we don’t have to carry that burden, don’t have to shoulder that worry. What’s wrong with touring mountains and rivers and enjoying a peaceful life? It’s not as if you particularly wanted the post. We don’t care about it.”

Those two sentences with the word “we” — they sent immediate warmth spreading through Yang Jixing’s heart. He looked at this most rebellious of his sons, and his eyes were full of a father’s love.

“That’s right, that’s right — we won’t take it.”

He smiled and said, “So — what do you feel like eating later? I’ll send someone to go buy it.”

Xiahou Zuo said, “What can you cook?”

Yang Jixing immediately replied, “I’ll go learn right now — whatever you want to eat, I’ll make it!”

—