Year 951 CE, Kaifeng
Zhao Kuangyi, barely twelve years old, wandered through the streets of Bianjing. It was the end of the year, but due to the unstable political situation at court, what should have been bustling streets now had only a scattered few pedestrians.
Zhao Kuangyi pulled his robes tighter around himself. The bone-piercing winter wind was harsh, and his cotton robe was somewhat too thin. He watched as noble young masters wrapped in fox fur rode past on tall horses, shouting commands, and couldn’t help but cast envious glances their way.
Although his father had already moved from Luoyang to Bianjing and now held the position of Commander of the Sacred Capital Guards, their family maintained strict household rules. Even when his elder brother had left home two years ago to seek his own fortune, he hadn’t taken enough travel money. It was said that along the way he had endured countless hardships, sleeping in the open and eating simple meals. Upon his return this time, Zhao Kuangyi could clearly sense the changes in his eldest brother.
Though there was a twelve-year age gap between him and his elder brother, Zhao Kuangyi didn’t feel he should simply enjoy his brother’s care. He knew his elder brother was no ordinary man destined to remain in obscurity. Although their father had once mocked him for this blind admiration, he still held firm to his opinion.
His elder brother had finally stopped leaving, and the great general Guo Wei, whom he had served under, had recently donned the yellow robe and become emperor. As a subordinate with merit in supporting the enthronement, his elder brother naturally had a bright future ahead. He had already been promoted to Chief of the Eastern and Western Ranks, and it was said he would soon be transferred to command troops, becoming a commanding officer leading forces in his own territory.
Though Zhao Kuangyi was young, he had started learning to read and write at a very early age. He also understood that in recent years there had been constant internal strife – in just over ten years, they had witnessed three dynasties and five emperors, with continuous warfare throughout the land and immense suffering for the people. If only someone could stop this chaotic era and bring peace to the realm.
Zhao Kuangyi became somewhat lost in thought until a cold wind blew directly at him, making him shiver and remember that he had come out today to buy a congratulatory gift for his elder brother’s promotion. However, the several antique shops he had visited either had nothing worthwhile, or the shopkeepers looked down on him for his young age and shabby appearance, refusing to pay him any attention. Unwilling to give up, Zhao Kuangyi continued searching through the marketplace. Before long, he walked into an inconspicuous small alley and caught sight of a modest shop front with two elegantly antique gilt seal script characters carved on its signboard.
“Ya She?” Zhao Kuangyi silently read these two characters and immediately felt they were extraordinarily refined. This shop name was far more elegant than the previous shops he’d visited – things like “Ancient Treasure Studio” or “Hundred Treasures Workshop.” Zhao Kuangyi stepped inside with great interest.
The interior arrangement surprised him somewhat. It wasn’t overly magnificent, but rather everywhere was piled with boxes, as if it either hadn’t opened yet or was about to close permanently.
Zhao Kuangyi was secretly pleased. If this shop was going out of business, then perhaps he could find some good items at a bargain. With this thought, he cleared his throat and called out: “Shopkeeper? Are you still selling things here?”
A boy of about eleven or twelve emerged from behind a huge box. Seeing him, the boy smiled apologetically and said: “The owner isn’t here today, so I can’t make decisions about selling things.”
Although Zhao Kuangyi was only twelve this year, having been born into a military family, he had started practicing martial arts very early, giving him a tall, slender build that made him look like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old youth. But the boy who appeared before him looked thin and small. Just from his voice alone, one could tell this person lacked inner strength, and combined with his pale, dull complexion, it was easy to see he likely suffered from some congenital deficiency. A brazier had been lit inside the shop, making it warm as spring, yet this boy wore white fox fur, which made his face appear even more paper-white.
Seeing Zhao Kuangyi staring at him in a daze, the boy showed no annoyance and continued with a smile: “It would have been good if you’d come a few days earlier. I’ve been pestering the owner to take me to climb Mount Tai once to have a look, which is why we’re planning to close the shop. Do you know Mount Tai? Oh, and I also plan to go see the ocean while we’re at it. I read in books that it’s where all rivers converge – how magnificent that must be!” The boy was clearly in good spirits and could chatter on for quite a while even with a stranger.
Zhao Kuangyi thought to himself that Bianjing was so far from Mount Tai, and even farther from the seaside – who knew how many thousands of li away. This boy probably didn’t have much time left in this world, which was why that owner had agreed to his request. With this thought, Zhao Kuangyi couldn’t help feeling a surge of sympathy and stayed in the shop to chat casually with the boy.
This boy rarely had companions his own age, so he was delighted and pulled him over to sit on some sour wood branch chairs that hadn’t been packed yet. Then he skillfully boiled water and brewed a pot of excellent clear tea, somehow producing exquisite tea snacks from somewhere and setting them out.
Having walked all morning in the bitter cold, Zhao Kuangyi felt the hot tea warming him from his throat all the way to his heart, making his whole body comfortably warm. After chatting casually with the boy for a few moments, he discovered that despite his young age, the boy was deeply learned, able to quote classics at will. He couldn’t help but secretly admire him.
“By the way, what are you planning to buy?” The boy brushed the snack crumbs from his hands and asked curiously. He had already developed quite a favorable impression of this young customer. The owner had said that selling antiques depended on fate – since he now wanted to sell his antiques, that shouldn’t be too excessive, right?
Zhao Kuangyi didn’t think much about it and directly told him he wanted to buy a gift for his elder brother to celebrate his promotion. At first, he hadn’t expected this boy to actually find him anything, but after seeing the boy ponder briefly, he jumped up from his chair and pulled out a heavy, long brocade box from a nearby crate.
“What is this?” Zhao Kuangyi saw the gold and silver inlaid vine and flower patterns on the brocade box and knew that just this box alone was worth quite a lot. He nervously felt the silver pouch in his bosom, thinking he probably couldn’t even afford the box. Just looking at the fox fur the boy wore and the teapot and cups used for tea, he knew the items in this shop must be incredibly precious. Zhao Kuangyi began to regret staying.
The boy said nothing but slowly opened the brocade box, revealing an exquisite jade axe inside. This jade axe was made of completely translucent white jade without a single flaw or any superfluous patterns, appearing simple and dignified. Just looking at it gave one a sense of intimidating coldness and boundless majesty. The axe wasn’t large – only about the length of a person’s forearm. With just one glance, Zhao Kuangyi found himself unable to look away, a strange, indescribable feeling rising in his heart.
“The axe – according to the ‘Shuowen Jiezi,’ the character for axe has ‘father’ above and ‘jin’ below. ‘Father’ refers to the head of a family, while ‘jin’ refers to a cutting tool and also to an instrument of punishment. When ‘father’ and ‘jin’ are combined, they represent the authority possessed by the head of a household – the power to reward and punish.” The boy’s voice drifted over steadily. “An elder brother is like a father – giving a jade axe to your brother would be most appropriate.”
Zhao Kuangyi was also moved by this. Seeing that this jade axe didn’t look like recent craftsmanship, he asked: “Does this jade axe have any special significance?”
The boy smiled slightly and said: “This is a jade axe. Items made of jade are not something an ordinary family could afford to possess.”
“You mean…” Zhao Kuangyi’s eyes narrowed slightly. “A jade axe should be a ritual implement – could it possibly have belonged to some emperor?” Though he spoke this way, he was beginning to feel somewhat disdainful. He had originally thought this boy was different from others, but it turned out he was no different from those shopkeepers who made up wild stories.
“Exactly. After the concept of ‘nation’ appeared, there came the term ‘sovereign father’ – the emperor became the father of all his subjects. Therefore, the instrument of punishment he used to govern the country was called the ‘royal axe.’ Since ‘king’ and ‘jade’ are interchangeable, the jade axe represents the authority of a nation.” The boy smiled with his eyes crinkling. “According to the ‘Six Secret Teachings,’ King Wu of Zhou had a great axe with a blade eight inches wide, weighing eight jin, with a handle over five chi long, called the Heavenly Yue. In ancient times, the axe-yue was not only a weapon used in battle but also a symbol of military power and ruling authority. And this jade axe is the jade Heavenly Yue Axe that King Wu of Zhou used to command the realm.”
Zhao Kuangyi’s face showed no expression – he simply didn’t know what he should say. If this boy was going to make up stories, couldn’t he at least make them believable? King Wu of Zhou? Who did he think he was?
The boy seemed not to notice Zhao Kuangyi’s stiff expression and continued smiling as he said: “Let’s make a bet. If you can lift this jade axe, I’ll give it to you directly.” The boy spoke with great generosity, because he knew this jade axe could only be lifted by a true Son of Heaven. Anyone else who grasped it would find their wrists mysteriously weak and powerless within moments, even the strongest strongmen. The boy had always been troubled by this, so today he brought it out wanting to test it again while amusing his new friend.
Zhao Kuangyi was stunned at these words. This jade axe weighed only a few jin – wasn’t this bet rather insulting to him? But he felt there was no harm in accepting the wager, so he unceremoniously took the jade axe from the brocade box and held it in his hands to examine.
The time it takes to drink a cup of tea passed, and Zhao Kuangyi placed the jade axe back in the brocade box, looking up at the boy with confusion.
The boy’s smile froze at the corners of his mouth. Though he appeared extremely reluctant, he graciously pushed the brocade box over.
Zhao Kuangyi hadn’t expected this boy to actually give him the jade axe without batting an eye. He initially didn’t want to take it, but thinking about how generous the boy was being, the betting was just a formality – perhaps this jade axe wasn’t really that valuable after all. Seeing the boy drinking tea with his head down and appearing absent-minded, Zhao Kuangyi didn’t want to disturb him further. He took out his silver pouch and placed all the silver on the tea table, then left contentedly with the brocade box. As he was leaving, he heard the boy quietly muttering something about “true Son of Heaven,” but he paid it no mind.
The boy continued drinking tea for who knows how long before realizing that person had left with the Heavenly Yue Axe. At this moment, sitting across from him, the owner was looking thoughtfully at the silver pouch on the table.
“Owner, um… the Heavenly Yue Axe was sold by me today…” the boy explained haltingly. That person had left silver, so it should count as a sale, right? Well, it was completely selling at a loss. “But didn’t you say that anyone who could lift the Heavenly Yue Axe was destined to be an emperor? Selling cheap to an emperor isn’t too bad, right? Oh no, he said it was a gift for his brother. When his brother can’t lift the Heavenly Yue Axe, that’ll be funny… haha…”
This owner appeared to be barely over twenty years old, exceptionally young, yet his expression was calm and composed in a way that truly didn’t match his appearance. He wore ancient black Han clothing, looking like a figure who had stepped out of an ancient painting. He looked at the boy for a long while before finally sighing: “Although the Heavenly Yue Axe can indeed be lifted by the Son of Heaven, legend says that after King Wu of Zhou forged this Heavenly Yue Axe, he sealed it away. Do you know why?”
“Why?” The boy vaguely sensed he might have done something wrong and became increasingly uneasy.
“Because this jade axe representing power possesses a suspicion-inducing magic that very few can resist…” The owner’s voice faded away softly, finally dissipating in the ethereal tea fragrance within the shop.
When Zhao Kuangyi returned home, he immediately gave the jade axe as a gift. As he had expected, his elder brother was extremely pleased and loved it at first sight, immediately finding silk cord to wear it with him at all times.
Zhao Kuangyi was delighted that his elder brother liked the Heavenly Yue Axe so much, and he embellished the story of the jade axe’s origins when telling it. Zhao Kuangyin laughed heartily upon hearing this and paid it no mind. He naturally wouldn’t believe that his twelve-year-old brother could have bought him some Heavenly Yue Axe of King Wu of Zhou on a single outing – this was nothing more than a shopkeeper’s exaggerated nonsense. However, he was still pleased in his heart, as this represented his younger brother’s sincere feelings.
Speaking of this jade axe, it truly caught his eye remarkably well. Moreover, the meaning his second brother had described for this jade axe made him secretly take note.
An axe – meaning authority?
Zhao Kuangyin concealed the gleam in his eyes, patted Zhao Kuangyi’s head, asked a few questions about how his studies were progressing recently, and then departed with satisfaction, carrying his newly acquired Heavenly Yue Axe.