Chapter 1: 1

  In the spring of the third year of Yuanshun, Chang'an City.

 

 A Zhuque Street in Chang'an City divides the entire 108 Squares of the outer city wall into two, Wannian County in the East and Chang'an County in the West, which means the Ten Thousand Years Chang'an. There is a market in the two counties, which is divided into the Eastern and Western Market. There are teahouses, wine shops, restaurants, Hu merchants and foreign goods. Everything that should be here is here. There are two hundred and twenty stores full of goods and wealth. Residences of high-ranking officials are standing in great numbers, collecting the rare treasures from the World under Heaven. 

 

 It was the afternoon, and a teahouse in East Market was bustling with noise and excitement. From national events to people's livelihood, all kinds of things were spit out from the mouths.

 

 The young man who looked like a scholar ordered a pot of Longjing Tea, he wasn't in a hurry. The fragrance of tea filled the air and his fingers tapped the table lightly. His distinct eyelashes drooped down, he seemed to close his eyes to rest, but every sound that he heard entered his mind. 

 

 The first table by the window said that the Zhang Family's chicken pecked the Li Family's vegetables, and the Li Family killed the Zhang Family's chicken. The Zhang Family felt that a few vegetable leaves were not worth their chicken. The next day, they found an excuse to beat the Li Family's children. The Li Family didn't accept that, and on this same day during night threw a handful of moldy rice to the Zhang Family's courtyard...

 

 Su Cen shook his head, changed the direction, and listened to the words at the table inside.

 

 The girl from Hong Xiao Lane secretly promised to run away with the Juren (1) who went to the Capital to participate in the imperial examination. It was the Juren who personally sent the person back two days later. He only said that he still has to go to the preliminary round of imperial examinations, so it's not good to drag each other down. The girl was deceived, lost all her savings, and was almost beaten to death. In the end, she kept saying that she was the wife of  Zhuangyuan (2). Everyone was afraid that she was already stupid.

 

 Some people are saying that she didn't see clearly, and there are also people who call this Juren a cold-blooded and heartless person. But everyone just take it as a joke and laugh instead of taking it seriously. But there was contempt in their indifferent tone. No one would really sympathize with that girl, and no one would go to deal with that Juren.

 

 It is the normal state of people's livelihood that they don't worry about a matter that does not concern them.

 

 Su Cen opened his eyes slightly. His quick-witted eyes swept a cicle around, and finally settled on the two middle-aged men in magnificent azure robes. He finally became a little interested in what the two were saying .

 

 The older man said: "There are three people in the present Imperial Court who can't be offended. One is the Imperial Tutor Ning Yi, who has gone through four generations and is the political assistant of cabinet ministers left by the previous Emperor. Although he is 80 years old, and his figure has not been seen in the Imperial Court already for a long time, but his one word is worth a thousand gold (3) and he is still a very influential person playing a critical role in the Dynasty. The second is the mother of the current emperor, the Empress Dowager Chu, who rule in place of Emperor from behind the curtain (4). The emperor is young, and the Empress Dowager makes decisions on everything. Whoever wins the Empress Dowager's appreciation will also win the Sacred Heart of Emperor. "

 

 He lowered his voice and continued, "The third and the most important one is Prince Ning, Li Shi, the previous emperor's younger brother and the Fourth Imperial Uncle of the current Shengshang (5). When the previous Emperor died, the current Emperor was still young and he entrusted him to Prince Ning. In fact, he also wanted to use the military power in Prince Ning's hands to shake the world and stabilize his son's position. In the past few years, Prince Ning has long been the Regent Prince who has deterred the ministers from the Imperial Court and the ordinary people. He has the Nine-Dragon whip bestowen to him by the previous Emperor in his hand. He controls the Son of Heaven (6) and beheads all ministers. Even the Empress Dowager Chu somewhat fears him. What's more, it is said that when the previous Emperor died, he left a secret edict. If the Son of Heaven is immoral one day, he can take his place! It's just that it is unknown whether this secret imperial edict is true or false. Nowadays the forces in the Imperial Court are divided into two groups. One group is the Empress Dowager's faction, which takes as main principle helping and assisting the Young Emperor. And the other group is the Prince Ning's faction, who follows him blindly and takes him as the only guide (7). The first thing to do as an official in the dynasty is to understand clearly to which faction one belongs to. Otherwise, one can only wait to be beaten by both sides. "

 

 Su Cen knocked on the table and couldn't help feeling sad. To become an official, one had to learn how to stand in a team.

 

 "Ah?" Another person anxiously asked, "Which side should I choose?"

 

 "The two sides are evenly matched (8)," the man continued: "The Empress Dowager Chu has a Right Minister, and King Ning has a Left Minister. The Empress Dowager has Ministries of Rites, Personnel and Revenue, and Prince Ning has Ministries of War, Justice and Works. The civil Court officials stood on the Empress Dowager's side to raise the status of the Lord, but the generals believed in Prince Ning, who fought side by side with them. On the surface, although the Empress Dowager faction was trying to suppress the Prince Ning's faction, in fact, Prince Ning holds in his hands the power to control the Beiya Imperial Guards. He has the lives of the people in the Palace City in his hands . The two sides are equally matched, and the battle in the Imperial Court is unstoppable like a wildfire (9)."

 

 "What about the Emperor? Although the Emperor is young, he must have a tendency, right? In the future wouldn't the two sides want to take control over the Emperor to show their strengths?"

 

 The middle-aged man looked left and right and all the way around,then leaned forward and whispered a sentence in the man's ear. This man's face immediately changed greatly, and his tea was spilled.

 

 "Disloyal Heart..." Su Cen tapped on the table and whispered. Although he couldn't hear what the two of them said, he could understand a little looking at the moves of their lips. After analyzing for a bit, he could with no difficulty quess a part of sentence in their conversation. 

 

 Everywhere he goes, he likes to find a lively and bustling with noise and excitement places to listen to the conversations of the locals. Although it is not necessarily true and there is inevitably emotional partiality, but he can catch a glimpse of the general idea.

 

 Like what the two of them just said, it is hard to say whether Prince Ning really has a disloyal heart, but the war between the two factions is a sure thing.

 

 "Second Young Master, let's go back, okay?" The little servant who was lying on the side raised his discontented face, "Hurry up and read the Four Books and Five Classics again." (10)

 

 Tomorrow is the big day of the preliminary round of imperial examinations. Other people's official sons would bury their heads in the books without eating and sleeping. The Young Master of his family is very good. He went to the teahouse and closed his eyes to rest. If it's known by the Old Master, he is bound to be bedridden with anger.

 

 "If you think it's boring, go back first." Su Cen raised his eyebrows and glanced at him, the corners of his eyes like the spring breeze in February.

 

 A-Fu's heart froze. He shook his head like a rattle, lied on the table and stopped talking.

 

 The last time the Second Young Master smiled like this was three years ago. He left home with pleasantly smiling face and rushed to the preliminary round of imperial examinations. As a result, they changed the itinerary before they get out of Suzhou boundary. They visited famous mountains and great rivers all over the country, but they did not set foot in Chang'an City. A year later, when he returned home he put on a pitiful and lovely look. He cried and complained that he was kidnapped by a group of bandits on the mountain while he was on the way to take the imperial exams and after working as a secretary for a year he finally escaped. The Old Master and his Wife all pitied him, and served delicious food for a year. It wasn't until a year ago that a secret was leaked. A dude came to the door and asked when the two would travel together again. He was hung by the Old Master on a tree and beaten. There are still some scars on his body that haven't healed yet. This time, when he went to take the exam, they sent someone to follow him. He was threatened that they will cut off the relationship between the father and son if he did anything. The whole yourney to the Chang'an City went smoothly. The Old Master even bought a house for him directly in Chang'an City, where every inch of land is so precious. Changle Square is next to the Dongshi City and is one street away from Xingqing Palace. million gold. Although there were only two entrances and two courtyards, it was worth 10,000 gold. Although Master Su was born in the merchant family, he wholeheartedly wanted his son to bring honor (11) to his family through the politics and government. The meaning of using this hard-earned capital is very clear. If he failed the exam this time, he would live in Chang'an City and would take the exam three years later. The time when he takes the exam is the time when he can stop to worry.

 

 It is said that this Second Young Master has the natural talent for reading and studying. When other children of the same age were still 'at the beginning of life' and 'their nature was good' , this person has already become a Xiucai (12) in the county. When he was only sixteen he passed the triennial provincial imperial exam in one go and became a Jieyuan (13). And then...the person ran away.

 

 Beneath the harmless face, a threatening heart is concealed.

 

 It's really not easy to send the people to the feet of the Son of Heaven, and A-Fu also doesn't dare to think anymore about letting him go back to read the Four Books and Five Classics.

 

 Originally, he was bored lying on the table watching Young Master closing his eyes and resting. But when a burst of tea fragrance drifted by, A-Fu couldn't help but raise his head.

 

 A waiter who looked like a man was carrying a copper pot with a long spout to the table to add water. But although this person was dressed like a man, his figure and face were not like what a man in this kind of shop should have. The willow waist shaked with a little bit of woman's charm, and a pair of peach blossom eyes moved intentionally or otherwise. Taking advantage of the opportunity when he was adding water, a few people rubbed neither light nor heavy on his body. But he wasn't annoyed, while laughing, playing and making noise he went back. When someone grabbed his white wrist and gently pulled him, he fell into this person embrace as if he was boneless. After pulling, a pair of snow-white shoulders were exposed.

 

 He perhaps didn't come to add water, but rather come to cause affections to increase.

 

 A-Fu was stunned. He knew that the folk customs in Chang'an were open and unrestrained, but he had never seen such an open and without fear scene in broad daylight. On one side he called in his heart to not look at this impropriety, and on the other side, he couldn't look away. 

 

 When he collected his thoughts he met his Young Master's sight who raised his eyebrows and looked at him: "After going out and turning left two streets, there seems to be a small shop."

 

 A-Fu's face turned red, and he didn't dare to raise his head again.

 

 He only smelled a scent of tea, and then a jade-like hand lifted the lid of the teapot, whispered, and said with a smile: "Does this Young Master think that my tea is not good, or there are other reasons? Why did you order the tea but refused to drink it? The water is already cold, what a reckless waste of heavenly things (14)."

 

 Su Cen raised his eyes and looked at him: "It's a waste, but there are no heavenly thing to talk about. What I ordered is Mingqian Longjing Tea. Mingqian tea has a leaf and a bud. The color of the brewed tea is light but the fragrance is far away. This is obviously the Yuqian Tea. The tea trees in the early spring are the same every day. Your tea is half a month later than the Mingqian Tea. How can you talk about heavenly things? "

 

 "Young Master knows a lot," the waiter said with a sullen face. But unexpectedly with a smile on his face he picked up Su Cen's chin with the long spout of the copper pot, and said with a frivolous tone, "It's just that the Young Master doesn't drink, so I won't come to you to refill the water next time."

 

 Su Cen raised his eyebrows, poured a teacup and handed it to A-Fu in front, "Drink it, don't let other's expectations down."

 

 The little waiter smiled, added water to a cup of tea, and went upstairs with the copper pot.

 

 "Second Young Master..." A-Fu frowned at the cup of tea.

 

 Su Cen took it and drank it himself. The tea had a delicate fragrance, which is undoubtedly that of the Mingqian tea.

 

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Notes:

 

(1) 举人 Juren

-lit. 'Recommended Men'

-A qualified graduate and successful candidate who passed the triennial imperial provincial examination. 

 

 

(2)状元

• top scorer in the palace examination (highest rank of the Imperial examination system)

- scholar who ranked first overall nationwide. 

 

(3)一言千金

• one word worth a thousand in gold 

- valuable advice

• words of enormous weight

 

(4)垂帘听政

• to govern from behind the curtain

• to rule in place of the emperor

 

(5)圣上 Shengshang

• courtier's or minister's form of address for the current Emperor

-lit. High/holy Sage/Saint

 

(6)天子 tianzi

 

-the (rightful) Emperor

 

-Son of Heaven 

 

-(Emperor recognized by Heaven who received 'Mandate of the Heaven')

 

(7)马首是瞻

• to follow blindly 

• to take as one's only guide

 

(8)旗鼓相当

• two armies have equivalent banners and drums 

-  evenly matched

• roughly comparable (opponents)

 

(9)如火如荼

• like wildfire 

• unstoppable

 

(10)四书五经

 

• Four Books:

-The Great Learning 大学

-The Doctrine of the Mean 中庸

-The Analects of Confucius 论语

- And Mencius 孟子

 

• The Five Classics of Confucianism: 

-The Book of Songs 诗经 

- The Book of History 书经 

-The Classic of Rites 礼记 

-The Book of Changes 易经

-The Spring and Autumn Annals 春秋 

 

 

(11)光耀门楣

• splendor shines on the family's door 

• to bring honor to one's family

 

 

(12)秀才 Xiucai

-lit. 'Distinguished talent' 

-a person who has passed the county level imperial exam

 

(13)解元 Jieyuan

-lit. top escorted examinee

-first-placed candidate in the provincial imperial examinations

 

(14)暴殄天物

-lit. wasting heavenly things 

• to waste natural resources recklessly

• not to know how to use things sparingly

 

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