Chapter 191: No Old Objects Encountered

In the Southern Dynasties, there were noble sons who could be generals, and even more who could be ministers, but to be both a general and a minister in one person—how often is that seen in a generation?

Liu Shilong established his fame early, was a master of both literature and martial arts, and was ranked first in scholarly quality for playing the zither, known as "Liu Gong's Double Locks"; his horse-spear was unrivaled in the south of the Yangtze River, known as "Liu Gong's One Spear." He once said: "Horse-spear is first, pure conversation is second, zither playing is third." His demeanor and spirit made countless juniors admire him. But such a person was now sitting opposite another person whose demeanor was no less than his, smiling bitterly.

One was a Duke, the other was the Emperor. There were really not many things that could make them sit together and smile bitterly.

The Emperor sighed:

"Back then, Shen Youzhi spent ten years training troops, raised an army with white hair, controlled eight provinces, and shook the world! You and I, one inside and one outside, joined forces to break him, and it took less than two months for Youzhi to lose his head. People at the time all said: 'Lu Xun breaking Liu Bei was nothing more than this.' Now, a tiny barbarian actually makes you and me feel tied up. If this spreads to the north, it will make the Suo captives laugh."

Liu Shilong smiled bitterly:

"If they laugh, they laugh at me. I only know pure conversation, not pure understanding. Today I say 'no burden by things,' tomorrow I say 'the sage has no body,' the day after tomorrow I say 'no sorrow or joy to respond to things.' In the pure conversation arena, it is discussed clearly, and everyone says Liu Gong's words are profound and clear. But when something really happens, the true colors are revealed immediately. It can be said that my five internal organs are burning, and I can't even eat. I will have no face for pure conversation in the future. When Wang Rong lost his son, Shan Jian mourned him, saying: 'A thing in the arms, how can it come to this?' Compared to Shan Jijun, I am really not even a little bit behind."

The Emperor comforted him:

"If a person has no feelings, how can they be a person? The highest level forgets feelings, the lowest level doesn't reach feelings, and the focus of feelings is exactly what we are. The Emperor has no private feelings, but even I cannot avoid them, and you are not much stronger than me, so don't think about forgetting feelings."

Liu Shilong bowed: "How can I compare with Your Majesty?"

The Emperor was silent for a moment, then said:

"Yanxu, ever since you stepped down as the Minister of the Secretariat, you have become distant from me. If I don't summon you, you don't come to see me. You only think of me when you want to borrow books. In previous years at the Hualin Banquet, Chu Yuan played the pipa, you and Wang Sengqian played the zither, Shen Wenji sang, Zhang Jing'er danced, Wang Jingze performed martial arts, and Wang Jian was the most mischievous..."

Liu Shilong smiled, imitating Wang Jian's stiff and somewhat wooden tone, and interjected: "I don't know how to do anything, I only know how to recite books."

The Emperor laughed loudly: "As a result, this guy recited Sima Xiangru's *Book of Fengshan* on the spot!"

The monarch and minister recalled the scene at that time, feeling as if it were right before their eyes, and both laughed uncontrollably.

Laughing and laughing, not knowing what they thought of, both stopped simultaneously, looked at each other in silence, and the atmosphere gradually turned heavy.

The Emperor said:

"Chu Yanhui and Wang Sengqian have passed away for a long time; Zhang Jing'er broke the law and was executed; Wang Jian also left last year. The only ones left are you, Shen Wenji, and Wang Jingze. 'No old objects encountered, how can one not age quickly?' The Hualin tour cannot be repeated.

Wang Jingze is in Yuzhou, and Shen Wenji is in Yingzhou, both with heavy responsibilities. Although they can't come back, they often write to me. Only you seek leisure and freedom, hanging curtains and playing the zither all day, pure conversation with a deer-tail whisk, only a wall away from me, yet you don't come to see me..."

Liu Shilong sighed slowly:

"The palace is deep and profound, is it just a wall away? If I were outside, I would write to Your Majesty, but in the capital, it is not easy to write."

The Emperor's tone gradually turned cold:

"So you learned from Zhang Liang, living a leisurely life, not caring about world affairs. But you are smarter than Zhang Liang, at least you didn't learn his fasting. It also saves me from learning from Empress Lü and issuing a forced meal edict. But you do this, is it because you take me for Han Gao Zu, about to slaughter meritorious ministers? Just because I killed Yuan Chongzu and Zhang Jing'er?"

When Liu Shilong heard the last sentence, it was like a bolt of lightning flashed through his heart!

These two things were both taboos that the Emperor had done. He and the Emperor had friendship, but serving the monarch is like walking on ice; one careless move could bury the seeds of disaster.

So there was no abnormality on his face, let alone a moment of hesitation, and he immediately said:

"Yuan Chongzu was treacherous and had no merit, and Zhang Jing'er had long harbored different intentions. Your Majesty killed them, and public opinion all thought it was right. How can it be called slaughtering meritorious ministers? Besides, although Han Gao Zu killed Han Xin and Peng Yue, as for Cao, Chen, Jiang, and Guan, he relied on them as his confidants; when did he ever suspect them? If Your Majesty is Han Gao Zu, how can I not be Jiang or Guan? What is there to worry about?"

The Emperor stared at Liu Shilong, his eyes bright: "Then can you tell me, what exactly are you hiding from?"

Liu Shilong's expression was natural, his speaking speed neither fast nor slow:

"I am not hiding, Your Majesty misunderstood my intention. I have been determined to read books since I was young, and I have been on horseback since I grew up. From raising an army in Shangyong to breaking the barbarians in Xiangzhou, it has been twenty-one years. My body is not as good as Your Majesty's. When I was young, I couldn't be full after eating three bowls of rice, but now I am full after eating one. My knees and elbows ache when it rains, and I have to choose large-print books for reading. 'Life between heaven and earth, suddenly like a traveler from afar. A cup of wine for entertainment, chatting thick and not thin.' Life is like a sojourn, how many years are there in a century? I really want to do some things I like while I can still move.

If I were still carrying official duties, I couldn't be casual. Just like when I was in Xiangzhou, I established mansions and shops to make money through trade, and as a result, I was impeached by the Censor. Although Your Majesty protected me and didn't ask, can I be without shame? After stepping down, I don't have these concerns. But if I always enter the palace to see the Emperor, there will be more people asking me to do things. I am really tired of it. Some people can be rejected, but some old acquaintances are hard to refuse. Your Majesty, you say I finally retired and want to live a comfortable life, but I have to deal with them every day, avoiding this and that. Am I at a loss!"

Liu Shilong shook his head helplessly, and the Emperor laughed with relief:

"Good, good, good, you know how to enjoy yourself. Since you want to hide in leisure, I won't force you, but you still have to come to the palace to see me often and talk to me."

"Didn't I come today?"

"Aren't you here for your son?"

"My son is like Your Majesty's nephew. Even if I didn't come, Your Majesty would definitely do your best."

The Emperor said sternly: "That's right, I really want to save your Fourth Son, but you must understand that even if it were my son trapped in the hands of the barbarians, I could not agree to their demands. Giving some silk is actually nothing, but the imperial court will never accept extortion. Once this precedent is opened, the barbarian troubles will be endless."

"I understand. And now is not the time to move troops..."

"It is indeed not the time, but troops are something that must be used when they should be used, regardless of whether it is the time or not. If your son really has an accident, I will send troops to slaughter their clan to avenge you. Of course, it is best if the person can be saved. I plan to send someone to Jingzhou to inform the barbarians to release the person. This is the official way. In addition, I am prepared to let your second son, Liu Tan, hold the position of Governor of Wenyang, and transfer Liu Senglin, the commander of the Linju army, to be the Wenyang Commandery Military Advisor. Liu Senglin is your old subordinate. Do you understand what I mean by this arrangement?"

Liu Shilong stood up, his expression solemn, and bowed deeply to the Emperor:

"For Your Majesty's grace, I would die ten thousand times to repay it!"

"Sit down, sit down. Between you and me, there is no need for this. Whatever ideas you have, just do them. As long as you don't violate the general situation, it will be fine. You must grasp this sense of proportion."

"I understand. I already have an idea and would like Your Majesty to decide."

"What idea, tell me."

Liu Shilong pulled a memorial from his sleeve, bowed his head, and presented it with both hands: "Please Your Majesty to look at it."

"What are you doing being so mysterious?"

The Emperor took the memorial with a smile and opened it. After reading just two lines, his expression changed. He looked at Liu Shilong and continued reading.

Liu Shilong waited quietly on the side, not daring to disturb. He could probably guess how much impact this policy discussion would have on the Emperor, because when he read this policy discussion at the time, he was also deeply shocked.

However, the Emperor is the Emperor. Except for the change in expression at the beginning, he remained calm. But the subtle movements of his body, the degree of concentration, and the changes in the pupils of his eyes all showed the stormy waves in the Emperor's heart.

In fact, Liu Shilong didn't need to observe secretly to know the Emperor's reaction, because he knew this was a policy discussion enough to shock the world. This person had the talent of Jia Yi, and his own little son, how could he be an opponent?

——————

Note: ① *Book of Southern Qi, Biography of Liu Shilong*: "Good at playing the zither, known as Liu Gong's Double Locks, ranked first in scholarly quality." The lock is a right-hand fingering technique for the zither. The three sounds of plucking, wiping, and picking are the back lock, the back lock plus the slow wipe and hook five sounds are the short lock, and adding seven to nine sounds is the long lock. It is quite suspected that the so-called "Double Locks" is the wonderful mastery of two of the above locks.

② *History of the Southern Dynasties, Biography of Wang Jian*: "Later, at the Hualin Banquet, everyone was asked to perform skills. Chu Yanhui played the pipa, Wang Sengqian and Liu Shilong played the zither, Shen Wenji sang *Ziye Lai*, and Zhang Jing'er danced. Jian said: 'I don't know anything, I only know how to recite books.' Then he knelt forward and recited Xiangru's *Book of Fengshan*."

This list is incomplete. The *Book of Southern Qi* records this section without Liu Shilong playing the zither, but with Wang Jingze clapping. (The *History of the Southern Dynasties* also has Wang Jingze clapping, but it is moved to the later narrative. It is very interesting that this Hualin Banquet has symbolic significance, among which Wang Sengqian, Liu Shilong, and Wang Jian are all noble families of the immigrant surnames; Shen Wenji is a noble family of the Wu surname; Zhang Jing'er is the son of a low-level military officer, and Wang Jingze is a commoner. Both have humble backgrounds and entered the upper class through military merit. If you add a humble family, these types of people represent the political ecology at that time.)

The term "clapping" is said to mean martial arts, and some say it is dance. I think it is more likely that both exist, as martial arts or for training purposes, or can be directly used in actual combat. As for the performance, it turns into dance, similar to war dance. *History of the Southern Dynasties, Biography of Wang Jian* says:

"Then Wang Jingze took off his court clothes, tied his hair with a red cord, waved his arms and clapped, shouting to move the left and right. The Emperor was unhappy and said: 'Have you ever heard of the Three Dukes being like this?' He replied: 'I got the Three Dukes because of clapping, so I cannot forget clapping.'"

Jingze's status was humble, and he obtained a high position through military merit. Here he said he got it through "clapping." First, clapping was originally a martial art, referring to his making merit through martial arts. Second, clapping was the reason he started his career. *Book of Southern Qi, Biography of Wang Jingze* says: "At the age of twenty, he was good at clapping and was appointed as a sword and halberd attendant."

Because he was good at clapping, he was appointed as a sword and halberd attendant, which shows that this skill is likely related to actual combat.

And *History of the Southern Dynasties, Biography of Cao Hu* says: "It is said that Hu liked scenery, so he opened the treasury and recruited clapping martial arts." Calling it martial arts, it can be seen that clapping has a performance nature.

③ *Book of Southern Qi, Biography of Liu Shilong*: "Established mansions in the province to manage life, was impeached by Censor Yu Gaozhi, and the edict pardoned him without questioning."

*Book of Southern Qi, Biography of Liu Shilong*: "Shilong then sent military deputy Liu Senglin to pursue him."

Liu Shilong's borrowing books is also a habit. In the time of the first Emperor, he borrowed books from the Royal Secret Pavilion: "Shilong loved to browse, and asked Taizu to borrow books from the Secret Pavilion, and the Emperor gave him two thousand volumes." (*Book of Southern Qi, Biography of Liu Shilong*) ===== CHAPTER 192 =====