Volume 1: Jiangpu Merchant Son-in-law Chapter 57: High Mountain and Flowing Water

  Zhu Yunwen continued to sigh: "My imperial grandfather founded the country with military power and governed it with literature. Since entering the Red Scarf to resist the violent Yuan, it has been more than 40 years. My imperial grandfather's life was a martial one, his heroic talent and grand vision can be called a wise and brilliant king of a generation. I have admired my imperial grandfather since childhood, vowing to become a wise and brilliant king like him in the future, governing a prosperous era of the Great Ming that will shine for thousands of years! However... I did not expect that my ambitions had not yet been realized, but I encountered such internal worries..."

  "My great-grandfather had twenty-six sons, among whom my father, the Crown Prince Yiwen, died early. The eighth uncle, King Tan of Pingguo, was implicated in the Hu Weiyong case due to his brother-in-law, Ningxia Commander Yu Hu, and feared being held accountable, so he took his own life. The ninth uncle, King Zhao, and the twenty-sixth uncle both died young. The remaining adult princes were enfeoffed in various places, holding military and administrative power, raising troops, collecting taxes, nominally defending the empire, but actually they were all states within a state. As long as my great-grandfather was alive, he could still control them, but if one day my great-grandfather passed away, all these princes would be of my uncle's generation, how would they still listen to my orders and support me as their lord?"

  "Among the princes, the fourteenth uncle, Prince of Yan, and the seventeenth uncle, Prince of Ning, have the heaviest troops. The Prince of Yan is garrisoned in Beiping, and the Prince of Ning is garrisoned in Daiying. Both places are close to the Northern Yuan, with many soldiers and generals, which is inevitable. What I am worried about is that if these two uncles do not want to obey me in the future, they will order their soldiers to turn against me, and their swords will point directly at the capital. How should I deal with it then?"

  Zhu Yunwen spoke for a long time, with sighs and deep sorrow in his words. It was clear that the vassal king was his greatest concern, one that he couldn't share with outsiders. If he were to reveal it, others would think that this crown prince was already thinking of getting rid of his imperial uncles before even taking the throne, which would be detrimental to Zhu Yunwen's reputation. Moreover, by nature, he was kind and benevolent, and couldn't bring himself to harm his imperial uncles.

  Xiao Fan half-closed his eyes, quietly listening to Zhu Yunwen's account. History is still history, and at this time, Zhu Yunwen indeed foresaw the great calamity of enfeoffing vassal kings, which would truly emerge in a few years. The Yan King and Ning King he mentioned were the leaders of the rebel army during the Jingnan campaign, who eventually took his throne by force.

  No matter what, Zhu Yunwen was willing to share this sensitive and taboo idea with him, Xiao Fan's heart was still very moved. He could feel that Zhu Yunwen had indeed regarded him as a friend, and such words would never be spoken unless they were close friends.

  Xiao Fan and Zhu Yunwen didn't meet often, Zhu Yunwen was a poor boy, his side was filled with teachers who were full of righteousness and morality, Confucian officials, and eunuchs who flattered and fawned on him, above them was a strict grandfather Zhu Yuanzhang, this was his living environment, in his environment there were many people, but there was no friend to talk and laugh together, to help each other, to open their hearts and pour out their feelings.

  Xiao Fan appeared at this time, and the blame of Zui Xian Lou for not being in contention, even beating and scolding, made Zhu Yunwen feel a kind of closeness that was sincerely cared about by others. This kind of closeness was something that the Confucian scholars and eunuchs around him could not provide.

  Male friendship is simple and sometimes even inexplicable, it arises out of nowhere. Xiao Fan and Zhu Yun Wei were just like that.

  Looking at Zhu Yunwen's worried face, Xiao Fan felt a little unbearable, he always thought he should say something.

  "Your Highness, the troubles of the vassal kings are indeed real. Does your teacher, Mr. Huang, have any suggestions?"

  Zhu Yunhe smiled and his worried expression eased slightly: "Mr. Huang comforted me, saying that as long as the Emperor is still in good health, it's too early for the vassal kings to become a threat, and their military strength isn't as great as we imagine, at most they can only defend themselves. If one day they dare to rebel, we can defeat them with the imperial army, it should be easy as turning over one's hand. Mr. Huang also said that during the Han Dynasty, Emperor Jingdi's time, seven kings rebelled, and Emperor Jingdi appointed Zhou Yafu and Dou Ying as generals, and in just ten days, they quelled the rebellion of the seven kings. Although our dynasty has many vassal kings, only two are to be feared: Yan and Ning. Can't our imperial army defeat these two small vassal kings? Hehe, although it's comforting words, I also think Mr. Huang's words make a lot of sense..."

  Xiao Fan sighed.

  There is a sentence that he endured very hard, Han Jingdi was wise and decisive, can you Zhu Yunwen compare with others? Jingdi had the ancient famous general Zhou Yafu, who did Zhu Yunwen have under his command? The capable and warlike generals were killed by your grandfather, those who are alive are all mediocre, can they be relied on? Furthermore, Yan Wang Xiongcai was a hero of the world, how could he be compared to those seven rebellious kings of the Han dynasty who were not up to par?

  Huang Zicheng, you're really something! A loyal minister like you is the kind that would make all the treacherous ministers die from laughter. Throughout history, what's most feared is the appearance of this kind of stubborn and unyielding official in the imperial court! They're filled with loyalty to the emperor and dedication to the country, yet they mistakenly harm and bring disaster to the ruler with their single-minded devotion. These people are even more detestable than treacherous ministers and should be killed! In the end, when the ruler loses his throne, these foolish officials still look up to the sky with a tragic expression and exclaim: "This is heaven's will, not a crime of war..."

  Heaven's will is also in human hands; as an emperor or a minister, what have you done so far?

  Xiao Fan opened his mouth, intending to advise Zhu Yunwen to be more vigilant towards the vassal kings and not to believe the comforting words of those pedantic Confucian officials around him, lest he harm the country and himself. The words reached his lips, but Xiao Fan suddenly woke up with a start and stopped speaking abruptly.

  As a commoner, I don't have the position or power to discuss politics. There are things that officials can say, but commoners absolutely cannot, even if it's a friend of the crown prince who is a commoner, they still can't say it, otherwise, it would be fatal for themselves.

  Time will tell, and when I have a status and an opportunity in the future, I'll properly advise this naive Crown Prince.

  After speaking out his inner worries, Zhu Yunwen's mood improved a lot, and his depressed emotions were swept away, even his smile became radiant.

  Some people tell their friends about their troubles, but they don't necessarily need their friends to provide them with the most correct advice. What they need is just someone who can quietly listen to what they have to say, and that's it. Once they've finished speaking, it's like clearing out the trash in their minds, and no one will analyze or study this pile of garbage.

  Xiao Fan smiled and said: "Your Highness's story is over, want to hear the monkey's story? Today's play is very wonderful, it's a big fuss in heaven..."

  Zhu Yunfeng looked out the window at the setting sun and said with a reluctant expression: "It's late today, I still have to hurry back to the capital. Tomorrow, you can come up with a few more wonderful stories, and tomorrow, tell me some more..."

  He turned his head to wait for the call of the imperial guard, but Zhu Yun's eyes fell unconsciously on the fake ancient zither placed in the Ya Pavilion. Then he said to Xiao Fan: "You put the zither here, can you play it?"

  Xiao Fan shrugged and said: "I'm just a humble follower of the elegant, but my fiancée is good at playing the zither, and she also has a maid named Baoqin..."

  Zhu Yunwei smiled and pointed at Xiao Fan, saying: "Qianxu, you're too modest. I've seen through you long ago. You're a man of great depth, your wife can play the zither, how could you not? Come, let's harmonize together. Let's emulate Bo Ya and Ziqi from the Spring and Autumn period, and play a duet of 'High Mountain Flowing Water'..."

  Xiao Fan's face turned white with anxiety: "Your Highness, if it's about caressing a woman, I'm quite experienced, but as for playing the zither, I really don't know how..."

  Zhu Yunhe didn't believe it and laughed loudly: "Nonsense! Your words are dishonest, I definitely won't believe you. Quickly bring the zither to play!"

  Xiao Fan's face was bitter, and he silently brought over the two ancient zithers that were placed inside the pavilion.

  "Your Highness Ta Sun, soon you will know how sincere and honest I am..."

  Inside the elegant pavilion, the soft and gentle sound of the guqin echoes back and forth.

  Zhu Yunwen's hands danced on the strings, his expression focused, his handsome and slightly childish face now calm and entranced. His slender fingers pressed down on the strings, a series of elegant and refined notes flowing out from between them, floating and fluttering like a group of carefree spirits, instantly filling the entire Drunken Immortal Pavilion with joyful music...

  In the great hall of Zui Xian Lou, Huang Zhixian closed his eyes slightly, with a look of intoxication and admiration, and sighed: "Lofty like Mount Tai, vast like the Yangtze River... In life, to meet someone who understands you is to use this melody to express one's joys and sorrows! What a wonderful tune of High Mountain and Flowing Water, an eternal masterpiece!"

  Huang Zhixian's expression sank again, and as soon as he thought that the Crown Prince had actually taken Xiang Fan as his confidant, he was filled with jealousy.

  A humble merchant's son-in-law, what qualifications does he have to be a bosom friend of the crown prince?

  With a twinge of jealousy, Huang Zhixian also began to hesitate. He had originally intended to ask the Ministry of Rites' Huang Shilang for help in bringing down Cao Wei and Xiao Fan at Jiangpu, but now that Xiao Fan was deeply favored by the Crown Prince, would Huang Shilang still be able to move against him?

  "Ah! Delicious——"

  A piercing noise similar to heavy metal rock from a past life cut through the melodious piano sound.

  The people in the hall, who were originally intoxicated, suddenly turned into a look of horror, and they couldn't help but shiver, taking a step back at the same time, with a painful expression of gritted teeth.

  The music in the third-floor pavilion paused for a moment, then continued, drifting out again...

  Then another ear-piercing harmony sounded, and the crowd in the hall retreated again. The sound of the guqin paused once more...

  Thus, amidst the dual stimulation of enjoyment and torment, everyone finally heard out this tune of high mountains and flowing water.

  Inside the elegant pavilion.

  Xiao Fanxi smiled and said: "Prince Taishun, the humble villager harmonizes with the sound of the qin. Does Your Highness feel any resonance? The humble villager finds himself gradually getting into the mood..."

  Zhu Yunhe coughed loudly and then hesitated, saying: "This... this... hmm, I'll go back and think about it before answering you."

  He rubbed his scalp, which was a bit numb from the noise stimulation, and Zhu Yunwen didn't even have time to say goodbye before he hastily departed.

  Tai Sun left, and Huang Zhixian and Cao Yi also returned to the government office.

  Inside the Drunken Immortal Building, Old Cai grinned and approached, saying: "Boss, why is Taishun playing the zither for no reason?... The first part sounds good, but that middle section doesn't sound quite right..."

  Xiao Fan glared at him with a bad temper, saying: "What do you know! From the sound of the zither to the person, one can hear the thoughts and character of the person playing the zither from the sound. This is what cultured people love to do..."

  Lao Cai looked puzzled and asked: "Shopkeeper, what did you hear from Taishun's piano sound?"

  Xiao Fan's face was solemn and thoughtful: "From the Crown Prince's piano sound, I feel that... he needs friends!"

  On the way back to the capital, Jin Yi's personal military officer, Yuan Zhong, came forward and flattered: "Your Highness' piano skills have become even more exquisite, even a coarse person like me who doesn't understand music can listen to it and forget all worries, Your Highness is truly brilliant."

  Zhu Yunwen smiled and said, "As the ancients often said, 'Hearing the sound of the zither, one can understand the elegant meaning.' Today, I am emulating Bo Ya and Zhong Ziqi, precisely to find a kindred spirit, to share our lifelong aspirations with each other. A kindred spirit who plays the zither can hear from the sound of the zither what he is thinking and contemplating, isn't this wonderful? Isn't this elegant?"

  "What did Your Highness hear from Xiao Fan's zither?"

  Zhu Yunwen heard the words and fell silent for a long time, looking up at the starry sky with a desolate expression. After a while, he finally spoke: "From Xiao Fan's piano sound, I feel that... he really can't play the piano!"