Wish You All the Best - Chapter 111

Chapter 111

Evening approached, and the snow gradually ceased. A small side gate located beside the drum tower in the northeastern corner of the imperial palace creaked open, and a warm sedan chair emerged from within.

Two eunuchs in plain clothes carried the chair along the walkway beneath the palace walls, traveling south. They passed through the Baotai neighborhood and finally stopped at the entrance of the alley leading to the Lantern Market, lowering the sedan.

A grandfather and grandson stepped out of the chair. The grandfather was nearly fifty years old; he leaned on a cane with one hand and held the four or five-year-old boy’s hand with the other. The two of them, one large and one small, made their way slowly forward along the street.

A dozen steps behind them, several guards, also dressed in plain clothes, followed silently.

The grandfather and grandson entered the Lantern Market. Rows of shops stood on both sides of the street, crowded with wine houses and storefronts. Though it was not yet dark, every establishment had already hung their lanterns high. Inside, the spaces were brightly lit, bustling with guests and filled with the sound of laughter. Luxuriously decorated carriages drawn by fine horses flowed in an endless stream. Looking from afar, the entire street resembled a silver dragon, winding and crawling forward.

This place was the most prosperous and extravagant location outside the imperial palace of the capital. The air of wealth and the grandeur of the imperial capital were, for the most part, exactly this.

The so-called Lantern Market was originally just a display set up by the founding emperor on the east side of the palace during the Lantern Festival to share joy with the people. Back then, around the time of the festival, the imperial court would erect magnificent, colorful pavilions to attract wealthy merchants from the north and south. At night, they would light lanterns and set off fireworks for revelry. All the city’s residents—from princes and ministers down to the common folk—came regardless of status, both to enjoy the lanterns and to play. The festivities would last for ten days. Later, it gradually changed to three times a month: the fifth, the fifteenth, and the twentieth. Eventually, this area became a hub for jewelry, antiques, fragrant silks, fine porcelain, rare northern and southern goods, and foreign treasures. Coupled with wine houses, shops, and grand residences, it extended for dozens of miles to the east. Today, though the name "Lantern Market" remains, it is no longer limited to the Lantern Festival or the three monthly markets. Throughout the year, unless something extraordinary occurs, people come and go, and the lanterns often burn from dusk until dawn.

Following his grandfather, Ci’er traveled along the street, which was filled with passersby wearing light furs and magnificent clothing. He looked left and right. By the time they finished walking through the liveliest part of the market, his arms were already filled with several toys—trinkets the guards had purchased for him as they passed the stalls. Although his legs felt a bit weary, he was filled with excitement. As he sat back into the soft sedan waiting at the end of the street with his grandfather, he asked question after question.

Xiao Lie answered them one by one and finally asked, "Ci’er, is this place good?"

Ci’er nodded: "Good."

He thought for a moment, then tilted his head up and asked, "Imperial Grandfather, you said you would take me to see the world. Is this the world?"

Xiao Lie replied, "I will take you to one more place, and you will understand shortly."

The sedan continued forward, traveling for what felt like a very long time before finally coming to a stop. The chair was lowered once again.

Ci’er followed his grandfather out of the chair. He lifted his eyes to look around and froze slightly.

The street before them was narrow and gloomy. The houses on both sides were low and dilapidated, and the snow in the middle of the road had been trampled into a filthy, black sludge. The weather was cold and night was nearly upon them; almost every house had its doors and windows tightly shut, leaving the interiors pitch black. Only a few homes allowed a faint, dim light to filter out through the cracks. Looking ahead, the path was shrouded in darkness. Pedestrians were sparse, and those who were out walked with their heads tucked in, shoulders hunched, and faces etched with sorrow.

Compared to the scene he had just witnessed in the Lantern Market, this felt like the difference between heaven and earth.

The appearance of this pair of grandfather and grandson seemed somewhat out of place. A few passersby who bumped into them glanced at them briefly, but had no heart to look further; they hurried on, likely anxious to get home, eat a hot meal, drink some hot soup, warm their frozen hands and feet, and cast off the weariness of a day’s toil.

A girl about the same age as Ci’er was wearing a quilted jacket made from what was likely her mother’s old clothing—it was very worn, and the white floral pattern on the blue fabric had faded to a moldy, aged yellow. It probably provided little warmth. Regardless of the cold, the girl stood in the threshold of a door opened only halfway. She breathed onto her palms to warm them while craning her neck to look outside, as if waiting for someone; it appeared she had been waiting for some time.

Ci’er rarely saw children his own age, so he stopped in his tracks, eyes wide as he watched the girl. The girl noticed him, then glanced at Xiao Lie beside him and the few guards following closely behind. Seeming frightened, she immediately pulled the door shut.

Ci’er looked up at his grandfather, who was watching him with a smile. He scratched his head and had no choice but to step forward again. Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps crunching on the snow came from behind.

Ci’er turned around and saw a peddler carrying a goods pole approaching. Perhaps because of the bad weather, he hadn't sold much; his load still looked quite heavy.

The dilapidated door that had just been pulled shut suddenly creaked open again. The girl, who was still hiding behind the door crack, poked her head out once more. She chirped happily, "Daddy!" and dashed over the threshold, flying toward the peddler to meet him.

The peddler had been wearing a sorrowful expression, but seeing his daughter run out to greet him, his face immediately broke into a smile. He pulled a candied hawthorn skewer from his load and handed it to her. The girl accepted it happily, holding the skewer in one hand and clutching his shoulder pole with the other as she bounced back inside, calling out, "Mom! Daddy's back!"

A woman emerged at the sound, looked at the still-full goods pole, then glanced at the candied hawthorn in the girl's hand. She sighed and complained, "There are only a few days of food left in the house, and your rouge and powder won't sell. Why waste money buying this for the girl!"

The peddler said, "It was only a copper. I’ll walk a few more neighborhoods tomorrow and sell a bit more."

"Enough, you're the same every time. Hurry inside, warm yourself up, and let’s eat."

Amidst the woman’s nagging, the old, broken door was shut, and the family’s backs disappeared behind it.

The surroundings turned quiet, and from somewhere unknown, a scent of cooking fire and steam seemed to drift into the air.

Ci’er stared blankly at the closed door, his small figure motionless.

Xiao Lie stood silently at his side, leaning on his cane. He did not disturb the boy at first. After waiting for a moment, he leaned down slightly, took one of Ci’er’s small hands (which was tucked into a hand-warmer), and said softly, "Shall we walk a little further with Imperial Grandfather?"

Ci’er slowly withdrew his gaze, nodded, and followed his grandfather as they continued forward.

The further they went, the more difficult the road became, and the houses on both sides grew even more dilapidated. Those dwellings could hardly be called houses; they were merely four pillars wrapped in bundled straw and rags, covered with a straw mat held down by stones at the corners. That was how people lived.

In the corner of a collapsed earth wall, a fire had been lit, and several beggars sat around it, spending the night in the open air. From the nearby thatched shacks, the sounds of coughing children crying out constantly emerged, intermingled with the long sighs and laments of women.

The guards behind them became nervous, following closely and daring not to relax for even a second.

Ci’er’s expression turned solemn, his little mouth pressed into a tight line. He kept looking back, but he was led forward by his grandfather’s hand, step by step, through this area of slums that sat right at the foot of the empire—a place where even the benevolence of the spring sun could not reach.

Finally, they walked out of the dark, narrow alley. Lantern lights began to appear sparsely along the street.

"Move, move! Don't block the door!"

Beside the door of a small wine shop casting a dim, yellow light, an old man stood selling oranges, borrowing the shop’s light. The old man’s clothes were thin; he stood shivering in the cold wind. On the ground sat a little girl wrapped in her grandfather’s old, tattered cotton-padded coat, but even so, the child’s face was frozen blue.

The shop assistant came out to chase them away.

"Please, have mercy. Let me stand a little longer. As soon as I sell these oranges, I will leave. My little granddaughter is sick, and I am the only one in the family. I had to bring her out to wait for the money from these oranges to pay for her medicine..."

The old man pleaded bitterly. Suddenly, seeing a group of people walk by, he hurriedly turned.

"Sir, please buy some oranges."

"There are only ten or so left. They are all good oranges. Usually, they would cost ten coins, but if you buy them all, I'll charge you five."

After speaking, the old man looked at the group with expectant eyes.

Ci’er turned, watched for a moment, then slowly looked up at his grandfather.

Xiao Lie gestured to his attendants. A guard walked over, gave twenty coins, and wrapped up the bag of oranges.

The old man was overjoyed. He bowed repeatedly to Xiao Lie and Ci’er, carefully placed the coins into his money bag, tied it securely around his waist, and busily packed his things. He placed his granddaughter into a basket, weighed it down with a stone, shouldered his load, and limped forward, treading on the snow-covered ground.

Ci’er suddenly broke away from his grandfather’s hand, dashed forward on his short legs, and caught up to them. He took off his own hand-warmer and stuffed it into the little girl’s hands. Only then did he turn and run back to follow his grandfather into the warm sedan that had arrived to pick them up.

A small copper stove was installed inside the sedan, burning charcoal and providing great warmth.

On the way back, Ci’er sat on his grandfather’s lap, not saying a word.

The sedan retraced its path to the palace, and the two returned to the imperial study.

Xiao Lie smiled slightly and said, "Ci’er, do you know what the 'world' is now?"

Ci’er looked at his grandfather.

"The Erya states that 'Spring is the Azure Heaven.' The so-called Azure Heaven is the source of all things growing in abundance. And among all things, humanity is the most spiritual. Therefore, the so-called 'world' is, in truth, the myriad people. Your Imperial Grandfather is the Emperor. Do you know what the work of an Emperor is?"

Ci’er shook his head: "Ci’er does not know."

"The work of an Emperor is to govern the world."

Ci’er’s eyes brightened slightly: "Imperial Grandfather, I understand! To govern the world is to govern the myriad people."

Xiao Lie laughed and nodded, his gaze filled with infinite gratification.

"Ci’er is absolutely correct. Today, Imperial Grandfather took you out for a walk. In the capital, there are fertile lands and wealthy people, but they are the minority. More numerous are the people who toil arduously for a single meal for their families. You saw it yourself—even under Imperial Grandfather’s very eyes, there are so many people who cannot get enough to eat, who do not have enough to wear, and who lack a roof over their heads in the snowy weather. If this is the state of the capital, think of how vast the world is—how many such things are happening? What an Emperor must do is govern the world well, so that more people can have food to eat, clothes to wear, and a house to live in. Do you understand?"

Ci’er nodded slowly.

"Ci’er, being a good Emperor is very hard work, and it may even cause you to lose things you hold dear. But such is life; to gain, one must also lose. Remember your Imperial Grandfather’s words. When you grow up, you will understand."

Ci’er nodded: "Ci’er will remember.”