Chapter 11 Definition of a Fine Rain for Duke Weiguo in Tang Dynasty
Author: Jin Xifeng
Translator: Fanglin Louis
Introduction of the novel "The Great Khan" from the author:
A modern Chinese soul-travels to the Tang Dynasty 1300 years ago and merges into the body of Xue Chongxun, the eldest son of Princess Taiping of the Tang Dynasty of China. He tragically discovers that he and his families will be killed by the then Crown Prince Li Longji in a coup within the forthcoming two year later according to the original historical development. Therefore, Li Longji becomes his destined mortal enemy since he soul-travelled back to the world. So, as the protagonist of this novel, how can he sort out to avoid that disaster? In order to survive, is he qualified to be the opponent of Li Longji, the original great man in Chinese history? How should he reinterpret the prosperous Tang poetry in this time and space he traveled to? ……
Message from the transaltor: All contents posted here is my Enlgish transaltion of the Chinese novel ,which was oringinally posted in the website as
(Continued)
Later, a poet wrote a poem:
A fine rain knows the right season, so it happens in spring
-it gently falls from the sky with the wind at night,
moistening and benefiting all things on earth silently and selflessly.
According to the poem only the spring rain is a fine rain, and it is assumed it occurs in the Jian'nan Dao(note 1), not Chang'an..
The spring rain in Chang'an is not "moistening things silently", but it is drizzling and pattering continuously. People under the eaves can hear the water curtain formed by rain flowing down the tiles into the ditch, making a "bobo..." sound. Outside the water curtain, it is foggy, giving people the feeling that it fills the whole world although the sound is not loud.
When Xue Chongxun walked to Daqin Temple(note 2), he felt that the scene was a bit similar to the last time: he was still going to see his mother, and he arrived a little early and came to a temple, and then he met a woman here.
Unlike his last encounter with a beautiful woman, the place he went to this time was not Qianfu Temple, but Daqin Temple, which was not far away from it. Daqin Temple is located in Yiningfang, next to Kaiyuan Gate in Chang'an City. It believes in Nestorianism, which is a branch of Christianity. When Nestorianism was first introduced to the Tang Dynasty, the locals did not understand its true situation and thought it was a religion in Persia, so they called it Persian Temple. Later, they found out that it was not a Persian religion, so they changed the name of Persian Temple to Daqin Temple. However, the name in the official documents of the court remains unchanged and was still called Persian Temple.
Xue Chongxun and his servants went to the pagoda under the temple to avoid the rain. When the servant had just put away the umbrella he saw a woman running over here-she was covering her head with her hands to barely block the rain and runing directly to the eaves of the pagoda because she did not bring an umbrella. Obviously, she came to avoid the rain.
Xue Chongxun did not know this woman, but he was soon attracted by her beautiful appearance.
She was wearing a light-colored Ruqun, a very common Tang-style skirt combination: a short jacket on top, a long skirt on her lower body, a shawl on the shoulders, and a wide-necked short-sleeved top over the jacket.. This light and elegant dress was soft and elegant on her. In addition, this woman ,with a delicate face applied with a little makeup, looked particularly beautiful. And there was a strand of rain-soaked hair on the corner of her mouth, with a little crystal water droplets on it.
Next to the ancient temple, under the stone pagoda, a beautiful girl in classical Tang Suit, plus her pretty face, graceful figure, a touch of sadness, and a poetic charm, is walking over slowly and gently. This scene instantly made Xue Chongxun feel as if he was in a dream.
Intentionally or unintentionally she just glanced at Xue Chongxun standing under the eaves, and then ignored him, just looking at the sky from time to time, as if she was praying to the gods to stop the rain as soon as possible.
Perhaps it was the beauty that affected Xue Chongxun's mood, or perhaps it was because of the hazy drizzle that made Xue Chongxun's mood become peaceful. With a good mood for the moment, he took the umbrella from his servant and handed it to the beauty: "You can use my umbrella!"
The woman then looked at Xue Chongxun carefully, and said shyly, "You only have one umbrella, how can I use yours..." She showed such an innocent and childish expression at this time, which made Xue Chongxun think that she might not be very old, just a little girl of fifteen or sixteen years old.
Xue Chongxun said calmly, "I came here by carriage, so I don't need an umbrella. You can use it because nobody know when the rain can stop."
The woman hesitated a little but still slowly reached out to take his oil-paper umbrella, smiled lightly and said, "Thank you. You are such a kind person. But how can I return the umbrella to you later?"
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Hearing her say this, Xue Chongxun couldn't help but smile.
At this time, Xue Chongxun was secretly happy: Isn't this a chance to get acquainted with this beauty? When she returns the umbrella to me, we can meet again. As the saying goes, first time is strange, second time is familiar. After a few times, I can get acquainted with this beauty! But Xue Chongxun still said in that calm tone: "This umbrella is not an important thing, you don't have to return it to me."
The woman looked down at the oil-paper umbrella in her hand and thought for a while, then looked up and smiled, her red lips slightly parted: "Then I won't decline your favor anymore... By the way, I don't know if you have been to Daqin Temple before. There is a repentance hall inside with a small window. Seeing that you seem to be worried, I suggest that you can tell your worries to the priest in the small window, which will make you feel much better."
After she said that, she pursed her lips gently, opened the oil-paper umbrella, and walked into the rain. Xue Chongxun, who was still standing under the eaves, watched the ancient-dressed woman holding an oil-paper umbrella and walking into the misty rain. Thinking of the small good deed he had just done, his mood became a little lighter. At this time, he remembered the last time he saw Yuwen Ji helping refugees in the City God Temple, and suddenly felt a little touched.
"It's almost time to go to the mansion to visit my mother. Let's go." Xue Chongxun said to the servant beside him.
……
The magnificent Princess Taiping Mansion has a very beautiful scenery whether it is sunny or rainy. The weeping willows by the lake are more elegant in the drizzle, and the towering palace is hazy as if in the clouds.
"The two prime ministers are waiting in the front hall. Let's go to see them first. You can stay and have dinner with me in the evening." Princess Taiping only said this simple sentence to Xue Chongxun after seeing him, but the meaning of this sentence is actually not simple.
Because at this time, Xue Chongxun had just committed a murder, his mother Princess Taiping not only had no intention of scolding him, but also asked him to go to see the prime minister in the court together. It can be seen that by doing the thing of removing Feng Yuanjun, Xue Chongxun got not only the trust of his mother, but also the important position of him as her son in her heart.
But thinking of this, he felt a little sad: he, as the biological son of Princess Taiping, actually had to work so hard and do several evil things to make hisl mother believe what he said.
When he walked to the front hall, he saw there were two middle-aged men in purple official robes with large floral patterns who stand up and salute Princess Taiping. They were both prime ministers, one was Xiao Zhizhong, who was broad and fat, and his words and deeds were very calm; the other was Dou Huaizhen, who was tall and heroic-, he was still elegant although he was over 40... Seeing Dou Huaizhen, Xue Chongxun felt that this person was really incredible: two years ago, he actually married an old woman with almost no teeth merely because she is the old nanny of the then-ruling Empress Wei. What a funny scene it must have been when the two of them worshipped in the palace.
Seeing that the princess's eldest son Xue Chongxun was also following behind, the two of them were a little surprised at first, but they returned to normal in an instant. Considering that this was the first time Xue Chongxun appeared in such an occasion, it was impolite for him to ignore him, so Dou Huaizheng specially made a greetings to Xue Chongxun, and then casually said: "Don't worry about the thing related to you a few days ago, after all, it's not a big deal."
At this time, Xiao Zhizhong said: "But since Li Shouyi threatened to intervene in this matter, you still have to be careful, because he is a bit difficult to deal with!" Xiao Zhizhong has always been cautious, so he said this.
Dou Huaizhen shook his head and said: "I know Li Shouyi's background very well. He has a shallow foundation in this dynasty. Can he stir up any storm?"
Princess Taiping did not mean to scold her son, but she pretended to scold him: "You useless boy, you only know how to compete all day long! Now that you have caused trouble, you still need me, as your mother, to clean up the situation for you."
Xue Chongxun bowed to his mother and said, "I know I was wrong."
Dou Huaizhen smiled and said, "Young people are really decisive and aggressive in doing things. This is also a rare good quality. However... there is no need to do this to drive Feng Yuanjun out of office. In this way, you, Duke Wei, will be in the wrong, and it will not give a good impression to others."
Xue Chongxun thought: Now all four prime ministers who are inclined to the current prince have been driven out of office by my mother. It is certainly not difficult to drive out Feng Yuanjun, who is just a small official! If it is just to fight for the power of the Taichang Temple, I really don't have to kill him.
（To be continued)
Notes:
1.?????? Jian'nan Dao(剑南道 in Chinese), one of the ten Daos set up in the first year of Zhenguan in the Tang Dynasty of China (627 AD), is the name of a geographical division, with its seat (of government) located in Chengdu Prefecture, Yizhou. Jiannan Dao was named because its administrative area was located south of Jianmen Pass. It was set up as a geographical division during the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty, and its jurisdiction was equivalent to most of Sichuan Province today, the area east of the Lancang River and Ailao Mountain in Yunnan Province, and parts of the northern end of Guizhou Province, and the area around Wen County in Gansu Province.
(Data source: https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%89%91%E5%8D%97%E9%81%93)
2.?????? Daqin Temple(大秦寺 in Chinese), a Nestorian temple (church) recognized and funded by the Tang Dynasty government, was built in Yiningfang, Chang'an in the 12th year of Zhenguan Period of Tang Dynasty (638 AD).
(Data source: https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%A4%A7%E7%A7%A6%E5%AF%BA)
3.??????