Chapter Twenty-Two: War of Words

The cold-faced young man fixed his gaze on Du Shiyi for quite a while before finally crouching down. He placed two fingers lightly on the pulse of the youth called Xue Liu-lang, then examined the wound on the boy’s exposed calf. Rising to his feet, he did not spare so much as a glance at Liu Ximing, whose face brimmed with anticipation, but merely nodded slightly.

“You’re right. It looks like he was bitten by one of those harmless snakes common in these mountains—a superficial wound at best. Rather than force down those harsh snake medicines, it’s better to clean the injury and apply a proper ointment. Junior Brother Cong, Brother Song, please take Brother Xue to the hut marked with the ‘Dui’ character and use the medicine in the first porcelain bottle on the western shelf for his wound.”

“Yes, Third Brother.”

Two young men, seemingly older, immediately stepped forward from behind the cold-faced youth. The sturdier of the two bent down and hoisted Xue Liu-lang onto his back, while the other lent a hand. The three hurried off towards the thatched hut east of the waterfall. Only then did the cold-faced young man study Du Shiyi and Cui Jianxuan once more, a thoughtful look in his eyes as he asked, “Are the two gentlemen here to call upon Master Lu?”

Lu’s Cottage was hidden deep in these mountains. Whoever arrived here—official or commoner, old or young—had done so for the sake of the renowned Lu Hong. Thus, this question had become the standard greeting for all disciples of the cottage when meeting outsiders. Yet before Du Shiyi could reply, Cui Jianxuan interjected with a sardonic smile, “Not at all. We simply heard there is a famous waterfall here in the mountains and came to see it for ourselves.”

At this, the other disciples nearby showed various expressions. Liu Ximing looked as if he dearly wanted to sneer a few words, but knowing he had already been foolish enough for one day, he forced himself to hold his tongue. Du Shiyi, meanwhile, was both annoyed and amused that Cui Jianxuan, having come all this way, was still being obstinate at such a moment. Yet he had no choice but to smooth things over.

He gave a dry cough and smiled. “Eleventh Brother and I have indeed come to pay our respects to Master Lu. But as we made our way here and heard the roar of the falls before we saw them—then glimpsed that torrent cascading down like a silver ribbon—we could not help but be enthralled, imagining the Milky Way pouring from the heavens. The desire to behold it fully was irresistible.”

As he spoke, he shot Cui Jianxuan a warning glance. Noticing this, and realizing that Du Shisan-niang was also glaring at him in exasperation, Cui Jianxuan sullenly shut his mouth at last. The Cui family retainers, who had nearly been frightened out of their wits by Cui Jianxuan’s reckless words, finally breathed a sigh of relief. The retainer who had previously acted as their guide hurriedly stepped forward and bowed respectfully to the cold-faced young man.

“I am a servant of the Cui family from Yongfeng Lane in the Eastern Capital. Today, I accompany my young master, who has come to seek instruction from Master Lu. I ask Sir Pei to kindly report our arrival.” At this, he remembered that if not for Du Shiyi’s intervention, who knew what trouble Cui Jianxuan might have stirred up, and quickly added, “This gentleman traveling with us is the Nineteenth Son of the Du family of Duling in Jingzhao.”

Only then did Du Shiyi learn that the cold-faced young man before him was named Pei, third in his family. He was pondering whether his rank as “Third Brother” meant he was third among all Lu’s disciples, when a voice of surprise rang out from the crowd: “You are that talentless fellow, Nineteenth Son Du of Fanchuan?”

After that exclamation, another voice gasped, “The very one who went to the magistrate’s office in Dengfeng, volunteering to deal with the locust plague, the Nineteenth Son Du of Duling?”

“The same man who dared to swallow locusts in public, unfazed by the wrath of heaven!”

“I heard you slaughtered hundreds of thousands of locusts—ruthless to the extreme! Are you not afraid of offending the gods?”

To say killing locusts by the thousands was ruthless—if so, was he not more wronged than Dou E herself? Was this not the old adage, “Good news travels slow, bad news flies a thousand miles”? And yet, these men, all secluded in the mountains for study, should not be so well-informed. As Du Shiyi felt their curious, astonished, or even regretful gazes upon him, he noted that Pei Third Brother’s face remained impassive as ice, while Liu Ximing could scarcely hide his delight at his misfortune. In that instant, Du Shiyi understood: clearly, someone here had added fuel to the fire and smeared his name!

He steadied himself, about to speak, when Cui Jianxuan gave a cold snort. “To call killing locusts ruthless—now that’s a novel accusation! By that logic, should you ever go to war, must you show mercy and flee the battlefield as cowards?”

The Cui family retainers, well aware of their young master’s temperament, saw faces blanch all around as those who had spoken against Du Shiyi now recoiled. They all despaired of fulfilling their matriarch’s earnest hopes and dreaded the inevitable retribution upon their return to the capital. Not daring to confront Cui Jianxuan, they cast sidelong glances at Du Shiyi, inwardly blaming their master for his reckless tongue, while Du Shiyi himself was left fuming.

He had long since experienced the sharpness of Cui Jianxuan’s tongue, but now he could only marvel at his knack for making enemies—perhaps simply out of his own stubbornness and lack of interest in succeeding at this scholarly pursuit. Faced with those increasingly hostile stares, Du Shiyi decided to throw caution to the wind and said calmly, “Though Eleventh Brother’s words are provocative, in the face of a locust plague to sit idly by is like defending a city against invaders but refusing to fight, hoping that piety alone will send the enemy packing.”

“Nonsense! Master Lu has always taught us to revere heaven and honor our ancestors, to be diligent and self-reflective. A locust swarm is a natural disaster, not something mortals can stop. In ancient times, wise rulers governed well, and their lands were spared by locusts. Now, with locusts darkening the skies two years running, we should reflect and amend our ways. If we seek peace by slaughter, last year’s locust campaign is proof enough—fail to learn the lesson, and famine will return year after year!”

The speaker was not one of those who had earlier censure him, but rather a stern-faced, gray-robed middle-aged man who strode forward from beside Liu Ximing, his voice sharp and commanding. Liu Ximing stood behind him, his face full of admiration and deference, leaving no doubt that the man held some standing within Lu’s Cottage. Du Shiyi raised an eyebrow and calmly stepped forward himself.

“When the locusts have not yet come, virtue may avert them; but once they appear, they must be destroyed. It is like an abscess on the back—if you speak only of restoring vitality without using the knife or strong medicine, the poison will reach the heart before any healing can begin. The two cases are different in circumstance but alike in principle. Only the lazy and faint-hearted can look upon the life and death of the people, the fate of the realm, as matters of no concern, and tremble before the ways of ghosts and gods, fearing some slight offense will bring disaster. Yet if a man stands upright, no spirit or demon can harm him! As for the charge of slaughter—are you more moved by pity for the locusts than for the people who starve?”

His forceful words left the gray-robed man speechless. Yet Du Shiyi did not relent, but pressed on: “Since you bring up last year and this, let me add a word. Precisely because we strove so hard last year, though Shandong, Henan, and Hebei did not reap a full harvest, famine was averted. If we fight as hard this year, there is every chance no one will starve. As for the future, if we treat locusts as a constant threat, as ordinary as the daily meal, what is there to fear? In short, with united effort, even a locust swarm is only a dish at table!”

“Well said—a dish at table!” Cui Jianxuan burst out laughing, clapping his hands. “I don’t regret following you these ten days, nor that grand spectacle we staged with the ducks and the locusts!”

At last, the cold-faced Pei Third Brother, who had watched the whole exchange in silence, spoke: “Fourth Brother, Master Lu always says that each man has his own way; do not force yours upon others.”

With that, seeing the gray-robed man acquiesce, albeit grudgingly, Pei Third Brother fixed Du Shiyi with another thoughtful look and said coolly, “Since you have come to call upon Master Lu, please wait here a while. Today Master Lu is lecturing on the Analects. When he is finished, I will announce you.”

Cui Jianxuan had assumed that, after his own meddling, if they were not turned away outright, Lu Hong would surely refuse to receive them, and they could return home with a clear conscience. He was surprised that this seemingly cold and unapproachable man was in fact the most reasonable of all! As the others dispersed, leaving their party to themselves, he shrugged and suggested with a sly grin, “Since we’re here, Nineteenth Brother, shall we go down and admire the waterfall? Thirteenth Sister, isn’t this your first time seeing such a sight?”

The earlier scene, with her brother beset on all sides, had left Du Shisan-niang shaken. Thinking of his tireless efforts these past ten days—rising early and returning late, suffering exhaustion and misunderstanding—she had little heart for the scenery, however beautiful. Biting her lip, she came forward and gently tugged at her brother’s sleeve.

“Brother, if everyone here looks down on you so, what’s the point even if Master Lu agrees to take you on? Perhaps... we should just go home.”

“Don’t worry.” Du Shiyi shot Cui Jianxuan a warning look, then spoke gently to his sister. “This waterfall is a rare sight—let’s treat today as a pleasant excursion.”

Without waiting for her reply, he led her before the falls. Seeing her gaze blank as she stared at the soaring silver torrent, he tried to lighten her mood with a few jokes. Gradually, she relaxed, and he smiled. “No matter what, to see such beauty today makes our arduous journey worthwhile.”

“Mm... By the way, those lines you recited—‘the torrent plunges three thousand feet, as if the Milky Way fell from heaven’—did you just compose them, brother?”

Caught by her expectant gaze, Du Shiyi gave a sheepish cough. But before he could answer, he received a sharp jab to the ribs. He glared at Cui Jianxuan, only to see him jerk his chin toward someone approaching. Following his gaze, Du Shiyi saw Pei Third Brother, clad in white, striding toward them.

“Gentlemen Du and Cui, do you have letters of recommendation?”

“Of course not!” Cui Jianxuan cut in before Du Shiyi could answer. Seeing Pei’s raised eyebrow, Du Shiyi thought it best not to produce his own letter. When Pei turned and said, “Follow me,” Du Shiyi comforted his worried sister with a light pat on her shoulder and a low voice: “Don’t fret. Your brother is not one to rely solely on connections. If possible, I would rather not use Mr. Sima’s letter at all.”