Cao Tun woke from his nap, only to find it was already past noon.
The luggage had been neatly packed away. Cao You personally placed the half-cartload of books onto the shelves in their shared study, arranging them in perfect order.
"Just in time for lunch," Cao You said, pressing a cloth soaked in well water onto Cao Tun's face. Cao Tun shivered, his drowsiness instantly vanishing. "Your cousins have been waiting for a long time."
Cao Tun held the cloth to his face, wiping it. "They were all waiting for me to wake up? That’s so embarrassing. Why didn’t you wake me earlier?"
Cao You thought to himself that he found it strange as well.
Tun'er was a junior; it wasn’t proper for elders to wait for him. Could it be that his uncle, out of pity for Tun'er having lost both parents at a young age, was spoiling him?
After all, they were living under someone else’s roof. He couldn’t let Tun'er leave a bad impression on his cousins. Today, Tun'er was exhausted from the journey, so his cousins might understand. But in the future, he would have to advise his uncle against this.
"You’ve been tired from traveling these past few days, and today you were frightened as well. It’s fine to sleep a little longer," Cao You said as he tied Cao Tun’s little topknot. "Your second through sixth cousins are all here. Only the eldest cousin is serving as an official in the southern frontier and isn’t in the capital."
Cao You was quite familiar with Cao Cong’s sons. Although he had already introduced them to Cao Tun once on the road, he went over the key points again as they headed to lunch.
Cao Cong’s eldest son was serving in a provincial appointment, while his other sons only held minor sinecure positions. They usually lived self-sufficiently at a villa in the suburbs, rarely returning to the old mansion in the Eastern Capital. One could say they were "hidden within the court."
To centralize power, the Song Dynasty had an extremely complex system of official positions, divided into many categories such as sinecure officials, commissioned posts, honorary titles, nominal ranks, and merit-based titles. It was common for a single person to hold over a dozen official titles, making it dizzying to keep track.
The more essential official positions included "sinecure officials," who drew a salary without performing duties; "commissioned officials," who received subsidies and actually worked; and "honorary titles," which were special positions with additional benefits reserved for civil officials.
Local officials like prefects and county magistrates were commissioned officials;
Various "academicians" of certain pavilions were honorary titles;
The miscellaneous titles held by Cao Tun’s uncles, such as Left Treasury Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of the Six Residences, were all low-ranking seventh-grade sinecure positions—their names and responsibilities were unimportant, and they only drew salaries without working.
Cao Tun asked, "I remember Second Uncle is a Right Palace Duty Officer, a ninth-grade sinecure minor official?"
Cao You nodded.
Cao Tun chuckled softly.
To placate its officials, the Great Song was exceedingly generous, with an endless supply of "sinecure official" positions. Whether one entered the court through the Jinshi examination or by Yin privilege, everyone could become a "sinecure official," starting at the lowest rank of ninth grade. With seniority, one could rise in rank.
An ordinary official from humble origins wouldn’t remain a ninth-grade sinecure official even after eleven years of service. Cao Tun’s second uncle, Cao Yi, was already twenty-seven years old and had been an imperial relative for eleven years, yet he was still only a ninth-grade sinecure official.
Cao You had been holding Cao Tun’s hand as they walked.
But after just a few steps, Cao You grew impatient with Cao Tun’s short legs and slow pace, so he picked him up again.
Cao Tun leaned on his Little Uncle’s shoulder and whispered, "Given how much His Majesty dislikes our family, do you think he might just cross my name off the Child Prodigy Examination list?"
Emperor Renzong of Song was relatively lenient toward court officials, but when it came to the inner palace, imperial relatives, and his own children, he could be quite feudal, autocratic, and emotional.
Cao You replied, "He probably wouldn’t. I’ve met His Majesty before, and he treated me quite well. Tun'er, the Eastern Capital is filled with censors and remonstrance officials. Even though you’re still young, you must be careful with your words and actions."
"Oh," Cao Tun said, then fell silent.
The two arrived at the main hall. The uncles had all come alone, without bringing their children or family members.
They were all very kind to Cao Tun, each having prepared gifts like silver locks as meeting presents.
After Cao You accepted them on Cao Tun's behalf, he brought out small trinkets purchased from Jiangnan, saying they were gifts Cao Tun had prepared for his cousins.
The uncles were all delighted, repeatedly praising Cao Tun for his early wisdom and good sense.
While flawlessly navigating the family dinner, Cao Tun quietly surveyed the room.
Strange, why isn't Teacher Zhu eating with us? Does he not want to get involved in the Cao Family's relatives' dinner?
Cao Tun was young, so the uncles only briefly praised him a few times before leaving him to eat in peace.
Seeing that his sons all had much to say to Cao You, Cao Cong told them they didn't need to stay and keep him company. They set up another table outside by the fence, free to eat and drink as they pleased. He only kept Cao Tun with him.
The uncles happily dragged Cao You away, clearly having a very good relationship with him. Although the Cao Family did not have much silver, they had imperial-granted farm estates, so they didn't need to purchase food from outside, and the meals were still quite good.
To leave a good impression on his granduncle, Cao Tun ate slowly and chewed thoroughly, wiping the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief after every bite, observing all the proper etiquette.
Cao Cong was indeed very pleased, nodding and smiling constantly, so focused on watching Cao Tun eat that he forgot about the food in front of him.
Under Cao Cong's benevolent gaze, Cao Tun felt immense pressure. He didn't eat a single bite less, eating until his belly was full and round.
Cao Cong had someone bring fruit. While Cao Tun nibbled on the fruit, Cao Cong hurriedly ate his meal.
After Cao Cong finished eating, Cao Tun had also rested enough. Cao Cong then took Cao Tun for a walk to help with digestion.
Cao Tun said, "Granduncle, after eating a full meal, one should rest for a while before getting up to walk."
Cao Cong gently replied, "It's fine, I only ate until I was half-full."
Cao Tun was shocked. What kind of terrifying health principle is this? Granduncle, you're a military general—how can you only eat until you're half-full? Would Granduncle later make me eat only half-full too?
He buried his worries deep in his heart, pondering how he would refuse if Granduncle tried to teach him to eat only half-full.
While Cao Tun was lost in thought, Cao Cong had already led him onto a carriage. Inside the carriage was also Teacher Zhu.
By the time Cao Tun snapped back to reality, the carriage had already left the Cao residence.
Cao Tun quickly greeted Teacher Zhu, then asked in confusion, "Where are we going?"
Fan Zhongyan smiled and said, "To Xiangguo Temple to offer incense."
Only then did Cao Tun remember Teacher Zhu's words from the morning: "Is Little Uncle not coming?"
Cao Cong said, "He'll go later with his brothers. They haven't seen each other in a long time, so let them play outside a while longer."
Cao Tun found it hard to imagine his usually studious and martial Little Uncle playing with peers and was very curious. Unfortunately, Granduncle and Teacher Zhu had "captured" him, so he couldn't witness Little Uncle's lively and cheerful side.
When they got off the carriage, Cao Tun noticed that Teacher Zhu looked a bit strange.
Teacher Zhu had wrapped his hair in a long kudzu cloth, with both ends hanging over his shoulders; his face was dark, as if smeared with soot from a pot; his refined, scholar's beard, which resembled that of an immortal in paintings, was shaved short, leaving only stubble less than a finger joint long; his original wide-sleeved robe was replaced with narrow-sleeved short coarse clothing, making him look like a poor servant or martial artist.
Cao Tun then looked up at his granduncle, Cao Cong.
My great-uncle had changed into a loose crane-feather cloak and wore a peach-shaped Taoist hat, looking quite ethereal and immortal-like… Hmm, wait, aren't we going to Xiangguo Temple to offer incense? Why is my great-uncle dressed like a Taoist?!
Cao Tun lowered his head to look at his own clothes.
Teacher Zhu looked like he was going to a fight, my great-uncle looked like he was heading for a debate, and only I was dressed normally—a proper incense-offering visitor.
The monks at Xiangguo Temple were well-traveled and knowledgeable, showing no dissatisfaction with the clothing of Cao Tun's group. Instead, they enthusiastically promoted their high-priced incense to them.
Unable to stop them, Cao Tun watched as Cao Cong selected the most expensive incense. The monks even chanted sutras around Cao Tun for a while and bought a Buddhist pendant to hang around his neck.
Cao Tun felt as though he had witnessed people in later times falling into tourist trap spending schemes.
Seeing Cao Cong being persuaded by the monks to buy some evil-warding bracelets, Cao Tun thought of his family's old, worn-out clothes. Touching the pendant on his chest, he anxiously said, "Great-uncle, don't spend any more money."
Cao Cong rubbed Cao Tun's head. "This little money is something your great-uncle can still afford."
Cao Tun hesitated, on the verge of blurting out, "Great-uncle, aren't you burdened with huge debts?" But he and his great-uncle weren't yet familiar enough for such bluntness.
Wracking his brains, Cao Tun saw the monk turn to another customer to make a sales pitch. Speaking quickly, he said, "Great-uncle, the monks here sell Buddhist treasures, claiming the more expensive they are, the more effective they become. If the sincerity of one's prayers is measured only by how much money one spends, wouldn't that mean Buddha only saves the rich and not the poor? To me, the temple's divine aura seems filled with worldly wealth and luxury, unlikely to cleanse impurities. Perhaps it would be better to return home and pray to the ancestors of the Cao Family, seeking their protection instead."
Cao Cong's eyes widened slightly. After a brief pause, he lifted Cao Tun onto his arm to sit, stroking his back with his other hand. Deep laugh lines appeared at the corners of his eyes. "Tun'er, your words have awakened me from a dream."
Seeing that his great-uncle had taken his words to heart, Cao Tun breathed a sigh of relief.
Sitting on Cao Cong's arm, he looked around at the multitude of worshippers in this Buddhist sanctuary, finding it filled with greed, anger, and ignorance.
Cao Tun fiddled with the pendant, his gaze falling on a woman holding a child.
The child in the woman's arms seemed to have been feverish for a long time, and she feared it was due to some impurity. She was anxiously pleading with a monk for a pendant but couldn't immediately produce enough money. She hoped the monk could make an exception and accept an item as collateral.
A little girl clung to the woman's clothes, wiping tears from her face, looking terrified.
Frowning, Cao Tun yanked the pendant from his neck. "Great-uncle, as a gift from an elder, I shouldn't dispose of it carelessly. Since I am fine now, may I give this pendant to someone in urgent need?"
Cao Cong had also noticed the woman. Before he could speak, Fan Zhongyan interjected, "Langjun, since you don't believe the Buddha here can protect the faithful, why give the pendant to someone else?"
Cao Tun replied, "If I give her the pendant, she can use the money she saved for it to buy medicine and save her child."
Cao Cong smiled and set Cao Tun down on the ground. "The gift I gave you is yours to use as you wish."
Cao Tun walked toward the woman. "Did you mention earlier that your husband is an official stationed at the border, named Di Qing?"
The woman hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes! In a few days, my husband will send money, and I'll come back to redeem my hairpin."
Cao Tun handed the pendant to the woman. "No need. Take my pendant, and use your money to hire a physician."
The monk had originally intended to demand more money, but upon hearing Cao Tun's sudden interruption, his expression abruptly changed: "Once a Buddhist plaque is given away, it becomes useless…"
Cao Tun took a step forward, his small frame shielding the much taller woman standing before him, and said coldly, "A monk from Xiangguo Temple tells a sick person to use medicine money to buy a Buddhist plaque, offering no treatment but only chanting scriptures. If this child dies from illness, will you not descend into hell?"
Cao Tun deliberately raised his voice, drawing the attention of the crowd. Many turned their gazes toward the scene.
The monk paled and hurriedly said, "What nonsense are you talking? I didn’t…"
Cao Tun clasped his hands together: "I’ve heard that the abbot of Daxiangguo Temple is a highly virtuous master of profound Buddhist teachings. Shall we go before the abbot to debate whether the Buddhist plaque I purchased loses its efficacy if given to someone else? Many devotees buy Buddhist plaques for their relatives and friends. According to your words, wouldn’t all of them be ineffective?"
After he finished speaking, the monk was immediately surrounded by onlookers among the devotees.
Seizing the opportunity, Cao Tun turned back and said sternly, "You’ve already obtained the Buddhist plaque. Hurry and go fetch a doctor. Be careful not to delay, lest the Buddha’s protection weakens."
The woman stammered her thanks to Cao Tun: "May I ask which family the young master belongs to? I will definitely gather enough silver to repay you."
Cao Tun looked at the child in the woman’s arms.
The boy seemed to be around the same age as Cao Tun. He barely opened his eyes and stared blankly at Cao Tun.
Cao Tun’s heart softened involuntarily. Standing on tiptoe, he gently placed his cool little palm on the child’s burning forehead: "I’m giving it to you, no payment needed. Go quickly, don’t delay the child’s treatment."
The woman bowed deeply to Cao Tun and left with her children.
The little girl clutching the hem of her mother’s clothes kept looking back, her gaze repeatedly falling on the boy who, though even thinner and smaller than her, had shielded her, her mother, and her brother.
Author's Note:
Well… it’s normal to have different interpretations of the plot and characters. I beg all readers to discuss gently and avoid arguments, please. I dare not manage the comment section, so I ask everyone to maintain a harmonious atmosphere in the comments. I kowtow to all readers m(–)m, please, kowtow m(–)m, kowtow m(-_-)m.