“Mr. Ji, over there, there are ghosts and spirits…”
Hu Yun carefully inford Ji Yuan, then quickly darted in front, as if Ji Yuan would block the ghosts and gods behind him from seeing him.
“Yes, I know. Go on.”
Ji Yuan simply replied, before leading Hu Yun away from Temple Administration Lane and heading towards Yongning Street.
Ghost and spirits weren’t blind, nor were they stupid. Although Ji Yuan’s aura was hard to detect, the underworld ssengers patrolling in front of the gates would inevitably see him. They just chose not to show themselves so as not to disturb him, as they were careful to assess the situation.
Of course, once Ji Yuan was about to leave, he made his presence known, which led to Hu Yun discovering the ghosts and spirits.
In the capital, there were three main streets near the imperial city. The central one was Yongning Street,1 while the ones on the left and right were Shuntian Street2 and Rongan Street.3 The residence of Grand Secretary Yin Zhaoxian, who was highly respected by both the court and the common people, was located on Rongan Street.
As Ji Yuan led Hu Yun down the street, the number of grand mansions on either side increased significantly. However, Hu Yun was walking very slowly, so Ji Yuan didn’t go too fast.
It was quite amusing to watch this red fox walk on two legs, one claw gripping the mask, the other constantly tugging and plucking at fur from his own body.
However, Hu Yun was doing sothing important. He carefully selected suitable pieces of the red fox fur on his body, then stuck them onto the mask. The fox mask, which originally had so fur but was actually quite sparse, now beca increasingly furry, all thanks to Hu Yun’s own contributions along the way.
“Be careful not to pluck yourself bald.”
Ji Yuan said with a smile, and Hu Yun replied without even looking up.
“It’s alright. I’m not just picking hair from one spot. I won’t do what Lu Shan Jun did back then.”
“Heh.”
Ji Yuan smiled. Hu Yun’s work couldn’t be finished in a short ti, so the gift would probably be delayed. But they wouldn’t postpone their visit to the Yin residence.
Although he had never asked for the exact location of Yin Zhaoxian’s residence, he simply needed to follow the white light of righteousness in the sky to find it.
About three quarters of the way through the Wei hour,4 Ji Yuan and Hu Yun arrived at a mansion near the front of Rong’an Street. Ji Yuan looked up at the mansion’s plaque; the characters were large enough, and with the unique surna, he could clearly see that it read “Yin Residence.”
A faint white light gathered above the mansion, and a powerful aura swept away all the surrounding turbidity. The only person in Dazhen who could possess such a righteous spirit was Yin Zhaoxian.
Four guards stood in front of the gate, each carrying a long staff and a sword at their waist. They had obviously noticed Ji Yuan standing in front of the Yin residence. However, seeing Ji Yuan’s refined and scholarly attire, it was not surprising. After all, their master was the revered Lord Yin, who was said to be the reincarnation of the God of Literature, and anyone who had studied even a little would admire him.
Ji Yuan took a few steps forward, intending to go directly up the steps, but at this mont, the guard on the right side of the door opened his mouth.
“Halt! This is the residence of Lord Yin; the Pri Minister’s residence. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to approach!”
The title of “Pri Minister” was not a specific official position, but rather a description of the duties of officials who had reached a certain level of power. Several heads of the three ministries and six departnts of Dazhen could be called Pri Ministers. Although Yin Zhaoxian was not the most powerful among them, he was definitely the most famous one in the court at this ti.
Ji Yuan stopped in his tracks and bowed slightly.
“Gentlen, my surna is Ji, as in “to plan.” I co from Ning’an County, Ji Province, and I am a neighbor of Mr. Yin. I have co here today to pay my respects. Please inform him of my arrival.”
“From Ning’an County?”
“Indeed!”
The guard frowned as he looked at Ji Yuan. The man seed quite dignified and didn’t appear to be lying. It was just a bit strange that he would visiting before the New Year; at such a critical juncture, he should have co after New Year’s Eve.
“Wait a mont, I’ll go in and inform him.”
“Thank you!”
The guard handed the wooden staff to his colleague before quickly leaving, hurrying to the back courtyard. Yin Zhaoxian and Yin Qing were reviewing official docunts in one of the studies.
Even though it was almost New Year’s Eve, the father and son were still so busy they couldn’t even take a break. They had so matters that they needed to discuss frequently with the Ministry of Rites in recent days.
One of them sat at the large desk, while the other sat at the small table.
The charcoal stove inside the room made the study very comfortable. Yin Qing held a brush, pointed to the contents of the morial in his hand, and said to his father.
“Father, as expected, the decree to appoint of scholars that you promoted has still been criticized…
“Haha, that is within my expectations. This matter doesn’t need to be accomplished overnight; it can be done slowly and gradually.”
Hearing his father’s words, Yin Qing smiled with relief.
“With your words of encouragent, Father, and your prestige in the literary world, I believe things will gradually get better.”
Just then, the guard hurried to the study door, deliberately making his footsteps louder before knocking.
“Knock knock knock…”
“Your Excellencies the Pri Minister, Vice Minister, a visitor has arrived. He says he’s from Ning’an County, surnad Ji, and he…”
Upon hearing “Ning’an County” and “surnad Ji,” Yin Zhaoxian and Yin Qing, who were inside the room, were visibly taken aback, and then stood up almost simultaneously.
The guard was still speaking when the door in front of him suddenly opened from the inside, and a warm current of air flowed out.
“Where is he? Where is he? Was he taken to the reception room?”
Yin Zhaoxian spoke very hurriedly. There was no one else with the surna Ji in the entire Ning’an County, so it was obvious who had co.
The guard imdiately realized that the person who had arrived was soone very important to the Pri Minister, and replied imdiately.
“I reported in a hurry and haven’t taken him to the reception room yet. He should still be waiting outside the door.”
“Oh dear, how could we keep Mr. Ji waiting? Oh, it’s not your fault, it’s your duty. Co on, take us there!”
Yin Zhaoxian said, and hurriedly walked out, as did Yin Qing.
The guard dared not delay and quickly stepped forward to lead the way for the two officials, accompanied all the while by the steward and servants from the study.
A mont later, in front of the Yin residence, Yin Zhaoxian and Yin Qing rushed over and saw Ji Yuan standing outside the steps. His appearance was exactly the sa as the Mr. Ji in their mories, just like before.
“Mr. Ji!?”
The father and son spoke in unison, with a mix of excitent and disbelief. Over the years, all their letters and inquiries had been like stones sinking into the sea; they never expected to receive a visit from Ji Yuan at the year’s end.
Seeing that the two were so excited that they forgot to bow, Ji Yuan cupped his hands in a gesture of apology and smiled.
“Master Yin, Yin Qing, it’s been a long ti! How are you both?”
“Good, good, good! Everything is fine!”
“We are all well!”
The two n were so excited that they repeatedly returned the greeting with clasped hands, their hands trembling. The guards watching from the side were incredulous; these two n were usually so composed when facing high-ranking officials and even the emperor.
“Yin Qing!”
A light, slightly sharp voice rang out from behind Ji Yuan, and then Hu Yun popped out, staring blankly at Yin Qing and Yin Zhaoxian.
Hu Yun rely glanced at Yin Zhaoxian, his gaze lingering on Yin Qing for a long ti.
Yin Qing wore a thick, fur-lined cloak, a square scholar’s cap on his head. His face boasted so wrinkles, and he had a beard as long as a handspan on his chin. he looked vastly different from the Yin Qing he rembered, but Hu Yun still recognized his good friend at a glance.
The voice startled Yin Qing, then filled him with joy.
“Little… little fox?”
Realizing there were other people nearby, Yin Qing imdiately fell silent and gave Hu Yun a wink.
“Mr. Ji, you must be tired from your journey. Please co in, please co in!”
Yin Zhaoxian smiled at Hu Yun, then quickly and warmly invited Ji Yuan inside. He spoke to the others around them.
“Quickly tell the kitchen to prepare a banquet. We’re hosting Mr. Ji tonight. Oh, and don’t forget to inform my wife to bring the young master back!”
“Yes!”
The steward on the side quickly replied.
After Yin Zhaoxian and Yin Qing led Ji Yuan into the mansion, the guards outside looked at each other in bewildernt.
“Goodness, this person is so important! Why are the Pri Minister and the Vice Minister so excited?”
“Could he be a relative from their hotown in Ning’an County?”
“Maybe…”
…
Inside the reception room of the Yin residence, after tea had been served and a charcoal brazier was set out, Yin Zhaoxian and Yin Qing waved for all the servants to leave, leaving only the three people and the fox in the room. At this mont, Hu Yun had already jumped directly onto Yin Qing’s lap.
“Mr. Ji, we have written many letters back to Ning’an County, but the people there say you have never returned. We have not heard from you all these years. We were very worried about you!”
“Yes, Mr. Ji, but we knew that you are no ordinary person, so you would surely be alright. And the little fox…”
Yin Qing looked at the red fox sitting on his lap, his fur soft and warm.
“I haven’t been back for so long. I kept thinking I would just finish this busy period, but it never seed to end. I miss you so much, I miss the big black carp so much, I miss that old turtle so much…”
“It’s my fault, too. Qing’er is my right-hand man. I’ve relied on him too much.”
Ji Yuan simply sipped his tea, occasionally chiming in with a comnt, watching Hu Yun and Yin Qing chat and laugh. It felt much like the atmosphere of the Ju’an Pavilion back then.
Of course, Mr. Yin and Hu Yun rarely interacted before, but now, with the deanor of a great scholar, he treated this fox with the sa attitude one would show to a nephew.
Ji Yuan took out the preserved chicken and duck he had brought, all of which had been homade by the people of Ning’an County, and could not be found in the capital. Yin Zhaoxian imdiately ordered them to be taken to the kitchen as if they were treasures. Hu Yun told Yin Qing that he also had sothing good to give him, but it was not finished yet and would be kept a secret for the ti being.
永 (yǒng): forever/always, 宁 (níng): peaceful/to visit –> “Forever Peaceful” or “Peace Eternal” Street 顺 (shùn): to obey, 天 (tiān): heaven –> “Under Heaven” or “According to Heaven” Street 荣 (róng): glory/honor/thriving, 安 (ān): safety/peace/calm –> “Thriving in Peace” Street. This entire 3-street complex is FASCINATING. It’s a massive imperial proclamation (and propaganda machine) essentially saying that 1) the palace in the center will be forever peaceful under heaven and thus flourish forever, and 2) those who follow the Emperor, literally the “Son of Heaven” in the center of these streets, will thrive and have peace as they obey Heaven. Wei hour is 1-3pm, so about 2:30pm ish
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