Chapter 89: A Brother and Sister Urge a Talk

An ass that can outrun a horse? Of course it was worth having.

When they first set out, Uncle Liu could scarcely believe his own eyes. Was this still an ass? It ran like the wind; a journey of several li away was covered in the blink of an eye. Liu Yitiao's words had proved perfectly true: one must never judge an ass by its looks. Old Liu had underestimated this one before.

Liu Yitiao scooped up a handful of fodder and put it into the trough before Liu Wuhen, then patted its head affectionately as a special reward for the trip. Liu Wuhen responded with equal warmth, stretching out its long tongue to lick Liu Yitiao's hand again and again.

"This is a hundred-mile ass," Liu Yitiao told Old Liu. "It can cover more than a hundred li in a day, and it's even a little faster than an ordinary horse. You could call it the 'thousand-li steed' among asses."

"Truth be told, compared with a real thousand-li steed, it wouldn't be much inferior."

If it did not run, it was merely ordinary; once it ran, it was astonishing. Those who cared only for appearances would never understand its worth.

Old Liu said nothing. He merely looked at the ass, then at Liu Yitiao, and after that went straight inside with his hands clasped behind his back.

That ass was so much like their eldest son: equally plain, equally capable of surprising people. If one had not ridden it oneself, not touched it oneself, who would have believed that such a small, scrawny ass, such a poor farmer, could possess such remarkable ability?

Compared with them, he, Old Liu, as the father, was... alas!

Old Liu once again thought of the two times he had bought cattle, and shame burned hot in his chest. The excitement from walking the ass a moment ago vanished without a trace.

Liu Yitiao set aside his work, went into the kitchen, and brought out the meal he had left for Old Liu at noon. He placed it on the table before him and said, "Father, this is the food Mother left for you. It's still warm, so eat a little first. Later I'll go buy some wine and dishes, and when Second Brother comes back from the village school in the evening, the three of us can have a proper drink together."

Thinking it over, they really had all been busy in vain these days, and the three of them had not gathered properly in quite some time. Though they were father and sons, brothers by blood, if they went too long without speaking, a certain unfamiliar distance would inevitably grow between them. Liu Yitiao did not wish to see that.

"Mm," Old Liu nodded. At that moment, he truly did feel like having a few drinks.

In the Forbidden City of Chang'an, within the Hall of Establishing Governance.

The Empress rested diagonally upon the bed couch, dismissing all attendants from the hall with a wave of her hand. In an instant, the great chamber was left with only her and Changsun Wuji.

"Elder Brother, since it is only the two of us siblings here, there is no need to mind the formalities. Sit down," said the Empress, straightening slightly and addressing Changsun Wuji, who still stood there bent at the waist.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for granting me a seat." Changsun Wuji bowed respectfully to the Empress, then lifted his robe hem and sat upon a round stool draped in yellow silk behind him. Folding his hands, he said in a deferential tone, "May I ask what summons Your Majesty had for your humble servant?"

Alas. Seeing that Changsun Wuji was still so restrained, the Empress could not help but sigh inwardly. Since Li Shimin had ascended the throne, her elder brother had grown noticeably more distant from her. Everything was done according to rules and proprieties, with scrupulous avoidance of suspicion, lest any idle talk be stirred up. Thus their dealings with one another had grown fewer and fewer.

"It is nothing much. Only these past few days I have been somewhat ill at ease, and I have also been thinking of Elder Brother, so I wished to invite you here for a little family conversation." The Empress turned slightly and looked at Changsun Wuji's now somewhat whitening beard. "Elder Brother, you have grown much older in these past years."

Changsun Wuji lowered his gaze to the long whiskers beneath his chin and sighed. "Indeed. Time is like a blade; it spares no one. This humble servant is already nearing fifty, so of course I am old. I only wonder how many more years this old skeleton of mine can still go on living."

The Empress said, "Elder Brother is only forty-six this year, still in the full vigor of life. How could you be called old? If you seem thus, it must all be because you have labored too much over affairs of state. Though those matters are important, you cannot neglect your health."

"Your Majesty is gracious to be concerned. This humble servant understands." Changsun Wuji continued, "But the whole Tang Empire is now in a period when all enterprises are waiting to be raised up; affairs are numerous, complex, and burdensome. As a subject, it is my duty to share the Emperor's burdens. As for this body of mine, even if it were ruined, what of it?"

He spoke with great fervor, though in front of his own younger sister, there seemed little need to proclaim such loyalty at such length.

"Elder Brother, those words are too severe. You are a pillar of the nation. Great Tang needs you, and so does the Emperor. If your body remains strong, it is a blessing for Great Tang, a blessing for the Emperor. You must take better care of yourself." After speaking, the Empress changed her tone and asked softly, "How are Chong'er, Huan'er, and the others? It has been some time since I last saw them, and I truly miss them. In a few days, have Elder Brother bring them here as well. After all, I am their own aunt, and we ought to visit one another more often."

Changsun Wuji replied, "Though those boys are not much in the way of learning, they are at least obedient. If Your Majesty misses them, then tomorrow I shall have them come and pay their respects."

"Mm. Elder Brother need not be too harsh with them either. They are still only children. With patient instruction, they will surely become pillars of Great Tang in time." The Empress said as if casually, "Just like your nephew Chengqian. Though he likes to act mischievously and can be somewhat willful in his conduct, if there were a stern teacher like Elder Brother to guide and discipline him, he would surely become a wise ruler of Great Tang in the years to come."

"Your Majesty speaks with perfect truth. The Crown Prince has been clever and quick-witted since childhood, and now that he is being carefully instructed by great scholars of the age such as Zhang Xuansu and Kong Yingda, he will surely not disappoint the Emperor and Your Majesty in the future." Changsun Wuji lowered his head as he answered, meeting the Empress's probing with a deft and measured evasion.

"You are kind to say so, Elder Brother." The Empress showed no trace of disappointment, or perhaps she had never truly expected much to begin with. In the same gentle voice, she said to Changsun Wuji, "I fear I may not live to see that day."

"Your Majesty must not speak such nonsense!" Changsun Wuji suddenly raised his head and said sharply, "Your Majesty is blessed beyond measure and will surely live to a hundred. Not only will you see the Crown Prince ascend the throne, you will even see the Crown Prince's own son do the same!"

Seeing Changsun Wuji react so strongly, the Empress felt a chill in her heart. His reaction was a little too much.

"Elder Brother, you actually know in your heart, don't you?" The Empress murmured softly to herself. "Yes, you must have asked the Imperial Medical Office director, Wang Zikui. How could you not ask? We are brother and sister by blood, after all. You could not possibly ignore the condition of your younger sister's illness."

Changsun Wuji also realized that he had lost his composure a little just now. Taking a breath, he steadied himself and said, "Your Majesty worries too much. This humble servant did indeed ask Director Wang, and that was on the very day you last woke. Director Wang said your condition had already been brought under control and that nothing would happen. Please do not keep thinking these wild thoughts; it is not good for your health."

"Elder Brother," the Empress said with a bitter smile, "I am not a child. I know my own body. The herbs prescribed by the Imperial Medical Office have brought some improvement, yes, but the attacks come more and more often, and each one is worse than the last. At this rate, I fear I will not last much longer."

"Actually, I asked Elder Brother here today for exactly this reason," the Empress interrupted as Changsun Wuji was about to comfort her again. "I want to ask you to tell me the truth: exactly how much longer do I have to live?"

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