Chapter 23: Yun’s Fortune in the Eyes of the People

Buhong was incredibly enthusiastic about learning to read with Gouzi, which in turn fueled the dedication of their little teacher, Yun-ge’er. Yi-ge’er, however, truly struggled to grasp anything. Although Yun-ge’er taught him patiently without getting upset, Yi-ge’er would simply stare blankly. When given a small wooden stick, he wouldn't practice writing in the sand tray; he would only scribble aimlessly.

Eventually, like Li Fu, Yun-ge’er gave up on Yi-ge’er for the time being, deciding that simply providing a studious atmosphere for him was enough.

Because Yun-ge’er wanted to be a proper teacher, he became unusually studious himself, looking forward every day to Li Fu coming home to teach him new characters. Unfortunately, Li Fu had been busy for two consecutive days with the porridge-giving charity and usually returned home very late, by which time Yun-ge’er would have already succumbed to drowsiness and fallen fast asleep.

When Li Fu finally finished his tasks, a guest arrived at the house. Yun-ge’er was always curious about outsiders, wondering if this person was an interesting scholar like Zheng Zuosheng or Meng Fu.

"He is from your father’s ancestral family. Your father respects him greatly, so you must address him as Uncle Li," Xin-niang said, holding Yun-ge’er and giving him instructions.

Li Fu had been sent to Liangzhou as an official, and Xin-niang had only been brought to the inner residence six months after his arrival. She only knew that Li Fu had no other children, but she was entirely ignorant of where his true ancestral home was, what the specific situation was there, or whether he had been married before. She had never asked, and Li Fu had always been somewhat secretive and never mentioned it.

Having experienced many hardships, Xin-niang had long since learned to live one day at a time, letting things be as they may. This mindset only improved after Yun-ge’er was born, and she began to have a desire to live earnestly.

This Uncle Li was a rare visitor from Li Fu’s ancestral home. Rain or shine, he would come every year as the end of the year approached. His stay depended on the weather; if it was good, he would leave before the Winter Solstice, but if it was bad, he would simply stay a while longer and leave after the solstice. Judging by the calendar, the Winter Solstice was near, and true to form, Uncle Li had arrived.

When the maid carried Yun-ge’er to the front hall, his mind was filled with the instructions Xin-niang had given him. His mother was a worrier, constantly telling him to be sweet-tongued and to charm Uncle Li so that it would be easier for Li Fu to take him back to the ancestral home to be formally recognized by the clan. Xin-niang knew that this world placed great importance on one's origins. It didn't matter that she had no status, but Yun-ge’er could not be left without a proper standing. At the very least, Yun-ge’er’s name had to be written into the Li family genealogy.

However, Yun-ge’er was so clever that Li Fu had always worried that "too much wisdom could be harmful." It seemed Li Fu acknowledged Yun-ge’er’s potential, so this task shouldn't be difficult. Still, as long as it wasn't settled, Xin-niang couldn't rest, so she decided to unite all possible forces to achieve this goal.

As Yun-ge’er mentally translated the implications of his mother’s words, he encountered Yi-ge’er, who was also being carried by a maid. Yun-ge’er quickly waved his hand, signaling the maid to move closer so he could pat Yi-ge’er on the head. *Don't cry later.*

Yi-ge’er was quite attached to familiar faces and would usually fuss when held by strangers. Now, he was grinning and clapping his hands, blurting out "Yun-ge’er" in a muddled way.

"Sigh," Yun-ge’er looked at him helplessly. *A one-year-old child is just like that.*

The two maids found it amusing. Yun-ge’er was just as young, actually born slightly later than Yi-ge’er, yet his sighing expression was truly hilarious. Without delay, the two maids carried the children into the front hall.

Yun-ge’er’s eyes darted around quickly. He saw that there were indeed two guests beside his father today, not just one. One looked to be over fifty, dark-skinned and thin, with graying hair and a beard. However, he looked very sharp and capable. When he suddenly made eye contact with Yun-ge’er, Yun-ge’er was startled. That look was exactly like his homeroom teacher in his dreams, who would stand silently by the window and peer into the classroom. Yun-ge’er guiltily looked away.

*This must be Uncle Li.*

Aside from Uncle Li, Yun-ge’er noticed a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy. He also looked thin, but his gaze was very firm, and perhaps a bit... arrogant? It was the kind of disdain an older child might show toward younger ones, thinking them ignorant and not wanting to play with them.

Yun-ge’er glanced at Yi-ge’er and sighed. *The boy must think we are just little brats who only know how to eat and wail because Yi-ge’er is chewing on his hand.* Fortunately, he wasn't; he was a university student in a child's body.

"Are these the official's two children?" Uncle Li asked after surveying the two boys.

Li Fu smiled and gestured for the maids to step closer. "Yes, take a look. These two are very clever."

Uncle Li rose and went to Yi-ge’er first. He reached out to hold him, but seeing Yi-ge’er’s lip quiver as if he were about to wail, Uncle Li decisively returned him to the maid. After watching for a moment, he did the same with Yun-ge’er, weighing him in his arms before returning him to the maid.

Seeing this, Li Fu took both children himself and placed them in chairs, then dismissed the maids. Once they were gone, Li Fu asked, "Uncle Li, did you see their fortunes just now?" He spoke with high expectations.

Although an old Taoist had read their fortunes when they were born, that man had been inaccurate. How could Yun-ge’er be this clever at such a young age if his fortune was merely average?

Uncle Li nodded and pointed to Yi-ge’er. "His fortune is not yet manifest, and it is mixed with a bit of baleful energy. He may become a military general in the future."

Li Fu was disappointed again. This assessment was even worse than the old Taoist’s, who had claimed Yi-ge’er was destined for greatness—though Li Fu knew the man had been exaggerating. Fortunately, Li Fu was mentally prepared regarding Yi-ge’er, so his disappointment wasn't overwhelming.

"And what about Yun-ge’er?" Li Fu asked, full of hope.

Yun-ge’er’s eyes widened. Honestly, his mother had told him that Li Fu had hired an old Taoist to read their fortunes the moment they were born. Yun-ge’er hadn't been able to speak then, or he would have shouted "Charlatan!" on the spot. He had thought it absurd that a learned man like Li Fu would dabble in superstition. He hadn't taken it seriously since. Who would have thought that today, this Uncle Li would be fortune-telling again?

Yun-ge’er looked at Li Fu, who appeared so earnest. Although Uncle Li’s words were similar to the old Taoist’s, his mother had gossiped about the old man’s predictions everywhere, and it was likely Uncle Li had heard them too. Since he was a respected elder, why was he playing these superstitious tricks?

Yun-ge’er didn't believe in superstition, but he was curious. Uncle Li pondered for a long time before speaking. "His fortune is average. However, it is mixed with the 'will of the people.' There is currently a small amount of popular support nourishing his fortune, which may lead to a change in his destiny. Official, forgive my bluntness, but Yun-ge’er is still young. If you start trying to build his reputation and gather popular support now, I fear it may backfire."

"Average?" Li Fu was truly surprised this time. He could accept that for Yi-ge’er, but not for Yun-ge’er. A flicker of anxiety crossed his face. *That shouldn't be.* Yun-ge’er’s intelligence was plain to see; he was destined for great things. It was impossible for his fortune to be average.

Uncle Li shook his head; he felt Li Fu was too impatient. Even if one were to gather popular support, it would be better to focus on Yi-ge’er, whose base fortune was slightly better than Yun-ge’er’s. With the support of the people, it could even help concentrate the baleful energy of the military path.

After a long silence, Li Fu sighed heavily.

Yun-ge’er curled his lip. *What is this old man saying? It’s getting more and more bizarre.* Was he saying he would be a failure when he grew up? That would only happen if he chose to just lie flat!

Li Fu, however, was not giving up. He decided to tell Uncle Li about Yun-ge’er’s precociousness. "It is precisely because Yun-ge’er is so bright that I do not want to bury his talent. This porridge-giving effort was entirely Yun-ge’er’s idea. The refugees are grateful, and I did not wish to steal his credit, so I used this to build up his reputation and gather some support among the people."

"There is such a thing!" Uncle Li looked at Yun-ge’er and picked him up again, examining him carefully.

The "luck of popular support" was unique. The person who held the most of it was the Emperor of the Liang Dynasty, who commanded the support of the people across fifteen provinces—only through this could the empire thrive. Ordinary families could also use various methods to build their reputation and gather this luck. Scholars often did this, much like Wang Xiang during the Three Kingdoms period, who supposedly lay on ice to catch carp. Everyone knew that using a chisel was faster than using one's body heat to melt ice, but that didn't matter—the point was the reputation.

Li Fu had seen Yun-ge’er’s intelligence and, since it was indeed his idea, had actively promoted the story of the "young child saving the people."

Yun-ge’er was stunned. *What did his father tell the public!? Was he really blowing it out of proportion like that!?* Yun-ge’er didn't care about Uncle Li’s scrutiny; he felt incredibly embarrassed, his face burning red. Although he liked being praised, this was just too much.

After a long while, Uncle Li’s brow furrowed even deeper. He truly could not find anything unique about Yun-ge’er’s fortune. Li Fu saw the troubled expression on Uncle Li’s face, and his own disappointment deepened. How could this be? Was Yun-ge’er truly a child who showed early promise but would fail to deliver in adulthood?

Uncle Li held Yun-ge’er and hesitated. "In this situation, either Yun-ge’er... or, there is another possibility: his own fortune is so vast that it is currently self-concealing."

The former meant Yun-ge’er would die young, making his fortune plain. The latter... the latter was also unlikely. He had seen people use popular support to transform their fortune, but he had never seen someone born with such immense fortune that it was hidden from view.