Who Cares

of his mouth, as if he was enjoying it.
Guan Father and several ministers occasionally echoed, but did not show any abnormality.

Emperor Sheng Yuan fondly touched the manuscript and sighed, “Zhen want to invite this Innkeeper to the palace for a meeting, if Zhen can persuade her to serve as an official, or stay by Zhen’s side to come up with strategy for Zhen, it will be a great blessing in life!” Glancing at the old master’s instantly stiff face, he smiled and reassured, “Of course, Zhen will never treat Emperor Teacher coldly for her.
There is a saying in Central Plains that ‘a teacher for one day, a father for a lifetime‘.
The teaching of Emperor Teacher for Zhen is comparable to that of a father.” In fact, his father had never looked after him, how could he raise and teach him? Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies had done far more for him than his father, and he would never forget it in this life.

Old Master Guan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, his old face was wrinkled like dried orange peel.

Emperor Shen Yuan let it slide at this point, pretending to wave his hand regretfully, “Unfortunately, Zhen have sent many people to inquire, but they have not found any clues.
It can be seen that this Innkeeper has no intention of becoming an official.
Then let her be free and live like free cloud and wild crane.
Emperor Teacher, Zhen have one last question, what this ’Innkeeper’ (literal translation: reverse travel, give up people) word means?” (TN: the break down of the word is at the end of chapter 82)

Old Master Guan breathed a sigh of relief and explained, “The inn means a guest house or a hotel.
This is a word from “Zuo Zhuan – The second year of Duke Xi”: ‘Today Guo is not in the right way, and protects against the guest house (TN: that became a fortress for the enemy)’. Keeper has two meanings, one is for the owner of the inn and second is a guest of a noble family.
Since she already choose the word Inn, it can be seen that word keeper means the former, modestly calls herself just a small shopkeeper who runs a guest house, a commoner.”

Emperor Shen Yuan pondered for a moment, shook his head and said, “The little shopkeeper of a guest house? I don’t think it’s right.
The word ‘inn’ (reverse travel) should be interpreted from a superficial level in my opinion, meaning that it’s a traveler who travels in the opposite direction.”

The words paused for a while, and his tone was firm and admiring, “Laozi has a proverb: ‘I have three treasures, which are worth keeping and protecting.
One is kindness, the second is frugality, and the third is that I dare not be the first in the world‘.
Every time Zhen think about it, Zhen scoff at it.
If no one takes the lead, how can Zhen become the emperor? How can the world be at peace? If we do it in the opposite way, give up kindness to be courageous; give up frugality to be extensive; give up behind to be the first, then the hero will be established, the generals will come out, and the people will survive, thus the prosperous world can be expected.
Therefore, the meaning of ‘give up people’ is fully revealed, not the owner who give up for the guest, but to sacrifice one’s life for righteousness, and dare to be the first!”

He fixedly looked at Old Master Guan, and sighed, “The mind and courage of this Innkeeper is truly admirable!”

Can the four words “Innkeeper” be explained in this way? Old Master Guan knew his granddaughter very well, and thought that this was just a pen name she chose at will, without any special meaning, but unexpectedly the emperor beautify it and pull out such out of this world reasoning, which made him laugh.

But he didn’t refute, just nodded silently.
The other ministers laughed and praised the emperor’s wisdom and knowledge, gradually eliminating his dissatisfaction with Xu Guangzhi and the noble family, and then took the opportunity to leave.

—-

Guan Suyi laid down for half an hour, dreaming of a little baby clinging to her and called her mother, she woke up with tears in her eyes and couldn’t sleep again.
It was really uncomfortable to stay in the Zhao Mansion, and seeing Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu she felt even more heartbroken, she hurriedly washed and went directly back to her parents’ house.

After stepping into the Emperor Teacher Mansion and talking with her mother for a while, she finally calmed down and shut herself in the study to practice calligraphy.
In the evening, when it was almost time for dinner, and she was about to untie the lead block from her wrist, she heard a frantic voice from the old man outside, “Well, you little fox, secretly learn the Hundred School of Thoughts behind my back! It’s not only your father teaching, but also your maternal grandfather and grandmother, isn’t it?”

Guan Suyi pushed open the window and looked at the old man with a smile, “Grandfather, aren’t you happy that your granddaughter done a good job in learning?”

“Happy, so happy!” Old Master Guan’s feigned anger expression  suddenly disappeared, he stroked his beard and laughed, “You don’t know, the emperor asked me several times if I knew this Innkeeper, and I almost couldn’t hold back and said it was my granddaughter! Thinking that you want to conceal your identity, and afraid that you will be disturbed by the common people, so I held back.
You learn what you learn, and you actually kept it from me? Do you think that I’m also the same class with Xu Guangzhi, who only recognizes Confucianism, and must be strangle the Hundred School of Thoughts? That’s not a scholar, that’s a bandit!”

Guan Suyi repeatedly agreed, and her mood instantly became happy.

Old Master Guan continued, “His Majesty is really interesting.
He likes to play around in front of others after drinking a little bit of literature.
How do you think he break down the ‘Innkeeper’ word, truly wish flowers came out from the speech…” He slowly recounted the conversation in Weiyang palace to his granddaughter, and then he walked into the study and looked at the table, only to see a line of handwriting like a dragon jumping out of the snow-white paper: give up kindness to be courageous; give up frugality to be extensive; give up behind to be the first; to die? No regrets!

“Was the emperor really hit the nail on the head?” He was dumbfounded for a moment, and then he looked at his granddaughter in shock.

Guan Suyi’s inner shock and emotion were no less than her grandfather’s.
She could never have imagined that the person in the world who could truly understand her and see through her was this emperor who had once made her look down on him in every possible way.
Yes, looking back in time, the vicissitudes of life, she can change, how do you know that others can’t?

This emperor was not muddle-headed, on the contrary, he was also very courageous, knowledgeable, and wise.
The previous life was gone, it’s time to abandon the past and look at the present.

The depression between her brows completely dissipated, and she said word by word, “If fortunate enough to meet His Majesty, Yiyi should take him as confidant and have a chat over the wine.”