Daming: Brother, there is no future for monks, let's rebel

The crowd chuckled softly. She put the tile back in the basket and stepped back outside the circle.

Immediately afterwards, a scholar in a blue robe picked up a tile, cupped his hands, and addressed Zhu Biao: "Your Highness once said 'in practice,' and I dare to ask for two points. First, if Your Highness fails to do something in the future, will you still write it down in front of this stone? Second, may we also stand in this corner and write down what we said we didn't do?"

Zhu Biao nodded: "I'm willing."

The student blushed slightly, then suddenly laughed: "Then I'll write one first: my mother told me not to read books in the middle of the night, but I always sneak around doing it. I won't read them when I get home today."

"This is difficult to establish." The abbot couldn't help but chuckle and coughed lightly. "But it's alright."

Laughter spread, like the wind rustling through locust leaves.

Miao Xing watched from under the tree, his lips twitching, but he didn't make a sound.

Another person has joined the circle. This time it's a rough-handed carpenter.

He picked up the tile, as if it were a piece of unpolished wood, holding it very steadily.

He said in a low voice, “I’ll say ‘slow.’ You can’t rush woodworking, or it will crack. The way you’ve been working these past few days is just like how I plan boards – there are sawdust particles, you have the strength, and once you’re done, you don’t need to apply oil; it will shine on its own.”

"How bright?" someone asked.

“Look at that stone,” the carpenter pointed. “The characters aren’t carved in one go. First, you find the position in the heart of the stone, and then carve them in one stroke at a time. I recognize this feel; it’s steady.”

At this point, he looked up at Zhu Han and asked, "Was it carved by the Prince?"

Zhu Han nodded: "Three cuts."

The carpenter clicked his tongue and grinned, revealing his teeth: "A skilled craftsman."

As soon as he finished speaking, a slight commotion broke out outside the circle.

In a corner of Zhu Han's mind, a subtle ripple appeared in the "echo map"—it was a few footsteps trying to move side by side, with a short, rapid rhythm, like birds flapping their wings.

Ah Huai had already slipped away, circled behind the crowd, and gently touched the edge of the chaotic noise, like taking a snake out of the grass.

A moment later, a thin boy was brought out by him, with his hand on his shoulder.

The boy was Bai Yu, his eyes burning with fire, his teeth clenched tightly.

"Let me go." Bai Yu tugged at him. "Is it any of your business if I take a look?"

"It's not in my way." Ah Huai let go and took a half step back. "Don't push me."

Bai Yu was stunned when she was released.

He looked up at the words on the stone tablet, then at the young prince standing in front of it.

Zhu Biao didn't look at him, only at the crowd. He suddenly felt a dryness in his throat, and without saying a word, he squeezed to the side.

Seeing that the situation had eased slightly, the headmaster stepped out of the circle and cupped his hands in greeting: "That's about enough for today. Leave the stone until evening, and collect it when the sun sets."

He gently placed the tile back, turned around and walked up to Zhu Han, whispering, "I will come again."

"Change your shoes." Zhu Han looked at the instep of his feet. "Your heels are chafed."

"You see it clearly." Miao Xing smiled slightly, paused, and then added,

"Your Highness, I have a small matter to report. Someone called me at the alley entrance, saying that there have been children running around in the alley west of the Imperial Academy these past two days, and they keep falling while running. I went over to take a look, and they were running haphazardly, with no proper steps."

"Who taught you?" Zhu Han asked.

“Nobody taught me,” Miao Xing shook his head. “I just played by myself.”

“You can teach through play,” Zhu Han nodded. “Do you know how to teach?”

Miao Xing paused for a moment, then smiled: "I can only watch."

“If you can observe, you can teach.” Zhu Han said calmly, “If you can match their steps, teach them a ‘no-fall’ routine.”

Miao Xing thought for a moment and said, "Okay."

He didn't say much, then turned and left. Zhu Biao watched his retreating figure and whispered, "Uncle, it looks like he's put his hat down."

"If a person puts himself down by half an inch, he can pick up half a foot," Zhu Han said.

As the afternoon sun approached its zenith, the shadows cast long shadows beside the stone tablet.

Someone brought over a rope and quietly measured the distance between the stone surface and the steps. After measuring, they rolled up the rope and put it back on the side of the basket.

He didn't say a word to anyone, but he made his actions clear.

"Let's collect it." Zhu Biao glanced at the sky.

Three stonemasons stepped forward and carefully laid down the hemp rope. Immediately, more than a dozen hands reached out to help—from vendors, students, and craftsmen.

The hands are of different sizes, but they exert force in one direction.

The stone tablet slowly turned over and rested on a wooden frame. The stonemason clasped his hands in greeting: "Your Highness, please call us again when you wish to erect it."

"Yes," Zhu Biao laughed, "and I want you all too."

People dispersed quickly. Only the wind rustled through the locust leaves in front of the stone.

The old man carried the broom and went up the steps again, slowly sweeping away the last bit of dust.

He stopped abruptly when he reached the last square, glanced back at Zhu Biao, and said with a smile, "Come often."

"Come often," Zhu Biao replied solemnly.

At the beginning of the evening, in the alley west of the Imperial Academy, children were already waiting at the base of the wall. Some had straw ropes, while others were barefoot, kicking the stone bricks at will.

When they saw Miao Xing approaching, they were first curious, then wary.

“You all run like that,” Miao Xing said, standing at the alley entrance. “Whoever doesn’t fall will get a piece of candy.”

"What kind of candy?" A boy's eyes lit up.

"Sour jujube candy," Miao Xing laughed. "I got it on credit from the jujube stall."

The children immediately split into two groups, clearing a path in the middle of the alley. After chattering for a while, they started chasing each other.

The footsteps were disordered, like a flock of sparrows fluttering about. Miao Xing looked twice and then said, "Stop."

The children stopped one by one at different paces, some with their toes turned inwards, and some with their heels turned outwards.

Miao Xing said slowly and deliberately, “You should first learn to stand. Toes pointing forward, soles of feet firmly planted, knees slightly inward. Don’t rush, don’t shake.”

As he spoke, he grabbed a boy's shoulder as if he were lifting something, saying, "Stand still, then run."

The children tried to do as he did, but inevitably ended up crooked and unsteady.

Miao Xing was unperturbed, gently pointing and supporting her: "Look at me."

He walked through it first, his steps steady, his center of gravity low, like a cat crossing an eave.

When he started running again, it didn't look like he was running; it was more like a line following the texture of the ground.

The children watched in amazement, then immediately tried to imitate them. Some fell, but fewer and fewer fell.

A figure flashed at the alley entrance; Zhu Biao and Zhu Han arrived together.

They didn't approach, but watched from the shadows. The children gradually found their rhythm, and their footsteps gradually became even and clear, like a series of small drumbeats.

Miao Xing stopped talking and simply patted one of the children on the back of the head.

He took a single, precise pat. The child turned and smiled, and he smiled too.

"Running." Zhu Biao recalled the headmaster's words and whispered, "I see."

"Running isn't about the feet, it's about the mind," Zhu Han said. "First, stand firmly, then take the first step, and finally pull your legs back. Look at how he teaches; his gestures are so small, just a little is enough."

"Can I learn it?" Zhu Biao's eyes lit up slightly.

“You’re already learning,” Zhu Han said. “These three days you’ve spent standing in front of the stone are the first step.”

"And the second step?" Zhu Biao asked.

"The second step is to take the first step, but don't rush to run."

Zhu Han laughed, "Like he did just now, first walk out a line."

"Is the third step to retract the legs?" Zhu Biao continued.

"Yes." Zhu Han nodded. "Only by keeping your distance can you run for a long time."

As night fell, the wind blew even more quietly through the inner courtyard of the Prince's mansion. Zhu Han walked the "walking technique" along the corridor, starting from the east corridor, going around the elm tree, passing through the screen wall, and returning to his study.

Each step he took seemed to have been drawn on the ground beforehand. He turned on his toes and stopped at the threshold.

"Sign in."

[Check-in Location: Stone Crack in West Alley of Taixue] [Reward: Stepping Technique - Second Form (Folding Back and Joining Lines); Bonus: 'Footprint Leaving a Mark' for one day (can discern the strength of those who walk the same path)]

"Match the lines." He repeated it to himself, a smirk playing on his lips.

The candlelight flickered inside the room. Zhu Biao was drawing lines on the table, the lines going from thick to thin and then back to thick again.

He looked up: "Royal Uncle."

"What are you drawing?" Zhu Han asked.

“A road.” Zhu Biao smiled. “The headmaster said ‘watch the running,’ so I drew a road. I plan to go to the stone bridge in the west of the city tomorrow, walk from one end of the bridge to the other, stop for a while, and then turn back.”

"It's windy under the bridge," Zhu Han said. "Wear something thicker."

"Hmm." Zhu Biao nodded, then lowered his voice, "Uncle, today in West Alley, I saw a boy standing at the alley entrance. He neither went in nor left."

"Bai Yu," Zhu Han said softly.

“He looked like he wanted to go in but didn’t dare,” Zhu Biao frowned. “It was like… he was afraid of being seen.”

“Once fear takes root in one’s heart, one will start to go around in circles,” Zhu Han said. “If he goes around in circles too much, he won’t know how to take a straight path. Give him a shortcut.”

"How should I give it to you?" Zhu Biao asked.

“Under Tomorrow Bridge, walk to the middle and stop, then look back at him. If he is willing to come up, he will if you don’t call out to him; if he is not willing, do not wave at him.”

Zhu Han said, "Don't make decisions for him."

“Okay.” Zhu Biao nodded. “I won’t do it for him.”

The following day, a stone bridge rose over the water in the west of the city, its surface covered with fine moss.

A cool breeze blew in from below the bridge, making my eyes twitch. There weren't many pedestrians on the bridge.

The vendors carried baskets across the bridge, their shoes making a soft, rustling sound as they rubbed against the stones.

Zhu Biao, wearing a dark brown cloak, walked slowly along the bridge railing.

He wasn't in a hurry; his steps were heavy, and his back was slightly straight. He stopped halfway through.

"Your Highness." A child, panting, caught up from the other side of the bridge and handed him a small umbrella. "My mother asked me to give this to you—she said it's been windy these past few days."

"Thank you." Zhu Biao took the umbrella, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "Please thank your mother for me."

The child chuckled and ran off.

Zhu Han stood far away at the bridgehead, his straw hat pressing down on him.

He mentally visualized the "footsteps leaving traces," and the force of his footsteps on the bridge appeared like a series of rope marks—some light, some heavy, some unsteady, and some solid.

The rope mark closest to the railing was sometimes strong and sometimes weak, clearly indicating that someone had hesitated and walked close to the edge. (White Elm)

"He's here," Zhu Han thought to himself.

Bai Yu stopped three steps behind Zhu Biao.

He didn't speak, as if choked by the winter's moisture.

Zhu Biao didn't turn around, but he slightly flipped his hand back, opening the small umbrella to shield himself from the wind. He remained motionless, still looking at the water ahead.

Bai Yu opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He paused for a moment before finally whispering, "Aren't you cold?"

"Cold," Zhu Biao replied.

"Stand still?" Bai Yu asked.

“We must stand.” Zhu Biao said.

"Why?" Bai Yu thought for a long time before asking this seemingly ordinary question.

“Because you have to stand on this bridge,” Zhu Biao said softly. “When I stand on the bridge, it won’t be cold.”

Bai Yu paused, startled. The wind brushed past his ear, and he shrank back, taking a half-step forward, closer to the edge of the umbrella, without even realizing it.

He didn't touch the umbrella, but the wind subsided a bit.

"What do you want to say?" Zhu Biao asked.

"I..." Bai Yu hesitated, "I didn't." He seemed to be tripping over himself, the veins in his neck tensing. "I just—I just wanted to come and see."

"It's fine to look," Zhu Biao nodded. "Go ahead and look."

Bai Yu bit her lip and suddenly asked, "Where's the stone tablet?"

"I've accepted it," Zhu Biao replied. "I'll erect it another day."

Bai Yu remained silent. He suddenly raised his hand and touched the moss on the bridge railing: "This is slippery."

"Hold on," Zhu Biao said.

Bai Yu hesitated for a moment, but finally grasped his hand.

He slid the moss down his palm a little and grasped a deeper groove on the stone surface.

He looked up and saw a cluster of water birds skimming across the water in the distance, and said in a low voice, "I haven't read many books. Everyone else reads, but I don't."

“I’m not the fastest reader either,” Zhu Biao said.

Bai Yu turned her head to look at him: "You're fast."

"Speed ​​isn't important," Zhu Biao laughed. "What's important is being able to stand firm."

Bai Yu snorted, as if to say "Of course you can," and also as if to say "I'll try."

He hesitated for a moment, then suddenly took a step forward, stood side by side with Zhu Biao for a moment, and then stepped back.

That step was very light, yet it truly landed.

He cupped his hands in farewell and said in a low voice, "Farewell."

"Take care," Zhu Biao said.

Bai Yu jogged all the way, crossed the bridge, turned into a small alley and disappeared.

Zhu Biao closed his umbrella, turned around and walked towards Zhu Han, a smile on his lips: "He took a step up."

“Hmm.” Zhu Han nodded. “When he gets back, he’ll scrape a piece of moss off the corner of his table.”

He paused, "He used roof tiles as footrests for his table, but the tiles weren't stable. He would go to a carpenter and have someone carve a neat little wooden pad."

"How did you know?" Zhu Biao laughed.

“‘Footprints leave traces.’” Zhu Han laughed. “If a person often kicks their feet while walking, they will put something under their feet at home.”

"Uncle..." Zhu Biao suddenly stopped, "Are you lying to me?"

“No, I’m not,” Zhu Han said seriously. “I just’ve been looking at it for too long.”

Evening, in the backyard of the Prince's Mansion. The elm shadows are still, and the birdsong is extremely soft.

Ah Huai brought a message: "Your Highness, Bai Zan has sent word that she will not take action for the next three months, and she will reiterate her promise today. Also, she said that if that man named Miao Xing is willing to teach her the way, she is willing to provide a corner for him to take care of his children."

“She was looking too,” Zhu Han said. “She saw ‘running’.”

“And another thing,” Ah Huai said in a low voice, “Minister Han stood on the other side of the stone bridge for a while today, but didn’t get close. He only smiled once. The young man wasn’t with him.”

"He's put the 'personnel selection' matter aside by even a little bit," Zhu Han said calmly. "Good."

"As for Miao Xing..." Ah Huai continued, "he paid off the debt for the sour jujube candy."

"Oh?" Zhu Han raised an eyebrow.

“He said, ‘Today is my treat,’” Ah Huai laughed.

Zhu Han also laughed: "He took his hat off completely."

It was past one o'clock in the morning. Zhu Biao wiped the umbrella he had borrowed earlier clean and personally delivered it back to the house at the head of the stone bridge.

When he returned to the mansion, his steps were light and quick, as if he were walking on a steady line.

He pushed open the door to the study and said as his first words, "Uncle, I won't be going to the Imperial Academy tomorrow. I'd like to take a walk in the alley."

"Okay." Zhu Han nodded. "Remember to check the land before you leave."

"What are you looking at?" Zhu Biao asked.

"The cracks in the rocks," Zhu Han gestured with his hand, "the air between the cracks is where the path breathes." (End of Chapter)