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

Zhu Han stood at the alley entrance, watching the shadows of the crowd stretch out from the wall, as if roads were sprouting from here and extending into the distance.

"Your Highness," Bai Yu leaned closer, her voice low, "that person in the palace..."

Before he could finish speaking, a clear cough suddenly came from the other end of the alley.

Everyone turned around and saw a middle-aged man in plain clothes helping a boy walk slowly towards them.

The boy was small and thin, with delicate features, yet he walked with a timid air. The middle-aged man looked at Zhu Han and bowed respectfully, saying, "I apologize for disturbing you."

Zhu Biao recognized the person and couldn't help but exclaim with joy, "Uncle, Uncle!"

The visitor was a relative of Empress Ma, surnamed Li, who had recently been taking care of a young man in the palace who was bedridden and unable to walk for long periods due to illness.

Uncle Li bowed deeply and said repeatedly, "Many people in the palace are delighted to hear that His Highness is teaching people how to walk. My nephew injured his foot when he was young and has never dared to walk fast. I have taken the liberty of bringing him here today; if it is against His Highness's rules—"

"There are no rules." Zhu Han walked over, looked down at the boy, and asked, "What's your name?"

The boy shrank back, like a startled sparrow, and timidly answered, "I...I am called Li Yu."

"The 'encounter' in 'meet'?" Zhu Han laughed. "A good character. What are you afraid of in your daily life?"

"I'm afraid...afraid of falling," the boy whispered. "If I fall, my legs will hurt, my mother will worry, the people in the palace will laugh at me, and I'll..."

He said this in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible, "I also feel like I'm not a real man."

"Who says falling down makes you less of a man?" Zhu Han shook his head.
"I fell a lot when I was a kid. I fell on the stone slabs, on the steps, on the roof. I would get up and keep going. A real man is not one who never falls, but one who can laugh when he falls."

The boy looked up at him, and something seemed to melt in his eyes.

"Come on, just walk three steps." Zhu Han held out his hand.
“Look at that lamp ahead. If the lamp is swaying, don’t sway it. If the lamp is steady, don’t try to be steady with it. Just focus on the soles of your feet, like placing a bowl on the soles of your feet, making sure the water inside doesn’t spill out.”

Li Yu bit his lip and nodded. He pulled his hand out of his uncle's grasp and stood alone at the end of the rope.

The drumbeats fell softly at the alley entrance. He lifted his foot and put it down—his first step.

The second step was even more stable. As he took the third step, he suddenly smiled, a smile like a newly opened flower in the wind.

"Did you see that?" Zhu Han asked.

Li Yu nodded: "The bowl didn't fall over."

“Yes.” Zhu Han smiled. “When you get back, take three steps in the corridor outside the palace. Take four steps the next day, and five steps three days later. Don’t rush.”

Uncle Li thanked him repeatedly. His eyes shone, as if years of mist had been blown away by a gust of wind, revealing a clear, bright sky.

As night fell completely, two more lights appeared at the alley entrance.

The tea vendor switched from ginger tea to clear tea, saying, "Don't drink anything too hot at night, it will make your heart beat faster."

The straw sandal seller sat on the doorstep measuring someone's feet, muttering, "Your feet are worn thick on the outside, so you walk with your feet turned outwards. The upper of your shoes needs to be raised by half an inch..."

Gu Chen followed behind him, looking down at the man's feet, his brows furrowed, as if he were tackling a difficult problem.

"Mr. Gu," Chen Tong called softly, "look at my feet..."

Gu Chen looked up and stared intently for a moment: "Your toes are gripping the ground. Relax." He looked up at the stuttering student, "Gu, give him a gentler beating, don't rush him."

The student nodded and gently lowered the drumstick.

Chen Tong inhaled, his toes loosened little by little, and the burden on his shoulders became even more stable.

"What's your name?" Gu Chen suddenly asked the stuttering student.

The student paused for a moment, then said, "I... my surname is Lu, Lu Yicong."

"Lu Yicong," Gu Chen read it aloud, suppressing a smile. "It's a nice name."

Lu Yicong's ears turned red, and he lowered his head to beat the drum, making the sound even clearer.

Amidst the hustle and bustle at the alley entrance, a sudden, even lighter set of footsteps approached.

Zhu Han turned his head and saw a familiar figure stop outside the lamplight.

The figure wore a faded cloak with the brim pulled low, and was accompanied only by an elderly eunuch. The eunuch stood outside the threshold, not daring to take a single step inside.

"Royal brother," Zhu Han called out.

The man raised his hand, a half-smile playing on his lips: "How did you know it was me?"

“Your footsteps are silent,” Zhu Han said. “Too quiet, like a cat. It makes you forget you’re wearing boots, not claws.”

The crowd gasped, as if they had suddenly seen something extraordinary.

The eunuch quickly put a finger to his lips and shushed him. Zhu Biao sat bolt upright, his eyes shining like two small lamps: "Father—"

"Don't call out." The man laughed, finally raising his head to reveal a face everyone recognized—it was Zhu Yuanzhang. He took off his hat brim, casually handed it to the eunuch, and walked to the rope. "I'll take a few steps too."

“Brother, your shoes have thick soles,” Zhu Han said with a smile. “Standing firm isn’t difficult; the challenge lies in pulling yourself back.”

"What do you want to collect?" Zhu Yuanzhang raised his eyebrows.

“Take away that stubbornness of yours,” Zhu Han said. “You walk like you’re going to war, you want to conquer everything you see.”

Suppressed laughter erupted from the crowd, bursting forth in bursts of mirth.

Zhu Yuanzhang glared at him, but was not angry. Instead, he burst out laughing: "You little rascal... fine, I'll take you."

He stood at the end of the rope, his back relaxed, his shoulders neither raised nor lowered.

As the drumbeats began, Zhu Yuanzhang took a step, his feet pressing the ground inch by inch, as if pressing stones into the mud.

He walked extremely slowly, so slowly that one lost track of time. After taking his third step, he stopped and turned to look at Zhu Han: "Like this?"

“Okay,” Zhu Han said, “but you went a little too hard in the second step and a little too light in the third. You know that yourself.”

Zhu Yuanzhang chuckled, "You're quite the smooth talker."

He turned around and suddenly said to the crowd, "Who wants to come with me tomorrow?"

A cacophony of voices erupted. The first person to raise their hand was the tea seller, followed by the sandal seller, and then the children all raised their hands in unison.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled so hard his eyes crinkled together: "Don't rush. I'll come again tomorrow at noon."

"Not leaving today?" Zhu Han asked.

"You may leave today," Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand. "I'll see."

He stood aside, like a patient old father, watching each person take their three or thirty steps between the ropes.

Gu Chen helped Chen Tong adjust his shoulders and back, Lu Yicong spread the drumbeats softly and heavily, and Shi Buwai kicked a small stone that had been stepped on and tilted at the edge of the rope.

Li Yu took three more steps as his uncle watched him go, then turned back and gave Zhu Han a low smile.

As the night deepened, the distant watchman's drum sounded twice.

Zhu Han looked up and saw that the wooden sign "Listening to the Wind" was hanging higher in the alley lights.

The crane on the back of the wooden sign, illuminated by the lamplight, seemed about to fly out of the wood. He suddenly remembered the moonlight under the sign the night before, and the fire in his heart felt as if someone had added new fuel to it.

"Uncle," Zhu Biao leaned closer and lowered his voice, "I have an idea."

"explain."

“These people,” Zhu Biao pointed to the alley entrance with his chin.
“They are willing to walk because they have seen the road and they have seen other people. But in other places, there are still people who do not know. Could we call them with the sound of drums? Let Lu Yicong beat the drums further away, so that the travelers, the porters, and the tea sellers will know that there is a place in the city where you can walk three steps and that’s it.”

“You’ve got a good idea,” Zhu Han laughed. “But even if the drumbeats go far, it’s only a few streets away. We still need people to lead the way. Tomorrow, pick ten of the most steady men and have them each lead three people. Each person should only lead three, no more. Those who are unsteady should lead one, and those who are steady should lead two or three. Don’t be greedy.” “Why can’t there be more?” Zhu Biao asked.

“Too much chaos,” Zhu Han said. “Leading people is like walking; if you take too big a step, the people behind you won’t be able to keep up. We need to walk far apart, not crowd together.”

Zhu Biao nodded, a determined look in his eyes.

"Your Highness." Bai Zan strode over from the other end of the alley. "That Imperial Academy student, Gu Chen, requests an audience."

"Fine, I'll see you then." Zhu Han turned around.

Gu Chen walked over, stared blankly at Zhu Han for a moment, and then suddenly knelt down: "Your Highness, I used to say I was not convinced, but in my heart I was. After today's experience, I understand. I beg Your Highness to allow me to stay in the old academy and not return to the lecture hall of the Imperial Academy. I will not teach, I will teach the way."

“You can teach at the Imperial Academy as well.” Han Ding had appeared behind him unnoticed and smiled. “The Imperial Academy is not just a place to teach characters. If you really want to teach, start by teaching your junior brothers.”

Gu Chen paused, turned to look at Han Ding, and his voice softened: "Sir..."

Han Ding patted him on the shoulder: "Go on. Don't forget what you've learned today tomorrow."

Gu Chen nodded vigorously, then turned around and bowed to Zhu Han again: "Your Highness, I would like to learn the drum."

Lu Yicong was startled: "I...I'm not familiar with it either."

“You’re familiar with it,” Zhu Han said. “You have the rhythm in your heart. Tomorrow you will teach Gu Chen. Don’t think about who is whose teacher, just be whose rhythm. If the drumbeat is out of control, change people; if the steps are out of control, stop for a moment; if your mind is in turmoil, have a cup of tea before you leave.”

The tea vendor greeted him with a "Hi!" and brought over a bowl of tea: "Your Highness, the tea is no longer too hot, it's just right."

Zhu Han took it, sipped it, and said, "Good tea."

Zhu Yuanzhang, who was watching from the side, suddenly said, "I will also beat the drum tomorrow."

"If you knock, do you think anyone will dare to leave?" Zhu Han laughed. "They'll all be kneeling down."

A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd.

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed, but there was a hint of sigh in his laughter: "I remember when I was a child. Back then, my mother would lead me from the village entrance to the temple entrance, step by step. If I fell, she would pick me up and laugh at me: 'You clumsy boy, you can't even walk properly.' I would get angry and always try to run away, but the more I ran, the more I fell. Now that I think about it, if she had been playing the drum next to me back then, I wonder if I would have fallen less."

“Your mother doesn’t beat the drum; she puts the drum in your heart.”

Zhu Han said, "You've come so far since then, all thanks to the lessons you learned back then."

Zhu Yuanzhang was silent for a moment, then nodded and said nothing more.

As the people at the alley entrance gradually dispersed, Shi Buwai picked up the pebbles one by one and put them back into his basket.

He walked up to Zhu Han and grinned, "Your Highness, may I lend you this basket for a few days?"

"You borrowed it and aren't going to pay it back?" Zhu Han teased him.

"Return it." Shi Buwai's smile became even more lewd. "I'll put it away after you've all straightened your legs. So you won't treat this basket like a treasure and put it everywhere."

"Alright." Zhu Han took the basket and handed it to Bai Yu. "Tomorrow, divide the pebbles into three places: by the door, under the eaves, and by the well—"

Bai Yu was startled: "Well platform?"

"It's by the clothes rack near the well," Zhu Han laughed. "Not at the wellhead."

"Oh." Bai Yu scratched her head and turned away.

"Your Highness," Uncle Li helped Li Yu over, "we're going back. Nephew—"

Li Yu said softly, "I will come again tomorrow."

"Come here." Zhu Han patted his hair, "but don't be greedy."

"Yes," the boy replied clearly.

The eunuch handed the hat to Zhu Yuanzhang, who put it on, glanced back at the wooden plaque that read "Listening to the Wind," and suddenly said, "Hang this plaque higher."

"Even if it hangs high enough, it won't reach the clouds," Zhu Han laughed.

"Keep it in your heart," Zhu Yuanzhang said, then turned and left.

When most of the people had left, only a few lamps remained in the old school building.

Bai Zan tidied up the drum, and Lu Yicong carefully smoothed out the newly sewn marks on the drum surface.

Gu Chen stood beside him, watching the drum, without saying a word. Wang Fu sat on the steps, untied his shoelaces, and stretched his feet out to dry in the night breeze.

He gazed at the dark, gleaming sky in the distance and suddenly called out to Zhu Biao, "Your Highness, can I still do the first lap tomorrow?"

"No way," Zhu Biao laughed. "The first lap tomorrow will be for Li Yu."

Wang Fu said "Oh," scratched his head, and then laughed, "Then I'll do the second lap."

“There wasn’t a second lap either,” Zhu Han interjected. “Tomorrow, go to the entrance and keep a close eye on those who did the first lap. If their instep is tight, tap harder; if their instep is loose, tap lighter. Give them the effort you put into this lap today.”

Wang Fu chuckled: "Okay!"

The night wind blew the character "行" (xing, meaning "to go") to the eaves, then back to the center of the courtyard, and shook the lamplight.

Zhu Han looked up and saw the ball of fire dancing inside the glass dome, as if it were talking.

He withdrew his gaze, walked straight to the wooden sign, and gently wiped away the dust from it. His fingertips touched the crane carved on the back, and he paused, as if touching a bird about to take flight.

“Uncle,” Zhu Biao walked over and suddenly said, “I have come to understand something today.”

"which one?"

"Walking is not about who walks the straightest, but about who is willing to lead others."

"That's a good point." Zhu Han looked at him. "Who taught you that?"

“Wind,” Zhu Biao said with a smug smile, “and drums.”

“And yourself,” Zhu Han said. “Take ten with you tomorrow. Don’t forget.”

"Got it." Zhu Biao straightened his back. "I'll stretch the rope a little further tomorrow."

"Don't rush." ​​Zhu Han patted his shoulder. "Let's figure out the immediate area first."

"And the day after tomorrow?"

"We'll talk about it the day after tomorrow," Zhu Han laughed. "The path is under your feet, not in your mouth."

After he finished speaking, he turned and walked down the corridor, his steps slow but steady.

Bai Zan carried a basket behind him, the pebbles inside jingling like stars in the night.

Before sunrise the next day, people were already queuing in front of the old academy.

The straw sandal seller hung the pairs of sandals he had woven the night before on a pole, each pair with a small paper tag that read "thick outer layer," "thick inner layer," "wide foot," "narrow foot," and so on. Gu Chen took a pen and revised the tags again and again.

Lu Yicong placed the drum by the door and first lightly touched the drumhead with his finger, as if testing the water temperature.

Wang Fu carried a small wooden stool and sat upright at the end of the rope, his eyes fixed on the insteps of everyone.

Li Yu arrived the earliest. Before he even stepped into the ropes, Shi Buwai threw two small pebbles in front of him: "Step on these first, and feel the soles of your feet."

Li Yu nodded and placed his foot on the pebbles, one sharp and one round.

He pressed down gently, his brow furrowing slightly before slowly relaxing. Once he was steady, he glanced back at Zhu Biao. Zhu Biao gave him a thumbs-up: "Take three steps." (End of Chapter)