【Jackson Yee Special CUT】Changyuan appears to comfort Li Shande | The Litchi Road
“Disaster hides good fortune; good fortune veils disaster.” What you desperately seek may not be what you really want. May I know your name? Call me Changyuan. May I ask how far it is from here to Chang’an? [Changyuan] Chang’an? Bless us, the Three Pure Ones. So your haste is for Chang’an? What for? I am from Lingnan with an imperial order to transport litchis to Chang’an. Transport litchis to Chang’an? An obsessive fool. Very well. Such petty tasks should not stain my spirit or disturb my cultivation. Your eyes are dull and unfocused, with a shadow on your brows. They’re signs of heart
and spleen weakness. So you’re obsessed by this duty. This task has intricate details, numerous as hairs. Outsiders can’t fathom it. These months I felt possessed by the spirits of great mathematicians. Lost in an abstract trance. I almost split my skull and smeared my brain across those scrolls. That’s how I devised this transport route plan. You’ve dwelled in delusion, with your heart entangled. So you’re lost. Is this truly your desire? The litchi matter decides my family’s fate. Failure means the whole family’s doom. To save your family, you wander far from them, mired in suffering. Isn’t it
putting the cart before the horse? What choice does a small official like me have? Just striving to the utmost. To protect your family, litchi transport is not the only way. Why not discard worldly thoughts and practice Taoism here with me? What kind of advice is this? My Taoist arts can cleanse the inner and renew your being. Train with me for years here, you shall unite with nature with both inner and outer purity. At profound levels, you transcend worldly binds and get true freedom. If I flee, what of my family? Lay disciples are welcome. Bring them. Chang’an today is so glorious, so resplendent. Yet its people lead a pitiful life. Power-seekers are blind to approaching doom. Pleasure-chasers are unaware of calamity. Fame-hunters will be soon stained by filth. Sycophants don’t know the whole edifice will crumble. Mortals are unable to sever earthly desires or break delusion. They just drift in ignorance. Hear me out. You’re in too deep. Your view of the important
is overshadowed by the trivial. You will harm the nation and people without knowing it. What makes you think so? In the 22nd year of Kaiyuan, Pei Yaoqing, the Transport Commissioner
of Jianghuai and Henan, came to Hekou on an imperial order. He devised tiered transport there. In three years, seven million hu of grains
were transported, and three hundred thousand guan
were saved. Chang’an overflowed with grain. The Emperor no longer had to relocate the capital east for food. I served in his office, responsible for checking accounts. I witnessed Commissioner Pei’s masterful coordination. I believed that compared to flowery literati, men like him were the nation’s pillars. The litchi transport is minor and pales before grain shipments, but I consider it following in the footsteps of my predecessors. How is that
harming the nation and people? Right and wrong are posterity judges. You’re merely a man gifted in calculation. This task brings your gift into full play. So you feel it’s not misfortune. But know this. Your ability ends here. You should withdraw. Live quietly. Shun the world’s strife. We common folk just wish to live a peaceful life. Is that karma? Is that wrong? Chang’an is a deep pool. The officialdom is a whirlpool within. Once inside, you’re not a free man anymore. Instead of escaping, do you seek fame in the whirlpool? By your words, you’ve lived in Chang’an? I gained nothing but worldly dust and entangled many in karma, my mind obscured thereby. Hence I wandered mountains to purify my Taoist heart. All men face trials. I must still finish my task. You still cannot see through the illusion of the mundane world. Well. Your face resembles an old friend from ten years ago. I offer you Laozi’s words. “Disaster hides good fortune; “Disaster hides good fortune; good fortune veils disaster.” What you desperately seek may not be what you really want. What you desperately avoid may hold your path to life. Thank you. May I know your name? Call me Changyuan. Tomorrow I can finally depart for Chang’an. Ma’am, this is the letter of fealty, and this is the secret letter that the short-lived envoy brought. I entrust both to you. [Whale-riding Tower] You’ve read it? No. No, ma’am. I know the rules. I don’t see what shouldn’t be seen, and I don’t ask what should be asked. I’ll completely forget this Lingnan journey too. But I will never forget your assistance. Should you ever come to Chang’an, I will surely host you at the finest tavern. Once back in Chang’an, you’ll be a Zheng clansman. I don’t wish to be associated with the Zheng clan. Our Zheng clan is among the Prominent Five Clans
and Seven Lineages with high social status. You are so refined that you refuse to curry favor
with power. Please don’t misunderstand. I merely speak objectively. Today’s Zheng clan in Chang’an, though eminent, have lost all integrity, just a bunch of cowards unworthy of their reputation. But returning to the Zheng clan
is your choice. As an outsider, it’s not my place to judge. I wonder what makes you so prejudiced against the Zheng clan. Partial understanding breeds prejudice. My assessment stems from thorough knowledge of your father’s wrongful death. You’re the one blinded
by the Zheng clan’s deceptive glory. Consultant Konglang, I deeply appreciate your help. But no matter how well-informed you are, none know about the Zheng clan’s affairs better
than I do. Back then, my father committed disgraceful acts. When investigated, he couldn’t bear the pressure,
so he took his own life, abandoning my sister and me. As orphans, my sister and I only had each other and had to bear his infamy. Without his disgrace, a noble scion like me wouldn’t have scraped by in Chang’an as an Assistant Minister of Banquets. And my sister wouldn’t have died because we couldn’t afford medicine. I can’t believe even you doubt your own father. doubt your own father. Do you truly believe your father was guilty? Wasn’t he? Back then, your father was incorruptible. The Right Chancellor sought
his allegiance, but he flatly refused to collude with corruption. Enraged, the Right Chancellor had him killed, fabricated charges, destroyed his reputation, and claimed it was
“suicide from guilt.” If true, why would our elders expel my sister and me? Because the Zheng clan feared
offending the Right Chancellor. To save themselves, they surrendered the inn your father died protecting to the Right Chancellor. Then, they callously cast out you and your sister regardless of your young age just to show their determination
to sever ties with your father and end the investigation. None of the prestigious Zheng clan of Xingyang dared step up to seek the truth and clear his name. How lamentable. Why should I believe you? I know this because the Left Chancellor tried saving your father, so he sent men to find him. To my knowledge, your father died near a pastry shop in Pingkang Ward. Stop! Stop talking! Your father sacrificed himself to protect you, yet this is how you see him? You turn a blind eye
to irrefutable evidence. What an unfilial son. Just leave. May you achieve fame and fortune and regain your noble status. Qilang, Consultant Konglang only spoke hearsay. Perhaps Mr. Lu’s having trouble helping you return to the Zheng clan. Don’t take her word seriously. No. She spoke the truth. That day I threw a tantrum
for the Jade Dew pastries from Pingkang Ward. My sister, exasperated, slapped me. My father then left without a word. He died on his way to buy me the pastries. ♪Listen to the drizzle of the mountains,
a long way ahead♪ ♪When can I catch
the scent of old times again♪ ♪The shadow in the wind♪ ♪Rushes back and forth
at the bridge of fate♪ ♪The moon rises, the sun sets♪ ♪Let me recall the deep feelings again♪ ♪It’s just♪ ♪Green thrives
while vitality of us fades…♪ ♪Green thrives
while vitality of us fades…♪ Mr. Li. Take this and go play. Drink less. I brought your medicine. Rest early. Shande, have a drink with me. Please? All these years in Chang’an, I drank so much wine and swallowed so many insults. I flattered the powerful, danced Sogdian Whirl to please others. I made others merry and retched in alleys. I clung to one hope that I must return to the Zheng clan. And now I know all my effort was for nothing. I want to get drunk. Shande, do you know how I grew up? I was so well-off that I was ignorant of hardship. At about six, I was quite heavy, yet I demanded Father carry me and circle around the yard. So, he carried me round and round, one circle after another, until he collapsed. He was bedridden for half a month. When I got older, I became mischievous and set our house on fire. Only then did I know it was my father’s life savings. Still, he never blamed me. I loved the Jade Dew pastries
from Pingkang Ward. Layered pastry with delicate pattern, white as jade, demanding triple folding. When finished, the crust has 36 flaky layers. My father couldn’t bear my sadness, so he went to buy them for me. Ping’an, why speak of this suddenly? I forbade others from mentioning it because I hated him. I hated him for our exile from the Zheng clan, and for abandoning us. Today I finally understand he was trying to keep us out of it. He was protecting me and my sister. If I don’t avenge him, I’ll be ashamed for life. Ping’an, all fathers would die for their children. Today, I meant to tell you my decision but feared you’d ask why I chose to stay. Now I think you’ll understand. If I leave, Xiu’s world would shatter. Shande, I’ve made up my mind. I won’t drive you away anymore. I won’t leave either. I’ll stay in Lingnan. I’ll avenge my father! Life blooms