Vietnamese fox fairy
How lonely it is, thought the fox fairy.
At that time, Vietnam was still in a wild place under Chinese rule, called Annan. Luocheng of Annan is a very small city. When anyone from Chang'an arrives in Luocheng, his heart will be half cool. He will look at this place with the nobility and surprise of the metropolis, and his superiority and loss come together. I don't know what to say for a moment.
Luocheng is a square, the city wall is rammed with mud, only one person is more than one person high, each wall is only two or three miles long, old and broken, as long as the slightest touch, the fine slag will fall off. The four city gates are as small as four dog holes. beggars hide in the shade of the city, catching lice and digging in their crotches. the people in the street are black and short, and their eyes roll up when they look at people, revealing a lot of whites. The thin woman leaned against the door and chatted, and as soon as she spoke, she could see a mouthful of yellow teeth, and the thinner children ran around in groups of chicks naked, and then ran into another alley.
Ah, how can this live?
that's what people say when they come to Luocheng for the first time.
Chu Suiliang thought the same way when he went to Luocheng for the first time. He sat in the room sighing, went to the yard and sighed, then sat on the doorstep and looked at a camphor tree in the yard, unable to say a word. After a few days, he finally sorted out his mood, sat under the window, and wrote to Tang Gaozong, telling Gaozong that he had worked for Gaozong and Taizong for a long time, and insisted on supporting Gaozong's succession to the throne, imploring Gao Zong to call him back to Chang'an to continue to serve his country. he wept as he wrote, and tears fell on jute paper drop by drop. The letter was written from day to night, and when the moon rose, he read it several times in the dim light, and then he was relieved.
but I haven't heard from Gao Zong, and Chu Suiliang thought, he'll probably never go back.
in this way, Chu Suiliang lived in Luocheng for several years. The humid weather in the south made his health worse and worse, and his knee always ached vaguely when it rained. He is 63 years old, thin and dark, with no light in his eyes, and his beard is full of lice, which is a different person from when he was in Chang'an City.
he just sits in the yard looking at the camphor tree every day. He doesn't want to do anything. The tree doesn't blossom or bear fruit. It grows with green leaves all year-round. Nothing happens.
Ah, how can this live?
the voice hovered in his head for several years, and as time went on, it seemed to become clearer and clearer, as if someone had said it in his ear.
one day Chu Suiliang was tired of sitting, so he asked his servant to bring a horse and went out of town alone. The horse was so thin that it had to take a breath after a walk, which was even weaker than Chu Sailing. Chu Suiliang had to get off his horse and lead him. After about half an hour, he heard the voice of crows rising one after another. Chu Suiliang looked forward and saw that it was a chaotic grave. Rows of crows were standing on the branches. The weasel was bigger than a dog. He drilled around in the grave, suddenly stared at him blankly, and quickly got into the grass.
this is an eschatological scene. Chu Suiliang sighed, patted his horse on the neck, and said, "go back. I'm tired. You'd better carry me."
he stepped shakily into the stirrup when suddenly he heard a cry, my lord.
A wonderful beauty does not know when she has stood behind Chu Suiliang, and her every move has a charming air. With only one glance at a person with two eyes, a person's soul can be taken away.
Chu Suiliang asked: who are you?
the beautiful woman said: I am a fox fairy.
Chu Suiliang looked at her carefully and then looked around. No ordinary people would appear here, and she was too beautiful to be human. Even in Chang'an and the imperial palace before, he seldom saw such beauty.
the fox fairy said that it took her more than a thousand years to practice on the outskirts of Luocheng to get what she looks like today, but she has no one of the same kind, and she doesn't even have a speaker. She often regrets why she wants to practice, and it's boring to be a leprechaun. I knew that my lord had come to Luocheng and wanted to talk to her.
Chu Suiliang, already an old man, was not surprised by the sudden appearance of the fox fairy in front of him.
the fox fairy said, "I heard that Lord Li came to Luocheng and always wanted to visit him, but he was afraid that he would be too abrupt. Today, he is a godsend, so it doesn't matter whether he is rude or not."
Chu Suiliang said: you always knew I was in Luocheng?
the fox fairy said: yes.
Chu Suiliang said: you want to talk to me. What can I do for you?
the fox fairy said, "I know that Lord Li is very lonely in Luocheng, and I am also very lonely, so I want to talk to him."
after knowing the fox fairy, Chu Suiliang's life began to become less boring. With her, you can talk a lot. You don't have to sit on the steps and look at camphor trees every day. Every day, the fox fairy took Chu Suiliang's arm for a walk in the courtyard, and sometimes he would go out of the yard to watch the setting sun fall west outside the earthen walls of Luocheng, watch the boats shuttling back and forth by the river, and watch the black and thin people in the street chatter and quarrel. now Chu Suiliang suddenly found these sounds not so boring, and even found them lovely for the first time, just like walking in Chang'an City.
at night, the fox fairy and Chu Suiliang talked under the lamp and candle. The fox fairy said very little. Most of the time, he looked at Chu Suiliang with his charming eyes and listened to him tell the story of himself, Chang'an, and Taizong. Frogs sang in the pond outside the window. After a while, the wind blew the leaves rustling, the candlelight swaying, and the shadow of the fox fairy swaying on the wall.
for a moment Chu Suiliang wondered whether she would suddenly show her true colors. So he looked into the eyes of the fox fairy and waited for a while, then suddenly he thought the idea was funny again, so he smiled. What does it have to do with
appearance? I can still talk to her!
maybe Chu Suiliang is old, what he said is always repeated, and the same thing is often told to the fox fairy several times. The fox fairy always pretended to hear it for the first time, looked at him all the time, and listened with a smile. This expression was waiting, as if it were encouragement, making Chu Suiliang more willing to continue.
Chu Suiliang talked about his life in his youth. During the disputed days at the end of the Sui Dynasty, he followed Xue Ju to challenge the Tang Army, how he was captured by the Tang Army and put on the execution ground, and how he became a subject of the Tang Dynasty under the command of Taizong. Talking about himself in place of the deceased Yu Shinan, he talked with Taizong about calligraphy every day, distinguishing the authenticity of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy for Taizong. When Taizong greeted Master Xuanzang who returned from India, he wrote the Preface to Holy Religion drafted by Taizong himself.
he even talked about the quarrel between the two men. It was the 19th year when Taizong ascended the throne, and he wanted to personally excoriate Liaodong, but he strongly opposed it. They debated in the main hall for several days and nights but finally did not insist because of Taizong's toughness. And followed Taizong on the expedition. As Chu Suiliang predicted, Tang Jun did not take advantage of the war, so he had to return to Korea.
but he is still a rare good emperor. When Chu Suiliang recalled Taizong, he firmly said this to the fox fairy. When he talked about the past, he could not help showing a warm smile, and the fox fairy looked at him with tenderness in his eyes.
however, Taizong went too early!
the former prince, now the emperor, the man entrusted to him by Taizong, unexpectedly wanted to abolish the queen for a woman, even if he was so strongly opposed, he could not stop him from banging his head on the main hall. On the contrary, he was demoted again and again, even stigmatized and rebellious.
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when Chu Suiliang spoke of this, great sadness appeared on his face. He turned his head and looked out of the window blankly. A star hung alone in the night sky, small and far away. At this time, the fox fairy stood beside him and gently rubbed his shoulder. After a while, he gradually recovered from his grief and smiled wearily at the fox fairy.
one day two people were walking in the yard when Chu Suiliang suddenly said, "I feel that my time is drawing near."
the fox fairy did not answer his words and asked: my Lord, do you want to see the emperor?
Chu Suiliang glanced at the fox fairy and sighed, "I want to, but do I still have a chance to see him?"
the fox fairy said, "it doesn't matter if you don't see the emperor today, and the new queen hates your guts. I want to take you to another emperor."
Chu Suiliang said: I have only one emperor in Datang. Who is this emperor you are talking about?
the fox fairy said: there was an emperor who worshipped your calligraphy. at first, he studied another calligrapher, and that person learned from you, so the emperor learned your calligraphy and created another style of calligraphy.
Chu Suiliang looked suspicious and said, "I don't understand what you're saying."
the fox fairy smiled and said, the emperor I am talking about is five hundred years later.
while they were talking, they were walking in the courtyard. Somehow, as they walked, Chu Suiliang felt a fog slowly shrouded in front of his eyes, and it became thicker and thicker. He seemed to be held up by the clouds under his feet, and nothing could be seen around him. He just felt the wind ringing in his ears, and he subconsciously grabbed the fox fairy's arm, so the fox fairy helped him more tightly.
the fox fairy said: your excellency don't be nervous. I'll take you to see the emperor. I'll be there soon.
I can't say how long, the fog gradually thinned and some scenery could be seen vaguely, and after a while, it became clearer. There were flowers everywhere, several white cranes walking and stopping by the lake, a peacock spreading its tail hair and looking ahead with arrogance. The fragrance of the flowers was strong, and the air was sweet and wet, which was the smell of summer after the rain. Three men were sitting under a pine tree, and the man in black in the middle, a little fat, was writing on the desk.
Fox Fairy and Chu Suiliang walked behind the three men, but the three men did not notice it at all.
the fox fairy pointed to the man in the middle and said, "my Lord, this is what I call your Majesty."
after observing for a long time, Chu Suiliang asked doubtfully: how many generations of the former emperor is this? There is no sign of the late emperor in him at all.
the fox fairy said: his surname is Zhao. He is not a descendant of the late emperor. Datang is no longer here.
Chu Suiliang looked at the fox fairy blankly and said, "are you telling the truth?"
the fox fairy nodded, pointed to the emperor, and asked Chu Suiliang, "my Lord, do you think his calligraphy is similar to yours?"
Chu Suiliang saw that the handwriting written by this man was clear and thin, and he did have a bit of his own shadow. After reading it for a while, he suddenly remembered the days when he and Taizong talked about calligraphy, and he couldn't help crying.
Emperor, I am sorry to you!
when he came back, Chu Suiliang became weaker and weaker. He knew he was leaving. The fox fairy held his hand, which was thin and black, connected to a slender arm, like a withered branch by the side of the road or in the wilderness.
unexpectedly, I will end up in Luocheng. Chu Suiliang looked around. Everything was so strange. He looked up and stayed in the north for a long time. Chang'an is so far away. Can my soul go back to the future?
the fox fairy said: my Lord, in a few decades, the emperors of the Tang Dynasty will re-affirm your meritorious service, draw you to the Lingyan Pavilion, and you will meet with adults such as the eldest Sun Wuji and Wei Zheng.
Chu Suiliang, with a faint light in his eyes, said: if what you say is true, I am very glad, and I can go with peace of mind. It's just that after I left, you were lonely again.
the fox fairy said: I am very lucky to be able to get along with adults for so long. I have lived for more than a thousand years. I have seen people born and then leave, their homes built and desolated, dynasties flourish, and then decline. Except for the sun, moon, and stars, all things always come and go, glory and decay, the impermanence of the world, and the impermanence of life. I can't change anything. I just have to get used to it.
after Chu Suiliang left, the fox fairy didn't go back to the graveyard, but still lives in Luocheng. During the day, she wandered the streets and returned to Chu Suiliang's house in the evening. Before the new officials of the court came, there was only her and a servant in the whole room. The servant was older than Chu Suiliang and was always incoherent. He always bowed his back, sometimes swept the floor in the yard, sometimes did nothing but stood in the yard, holding his hands crossed on his belly, tilting his head, and looking straight ahead. After looking straight ahead for a long time, he finally remembered, saying, "it's getting late." I'm going to cook for Lord Gui.
the fox fairy said, "the adult is no longer here.
the servant said: Oh. Oh, it's going to rain, isn't it?
so the fox fairy followed the servant's eyes, and there was a dark cloud floating on the mountains in the distance, obscuring the sky. As the clouds moved little by little, the nearby rivers, woods, and paddy fields dimmed.
the fox fairy said: yes, it's going to rain.
the servant asked: so, are you the wife of your Lordship?
the fox fairy said: no.
the servant said: Oh. I always see you walking with Chu Da Man, so who are you?
the fox fairy said: I am a fox fairy.
the servant murmured, "Fox Fairy, then, are you the lady of your excellency?"
the fox fairy had to smile and said no again.
the two men continued to look ahead, and the dark cloud finally came, and it rained until late at night. When the rain stopped, the moon poked out of the thin clouds and lit the yard like daylight. Very quiet, only bugs singing in the corner, crisp and intermittent.
how lonely it is, thought the fox fairy.