Hong Yu

The candle on the lowest step of the Celestial Spring Station library had just gone out. Hong Yu briefly adjusted to the darkness, then took out a tinderbox and lit the lantern in his hand. What met his eyes were the bamboo slips stored in niches on all four walls. Han-dynasty clerical script was clear, the leather cords still intact. These were bamboo slips left since Emperor Wu of Han waved his whip to expand the empire, records from when Celestial Spring Station was still called Celestial Spring Post. Hong Yu brushed his hand over the stacked documents, picked one roll, and gently untied the silk ribbon binding it. "Between the first day and the twenty‑ninth day of the second month in the second year of the Ganlu era, Yu, the stationmaster of Yuli Post, transferred a document to Xianquan Post, dispatching his assistant Guang with ten relay horses to support Madam Feng's carriage. He also allocated supplies: a total of 32.7 dan of hulled barley and 25 dan 2 jun of hay." Madam Feng? That was the maid of Princess Jieyou during the Western Han, an extraordinary woman who moved between the Wusun and the Great Han. Hong Yu had read the Book of Han and knew of this woman's courage. Had she also come to Celestial Spring Station? A gust of wind came from nowhere, stirring the dust on the documents. The lantern's dim light reflected on the dusty veil. Hong Yu's vision blurred, and he seemed to see a woman with dark hair and long skirt walking, then pausing, letting out a soft sigh in a guest room of Celestial Spring Post. The dim light before his eyes suffused the walls. Hong Yu found himself standing in the very guest room that had just been cleaned today. Attendants stood around with bowed heads. In the corner, a Boshan censer wafted precious blended incense. On the couch, a maid offered a footrest, and Madam Feng slowly sat down. Before Hong Yu could react, an attendant beside him nudged he. "The post horses strayed off the road, and the officials couldn't catch up... Administrator Yu, what is the matter?" Madam Feng's voice, though calm as still water, held an unmasked urgency. Just as Hong Yu was about to speak, everything around his seemed veiled in gauze. Then the gauze layers rolled in, brushing the tip of his nose, tickling and making him wrinkle his nose and sneeze. Suddenly, Hong Yu opened his eyes. He was standing on the lowest step of the Celestial Spring Station library. The lantern in his hand was not yet burnt out. What met his eyes were the bamboo slips stored in niches on all four walls.

When the official appointment document arrived at his home, the glutinous rice cakes made by his mother had just come out of the pot. The county magistrate came to congratulate him with neighbors, and everyone was overjoyed, beating gongs and drums. Hong Yu stared blankly at the bustling crowd. It wasn't until the official document sealed with a red stamp was placed in his hand that he felt the overwhelming weight of fate. "Celestial Spring Station, where's that?" "Ah, who cares where it is! The Hong family lad is finally making it big! Becoming a high official!" "Don't forget your parents later. It wasn't easy for them to raise you!" Voices chattered, warm, simple hopes from the villagers. Yet Hong Yu noticed a hint of reluctance in his parents' smiles. A few days later, under a bright moon and sparse stars, as jackdaws began to stir, Hong Yu walked out of the village path with his luggage on his back. For the last time, he turned to look at the sleeping village and kowtowed three times heavily. "Yu's first bow, in gratitude to Father and Mother, who endured hardship for half a lifetime, protecting Yu in peace and without worry. May the day come when I return in silken robes, to bow again at your knees." "Yu's second bow, in gratitude for imperial grace, entrusting me with heavy responsibility, allowing this body to serve the country. May a day come when I achieve merit and leave a name in the annals." "Yu's third bow..." Hong Yu paused, "...in gratitude to Heaven, for bestowing this great fortune... May this journey be safe and smooth, with wishes fulfilled and goals reached." "A relay station is where messages are linked, where travelers arrive. May I traverse thousands of miles of mountains and rivers with my feet and cloth shoes, carrying peace for ten thousand years…" At that time, he did not know that these three bows were like a prophecy, declaring his fate, the world's affairs are fickle, and step by step, she walked toward the opposite end.