When Du Heng was thirty-three, he became Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and he remained in that position for seven years.
During those years, he was ordered by the Emperor to inspect the grain routes and investigate the salt taxes. He was promoted from Vice Minister to Minister, and was deeply appreciated and entrusted with important responsibilities by the Emperor.
At the age of forty, when he was in his prime, Du Heng successfully entered the Grand Secretariat with a title as Grand Academician, carrying with him a record full of political achievements.
After entering the Grand Secretariat, Du Heng worked diligently and conscientiously. He reorganized the laws and regulations for the Emperor and adjusted the military system. The Dayun Dynasty entered an unprecedented era of strength and peace.
That year, at fifty, the age ordained by Heaven, Du Heng was celebrating his birthday, and his residence was crowded with guests.
“Hiss!”
Sitting before the bronze mirror, Du Heng cried out in pain and hurriedly grabbed the hand of the person arranging his hair.
“It hurts to death. Be gentler, gentler.”
Qin Xiaoman slapped the dressing table.
“Look. One pair was born together, so I pulled them both out by the roots.”
Du Heng looked at the two white hairs lying on the dressing table and froze slightly. He immediately sighed and turned his head toward Qin Xiaoman.
“Why pull them out? I already have less hair than when I was young. If you keep pulling it out, I’ll go bald.”
Qin Xiaoman counted on his fingers.
“Isn’t today your birthday? So many relatives, colleagues, and students have come. Pulling out a few white hairs will make you look more energetic.”
“At my age, growing white hair is perfectly normal.”
After saying this, Du Heng looked at those few silver strands and could not help adding, “But my colleagues of the same age really do still have heads full of black hair. Very few have grown white hair. I seem to have gotten ahead of them.”
“Back when I first entered the capital, how many people scrambled just to catch a glimpse of my elegance, and how many young ladies and young men sang, ‘You were born before I was born, I was born after you…’”
Before Du Heng could finish sighing sentimentally, he received a slap on the mouth.
He covered his mouth with his hand, and his expression immediately changed from smug delight to one of grievance.
“It’s my birthday today, and you’re still hitting me.”
“Say less useless things. If you regret it so much, you should have taken the examinations and entered the capital to join the Hanlin Academy in one breath back then. Then there wouldn’t have been so many young ladies and young men lamenting over you.”
“How would I dare?”
Du Heng hurriedly begged for mercy.
“I was only lamenting that beauty fades easily.”
Qin Xiaoman shot Du Heng a sideways glance.
“All these years, I have exhausted my heart and mind for the imperial court, the Emperor, and the common people. Ever since entering officialdom, decades have passed in the blink of an eye. It feels as though I have hardly ever stopped to rest.”
Du Heng was full of emotion, his gaze melancholy.
“Perhaps people think more when they grow old. Recently, I always dream of the days we spent in Tianwan Village of Luoxia County.”
Back then, the two of them had only recently married and were still young newlyweds, with endless energy for everything.
Before dawn, they would eat a simple breakfast, shoulder their hoes, and go down to the fields through the morning dew. They would only return home when the sun was high, then make lunch, wash clothes, and tend to the livestock and poultry.
In summer, they would sleep together for two periods of an hour at noon, then go back out to plow and hoe until the moon rose before returning home.
There were countless trivial farm tasks in a single day, yet they still had to squeeze out some time to read and practice writing.
Compared with today’s days of power and wealth, those days of working from before dawn until after dark were certainly difficult enough that one would not willingly look back upon them.
Yet whenever they reappeared in his dreams, they brought a warmth and melancholy to his heart.
Perhaps because they had once possessed nothing, those days had instead become the purest and best time of their lives, so much so that whenever he woke from dreams at midnight, he could never forget them for a long time.
Suddenly, Du Heng reached out and grasped the hand holding the wooden comb.
“Xiaoman, why don’t we return to our hometown?”
“Return to our hometown?!”
Hearing this, Qin Xiaoman seemed to think Du Heng was telling him some amusing joke to coax him.
But when he met the light in Du Heng’s eyes, he realized that he was speaking sincerely.
Of course he also very much wanted to return home.
Ever since Du Heng entered officialdom, they had always lived wherever he was posted. From the local counties to prefectural cities, and then from the prefectural cities to the capital, they had moved around and endured all the traveling and upheaval.
Except for the remote and desolate Qiuyang County, the places they had lived in over the years were actually much more prosperous than Luoxia County.
Yet he could never again find that familiar feeling.
Knowing that their family’s circumstances were different from ordinary people who spent their entire lives on one piece of land, he had never complained about it to Du Heng.
Wherever Du Heng went all these years, he followed.
Only when night was deep and the two of them embraced each other to sleep would they occasionally mention a few words about their former days in Luoxia County.
Now, hearing the words “return home,” he felt as though something in his heart were about to break free.
Yet he remained clearheaded and said to Du Heng, “Officials of this dynasty retire at sixty. You still have ten full years left. What are you thinking about?”
Hearing this, Du Heng’s hand loosened slightly.
He looked rather like a child who had excitedly proposed a novel idea only to have an adult reject it. His expression became slightly disappointed.
Qin Xiaoman felt that Du Heng must simply have been too happy because of his birthday and had said all these things impulsively.
He helped him put on his birthday robe and arranged his official headwear.
Although he was already fifty, he still looked like a handsome man whose bearing was difficult for anyone to rival.
Qin Xiaoman was very satisfied.
“All right, let’s go. Don’t keep the guests waiting.”
Suddenly, Qin Xiaoman was pulled back.
“Let me ask you something. Do you and I share the same thoughts?”
Qin Xiaoman’s brows tightened, then relaxed again.
He approached Du Heng, who carried a faint sandalwood fragrance.
“If we really can return home and retire, I’ll personally make you minced-meat steamed eggs again.”
Du Heng smiled with his eyes and brows.
“Then it’s settled.”
The Scholar’s Residence was filled with guests, and the Emperor himself came to offer birthday congratulations, demonstrating the vastness of imperial grace.
During the banquet, the Emperor, whose temples were already white with frost, looked so energetic that it was almost as though he were celebrating his own birthday.
Du Heng was an official personally promoted by Yan Chengqi after he ascended the throne. The Emperor naturally regarded him as a trusted confidant.
From the handsome and bright young county magistrate he had first met in Qiuyang County all those years ago, to today’s steady and dignified Grand Academician, more than thirty years had passed in the blink of an eye.
Now that the realm was peaceful and grain and provisions were plentiful, Yan Chengqi was in high spirits.
“My beloved subject has been loyal to the country and its people for decades. Today’s birthday is a great occasion. For a moment, I don’t even know what I can reward you with. Speak to Me from your heart. Tell Me what you want, and I will certainly reward you.”
Today, it was not only the Emperor who had come. The Crown Prince, imperial relatives, and others had also arrived in considerable numbers.
After drinking several cups of wine, the Emperor was slightly drunk.
Du Heng, sitting beside the Emperor, hurriedly stood and thanked him.
“Thank you, Your Majesty. Serving the country and its people is simply this minister’s duty as a subject. I do not deserve Your Majesty’s praise. On this birthday, with Your Majesty and the Crown Prince personally attending, this minister has already received immense imperial grace and is content.”
Yan Chengqi waved his hand.
“Say it. On such a fine day, don’t be bound by etiquette.”
Seeing the Emperor’s expression, which clearly said that he would be displeased if Du Heng did not speak his true thoughts, Du Heng said, “Then this minister will really say it!”
Qin Xiaoman secretly tensed.
The chopsticks he had been about to use to pick up food stopped in midair.
He glanced at Du Heng’s wine cup.
He had counted. The man had only drunk two cups.
Even if his tolerance for alcohol was poor, he should not be drunk from that.
“Speak.”
“This minister has recently felt repeatedly that his body is not in good condition. My vitality and spirit are also far inferior to before. In the end, I have no choice but to admit—”
Before he could finish, Yan Chengqi waved his hand.
“Song County paid tribute this year with quite a few excellent mountain ginseng roots. I will reward them all to you. You should properly replenish your health. I will have the Imperial Medical Academy’s Sixth Imperial Physician prepare some nourishing health meals for you. I guarantee that at your next birthday, you will be just as vigorous as you are today.”
Du Heng: “…”
After serving beside the Emperor for more than ten years, the Emperor had also watched him for more than ten years. The little thought Du Heng had not even managed to voice was firmly blocked by Yan Chengqi.
“Thank you, Your Majesty, for your consideration.”
“Look at you. On such a joyous day, you’re asking for nothing but tonics. Is there anything I lack?”
Du Heng forced a smile.
“Your Majesty is right.”
Qin Xiaoman wore a beaming smile, but inwardly he felt as though he had eaten a bitter raw melon. The string he had been holding taut finally relaxed.
He secretly picked up a piece of food and stuffed it into his mouth.
People were always greedy. The more they could not obtain something, the more they wanted it.
Once the thought of retirement took root, it was like floodwaters pouring onto a plain, rushing thousands of miles without restraint.
At fifty-one, Du Heng worked hard, hoping that his employer would see his years of diligent service and allow his old bones to retire early.
He led people in diplomatic missions, stabilized the people along the borders, and with his silver tongue, persuaded small border states to willingly pledge allegiance.
The Emperor was delighted, but pretended not to hear Du Heng’s desire to retire.
At fifty-three, Du Heng advocated opening maritime trade routes, loading the finest Central Plains silk and porcelain onto ships to sail overseas. When they returned, they brought back rare crops, once again improving grain production.
The Emperor was delighted, but directly rejected the Grand Academician’s request to abandon his career and retire.
At fifty-four, Du Heng developed frozen shoulder. His hand often trembled when writing documents, making his work extremely difficult.
The Emperor expressed deep concern, but personally found someone to write on his behalf.
At fifty-five, Du Heng developed cervical spondylosis, with pain in his waist, legs, and sciatic nerves. He repeatedly requested leave, making his already difficult workload even worse.
The Emperor expressed deep concern, but…
There was not yet any targeted concern.
Instead, the people of the Grand Secretariat came first to plead with him.
“Your Majesty, Grand Academician Du’s health is rather poor. Perhaps…”
“Is his body truly unwell, or is it merely unwell by his own choosing?”
“Today in the Grand Secretariat, I saw Grand Academician Du coughing terribly. His complexion was pale…”
Yan Chengqi’s eyes remained on the memorial.
“He has always had fair skin. You must have seen incorrectly. Otherwise, shall I give you a pair of Western spectacles too?”
“For all these years, Grand Academician Du has traveled tirelessly for the imperial court, exhausting his heart and mind. He has gone to the border passes and the freezing lands and has never once refused or uttered a complaint. In the end, people are made of flesh and blood. It is only natural for the body to suffer some depletion in old age…” The Grand Guardian glanced at the Emperor. “It is also quite normal.”
Hearing this, Yan Chengqi raised his head and looked at the Grand Guardian.
The Grand Guardian’s heart gave a thump.
He closed his mouth and did not dare say another word.
“Indeed. He came from a farming-and-studying background. I heard that his family was poor in his early years and that he personally farmed while studying diligently.”
Yan Chengqi sighed.
“Go and have him come.”
The Grand Guardian breathed a sigh of relief and accepted the order before leaving.
“He really relented?”
“He said he wants to speak with you personally.”
“Then was he angry?”
“Hard to say.”
Du Heng elbowed the Grand Guardian.
“Senior Brother, aren’t you deliberately making me uncertain?”
Mu Ti sighed.
“Do you really have to go this far?”
Du Heng supported his waist and sucked in a breath from the pain.
Mu Ti opened his mouth, but ultimately could not bring himself to say anything to persuade him to stay.
Without experiencing another person’s suffering, one naturally had no way to persuade them. In truth, he did not even know whether Du Heng’s health was really failing.
As classmates, all he could do was do his best to fulfill Du Heng’s wishes.
“All right. It should be fine. Go.”
Du Heng took a breath.
“This minister pays his respects to Your Majesty.”
“Rise.”
Du Heng stood and quietly remained in the middle of the hall.
Yan Chengqi did not speak either. He simply looked at Du Heng.
After being stared at for a long while, Du Heng felt uncomfortable all over and could not help coughing dryly.
“Does Your Majesty find this minister’s posture improper?”
“I heard Mu Ti say that your complexion was pale. I wanted to take a careful look and see whether he was deceiving the Emperor.”
Du Heng pursed his lips dryly.
This was clearly a warning.
“The Grand Guardian is meticulous and considerate, always concerned about his colleagues.”
“He may not be considerate of his colleagues, but he is certainly very considerate of you.”
Du Heng hurriedly knelt.
“This minister is guilty.”
Yan Chengqi tossed aside the memorial and looked at Du Heng kneeling before him.
“My age is even greater than yours, and yet I am still sitting high in the main hall. What are you in such a hurry to retire and return home for?”
“Your Majesty is still in the prime of your life. This minister is ashamed.”
“The Crown Prince is no longer young either. I plan to hand the realm over to him within these two years. At that time, I will retire as the Retired Emperor. The Crown Prince cannot be without someone to assist him. Work for two more years and watch over the Crown Prince for Me. When the time comes, it will be perfectly natural for him to make you Chief Grand Secretary.”
Du Heng remained kneeling.
“Dan Ce will certainly devote himself to serving the Crown Prince. Why would an old pile of bones like this minister need to trouble himself any further? Your Majesty, you know that this minister does not care about such power or titles.”
“You truly are this stubborn!”
“This minister is old.”
Yan Chengqi stood up in frustration.
Looking at the person sincerely kneeling before him, his heart was also filled with helplessness.
After a long while, Yan Chengqi sat back down on the dragon throne.
“Enough. Since your mind is made up, then go.”