Rising Phoenix

Small walnuts floated gently in the water as Gu Nanyi’s tall and slender figure moved steadily over the waves. His sky cyan robes fluttered in the breeze like a floating cloud, and the morning sun haloed faintly behind him; he reached out a hand and the rays of light danced off his fingers like they were diamond.

The South Sea commoners had never seen such a sight and they all paused, fruits and vegetables still in hand. They gaped as this Immortal Saint descended from heaven.

Ten thousand pairs of eyes latched onto him, and if he were anyone else he might have not known how to react, but he was Young Master Gu. He listened only to Feng Zhiwei and everyone else was smoke, so he calmly reached out and a basket appeared in his hand.

A basket.

The ten thousand commoners gaped even wider, and they did not even notice the saliva dripping from their lips — riding walnuts to cross the sea was shocking enough, but now the Immortal Saint was riding walnuts while wearing a basket backpack. Their minds were broken.

But… though they had never imagined an Immortal Saint crossing the sea while wearing a basket, the scene was quite beautiful.

The Immortal Saint stepped casually on the walnuts, scooping up all the vegetables, eggs, dried fish, and crabs[1] that he crossed.

The ten thousand commoners cried out in surprised understanding, their gasps a thunderstorm sweeping across the docks — the walnut riding, basket bearing Immortal Saint had come to collect the scraps!

to collect all his walnuts – Those were walnuts so he couldn’t waste them.

Young Master Gu stepped around, gathering food; before he returned to the ship, he flashed around to collect his walnuts — those could not be wasted… they are walnuts.

He cut incredibly elegant arcs through the air, flying like a glorious phoenix over the blue waves, dazzling the South Sea commoners and sending sighs of amazement running through the crowd.

Young Master Gu had no idea that he had given these commoners a sight they would never forget; all he cared was the mission Feng Zhiwei had given him, and so he flew back on board and handed Feng Zhiwei the basket.

Feng Zhiwei smiled and accepted the basket, but as she looked into it her mouth began to twitch. Young Master Gu had not differentiated good from bad and had just picked everything he had seen; there were rotten vegetables and broken shoes in the basket, and even an unlucky jellyfish was hanging around.

She threw everything inedible back into the sea and smiled. “Today you get to try my food.” She said to Gu Nanyi, and then she leaned over and whispered into his ear.

Young Master Gu nodded and stepped up to the edge of the bow. All the commoners had already forgotten their fury and watched him attentively.

“His Highness says: it turns out that the people of South Sea were this wealthy.” Young Master Gu began, repeating Feng Zhiwei’s words. His voice was not loud, but it clearly filled everyone’s ears.

Feng Zhiwei watched through the Thousand Mile Eyes as Commissioner Zhou finally put down his book and looked up.

“The South Sea Commissioner recently asked for the Imperial Court’s help, claiming that natural calamity had struck and the South Sea people were suffering from food shortage, so he needed the Imperial Court’s help to provide relief.” Gu Nanyi recited word for word.

“The Honored Imperial Envoys have come to find out the needs of this disaster struck area so that they can call for the Imperial Warehouse to open its stores and deliver its grain, and to see how long this area could use a tax break. But as soon as the Imperial Envoys arrived, they collected five catties of dried fish, ten crabs, and numerous dried vegetables and eggs. It is clear that the South Sea people do not suffer from food shortages, and therefore there is no disaster to relieve and no necessity for a tax break.”

The commoners called out in surprise again, turning to glare angrily at the group of officials.

The South Sea Officials exchanged glanced as Zhou Xizhong stood.

“His Highness says he does not understand why the people of South Sea waste and spoil food in this way.” Gu Nanyi continued. “His Highness passed through Jiang Huai, Longxi, and Longnan provinces on his way from Dijing to South Sea, and only the blessed Jiang Huai had enough food and clothing for its people.

“Longxi suffers from drought and three cities of people suffer from food shortage. Longnan has suffered torrential floods, and all seven counties suffer from lack. Millions of people cry out piteously for food, and countless commoners have lost their homes. His Highness has opened the warehouses and delivered grain, but many lives have still been lost. In desperation, His Highness has cut the food supply for his guards in order to save more of the newly homeless, and His Highness has even forgone anything but the most basic dish so that he might save just one more life. Now that we’ve arrived at South Sea, the people here welcomed us with dried fish!

“After witnessing the miserable circumstances of the people of Longnan and Longxi, His Highness does not dare let this grand reception go to waste, so he expresses his gratitude to the people of South Sea, and will cook and eat it all.”

The South Sea commoners fell quiet, and they looked at their neighbors; no one had thought the Imperial Envoys had collected the food to eat, and they even spoke so movingly!

Zhou Xizhong stood straight backed among them, his face gloomy.

“His Highness is grateful for the offering, but he challenges the people of South Sea — we are all people under the heavens, and while those who have lost their homes are forced to bear hunger and cold, you dare belittle this food and treat them like mud. Do you not know you are offending Heaven and reason? Do you not feel shame?”

A susurration ran through the crowd; they had come here righteous and indignant, but now their righteousness had been overthrown and they saw themselves only as unreasonable troublemakers.

They were all people of the earth, and when they heard of the suffering of the people in Longxi and Longnan, they remembered the years of hardship they themselves had faced. The Imperial Envoy’s sincere words moved them, so different from the previous Envoy’s bureaucratic clichés. The people fell silent, shame crossing their faces.

Helian Zheng stared wide-eyed at Ning Yi and Feng Zhiwei — true, Longxi and Longnan had suffered disaster, but one of you was drinking swiftlet nest soup the day before while the other ate soft-shelled turtle! Who had chosen to forgo food?

Han people… Han people… truly terrifying.

“Now to the South Sea officials — You claimed disaster without reason and reported grain shortage while there is plenty, deceiving superiors and deluding your subordinates, treating the solemnity of heaven like nothing; do you not feel ashamed before the Imperial Envoys who have crossed long roads to bring relief? Do you not feel ashamed before His Majesty, who has devoted so much of his energy and mind on how to save South Sea from these disasters?”

Young Master Gu raised his voice as Feng Zhiwei had requested, but his toneless voice could convey none of the terror and majesty. Fortunately, the language was powerful enough by itself to send stirs through the officials.

“Today, right here, we will finish all of the food the people have given us before we head ashore.” Young Master Gu drily finished, already bored of the long speech.

“We invite South Sea Commissioner Zhou aboard to enjoy this precious food with us; the official must lead by example, and since the people of South Sea do not understand the preciousness of food, then the Imperial Envoys and South Sea’s Commissioner must use themselves as the example. His Highness will set the table, Master Wei will cook, and we invite Commissioner Zhou to tend the fire.”

[1] I have some palm size dried fish and they do float, but my question is: can crabs float?