"...The burdens of office are heavy, and affairs of state are difficult. Are these three matters all there are? It has been long since I heard of the pleasure of pheasant shooting...Being a minister is no easy thing; being a sovereign is difficult too. The rules of a hundred generations of great clans, the customs of a thousand noble houses-even the Son of Heaven cannot forcibly interfere with them. And how can one who violates the laws of the realm be pardoned? This man may possess extraordinary stratagems, yet he may not be fit for service. Was his insight into the workings of events and the broader situation purely accidental? Or does he truly possess sound learning? This must be clearly discerned. Boastful men are easily found; capable hands for governing are hard to come by. A thousand scholars cannot match one pillar of the realm. Ten thousand volumes of Classical Studies cannot match one plan for governing the state. Examine him carefully, examine him carefully..."
Moonlight over the eastern wing; wind and dew filled the sky.
Facing the letter, Yu Yi lightly tapped his fingers on a new book. On its cover stood the title Questions and Answers on the Book of Documents. He gave a soft sigh.
The fifth day of the fifth month: the Dragon Boat Festival.
In ancient times, the fifth day of the fifth month was considered an "evil day in an evil month," when medicinal herbs had to be gathered to dispel poisonous vapors. The Book of Rites of the Elder Dai recorded, "Store fragrant herbs for bathing," meaning that fragrant herbs were to be gathered for baths to ward off evil. Thus, the Dragon Boat Festival was also called the "Orchid Bathing Festival" at the time.
Little A-Wu got out of bed