Tang Dynasty Good Man š Hot
The soldier wept. He confessed he had deserted the army after being ordered to burn a village of farmers who had refused to pay a corrupt governorās tax. "I am no longer a warrior," the soldier said. "I am a coward and a traitor."
Gao helped him up. "In the cemetery, I bury dukes beside thieves. Their bones are the same weight. Their dust is the same color. A 'good man' is not one who does great deeds. He is one who remembers that every shadow was once a person."
"If you harm this man," Gao said quietly, "I will walk to Changāan and present this token to the throne. I will tell the Son of Heaven how his captain tortures peasants and hunts hungry ghosts." tang dynasty good man
Gao poured the porridge. "In the Analects of the Tang , there is no law against kindness. Eat."
Gao did not argue. Instead, he reached into his robe and pulled out a single object: a jade yüeh āa crescent-shaped token given only by the Emperor himself. It was old, chipped, and real. Years ago, Gao had saved the life of a drowning eunuch, who had given it to him as a reward. Gao had never used it. The soldier wept
"Hand him over, gravekeeper, or we will bury you ."
One bitter winter, a starving soldier crawled into the cemetery, his armor rusted to his flesh. "They call you a good man," the soldier hissed. "Give me your horse, or I will take your life." "I am a coward and a traitor
The soldier left.