Chapter 111: Teaching and Nurturing

Chapter 111: Teaching and Nurturing

"They're all pretty messed up." Lu Mingchao's face was clouded with gloom, like a stormy sky, heavy and profound.

A smile flickered in Shu Yuan's eyes.

Lu Mingchao's voice stayed cool and crisp, "Is there anyone in the capital who knows A Yan?"

Shu Yuan shook his head, "Hardly anyone."

"After the former emperor died suddenly, I torched Xie Yan's portrait. Those in the capital who are close to the Xie family vaguely know there’s a fourth son in the Xie family, but they don’t know what he looks like."

Lu Mingchao breathed a sigh of relief, "I'll whip up something extra for you tonight."

"It’s not poisoned, is it?" Shu Yuan exaggeratedly took a step back, "What’s that in your hand?"

Lu Mingchao raised an eyebrow, "A plum blossom painting."

"A Yan told me your plum blossom paintings were a hot commodity."

Shu Yuan tilted his chin up, "You bet."

"And not just plum blossoms."

"Did that little punk Lu Santu paint it?"

"Naturally," Lu Mingchao said, beaming with pride.

Shivering, he wrapped his cloak tighter and continued, "The wind’s biting, it’s freezing cold. I must be crazy to stand out here yapping with you."

Shu Yuan followed behind Lu Mingchao, "Is it that damn Lu Santu who can’t keep his trap shut?"

"I knew Lu Santu couldn’t keep quiet."

Once inside, the cold was locked out.

Lu Mingchao laid the plum blossom painting out on the table, blowing on his hands to warm them, and glanced at Shu Yuan, "I was planning to drop by Master Cheng’s on the winter solstice to see if he still had the intention to marry his daughter to my elder brother."

"My second brother had to spill the beans on your little scheme."

"Seems you’ve got big dreams and sneer at small-time stuff like bagging someone."

Shu Yuan rubbed his nose, looking sheepish, but soon the guilt turned into righteous indignation, "A teacher’s job is to teach, answer questions, and enlighten."

"A model for the world, well-versed in ancient and modern knowledge, teaching the ways of the sages, tirelessly guiding others."

"His words cut to the heart of truth, his actions are straight and strong, his heart set on the highest good."

"A teacher is like a light. If one interprets the classics of the sages with narrow, selfish views and shallow knowledge, then this faint yet far-reaching light will shine from the very beginning on a misguided path. Students who grow up following this light may inherit it and gradually deviate from the right path."

"Being a teacher, if one only has a superficial understanding of the teachings of the sages without deeply grasping their essence, one should not easily speak of them, otherwise, it would mislead students and cause endless harm."

At this moment, Lu Mingchao seemed to see through the person in front of him, with eyebrows as wide as a thumb, simple yet comical, catching a glimpse of the Shu Yuan who was renowned over a decade ago.

Bold, arrogant, and unstoppable.

After ten years as a slave, some things were still treasured and preserved in Shu Yuan's bones, occasionally leaking out, revealing glimpses of his former glory.

Shu Yuan inexplicably grew nervous, his voice gradually unsteady, his thin and straight shoulders slumping, "I was being presumptuous."

Lu Mingchao smiled with curved eyes, "Do you think it's arrogant?"

"I think there’s some merit to it. Please continue."

Shu Yuan stared intently, as if trying to discern the sincerity in Lu Mingchao's words.

Seeing Lu Mingchao's clear eyes, without any hesitation, and with a hint of encouragement, he continued, "In my youth, I was fortunate to study under the Master and receive his teachings. The Master once enlightened us students with a simple yet profound statement: if you wish to give your disciple a bowl of water, the Master must first possess the depth of a whole pond."

"I admit, Master Cheng has indeed contributed to teaching people to read and write, but it’s merely teaching, not true nurturing."

"Do you want to teach and nurture?" Lu Mingchao asked, slowly and deliberately.

Hearing this, Shu Yuan's thick eyebrows twisted like writhing centipedes. After a moment, he said in a deep voice, "Scholars are ashamed to associate with eunuchs."

"Eunuchs and scholars, though only a word apart, are as wide as a chasm, impossible to bridge."

"No, a chasm may become a path, but eunuchs will never be accepted by scholars, only fit to barely survive."

"Forever."

Shu Yuan's words revealed a deep self-loathing and despair.

As his voice gradually faded, not only did his shoulders slump, but his back also bent, like an old man nearing the end of his life quietly awaiting the end on a cold winter night.

Lu Mingchao handed Shu Yuan a cup of hot water with both hands.

After Shu Yuan's emotions gradually calmed, Lu Mingchao spoke, "But Shu Yuan is already gone. Now you are Xie Sui, Xie Sui of Changxi Village."

"Even if things are set right in the future, you can still continue to be Xie Sui."

"When we reunited, Xie Yan said your talent and knowledge wouldn’t vanish just because you became a eunuch."

"Who says a eunuch can’t have the spirit of a scholar?"

"Your dreams will be carried on by others."

Lu Mingchao paused, her tone suddenly rising, "We don’t tolerate freeloaders. At your age, with your frail arms and legs, you can't plow the fields or hunt. You can barely teach to earn a living."

"Are you just refusing to contribute and live off us?"

"Are you afraid you’re not knowledgeable enough?"

Shu Yuan silently observed Lu Mingchao for a long time.

Suddenly, he smiled, "A pretty weak attempt at provoking me."

Lu Mingchao wagged her index finger left and right, "I’m genuinely asking."

"After all, fame is fleeting; it vanished long ago."

"In a poor family, it's hard to produce a noble son through reading. I can’t let you ruin people endlessly!"

"I mean destroy as in ruin," Lu Mingchao kindly reminded.

"Can you do it or not? Just give me a straight answer."

Xie Yan lifted the heavy door curtain and stepped over the threshold.

Hearing Lu Mingchao's fierce tone, he was very curious, "What's going on?"

Lu Mingchao raised her chin and pointed at Shu Yuan, "Xie Yan, he's freeloading!"

"Freeloading is indeed shameful!" Xie Yan chimed in with a serious tone.

Shu Yuan's expression was complex, a mix of emotions, "I handed over a stack of banknotes."

Lu Mingchao and Xie Yan exchanged glances, "Did he? I don't remember."

Xie Yan said, "Yeah, did he? I don't remember either."

Shu Yuan: Who's really the shameful one here?

"Xie Yan, what happened to your principles?" Shu Yuan fumed.

Xie Yan repeated Lu Mingchao's question, "Yes or no, do it or not, just say it, make it quick."

Principles?

Mingchao would never compromise her principles.

If she did, it would mean the principles were somewhat unreasonable.

If the principles are unreasonable, he knows better.

Shu Yuan, "Aren't you going to ask her what she wants me to do?"

Xie Yan said lightly, "No need to ask, it’s bound to be something suitable for you."

"With friends and family, Mingchao always acts thoughtfully and considerately."

Xie Yan's words brought a laugh from Lu Mingchao.

With a fleeting glance, Xie Yan couldn't help but think how beautiful Mingchao looked, even without makeup, like the morning glow on a glacier, her smile like red plum blossoms blooming in the snow, truly stunning.

Hmm, even more beautiful than the entire plum grove at the Xu Mansion.

"Not of pure reputation."