Chapter 82

Chapter 82

Old Lu seemed to sense his disciple’s confusion and nodded, saying, “This is Liang Liufang, the foremost talent of Jiangnan you’ve often spoken of.”

Liu Changyi’s composure broke, his gaze toward Chen Qingyan and the others becoming fervent. He turned and prostrated himself before Old Liang. “This junior pays his respects to the great Confucian scholar, Old Liang!”

“Ah, no need for such formalities! Please rise.”

“I have studied your poetry collections and essays. That line: ‘I know not the height of the blue sky, nor the depth of the yellow earth; I only see the moon’s chill and the sun’s warmth, ceaselessly consuming human life’—it truly astounded me. I have always… always admired you greatly!”①

Old Liang, of course, knew the quality of his own writing. This ancient-style poem, “The Shortness of Suffering Days,” was penned when he was just nineteen, and it was this very piece that had introduced him to countless literati.

Old Master Lu stroked his beard and chuckled. “Liu Fang, how many days will you be staying in Jizhou?”

“About half a month, then I’ll be heading to Laizhou.”

“Then allow me to shamelessly ask a favor. During your stay, could you offer some guidance to my disciple? He’ll be taking the provincial examinations next year and might even become a fellow exam-taker alongside your disciples.”

Liang Liufang did not refuse. His primary purpose for this trip was, after all, to travel for study with his disciples, so naturally, they should experience everything.

“I’ll be bringing them to the prefectural academy these days. Anyone wishing to attend my lectures is welcome to come find me. I’d also appreciate it if you, Old Lu, could offer some guidance to my three disciples.”

“As long as you don’t mind this old man’s humble advice.”

Chen Qingyan and the others were both awed and delighted. How could they possibly mind receiving guidance from Old Lu?

The two elders began catching up, while Chen Qingyan and his companions were sent to study.

The library housed many rare and valuable books unavailable elsewhere. They seized the opportunity to read as many as they could.

Liu Changyi stayed with the trio, introducing various texts, his face full of admiration. To be Old Liang’s disciples, these three must be outstanding!

In truth, Chen Qingyan wasn’t entirely sure of his own abilities. He had studied under Old Liang for two years, plus a year of self-study after being barred from exams. Over these three years, he felt he had improved rapidly, but having never participated in any official tests, he wasn’t sure of his exact level, only guessing he might be slightly better than an average xiucai (scholar).

So, upon learning that Liu Changyi was already a ling sheng (stipendiary scholar), Chen Qingyan adopted a very humble posture, asking about the prefectural academy almost as a junior would, which in turn made Liu Changyi quite uncomfortable.

In Liu Changyi’s mind, Old Liang was a talented scholar known for his pride, and his disciples should likewise be brilliant and aloof. Yet these three seemed more well-behaved and respectful than even the students at the prefectural academy. Their polite inquiries, always accompanied by honorifics, made him feel somewhat awkward. His idealized image was beginning to crack.

Meanwhile, Liang Boqing and Lu Zhongqi were chatting animatedly, having a decade’s worth of catching up to do.

Lu Zhongqi asked, “Do you remember Zhang Yaozhi?”

“Of course. How is he now?”

“He went to the capital. Now he’s the Minister of Rites and has joined the Grand Secretariat. He’s in the Emperor's favor.”

Liang Boqing was amazed. “He joined the cabinet in just ten years?”

“That’s how capable he is. You once praised him, saying he had the potential to be a chancellor. It seems your judgment was more far-sighted than mine.”

“I don’t understand matters of officialdom; I just thought then that he was no common pool creature. I didn’t expect it to come true.”

Lu Zhongqi lowered his voice. “These three disciples of yours must be remarkable too, right?”

Liang Boqing waved a hand. “They still have a long way to go.”

“For you to take them as disciples, they must be exceptional!”

“Compared to these three, I’d have preferred to take another ger as my disciple.”

“A ger?” Old Lu was surprised.

“He’s the husband of my eldest disciple. That young ger’s intellect and vision surpass these three. He’s also skilled in agriculture; the improved seed varieties he cultivated even caught the attention of the Minister of Agriculture. He’s a rare talent.”

“For you to praise someone so highly is uncommon. I’m quite curious now.”

“It’s a pity he’s a ger and cannot hold office.”

The two sighed. The Wu Dynasty had always forbidden gers from becoming officials. Discovery meant the grave crime of deceiving the sovereign, punishable by death—a risk no one dared take.

Liang Boqing brought up another old acquaintance. “How is Qian Muzhou these days? I plan to visit him when I have time.”

Qian Muzhou excelled in calligraphy; his running script was divinely inspired, though his personality was somewhat eccentric. Years ago, Liang Boqing had obtained several pieces of his calligraphy.

Old Lu paused for a moment. “Qian Muzhou… he passed away many years ago.”

“Muzhou is gone?!”

“Yes, it’s been six or seven years.”

“He was younger than me. How did it happen so suddenly?”

Lu Zhongqi said, “I heard he drank too much at a tavern, fell from the upstairs, and died from the fall…”

“Ah…” Liang Boqing’s face filled with regret. A great calligrapher of his generation, gone so soon.

“His calligraphy is quite valuable now. I’ve heard people privately offer high prices for his work—thirty gold pieces for a single foot of rough paper. It’s a pity I wasn’t close to him then and never asked for a piece. Otherwise, I might have profited from it.”

Liang Boqing didn’t mention that he himself possessed quite a few of Qian Muzhou’s works. Their personalities had been both quite proud, and after meeting, they had created many poems together. It seemed he needed to take better care of those papers back home, ensuring they weren’t eaten by mice.

The two chatted until noon. Liu Changyi took the three disciples to the prefectural academy’s dining hall for lunch, also bringing back meals for their teachers.

The dining hall was spacious, equipped with tables and benches. Each meal consisted of three dishes and a soup, with both meat and vegetables, accompanied by millet and steamed bread. For ten wen, the food was quite decent.

After lunch, the three returned to the library for the afternoon. Liang Boqing and Old Lu went out to visit another old friend.

“Qing Yan, you take the lead keeping them here to read. We’ll be back soon.”

“Yes.”

However, the two elders were gone for most of the day, not returning until almost nightfall.

The library forbade fire and lamps, so reading inside after dark was impossible. Liu Changyi led the three outside to chat and wait.

“Where are you all from? How old are you?”

Chen Qingyan replied, “I’m twenty, Qing Huai is sixteen, and Qing Song is thirteen. We’re from Jizhou, from a small town in Longquan County.”

“Longquan County…” Liu Changyi thought for a moment. “Is there a particularly famous spring there?”

The three nodded. Qing Huai whispered, “The Mountain Spring Travelogue mentioned the Ode to Dragon Spring, which is about our hometown.”

“Oh, oh, I remember now. I’m not originally from Jizhou either; my hometown is Tianyang County, not too far from yours. I came to the prefectural school after passing the imperial exams to become a scholar.”

Chen Qingyan was surprised. “My uncle’s family is also from Tianyang County.”

“May I ask his surname?”

“His surname is Li, and his given name is Cheng.”

“Is Li Bingchen your cousin?”

Chen Qingyan nodded eagerly. “Yes!”

Liu Changyi said excitedly, “Hahaha, he and I were schoolmates! I never imagined you had such a connection!”

Because of their shared connection, the group quickly warmed up to each other, and Liu Changyi became more relaxed. “When did you take the county-level exam? Given that you’re Old Liang’s disciples, you must have excelled in the county exam, at least achieving the top score. Why haven’t I heard about it?”

Chen Qingyan replied, “My second brother and I are still Student Scholars. Our youngest brother hasn’t even taken the Tongshi exam yet.”

“Why not take it?”

“I was delayed by some matters. Qing Huai took the county exam last year but fell ill halfway through due to a cold snap in spring. Since next year is a big exam year, we plan to take it together.”

“Last year’s spring chill was indeed severe. I heard some scholars in our county even froze to death!”

Everyone sighed. Qing Huai said, “The county exam is manageable, but I’ve heard the provincial-level exam consists of three sessions, each lasting three days, requiring nine days inside. It’s quite tough.”

Liu Changyi agreed, “Exactly, so luck also plays a role in the imperial exams. The provincial exam starts in mid-July when the weather is extremely hot. If you’re placed near the latrine, you’re basically doomed.”

“Why?”

“Think about it—thousands of candidates using the bathroom there over those days, combined with the heat. The stench would be suffocating, leaving no energy to focus on writing the exam.”

The three felt grossed out just hearing this, further realizing the difficulties of the imperial exams.

“Let’s hope none of us gets assigned a spot near the latrine.” Just as they were talking, Liang Boqing and Lu Zhongqi returned, and everyone quickly stood up to greet them.

“Let’s go, rest up. We’ll come back tomorrow.”

The three bowed with cupped hands to Liu Changyi and returned to the inn.

Old Liang was likely exhausted from the day and, too tired, went to bed early. The others also returned to their rooms to study.

The inn had plenty of rooms, so each had their own. This made it much more convenient for Chen Qingyan to enter the experimental field.

After locking the door and entering the experimental field, he immediately heard Yuanbao wailing.

“What’s wrong?”

Wang Ying stood nearby holding a feather duster. “This little troublemaker sneaked into the experimental field again today! If I hadn’t caught him in time, he would have made his mother worry sick!”

During the day, he was playing with the two new helper boys when, suddenly, he disappeared.

Chun Sheng was so scared he cried, and Wood was terrified too. However, Wood had some quick thinking and didn’t go straight to the lady of the house. Instead, he found Wang Ying and told him what happened.

Wang Ying immediately knew where his son had gone. After calming the two children, he entered the experimental field and dragged Yuanbao out.

He couldn’t scold him in front of Li Shi during the day, so he had to wait until evening to take him into the experimental field for a private scolding.

Chen Qingyan also glared at his son and said sternly, “Didn’t we tell you last time not to go in by yourself?”

“Do you know what you did wrong?” Wang Ying raised the feather duster threateningly.

“Yuanbao admits… admits his mistake…” The little boy wiped his tears, looking miserable.

Chen Qingyan felt bad seeing this, but he couldn’t comfort him. This was something that needed to be handled strictly, or it could become a serious problem in the future! If others found out they had an experimental field that was like a paradise, it could put their lives in danger!

“From now on, you can only come in if your father brings you. If you dare to enter by yourself again, Dad will spank you hard!”

“Waaahhh…” Yuanbao, seeing both of them ready to punish him, plopped down on the ground and burst into loud sobs.

However, after crying for a while with neither of them showing any intention to comfort him, he pitifully got up on his own, went over to Wang Ying, hugged his leg, and sobbed, “Father, Yuanbao… admits his mistake… Father, hold me…”

Wang Ying felt guilty after scaring him. “Do you remember this lesson?”

“Remember, I remember…”

Wang Ying wiped his tears and picked him up. The little one nestled in his arms, making him feel somewhat remorseful. Yuanbao was only one and a half years old—was he being too harsh?

Chen Qingyan patted his shoulder and said, “You did the right thing. If we don’t teach him properly this time, it could lead to trouble. Let this be a lesson so he doesn’t dare do it again.”

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Author’s Note: Reference① Li He’s "Short Bitter Day"

The author’s ability is limited and unable to create stunningly brilliant poetry; all quoted poems are by ancient famous poets.