Chapter 3 Apricot altar delicate pistil
The most unprecedented move of Emperor Taizu was the establishment of the female official system in Sui Dynasty.
Unlike the female officials of previous dynasties, who were confined to the imperial palace, managing the daily lives of their superiors, the female officials of the Sui Dynasty could truly enter the imperial court, just like men, discussing state affairs, negotiating court affairs, and benefiting the people. However, the emperor, understanding the inconvenience of women traveling far away, held the examinations for female officials in the provincial capital, unlike those for men. He also took into account the fact that women would be burdened by domestic duties after marriage and could not pursue official careers. Female students also had their own schools, which were not limited to teaching women handicrafts, cooking, and managing household affairs. Instead, they were equivalent to male schools, with Confucian academies exclusively for women.
The Qiushui Academy in Jinling was such a wonderful place. The founder, Lu Tianwen, was already old and only accepted twelve students, with a three-year term. The academy was nestled in the mountains, far from the city, making frequent travel difficult for women. Women were required to live on campus, returning home for only three days on the 15th of each month. Their food, clothing, and shelter were all managed by their mistress, so tuition was naturally higher than at other academies. However, because Master Lu was a retired, upright Hanlin who had returned to his hometown, local figures of all stripes vied to pour their wealth into the academy, hoping that even if their daughters didn't pass the imperial examination, they would at least hope that they could learn a little knowledge and practice the principles of the Master's Hall.
But Pei Lan was an exception. She wanted Yanru to enter Qiushui Academy for many reasons, but this one was not one of them. She cried, made a fuss, and even threatened to commit suicide, causing chaos at home and forcing her husband to ask the prince for help. Poor You Kang racked his brains and spent a lot of money. He shamelessly gave gifts to the housekeeper and asked her to help coax the kind princess, and finally got the invitation list of the academy. Pei Lan was complacent, ignoring her embarrassed and angry husband, and condensed the matter into an article about her social skills, and taught her daughter: "Don't learn from your father. He just begged the prince and princess to do something, but he made a fuss as if his life was at stake. What do you mean ordinary servants are worthy of asking the prince's palace to do things? Your father is the only slave in this family! Your grandmother's ancestors were of noble status. How could the princess not give us face and help us? Yanru, you have to remember that if you want to achieve your goal, you can use any method, open or covert."
In this way, the fourteen-year-old You Yanru got on a carriage and stepped into the threshold of Jinling's No. 1 Women's Academy.
Qiushui Academy, nestled on the slopes of Jingzhong Mountain, dozens of miles from the city gate, was built to the advantage. The reception courtyard sat at the lower level, while the middle section housed the classrooms, the path for piano lessons, and Master Lu's library. The highest and lowest sections collectively comprised the kitchen, the inner courtyard of the master and his wife, and the students' quarters. Because many students brought their personal servants with them, each student was given a separate room for convenience. It wasn't large, barely enough for a wooden bed, a small bamboo bed, a desk and chairs, a desk, and a few stacked boxes. To the others, this shabby place was small and cramped. Opening the door would reveal the chattering of eleven or twelve students, far from the comfort of a spacious boudoir in the mansion.
But Yanru was overjoyed. For the first time in her life, she had her own bedroom. Her mother always boasted that the courtyard at home was granted to her by the prince, as if, with the prince's title, she could step into it and become a member of the royal family. The house wasn't actually large. Before her younger sister was born, it was fine; Yanru only needed her grandmother and mother's spinning wheel and embroidery frame to sleep together. After her younger sister came along, most of her possessions were silently divided: the chicken legs on the dinner table, the money for a new dress for New Year's, the space in her bedroom, and her parents' doting. Yanru hated this life of division and occupation. Now, without You Yanbao, there was only You Yanru and a bedroom all to herself. The little girl, deprived of solitude for years and utterly lonely, sank lazily into her quilt, reaching out, her fingertips painting the apricot blossoms on the gauze cabinet. There was no mother complaining about her toil, no grandmother reciting the family tree, no younger sister vying for her hairband. There was only her breathing and the birdsong outside the window.
Qiu Shui Academy is such a wonderful place, with a smile as beautiful as a flower.
By the next day, she no longer thought so. When Master Lu casually asked Yanru to stand up and asked her what she meant by "From the perspective of the Tao, there is no noble or humble thing; from the perspective of things, one is noble and others are humble; from the perspective of common people, nobility and humbleness do not lie in oneself," Yanru's mind went blank, her face flushed, and she was confused. After a long period of mumbling, she could only utter one sentence: "First of all, I think this poem is very well written... It makes a lot of sense, because it means..."
She was sitting right in the middle of the classmates, and could clearly hear the faint laughter from all around her:
"Qiu Shui is a poem? Funny, how did she get in? Didn't she even understand the name of the academy?"
"It is said that Princess Su was the one who brought them together? Yesterday I thought she was a great noble lady, a royal relative."
"Prince? Royal relatives? She's wearing such a tacky silver hairpin, is it the one from two years ago? It turns out even the prince has poor relatives."
Yanru felt like a thorn in her back and a lump in her throat. She had thought that she could start her enlightenment in school with "Three Character Classic" and "Thousand Character Classic", but she never thought that her classmates had already learned some of Confucius and Mencius at home. Her parents were busy raising the family, and her grandmother's knowledge was all in their family tree. How could Yanru know all this? Just as she was feeling embarrassed, the classmate in front of her pretended to lean back and quietly slipped a piece of paper to the table. Yanru understood, lowered her head, and stammered: "From the perspective of the great way, there is no distinction between high and low... lowly in all things; from the perspective of all things... themselves, all things regard others as lowly and themselves as high... noble; from the perspective of the world... vulgarity, nobility and lowliness are not inherent in themselves."
Master Lu's subtle movements naturally didn't escape his sharp eyes. Seeing her face full of ignorance and dullness, he felt helpless and told her to sit down before continuing his lecture: "Student You said it well. There is no distinction between high and low in all things, only between noble and low moral character. I have always loved this saying, and now I would like to share it with you. All walks of life have their own paths. Although your families come from different walks of life, since you have come here to study and learn calligraphy, you should forget the so-called status quo in the world. Don't let your parents think highly of you or belittle yourselves. Study hard, and you will surely have your own way in the future. However—" He suddenly changed the subject, "If you are ignorant now, you must concentrate on it. Don't end up reading 'Autumn Water' for three years and still not understand what Zhuangzi is all about."
Yanru was mortified, embarrassed, and angry. She had assumed the name "Qiu Shui" was a compliment to the teacher's wife on her beautiful eyes, a random name she hadn't considered. Who wouldn't have considered it connected to Zhuangzi, Mencius, or Laozi? Who wouldn't research what to pack before going to school instead of looking up the name of the academy? Yanru's eyes and face flushed red, and she spent the entire class immersed in the anxiety, sadness, and helplessness of the humiliation. The teacher's words were no longer palpable.
Finally, the get out of class was over. She was about to flee back to her room, holding her breath, when the classmate in front of her called out, "Student You? Can you wait for me? Let's go back together."
Yanru had no choice but to turn around and see the person clearly. She was a young beauty with bright eyes, white teeth, and picturesque features. Unfortunately, her skin was slightly sallow, and she looked unwell. She was too thin. She wore a washed-out pink dress, and her hair was held up only by a bamboo stick. Yanru saw that she was poor but kind, so she decided to stop and wait for her.
The two of them carried their suitcases and walked towards the dormitory compound. The other person was very talkative and took the initiative to introduce herself to Yanru: "My name is Zheng Sirui, and you? You Yanru? Your name is so beautiful, your smile is as bright as a jewel. Do you have a nickname? If not, I'll call you Yanru, is that okay?"
Yanru always found it difficult to understand the sentences in the book, but she could easily hear when others praised her beauty. Yanru was in a good mood, and the previous haze dissipated. Seeing that Si Rui was dressed even more awkwardly than herself, she suddenly became curious about her identity: "Did your family also ask someone to help you get in?"
"What? Ah~ No." Si Rui said frankly, "I'm not as lucky as you. My father is a scholar, and my mother works as a laundry and mender to supplement the family income. I help her deliver the washed clothes. Last month, when I was delivering the clothes, I happened to run into Master Lu who was shopping with his wife. He happened to see the note I marked and said my handwriting was good. He asked me a few questions and then went to tell my parents that he wanted me to come to his school for lessons."
"Is your father a scholar? No wonder you just knew what the teacher said. Oh, I didn't have to thank you just now."
"It's just a small matter. Some of them are tricky, so don't take it to heart. Don't worry, the Four Books and Five Classics, Confucius, Mencius, and Zhuangzi, the Master will teach you in the future. If you don't mind, if there's anything you don't understand, you can discuss it with me later."
Yanru's eyes spun around. The other students in the courtyard were either the daughters of tea merchants or the daughters of wealthy families, all dressed in gold and silver, and acting like a shrew. Zheng Sirui, however, dressed so poorly that she wouldn't look out of place when she was with her. She was also beautiful, and it was rumored that if you spent time with attractive people, your own appearance would also become more like that of a beauty, becoming more beautiful and refined. Since she was the one taking the initiative to make friends, You Yanru couldn't refuse. After all, officials and nobles also wanted to interact with the common people. So, in the days that followed, the two of them ate and walked together, and even went to the toilet together, arm in arm. They were truly close.
Zheng Sirui was indeed extremely poor. Her tuition was waived by Master Lu, but she could not afford food like her classmates. She had to pay a monthly fee for food and could even have servants smuggle some food from the mountain. After school in the afternoon or evening, she would help in the kitchen to offset the cost of food.
"Actually, Master's wife said I didn't have to work, but I always feel that one shouldn't accept food that's not given out of pity." Zheng Sirui quietly told Yanru about the Lu couple's good intentions. Yanru thought she was crazy and would not do the work if she could avoid it. Why did she rush to work so hard? Lu Tianwen collected so much tuition from them, how could he not afford to give Zheng Sirui a porridge to drink? But then she thought about it. Sirui was in charge of serving food and washing dishes in the kitchen. She always secretly gave Yanru chicken legs, lean braised pork, and fish with few bones. It seemed not bad. She didn't bother to persuade her and just let her go.
Every day, Zheng Sirui would rise early before dawn, memorizing lessons while helping prepare breakfast. After dinner, she would clean the kitchen before returning to her dorm to slowly study through the night. Jingzhong Mountain is high and lush with vegetation, bringing mosquitoes infestations in the summer and, after the beginning of autumn, freezing temperatures. Sirui's arms used to be covered in mosquito bites, but now her hands are as cold as iron, requiring her to cover her joints before she can move them. The palms and backs of her hands are covered in chapped, peeling skin. She's a beautiful girl, with a face like jade and hands like bark. Qian Peilan, an embroiderer, cherishes her hands immensely. Yanru, seeing her mother's habit of loving her hands, couldn't bear to see Sirui like this, so she told her to go to her room after washing to apply hand cream. That wonderful thing was made of pearls, herbs and flowers. Yanru treasured it so much that she was reluctant to give it to Si Rui. Every time she used it, she had to keep a close eye on it, fearing that Si Rui would dig out a large piece of it. She could only apply a little bit each time.
In fact, for Si Rui, having rough hands was not a big deal. The problem was that it was cold on the mountain. She had too few winter clothes and could only use the charcoal distributed by the academy. When she returned to her room, she could only curl up in her quilt to read - the quilt was given to her by her teacher's wife and it was warm enough.
After holding on until the fifteenth day, Si Rui still fell ill.
It snowed those days, and the weather was freezing cold. The kitchen staff, unwilling to touch the water and catch a cold, threw all the dishes to Si Rui. Shivering, she washed them, then returned home trembling, only to develop a high fever and lie in bed delirious. Had she not left the mountain, the master and his wife could have saved her, but she fell ill at home, and the Zheng couple could only afford two doses of medicine, which proved futile. Lying on her tattered bed, their daughter coughed a few times and cried, "Mom, it hurts!" The couple could only beat their chests and stamp their feet, wailing bitterly, lamenting their useless lives, having given a beautiful daughter only to have her suffer such hardship.
Yanru was terrified when she came in. She had originally wanted Si Rui to do her homework for her, but she heard loud wailing as if she was sending someone away. She saw Si Rui lying on the bed covered with the family's quilt, only breathing out but not in. She also felt cold and dizzy: "Hurry up and call a doctor! She's almost dead!"
"Home...home is out of money..." Uncle Zheng gritted his teeth. Yanru frowned and surveyed the room. It was truly bare, like Liu Yuxi would have struggled to recite "Ode to the Humble Dwelling." For the first time in her life, she felt comfortable living in her own home, warm in winter and cool in summer. Yanru stepped forward and placed two fingers on her forehead—it was so hot she could have made a pancake on it.
Yanru took a deep breath, as if she was about to make a decision to behead herself. She threw down the bookcase and rushed home without looking back.
With her parents out of town, You Yanbao had gone to the neighbors, annoying them. Only her grandmother was absorbed in studying the Nine Clan Family Tree, trying to figure out what connections she could make. Yanru suppressed the heart that was leaping in her throat and sneaked into her parents' room. She quietly fished out two silver coins from a box under the bed and stuffed them into her pocket. She also grabbed a few embroidered heater covers from the embroidery frame and ran to the pharmacy, grabbing a doctor to save the man.
Fortunately, Si Rui's pulse was taken in time, and acupuncture, moxibustion, and herbal infusions were administered. Finally, after dark, her temperature dropped, saving her life. Yanru left the heating stove cover her mother had made for the Zheng couple, saying her mother's craftsmanship was worth a lot of money, and asked them to buy it tomorrow for a good price so that Si Rui could get some good medicine and food. Zheng Niang wept uncontrollably, kneeling before Yanru and calling out to the Buddha.
Unfortunately, "You Bodhisattva" couldn't escape the beating of "Qian Yaksha." Qian Peilan swung a firewood stick as thick as her arm at her daughter, cursing, "You Yanru, you spent a lot of money on my education, and now you've learned to steal money, right? You even dared to steal the embroidery I was selling? Damn it, I'm going to beat you to death today!"
Yanru was pissing and shitting, screaming in pain, and shouting that she was doing it to save her classmates and the scholars. Can that be called stealing?
Rescue? Qian Peilan stopped and let Yanru explain the whole story. Then, after a moment of contemplation, he said, "You usually get along best with this classmate?"
Yanru answered honestly, "Yes. She is pretty, good at studying, and often helps me with my homework."
"Oh?" Qian Peilan raised her eyebrows. "So what? Her family is very poor. She can't even afford to see a doctor. You Yanru, your mother paid for you to go to Qiushui Academy so that you could meet celebrities and wealthy women. But you hang out with a poor girl every day. Aren't you afraid of being infected by her sour taste?"
Yanru said aggrievedly: "Mother, I also want to play with the daughter of the tea merchant, the only daughter of the official, but they think I am unsophisticated and don't want to pay attention to me. Zheng Sirui is not like that. She is good to me. Every time the academy kills a chicken, she hides the chicken legs for me."
Qian Peilan was so disappointed with her daughter. How could she raise such a narrow-minded daughter? She even ate chicken legs? She looked just like a chicken leg! But seeing Yanru's hair disheveled and her face covered in snot and tears, Peilan couldn't bear to continue scolding her. Instead, she began to coax her: "My dear daughter, what's a chicken leg or a duck leg? If you marry into a wealthy family, won't you eat them every day? I just hope you can get to know more officials like us and get to know their brothers and uncles. Wouldn't that give our family a chance to turn things around? And Zheng Sirui is very beautiful."
"Yeah, she just doesn't dress up."
"She's pretty, so you can't be with her!" Qian Peilan pinched a piece of flesh on her daughter's flat face. "She's pretty even without makeup, so if she's with you, won't you look inferior? If you two stay together all the time, what if you meet a young master one day and she seduces you? How can you even look at what you, You Yanru, look like?"
Yanru was horrified: "Really, Mom! Could it really be like this?!"
"Of course, silly girl." Qian Peilan said, "Maybe she plays with you because you have a good family background and a good origin, which makes it easy for those young masters to see you. Then, when she stands next to you, she can hook men in one go. Silly girl, you'd better be careful. You have to be on guard against women in this world. Only your mother and your sister will treat you sincerely. Others? They all want to use you to climb up the social ladder! Zheng Sirui is just teaching you homework. Anyway, I sent you in, not expecting you to really pass the exam to become a female official. What's the point of passing the exam to become a female official? You will only be able to get married after a few years. After getting married, you can't continue to work in the court like men. Only a fool would waste that time! Listen to your mother, you are diligent enough. Don't spend too much time on your studies. Spend less time with Zheng Sirui and more time with Meng Qi, Gan Yao and others. They are daughters of wealthy families. It will be good for you to make friends with them."
Her mother's words made sense. At night, Yanru tossed and turned, tearing apart her friendship with Zheng Sirui and analyzing it in detail. Even though she hadn't discovered any wrongdoing, she couldn't help but start to speculate about Zheng Sirui's intentions.
It was ten days later that Zheng Sirui recovered and returned to the mountain. After being scolded by Pei Lan, Yanru became more cautious in her attitude towards Zheng Sirui. However, when Zheng Sirui asked her to leave at night, she threw her mother's words behind her and left happily.
The academy had a curfew; after the hour of Si, no student could leave the compound. Everyone, exhausted from a long day of study, had long since turned off the lights and retired to bed. A waning moon hung in the sky, providing a glimmer of light for the two furtive girls. Zheng Sirui, pulling Yanru along, snuck into a covered corridor with a curtained bridge. The moment Yanru entered, she saw a low table covered with three or four plates of pastries and braised vegetables, a charcoal pot burning brightly, warming a pot of wine. A young woman in her thirties sat cross-legged on a cushion, before her an ancient book and three or four copper coins.
"Yanru, today is your birthday, I'm here to celebrate!" Zheng Sirui took her hand, invited her to sit on the cushion, and stuffed all the embroidered heater covers into her hands. "Thank you for saving me. Don't worry, my father has found a safe job. We will definitely repay you for the money you spent on hiring a doctor. These heater covers were made by your mother with great effort. We didn't sell them, so you can take them home and thank your mother for me."
"Oh, this," Yanru was a little overwhelmed, "Oh, okay."
Zheng Sirui introduced the woman beside her: "This is Xue Gu, the one who's in charge of the groceries in the kitchen. She's a fortune teller. I didn't know what gift to give you, so I asked her to come and tell your future fortune."
Yanru smiled: "Okay, okay. Xue Gu, please help me calculate my marriage, status and so on." Then she told Xue Gu every detail of her birth date and other details. She and Zheng Sirui stared at Xue Gu flipping through the ancient books. She pinched the paper, picked up the pen and wrote and drew on the paper, and slowly said:
"Your fate is characterized by the Sun at the Midnight Sun. Good fortune starts early, and you're likely to be favored by noble people. Your yang affinity is strong, but your yin affinity is weak. However, the sun is at its highest point, at noon. However, if you don't strive for progress and fight for your future, you'll probably end up in poverty."
"Poor and destitute?! Why should I bear this?" Yanru couldn't stand the word "poor" the most. She couldn't help but get angry and screamed.
Si Rui patted her shoulder, poured her a glass of wine, and asked her to drink it to calm down. "Is there any way to break this?"
"Yes, there is," Xue Gu flipped through her ancient tome, pondered for a moment, and held the pages out to the two girls. "The Taiwei Fu says: 'The sun is at noon, which is called the sun shining in the middle of the sky. It is said to be powerful and noble. The sun is in its temple, so it can turn disaster into blessing. But you are a woman, too strong and easily broken. All things are born at their peak, so it is best to hide to avoid disaster. The I Ching says, 'The arrogant dragon will regret.' This is exactly what it means."
Yanru pouted and blinked. She couldn't understand what the book meant, nor could she understand what Xuegu said: "Xuegu, can you explain it more simply?"
"Isn't this simple enough?" Xue Gu rolled her eyes quietly. They say Master Lu's disciples are all outstanding people, so how could he have a fool who couldn't even understand classical Chinese? What on earth had she learned in the past six months? "It's just to tell you not to show off everything you encounter. Be humble and cautious, and be down-to-earth in your work. That way you can live a good life. Do you understand?"
"I understand. Thank you, Xue Gu. I'll toast you a glass." Yanru smiled happily after hearing this. She drank three glasses with Xue Gu in a row. Seeing Zheng Sirui beside her only concentrating on eating cakes, she nudged her with her arm and said, "Sirui, let Xue Gu tell you your marriage fate too."
"Xue Gu's fortune-telling costs money, and I can only afford to tell you one." Si Rui thought of the word "marriage" and a hint of disdain appeared on her face. "Even if I tell it, it's not a marriage. I don't want to get married. If I get married, I will only be able to face men in the inner hall for the rest of my life, taking care of a group of people's daily lives. It's hard work and thankless, and I have to endure the face of my mother-in-law. I want to study hard for the imperial examinations and build a career. If I get married, even if I pass the exam, I will have to resign from my official position. I don't want that."
When Yanru heard this, she sighed that Zheng Sirui was a fool. She also felt sorry for her poor family and narrow vision. She came from a lowly family. No matter how beautiful she was, she could never marry into a wealthy family and become a high-class lady. She had to devote half her life to studying to escape her fate as a lowly person. Unlike her, You Yanru, she was born into a powerful official family, her father worked in the palace. She only needed to catch a rich husband to spread her wings and fly high again, to the phoenix tree, and transform into a golden phoenix.
Alas, fate, oh fate, God, you really write a storybook. Think about Zheng Sirui's face, and then think about my own identity. It is really fate that plays tricks on me. Everything is determined by fate.
Yanru was incredibly happy, pouring herself a large glass of wine. A high starting point? Hiding? As she pondered Xue Gu's words over her wine, the restless heart she'd inherited from her grandmother and mother stirred, slowly forming a formidable plan.
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