Chapter 26 Picking Chrysanthemums by the Eastern Fence
Soon we arrived at the back gate of the temple. After speaking with the gatekeeper monk, we went out through the back gate. After passing through several forks in the path hidden by bamboo groves, we walked along the mountain path for a while and then we saw several independent courtyards built along the mountain path, some near and some far, nestled in the forest.
Soon they arrived at one of the small courtyards.
From the outside, this small courtyard looks similar to the surrounding courtyards, with the same blue bricks and gray tiles, and is surrounded by lush green trees.
Today, she came to Taijue Temple with Madam Qiao, mainly to see the person who lives in the small courtyard.
They knocked on the door, and after a short while the door opened, and a young man dressed as a servant appeared before the master and servant.
Who are you looking for?
The attendant asked.
Yu Qingci replied politely, "I apologize for disturbing you. I am the third daughter of the Marquis of Nanping. I have come here specifically to visit Mr. Li, who lives here."
"The master is not here."
After the servant finished speaking, he went to close the door.
Yu Qingci hurriedly said, "We heard that Mr. Li enjoys playing chess, so we have brought our family's chess manuals with us today to pay our respects in good faith. In view of our sincerity, may we ask you to convey our regards?"
The servant's gaze fell on the chess manual she was holding, but he didn't reach out to take it. Instead, he looked the mistress and servant up and down again before saying:
"Eight out of ten people who come to visit my husband say the same thing, but most of the visitors are men, and very few are women like this. However, my husband really does not receive guests."
Yu Qingci immediately understood the servant's meaning: that Mr. Li was at home, but simply did not wish to receive guests.
She had already thought of this, so she added, "I've heard that Mr. Li is passionate about chess. Today, I sincerely want to give him this chess manual. How do you know he wouldn't like to take a look if you don't ask him?"
Seeing that she was still persistent, the servant initially intended to close the door—he had seen many people like her—but today he was dealing with a delicate young woman, making it impossible for him to be cold. So, he frowned, looked at the chess manual in her hand, and said:
"Okay, wait a moment, I'll go and inform them first."
After saying that, he closed the door.
Yu Qingci and her servant waited quietly for a while before the servant opened the door again.
"Sir is busy right now, but may I invite the two ladies in for a cup of tea?"
After saying that, he stepped aside and let Yu Qingci and her servant in.
The servants led them to a grape trellis in the courtyard. In the middle of the trellis was a stone table and benches, and on the stone table was an unfinished chess game.
The servant said, "You should wait here and not wander around, otherwise the old man might kick you out if he gets angry."
Qingci hurriedly nodded in agreement.
After the servants left, they went around the main hall to the backyard. The backyard was not large, about an acre in size, and most of it had been cultivated into vegetable gardens. There, an old man in a coarse cloth short coat was squatting in the vegetable garden, holding a small hoe and hoeing the ground.
The servant picked up a watering can from one end of the field and went to the other end to water the vegetable patch. The two worked silently for a while until they finished the work on one plot of land.
The old man then stood up, examined the fruits of his labor, and walked out of the vegetable garden with satisfaction.
"Sir, the two young ladies are still waiting in the front yard."
The servant whispered a reminder to the old man, who calmly washed his hands in a stone-lined pool before getting up and saying, "I'll go take a look."
Yu Qingci and Tong'er were sitting under the grape trellis, waiting for a long time. They were idly counting the chess pieces on the chessboard in front of them when they heard someone approaching. They looked up and quickly stood up respectfully, saying:
"This junior pays his respects to Mr. Li."
Mr. Li put his hands behind his back and looked at the girl in front of him. She looked to be about fourteen or fifteen years old. She was dressed neatly and had a pretty and lively appearance, so she wasn't unpleasant to look at.
However, he had never taken on a female student in all these years, so he still had to politely ask her to leave after a while.
"sit."
As Mr. Li gestured for Yu Qingci to sit down, he casually sat down on the other stone bench. His gaze fell on the stone table, and with just one glance, Li Ye's eyes widened as he lowered his head to examine it carefully.
Looking up at Yu Qingci in disbelief, then at the chessboard, he repeated this several times before finally confirming that the chessboard he had set up for so long had actually been solved.
"Did you untie this?"
Mr. Li pointed to the chessboard and asked uncertainly.
Yu Qingci nodded with a smile: "I was bored while waiting here, so I took the liberty of taking a step up there. Please forgive me, sir."
This indirectly acknowledges that she solved the game.
Mr. Li couldn't help but take a closer look at the little girl in front of him.
"My servant told me you are a daughter of the Marquis of Nanping?"
Yu Qingci: "Yes, I am the third daughter of the Marquis of Nanping. I have come here today to find a tutor for my younger brother, Yu Qingbai."
Mr. Li's name was renowned throughout the court and among the people, so my mother and father hoped that my younger brother could have the opportunity to become his student. To show their sincerity, my mother specially instructed me to present him with the family's chess manual.
Mr. Li took the chess manual, quickly flipped through it, and then casually put it aside, his attention still focused on the chess game in front of him, a satisfied smile gradually appearing on his face.
"Come, come, little girl, tell me how you solved this move, and why you thought of placing the piece here?"
Mr. Li invited Yu Qingci to sit down opposite him, and his attitude became much warmer.
Over the years, many talented young men have come to him seeking to become his students, and some are even skilled in chess. However, the only one who can solve the chess puzzle is a young woman, making her the first of her kind.
Half an hour later, when Yu Qingci left, Mr. Li promised her that he would bring his younger brother to visit her another day. As for whether he would accept her as a disciple, it would depend on her aptitude.
With Mr. Li's approval, Yu Qingci was already mostly relieved.
In her previous life, her husband, Qiao Yuantao, had also dreamed of becoming a disciple of Master Li. From Qiao Yuantao, Yu Qingci had heard many stories about Master Li and knew that he held a superior position among scholars and came from a distinguished family.
Mr. Li is a renowned scholar with extensive knowledge. In his early years, he served as the tutor of the crown prince. After the crown prince ascended the throne, he retired and went into seclusion in the mountains to live a pastoral life of "picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence and leisurely gazing at the southern mountains".
Over the years, countless scholars have come seeking to become Master Li's disciples, and even noble families have come with exorbitant tuition fees to request an audience. However, Master Li himself comes from a prestigious family, and he has no interest in gold and silver.
At this age, all I ask for is peace of mind; otherwise, I wouldn't have left the bustling capital to move to this quiet place and live a carefree life.
Therefore, very few scholars have been chosen by Mr. Li to become his disciples over the years.
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