The gong had just struck at three past the hour of Mao, and the copper basin in Suiyuxuan was already filled with warm water, a few fresh rose petals floating on the surface. Su Jinli was dressing in front of a diamond-shaped mirror, while Lu'e was inserting a red-gold hairpin with kingfisher feathers into her hair. The figure in the mirror had relaxed eyebrows, a lilac-colored bodice over a moon-white skirt. Though unadorned, she exuded a refined elegance.
"Miss, are you really going to the study in the front yard today?" Lu'e couldn't help but ask again, pausing the wooden comb in her hand. "I heard that Master Li is very old-fashioned and can't stand women showing up in public."
Su Jinli took the rouge box, dipped her fingertips in the "Drunken Flowing Clouds" Su Qingyao had given her yesterday, and gently dabbed it on her lips. "Since my father has approved, there's nothing to be afraid of." She looked at herself in the mirror, her eyes gradually turning red, and said calmly, "Besides, with your young master here, how could I possibly be wronged?"
Just as the words fell, Su Mingxuan's voice came from outside the window: "Sister! Are you ready? If you dawdle any longer, the teacher will be here soon!"
Su Jinli smiled helplessly and said to Lu'e, "Let's go and see what your young marquis is up to."
Sure enough, a crowd gathered outside Zhiwei Hall in the front yard. Su Mingxuan, clad in a brand new stone-blue brocade robe and clutching his ever-present bamboo-knotted wooden sword, stood blocking the study doorway, like a rooster protecting its cubs, glaring at a goateed old man.
The old man, dressed in a gray cloth Confucian robe, his cuffs rusted and white, was none other than Master Li, the tutor specially invited by Prime Minister Su. Now, being stopped at the door by a half-grown child, his goatee trembled with rage. "How can this be! Su Mingxuan, do you know how to respect your teacher? Get out of the way!"
"No!" Su Mingxuan stiffened his neck, his chest puffed out. "My sister is coming to study today too. If you dare to bully her, I'll... I'll smash the inkstone on your desk!"
Master Li's face turned pale with rage: "Ridiculous! Absurd! A woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent, so how can she teach alongside men? Prime Minister Su is completely lost!"
Seeing this, Su Jinli hurriedly stepped forward, bowed, and said in a clear voice, "Master, how are you? I am Su Jinli, your student, and I am honored to meet you."
Master Li then turned his wrath on her, examining her from head to toe. Seeing that, despite being a woman, she carried herself with dignity and her eyes were clear, his anger subsided slightly, but he still snorted coldly, "So you're the Prime Minister's legitimate daughter. Well, since the Prime Minister has issued an order, I can't disobey." He stroked his goatee and spoke sternly, "But let me be frank: the way of studying is the same for both men and women. If you fail to keep up with the progress or make noise or disruptive behavior in class, don't blame me for punishing you according to the rules!"
"Teacher, don't worry," Su Jinli said calmly, "Since I'm here to study, I should abide by the rules and study hard."
Entering Zhiwei Hall, three students were already inside. Seeing Su Jinli enter, they were all startled, then revealed expressions of surprise or curiosity. Su Mingxuan quickly cleared the empty seat next to him and pushed his inkstone aside. "Sister, sit here! Stay close to me so I can protect you!"
Su Jinli sat down and had just spread out the rice paper when Master Li, with a flick of his sleeves, stepped onto the podium. He cleared his throat and boomed, "Today, we will continue our lecture on the Analects of Confucius: Learning." Then, shaking his head, he began to recite, "To learn and to apply what one has learned—isn't that a delight..."
Su Jinli lowered her eyes slightly, her fingertips lightly tracing the paper. In a previous life, her mother had taught her a few words, and later, when she was sick and bored in the palace, she had pored over the miscellaneous books in the storeroom. She knew the Analects by heart. As she listened to Master Li's rhythmic explanation, her thoughts drifted to Liu—what would her stepmother, now confined to the Jingsi Hall, feel?
"Ms. Su!"
A sharp shout interrupted her thoughts. Su Jinli looked up and saw Master Li staring at her with obvious displeasure in his eyes. "Did you listen to what I just said?"
"Teacher, I have understood." Su Jinli stood up and spoke calmly.
Seeing her indifferent expression, Master Li felt that she was ignorant of her own limitations, so he deliberately challenged her, "Oh? Then tell me, what do you mean by 'Learning and constantly practicing what you have learned is a pleasure, isn't it?'"
The question was simple enough, yet Su Jinli could sense the contempt in the Master's tone. If she answered fluently, she'd inevitably be accused of arrogance; if she hesitated, she'd be accused of being short-sighted. Her thoughts raced, and she deliberately wore a thoughtful expression. After a moment, she said, "Master, I understand this sentence to mean that after learning something, it's a joy to constantly review and put it into practice."
Her answer was standard, impeccable, but hardly breathtaking. Master Li, as expected, showed a hint of disdain: "It's all the same old cliché, nothing new." He then changed the subject, his eyes sharp as a knife, "Let me ask you again, 'Isn't it a delight to have friends coming from afar?'—what do you mean by 'friends'?"
This question was a bit tricky. Common annotations interpreted "peng" as "friend," but Su Jinli knew that "peng" here actually meant "the same kind," meaning people with similar ideals. However, she couldn't directly express the deeper meaning, otherwise she would be accused of "showing off."
She frowned slightly, pretending to be troubled. "Master, please forgive me. I am ignorant and only know that 'peng' means 'friend'. Please enlighten me."
"Hmph!" Master Li's contempt intensified upon seeing this. He stroked his beard and said aloud, "This word 'peng' doesn't mean ordinary friends. It means 'one of the same kind,' referring to gentlemen with similar ideals. If you don't even know such basic etymology, how can you even talk about studying?"
"You're talking nonsense!" Su Mingxuan stood up suddenly, his face flushed red. "My sister just started learning! How can you bully her like this?"
"This brat is incorrigible!" Master Li was so angry at the child's retort that he trembled all over. "Su Mingxuan, if you make any more noise, get out!"
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