The Legend of Chusen
Time flies, and autumn is here again, with its clear skies and fragrant osmanthus blossoms.
The courtyard gate was pushed open steadily and swiftly, and Xuan Chenzi strode in.
This old Taoist priest, who was usually joking and scathing, now carried a long-lost, composed demeanor befitting someone in a position of power.
There were no exaggerated tears or snot on his face, only his cheekbones slightly flushed with excitement and his eyes shining like starlight.
The edge of the victory report he clutched tightly in his hand was slightly damp with sweat.
He walked straight up to the bean sprout, his voice loud yet restrained, carrying a solemn declaration.
"You've passed! Top of the provincial examination! Personally selected by the Provincial Education Commissioner, the number one scholar!"
He stretched out the hand that could deduce the horoscope and placed it heavily, with immense force, on the Bean Sprout's thin shoulder. His gaze was deep, as if he could see through the boy before him and see into the far future or past.
"Hong'er, well done! I'm glad you worked so hard all this way!" The pride and satisfaction in his voice were heavy.
Inside the room, Shen Yan was getting ready in front of the mirror when she heard the sound and her hand trembled.
"Crack!" The jade hairpin could not escape its fate and broke into dust.
He leaped out with a roar, his handsome face radiant with joy.
"The top scholar?! My son!!"
He spread his arms wide and pulled Douya and Xuan Chenzi together into his embrace with astonishing force.
"My precious Wenquxing! Top of the list! Father gives this to you..."
He excitedly spun the two of them around, his ornate brocade robes billowing as if he wanted to drape all the glory over his son.
It wasn't dinner time yet, and Ling Zhan was wiping her blade in the corridor, the cold blue light reflecting off her aloof face.
Xuan Chenzi's announcement and Shen Yan's commotion only caused her fingertips to pause briefly on the blade.
She looked up, her gaze sweeping over Douya's slightly flushed face, then lowered her eyes to focus on the blade.
As Douya approached, she reached out and lightly brushed her fingertips across the top of Douya's hair.
"Hmm, you did well on the test. Do whatever you want."
His voice remained consistently calm and even.
Shen Yan has already begun planning the grand scale of the banquet.
Xuan Chenzi stood to the side.
Looking into Douya's bright eyes, beneath her relieved smile, a lingering unease about the mysterious celestial events subtly crept in like a thread.
Can this top honor truly protect this child with extraordinary abilities?
It would be good to live a peaceful life like this.
But that premonition grew clearer and clearer.
Bean Sprout gently broke free from Chen Yan's embrace again, stood still, and spoke in a clear, melodious voice that pierced through the noise.
"Father, Mother, Master—"
His gaze was clear as he looked directly into the depths of Xuan Chenzi's eyes, where a trace of worry and expectation lingered. His resolve was firm: "Thank you, Master. But when I took the imperial examination, it was only for that exemption from military service. I didn't want to live a life of danger like Brother Hu, and I didn't want to kill. Now, this scholar is in my hands."
He paused, then said decisively, "Therefore, from now on, I will devote myself to cultivating the Tao with my master. The imperial examinations are over."
Dead silence.
"Clang—crash!"
Shen Yan smashed the newly drawn white jade cup on the ground, scattering the fine wine everywhere.
His peacock-like smugness froze and shattered instantly, turning into a blank blankness and immense loss.
"Wh...what?!" His voice was shrill and piercing. "Not taking the exam?! Top student! You have this talent! Your future..."
Ling Zhan glanced at Douya's face for a moment to confirm, then nodded: "Yes, it's fine once you've thought it through."
He bent down, sheathed his short blade with a "click," the movement fluid and graceful.
The most intense storm was brewing in Xuan Chenzi's heart.
The words "That's the end" from the bean sprout hit him like a heavy hammer in the heart!
The deep satisfaction on his face vanished instantly, the color draining away rapidly, leaving a cold, ashen white.
He swayed slightly, not from physical exhaustion, but from a severe mental shock.
Those eyes, capable of peering into the secrets of the heavens, were now filled with unbelievable sorrow and immense disappointment—
And a sense of desolation, swept along by the torrent of fate!
He took a sudden step forward, no longer the kind master, but more like a heartbroken and remonstrating minister. His voice was low and hoarse, yet it carried a power that pierced the heart, and every word seemed to embody the hardships that Douya had endured along the way.
"Hong'er! Little Bean Sprout!" he growled, his fingers trembling slightly from the force. "Do you know what you're saying?! That's the end? Do you know what 'that's the end' means? It means that in February, you frantically studied for the county exam, braving the freezing cold, carrying a cornbread as thick as ice, your fingers stiff from the cold, ink freezing, you breathed out warm air as you painstakingly wrote essay after essay, just to make it to the candidate's exam for the new county magistrate! It means that in April, for the prefectural exam, in the biting spring chill, a bone-chilling rain soaked through your cell, you huddled in the damp cold for three days, returning with a persistent high fever, still reciting sages' verses in your delirium! It means that in August, for the provincial exam, in that sweltering cell of the provincial examination hall, you sweated through your clothes, mosquitoes buzzing like thunder, three days and three nights without sleep, you poured out your heart and soul to earn this top-ranking imperial approval!"
Xuan Chenzi's voice grew increasingly impassioned, carrying an almost sorrowful question:
"Others spend ten years studying diligently! And you, you've only used these few years, day and night. Three major examinations! From a county-level candidate with frozen fingers, to a prefectural-level candidate suffering from a high fever in the rain, and finally to the top score in the provincial-level examination after enduring the sweltering heat! How many scholars have exhausted their entire lives, their hair turning white, yet they still can't earn the title of a scholar! What you have now within your grasp is a stepping stone to success, at the very least a golden ticket to secure your livelihood! And you... you're going to discard it like trash just for that piece of paper exempt from corvée labor?!"
His eyes held a bottomless sorrow and a bewilderment at the complete collapse of worldly expectations.
Could it be that his premonition has come true, and this child's destiny is ultimately to return to that mysterious and profound Heavenly Dao?
He poured all his knowledge into this child, hoping for a relatively easier path to the imperial examinations.
Unfortunately, it all came to an end!
Or was it that he couldn't resist the pull of this supernatural power?
However, just as this immense grief and despair was about to engulf him, Douya's crystal-clear words, "Focus on cultivating the Tao with your master," crashed into his heart like a heavenly chant!
Xuan Chenzi shuddered violently!
Those eyes, filled with sorrow and despair, suddenly contracted to pinpoints.
Then it burst forth with an indescribable, all-seeing, brilliant light!
The light instantly dispelled all the gloom and swept away the despair and sorrow!
Ecstasy, shock, the thrill of a long-cherished wish being fulfilled, and a profound realization that "it was indeed fate."
This is truly all the knowledge he has gained in his life!
He's almost forgotten!
This insight, like the stars, appeared and disappeared in his eyes!
The ashen color on her face was instantly replaced by a rosy glow that was both understated and radiant.
All the questions, grief, and disappointment vanished.
He took a deep, deep breath—
It was as if they wanted to take in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the revelations of destiny.
He slowly raised his hand, his expression now imbued with an almost sacred solemnity and an almost uncontrollable tremor, and with extreme slowness and unwavering determination, he placed it once more on the bean sprout's head. It was no longer the heavy weight of an interrogation, but rather a sense of entrustment and supreme joy.
“…Cultivation…Tao?!”
Xuan Chenzi's voice was deep and resonant, like an ancient bell, yet it contained power.
"Yes, Master. From now on, I will focus on cultivating the Tao under your guidance."
"Good! What a wonderful phrase, 'Focus on cultivating the Tao with your master'!"
The complex and intense light in his eyes eventually settled into a profound and vast tranquility and ecstasy.
This ecstasy was no longer ostentatious, but deeply imprinted on the depths of his Dao heart, like a volcano that had been dormant for many years finally finding an outlet to erupt, with magma surging inside, but returning to a majestic tranquility on the outside.
He slowly withdrew his hand, his back ramrod straight.
All emotions transformed into a long, drawn-out sigh, imbued with the profound truths of the universe, and a truly enlightened, insightful, and even slightly smug smile appeared on his lips: "With the orthodox tradition passed down, what more could one ask for?"
"The Way follows nature, and destiny has its course. Hong'er, your path... I understand."
He didn't propose the first prize again, nor did he mention fame or fortune, but his words "I understand" carried more weight than any cheer.
In the small courtyard, only Chen Yan remained, slumped on a stone bench.
Staring blankly at the mess on the floor, he muttered to himself, "My future... my top score... it's all over like this..."
Ling Zhan's fingertips brushed against the sheathed short blade, the icy touch mirroring her expression. Her gaze swept over the profound Xuan Chenzi and the calm Douya, finally settling on the distraught Shen Yan, and she shook her head almost imperceptibly.
"The promise regarding Douya's ten acres of land must be fulfilled. The cost of repairing the road is silver, but fortunately, Douya understands medicine. His land will be tax-free."
Bean Sprout stuck out its tongue at its mother and then reverted to its childlike form.
After all, he will only be fifteen years old by the end of the year.
Amidst the bittersweet atmosphere of Shen Hong, the little sprout, achieving the top rank in the imperial examination, Su Wan came looking for him.
She proposed a strategy for "Yunshangji" to relocate entirely to Fucheng and establish an integrated cotton textile base.
Ling Zhan acknowledged his long-term vision: "Qingzhou Prefecture has a favorable geographical location, and with its integrated cotton and textile industry, its foundation is more stable."
However, faced with this promising plan...
Just moments ago, I was immersed in a bittersweet mix of joy at "crushing Longchang" and "my son getting into high school."
The smile on his face froze.
His eyes flickered, and his fingers tapped the table unconsciously, revealing obvious resistance and hesitation.
"Cough... What Su Wan said... makes sense."
Shen Yan coughed dryly, trying to cover it up.
"But... we've only just established a stable foundation in the county town. The workshops, shops, and fields are all in order, and Hong'er has just passed the imperial examination. We still need to buy land and consider planting! Suihe's land also needs our help! Moving the whole family to the prefectural city would be a huge undertaking with countless tasks and enormous expenses! It would be better... to just keep the branch we have in the prefectural city. The main store... it's safer to stay in the county town! After all, this is our foundation!"
His reasons sounded plausible.
Yet it revealed a sense of unease and an inexplicable stubbornness.
This is a stark contrast to his previous high-spirited attitude of "conquering the prefecture city with his own strength."
The study fell silent for a moment.
Su Wan's eyes flashed with confusion, and Xuan Chenzi frowned slightly.
Ling Zhan's cold gaze fell on Shen Yan's face as if it were a physical object, with a penetrating scrutiny.
Shen Yan felt a tightness in his heart as she stared at him, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He subconsciously avoided her gaze.
His resistance doesn't seem to stem entirely from his attachment to the family business, but rather more like... a fear of the unknown changes?
Or perhaps... a hidden corner of your heart that you don't want to touch is aching?
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