Chapter 142 Lack of Martial Morality (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
At this moment, Chen Yi was unaware of Xiao Wan'er's complex emotions.
Even after watching Cui'er and Juan'er feed Xiao Wan'er the medicinal soup, he completely relaxed.
At the time, he was planning to go back to Chunhe Garden to fish again.
Little did he expect that Mr. Yue Ming of Guiyun Academy would arrange for someone to deliver something he never anticipated.
—Nearly fifty calligraphy practice books.
The excuse was that he should get to know the students' calligraphy skills before class started tomorrow.
Chen Yi glanced at the two stacks of calligraphy practice books piled on the stone table, each stack about two feet high, and asked with a headache:
"Mr. Yue Ming, is he planning to have me finish the annotations today?"
The man who came was named Ma Guan, courtesy name Heming. He was a thin, handsome young man.
His dark blue long gown had faded slightly, and fine black lines could be faintly seen on the hem and cuffs, revealing patches sewn inside.
Clearly, he was not wealthy.
But Ma Guan didn't seem to care, and his behavior was generous and proper.
When Chen Yi asked him a question, he bowed respectfully and then looked directly at him without flinching.
"In reply to you, sir, the dean has instructed that whether or not to make annotations is entirely up to you."
Chen Yi hummed in agreement and looked him up and down. "Is there a separate roster?"
"Yes, I'll find it for you, sir."
As Ma Guan spoke, he rummaged through two stacks of calligraphy practice books for a moment, then pulled out a palm-sized book, held it with both hands, and bowed as he handed it to him.
Chen Yi took the booklet, flipped through it, and his gaze immediately froze.
After checking several times, he pointed to the first few names on the list and chuckled to himself.
"Since the names of Mr. Yue Ming and Mr. Zhuo Ying appear above, do they also intend to learn calligraphy from me?"
Meeting his gaze, Ma Guan's otherwise composed expression twisted slightly as he replied, wanting to laugh but daring not to:
"The dean said, 'There is no order of precedence in learning; those who are accomplished come first.'"
"With your calligraphy skills, sir, you are more than capable of guiding him and Mr. Zhuo Ying."
Chen Yi shook his head. "That's true, but they probably haven't considered the impact of this matter."
After saying that, he instructed Xiaodie to go to the study to fetch pen and ink, and then he picked up the pen and crossed out their names.
If it weren't for the status of Mr. Yue Ming and Mr. Zhuo Ying, he would have directly said "nonsense".
Seeing his actions, Ma Guan was stunned and said, "Sir, this, this... I'm afraid I won't be able to explain this to myself when I get back..."
Before coming, Mr. Yue Ming specifically asked him to give him a face-to-face lesson, the key point of which was to get Chen Yi to agree to the "students" on this list.
Little did he know that Chen Yi wouldn't give him a chance at all, and simply crossed out the names of several gentlemen.
Chen Yi wrote a few words on it before handing the booklet to him, smiling and saying, "Take it back and show it to Mr. Yue Ming. They certainly won't make things difficult for you."
Ma Guan took the booklet, hesitated for a moment, then bowed and said, "Yes, sir."
Chen Yi glanced at the booklet on the table. "And these calligraphy works... Never mind, I'll read them all today."
"But when you get back, remember to inform Mr. Yue Ming that my annotations were a bit harsh and that he should be prepared."
Ma Guan was taken aback, his face blank: "Prepare for what?"
"Naturally, it's about comforting these students, so they don't burst into tears when they see the annotations."
"Forehead……"
Seeing that he took it seriously, Chen Yi chuckled and said, "It was just a joke. You can just reply to Mr. Yue Ming truthfully."
This horse looks like someone who has been deeply "harmed" by Confucianism.
Moderation, impartiality, neither humble nor arrogant, yet there is a hint of rigidity.
If someone is like this while studying, they will likely experience some setbacks if they enter the government and become an official later in life.
You either quickly change your mindset and go along with the corrupt practices, or you stand firm to the end and get battered and bruised by reality.
Compared to him, Li Huaigu, who also studied at Guiyun Academy and was ranked third in the imperial examinations, was clearly more quick-witted.
After Ma Guan left, Chen Yi sighed, picked up the top practice book, and began to read it.
The first page has two large characters: "Yue Ming".
Chen Yi paused, straightened up, and sat upright at the stone table, looking intently at the calligraphy practice book in his hands.
Putting aside whether Mr. Yue Ming's unconventional act of giving himself special treatment was appropriate, his seriousness is evident simply from the name "Yue Ming".
Given this, Chen Yi couldn't be too casual.
It can be roughly described as "If a gentleman treats another with sincerity, I will treat him with sincerity in return."
He turned the pages one by one and found that it was a piece called "The Record of Pine Waves" which was widely circulated in the Wei Dynasty. The full text was exactly five hundred words.
It took him about fifteen minutes to finish reading.
Chen Yi thought for a moment, then picked up his brush and wrote two lines of smaller characters in Wei Qing's style below the two characters "Yue Ming":
"It is moderate and upright, but lacks grandeur and does not align with one's intentions."
The way of calligraphy, the way of calligraphy, can only be manifested when it is aligned with one's own way.
A great Confucian scholar like Mr. Yue Ming, who was well-versed in literature and poetry and willingly took "educating people" as his mission, must have the spirit to embrace the world.
However, every character on his calligraphy album strictly adheres to Wei Qing's style, with horizontal and vertical strokes, which inevitably contradicts his own intentions.
Deviating from the "Way of Calligraphy" is tantamount to walking on the "wrong" path, and naturally one will not be able to enter it.
Then Chen Yi looked at the calligraphy practice books of several other gentlemen, most of which had similar questions to those of Mr. Yue Ming.
However, everyone has a different state of mind and different levels of calligraphy skill, so the style of calligraphy that suits them will naturally be different.
He annotated each one, considering it a gift for Mr. Yue Ming and others.
Whether they acknowledge it or not, whether they listen or not, is entirely up to them to decide.
As for the other practice books, Chen Yi didn't look at them as carefully.
With a quick glance, he could tell the students' calligraphy skills and how serious they were, and his annotations were mostly pertinent.
The response might be "poor, needs more practice" or "too poor, poor attitude, suggests starting over from basic strokes."
In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Chen Yi finished reading all the booklets, put down his wolf-hair brush, and said:
"Sure enough, in the imperial examination system, which focused on 'testing,' these people's minds were mostly on classics and historical texts, and their calligraphy was only judged by its 'neatness'."
"There isn't a single one that's even remotely acceptable; at best, they're just 'good underdogs.'"
Xiaodie watched him finish writing the annotations the whole time, and upon hearing this, she couldn't help but laugh and say, "Young master, aren't you afraid that they'll see the annotations tomorrow and go to the dean to complain?"
Chen Yi pursed his lips. "I wish them success."
If he hadn't had his own plans, he would never have gone to the academy to become a teacher.
However, he was also aware of it.
Given the current environment where Confucianism is prevalent, respect for teachers and the Way is paramount. Even if those students had a lot of courage, they wouldn't dare to say anything dissent.
Naturally, it's even less likely that they would sue him for his harsh annotations.
If those students actually file a complaint, it might actually make him think more highly of them.
After Xiaodie finished getting ready, Chen Yi looked at the sky and remembered that he had something else to do today, so he decided to go out of the mansion.
"Young master, it's getting dark, are you still planning to go out?"
"Yes, I'll go to Baicaotang and postpone the matter my elder sister asked me to do for a few days. She just fell ill and needs to rest for a while."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wuge, who was playing chess nearby, turned around and asked, "Brother-in-law, is eldest sister alright now?"
Chen Yi paused, then looked at Jiaxingyuan. "It should be alright now. Why don't you go and take a look?"
"good."
But before Xiao Wuge could put away the chessboard, Cui'er came from Jiaxing Garden, smiling and bowing:
"Young master, the young lady invites you over. She says she hunted some wild game and wants you to come over there tonight to enjoy it together."
Xiao Wuge's eyes lit up, and he was about to follow.
Suddenly he saw Chen Yi beside him and asked, "Where's my brother-in-law? Didn't my sister invite him along?"
Cui'er shook her head, her smile somewhat strange, and replied, "Miss said that the young master doesn't like to eat wild game."
"..."
Chen Yi understood Xiao Wan'er's intention in saying that, and couldn't help but feel a little amused and exasperated.
It seems she found out about what I did when I treated her this morning.
But you can't blame him for that.
How can I treat it without lifting the blanket?
Xiao Wuge was unaware of all this, and only blinked in confusion, looking at him: "Brother-in-law?"
Chen Yi could only smile and nod, "Big sister is right, I really don't like eating those things."
As he spoke, he instructed Xiaodie to go with him.
Xiaodie nodded in agreement, then added, "Young Master, please remember to come back soon."
"knew."
Chen Yi watched them walk away, tidied himself up, tied on the folding gun for emergencies, and then leisurely left Chunhe Garden.
As the sun began to set, the sunlight nearing evening was no longer so glaring.
The once pristine white clouds were now faintly tinged with gold; the temperature was pleasant, not too hot.
Furthermore, there are flowers, trees, pavilions, and towers within the Marquis's residence, and occasionally a gentle breeze caresses your face.
Chen Yi was in a fairly good mood.
However, as they walked from the backyard to the front yard, the expressions of the soldiers and servants along the way were not so relaxed.
Compared to two days ago, their expressions were not only serious but also more solemn.
Faint whispers could be heard from the surroundings.
"I heard that the Second Master got angry at noon, saying that someone from the yamen had sent word that the murderer of Liu Jing might be from the Xiao family."
"The Criminal Investigation Department was almost able to catch the murderer last night, but he was killed in the chaos."
"The murderer is dead?"
"I think so, that's what the people at the government office said."
"Since the person is already dead, and there's no evidence, isn't the government sending this message because they're afraid the magistrate will come knocking on their door?"
"Ah, that makes sense..."
After hearing this, Chen Yi couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
Although the hidden guards' plan to frame the culprit failed last night, it still drew the attention of the Provincial Judicial Commissioner and the Prefectural Government to the Xiao family.
However, he wasn't as nervous as before.
Originally, he felt somewhat guilty for killing Liu Jing and wanted to secretly help the Xiao family get rid of the Liu family.
But when he saw the man in black wielding the big gun last night and guessed that he might be a member of the Xiao family, he already knew that the old master had his own plans.
Since that's the case, he wasn't in a hurry to make a move.
Or rather, he wanted to see how the Xiao family would respond, so he could deduce the old master's plans before making a decision.
Upon closer examination, the vast Dingyuan Marquis's mansion could not possibly be that simple.
Just as he was pondering what to do next, he saw Liu Si'er, whose body was wrapped in gauze, coming towards him.
"Greetings, son-in-law."
Chen Yi snapped out of his daze. "Oh, Fourth Brother, how are your injuries?"
Liu Si'er raised her hand, "There are still some inconveniences, but it's not a big problem anymore."
Chen Yi nodded, noticing that he had returned from outside the mansion, and asked with a smile, "You, with your injuries, are still going out for walks?"
Liu Si'er said with a wry smile, "To be honest, son-in-law, I'm going to the south of the city to help the third brother out of a predicament."
"oh?"
"Didn't the third brother go to the south of the city yesterday with Tingyun, Guanli and a few other girls? Who would have thought that the bastard would somehow hook up with a girl?"
"Last night, that girl was threatening to kill herself, and we barely managed to save her. When we asked her, we found out that Ge Laosan said he would go over that night to redeem her from her servitude."
Chen Yi's heart skipped a beat. "Redeemed? He didn't go?"
Liu Si'er sighed, "He's usually extravagant and doesn't have any money on him, so of course he didn't go."
"That bastard never expected that a casual joke would be taken seriously by that girl."
"But when he gets back, he'll definitely get a beating."
After listening, Chen Yi smiled and chatted with Liu Si'er for a few moments before leaving the Marquis's residence.
He walked quite a distance before he realized what had happened.
"So that's what they meant when they said a girl jumped into the river in the brothel last night."
No wonder.
No wonder Tiger Girl said yesterday that Ge Laosan was acting strangely, staring at her the whole time.
He guessed that there were hidden guards in the south of the city, and that he was secretly passing on some intelligence.
Chen Yi realized: "The Three Towns Grain Depot..."
Ge Laosan's commotion was not for any other purpose than to discuss his plans with Xiao Dongchen.
It seems that Xiao Dongchen put a lot of pressure on him the day before yesterday.
Thinking it over, Chen Yi glanced at the towering blue brick walls of the Marquis's residence, then calmly walked toward the West Market.
Xiao Dongchen, Ge Laosan, Cui Qingwu.
The three Silver Flag Officers have different identities, different strengths, and should have different tasks.
However, joining forces to cause trouble for the Xiao family is somewhat unethical.
Please give me your guaranteed monthly votes, thank you.
(End of this chapter)
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