Chapter 82 [VIP]
Master Lu seemed to see the doubt in his disciple's heart, and nodded, saying, "This is Liang Liufang, the foremost scholar of Jiangnan whom you often mention."
Liu Changyi was no longer calm, and his gaze towards Chen Qingyan and the others became fervent. He turned around and knelt down to pay his respects to Elder Liang, saying, "This junior greets the esteemed scholar Liang!"
"Oh, no, no, please get up."
"I have read your poems and essays, and the line: 'I do not know the height of the blue sky, the thickness of the yellow earth, but only see the cold moon and the warm sun, which come to scorch human life,' is truly astonishing. I have always admired you greatly!"①
Mr. Liang naturally knew that his writing was good. This was a classical poem he wrote when he was nineteen years old, titled "The Short Days of Suffering," and many literary figures came to know him because of this poem.
Old Master Lu stroked his beard and chuckled, "Liu Fang, how many days will you be staying in Jizhou?"
"We'll be staying here for about half a month before heading to Laizhou."
"Then I'll do you a favor and help me guide my disciple these days. He should be taking the provincial examination next year, and perhaps he can be in the same year as your disciples."
Liang Liufang did not refuse. His original intention in coming out this time was to take his disciples on a study tour, so naturally they all wanted to see the world.
“I will be bringing them to the academy these days. Anyone who wants to attend a class can come and find me. I would also appreciate it if Elder Lu could give my three disciples some pointers.”
"I'm glad you don't mind this old man."
Chen Qingyan and the others were filled with trepidation. They were overjoyed to receive guidance from Elder Lu, so how could they possibly find fault with him?
The two began to reminisce, while Chen Qingyan and the others were sent to read books.
This library contains many rare and valuable books that cannot be seen outside. Take advantage of the opportunity to read as many as you can.
Liu Changyi followed the three men, helping with the introductions, his face full of envy. These three must be very outstanding to be Liang Lao's disciples!
In fact, Chen Qingyan is not very clear about his own abilities. He has been studying with Master Liang for two years, plus the year he studied on his own after being dismissed from the exam.
He felt he had made rapid progress over the past three years, but because he had never participated in any competitions, he was not clear about his own abilities, only that he should be slightly better than an ordinary scholar.
Therefore, after learning that Liu Changyi was already a student, he adopted a very humble attitude and asked him about the prefectural school in a tone that was almost like that of a junior, which made Liu Changyi very uncomfortable.
In Liu Changyi's memory, Master Liang was a talented but arrogant man, and his disciples should also be outstanding talents with proud and aloof personalities.
These three seem even more well-behaved than the students at the academy.
He always used polite language when asking questions, which made him feel quite embarrassed.
The filter is a bit cracked...
On the other side, Liang Boqing and Lu Zhongqi were having a lively conversation. The two hadn't seen each other for ten years and had almost nothing to say to each other.
Lu Zhongqi asked, "Do you still remember Zhang Yaozhi?"
"I remember. How is he now?"
"He has entered the capital and is now the Minister of Rites, a member of the Grand Secretariat, and a favorite of the Emperor."
Liang Boqing was astonished, "He entered the cabinet in just ten years?"
"No wonder he's so capable. You even praised him back then, saying he had the talent of a prime minister. Now it seems you have a better eye for talent than I do."
"I don't understand the ways of officialdom, but I felt at the time that this person was destined for greatness, and I never expected that it would come true."
Lu Zhongqi lowered his voice and said, "Your three disciples are quite remarkable, aren't they?"
Liang Boqing waved his hand, "They are far from being good enough."
"Someone who would accept you as their disciple must be extraordinary!"
"Compared to the three of them, I would actually prefer to take another guy as my apprentice."
"Brother?" Old Lu was somewhat surprised.
"He is the husband of my eldest disciple. That young man is far superior to these three in both intellect and vision. Moreover, he is skilled in farming, and the superior seeds he has cultivated have been favored by the Grand Minister of Agriculture. He is a rare talent."
"It's rare to see someone who receives such praise from you; I'm quite curious myself."
"It's a pity he's a young man and can't serve as an official."
The two sighed. The Wu Dynasty had always forbidden young men from serving in government. If they were discovered, it would be a serious crime of deceiving the emperor, punishable by beheading. No one dared to risk their lives.
Liang Boqing then mentioned another old friend, "How is Qian Muzhou doing now? I plan to take some time in the next few days to visit him."
Qian Muzhou was skilled in calligraphy; his running script was incredibly masterful. However, he had a somewhat eccentric personality. Years ago, Liang Boqing even asked him for a few pieces of calligraphy.
Old Lu paused for a moment and said, "Qian Muzhou... he has been gone for many years."
"The wooden boat is gone?!"
"Yes, it's been six or seven years since I left."
"He was younger than me, how could he be gone so suddenly?"
Lu Zhongqi said, "I heard he drank too much at the distillery and jumped off the building to his death..."
“Hiss…” Liang Boqing looked regretful; such a great calligrapher had passed away so early.
“His calligraphy is now very valuable. I heard that people in the city are offering high prices for his calligraphy, with a foot of straw paper costing thirty gold coins. It’s a pity that I wasn’t familiar with him back then and never asked him to write a piece of calligraphy, otherwise I could have made a fortune from it.”
Liang Boqing was too embarrassed to say it, but he did have quite a few of Qian Muzhou's calligraphy works. The two of them had similar personalities and were both quite proud. After they met, they created many poems together.
Looks like I'll have to keep those papers safe when I get back, lest they get chewed up by mice.
The two chatted until noon, when Liu Changyi took the three of them to the school cafeteria for lunch and also got food for the two teachers.
The school's canteen was spacious, furnished with tables, chairs, and benches. Each meal consisted of three dishes and a soup, with both meat and vegetables. The staple foods were millet rice and gray flour steamed buns. A meal cost ten copper coins and tasted quite good.
After lunch, the three of them continued to linger in the library, while Liang Boqing and Old Lu went out to visit an old friend.
"Qingyan, you stay here and read with them. We'll be right back."
"yes."
As a result, the two old men were gone for most of the day, and they hadn't returned even when it was almost dark.
Smoking is prohibited in the library, and it's too late to read inside. Liu Changyi led the three of them to sit outside and chat.
"Where are you from? How old are you?"
Chen Qingyan said, "I am twenty years old, Qinghuai is sixteen, and Qingsong is thirteen. We are locals from Jizhou, and our home is in a small town under Longquan County."
“Longquan County…” Liu Changyi thought for a moment, “Is there a particularly famous spring there?”
The three nodded, and Qinghuai whispered, "The travelogue of the mountain springs mentions Longquan, which is our hometown."
"Oh, I remember now. I'm not a native of Jizhou either. My hometown is Tianyang County, which isn't far from yours. I passed the imperial examination and came to study at the prefectural school."
Chen Qingyan was taken aback. "My maternal uncle's family is also from Tianyang County."
"May I ask your surname?"
"His surname is Li, and his given name is Cheng."
"Li Bingchen is your cousin?"
Chen Qingyan nodded vigorously. "Yes!"
Liu Changyi exclaimed excitedly, "Haha, he and I were classmates! I never imagined you two had such a relationship!"
Because they were acquaintances, the group quickly built a closer relationship, and Liu Changyi was no longer so cautious. "When did you take the county exam?" Logically speaking, Liang Lao's disciples should have been very successful in the county exam, at least getting the top score. Why had he never heard of it?
Chen Qingyan said, "My second brother and I are still students at the preliminary examination stage, and my youngest brother has not even participated in the preliminary examination."
Why not take the exam?
“I was delayed by something before. Qinghuai took the county exam last year, but he fell ill halfway through the spring cold. It just so happens that tomorrow is the year of the big exam, so we plan to take it together.”
"Last year's spring cold snap was really severe; I heard that some students in our county even froze to death!"
The group sighed with emotion. Qinghuai said, "The county exam is alright, but I heard that the provincial exam has three sessions, each lasting three days. You have to stay inside for nine days before you can come out. It's really tough."
Liu Changyi said, "That's true. So luck is also very important in the imperial examinations. The provincial examinations are held in mid-July, when the weather is hot. If you happen to be near an outhouse, you basically have no hope."
Why?
"Think about it, thousands of candidates were urinating and defecating in the outhouse for several days. Coupled with the hot weather, the stench was enough to kill people. How could they possibly have the energy to write the exam?"
The three of them were disgusted upon hearing this, and felt even more strongly that the imperial examination was not easy.
"Hopefully none of us will get into trouble." Just then, Liang Boqing and Lu Zhongqi returned, and the group quickly got up to greet them.
"Let's go back and rest. We'll come again tomorrow."
The three men and Liu Changyi exchanged farewells and returned to the inn.
Old Liang was probably exhausted from the day and went to bed early to rest, while the others also went back to their own rooms to read.
The inn had many rooms, and each of them could stay in a single room, which made it much more convenient for Chen Qingyan to go to the experimental field.
After locking the door and entering the experimental field, I immediately heard Yuanbao crying loudly.
What happened?
Wang Ying stood to the side, holding a feather duster. "This kid sneaked into the experimental field again today. If I hadn't caught him in time, he would have made his mother very worried!"
During the day, he played with the two newly recruited boys, but suddenly he disappeared.
Chunsheng was so frightened that he cried, and Mutou was also terrified. However, he was quite decisive and did not go directly to the old lady. Instead, he went to find Wang Ying and told her about what had happened.
Wang Ying knew where her son had gone as soon as she heard this. After comforting the two children, she went into the experimental field and brought Yuanbao out.
There was no way to discipline him in front of Li during the day, so he could only be taken to the experimental field at night for a private reprimand.
Chen Qingyan also put on a stern face and looked at his son, saying, "Didn't I tell you last time that you weren't allowed to run in by yourself?"
"Do you know you're wrong?" Wang Ying threatened, holding up a feather duster.
“Yuanbao knows… knows he was wrong…” the little boy wiped away his tears, his face full of grievance.
Chen Qingyan felt sorry for them, but he couldn't comfort them because this matter really needed to be addressed, otherwise it would become a big problem in the future! If people found out that they had an experimental field that was like a paradise, they might be killed!
"From now on, you can only come in with your father. If you dare to come in by yourself again, I'll spank you until your bottom is swollen!"
"Waaaaah..." Yuanbao saw that the two were about to hit him, so he squatted down on the ground and started crying loudly.
After crying for a while, neither of them seemed inclined to comfort him. He then pitifully got up on his own, snuggled up to Wang Ying, hugged his leg, and sobbed, "Father, Yuanbao... I know I was wrong... Father, hug me..."
After scaring her, Wang Ying felt a strange unease. "Did you remember that?"
"Remember, I remember..."
Wang Ying wiped away his tears and picked him up. The little bundle nestled in her arms, and she couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Yuanbao was only a year and a half old; had she been too harsh on him?
Chen Qingyan patted his shoulder and said, "You did the right thing. If you don't teach him properly, he'll definitely cause trouble. Let him learn his lesson and he won't dare to do it again next time."
A note from the author:
Note ①: Li He's "The Shortness of the Day"
The author's abilities are limited, and he is unable to write any stunning or brilliant poems; instead, he quotes poems by famous ancient figures.
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