Chapter 27: "The barrier between men and women?"
Dawn breaks, and the first rays of light appear. Guanwu Garden awakens to the sounds of birdsong and the rustling of spring leaves.
Servants came and went in the courtyard, busy with the sweeping and hanging of lanterns for the Shangsi Festival. The fish lantern gifted by Lord Mu a few days ago was currently hanging in the corridor, swaying gently in the breeze. Although it was not lit, one could already imagine its dazzling appearance at night.
Compared to the bustling courtyard, Wen Yu's dormitory was silent, with only the subtle sound of the pages of books turning in the breeze.
Wen Yu was lying on the couch with his legs spread out, and half-opened books were lying on the bedding and around the bed, proving that Wen Yu had been studying hard by lamplight all night.
"My wife! My wife!"
Wen Yu was half asleep, half conscious of someone calling her. As the saying goes, spring brings sleepiness, autumn brings fatigue, summer brings naps, and the three months of winter bring sleeplessness. Now was the perfect time for spring sleepiness. Wen Yu huddled under the covers, not intending to get up.
A-Bo looked at the huddled-up Wen Yu, unsure of what to do. Seeing this, A-Zhu, who was standing nearby, gestured for A-Bo to move aside. Then, A-Zhu bent down, half-crouched before the couch, and approached Wen Yu, saying,
"Madam! The Master is back!"
The young master is back, so what's the big deal? Wen Yu thought, rubbing the soft pillow.
But after a moment, Wen Yu reacted and sat up from the couch with a somersault. The books scattered on the couch fell to the ground with her movement.
"Who's back? Song Linsheng is back?" Wen Yu turned over the quilt and got out of bed. As soon as she stood up, she fell back onto the bed.
Wen Yu shook her head. She had read all the eight boxes of books that Uncle Song had sent her last night, and she had not even skipped the annotations made by Song Linsheng.
Now, although her head may not be full of astronomy, geography, or knowledge of history and the present, she does have some knowledge. Wen Yu thought happily, she wanted to see what Song Linsheng could test her on.
"My wife! Are you okay?" Seeing Wen Yu fall backwards, Ah Zhu hurriedly supported her and said with concern.
"My lady, you must be tired from studying all night!" Abai added, "Don't worry, my lady. The young master probably just said it casually and he won't test your knowledge on purpose."
When she and Ah Zhu entered the mansion, Xi Yan had heard that the young master was the newly crowned top scholar, a man of exceptional learning, who had once received the imperial edict in red ink: "A vast expanse of learning, a mind full of pearls." A young master of his caliber wouldn't really test his wife; he probably just wanted to encourage her to study.
"Don't worry, my lady!" Abai saw that Wen Yu's eyes were dark blue and he comforted her with concern.
Wen Yu heard this, stood up and walked towards the dressing box, nonchalantly retorting: "I'm not afraid!"
"Where is he? I'll go see him after I've washed up! I want to see what he wants to test me on!"
Wen Yu strode forward, chest puffed out, like a peacock showing off its might. When she sat down in front of her dressing table, she caught a glimpse in the mirror of Ah Bo and Ah Zhu still standing there.
"Come here quickly!" Wen Yu waved to the two of them and called out.
A-Bo and A-Zhu exchanged a glance, both smiling slightly, and quickly approached Wen Yu. One of them combed Wen Yu's hair, while the other helped with her clothes.
Ah Zhu half-knelt beside Wen Yu, smoothing the hem of her clothes. She leaned lightly against Wen Yu's knees and chuckled, "Madam! The Master is in the front hall."
Wen Yu sat upright while A Bo combed her hair, so she could only stare at the mirror and dared not move around. Hearing A Zhu's voice, Wen Yu could only move her eyes to glance at A Zhu.
"My sister Abai and I are just waiting for our lady to dominate the world in knowledge and beat the young master to a pulp!" Ah Zhu laughed and couldn't help teasing Wen Yu.
"Of course! Let me show you what it means to have a photographic memory!" Wen Yu stiffened his neck, looked at his hair being combed in the mirror, and joked with Azhu.
She was Wenyu, a woman who had enjoyed the incense of countless families and absorbed thousands of years of spiritual energy to awaken her spiritual wisdom! Previously, her knowledge was limited, and it was common for her to be illiterate. Now that she had read all eight boxes of books, if she were to lose to Song Linsheng again, how could she have the dignity to return to the Spring Temple?
She should not practice Taoism in this life. She should find a pit to bury herself and practice her wooden path!
Soon, Wen Yu was ready with the help of Abai and Azhu. She quickly walked out of the inner room and rushed into the center of the yard, intending to go to the front hall to look for Song Linsheng.
"Madam Wenyu--" A male voice came with the wind, stopping Wenyu's steps. She looked up.
"Song Linsheng?" Wen Yu was surprised and happy. I would go to any mountain that doesn't come to me. Isn't this mountain already here?
"Why are you here!" she asked, lifting her skirt and running towards Song Linsheng.
Song Linsheng smiled and stood with his hands behind his back under the archway with hanging flowers. A soft vine brushed across his forehead. Song Linsheng raised his hand to push it away and waited for Wen Yu with a gentle smile.
When Wen Yu arrived in front of him, Song Linsheng spoke calmly: "I haven't seen you for a long time, so I came to see you."
"Is everything packed?"
Wen Yu lowered her head and took a look at her outfit for the day. A Bo had combed her hair into a new style. She did not wear any pearls or jade. She just gathered all her hair together and braided it with a green satin ribbon. The braid stretched from her right earlobe to the front of her body, and she pinned two butterfly-shaped silver hairpins on it. It was very lively and interesting.
She nodded to Song Linsheng: "Yes! Everything is fine."
Song Linsheng pursed his lips slightly, the corners of his mouth unable to help but curl up. He pulled out a strange-shaped object from behind him. He held it in one hand and took care of it with the other, then reached out to help Wen Yu put it on.
Two pieces of plain gauze passed from her neck to her face, completely obscuring Wen Yu's view. She reached out and pushed them aside, looking through the sharp-angled gap and asking, "What is this?"
Song Linsheng pinned up the two pieces of gauze and explained to Wen Yu, "The spring breeze is cool, and I'm going out of town again today. Wearing this veil can cover me up a bit."
"A veiled hat?" Wen Yu glanced upward. The hat was woven from bamboo strips, with a plain gauze exterior and a beaded brim. It was quite beautiful. It looked a lot like the bamboo hat Master wore when he traveled in the mortal world.
"What kind of wind can this block?" Wen Yu played with the light gauze in her hands.
"It's not about blocking any wind!" Xi Yan poked his head out from behind Song Linsheng and couldn't help but interrupt, "I think the young master is trying to block Madam Wen Yu!"
After he said this, Xiyan and Azhu and Abai behind Wenyu lowered their heads, covered their faces and laughed.
Wen Yu was puzzled. Why was she covering herself? There wasn't anything on her face. Given her magical powers, she wouldn't reveal her true form in public, would she?
Song Linsheng coughed lightly, a trace of unnaturalness on his face. He raised his hand and scratched the tip of his nose, saying, "Do you remember? We're going to Jiangyang Restaurant for a banquet today. There will be many people and young men there. Linsheng is afraid that they will offend Madam Wenyu."
Song Linsheng spoke a lot in one breath, without even pausing. After he finished speaking, Song Linsheng thought the logic was self-consistent and breathed a sigh of relief, not knowing whether he was speaking to Wen Yu or to himself.
Wen Yu listened to him speak, nodding in approval. But when he finished, she couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you say that sex is not important on Shangsi Day?"
Song Linsheng choked when he heard this, and his throat was stuck and he couldn't speak.
It was Abai who hurriedly pulled Azhu away, and Xiyan also took several steps back, unable to bear to see his young master in such an embarrassing state.
Song Linsheng held it in for a long time before finally saying, "If Madam Wenyu doesn't like it, you can pick it... Linsheng..."
"It doesn't matter! I've already put it on. It would be so troublesome to take it off!" Wen Yu didn't care at all. She blew the white gauze playfully. The white gauze rose up and floated slightly in front of Wen Yu, like someone's heart lake.
There are ripples on the surface and rough waves underwater.
Song Linsheng pursed his lips and said nothing. Wen Yu took the lead and walked out in front, breaking the silence.
"I heard from Uncle Song that someone wants to test my knowledge—" Wen Yu played with her braids and pretended to be puzzled before continuing, "Who is it? Who is it?"
"Is that you, Xiyan?" She passed by Xiyan and joked. Xiyan waved his hands repeatedly and raised his eyebrows slyly to indicate that the real owner of Wenyu was behind him.
Song Linsheng breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Wen Yu's figure gradually moving away. After breathing in and out repeatedly for a few times and calming his mind, he slowly walked after her.
"I am not talented. It is Lin Sheng who wants to test Madam Wenyu."
Wen Yu turned around upon hearing this and looked at him face to face, but she did not stop and walked backwards.
"Oh? Then let Master Song ask the questions?" Wen Yu was beaming with confidence. She would soon show Song Linsheng what a natural genius looked like! Wen Yu thought again, and realized that the gap between mortals and goblins was indeed everywhere.
"Which of the books Uncle Song sent to Madam Wenyu has she read yesterday?" Song Linsheng planned to find out what Wenyu had read first, and then set questions based on it, which would not be too bullying.
"Word for word, without missing a single word!" Wen Yu stretched out a finger and waved it left and right, with an unstoppable smile on his face.
Song Linsheng raised his eyebrows, a hint of surprise flashing across his eyes. He had asked Uncle Song to pick out those books; they were all from his private collection, mixed with many he had read before, totaling no less than a hundred.
Madam Wenyu actually read all of them overnight?
"Okay then!" Song Linsheng pondered for a moment, deciding to ask a question that was both easy and difficult. "The first question is, 'What is a ruler? What are the people?'"
What is a ruler? What is a citizen? This was the first question his teacher asked him when he first learned to be a scholar. It was both simple and profound, the discussion of the doctrines contained in the books he had read in his youth. He wondered how Madam Wenyu would answer.
Wen Yu listened to his question, still walking slowly, thinking as he walked, and quickly replied: "The king is the boat; the people are the water. The water can carry the boat, but it can also capsize it."
"This is the theory of Xunzi: Those in power are like boats, and the people are like water. Water can keep the boat steady, but it can also sink it with a single wave."
"But I'd say it's still unclear which is which, the boat or the water!"
After Wen Yu finished answering, she raised her head and smiled, as if waiting for Song Linsheng's praise.
Song Linsheng was speechless upon hearing this. Madam Wenyu was truly a source of surprise and delight. When Hou Chunshan first met her, she hadn't even recognized Xianchun Xiaozhu's full name. Now, she had read through eight boxes of scrolls in one night, and could recite the discussions by heart, even adding her own insights.
Fortunately, he hadn't actually planned to test Madam Wenyu, otherwise he would have been mortified. Song Linsheng laughed dumbly, and when he came to his senses, he congratulated her repeatedly, "Madam Wenyu has made rapid progress! Linsheng is ashamed of himself."
Wen Yu skipped over to Song Linsheng's side, turned around and walked side by side with him. A gleam in her eyes, and she spoke slowly: "I saw that when you were young, you read a lot of miscellaneous notes about spirits, ghosts and gods, and you also made many annotations."
"Then I'll test you too?"
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