Chapter Sixteen: Going to School

Mrs. Liu was deeply shaken by this series of events. She had been widowed young and had struggled to raise her son on her own. Although she did not expect him to bring glory to the family, she never imagined her son would fall so low, while she remained utterly oblivious. Her heart ached with sorrow and pain. She knelt by the old madam’s couch for half an afternoon, and in the end, the old madam’s heart softened at her persistent tears. She took back the deed of indenture for Feng Da that had already been returned to Mrs. Liu, and sent Feng Da off to the estate for labor reform.

As for Caiyun, the old madam, feeling guilty for almost matching her with the wrong man, wanted to make amends and took special care with her marriage. As it happened, Steward Fu’s son was also of marrying age, and once the two sides discussed it, the match was made. Steward Fu’s son was capable and managed one of the family’s shops as a junior manager. He was honest and upright—a far cry from Feng Da. Caiyun, through misfortune, gained a happy fate and a good marriage.

Throughout the entire affair, no one suspected that the young mistress had played any part in it, except for Changsheng who had been involved. Changsheng was tight-lipped, and with the young mistress’s instructions, he would never speak of it to anyone.

That night, lying in bed, Cuiliu was filled with doubts. She felt the whole matter was too coincidental—Caiyun crying just happened to be discovered by them, the young mistress’s questions were unusually thorough, and then, only a day later, Feng Da was exposed. It all seemed too neatly arranged. But… but the young mistress was so young—how could she possibly have planned all this? How could she possess such a calculating mind? Cuiliu shook her head, blaming herself for overthinking. With that, the matter was put to rest.

Five days later, it was the day Jiang Li and Liu Qin would begin their studies.

Early in the morning, Cuiliu dragged Liu Qin out of bed. “Let me sleep a bit longer, just a bit longer,” Liu Qin, still a small child, protested with her eyes tightly shut, flailing her arms. She hated getting up early, and hated even more those who roused her. Because her family doted on her, she was used to waking naturally. The old madam even changed her own meal times for her, eating a light breakfast first to soothe her stomach, and waiting for her daughter to join her before having another meal together. When her daughter came for morning greetings, she would have breakfast, and the old madam treated it as a morning tea. Even her sister-in-law, Madam Cai, would often join them for this morning tea, teasing her little sister-in-law.

“Miss, you really can’t sleep in today. The master and young master are already waiting for you. Did you forget you’re starting lessons in the family school today?” Cuiliu spoke as she instructed Cuiyu to wet a cloth and wipe the young mistress’s face to wake her up.

Ah, that’s right—Father said he would take her to meet Master Zhang today. She’d been busy playing and had forgotten all about it. She didn’t even need Cuiyu to wake her; she rubbed her eyes herself and jumped up from bed.

“Hurry, Cuiyu!”

“Don’t rush, miss.”

“Are we late? Are we late?”

“No, miss, there’s plenty of time.”

The room was suddenly a flurry of splashing water and clattering basins, chickens and dogs in chaos. In the end, it took even longer than usual to get everything in order—more than half an incense stick’s time. Cuiyu was dissatisfied with the young mistress’s attempts to help, grumbling as they left because she’d nearly forgotten the most important study supplies—brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. Luckily, Cuiliu had packed everything in a basket the night before and instructed a maid to bring it to the classroom.

Master Liu carried his daughter towards the outer courtyard. Liu Qin wrapped one arm around her father’s neck, the other playing with his beard. Now and then, her father would blow warm air into her little palm, making her giggle uncontrollably from the tickling sensation.

“Father, don’t tell Master Zhang that I’m a girl.”

“Why not?”

“Master Zhang doesn’t like it.”

Father Liu was surprised. Master Zhang was certainly learned, but he was also arrogant—a common failing among scholars. Not only was he proud of his talent, he also firmly believed in the superiority of men over women, and detested women stepping into the public eye. How had Qin’er learned this?

Liu Qin seemed to know what her father was thinking. She continued, “Didn’t big brother say Master Zhang believes that for women, lack of talent is a virtue?”

It was then that Father Liu remembered he’d discussed Master Zhang with his son before. He hadn’t expected Qin’er to not only remember, but to understand. What a clever daughter he had.

Father and daughter chatted and laughed, and before long, they reached the front courtyard. Jiang Li was already waiting at the entrance to the study hall. When he saw Master Liu, he bowed in greeting, and together they proceeded to the classroom.

As soon as they entered, they heard the clear recitation of students. “The sages say: At home, a young man should be filial; abroad, he should be respectful to his elders; he should be prudent and trustworthy; love all equally, but keep close to the virtuous. If he has energy to spare, let him study the classics.”

Wait, isn’t that from the Analects? Though her studies had not been deep, she had read a little and recognized the passage. So the Han Kingdom’s primer was the Analects—clearly, others before her had followed this path, and ancient ones at that, or how else could they recall so well?

Master Liu set Liu Qin down, holding her hand as they listened at the door. Only when the recitation finished did they enter.

“Master Zhang.”

At the head of the room was a man of about thirty, dressed as a scholar. At the sound of their arrival, he turned around, straightened his robes, and hurried over to make a deep bow. “Ah, I did not know the magistrate would grace us with his presence. Please forgive my failure to greet you sooner.”

Master Liu waved his hand and smiled, stroking his beard. “No need to stand on ceremony, sir. You are a man of great talent—our household is deeply grateful to have you teaching here. I hope you have grown accustomed to life in our residence?”

“It is more than satisfactory, sir. Everything has been to my liking—thank you for your concern.”

Haige had already come forward to greet his grandfather and pay respect to his uncles. Master Liu patted Haige’s head and asked, “Haige, did you understand the lines you just recited?”

With his chest out, Haige replied confidently, “Yes, grandfather. The sages said that as children, we must be filial to our parents at home, respect our elders outside, be cautious in our words and actions, treat everyone with kindness, and befriend the virtuous. If we have time and energy left, then we should study books.”

Master Liu praised him, “Well said. You’re making progress. But remember, learning is endless—the sea of knowledge has no shore. Go a day without study, and you fall behind. So keep working hard, listen to your teacher, understand?”

Seeing Haige nod, he turned to Master Zhang with a smile. “Thank you for your guidance, sir.”

“It is my duty. Wenhai is intelligent and diligent—he will surely accomplish great things.”

“Haha, thank you for your kind words.”

Just then, a servant brought tea, and after some polite exchanges, the host and guest took their seats. Master Liu sipped his tea and finally explained his reason for coming. “I am here today to present two new students to you. Ali, Qin’er, come pay your respects to your teacher.”

At his words, Jiang Li and Liu Qin stepped out from Master Liu’s side, knelt, and performed the formal ceremony of apprenticeship. When they had finished and stood, Master Liu introduced them: “Jiang Li is a maternal cousin of the Liu family, and Liu Qin—ah, she is my own child. Both will be residing in the household, so I must trouble you to instruct them as well.”

Master Zhang readily agreed. After a few more polite words, Master Liu took his leave to attend to his official duties.

After seeing Master Liu out, Master Zhang turned to the three students. He spoke kindly to Haige, “Go to your seat and review yesterday’s lessons. Later, recite them for me.” Haige answered respectfully and went back to his seat, making Master Zhang nod in satisfaction.

After a while, as if only then remembering the two new arrivals, Master Zhang glanced over at Jiang Li and Liu Qin with a cool, indifferent expression. “Find yourselves a seat and listen in for today. The rest can wait until tomorrow.” Without waiting for a reply, he turned away, sleeves fluttering, picked up a book, and began to read with an air of scholarly absorption.

Liu Qin pouted, but let Jiang Li lead her to two adjacent seats. Changxing and Cuiyu followed, placing their study materials on the desk before quietly withdrawing.