While in class today, Duan Ling keeps revisiting the strange dream he had the night before, and Mu Qing isn’t saying much either. The more he thinks about it the more wrong it feels. Mu Qing seems to know more about this stuff than he does — didn’t he ask Wu Du to put together an aphrodisiac for him last time?
Wu Du is entirely out of it, giving Duan Ling a glance from time to time, leaving Chang Liujun over there holding up his Thousand Character Classic going black sky yellow earth, vast universe all chaos, seemingly mouthing the words but not daring to make a sound.
After noon, Wu Du goes out into the courtyard to grab handfuls of snow beneath the veranda to scrub his face with. While he’s gone, Duan Ling gives Mu Qing a nudge. “Hey, young master, lemme ask you something.”
Yesterday, Duan Ling had left without saying goodbye, and Mu Qing has been rather grumpy about the whole thing, planning not to speak with Duan Ling in the morning as a bit of a punishment, but to his surprise Duan Ling is initiating a conversation, so Mu Qing takes this as a signal to make up and he goes right back to how he normally is.
“What? Do you want to go to the palace again?”
“Oh no.” Duan Ling waves that idea off right away and leans in closer to Mu Qing. “Have you seen … you know, that stuff?”
“What?” Mu Qing has no idea what he’s talking about, but he leans in a bit closer to Duan Ling as well.
Duan Ling thinks about how he should word this and decides to simply ask, “When a man’s all grown up … when they’re asleep, do they …”
Mu Qing stares at him questioningly.
“Pee the bed?”
Mu Qing seems to have come to some sort of realisation. Duan Ling has braced himself and managed to spit out those words with much difficulty.
Mu Qing is quiet for a beat before he can’t hold it anymore. “Pfft!”
Duan Ling flushes all the way down to his collarbones.Mu Qing leans in by his ear and whispers to him an explanation while Duan Ling looks completely incredulous the whole time.
“Aren’t you from a family of doctors? How can you not know about something like that?”
“I—I—I—I really had no idea. My dad never taught me any of that stuff either.”
“Heheh,” Mu Qing asks Duan Ling, “Do you want to have some fun? I can show you how.”
“Oh no no.” Duan Ling hasn’t regained his composure yet, and he hasn’t comprehended what Mu Qing’s invitation is implying either. His head is filled with those images; he recalls those erotic illustrations he saw in the Bouquet Pavilion, the boy courtesan who came to wait on him, there’s also that strapping, muscular man who kicked his foot out behind him to close the door, and he’s so overwhelmed he’s not sure how to feel, let along what to say.
“Young master —”
Chang Liujun is lying on the low daybed, taking a nap with a copy of the Thousand Character Classic over his face, and his voice sounds a little different.
Good heavens! Duan Ling’s chin nearly hit the floor.
Chang Liujun says with a voice that bears remarkable resemblance to another he’s heard before, “Young master, you’re so handsome. Why don’t I sing you a song?”
The one who was in the Bouquet Pavilion that night was — Chang Liujun! Duan Ling’s world collapses around him in an instant.
“You—you—you … Chang Liujun, it’s you!” Duan Ling is so embarrassed he wishes he could dig himself a hole and crawl into it.
“Wanna have some fun, young master?” Chang Liujun says, “Hmm?”
Duan Ling suddenly realises that Chang Liujun was there to keep an eye on him and Wu Du that night! And the Mu estate carriage that Lang Junxia saw was actually Mu Qing’s! In other words, Mu Kuangda has known that Wu Du and Cai Yan have been meeting in private all along!
Duan Ling sorts this out in his head, and recovers from his surprise. But still, he feels rather embarrassed. Since Chang Liujun and Mu Qing aren’t embarrassed, however, he shouldn’t be either.
“Do you two go there often?” Duan Ling asks.
“Just to play around a bit,” Mu Qing says. “Didn’t Wu Du take you there too? Or did Wu Du … to you …”
“He hasn’t.” Chang Liujun, though, is quite aware, and says with the book over his face, “Wu Du is a sodding gentleman, you know? He puts his precious adopted son on a pedestal — oh we’ll see how long he can hold out for.”
The one who’s most surprised about this actually turns out to be Mu Qing. Duan Ling cuts him off at once. “Don’t say anymore! Alright alright let’s leave it at that, you two get back to studying.”
Duan Lings is rather self-conscious around Mu Qing, but listening to Chang Liujun is actually a bit easier on him; he has no idea why that is, either. So when Wu Du comes back in after washing his face, wind-blown with a bit of ice sticking to his eyebrows and searching around for a towel to wipe it with, he finds all three of them staring at him.
“What are you looking at?” Wu Du asks, baffled.
The three immediately turn their heads away in unison, not looking at him anymore.
“How do you pronounce this character?” Chang Liujun asks Duan Ling.
Duan Ling quickly pretends he and Mu Qing have been teaching Chang Liujun how to read, and the three of them solemnly and with their heads close together go over the subject in great detail. Wu Du picks Duan Ling up by the collar and puts him back down next to himself; they continue to study with a clear line of desks between them, the two sides as distinct as either side of an Elephant Chessboard.
Duan Ling has started to find studying boring. When he was going through hard times he wanted to go to school, and now that life is good he wants to skip school; when he used to wander homeless as a drifter he thought often of his aspirations, but now that he’s settled down all he wants to do is go out somewhere fun with Wu Du.
His days in Tongguan were full of excitement. When can he go out and see the world again? The world is so big it makes one’s imagination roam. Once he enters the palace, perhaps the rest of his life will be just like his uncle’s, and he’ll never be able to leave again. What binds him firmly onto that chair is a set of fetters named responsibility.
Chang Pin comes personally in the afternoon with letters of recommendation for Duan Ling and Mu Qing to sign. Having this letter makes them the equivalent of students of the chancellor, and they can skip the provincial exams, allowing them to join the special metropolitan exams in early spring, and what comes after that will be the palace exams. After Duan Ling signs his name, he’s taken to see Mu Kuangda. Mu Kuangda is having a meeting with a literati official, and there’s also a young man just past twenty waiting in the covered veranda.
“This is the former Salt-Control Envoy Lord Huang’s son, Huang Jian,” Chang Pin says to Duan Ling and Mu Qing.
And so the three of them greet each other. Duan Ling finds out that aside from himself, this young man named Huang Jian also formally acknowledges Mu Kuangda as his teacher. Out of the three of them, Huang Jian is the oldest, but he speaks very little, seemingly unused to the bustling opulence of Jiangzhou. They’re all students of the chancellor, and once they’ve had a chat about their ages, Huang Jian grows a bit ill-at-ease. It’s not long before he leaves the Chancellor’s estate to head to his temporary residence in the city.
They only have another two months before the exams. Duan Ling perceives a hint of anxiousness, and he has no other option but to leave trifling ideas aside for now but take his studying seriously. But what’s the use of studying? At night, when Duan Ling is flipping through the books and scrolls, he feels a smidgen of melancholy starting to grow.
He’s already met Li Yanqiu, but his uncle didn’t manage to recognise him at all. Did he study and take the literati path in order to pass the metropolitan exams, walk before the throne, just to make sure Cai Yan sees him? Or perhaps wait until his name is placed among the top three graduates in the palace exams, and when the emperor recognises his achievements during the scholar’s feast, to tell everyone present that he, and not Cai Yan, is the real crown prince?
The consequences of such an action is something Duan Ling doesn’t even dare to contemplate. He suddenly finds himself disinterested; all he wants to do is to toss his books aside, but when he looks up, he finds Wu Du in the courtyard, practising his martial arts and circulating his qi.
“What is it?” Wu Du pulls his fists back towards his body, and comes back inside.
“Nothing. I’m just a bit sleepy.”
Their eyes meet calmly, but Duan Ling is distraught and filled with anxiety as he turns his gaze towards Wu Du. He’s worked so hard, but destiny has caused him to miss the best opportunity, as if it’s poking fun at him. What is he trying to achieve, anyway?
It’s a desolated night with the snow melting away; Wu Du seems able to sense Duan Ling’s melancholy. “I’ll go buy you some midnight snacks. What do you feel like eating?”
And now Duan Ling feels as though he’s let Wu Du down, somewhat. He forces himself to focus, and replies, “Don’t bother, it’s too cold outside.”
“What is it?” Wu Du asks him, looking all serious. “Tired?”
Duan Ling takes a deep breath. He wants to pour some of his gloominess out at Wu Du, but on second thought it just feels wrong — after all, Wu Du is someone who’s sworn to protect him for the rest of his life; Duan Ling can’t possibly tell him something so cowardly.
Duan Ling smiles. “I’m a bit nervous, that’s all. The exams are coming up soon.”
“You don’t have to put too much effort into it,” Wu Du realises what he’s worried about now. “Do your best, and what will be will be. I’ll figure out something for you when the time comes.”
Duan Ling recalls those things his father said to him when he entered Biyong College.
Wu Du leaves to get some snacks for Duan Ling. Facing the tranquil silence of late night, Duan Ling heaves a long, long sigh.
Outside, a flute begins to play.
Joyful Reunion!
It is a feeling he hasn’t had in a long time; who’s playing it?
The music is at times soothing and gentle, and at others the notes seem to leap freely through the air; it’s playing just outside the door, and as soon as it begins it has gently burrowed its way into the deepest part of Duan Ling’s heart.
It’s the way Wu Du plays — Duan Ling only feels caught unprepared, nearly drowning in the music.
Every time he has ever found himself alone and terrified, the arrival of this song has soothed his soul, as though imbuing him with formidable strength.
Only once the song ends does the clip-clop of Wu Du’s wooden sandals fade into the distance.
Dazed, Duan Ling sits before the table, remembering the way Lang Junxia played, the way his father played, and even how Xunchun played before the fall of Shangjing; countless images flash before his eyes like a revolving lantern, casting a picture show of galloping horses on the wall, urging him to keep moving forward.
By the time Wu Du comes back, Duan Ling had already laid his head on the table on his folded arms, and had fallen asleep.
People in Jiangzhou can’t tolerate the winter cold, and the entire city is asleep by this late hour. Wu Du walked for ages without managing to buy anything, so he can but come back empty-handed. He puts his hands together to warm them, rubbing them until they’re warm before he carries Duan Ling to the bed, lying down beside him.
When he wakes up the next morning, everything proceeds as usual for Duan Ling. Their teacher doesn’t have much he can teach them anymore, and so he’s ordered them to go back to their respective houses to review old material. And so Duan Ling spends his days in the chancellor estate’s library reading through mountains of old memorials, learning from Mu Kuangda’s approaches to state governance. All he can say is that Mu Kuangda has filled himself full of the sage’s wisdom and manages to use every last bit of it. Before he knows it, Duan Ling’s writing style starts taking on Mu Kuangda’s air.
Reading Mu Kuangda’s memorials, Duan Ling can almost understand why his father had declined to kill him. The Mus having so much power is an inevitable outcome — in the ten years that the imperial family of Chen spent in Xichuan, under Mu Kuangda’s skilful manoeuvring, the amount of taxes collected nearly tripled, and that was the only way Great Chen was able to send and supply an endless stream of troops to the northern border to garrison Yubiguan.
Hearing footsteps, Duan Ling looks up right away to see Chang Liujun walking towards him. No one is around, and sunlight is streaming through the library’s windows. Chang Liujun takes off his mask and says to Duan Ling, “I’ve finished my part of the plan.”
Seeing Chang Liujun’s face without any warning at all, Duan Ling’s expression immediately turns to panic, and he wants to call for Wu Du but Wu Du’s still downstairs. Chang Liujun however, sounds surprised when he says to him, “What are you panicking about?”
“Are you … are you going to kill me?” Duan Ling says, terrified.
“What?” Chang Liujun is startled before he finally realises. “Haven’t you seen my face before?”
Oh yeah … Duan Ling looks at Chang Liujun’s face carefully, and it is indeed the same face he saw at the Bouquet Pavilion, only there’s a tattoo on it now. It’s sitting off the corner of his mouth, and not only is it not ruining his face, it’s actually making him look even more aloof.
Chang Liujun tosses the cloth he uses as a mask up and down in one hand, toying with it, while his other hand is pressed flat against the bookshelf behind Duan Ling, trapping him. He sends Duan Ling a wicked smile, showing his canines.
“I’m going to call for help,” Duan Ling says, looking quite on guard.
Chang Liujun can but take his hand back. “Those two Mongolians are off to hand out bribes all over.”
It’s already been so long that even Duan Ling has nearly forgotten all about the plan he came up with; it won’t work as well if some parts of the plan are laid too far in advance of the others — they haven’t even used Wu Du’s poison yet, but Zheng Yan and Chang Liujun have already completed their assignments.
Chang Liujun produces a list of names and hands it to Duan Ling. “For you two. It’s time for Wu Du to make his move.”
Duan Ling takes the list. It’s full of Chang Liujun’s crooked handwriting. Seems like the past several months of learning to read and write are actually coming in handy.
“Good work,” Duan Ling says. “What did Chancellor Mu say?”
“He said he didn’t hear anything.” Chang Liujun gives him yet another smile.
Duan Ling thinks, that cunning old fox. This is what they mean when they say some things need not be said.
“Then we’ll proceed along our original plan. It’s time for us to take the field.” He folds the list as he speaks, planning to take Chang Liujun’s calligraphy to Wu Du.
“Wait a second.”
Before Duan Ling leaves, Chang Liujun stops him. “Once you pass the metropolitan exams, can you be my master?”
Stunned, Duan Ling stares silently at him for a beat before asking, “Ma—master?”
“Yeah, teach me how to read. Those in the estate who’re knowledgeable don’t have time, and the ones who have all the time in the world don’t know anything.”
Duan Ling suddenly feels rather overwhelmed by the attention. “Then why didn’t you ask Mu — the young master?”
“I …” Chang Liujun hesitates for a moment before saying, “He’s not as learned as you are.”
Duan Ling considers Chang Liujun with a strange look on his face, and Chang Liujun adds, “And his handwriting isn’t as pretty as yours. Well that’s decided then!”
Duan Ling can but nod, and Chang Liujun asks, “Have you memorised a lot of poems? Teach me how to write poetry.”
Duan Ling only knows how to write some pretentious limericks, and he says, “Not … really, no. But my essay-writing is alright.”
Suddenly, an idea occurs to Duan Ling as though he has managed to come to some sort of realisation. “What kind of poems are you planning to write?”
“Not any kind of poem in particular. I was just … saying. I’ll bring over some preserved meat later.”2
“There’s no need for any of that,” Duan Ling says. Chang Liujun is trying to get down on his knees and kowtow to make things official after that, and Duan Ling is utterly shocked and says before he does anything, “There’s no need for all that formality — let’s just agree on it for now, I’ll have to prepare for the exams over the next several days, and I’ll start teaching you once that’s over. Let’s leave things at that.”
Duan Ling gives Chang Liujun a few words of encouragement and asks him to go home and continue to recite his Thousand Character Classic for now, before hurrying downstairs himself. Wu Du is at the edge of the pond, staring at the fish.
“I was just about to come up and check on you. That damn bear was being all secretive again and told me he wanted a secret meeting with you.”
Duan Ling’s not sure what to say, and indicates that they’ll talk about it once they get home. Along the way he gives Chang Liujun’s desire to have him as a teacher some more thought, and understands why right away. It’s because as soon as the exams begin, he and Mu Qing won’t need to go to class any longer. The teacher’s mission is complete and he can go home, so Chang Liujun won’t have any more classes to sit in on. Chang Pin is busy making plans for Mu Kuangda and can’t spare time to teach an assassin, while Mu Kuangda with his encyclopedic mind that handles affairs of state is even less likely to have time for him, so all he can do is find himself a part-time teacher.
Three years at the Illustrious Hall, two years and a half at Biyong College, another half year spent studying in the chancellor’s estate; all his years of schooling, on and off, and as of now it is entirely complete. From this moment on, he’ll have to say goodbye to school life.
Duan Ling feels a bit wistful about the whole thing, and it’s almost like he’s dreaming — he remembers the day Lang Junxia took him to school for the first time, and how he was lectured by the headmaster.
It’s over just like that? Duan Ling distinctly feels like he hasn’t learned anything at all, that all his time’s been spent in vain.
“What kind of chicken scratch is this?” Wu Du holds up that “list of names”, asking Duan Ling this question with a look of disbelief on his face.
Duan Ling isn’t sure what to say either. “This probably says ‘Lin’,” he draws closer to Wu Du and scrutinises the list, putting their heads literally together. It takes most of the day and a lot of effort before they barely restore the list.
Wu Du takes the list to ask Chang Liujun about one of the characters only have Chang Liujun look back at him with disdain, what, you don’t even recognise the character “Xie”?
Wu Du and Duan Ling debate over what to do for most of the day; in three more days it’ll be the second day of the second month, the day of the exams. Wu Du is going to check on the room Duan Ling will be taking his exams in, and while he does so he’ll go to the palace and ask Li Yanqiu for a secret decree.
“I’ll go too …”
“You’re not going anywhere,” Wu Du says. “Stay home and study.”
Duan Ling can only drop it. Wu Du puts on formal dress, in head-to-toe black martial artist robes. It’s still quite cold outside, so Duan Ling gets him a blue suede cloak too; Wu Du stands in a puddle of snow melt, and spaces out for a little while.
“I’ll take you out somewhere when you finish your exams.” Wu Du turns back to look at Duan Ling, giving him a smile and patting him on the head. He gets on Benxiao, and kicking up muddy puddles along the alleyway, heads to the palace.
Wu Du’s cloak flutters behind him, and the Lieguangjian is hanging by his waist. Duan Ling takes a second look, then a third, not going back inside the courtyard until Wu Du disappears around the corner. He stretches, and walks several times around the courtyard for lack of anything better to do, examining each of the peach trees in turn.
Jiangzhou is full of peach trees, and this is his first spring in Jiangzhou; he wonders when their flowers will start to bloom. Duan Ling touches one of the buds to find the vague suggestion of pink — spring is almost here.
I do not monetise my hobby translations, but if you’d like to support my work generally or support my light novel habit, you can either buy me a coffee or commission me. This is also to note that if you see this message anywhere else than on tumblr, do come to my tumblr. It’s ad-free. ↩︎
You’re supposed to bring over preserved meat when you get a new teacher; or at least, it’s one of the six gifts you’re supposed to bring. They’re puns to idioms about learning. Chang Liujun is taking this very seriously. ↩︎
While in class today, Duan Ling keeps revisiting the strange dream he had the night before, and Mu Qing isn’t saying much either. The more he thinks about it the more wrong it feels. Mu Qing seems to know more about this stuff than he does — didn’t he ask Wu Du to put together an aphrodisiac for him last time?
Wu Du is entirely out of it, giving Duan Ling a glance from time to time, leaving Chang Liujun over there holding up his Thousand Character Classic going black sky yellow earth, vast universe all chaos, seemingly mouthing the words but not daring to make a sound.
After noon, Wu Du goes out into the courtyard to grab handfuls of snow beneath the veranda to scrub his face with. While he’s gone, Duan Ling gives Mu Qing a nudge. “Hey, young master, lemme ask you something.”
Yesterday, Duan Ling had left without saying goodbye, and Mu Qing has been rather grumpy about the whole thing, planning not to speak with Duan Ling in the morning as a bit of a punishment, but to his surprise Duan Ling is initiating a conversation, so Mu Qing takes this as a signal to make up and he goes right back to how he normally is.
“What? Do you want to go to the palace again?”
“Oh no.” Duan Ling waves that idea off right away and leans in closer to Mu Qing. “Have you seen … you know, that stuff?”
“What?” Mu Qing has no idea what he’s talking about, but he leans in a bit closer to Duan Ling as well.
Duan Ling thinks about how he should word this and decides to simply ask, “When a man’s all grown up … when they’re asleep, do they …”
Mu Qing stares at him questioningly.
“Pee the bed?”
Mu Qing seems to have come to some sort of realisation. Duan Ling has braced himself and managed to spit out those words with much difficulty.
Mu Qing is quiet for a beat before he can’t hold it anymore. “Pfft!”
Duan Ling flushes all the way down to his collarbones.Mu Qing leans in by his ear and whispers to him an explanation while Duan Ling looks completely incredulous the whole time.
“Aren’t you from a family of doctors? How can you not know about something like that?”
“I—I—I—I really had no idea. My dad never taught me any of that stuff either.”
“Heheh,” Mu Qing asks Duan Ling, “Do you want to have some fun? I can show you how.”
“Oh no no.” Duan Ling hasn’t regained his composure yet, and he hasn’t comprehended what Mu Qing’s invitation is implying either. His head is filled with those images; he recalls those erotic illustrations he saw in the Bouquet Pavilion, the boy courtesan who came to wait on him, there’s also that strapping, muscular man who kicked his foot out behind him to close the door, and he’s so overwhelmed he’s not sure how to feel, let along what to say.
“Young master —”
Chang Liujun is lying on the low daybed, taking a nap with a copy of the Thousand Character Classic over his face, and his voice sounds a little different.
Good heavens! Duan Ling’s chin nearly hit the floor.
Chang Liujun says with a voice that bears remarkable resemblance to another he’s heard before, “Young master, you’re so handsome. Why don’t I sing you a song?”
The one who was in the Bouquet Pavilion that night was — Chang Liujun! Duan Ling’s world collapses around him in an instant.
“You—you—you … Chang Liujun, it’s you!” Duan Ling is so embarrassed he wishes he could dig himself a hole and crawl into it.
“Wanna have some fun, young master?” Chang Liujun says, “Hmm?”
Duan Ling suddenly realises that Chang Liujun was there to keep an eye on him and Wu Du that night! And the Mu estate carriage that Lang Junxia saw was actually Mu Qing’s! In other words, Mu Kuangda has known that Wu Du and Cai Yan have been meeting in private all along!
Duan Ling sorts this out in his head, and recovers from his surprise. But still, he feels rather embarrassed. Since Chang Liujun and Mu Qing aren’t embarrassed, however, he shouldn’t be either.
“Do you two go there often?” Duan Ling asks.
“Just to play around a bit,” Mu Qing says. “Didn’t Wu Du take you there too? Or did Wu Du … to you …”
“He hasn’t.” Chang Liujun, though, is quite aware, and says with the book over his face, “Wu Du is a sodding gentleman, you know? He puts his precious adopted son on a pedestal — oh we’ll see how long he can hold out for.”
The one who’s most surprised about this actually turns out to be Mu Qing. Duan Ling cuts him off at once. “Don’t say anymore! Alright alright let’s leave it at that, you two get back to studying.”
Duan Lings is rather self-conscious around Mu Qing, but listening to Chang Liujun is actually a bit easier on him; he has no idea why that is, either. So when Wu Du comes back in after washing his face, wind-blown with a bit of ice sticking to his eyebrows and searching around for a towel to wipe it with, he finds all three of them staring at him.
“What are you looking at?” Wu Du asks, baffled.
The three immediately turn their heads away in unison, not looking at him anymore.
“How do you pronounce this character?” Chang Liujun asks Duan Ling.
Duan Ling quickly pretends he and Mu Qing have been teaching Chang Liujun how to read, and the three of them solemnly and with their heads close together go over the subject in great detail. Wu Du picks Duan Ling up by the collar and puts him back down next to himself; they continue to study with a clear line of desks between them, the two sides as distinct as either side of an Elephant Chessboard.
Duan Ling has started to find studying boring. When he was going through hard times he wanted to go to school, and now that life is good he wants to skip school; when he used to wander homeless as a drifter he thought often of his aspirations, but now that he’s settled down all he wants to do is go out somewhere fun with Wu Du.
His days in Tongguan were full of excitement. When can he go out and see the world again? The world is so big it makes one’s imagination roam. Once he enters the palace, perhaps the rest of his life will be just like his uncle’s, and he’ll never be able to leave again. What binds him firmly onto that chair is a set of fetters named responsibility.
Chang Pin comes personally in the afternoon with letters of recommendation for Duan Ling and Mu Qing to sign. Having this letter makes them the equivalent of students of the chancellor, and they can skip the provincial exams, allowing them to join the special metropolitan exams in early spring, and what comes after that will be the palace exams. After Duan Ling signs his name, he’s taken to see Mu Kuangda. Mu Kuangda is having a meeting with a literati official, and there’s also a young man just past twenty waiting in the covered veranda.
“This is the former Salt-Control Envoy Lord Huang’s son, Huang Jian,” Chang Pin says to Duan Ling and Mu Qing.
And so the three of them greet each other. Duan Ling finds out that aside from himself, this young man named Huang Jian also formally acknowledges Mu Kuangda as his teacher. Out of the three of them, Huang Jian is the oldest, but he speaks very little, seemingly unused to the bustling opulence of Jiangzhou. They’re all students of the chancellor, and once they’ve had a chat about their ages, Huang Jian grows a bit ill-at-ease. It’s not long before he leaves the Chancellor’s estate to head to his temporary residence in the city.
They only have another two months before the exams. Duan Ling perceives a hint of anxiousness, and he has no other option but to leave trifling ideas aside for now but take his studying seriously. But what’s the use of studying? At night, when Duan Ling is flipping through the books and scrolls, he feels a smidgen of melancholy starting to grow.
He’s already met Li Yanqiu, but his uncle didn’t manage to recognise him at all. Did he study and take the literati path in order to pass the metropolitan exams, walk before the throne, just to make sure Cai Yan sees him? Or perhaps wait until his name is placed among the top three graduates in the palace exams, and when the emperor recognises his achievements during the scholar’s feast, to tell everyone present that he, and not Cai Yan, is the real crown prince?
The consequences of such an action is something Duan Ling doesn’t even dare to contemplate. He suddenly finds himself disinterested; all he wants to do is to toss his books aside, but when he looks up, he finds Wu Du in the courtyard, practising his martial arts and circulating his qi.
“What is it?” Wu Du pulls his fists back towards his body, and comes back inside.
“Nothing. I’m just a bit sleepy.”
Their eyes meet calmly, but Duan Ling is distraught and filled with anxiety as he turns his gaze towards Wu Du. He’s worked so hard, but destiny has caused him to miss the best opportunity, as if it’s poking fun at him. What is he trying to achieve, anyway?
It’s a desolated night with the snow melting away; Wu Du seems able to sense Duan Ling’s melancholy. “I’ll go buy you some midnight snacks. What do you feel like eating?”
And now Duan Ling feels as though he’s let Wu Du down, somewhat. He forces himself to focus, and replies, “Don’t bother, it’s too cold outside.”
“What is it?” Wu Du asks him, looking all serious. “Tired?”
Duan Ling takes a deep breath. He wants to pour some of his gloominess out at Wu Du, but on second thought it just feels wrong — after all, Wu Du is someone who’s sworn to protect him for the rest of his life; Duan Ling can’t possibly tell him something so cowardly.
Duan Ling smiles. “I’m a bit nervous, that’s all. The exams are coming up soon.”
“You don’t have to put too much effort into it,” Wu Du realises what he’s worried about now. “Do your best, and what will be will be. I’ll figure out something for you when the time comes.”
Duan Ling recalls those things his father said to him when he entered Biyong College.
Wu Du leaves to get some snacks for Duan Ling. Facing the tranquil silence of late night, Duan Ling heaves a long, long sigh.
Outside, a flute begins to play.
Joyful Reunion!
It is a feeling he hasn’t had in a long time; who’s playing it?
The music is at times soothing and gentle, and at others the notes seem to leap freely through the air; it’s playing just outside the door, and as soon as it begins it has gently burrowed its way into the deepest part of Duan Ling’s heart.
It’s the way Wu Du plays — Duan Ling only feels caught unprepared, nearly drowning in the music.
Every time he has ever found himself alone and terrified, the arrival of this song has soothed his soul, as though imbuing him with formidable strength.
Only once the song ends does the clip-clop of Wu Du’s wooden sandals fade into the distance.
Dazed, Duan Ling sits before the table, remembering the way Lang Junxia played, the way his father played, and even how Xunchun played before the fall of Shangjing; countless images flash before his eyes like a revolving lantern, casting a picture show of galloping horses on the wall, urging him to keep moving forward.
By the time Wu Du comes back, Duan Ling had already laid his head on the table on his folded arms, and had fallen asleep.
People in Jiangzhou can’t tolerate the winter cold, and the entire city is asleep by this late hour. Wu Du walked for ages without managing to buy anything, so he can but come back empty-handed. He puts his hands together to warm them, rubbing them until they’re warm before he carries Duan Ling to the bed, lying down beside him.
When he wakes up the next morning, everything proceeds as usual for Duan Ling. Their teacher doesn’t have much he can teach them anymore, and so he’s ordered them to go back to their respective houses to review old material. And so Duan Ling spends his days in the chancellor estate’s library reading through mountains of old memorials, learning from Mu Kuangda’s approaches to state governance. All he can say is that Mu Kuangda has filled himself full of the sage’s wisdom and manages to use every last bit of it. Before he knows it, Duan Ling’s writing style starts taking on Mu Kuangda’s air.
Reading Mu Kuangda’s memorials, Duan Ling can almost understand why his father had declined to kill him. The Mus having so much power is an inevitable outcome — in the ten years that the imperial family of Chen spent in Xichuan, under Mu Kuangda’s skilful manoeuvring, the amount of taxes collected nearly tripled, and that was the only way Great Chen was able to send and supply an endless stream of troops to the northern border to garrison Yubiguan.
Hearing footsteps, Duan Ling looks up right away to see Chang Liujun walking towards him. No one is around, and sunlight is streaming through the library’s windows. Chang Liujun takes off his mask and says to Duan Ling, “I’ve finished my part of the plan.”
Seeing Chang Liujun’s face without any warning at all, Duan Ling’s expression immediately turns to panic, and he wants to call for Wu Du but Wu Du’s still downstairs. Chang Liujun however, sounds surprised when he says to him, “What are you panicking about?”
“Are you … are you going to kill me?” Duan Ling says, terrified.
“What?” Chang Liujun is startled before he finally realises. “Haven’t you seen my face before?”
Oh yeah … Duan Ling looks at Chang Liujun’s face carefully, and it is indeed the same face he saw at the Bouquet Pavilion, only there’s a tattoo on it now. It’s sitting off the corner of his mouth, and not only is it not ruining his face, it’s actually making him look even more aloof.
Chang Liujun tosses the cloth he uses as a mask up and down in one hand, toying with it, while his other hand is pressed flat against the bookshelf behind Duan Ling, trapping him. He sends Duan Ling a wicked smile, showing his canines.
“I’m going to call for help,” Duan Ling says, looking quite on guard.
Chang Liujun can but take his hand back. “Those two Mongolians are off to hand out bribes all over.”
It’s already been so long that even Duan Ling has nearly forgotten all about the plan he came up with; it won’t work as well if some parts of the plan are laid too far in advance of the others — they haven’t even used Wu Du’s poison yet, but Zheng Yan and Chang Liujun have already completed their assignments.
Chang Liujun produces a list of names and hands it to Duan Ling. “For you two. It’s time for Wu Du to make his move.”
Duan Ling takes the list. It’s full of Chang Liujun’s crooked handwriting. Seems like the past several months of learning to read and write are actually coming in handy.
“Good work,” Duan Ling says. “What did Chancellor Mu say?”
“He said he didn’t hear anything.” Chang Liujun gives him yet another smile.
Duan Ling thinks, that cunning old fox. This is what they mean when they say some things need not be said.
“Then we’ll proceed along our original plan. It’s time for us to take the field.” He folds the list as he speaks, planning to take Chang Liujun’s calligraphy to Wu Du.
“Wait a second.”
Before Duan Ling leaves, Chang Liujun stops him. “Once you pass the metropolitan exams, can you be my master?”
Stunned, Duan Ling stares silently at him for a beat before asking, “Ma—master?”
“Yeah, teach me how to read. Those in the estate who’re knowledgeable don’t have time, and the ones who have all the time in the world don’t know anything.”
Duan Ling suddenly feels rather overwhelmed by the attention. “Then why didn’t you ask Mu — the young master?”
“I …” Chang Liujun hesitates for a moment before saying, “He’s not as learned as you are.”
Duan Ling considers Chang Liujun with a strange look on his face, and Chang Liujun adds, “And his handwriting isn’t as pretty as yours. Well that’s decided then!”
Duan Ling can but nod, and Chang Liujun asks, “Have you memorised a lot of poems? Teach me how to write poetry.”
Duan Ling only knows how to write some pretentious limericks, and he says, “Not … really, no. But my essay-writing is alright.”
Suddenly, an idea occurs to Duan Ling as though he has managed to come to some sort of realisation. “What kind of poems are you planning to write?”
“Not any kind of poem in particular. I was just … saying. I’ll bring over some preserved meat later.”2
“There’s no need for any of that,” Duan Ling says. Chang Liujun is trying to get down on his knees and kowtow to make things official after that, and Duan Ling is utterly shocked and says before he does anything, “There’s no need for all that formality — let’s just agree on it for now, I’ll have to prepare for the exams over the next several days, and I’ll start teaching you once that’s over. Let’s leave things at that.”
Duan Ling gives Chang Liujun a few words of encouragement and asks him to go home and continue to recite his Thousand Character Classic for now, before hurrying downstairs himself. Wu Du is at the edge of the pond, staring at the fish.
“I was just about to come up and check on you. That damn bear was being all secretive again and told me he wanted a secret meeting with you.”
Duan Ling’s not sure what to say, and indicates that they’ll talk about it once they get home. Along the way he gives Chang Liujun’s desire to have him as a teacher some more thought, and understands why right away. It’s because as soon as the exams begin, he and Mu Qing won’t need to go to class any longer. The teacher’s mission is complete and he can go home, so Chang Liujun won’t have any more classes to sit in on. Chang Pin is busy making plans for Mu Kuangda and can’t spare time to teach an assassin, while Mu Kuangda with his encyclopedic mind that handles affairs of state is even less likely to have time for him, so all he can do is find himself a part-time teacher.
Three years at the Illustrious Hall, two years and a half at Biyong College, another half year spent studying in the chancellor’s estate; all his years of schooling, on and off, and as of now it is entirely complete. From this moment on, he’ll have to say goodbye to school life.
Duan Ling feels a bit wistful about the whole thing, and it’s almost like he’s dreaming — he remembers the day Lang Junxia took him to school for the first time, and how he was lectured by the headmaster.
It’s over just like that? Duan Ling distinctly feels like he hasn’t learned anything at all, that all his time’s been spent in vain.
“What kind of chicken scratch is this?” Wu Du holds up that “list of names”, asking Duan Ling this question with a look of disbelief on his face.
Duan Ling isn’t sure what to say either. “This probably says ‘Lin’,” he draws closer to Wu Du and scrutinises the list, putting their heads literally together. It takes most of the day and a lot of effort before they barely restore the list.
Wu Du takes the list to ask Chang Liujun about one of the characters only have Chang Liujun look back at him with disdain, what, you don’t even recognise the character “Xie”?
Wu Du and Duan Ling debate over what to do for most of the day; in three more days it’ll be the second day of the second month, the day of the exams. Wu Du is going to check on the room Duan Ling will be taking his exams in, and while he does so he’ll go to the palace and ask Li Yanqiu for a secret decree.
“I’ll go too …”
“You’re not going anywhere,” Wu Du says. “Stay home and study.”
Duan Ling can only drop it. Wu Du puts on formal dress, in head-to-toe black martial artist robes. It’s still quite cold outside, so Duan Ling gets him a blue suede cloak too; Wu Du stands in a puddle of snow melt, and spaces out for a little while.
“I’ll take you out somewhere when you finish your exams.” Wu Du turns back to look at Duan Ling, giving him a smile and patting him on the head. He gets on Benxiao, and kicking up muddy puddles along the alleyway, heads to the palace.
Wu Du’s cloak flutters behind him, and the Lieguangjian is hanging by his waist. Duan Ling takes a second look, then a third, not going back inside the courtyard until Wu Du disappears around the corner. He stretches, and walks several times around the courtyard for lack of anything better to do, examining each of the peach trees in turn.
Jiangzhou is full of peach trees, and this is his first spring in Jiangzhou; he wonders when their flowers will start to bloom. Duan Ling touches one of the buds to find the vague suggestion of pink — spring is almost here.
I do not monetise my hobby translations, but if you’d like to support my work generally or support my light novel habit, you can either buy me a coffee or commission me. This is also to note that if you see this message anywhere else than on tumblr, do come to my tumblr. It’s ad-free. ↩︎
You’re supposed to bring over preserved meat when you get a new teacher; or at least, it’s one of the six gifts you’re supposed to bring. They’re puns to idioms about learning. Chang Liujun is taking this very seriously. ↩︎
