Chapter 12: CH 11

In a few days, Chu Shuxin sent a reply agreeing to come to Dingyong Marquis Mansion to teach.

Xiao Jingduo was not surprised by this outcome. After the old madam’s maid informed him that the formal classes would start the next day, Xiao Jingduo spent the entire afternoon tidying up things in Qingze Courtyard.

Although the new dynasty had been established, the prices remained high. Ten liters of rice cost as much as eight thousand coins, making it unaffordable for even the wealthy, let alone the common people. As for writing materials like brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, which were never cheap to begin with, the years of war had severely disrupted production, causing the price of paper to skyrocket.

Since Xiao Jingduo had been relegated to a remote courtyard, naturally, no one would prepare these scholarly supplies for him. Everything he currently had was painstakingly acquired bit by bit with his own money from outside the mansion

Qiuju was organizing the brushes and ink for Xiao Jingduo, unable to hold back her complaints: “The marquis is really heartless. The young master is meeting his tutor tomorrow, yet he doesn’t even ask about it, let alone prepare any scholarly supplies for him. Such coarse ink is not worthy of the young master…”

Xiao Jingduo, however, smiled faintly. “There’s no need.”

“Huh?” Qiuju looked up, puzzled. “Why not? Even if you’re still upset with the marquis, you shouldn’t be at odds with money! Paper and ink are expensive.”

Xiao Jingduo did not explain further. His gaze shifted to the window as he fell into deep thought.

Qiuju’s words reminded him of an important point: the cost of paper needed for his studies alone was a significant expense. Since Xiao Ying would not provide this money and Xiao Jingduo did not want to use Xiao Ying’s money, figuring out how to cover these costs became his most urgent problem.

When Xiao Jingduo went to the capital, he had not yet fallen out with Xiao Ying. At that time, the servants had given him many gold, silver, and jade items, which he still had. However, despite their value, they could not solve his immediate problem. The cash he had on hand was less than 500 coins.

In addition to his own writing supplies, he also needed to support his mother’s medical treatment. Although a doctor came to the mansion every ten days to check her pulse, saving some medical expenses, Xiao Jingduo did not mean to belittle him, but the doctor’s skills were truly mediocre. His medical approach was far inferior to that of his maternal grandfather, and no matter the ailment, his only solution seemed to be exorcism.

Xiao Jingduo had tolerated this incompetent doctor for a long time. Finally, he decided to find another way and spent his own money to prepare medicinal supplements for his mother. Unfortunately, his maternal grandfather passed away early; had he learned medicine himself, there would be no need to rely on outside doctors.

Compared to his mother’s illness, his own expenses were much less important, so when Xiao Jingduo went to the street to buy writing brushes and ink, he didn’t choose the best ones but instead picked the most economical ones.

Because of this, Qiuju kept saying, “Young Master, you’re being too hard on yourself. Writing tools are your face at school. You’re the eldest son of the Marquis’s household; how can you lose face?”

Xiao Jingduo himself didn’t care: “It’s just empty fame.”

He had more important things to do.

Qiuju looked at Xiao Jingduo, tears suddenly welling up in her eyes: “Young Master, you’re only nine years old. What child at this age isn’t playful and competitive? Yet you’re so sensible.” Qiuju wiped away her tears forcefully, her tone firm, not knowing if she was trying to convince Xiao Jingduo or herself, “Young Master, you’ll surely have great achievements in the future!”

Xiao Jingduo was amused by Qiuju. He nodded and said, “I’ll take that as a good omen.”

Qiuju looked at Xiao Jingduo’s smile and seemed to be stunned for a moment: “Young Master, you just smiled! You haven’t smiled in a long time.”

“Is that so?” As he spoke, Xiao Jingduo unconsciously suppressed his smile, returning to his cold and indifferent appearance.

Then Xiao Jingduo saw that Qiuju, the crybaby, was about to cry again. He felt a bit at a loss and immediately stood up: “You go ahead with your work, I’ll go check on Mother.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Jingduo didn’t dare to look at Qiuju’s expression and ran out in a flash.

In the main room, Zhao Xiulan was leaning on the bed, looking absent-mindedly at the falling leaves outside the window. “It’s already autumn…”

As soon as Xiao Jingduo entered the room, he saw his mother’s dispirited appearance. His heart sank for a moment, but he forced himself to put on a smile and walked towards Zhao Xiulan, pretending to be cheerful: “Mother, tomorrow I’ll start studying with the teacher.”

“Is that so?” Zhao Xiulan showed a weak smile, “That’s wonderful; my Duo’er can now study too.”

Studying has always been a privilege of the noble families. For commoners with better circumstances, being able to recognize characters was already quite good, let alone reading those Confucian and Taoist classics. Moreover, many books were not circulated in the market. These books were kept within noble families, passed down from generation to generation as family property, and were never shown to outsiders.

It wasn’t until the previous dynasty when one could become an official through studying, that schools gradually became popular among common people. Otherwise, if reading and writing were useless, why would ordinary people spend enormous sums to send their children to study?

Because Zhao Xiulan’s father was a doctor, she could read, but she didn’t understand the Four Books and Five Classics. These were books that only aristocratic families had the opportunity and the right to read.

Thanks to Zhao Xiulan, Xiao Jingduo could also read, but he hadn’t received a systematic education. So, having a tutor come to teach him was extremely beneficial.

As Xiao Jingduo kept Zhao Xiulan company and talked with her, he quickly noticed that her mind was elsewhere. She would occasionally cover her mouth and cough lightly, clearly suffering from a chronic illness that was hard to cure.

Xiao Jingduo’s heart sank. He knew he only had a basic understanding of medicine, far from the level needed to treat people. Yet he still boldly prescribed and decocted medicine for Zhao Xiulan based solely on a medical book. Beyond this, he was at a loss for what to do.

Even so, Zhao Xiulan’s health deteriorated day by day. It was clearly a sickness of the heart, one that no amount of tonic medicine Xiao Jingduo gave her could cure. “Mother,” Xiao Jingduo couldn’t help but grasp Zhao Xiulan’s ice-cold hand, once again reaffirming to her, “I will grow up quickly and take you away from this place as soon as possible. Mother, I will definitely seek justice for you. You must hold on and live to see that day come with me.”

“Alright.” Zhao Xiulan smiled and nodded, then urged him to rest. “It’s late. You should go back and rest now. You still have to see your tutor tomorrow.”

Xiao Jingduo sighed heavily and left as she said.

Under the lamplight, he stroked the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, his eyes flashing with intense light.

He was determined to fulfill his promise to his mother, to make a name for himself early, to reclaim the honor of the Marchioness for her, and then take her away from this oppressive place.

He firmly believed that this day would not be too far off.

The next day, Xiao Jingduo arrived at the study room early, waiting for Chu Shuxin’s arrival.

In the middle of the Chen hour (7-9 am), a middle-aged scholar wearing a blue robe slowly walked in from outside.

Xiao Jingduo hurriedly stood up and bowed respectfully to the teacher: “Xiao Jingduo pays his respects to the teacher.”

Chu Shuxin nodded lightly, clearly having heard something about the Xiao family’s situation. He glanced briefly and recognized Xiao Jingduo: “You are the eldest young master of the Xiao family?”

“That’s correct.”

Chu Shuxin nodded again and then said no more. This former imperial examination candidate was thin and unkempt, but his face was quite indifferent, as if he cared about nothing. Xiao Jingduo didn’t dare to speak rashly, lest he displease the teacher.

After waiting a while longer, Xiao Jinghu arrived. Xiao Jingduo could hear the commotion from afar. Xiao Jinghu walked impatiently in front, followed by many servants – some from the old madam, some from Second Aunt Xiao, and even some from the sisters Xiao Yufang and Xiao Yuli. Second Uncle Xiao walked beside Xiao Jinghu, seemingly still giving some instructions.

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In comparison, Xiao Jingduo alone was truly efficient.

Second Uncle Xiao led Xiao Jinghu to Chu Shuxin, exchanged a few polite greetings, then had Xiao Jingduo and Xiao Jinghu bow to the teacher as their master. Immediately after, they presented the gifts for the teacher, knelt to pay respects to Confucius, and by the time all this fuss was over, it was already quite late. Second Uncle Xiao gave Xiao Jinghu another warning glare, then left with the servants, leaving the space to Teacher Chu and his students.

After all the unnecessary people had withdrawn, Chu Shuxin sat at the head and inquired about Xiao Jingduo and Xiao Jinghu’s literacy. “Can you both read?”

Xiao Jinghu vigorously shook his head, while Xiao Jingduo carefully said, “My maternal grandfather and mother have taught me a bit; I know the commonly used characters.”

“Good,” Chu Shuxin nodded indifferently, then said, “Open the Thousand Character Classic; today, we’ll start by recognizing characters.”

“Heaven and Earth, dark and yellow, the universe vast and wild. Sun and moon, wax and wane, stars and constellations spread across the sky. Cold comes and heat departs, autumn harvests and winter stores…”

After Chu Shuxin led them in reciting once, he started from the first line, explaining the meaning and structure of each character. Chu Shuxin’s explanations were detailed and well-referenced, showing his solid foundation. Although Xiao Jingduo had learned some characters from medical books before, he had never studied systematically. Now, with Chu Shuxin’s explanation, he felt enlightened, thinking “so that’s how it is.”

Chu Shuxin taught them characters using the Thousand Character Classic. While this required a high level of knowledge from the teacher, it was perhaps too boring for children. Sure enough, before long, Xiao Jinghu was squirming on his reed mat, clearly impatient.

Chu Shuxin noticed but pretended not to, and Xiao Jingduo was happy with this. The teacher not paying attention to Xiao Jinghu greatly sped up the progress, which was very beneficial for Xiao Jingduo.

At the same time, Xiao Jingduo became more certain of his guess. Teacher Chu probably didn’t want to come to the Marquis’s mansion to teach children, but was forced to do so due to financial circumstances.

Half an hour later, Xiao Jinghu couldn’t bear it anymore. Considering it was their first lesson, Chu Shuxin generously ended the class, allowing them to rest for a moment.

As soon as the teacher left his seat, the servants who had been waiting outside rushed in, surrounding Xiao Jinghu. They were adding water, fanning him – Xiao Jinghu was used to this and ordered them around without hesitation.

It hadn’t been long, yet he had already been spoiled like this. Xiao Jingduo shook his head inwardly. He didn’t want to pay attention to the commotion around Xiao Jinghu, instead turning his head to diligently recite the content the teacher had just taught.

Xiao Jingduo had wanted to read quietly, but he was destined not to have his wish. His three female cousins had somehow learned that Xiao Jinghu’s class was over and now came running to curry favor. Xiao Yufang brought a plate of pastries, while Xiao Yumang went even further, directly bringing a bowl of cold soup, saying it was to refresh Xiao Jinghu. The three of them surrounded Xiao Jinghu, trying to show concern while subtly excluding others. Even from a distance, Xiao Jingduo found their behavior quite impressive.

Were Xiao Yufang and the others really here to look after their brother who had just started school? Obviously not. Xiao Jingduo was very clear that the real purpose of these three was to please the old madam. After all, it was the old madam who held the power in the marquis’s household. If they wanted to live well, they could only rack their brains to please their grandmother. In the past, Xiao Yumang’s attentiveness to Xiao Jingduo was for the same reason. However, after Xiao Jingduo fell out with Xiao Ying, these three shrewd cousins found that Xiao Jingduo was no longer profitable, so they turned to coax Xiao Jinghu instead.

All these ups and downs happened within a few months. As a member of this household, Xiao Jingduo had a deeper experience of the warmth and coldness of human nature. Power was indeed a good thing – as long as one had even the slightest connection to those in power, people would flock to show their concern.

Xiao Jingduo had come to see clearly the intricacies among these women in the inner courtyard. At this moment, he even felt somewhat fortunate that he was male, able to leave the family and establish his own career, not having to focus all his thoughts on how to please the head of the household. In the inner courtyard, status was disregarded and only power mattered. The ways of the world were just like this.

The strong rely on self-improvement. Xiao Jingduo’s interest in the inner courtyard’s affairs gradually cooled. He decided not to waste any more attention here, and instead lowered his head to silently recite today’s lesson.

“Heaven and Earth, dark and yellow, the universe vast and wild.”

While Xiao Jinghu was surrounded by a cloud of servants and three pretty elder female cousins saying nice things, Xiao Jingduo’s area was deserted. This stark contrast was undoubtedly awkward. Although no one in the room dared to approach Xiao Jingduo, everyone was secretly observing his reactions. When they saw that Xiao Jingduo’s expression hadn’t changed at all from start to finish, and he just kept his head down reading, they found it uninteresting. However, along with their disappointment, they also developed some admiration.

At such a young age, the eldest young master had such good composure, able to accept even this kind of disparity.

Fortunately, the chaos in the study room only lasted for a short while. Soon, Chu Shuxin returned. Seeing the teacher come back, Xiao Yufang and her two sisters, however unwilling, had to make way. They couldn’t risk being accused of interfering with the young master’s studies.

As Xiao Yufang and her sisters left, looking back repeatedly, Teacher Chu pretended not to see. Without waiting for everyone to be seated, he opened his book and continued the lesson.

Xiao Jingduo immediately forced himself to focus and immerse himself in the book.

In the second half of the lesson, Xiao Jinghu was extremely impatient. He tasted the pastries Xiao Yufang had brought while looking around boredly, wishing the class would end the next moment. When he finally saw Chu Shuxin stop and appear to be putting away his books, Xiao Jinghu didn’t wait for the teacher to dismiss the class and immediately ran out.

Xiao Jingduo felt somewhat embarrassed and apologized to the teacher: “My younger brother is rash, please don’t mind him, teacher.”

Chu Shuxin waved his hand: “It’s fine.” After saying this, he was about to leave.

Xiao Jingduo didn’t bother to tidy up his writing materials and hurriedly caught up with him: “Teacher, I heard that you once participated in the imperial examinations of the previous dynasty. May I ask what classics were covered in those examinations?”

Chu Shuxin gave Xiao Jingduo a strange look, his tone still cold and unwilling to discuss further: “You are the eldest grandson of the Marquis’s family, the Marquis’s own son. You don’t need to participate in the imperial examinations, so why ask about these things? Besides, there are no more imperial examinations now.”

Xiao Jingduo smiled bitterly, but not wanting to reveal his family’s situation to an outsider, he simply bowed deeply to Chu Shuxin: “Please, teacher, don’t withhold your guidance.”

Chu Shuxin also sighed deeply: “You don’t want to speak, and I don’t want to hear. But the imperial examinations were abolished in the previous dynasty, so you shouldn’t entertain such thoughts. People should accept their fate. If Heaven has allowed you to be born as a common citizen, then don’t be overly ambitious, thinking of soaring high. Your family has inherited privileges, and in the future, you can easily obtain an official position through your father. There’s really no need to inquire about these things.”

After saying this, Chu Shuxin seemed unwilling to speak further and walked away quickly. He hadn’t taken more than a few steps when he suddenly heard the young man’s voice from behind: “Teacher, if the new dynasty were to reinstate the imperial examinations, would you truly be content to give up?”

Chu Shuxin’s steps only paused for a moment before he continued striding forward. He sighed inwardly, thinking that young masters these days were truly unlikeable.

As night fell and all was quiet, many had already entered dreamland, but the light in the east wing of Qingze Courtyard was still lit.

Xiao Jingduo held a brush, writing characters stroke by stroke under the lamplight.

He had already started his education late, so to catch up with others, he could only put in double the effort.

That night, the light in Qingze Courtyard stayed on until midnight before going out. By this time, the old madam in Gaoshou Hall, Xiao Ying and Wu Junru in the main courtyard, and even all of Chang’an, had long been asleep.

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Author’s note:

Congratulations on collecting all the fragments; you’ve unlocked a beautiful image:

“Xiao Jingduo, who developed prejudices against women and the inner court due to his bitter experiences as a youth.jpg”

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