Chapter 138: Hello Chang’an
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Chapter 138: Surprises Come with Age
“How could such a thing come to me?” Grand Tutor Zhu snorted lightly, though a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.
After a while, he said, “How about ‘Wu Er’ (No Two)?”
“‘Wu Er’?” Qiao Yan pondered. “‘Wu Er’ means ‘Not Two.’ In Buddhist philosophy, there is the principle of the ‘One True Reality’—a truth that emphasizes the equality of all things in the world, without any distinction between them. This concept is referred to as ‘Not Two.’”
“Doesn’t it perfectly align with what she is doing?” Grand Tutor Zhu remarked. “Her words and actions—forming a society as a woman, defying societal prejudice—aren’t they practicing this ‘Not Two’ way?”
Qiao Yan smiled and nodded in agreement.
“However…” Grand Tutor Zhu furrowed his brow and suddenly turned to Qiao Yan, asking, “Does she even know what she is doing or what she wants?”
“As I just said, the child is playing around. She simply enjoys the excitement. At her age, there’s nothing too deep in her intentions…” Qiao Yan replied with a light-hearted smile. “Even if she stumbled into the ‘Not Two’ path, it must have been by accident, like a careless brush with a willow.”
Grand Tutor Zhu snorted again. “You, always so secretive… Are you not telling me the real truth because you’re afraid I’ll eat her up?”
Qiao Yan sighed with an innocent look on his face.
He quickly shifted the topic back to the name of the society. “Setting aside the Buddhist philosophy, ‘Wu Er’ is indeed a suitable name... After all, my student is truly one of a kind!”
Hearing “my student,” Grand Tutor Zhu curled his lips. “I say, your student is good, but surely she’s not one you taught yourself.”
When she was painting on Tai Lou, she didn’t study painting from him!
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This novel is translated by the Eternal Novel Hits translators. Please read it at https://eternalnovelhits.blogspot.com
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This student came with skills of her own, and had nothing to do with him, the teacher who came along halfway.
Grand Tutor Zhu muttered to himself, “Besides, she’s copying Chongyue’s brushwork. That’s one of my students. Now, thinking about it… hm…”
Grand Tutor Zhu’s old face relaxed slightly.
Qiao Yan was happy to flatter him further. “Yes, yes, who hasn’t read your essays and poetry? What young person hasn’t received enlightenment from your vast ocean of knowledge? All the scholars in the world revere you as a model teacher.”
No matter how he flattered him, after all, the student was his. No one could take her away.
Grand Tutor Zhu waved his hand dismissively, cutting off Qiao Yan.
“Enough of this talk about scholars…”
He certainly wasn’t interested.
Not everyone could just come and call him ‘teacher.’
After some idle conversation, Grand Tutor Zhu casually asked, “Is my painting still not finished?”
“Not finished?” Qiao Yan asked, surprised.
“Why are you mimicking my way of speaking?” Grand Tutor Zhu frowned. “What, is your painting done?”
Qiao Yan smiled modestly.
It was done, of course. It had been hanging in the Imperial Academy’s office for quite some time now, where it had been used to handle official business.
“I’ve put more care into your painting, naturally,” Qiao Yan reassured, lying through his teeth.
Grand Tutor Zhu glanced in the direction of the bamboo grove, displeased. “...I think she’s forgotten about it. No doubt she’s just playing around again, losing herself in frivolous things.”
Qiao Yan: “…”
Just now, didn’t he say that playing around was also a talent?
Why did it change once it was about his own painting?
Speaking of which, Grand Tutor Zhu had come all the way here today. Could it be that he was here to urge him to finish the painting?
“Speaking of which, it’s been almost two months since the Dragon Boat Festival, and I haven’t seen you, Grand Tutor Zhu. Is the Ministry of Rites that busy?”
This question acted like a curse word. Upon hearing it, Grand Tutor Zhu’s face immediately contorted in pain.
“Busy? Not at all! Those official duties are stacked up on my desk, taller than my age! If I laid them all out on the floor, they’d stretch longer than my life!”
“During the day, it’s bad enough, but I’m often still stuck at work when night falls. The moment I see someone lighting a lamp, I feel like throwing all the lamp oil on the official documents, lighting them on fire, and burning it all down!”
Qiao Yan: “…”
Now, that sounded like someone who was really losing it.
It even seemed like a ‘let’s both perish’ kind of mentality.
For the next quarter hour, Grand Tutor Zhu’s mouth didn’t stop ranting.
Qiao Yan couldn’t help but mentally slap himself—why did he have to bring it up? What was wrong with him to ask such a question?
The complaints poured out so much that the river in front of them might as well turn into a sea of bitterness, and the fish in it would probably start reflecting on their sins for suddenly being subjected to such divine punishment.
“…And now they’re messing around with the matter of selecting a Crown Princess. It’s still in the planning stages, not even an official marriage yet, just the selection process, and yet all the trivial matters have been pushed to the Ministry of Rites!”
Qiao Yan finally heard something interesting and lowered his voice to ask, "Are they really going to choose a crown princess?"
"Is there any doubt? Since last month, they've mentioned preparing for the Mid-Autumn Flower Feast. At that time, all noble young women aged twelve to eighteen in the capital will be invited to the banquet..."
Qiao Yan seemed to understand, "The emperor has reluctantly agreed to this..."
The proposal to select a crown princess was put forward by the officials from the scholar families.
"What else could she do? Can she stop people from marrying openly?" Grand Tutor Zhu said, "As the saying goes, one must settle down and establish a career. If they can't establish a career, are they not allowed to start a family? If that were the case, wouldn’t these people use it as a pretext to cause chaos?"
Qiao Yan felt a little anxious and instinctively glanced around — they were outside, after all!
"Although the emperor had no choice but to compromise, this crown princess will be chosen sooner or later. It's better to try and take advantage of the opportunity..."
"Grand Tutor Zhu, Grand Tutor Zhu..." Qiao Yan hurriedly interrupted with a smile, "Let's focus on fishing."
Grand Tutor Zhu glanced at him. "What are you afraid of? I'm just speaking to you in private."
Qiao Yan: "..."
He didn't exactly want the favor that came with risking his life!
Though he and the old minister were like-minded when it came to losing their positions, he wasn't yet prepared to risk his life—after all, he was still young compared to the old minister.
"Let's see how many fish rise to the bait..." Grand Tutor Zhu said, gazing at the river, using that phrase to wrap up his earlier comments.
Qiao Yan also looked at the river, a mix of admiration and worry in his eyes.
He didn’t belong to any faction, but with the constant infighting, how many people in this world could avoid being dragged into it?
The selection of a crown princess was officially a choice of consort for the crown prince, but under the beautiful pretense of the flower feast, who knew what bloodshed and conflict might be hiding beneath?
The Mid-Autumn Flower Feast...
There was less than two months left.
Leaving the grand affairs aside, luckily, his two daughters would likely not be involved. Sister Mianmian had eye problems, and Ning Ning had a mental condition...
Although the latter did not affect her basic life, her behavior these days was far from the gentle and virtuous qualities expected in a crown princess, so she was not a candidate.
Unless something unexpected happened, there shouldn’t be any surprises.
Qiao Yan decided to relax and focus on fishing.
He couldn’t manage the larger affairs, so it was better to look after his own family.
"They're coming, they're coming..." Grand Tutor Zhu suddenly lowered his voice.
Qiao Yan immediately became alert, looking at the bait.
Just then, something struck the old willow tree beside them, causing it to sway and making a loud "bang."
Immediately after, something fell from the tree.
Seeing that the polo ball had landed next to the fishing basket, scaring off the fish that was about to bite, Grand Tutor Zhu glared and shouted, "Who did that?"
Cui Lang, who had volunteered to retrieve the ball, heard the question and froze, then stealthily turned around and went back.
A group of young men looked at each other, none of them daring to speak.
None of the students were afraid of Qiao Yan, especially with the added presence of the fierce Grand Tutor Zhu. They should have asked Yubai to fetch the ball, but Yubai wasn’t present today.
So, the young men silently looked towards their group leader.
Cui Lang also looked at his teacher.
Though his teacher’s life was valuable, she was a woman, and had received praise from Grand Tutor Zhu. Surely, Grand Tutor Zhu would show some leniency.
As the head of the family, Chang Suining had to take the responsibility and go to the riverbank to fetch the ball.
"How did you hit the ball?"
"Clumsy. If I had hit that tree, it would have been an attempt on the life of a high-ranking official!"
Grand Tutor Zhu angrily tossed the colorful polo ball, the size of a fist.
Chang Suining reached out, catching it steadily, then smiled and apologized.
"What about my painting?" At the mention of this, Grand Tutor Zhu was even more annoyed.
"It's in the painting." Chang Suining spoke quickly, "I’ve ruined more than ten pieces, not satisfied with any of them, that's why it’s delayed."
Grand Tutor Zhu eyed her with a half-believing expression.
"Just now, Grand Tutor Zhu gave your polo club a name." Qiao Yan timely spoke up to ease the tension, smiling as he asked the young girl in a light blue narrow robe, her forehead covered in sweat, "How about 'Wuer Club'?"
The girl’s eyes, glistening with sweat, looked at Grand Tutor Zhu. "Very good, thank you, Grand Tutor Zhu. Let's call it that."
Grand Tutor Zhu, feeling secretly pleased, looked indifferent on the outside, and said, "It’s getting late, don’t lose yourself in distractions."
The implication was clear: play less polo and do more painting.
"Yes, we'll play one more round to decide the winner, then go back."
Grand Tutor Zhu looked at her polo attire, and for some reason, his tone softened a little, letting out a sigh, "A young girl shouldn’t always be playing with sticks and balls..."
It wasn’t that he had a prejudice against women.
It was just that compared to the pain and injuries, living a peaceful life wasn’t such a bad thing.
There had been students of his who, since childhood, had spent all their time either studying or practicing martial arts. They often came back with bruises, sometimes even cuts.
Later, they went to the battlefield, and whenever they returned to the capital, their bruises and scars would be hidden from sight.
But he knew that beneath the seemingly majestic armor and robes, there were countless scars they refused to let him see.
After suffering so many injuries and enduring things ordinary people could never imagine, in the end...
Even after all these years, thinking about it still caused Grand Tutor Zhu’s heart to ache deeply.
His dislike for the court and the current state of affairs wasn’t without reason.
In his view, the young woman smiled brightly. "Don’t worry, Minister, I will be careful."
"A blade or a stick has no eyes. Being careful won’t always suffice." Grand Tutor Zhu resumed his usual gruff demeanor. "If one day you injure your wrist and can't hold a paintbrush, you'll be the one crying."
Qiao Yan silently glanced at his old friend—he was the one who would end up crying, right? After all, the painting was still unfinished.
"I wanted to steady my hand with the paintbrush, that's why I'm strengthening my body," Chang Suining said to Grand Tutor Zhu. "You should also stretch out and move a little, stop sitting around fishing all the time, a relaxed body leads to better health."
Grand Tutor Zhu wasn’t appreciative. "What do I need health for? I’ve lived long enough."
Qiao Yan helplessly sighed. "What are you saying... You're at the age when you should be enjoying the company of your children and grandchildren, living a peaceful old age."
Grand Tutor Zhu began to puff up his cheeks. "I would love to enjoy my old age, but that scoundrel Wei Shuyi has been talking behind my back, came up with this dreadful idea, and pushed me into the position of Minister of Rites!"
Chang Suining: "...?"
Amazing.
"Children and grandchildren? The noise and chaos are just bothersome," Grand Tutor Zhu muttered, continuing to fish.
His picky personality and unpleasant words made his children and grandchildren dread seeing him.
And his indiscriminate criticism wasn’t without cause. Ever since he was young, he had been like this. Once, his family forced him to visit a doctor at a spring clinic. After hearing both his self-description and his family’s accounts, the physician concluded that he suffered from a rare condition called "aversion to stupidity."
A condition where seeing foolish people would make him agitated, and it was incurable.
But the physician still gave plenty of advice, urging him to regulate his mood and seek emotional guidance when necessary, even prescribing a remedy—though this was meant for his family to follow.
This condition, once considered incurable, had been temporarily "treated."
But once the medicinal aid was gone, it returned.
Now, he not only disliked stupidity but even had a bit of disdain for the world.
"You’re not yet seventy," the girl’s voice rang out again. "It’s better to live longer. Who knows, there may be surprises in store."
Grand Tutor Zhu snorted. "What surprise could there be at my age..."
A moment later, he turned around, only to see that the girl had already run back.
"That day in the Dengtai Tower when you looked at the paintings, you seemed quite surprised, didn’t you, Minister?" Qiao Yan casually said with a smile.
Grand Tutor Zhu said nothing but didn’t deny it either.
The two of them continued to sit in silence, fishing quietly.
...
The news of Chang Suining naming her polo club "Wuer Club" quickly spread throughout the Imperial Academy and sparked a great deal of debate.
"Wuer... does that mean it’s the first?"
"Isn’t that a bit too bold?"
"It’s not about being bold, this was decided by Grand Tutor Zhu." Cui Lang appeared behind a group of students discussing the matter and sighed, "Grand Tutor Zhu gave it the name, and we, as juniors, can’t refuse."
This statement triggered another round of heated discussion.
When this matter reached Song Xian’s ears, his brow furrowed.
...
The next day was the day Chang Suining returned to Xingning Lane.
In the early morning, Chang Kuo had not yet returned from court, and Chang Sui’an had already been waiting outside the door with Ah Dian.
"Xiao A Li, has anything interesting happened in the Imperial Academy lately?"
Chang Suining chatted with Ah Dian all the way.
When they entered the hall, Chang Sui’an ordered some pastries that Ah Dian loved to eat, and Ah Dian immediately focused on the snacks, forgetting to speak with Chang Suining.
Chang Sui’an quietly spoke to his sister. "Ning Ning, there’s news from Bingzhou."
Chang Suining: "Have they found Wu Lin?"
Two months ago, after learning the origin of the Red Bean Girl painting, Chang Kuo immediately sent people to Bingzhou to search for him. However, a month ago, the news came back that Wu Lin had disappeared, likely because he had fled, fearing that the Chang family would come for him after hearing about the situation.
But the search continued, and after another month, new information had finally arrived.
Chang Sui’an nodded. "They found him, but... he’s dead."
Chang Suining wasn’t surprised and only asked, "Do they know how he died?"
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