National Division

Chapter 5 Yu Qingchan

Qingyang Temple

After finishing his lunch, Shen Xian washed his hands and noticed that a light spring rain had begun to fall in the courtyard.

Raindrops fell on the artificial hills and pavilions in the courtyard, while the gnarled and leafy willow tree appeared even more verdant under the rain.

Pei Shenxing walked up to Shen Xian and said with emotion, "This year's spring drought should be alleviated somewhat, so the magistrate should not have to worry."

"Yes, it's truly a timely rain." Shen Xian replied, though he didn't have a father who was a county clerk, so he didn't really have a deep understanding of this.

Pei Shen said, "Brother Shen, I recently acquired a precious bow, which is said to have been left behind by a female general from the previous dynasty. If you have the time, why don't you go and take a look?"

Clearly, this young master Pei wanted to befriend Shen Xian, so he catered to his preferences.

Upon hearing this, Shen Xian became genuinely interested and asked curiously, "I wonder how many stones this bow weighs, and what materials it is made of?"

"The bow is made of purple yew wood, can withstand nine stones, and its body is tanned from longhorn beetle sinew. Even in the military, only officers of brigade commander rank or above can draw it," Pei Shen said.

Shen Xian shook his head and said, "I can't draw the Nine Stone Bow yet."

“With Brother Shen’s talent in martial arts, this will only take a year or two,” Pei Shen said with a smile.

Shen Xian said, "I'm afraid it won't work today. Let's talk again tomorrow."

Pei Shen was clearly trying to befriend him; the registrar was a prominent figure in the county.

Especially since Liu Yu is not on good terms with him now, he needs friends in the county who can support him.

Pei Shen nodded, a smile on his face, and said, "Then it's settled."

After Shen Xian and Pei Shen agreed on the matter, they remained silent and began to close their eyes and pretend to sleep.

As the bells rang out one after another, interrupting their conversation, the students who were resting washed up and headed towards the Liangyi Hall.

After everyone sat down, the tall, thin Taoist priest who had been in charge of the lessons came forward and said, "The abbot has something to attend to and will not be teaching this afternoon. Everyone should practice calligraphy first. The abbot has assigned homework: to copy 'Free and Easy Wandering' and 'Zhuangzi's Dream of the Butterfly' three times. There are other arrangements, which will be distributed in half an hour."

As he spoke, he instructed several young disciples to distribute the printed examination papers to the students present.

Shen Xian took the paper from the young Taoist boy and began to copy the calligraphy, which contained "Free and Easy Wandering" and "Zhuangzi's Dream of a Butterfly".

The paper after the copy is made will then be presented to the Hermit.

Following his memory, Shen Xian's pen moved like a dragon and a snake, and the handwriting was exactly the same as before, so he didn't worry about being discovered to have "switched" the writing.

Otherwise, people in the previous life didn't practice calligraphy much, so they wouldn't have had a chance to show off.

Finally, after Shen Xian had carefully finished copying the painting, he rubbed his sore wrist and looked at the raindrops falling in the courtyard, like pearls from a broken string, onto the stone steps.

Looking around, the view is hazy like mist, while rainwater gathers on the moss-covered eaves tiles and falls into the water vat with a crisp, clear sound.

After a while, several young Taoist boys came and collected the calligraphy copybooks and papers for the abbot to review, thus concluding the homework of copying the calligraphy.

Then the Taoist priest approached and said, "The abbot has instructed that it is getting late. All students should write a Taoist poem, on any topic. After writing it, you may go back."

Upon hearing this, the students in the Liangyi Hall displayed varying expressions.

It seems like three months have passed since the end of the year, and it's time to test our knowledge of poetry again.

This is also a routine quarterly quiz by the Abbot of Qingyang Temple, mainly to observe the disciples' spirituality and level of enlightenment, but of course there are some other purposes as well.

Liu Yu remained calm and composed. He had already received word that he would be composing a Taoist poem today, and fortunately, he had made preparations in advance.

Having been discovered by Daoist He Shou in the past for having someone ghostwrite his poems, Liu Yu finally learned his lesson. This time, his Daoist poem was written in a more conventional manner, indicating that he no longer sought to gain Daoist He Shou's favor through his Daoist talent.

Pei Shen handed the calligraphy copybook to the young Taoist boy who had been waiting for a long time. He then picked up the teacup on the corner of the table, took a sip, picked up the sheep-hair brush, dipped it in ink, pondered for a moment, and wrote a Taoist poem.

In the courtyard, everyone quieted down again. The only sounds were the soft rustling of the brush across the paper and the fragrance of ink and paper mingling with the scent of burning incense.

After finishing writing and signing his name, Shen Xian left the Liangyi Hall without saying a word. At that moment, the spring rain was in full swing. Shen Xian walked along the carved and painted corridor towards the front hall of Qingyang Temple.

He was in a hurry to get home and did not create his own poem; the ancient poem he wrote was written by an ancient person from a previous life.

It was the poem that Emperor Jiajing often recited, which resonated quite well with the Taoist He Shou.

[Having cultivated a form resembling a crane, I sit beneath a thousand pine trees, carrying two volumes of scriptures. I come to inquire about the Way, but there is nothing more to say; clouds drift in the blue sky, water flows in the bottle.]

Thinking of this, Shen Xian felt a pang of nostalgia for her past life. Then, following the vermilion-beamed corridor, she emerged from the moon gate and stood in the courtyard, looking up at the sky, which was now quite dark.

The air after the rain, mixed with the scent of fragrant grass, is even fresher and more invigorating.

Butler Ningbo had already prepared the carriage and horses, while the servant Axin stepped forward, held up an umbrella, and said with a smile, "Young master, the steps are slippery, please take it easy."

Shen Xian hummed in agreement and boarded the carriage. The carriage then parted the increasingly dense rain and mist, and with the rumbling of the carriage wheels, it headed towards the western part of Guhe County.

Because of the rain, there were far fewer pedestrians on the road, but the restaurants and taverns on both sides were crowded with people, vendors, laborers, people from all walks of life, drinking and chatting.

Shen Xian lifted the carriage curtain, taking in all of this, and sighed softly in his heart.

I had just returned home and was in the backyard when I was about to call someone to change my clothes.

Zhiyun said with a worried expression, "Young Master, Master has been waiting for a long time in the Six Steeds Hall."

Shen Xian said, "I'll be right there."

It seems that his father is going to test his studies.

The Hall of Six Steeds, well, my father is clearly a bit of a connoisseur of refined tastes. However, there are no six steeds of Zhaoling in this world, but the Zhao family mentioned in the Six Steeds refers to six virtuous scholars from the Zhao family in the capital.

"Of the eight dragons of the Xun family and the six steeds of the Zhao family, how many of them were merely supporting each other and filling in the ranks?" Shen Xian muttered to himself.

In fact, the Shen family of Lanxi was also a prominent family, but it could not compare to the powerful clans.

However, the scene inside the Six Horses Hall was quite different.

Shen Xian's father, Shen Bin, was smiling as he greeted the visitors, though the smile on his face seemed somewhat forced.

The county constable of Guhe County had a rugged face, a beard, a burly build, a broad face and a wide mouth, and strong muscles. He said with worry, "Brother Lin, how did the Yu family become like this?"

A middle-aged man of about forty, with a refined appearance, sat on a chair next to the coffee table opposite.

Beside the coffee table sat a woman wearing a bamboo hat and veil, and a pale yellow dress. The woman had slender shoulders and a graceful figure, but her face and features were not visible due to the veil.

But her hands, clasped in front of her, were snow-white, and on her slender arms was a cloud-patterned jade bracelet, its color warm and lustrous, making her fair wrists appear as white as frost.

Beside her stood a pretty maid with bright eyes and a green dress, and two old women stood by her side.

"What did the head of the family in the capital say about this?" Shen Bin asked.

The Shen family of Lanxi originated in Lanxi, the ancient Yue Kingdom. By the time of the Da Jing Dynasty, they had already declined to a second-rate clan.

Later, their ancestors went to the capital to serve as officials, and their descendants flourished. The current head of the family, Shen Lin, is Shen Bin's uncle and is currently the Junior Supervisor of the Secretariat (a fourth-rank official), making him arguably the highest-ranking official in the Lanxi Shen clan.

But Shen Lin is nearing retirement age, and the Shen family's influence is likely to decline further.

“I went to see him. The old man said that the court has been rectifying officialdom in recent years. The Empress Dowager ordered her favorite ministers Zhou Liang and Lai Jing to take charge of the Censorate and strictly investigate Prince Qing’s faction. Many powerful families in the capital have been involved, and no amount of pleading will help,” Lin Jing said.

Shen Bin frowned deeply and said, "I have heard of these two men in Anzhou. Zhou Buliang and Lai Xiaojing are both well-known Legalist officials who are greedy and cruel. They are the Empress Dowager's henchmen and have fabricated many wrongful convictions in the past two years."

Such major cases of treason have always been a playground for cruel officials.

"Then how did my niece Qingchan escape?" Shen Bin glanced at the woman in the green dress wearing a bamboo hat and veil, and asked again.

"We've managed to get through to Chancellor Cai, but that only protects my family. I'm afraid the Yu clan... is in grave danger." The middle-aged man's face was filled with worry.

Shen Bin sighed and said with emotion, "The political situation in the capital is turbulent and dangerous. One wrong move and the whole family will be implicated, and the family will be destroyed."

Sometimes, his frustrations in Guhe County might not be entirely unrelated to the principle that fortune and misfortune can change in an instant.

Shen Bin sighed, looked at Yu Qingchan's uncle, and said, "Brother, please stay at the mansion with your niece Qingchan for now. We can talk about the rest after the case is over."

Lin Jing spoke up, "Brother Shen, since there is a marriage agreement, why don't you marry your son first? Once you're married, you can have a future marriage."

According to the laws of the Great Jing Dynasty, once a woman marries, she is no longer related to her family and will not be implicated in any criminal cases.

Shen Bin was silent for a moment, then said, "My niece has an eye ailment, and it seems... it hasn't been cured in the past few years?"

Lin Jing said, "My niece previously invited a Taoist official from the Imperial Observatory, but the official said it was a congenital condition and there was nothing he could do. As for the Vermilion Bird Envoy, Brother Shen, you know that they are mostly from humble backgrounds and are known for their aloofness and pride. They do not seek wealth, and the Yu family could not persuade them to come."

Shen Bin fell silent again, feeling quite troubled.

(End of this chapter)