Unsheathed

Perhaps this was a false impression, but Cao Qinglang always felt like time was rushing past extremely quickly. In the past, time used to flow slowly like the calm waters of a large river. Now, however, it quickly gurgled forward like the rapid flow of a mountain stream. In fact, it felt as if he could hear the rushing water.

In just the blink of an eye, autumn had already passed and winter had already arrived. The first snow of the year started to fall, yet the snowflakes were already as large as goose feathers. Waking up in the morning and gazing out of his window at the vast sheet of white snow, Cao Qinglang was completely stumped and barely able to believe what he was seeing.

He put on his clothes and shoes and hurriedly walked out of his room. His first thought was to tell that person that it was snowing heavily. However, Cao Qinglang could only scratch his head as he looked at the door of the wing room. He finally remembered that Chen Ping’an had left a long time ago.

However, he always felt as if Chen Ping’an were still sitting there, still sitting on that small stool in the courtyard. He would sit there in the morning, and sit there at night. It was as if Cao Qinglang could see him whenever he walked out of his room. Chen Ping’an didn’t speak much, but he would always smile when he looked at Cao Qinglang.

The little boy hoped that this was auspicious snow heralding a bountiful year.

Cao Qinglang raised his hands and breathed some warm air into them. It was quite cold, so he needed to put on an extra layer of clothes. He returned to his room and put on another layer, making sure that his clothes were straight and proper. He sat in front of the small wooden table that his dad had personally made for him, and he flipped open a book and started to loudly recite the sagely essays.

Near the end of autumn, a new teacher had arrived at the private school and replaced the previous teacher. He was even stricter, and appeared more knowledgeable as well. He explained the principles clearly and unambiguously, and even the least studious pupil in the private school was able to understand his explanations. This was truly very impressive.

After completing his session of reading and reciting, Cao Qinglang rubbed his hands together to warm them up. He was a little worried that he was running out of money.

Following the passing of his mom and dad, the local government had given him some silver as compensation and aid. However, the local government didn’t give him all the silver at once, and they instead had someone bring a portion of the silver over every month at a set time.

Cao Qinglang didn’t think much about this, and simply treated this as standard procedure for the local government. Moreover, he no longer had parents, nor did he have any relatives in the capital of Southern Garden Nation.

In the past, he simply needed to ask his parents or other family members if he wanted to eat something or buy something. Now, however, it was necessary for him to carefully budget by himself. He needed to make the most of every single copper coin. This wasn’t a good feeling, yet there was nothing he could do about this. He needed to keep living on, after all.

Fortunately, that person had stayed in his house during the most challenging period. That had allowed Cao Qinglang—the sole surviving member in this residence—to develop some secret thoughts.

Cao Qinglang pulled on some deerskin boots that were suited to the snowy weather. Then, he started to cry. His mom had bought these boots for him on New Year’s Eve. What about this year?

Thankfully, Cao Qinglang was able to pull himself together very quickly. He went over to the kitchen and filled his belly before preparing to leave and go to school. However, Cao Qinglang couldn’t help but zone out again as he packed his bag with books.

Chen Ping’an had promised to make him a small bamboo bookcase when he got time. The books also said that the promise of a noble person was worth its weight in gold. That being the case, it was very likely that Chen Ping’an had genuinely important and urgent matters to attend to. Cao Qinglang didn’t know when they could meet again.

Cao Qinglang grabbed an oil-paper umbrella and his bag and left the courtyard. As he went out, he was astonished to see a familiar face walking past his home. It was surprisingly Mr. Zhong, the teacher from the private school with a rather strange surname.

The old teacher was dressed in an azure robe and also holding an oil-paper umbrella. He stopped when he saw Cao Qinglang, and he asked, “Oh, what a coincidence, do you live here?”

Cao Qinglang wanted to put his umbrella down and bow in respect to Mr. Zhong. However, Mr. Zhong shook his hand and said, “It’s okay, it’s snowing so hard right now.”

Mr. Zhong possessed profound knowledge, and he was always serious and unsmiling when he taught and answered questions. The students were all quite afraid of him, and Cao Qinglang was no exception. However, he simply held more respect for Mr. Zhong than his fellow classmates.

Thus, Cao Qinglang instinctively obeyed Mr. Zhong’s instructions when the old teacher said that there was no need to bow and pay respects. The old man and the little boy each held an umbrella in their hand as they walked along the small alley covered in a thick layer of snow.

Mr. Zhong had naturally heard of Cao Qinglang’s tragic experience. After all, many children in the neighboring streets and alleys were his playmates as well as classmates. They looked at Cao Qinglang differently, and there were also some whispers about his situation. Cao Qinglang simply pretended that he couldn’t see or hear anything. With this in mind, Mr. Zhong asked, “Are you facing any difficulties now that you’re living by yourself?”

“No, I’m not,” Cao Qinglang shook his head and replied with a smile.

His reply was concise and straightforward, and his temperament and manner of speech seemed nothing like those of a little child from some small alley. It was no wonder that the skinny little girl had teased him and called him a little scholar.

Mr. Zhong nodded and said, “You’re still very young, after all, so don’t be afraid to discuss things with me if you genuinely run into problems you cannot solve. You don’t need to feel embarrassed. Life is filled with difficulties, and this is the same both in the books and beyond the books. To say nothing of you, even an old man like me has times when I need to ask others for help.”

“Okay, I understand, Mr. Zhong. I’ll look for you if I truly encounter any difficulties,” Cao Qinglang replied.

He hesitated for a moment before continuing in embarrassment, “Someone else walked me to school before, and he also said something similar to you. He told me that when studying and making a living in the future, it will be inevitable that I need to ask others for help at times. However, I shouldn’t resent others and bear a grudge against them if they refuse to help. On the other hand, I must remember their goodwill if they agree to help me.”

A rare smile appeared on Mr. Zhong’s face, and he asked, “Was that person called Chen Ping’an?”

“Mr. Zhong, you also know him?” Cao Qinglang asked in astonishment.

Mr. Zhong nodded and replied, “He’s a friend of mine. I didn’t imagine that the two of you were acquainted as well.”

Cao Qinglang instantly became happy. Chen Ping’an was friends with Mr. Zhong!

However, Mr. Zhong’s expression immediately became stern as he warned the boy, “Don’t get the wrong impression that I won’t punish you for slacking off in class simply because of this relationship.”

Cao Qinglang hurriedly nodded in understanding.

The old man and the little boy, one a teacher and one a pupil, walked along the street that had already been repaired by the government. They walked slowly, and Cao Qinglang mustered his courage and asked Mr. Zhong how he had become friends with Chen Ping’an. Mr. Zhong replied that they were like-minded people, so they had quickly become genuine friends even though they had only known each other for a very short time.

Heavy snow continued to fall, not willing to give them any reprieve. However, Cao Qinglang’s heart was filled with warmth and comfort. After arriving at the door of the private school, Cao Qinglang turned around and looked back.

Their final time together had also been their final farewell. Chen Ping’an had stopped there and offered that final remark before standing there with his umbrella and watching him walk into the private school.

“What’s wrong?” Mr. Zhong turned around and asked.

Cao Qinglang shook his head, with a dazzling smile spreading across his face as he turned around and briskly walked into the private school.

Mr. Zhong sat down at the front of the classroom and waited for all of the children to arrive before beginning his lesson.

His sideburns were snow-white, and he was wearing an azure robe. He spoke slowly and explained the sagely principles to the little children. As he expounded these principles, it was as if he possessed a fraction of the righteous aura of Confucian sages as well.

—————

There was a large residence belonging to some official in the capital of Southern Garden Nation, and the scripture library located in this residence was extremely renowned throughout the capital. Today, a young boy—an illegitimate son—walked into the scripture library as always, finding books to read.

However, these books were incredibly precious, so the clan prohibited people from bringing candles into the scripture library, and they also prohibited people from bringing the books outside. Not only that, but many lone copies and rare copies of books were placed in sealed wooden boxes. No one was allowed to open these wooden boxes without permission.

The young boy was feeling a slight sense of grief and indignation today. Something was weighing on his mind, so he wasn’t actually here to read this time. Instead, he simply wanted to clear his mind in a quiet and peaceful place.

The young boy had passed both the county examination and the prefectural examination organized by the capital. He had become a young scholar, yet his results hadn’t been anything special. Thus, he had failed to obtain the title of outstanding scholar, and had only gained the right to attend the provincial examination. This caused him to feel extremely ashamed of himself, especially since he had failed his mother.

Both of his older brothers had become outstanding scholars in the county examination, and this made the young boy—who was widely regarded as a brilliant talent—to feel extremely puzzled. His older brothers were mediocre when it came to writing essays, and their knowledge was also far inferior to his. Yet, they had somehow achieved much better results than him.

In the beginning, the young boy simply pegged this down to him underperforming in the examinations. Meanwhile, his two older brothers had coincidentally overperformed at the same time. Today, however, he inadvertently heard his two inebriated older brothers talking about the intricacies of the county examination and prefectural examination and revealing some dirty secrets. As it turned out, their father had actually bribed the examination officials.

The young boy’s grandfather was once the head minister in charge of the Ministry of Rites in the capital, so he naturally had many disciples and pupils throughout the entire world. He had presided over the regional examinations many times, so the principal examination officials would all have to refer to him as “Zuoshi” or “Fangshi” when they saw him.[1] These were incredibly serious relationships in the officialdom, and they were much akin to the relationships between masters and disciples.

The young boy was firmly convinced that his grandfather wouldn’t engage in such filthy acts of cheating. In other words, it was definitely the father of his two older brothers who had taken advantage of their grandfather’s name to cheat. He had risked their entire clan’s culture and reputation to seek personal gain.

So be it if this were all. Even though the young boy was an illegitimate son, his upbringing in a wealthy clan of many officials allowed him to gain some understanding of the hidden secrets in the officialdom. However, according to the smug and drunken conversation between his two older brothers, why was his uncle purposely trying to suppress him? Why had his uncle stripped him of the title of outstanding scholar?

Standing on the top level of the scripture library, the young boy smiled pitifully as he gazed at the numerous shelves and books. This was a large clan renowned for its scholarly talent in the capital, yet apart from him, an illegitimate son, how many other clan members the same age as him were willing to come here to read and study? There were so many precious books, yet they were simply imprisoned in this tall scripture library year after year, with no one giving them any attention at all. Was this not a huge shame?

The young boy raised a hand to wipe the tears from his eyes. “What bloody use is studying? Jade trees in the imperial court? What utter bullshit…”

After grumbling in complaint, the young boy began to search for books to read anyway. He still needed to attend the provincial examination, and needed to read sagely books, after all. Even if not for himself, he still needed to study and obtain a scholarly title such that he wouldn’t disappoint his mother again.

However, he was feeling very irritated today, so he decided that he would find a book that wasn’t classified as a classic to read first. As he picked and chose, he eventually wandered to the corner of the scripture library where he grabbed the travel journal of some literatus that was almost brand-new. He faltered in the next moment because he noticed something wrong when he opened the cover of the book.

He flipped to some certain page, and discovered that a coin was surprisingly hidden inside this book. This coin looked similar to the official copper coins of Southern Garden Nation, yet the characters inscribed on it appeared foreign. Moreover, this coin wasn’t made from copper, but rather translucent material that seemed like jade.

Pressed between two pages, the coin had naturally left a slight mark on both sides of the books. Perhaps by coincidence, one of the marks highlighted an old saying that every scholar knew, but not every scholar necessarily believed.

Books hold houses of gold within; books hold beautiful women within; books hold a myriad of grain within.[2]

The young boy found this quite strange. After hesitating for a long time, he silently placed the coin inside his sleeve, thinking that he would go home and show his mother.

Unexpectedly, however, this seemingly innocuous incident almost caused a huge calamity. While studying in the clan school one time, he took out the coin and played with it. One of his older brothers happened to see this, and surprisingly accused the young boy of stealing this coin from his study desk.

This caused a huge commotion, and even attracted the attention of their grandfather, who always ignored such worldly matters. Afterward, their grandfather, the previous head minister of the Ministry of Rites who now studied Daosim in earnest, confiscated the contentious coin. Not only that, but he even summoned all of the trusted stewards and attendants in the clan to spend two entire days poring through the tens of thousands of books in the scripture library. However, this was to no avail. They didn’t find a second coin.

After ordering everyone to leave the scripture library, the previous head minister prohibited anyone from revealing this matter to outsiders. Those who flouted this rule would be expelled from the clan. The old man stayed in the scripture library and mulled over this by himself for a long time.

Afterward, he found his terrified grandson and brought him back to the scripture library, giving him both the coin and the travel journal that the coin had been hidden inside. He smiled faintly and said, “If two such coins existed, then you would have lost this immortal fated opportunity. Rest assured and take them; they rightfully belong to you. Remember to study earnestly in the future. All of the books in the scripture library are open to you now, and you can read any book that you want. You’re allowed to bring them out of the scripture library to read as well.”

Having his misfortune transformed into fortune, the young boy was incredibly confused as he accepted the book.

The previous head minister revealed another secret, saying in a meaningful and heartfelt manner, “In the previous dynasty, neither of the two young prodigies who became champion scholars enjoyed a good reputation. One of them further lost their moral integrity in their twilight years. Because of this, the current dynasty is deeply wary of youthful champion scholars.

“You failed to become an outstanding scholar not because of your uncle’s actions. He’s not sinister enough to do this, nor does he have the courage. I’m still alive, after all. In reality, it was my intention to suppress you and temper your character. That way, you can accumulate enough knowledge to slowly utilize in the imperial court in the future.

“At the end of the day, serving in the imperial court isn’t the same as playing a game of go. Making a brilliant first move won’t necessarily lead to a good outcome in this dynasty.”

After the young boy left in emotion and high spirits, the old man turned around and retrieved another book that also had a mark on two adjacent pages. However, there was no coin in sight. The mark on one page also highlighted another sagely principle: O noble and elegant person, take a knife and file to sharpen your knowledge, take a chisel and sand to polish your character.[3]

There only existed a single coin, so this formlessly indicated that the young boy was receiving all of the fortune by himself.

This was the intangible and undetectable will of the heavens.

In fact, even the previous head minister who yearned to learn immortal techniques didn’t dare to snatch this fated opportunity from his grandson.

The old man, who had spent more than half his life in the imperial court, sighed with emotion and remarked with a hint of sincere respect and admiration, “Transcendent beings from beyond the mortal world, such is the profound nature of their divine actions…”

1. Zuoshi (座师) and Fangshi (房师) are honorific titles for examination officials. ☜

2. This saying comes from Song Dynasty Emperor Zhenzong’s poem, Exhortation to Learning Poem. It encourages people to study hard, as doing so will naturally lead to wealth and prosperity. ☜

3. This is a line from The Classic of Poetry, more specifically, The Odes of Wei. This ode originates from the pre-Qin period (221 BC), and this specific line compares sharpening one’s knowledge to carving bones/ivory and polishing one’s moral character to carving jade/stone. In other words, these actions will transform something ordinary into something refined. ☜