Chapter Ninety-Five: Doubts

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As Chen Jianchen gazed at the towering East Mountain, he was suddenly lost for a moment, and an inexplicable thought rose in him of the giant green snake he had seen upon entering Suzhou.

He had long been convinced that the serpent had awakened spiritual intelligence and become a snake spirit. When a country is about to crown a king, demons are sure to appear. All manner of signs had borne out Taoist Master Qingyun’s words.

Was this world always thus? Or were the recent years, with their upheaval and turmoil, simply a time when all manner of hidden evils had crawled into the light?

Chen Jianchen did not know. He knew only that if he and those he cared about were to live well in this world, he would have to begin acting with purpose and planning ahead.

At the center of all such action lay the pursuit of power.

Power is a broad notion. Official rank is one form of it; extraordinary abilities are another.

Chen Jianchen possessed The True Canon of the Three Establishments, and in the path of refining righteous qi he had already begun to enter into mastery. What remained was to scheme for official power: studying the examinations and earning a degree was surely the most suitable path.

Unconsciously, his attitude toward the examination essays had changed. At first he had disliked them and kept far away; now he was studying them, pondering them, and even imitating them in his own compositions.

This meant that Chen Jianchen had at last begun to blend gradually into the institutions of the Celestial Order Dynasty, learning to adapt to local customs.

The difference was that his original heart remained unchanged, unshaken. His aim in joining was not assimilation, but reform. And the best path to reform was undoubtedly to begin from within.

The carriage rattled on and soon passed through the willow grove, arriving at the gate of the estate. As the passengers alighted and stepped down, Chen Jianchen looked up and saw two large red lanterns hanging beneath the eaves of the main entrance, their glow shining faintly upon the horizontal plaque above. Upon it were written two enormous golden characters:

Plum Garden Manor.

The name of the estate was a little odd. The wealthy Mr. Huangfu was certainly named Huangfu; why then call it Plum Garden Manor? It would easily make people think the owner’s surname was Plum.

On either side of the gate there was also an inscribed couplet: From the mountain peak, behold sun and moon; within the heart, know spring and autumn.

Simple yet profound, the couplet’s meaning ran deep, and the calligraphy was graceful and spirited. It must have been the work of a master.

Outside the gate, on either side of the steps, stood a stone lion. The carving was so lifelike it seemed ready to leap down at any moment, crouching there with its mane bristling, imposing without anger.

A wealthy household indeed. This Mr. Huangfu came from great means; he was no ordinary man.

At that moment, Mr. Huangfu smiled and said, “Tonight, the presence of Master Liuxian and Miss Lu honors this humble home beyond measure.” Then he led them into the estate and offered tea in the spacious main hall.

Chen Jianchen looked around and saw that the furniture in the hall was made of precious yellow pear wood. Any single piece, if sold, would fetch no less than a hundred strings of cash. The walls were hung with numerous works of calligraphy and painting, each mounted with exquisite care. Being versed in this field himself, Chen Jianchen naturally understood that these works were worth a great deal.

Huh...

His gaze suddenly fixed, and a strange look appeared on his face as it fell upon one of the paintings.

Mr. Huangfu immediately noticed Chen Jianchen’s reaction. Glancing over, he nearly jumped out of his skin and rushed forward, crying, “Xiaojing, why has the phoenix’s head in this painting, Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix, been turned into a hen’s head?”

Xiaojing, the maid in attendance, hastily replied in a panic, “Reporting to the manor lord, the young lady gouged out the phoenix’s head because she said it looked ugly, then drew a hen’s head to replace it...”

Mr. Huangfu stamped his foot in anguish. “A misfortune in the family! A Fu, A Shou, quickly take down every painting and calligraphy piece on the walls and carry them to my room to be put away properly.”

At once, the two servants set to work in a hurry.

“My daughter is willful and unruly. Please pardon her, Master Liuxian and Miss Lu,” he said.

Chen Jianchen held back laughter and replied, “There is no need for the manor lord to be angry. Is this not precisely the reason you have repeatedly invited me here?”

Beside him, Lu Xiyue was clearly trying hard not to laugh. She quickly raised a cup of tea and drank from it to hide her expression. If she laughed aloud, it would be disrespectful to their host. Though Mr. Huangfu would likely not mind, the proper conduct of a guest required restraint, and one must not be discourteous.

Mr. Huangfu then said to the maid, “Xiaojing, go and ask the young lady to come out. Tell her that I, her old father, have hired another tutor for her, and that she should come quickly to pay her respects.”

Xiaojing cast a curious glance at Chen Jianchen, thinking to herself: This teacher really is young—he doesn’t even have a beard yet. With a face like that, can he really keep the young lady in line? He must have come to apply for the job because he covets the old man’s hefty reward. He truly doesn’t know what’s good for him. Once he sees the young lady’s methods, he’ll be so frightened he’ll wet himself and run crying for his father and mother...

Xiaojing had personally witnessed the fate of the previous eight tutors hired for the young lady. Every one of them had arrived with dignified bearing, proper manners, and full confidence. Yet within two or three days, they would turn deathly pale and flee in such haste that they would not even dare accept their fee. By the time they left the manor, those gentlemen were pitiable indeed: some in tattered clothes, some bruised black and blue, and many with their beards burned clean away. Their scholarly dignity had been utterly ruined.

By now, throughout the whole vast region of Suzhou, who did not know the name Huangfu Jiao? As the saying went, “Better to teach a toad than Huangfu Jiao.” No matter how much silver Mr. Huangfu offered, he could not hire a teacher.

Xiaojing turned and went into the inner hall. After a little while, someone came out and reported, “Old master, the young lady says she has already undressed and gone to bed. She will see you tomorrow.”

Hearing this, Mr. Huangfu was about to flare up, but Chen Jianchen hurriedly said, “Manor lord, it is already late. Why not speak of it tomorrow?”

Mr. Huangfu snorted. “Since Master Liuxian speaks on her behalf, fine, then let it be tomorrow.”

The host and guest exchanged a few more words before Mr. Huangfu personally escorted Chen Jianchen and the master and servant of the Lu household away from the main hall and into a large courtyard on the left.

This courtyard covered more than three hundred square meters, divided into an east wing and a west wing. In the center grew more than a dozen clusters of bamboo, and astonishingly they were the rare variegated teardrop bamboo. Each stalk stood with proud character and noble bearing, utterly unfazed by the winter cold, lush and green, full of vitality.

Mr. Huangfu arranged for Chen Jianchen to stay in the east wing, while the west wing was assigned to Lu Xiyue and her attendant.

When they parted, Lu Xiyue came over once more to Chen Jianchen and said, “Young Master, earlier I was indeed too abrupt. If I caused you any displeasure, Xiyue offers you my sincere apology.”

Chen Jianchen waved it away. “There is no need for Miss Lu to be so formal. I truly hold no grievance in my heart.”

Yet Lu Xiyue still made a proper curtsy, glanced at Chen Jianchen with lowered eyes, and only then entered the west wing.

Chen Jianchen watched her graceful retreating figure and gave a quiet sigh. This woman had not had it easy.

Putting himself in her place, he could imagine the countless hardships and desolation she carried in her heart. Alone and without support, she had once intended to perish together with her enemy and bring her brief life to an end, earning only the sorrowful lament of a tragic beauty. Yet plans had gone awry and failed, leaving her no choice but to bury her deep hatred in her heart and seek another chance in the future.

But what good chance could a frail woman like her possibly find?

The world was vast and boundless, and when she looked up, there was no home to be seen. She did not wish to return to that filthy place of pleasure houses and continue a life of selling skill while scheming and struggling. Under such circumstances, seeking a lifelong source of dependence was perfectly natural; and to borrow a husband’s strength to avenge herself was equally reasonable.

In truth, this was the choice many women were forced to make in the face of hardship. Selling one’s body to bury a father is a typical example.

Chen Jianchen could see that Lu Xiyue truly felt something for him. In this world, love at first sight was the easiest thing to happen, because harsh and exacting reality left no room for overthinking. Yet Chen Jianchen had his own principles, and he could not simply take Lu Xiyue in such a muddled way; that would be too much like taking advantage of another’s distress. Still, the future was long, and the two sides ought at least to understand each other better first.

He stepped into the east wing and saw that the room inside was quite large. Against the wall stood a tall bookshelf, and upon its shelves were lined well over a hundred books, all finely printed and of excellent quality, among them no shortage of old and fragrant rare editions and fine copies.

Mr. Huangfu had, as expected, made thorough arrangements.

Chen Jianchen smiled in satisfaction. Having come from afar to Suzhou, he had no wish to rush in and out. If possible, he did not mind serving as tutor to the young lady of the Huangfu household, and at the same time repaying a debt of kindness. After teaching for a while, he could simply return to Jiangzhou when New Year approached.

After a brief thought, Chen Jianchen sat down at the desk and took up brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, writing two letters. One was for Wang Fu; the other was for Wang Fu to carry back to Jiangzhou and deliver to his mother, Mo Sanniang, so that the family would not worry.

Once the letters were finished and sealed, they could be sent tomorrow with one of Mr. Huangfu’s servants to Jiangzhou and handed to Wang Fu. Wang Fu would not remain in Suzhou for long; at most five days later, he would return to Jiangzhou.

When this was done, Chen Jianchen removed his shoes and outer robe and lay down to rest. With his eyes closed, he habitually began to think things over, chiefly about Mr. Huangfu and the background of his daughter, for there were many points of suspicion.

He had originally thought that the Huangfu household was not human, but after much contact he no longer felt that to be the case, because the righteous qi within his body had not shown the slightest warning.

To possess righteous qi is to be immune to evil influences; that refers to its power of defense. Yet when righteous qi encounters evil or uncanny beings, it likewise stirs and sends forth warning signs. Years ago, on Brush Rack Mountain, when Chen Jianchen had met the old tea seller surnamed Huang face to face, the righteous qi in his body had already stirred—that was a kind of alert.

And yet now, after chatting and laughing at close range with Mr. Huangfu, nothing at all had happened. Thus there were only two possibilities: either there was nothing wrong with Mr. Huangfu’s identity, or else the other man cultivated orthodox methods untouched by blood-soaked baleful energy, and his cultivation was so profound that he had at least reached the Golden Core realm, enabling him to assume a complete human form.

For a monster to become human and stroll openly into the bustling city, living like any ordinary person, was by no means impossible.

Of course, Chen Jianchen merely harbored doubts and kept an extra measure of caution. As for the truth, once he met that spoiled young lady tomorrow, it would likely all come to light.