Chapter 45 Difficult in Luoyang City

Walking out of the small courtyard, Wang Zhizhang came to the lane and happened to see the girl selected by the emperor personally to read for Wang Yanqing standing at the entrance to the lane. She was dressed in a blue dress and stood there silently. Only one person could pass this narrow lane, so the girl just waited at the entrance and didn’t walk to the lane in a hurry.

When Wang Zhizhang came to the entrance, the girl holding two books bowed to this high official at the imperial court and entered the lane slowly, without saying anything.

The common people living in Luoyang City would like to have fun when they were free at ordinary times, and one of their amusements was to say that the housekeeper in an official’s family could compare with another official of a certain rank at the imperial court. However, in fact, the higher position the officials were in, they would restrain the servants in their families more. Otherwise, if the servants put on airs and something like this was spread to the emperor’s ears, it would probably cause a bad effect.

But after this girl was appointed by the emperor to read for Wang Yanqing, perhaps none of the officials’ housekeepers in Luoyang City could compare with her.

The girl named Chunshui pushed the gate of the small courtyard and came to the stone table next to Wang Yanqing. After saluting, she sat where Wang Zhizhang had been seated and said with a smile, “I met the Minister of Penalty at the entrance to the lane, and he must have come to see you. Do you have something to do, Master? Then you can’t hear me reading.”

Wang Yanqing who had put away the stones on the stone table smiled peacefully, “Just read. Even if I have something to do, I have time to hear you read now.”

Chunshui nodded and picked up a book, turning a page and smiling, “I will read more poems written by Master Li Changgu today, but I have read a lot these days, and only two books are left.”

Wang Yanqing smiled silently.

So Chunshui read in a low voice, “The silver river in the sky still babbles on at night, and sparkling stars are floating. The flowing clouds on both sides of the silver river naughtily make sounds like water. The flowers on the laurel tree in the Moon Palace never fall but blossom with fragrance. The fairies collect the flowers briskly with tassels hung. The lady in the palace lifts the curtain and opens the window. It is bright dawn. The phoenix tree in front of the window always has dense branches and leaves, and the little cyan phenix which has brought the couple to the sky is still so young. The prince plays reed pipe with a long tube. He drives a dragon to plough and plant fairy grass and cut the pink sunglow to make a belt to decorate the fairies’ dresses with fibers of lotus root. They laugh happily and fly to Qingzhou to collect fairy grass and then enjoy the scene in early spring. Look at the east. Xihe rides a horse, and the dust in the sea comes back to life under the stone mountain.”

Before reading for Wang Yanqing, Chunshui was only an ordinary maid-in-waiting in the imperial palace and knew few words. Later she learned hard for several months and could finally recognize these common words. After reading for Wang Yanqing these years, she knew many more words, but if she was asked to comment on this poem, it was beyond her power. So after she finished reading, she didn’t speak but waited for Wang Yanqing to judge.

However, beyond her expectation, Wang Yanqing just nodded and didn’t say anything. He signaled for her to read the next poem.

Chunshui was surprised and asked with curiosity, “Master, won’t you comment?”

Wang Yanqing shook his head, “In the past, I just thought Master Changgu wrote poems at will. Later I pondered over it and found something meaningful. With my poor knowledge, I don’t qualify to comment. If I hear you read this master’s poems in the future, I won’t judge anymore.”

Chunshui responded, “Oh.” She was not clear about what Wang Yanqing meant and just turned another page to read the next poem.

Later, every time she finished reading one poem, Wang Yanqing just gave a nod. After she read two books, the sun was in the west and it was getting dark. Wang Yanqing poured her a cup of tea and asked with a smile, “Judging from this master’s poems, there must be one book that you haven’t read for me. Is the book of poetry too good so His Majesty is unwilling to let you bring it out of the imperial palace?”

Chunshui was astonished and replied in fear, “Every day before I go out of the palace, His Majesty tells me to read carefully. He has said that any book in the imperial palace or the National Academy can be taken out as long as you want. He would never keep any book.”

Although Wang Yanqing couldn’t see Chunshui’s expression, he thought that she was quite nervous, so he waved his hand and comforted her, “I just spoke casually. Don’t be so nervous.”

Before Wang Yanqing finished his words, he heard some sobs. She tried hard to restrain herself, but he heard that. He had been blind for many years, so his sense of hearing had become very acute long ago, and he was a cultivator at a high stage. How could he be unable to hear it?

Wang Yanqing was single and concentrated on cultivating and reading for a lifetime. He had never thought of the love relationship between a man and a woman, so he didn’t know how to soothe a girl. He just said gently, “After you return to the palace today, you can pack up and choose some books from the palace. Then come here early next morning.”

Chunshui was surprised, “Master, you will have a long trip?”

Wang Yanqing nodded and responded with a smile, “I will go to the north. The trip will be boring. If I can’t read, I must be bored.”

Chunshui opened her eyes wide and looked happy. She had grown up in the imperial palace since childhood and once had a wish to walk out of the palace and see Luoyang City. Later, she could leave the palace every day, and she often intentionally chose to walk on the streets that she had never been to when she returned to the palace. Afterward, she wanted to see the scenery outside this magnificent city, but she always had no chance. Today she knew that her wish would come true, so she was as happy as a lark.

Wang Yanqing ignored her and just told her, “Remember to choose some good books. If you can’t decide, ask His Majesty to select. By the way, tell him that when I come back, I will play the game of Go with him. See what he will look like and tell me tomorrow.”

Chunshui nodded to show that she had kept them in mind, but soon she remembered that this master couldn’t see anything, so she answered softly, “I see.”

Wang Yanqing got up and then turned around, returning to his room. He left naturally to announce that the reading program was over today.

Chunshui stayed in the courtyard alone for a while, watering the wintersweet tree and the plants of orchids in front of the gate and cleaning up the fallen leaves on the ground for Wang Yanqing. Then she said, “Master, I am leaving.” Afterward, she closed the gate for him quietly.

After going out of the narrow lane, Chunshui was in a great mood. While walking, she thought about what to take for the trip. Then she started to think of the gentleman in the courtyard after she walked through a few streets.

As she walked, she murmured, “Master is so nice.”

Before Wang Zhizhang’s carriage came to the Ministry of Penalty, he was stopped by somebody on a street, who had a broadsword on his waist and looked resolute. This was a tall and big strong man. Although he was wearing ordinary clothes, he had great momentum and might not be an ordinary person.

Wang Zhizhang’s head popped out of the carriage and he kept silent as he saw this man’s face. Then he told the coachman to turn the horse around and find another way. He didn’t want to talk with that man with a broadsword.

Seeing that the Minister of Penalty turned around after seeing him, the man with a broadsword at the street corner didn’t stop him but laughed boldly, “Wang Zhizhang, you will want to see me someday.”

The Minister of Penalty in the carriage heard that and asked furiously, “Xu Wuting, you were banished from the army and returned to the capital. What does it have to do with me?”

Xu Wuting, a former general of the army in the north, one of the thirteen generals in Yanling, was a warrior on the battlefield who was close to being a nobleman. At the beginning of this year, he lost his military power for no reason and was banished from the army. Then he had to return to the capital and had nothing to do in Luoyang City till now.

This general didn’t believe that he would be banished for no reason. After he reported to the supervisor but got no answer, he started to cause trouble to the big shots at the imperial court. These civil officials who were on bad terms with him at ordinary times were the targets that he often harassed these days.

After returning to the imperial palace, Chunshui reported to the emperor about the master’s requirements today and then tried her best to observe the emperor’s expression all the time after she said that the master would play the game of Go with him. Later she was kicked out by the emperor. Hearing her words, the emperor went to the library to select some books worth reading for that master.

When he walked out of the library, it was dark outside. The emperor gave the books to a young eunuch and told him to hand them to Chunshui. Then he walked in the imperial palace alone with a lantern.

By the light of the lantern, the emperor walked around with gusto in the imperial palace for a while. Then he sat on a jade stone stair and put the lantern next to him, whispering, “When Master Yanqing has a long trip, he can help me check how many people in Yanling have two faces in front of me. Since there are so many filthy things in this city, I will just wash it with blood.”

At last, this emperor who always looked gentle showed a stern expression unexpectedly.