Old Master Pei was overjoyed upon hearing this, and could not contain himself. The opportunity to have a senior academician guide and instruct his two grandsons was one not to be encountered lightly, let alone counted upon.
He did not dwell on the matter further, and immediately sent someone to reply, accepting the invitation, saying he would certainly send Huai Ge’er and Jin Ge’er over punctually.
The Old Master then remarked with heartfelt feeling: “In the end, blood kinship cannot be severed—he still has a thought or two for our branch of the family.”
Seeing his grandfather’s delighted expression, Pei Shaohuai, although he did not share the old man’s view, said nothing. He did not wish to spoil Old Master Pei’s joy.
In Pei Shaohuai’s estimation, if the Director’s residence had truly meant to draw closer to the Earl’s Manor and regard them as family, why wait until now to extend such a generous gesture? All these years, living in the same imperial capital, their interactions had been thin and cool. For them to suddenly offer such a “magnificent opportunity” out of nowhere—even if it was not quite so transparent as a wolf baring its teeth, it was certainly no act of genuine goodwill.
Even to this day, Pei Shaohuai remembered that at his first birthday ceremony, the female relatives of the Director’s residence had gone on and on lavishing praise on Lin Shi’s remarkable grace and beauty, then praised the baby for resembling his mother. On the surface, they were complimenting the infant’s fine looks, but in reality it was an oblique insult—a veiled jibe that the Earl’s Manor’s legitimate grandson had been born of a merchant’s daughter and had a face that looked the part of a scheming tradesman.
He himself had felt it was nothing—but his mother had been grieved by it for a long time, feeling that she had diminished her own son’s standing. Whenever the Director’s residence was mentioned, this remark would come back to her.
The episode of the two brothers going to the Director’s residence to study was, in fact, in the original book—there was such a scene. The difference was that in the original book, Huai Ge’er and Jin Ge’er had not begun their studies in advance; before going to the Director’s residence, they had only a rough acquaintance with a few characters. Now, however, the two brothers had already memorized their way through The Analects, Mencius, and The Great Learning.
As the book described, after Pei Shaohuai entered the study hall at the Director’s residence, he discovered that the young masters of quite a number of noble and aristocratic households in the imperial capital had also been invited. Two or three dozen students, filling the hall to capacity—most of them of extraordinary background. If one were to randomly toss a brick into the group, it would likely hit several sons and heirs of prominent houses.
This was not the senior academician imparting scholarship—it was plainly the Director’s residence using the senior academician as bait to cast a long line and reel in big fish.
And quite the pond of big fish it was, too.
In the book, the Huai Ge’er of that time had not yet matured in character. After entering the school, he found himself submerged among a crowd of distinguished heirs and felt embarrassed by his own clothing, which was not fine enough, and ashamed of his jade pendant, which was not smooth enough. His mind was not on his studies at all. The moment he returned home, he went to his grandmother’s courtyard to smash things and throw a fit, declaring he would not go back to the Director’s residence to study and saying he could not afford to be so humiliated.
The Earl’s Manor had placed all its hopes on Huai Ge’er passing the imperial examinations and entering official service to restore the family’s standing. When the Old Madam heard her grandson was refusing to study, she panicked, and assuming it was merely a childish tantrum, decided to first humor and indulge him.
She hoped that once her grandson grew a little older, he would come to his senses.
From that time on, Old Madam Pei had Huai Ge’er’s clothing and accessories specially commissioned to the standard of a marquis’s son, spending lavishly. She reasoned that he was her one and only precious legitimate grandson, and spending a little more was only right and proper.
Only then did Huai Ge’er settle down somewhat.
In the days that followed, Huai Ge’er acquired little scholarship in the study hall, but instead picked up a full repertoire of the bad habits of idle rich young men. He never came to terms with one fundamental truth—the Earl’s Manor, a household in decline, left him quite unremarkable in that study hall. He was nothing more than a supporting figure in the background.
He believed that if he spent generously enough and cut an impressive enough figure, his classmates would befriend him.
Today, one heir brought along a small jade goblet; tomorrow, another heir paraded a small purple-gold bowl… These were things he could not hope to match. Huai Ge’er’s desire to compete grew ever more consuming.
……
On the other hand, Jin Ge’er entered this study hall and fared very poorly as well—it was, in truth, rather bleak and pitiable.
The Jingchuan Earl’s Manor was already an unremarkable household, and Jin Ge’er had been born of a maidservant-turned-concubine. His standing left him marginalized and looked down upon on all sides within the study hall, to the point that even his legitimate elder brother Pei Shaohuai went out of his way to avoid him.
He was always the “outcast” of the study hall.
When the Director’s residence arranged the seating, they deliberately placed Jin Ge’er in a corner seat—off to the side and far from the front. Jin Ge’er could rarely make out what the tutor was teaching.
The senior academician paid him no attention whatsoever.
Jin Ge’er possessed a brilliant mind and an exceptional memory but had nowhere to apply them—for even self-study required someone to open the door. With no one to guide him, he had no foothold from which to begin.
Several months later, when the study hall held its assessment, Jin Ge’er did not perform well. The Director’s residence sent him back, saying that Jin Ge’er was deficient in aptitude, had absorbed nothing from his studies, and was likely unsuited for the path of the imperial examinations, suggesting that Old Master Pei would do well to make other arrangements for him at the earliest opportunity.
Upon hearing the Director’s residence’s assessment of his grandson, Old Master Pei raised no objection and took the words at face value, bringing Jin Ge’er back home.
Fortunately, Jin Ge’er had a good mother who understood her own child. Jin’er had always memorized things faster than ordinary people—how could he be someone who was incapable of learning?
After Concubine Shen wiped her tears away, she looked at her son and asked him solemnly: “Jin’er, answer your mother truthfully—do you like to study?”
“Your son does… but they all said your son can’t learn…” Struck by the blow, little Jin Ge’er had even begun to doubt whether he was simply too slow-witted.
“Then are you willing to endure hardship for it?” Concubine Shen asked again.
Jin Ge’er nodded repeatedly, “Your son is not afraid of hardship.”
“Your mother understands now. Even if I have to stake everything, I will find you an opportunity.” Concubine Shen said: “As for how far you go from there, that will be up to you.”
Concubine Shen went to the Xu household and sought out Lian Jie’er. Drawing on the bond of having once served Ning Shi, she begged Lian Jie’er to help her younger brother and give him a chance to study. Lian Jie’er, soft-hearted, agreed and put in a word with her father-in-law and husband, bringing Jin Ge’er to stay with the family so that he could study alongside her eldest nephew.
Only then did Jin Ge’er have the chance to study again. Thereafter, he climbed the ladder of examinations step by step, advancing smoothly through all six examinations, and at the grand ceremony proclaiming the results, he was proclaimed Zhuangyuan—first place.
Yet it was also because of all these bitter and distressing experiences that Jin Ge’er developed a reserved and reticent temperament. He kept his feelings carefully guarded around everyone, always maintaining a cool and distant manner.
……
……
Coming back to his senses, Pei Shaohuai thought to himself: this “senior academician’s instruction” was certainly no heaven-sent opportunity, no miraculous encounter with a great teacher.
However capable and learned the old academician might be, he was ultimately there to serve the other distinguished heirs and sons. The Director’s residence had sent invitations to many noble and aristocratic households across the imperial capital—to save face and avoid giving people cause for gossip, they had casually passed word to the Jingchuan Earl’s Manor as well, as an afterthought.
To put it plainly, Pei Shaohuai and Pei Shaojin going to study there were mere fillers, making up the numbers.
The truly powerful and prestigious heirs were the ones the Director’s residence valued and wished to cultivate as connections.
This study hall of the Director’s residence was rather like a den of wolves. Pei Shaohuai reckoned that at present, both he and his younger brother were only seven years old—still young and without influence. They were no match for this pack of wolf cubs.
His and Jin Ge’er’s first priority at this stage was simply to preserve their strength, lie low, and grow up safely.
For one must understand—in this world, children of wealthy families had their firstborn legitimate sons specially raised and groomed from an early age in preparation for taking over the family’s affairs. These children shed their childishness early. They were not country boys playing in the mud… When pushed, these wolf cubs were capable of truly biting people.
……
Pei Shaohuai did not argue against his grandfather’s decision. He felt that the two of them still needed to make at least one visit to the Director’s residence’s study hall.
For one, his grandfather had always believed that the brotherly bond between the two branches of the family could still be restored—that the estrangement between the two households might one day be fully dissolved. Directly opposing his grandfather would be futile given the old man’s stubbornness.
For another, since it was a wolf’s den, and Huai Ge’er was going to be living in the imperial capital with unavoidable contact with these people in the years ahead, it was better to go and take a look while they were still wolf cubs.
Better to know what he was dealing with.
Once he had finished “scouting the den,” he could then devise a way to withdraw.
……
Lin Shi learned that her son was to study at the Director’s residence and felt deeply unsettled, yet she said nothing. After sitting in a daze for a while, she had Nanny Shen find some fine silk fabric and made a few new sets of clothing for the two young masters.
On the day of their first attendance at the study hall, Huai Ge’er did not wear the new outfit. Instead, he wore his usual indigo zhiduo robe, embroidered with a subtle bamboo pattern, and fastened with a silver-trimmed sash. Though not new, it was a comfortable and familiar fit. He said to Lin Shi: “This one that Mother sewed herself is both comfortable to wear and distinguished-looking.”
Lin Shi straightened her son’s collar and said: “You know just how to make your mother happy—aren’t you afraid that when you get there, you’ll be the only one in an old outfit and people will laugh at you?”
“Hardly old—such fine silk, such fine embroidery.” Pei Shaohuai replied. “In the end, we’re going there to study, not to see who cuts the most impressive figure.”
Since it was the first day of school, Ying Jie’er also came out to see her younger brother off, saying: “Once you go over there, I won’t be able to send over sweet tea or sour tea for you even if I wanted to… Here, take this sachet—I made it with my own hands.”
She was not skilled at needlework, and the sachet was frankly not very refined—quite a few loose threads had not been tucked in.
Ying Jie’er’s face reddened with embarrassment and she explained: “Last night the hour was a bit rushed… But the medicinal herbs and fragrances inside are ones I grew myself—they smell wonderful.”
Huai Ge’er grinned his honest grin, accepted the sachet with great happiness, tucked it into his robe, and said: “That Sister should have picked up a needle at all is already a rare gift in itself.”
After a bit more playful banter with his sister, Jin Ge’er emerged from the courtyard, and the two brothers boarded the carriage together and set off for the Director’s residence.
……
Upon entering the Director’s residence, a servant boy led the way. Pei Shaohuai was careful not to look obviously left and right, only stealing a few casual glances at the layout and décor of the household.
On the surface, the residence appeared entirely plain and unpretentious, with no conspicuously precious objects anywhere in sight. And yet, upon closer reflection, those rare flowers and exotic plants, those pine trees and ornamental stones… the mood and aesthetic atmosphere they created was something that could not simply be bought with money.
They arrived at the study hall.
The study hall had been newly constructed, situated amid a bamboo grove at the rear of the Director’s residence and named “Zhu Xian Study Hall”—the Hall of Worthy Bamboo.
Quite a number of young students were already present in the study hall, ranging from seven to ten years of age. Each was adorned with jade-topped caps and jade pendants, dressed in brocade and finery. Judging from their speech, Pei Shaohuai found them somewhat more mature than their years, and every gesture carried the marks of careful upbringing.
Among them, Pei Shaohuai recognized more or less a good number of faces—most were descendants of the great ducal, marquis, and earl households, with a few children of newly favored high officials mixed in as well.
Only a handful, like himself, were there simply to fill numbers.
The heirs and young masters circulated easily among one another, conversing with animation—speaking of amusing happenings in their own households, or making plans to play cuju or polo, and occasionally, with seeming casualness, dropping a remark or two to let slip information about who held what position and what they were doing lately.
An exchange of information.
Whether this was their own shrewdness, or something their elders had instructed them in, Pei Shaohuai could not say.
He reflected inwardly—to already understand “effective social networking” at such a young age was no small matter… It also made him understand that just because he had come here with an “adult’s mind” did not mean he could rest easy in this world.
A man without long-term plans will inevitably face short-term crises. He ought to seize his present advantages, apply himself vigorously, and press forward. Indeed—no matter where one found oneself, the need to strive and advance was inescapable.
Pei Shaohuai and Jin Ge’er entered together. A few people gave them a nod of acknowledgment, but no one came forward to speak with them.
……
The senior academician had not yet arrived, but someone from the Director’s residence had come.
It was Pei Shaoyu, the legitimate second grandson of Secretariat Director Pei—seventeen years old. He stood at the front of the study hall and said: “My greetings to all the young masters. My grandfather has appointed me to serve as assistant instructor here. From now on, for matters of scholarship, come to the tutor; for any other small affairs, feel free to come to me—I will be in the side room at all times.”
When Pei Shaoyu saw the two brothers, Huai and Jin, he came over to exchange a few pleasantries: “We are all cousins—why don’t the two brothers bring the young misses over some other day so we can all get together?”
“Of course.” Not knowing what game he was playing, Pei Shaohuai deflected: “Only lately, the female tutors have been keeping a close watch on them—they’re either painting or practicing the zither—so I’m afraid they won’t be able to come for a while.”
After the pleasantries, Pei Shaoyu went off to receive the other young masters.
When the seating was arranged, Jin Ge’er was indeed placed in the corner, just as expected. Pei Shaohuai simply traded seats with someone else and moved to sit beside his younger brother.
“Why did Elder Brother come over here?”
“After sitting beside you all this time, I’d find sitting next to someone else unsettling.” Pei Shaohuai said quietly. “If brothers are not of one mind when outside the home, doesn’t that only give others more reason to look down on us?”
This “others” referred directly to the Director’s residence.
Jin Ge’er replied softly as well: “I can see that this study hall is not a place where one can study in peace—there’s something off about it.” Jin Ge’er was still young and could not quite articulate the oppressive atmosphere of concealed intentions; he could only say it seemed “off.”
Class began. The senior academician was a small old man of great learning. When he explained texts, he introduced the historical background, the author’s intent, and the classical allusions involved—all entirely off the top of his head, with no need to consult a book, and with clear organization, each point linking into the next, replete with citations from classical sources.
However, when it came to daily assessments and answering questions, the senior academician essentially attended only to the front row and treated the few students seated at the back as if they were invisible. The implication was clear—as long as he taught the heirs well, the others who were merely filling seats could be left to fend for themselves.
The two brothers, seated at the back and unable to hear clearly, had no choice but to take out their own books and review on their own.
“Before, when Tutor Cao was here, I used to resent him for being someone who only knew how to make students memorize books,” Jin Ge’er whispered in complaint to his elder brother. “Looking back now, I realize I didn’t know how to be grateful—at the very least, he was someone who wholeheartedly taught students to memorize books.”
“Jin, don’t be impatient,” Pei Shaohuai soothed him. “Father is about to return from his rest day soon. When he does, we can find an excuse to withdraw.”
……
……
After some ten or more days, Pei Shaohuai had basically taken the measure of the study hall, and Pei Bingyuan had returned for his rest period as well.
Pei Bingyuan heard that the Old Master had sent Huai Ge’er and Jin Ge’er to study at the Director’s residence and furrowed his brow slightly, though he said nothing. He likely felt that while it was indeed a place of complications, having a senior academician to teach them was still of some value, and so he tacitly accepted it.
Pei Shaohuai, however, had no intention of continuing. He did not wish to keep making the journey to the Director’s residence merely to “study on his own.” Feigning distress, he said: “Your grandson understands Grandfather’s kind intentions, but… that study hall is hardly a place where one can study in peace and quiet. Day after day, it’s this heir or that heir—not a scrap of scholarship is absorbed, and one is only subjected to listening to them hold forth on all manner of things. It’s thoroughly dull.”
Pei Bingyuan listened and felt uneasy as well. He pressed further: “Huai’er, is this truly the case?”
Pei Shaohuai continued: “If it were only that, it would be tolerable—but Jin and I are seated at the very back and can hear nothing at all. When we go to ask the tutor questions after class, it’s never our turn.”
“What a humiliation.”
When it came to the studies of his two sons, Pei Bingyuan had always taken the matter extremely seriously. Now he was genuinely angered.
Pei Bingyuan first went and had a talk with the Old Master, and then quickly and decisively dispatched someone to inform the Director’s residence, saying simply that the two younger boys had caught a cold and were worried about spreading it to the other young masters—and so they would not be returning after this.
Had the Old Master handled this himself, he would likely have hesitated over matters of brotherly face and the history between the two households, wavering and unable to make a clean decision. Pei Bingyuan’s approach, by contrast, was admirably straightforward.
The question now was—with nowhere to study, Huai and Jin could hardly continue self-studying at home indefinitely.
At this point, Pei Shaohuai stepped forward and proposed: “Eldest Elder Sister’s husband’s household has Tutor Duan, who has produced two Provincial Examination degree-holders one after the other—he must be a man of very deep learning. If it is possible, Huai’er would like to go to Elder Sister’s husband’s household to seek instruction.”
Jin Ge’er said: “I am the same as Elder Brother.”
……
As fortune would have it, the very next day, Lian Jie’er happened to come back to her maternal home for a visit, and Xu Zhan, knowing that his father-in-law was home on his rest day, came along as well.
Several years of marriage and fatherhood had given Xu Zhan a certain maturity, but he remained as he had always been—humble and courteous, and tender and caring toward his wife and child.
As the family sat together chatting in the main hall, little Yan Gui sat on his father’s lap, cradled in his arms. He had a little tuft of hair tied upright at the top of his head and was holding a small porcelain tiger, playing with it contentedly by himself.
Lin Shi praised him warmly: “Look how quick and bright he is—one day he’ll be a fine scholar like his father.”
Xu Zhan was pleased and replied: “I only hope he can grow to be as clever as his two little uncles.”
As everyone sat talking, Lian Jie’er covered her mouth with her handkerchief, looking a little queasy—though the gesture was small and no one particularly noticed.
Lin Shi, sharp-eyed as ever, was beside her and also noticed that Lian Jie’er had not touched her tea. She leaned in and asked quietly: “Is it again…?” She left the sentence unfinished.
Lian Jie’er’s cheeks flushed a faint pink, and she gave a small nod.
Lin Shi had someone take away the tea and bring a cup of warm water instead, then said softly: “You should have told me beforehand so I could have prepared something you could eat.”
“It’s not yet three months—my mother-in-law told me to wait before saying anything.”
Lin Shi nodded in understanding. “My in-law is most thoughtful.”
After this small interlude, they returned to the main subject. Pei Bingyuan brought up the matter of sending Huai Ge’er and Jin Ge’er to the Xu household to seek instruction, and asked whether it would be convenient for Xu Zhan.
Xu Zhan paused before replying: “We are all family, and for something like this, your son-in-law ought to agree at once. However…”
A somewhat troubled expression crossed Xu Zhan’s face.
“Father-in-law has likely heard a thing or two—my teacher suffers from an illness and has difficulty moving about. He has been confined to a wheelchair for several decades, and his temperament is quite peculiar. When it comes to teaching, he has never accepted any student he did not take a personal liking to, and not even my father could persuade him otherwise.”
“Therefore, if the two younger brothers-in-law wish to come and study, your son-in-law fears he can only make the recommendation—I dare not beat my chest and guarantee it will work out. Whether it succeeds or not will depend on the affinity between the two brothers-in-law and my teacher.” Xu Zhan spoke with complete candor.
His manner was wholly sincere.