Jiankang City, less than a thousand li from Nanling Prefecture, had not been touched by the warfare and bloodshed of Stone City at all, still maintaining a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere of prosperity.
As soon as late February arrived, the spring atmosphere throughout the city began to flourish. People started to put away their winter clothes and began preparing light and bright spring garments instead. Though the bitter cold winds still remained, spring’s footsteps were certainly drawing nearer.
Shen Xiling waited for Qi Ying’s return amid such beautiful spring days.
Speaking of which, waiting was something Shen Xiling was quite skilled at. After all, she had spent her childhood in that small courtyard with her mother, day after day waiting for her father. In the beginning, she had no experience and only knew how to wait idly, which made it very difficult to endure. Later, she figured out some methods herself, such as practicing a stack of calligraphy or reading several volumes of books—in short, finding other things to do. This way, she could keep herself from feeling so miserable.
She now used the same methods while waiting for Qi Ying.
However, for some unknown reason, those methods that had worked well when waiting for her father seemed somewhat less effective when applied to waiting for Qi Ying. She always felt more anxious than she had as a child, and the days seemed to pass particularly slowly. Every day she would count and count, yet the twenty-fourth seemed to be teasing her, never arriving no matter what.
Though Shen Xiling had worries on her mind, her studies remained as diligent as ever. She still rose early and studied late every day. Sometimes she not only completed the assignments given by Teacher Wang, but would also find additional books to read on her own. Seeing this, Zijun and the others were all amazed, saying she was even more studious than the Third and Fourth Young Masters at home, and that if they could concentrate on their studies as she did, they would surely achieve top honors on the imperial examination rankings.
Shen Xiling had no particularly grand ambitions, nor was she especially fond of studying. It was just that although she had a gentle and soft disposition, she actually possessed some inner strength. Though she never had thoughts of outdoing others, she was unwilling to be looked down upon. In her life, there were many things she had no power to control, but studying was different—as long as she was willing to work hard, she could do well. She very much liked this feeling of receiving rewards after making efforts. It felt good and refreshing.
Teacher Wang was also quite satisfied with Shen Xiling. Initially, he had thought this little girl was relying on her unclear relationship with Qi Second Young Master to idle away her days in the Qi Mansion, and he had looked down on her somewhat. However, he hadn’t expected her to be so motivated. Not only was she much better than Miss Zhao, she was even more diligent than Qi Third and Qi Fourth. Now, during daily spot checks for recitation, even Fu Rong had made mistakes once, but she was the only one who could always answer correctly, which indeed made him view her with new respect.
Days passed like this one by one, and finally the twenty-fourth arrived, but Qi Ying did not return.
Shen Xiling didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t say her heart was particularly sad, but it felt empty and hollow, leaving her at a loss. When she used to wait for her father, she could at least act spoiled with her mother. Now she was truly alone, with no one to ask about Second Young Master Qi’s return date. She worried both that his affairs weren’t going smoothly and felt hurt, wondering if he had forgotten his promise to return for her birthday.
What Shen Xiling could never have imagined was that on her birthday, while the Qi Ying she had been thinking of day and night did not return, she unexpectedly received a thorough beating from Wang Qing.
Speaking of this matter, the fault actually didn’t lie with Shen Xiling.
On the twenty-fourth, Wang Qing conducted a spot check on recitation, giving the students a test paper for dictation. Zhao Yao had already been beaten twice by Wang Qing previously and scolded countless times, which made her panic whenever she saw books now. After leaving the study hall and returning home, she couldn’t read a single character, making it even harder for her to memorize texts.
This time when Wang Qing handed out the test paper, she took one look and everything went black before her eyes. Although she had reviewed yesterday, she still couldn’t write most of it now. Becoming flustered and anxious, she looked around frantically before getting an evil idea—she decided to cheat by involving Shen Xiling, who sat behind her.
She threw a paper ball to Shen Xiling. Shen Xiling had been concentrating on writing her own paper when suddenly a paper ball landed in front of her. She looked up and saw Zhao Yao sneakily turning around to give her meaningful glances, immediately understanding what she meant. When she unfolded the paper ball, she indeed saw many sentences written scattered across it, all incomplete. The blank spaces were presumably what Zhao Yao didn’t know.
Shen Xiling really didn’t want to help her cheat. Not because she had any discord with Zhao Yao, but because she felt such behavior was wrong and didn’t want to do it.
However, given the circumstances at that moment, with Zhao Yao being both nervous and pitiful as she kept turning back to look at her, Shen Xiling didn’t know how to refuse. If she refused, first she didn’t know how angry Zhao Yao would be afterward, and second, Zhao Yao would have to be beaten by Teacher Wang again. She had already been beaten many times by Teacher Wang and had been beaten just yesterday—the swelling on her hands probably hadn’t even gone down yet. If she received another punishment, Zhao Yao probably couldn’t bear it…
After much internal struggle, unable to withstand Zhao Yao’s frequent backward glances with their half-threatening, half-pleading expression, Shen Xiling helplessly ended up helping her cheat, secretly opening the paper ball and beginning to write for her.
As a result, she had barely written a few sentences when Wang Qing caught her red-handed.
Wang Qing had an upright and strict temperament and could never tolerate any wrongdoing. When he caught such cheating behavior, he would never show mercy. That very day, he punished both Zhao Yao and Shen Xiling. Zhao Yao was beaten to tears, and though Qi Fourth pleaded with Wang Qing on her behalf for a long time, the teacher paid no attention. Not only did he not reduce the beating by even one strike, he also scolded while beating: “At such a young age, you already have such corrupt intentions! What kind of place is a study hall? How dare you defile it like this! It’s bad enough that you’re ignorant, but such evil practices absolutely cannot be encouraged!”
Wang Qing grew angrier as he spoke and hit harder and harder, finally making Zhao Yao, such a well-bred lady from a noble family, lose all concern for face as she wiped her eyes and wailed loudly.
Wang Qing’s anger still unabated, after finishing with Zhao Yao, it was Shen Xiling’s turn.
Actually, Shen Xiling had answered her own test paper very well, and in this matter, she could at most be considered an accomplice—it wasn’t a major offense. However, Wang Qing gave her five more strikes than Zhao Yao, and each one was delivered with full force.
This was truly Shen Xiling’s first time receiving a beating with the board. Previously, when she watched Wang Qing beat Qi Third and Qi Fourth, she thought it looked quite intimidating with its fierce power, but when it was her turn today, she discovered that the board striking her palm hurt several times more than it appeared. It felt as if her skin would split and her flesh would burst open. By the time Wang Qing stopped, she was already numb from the pain.
She struggled to hold back her tears, while Shuipei, who had accompanied her, was crying non-stop. Teacher Wang was annoyed by the crying, his tone becoming even more severe as he angrily berated Shen Xiling: “Stay behind after class! This matter is not finished yet!”
Such harsh and stern words truly shocked all the students. They remained silent as cicadas throughout the entire day’s lessons, even the usually mischievous Third and Fourth Young Masters listened attentively to the entire day’s lessons, afraid of being caught making mistakes by the still-angry teacher.
By the time school ended, Shen Xiling’s palms had swollen high—first red and swollen, then turning purple and blue, looking quite frightening. Even when just lying there motionless, they caused waves of goosebump-inducing pain, and if she accidentally moved them even slightly, the pain was heart-piercing.
Shuipei looked at her pitiful state and was heartbroken, her eyes filled with tears all day long. However, Wang Qing didn’t have even half of Shuipei’s compassionate heart and remained impartially stern, not letting Shen Xiling go even after school ended. He drove everyone else out of the study hall, even allowing Zhao Yao, the instigator of the incident, to return home, but kept only Shen Xiling behind, making her stand before his desk.
Wang Qing sat in his armchair, examining Shen Xiling with a serious expression. Shen Xiling kept her head lowered, hearing the teacher remain silent for a long time before asking her: “I beat you—do you feel wronged?”
Shen Xiling still kept her head down, answering meekly: “This student doesn’t dare—Teacher’s instruction is correct. I did wrong.”
Though she answered so obediently, Wang Qing snorted coldly and scolded again: “Your mouth doesn’t match your heart! You must be thinking that clearly you study diligently and weren’t the instigator of this incident, so why did you end up taking the blame for someone else and receive even harsher punishment than the actual culprit—am I right?”
Shen Xiling remained silent.
Wang Qing looked at the young girl with her head lowered, her eyebrows downcast and lips sealed, and sighed deeply. The severity in his tone lessened somewhat as he asked: “Do you know why I treat you so strictly?”
Shen Xiling’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and she looked up slightly toward Wang Qing, pressed her lips together, and shook her head.
Then she saw Wang Qing show her a rather gentle expression, speaking earnestly: “A teacher transmits knowledge, teaches skills, and resolves doubts, but most importantly establishes virtue and cultivates the heart. You are a good child and motivated in your studies, but I always feel that you are too harsh on yourself.”
Shen Xiling’s heart stirred, and confusion showed in her eyes.
Wang Qing looked at her, his eyes showing the clarity that comes after years of experience: “Take today’s incident, for example. You originally didn’t want to help Zhao Yao, so why did you compromise in the end? You knew this violated regulations and didn’t want to do it in your heart, yet you still did it. Why?”
He examined Shen Xiling, leaving her confused and shaken.
Yes, why? Why did she ultimately choose to agree to Zhao Yao’s request?
Seeing her bewilderment, Wang Qing didn’t force her to answer immediately but smiled and said: “All things in the world have their natural order—from the great mountains, rivers, sun and moon, to the small grass, trees, and insects, all follow this principle. People also have their law, which is called the original heart. I punish you today not for any other reason, but because you failed to guard your original heart.”
Shen Xiling’s brow furrowed slightly, her eyes wavering, seeming to understand yet not quite. Something in her heart seemed to be touched by Wang Qing’s words, but it still wasn’t clear enough for her to grasp.
She heard Wang Qing sigh again: “When one can guard their original heart, they can follow what the sage said: ‘At seventy, I could follow my heart’s desire without transgressing what was right.’ When people discuss this saying, they mostly focus on the latter part about ‘not transgressing what is right,’ but the former part about ‘following one’s heart’s desire’ is equally important. You currently do too well at ‘not transgressing what is right’ but too poorly at ‘following your heart’s desire.’ This way, you will be trapped in conventions your entire life, never able to feel truly happy.”
At this point, the layer of confusion in Shen Xiling’s heart was suddenly cleared away, and she felt suddenly enlightened.
Wang Qing was right—she was indeed… living within conventions.
Though she loved and respected her parents, she now considered herself the daughter of a criminal; though she had received Second Young Master Qi’s protection and was currently staying at the Qi Mansion, she didn’t consider this place home in her heart. Though many people around her treated her well—such as Shuipei, Fengshang, Zijun, and even Third and Fourth Young Masters Qi—she always felt fearful in her heart, constantly feeling unworthy, and vaguely sensing that her current stability was like flowers reflected in a mirror or the moon reflected in water, destined to dissipate like dreams and illusions before long.
She actually lived in boundless loneliness and fear, so she always appeared overly compliant. Even though sometimes she despised this aspect of herself, she remained powerless to change.
That was her inner demon.
She hadn’t even recognized these things about herself, but Wang Qing had seen through them.
She had always thought Teacher Wang was rigid and stern, never expecting him to be so perceptive—not only seeing through the demons in her heart but also willing to spend time explaining and teaching her. Shen Xiling felt both moved and grateful. When she looked at Wang Qing again, she no longer found him stern and cold, but instead felt a sense of kindness and closeness.
He was truly doing this for her good, which was why he said these things to her.
Shen Xiling understood. Seeing her expression become clear, Wang Qing knew she had gained some insight and smiled, his tone relaxing somewhat as he continued: “This matter of guarding one’s original heart—though you understand it today, there will inevitably be setbacks in the days to come. You must constantly be mindful of it yourself. If you become confused again, you can ask Jingchen about it. In this regard, he has always done quite well.”
Second Young Master Qi?
Shen Xiling was startled, thinking of Qi Ying and his consistently calm and effortlessly composed manner. She agreed with Teacher Wang’s assessment. “Following one’s heart’s desire without transgressing what is right”—if she wanted to learn from him, there was still a very long road ahead.
At this moment, Wang Qing glanced at Shen Xiling’s palms that he had beaten today, seeing the crisscrossing wounds looking quite horrific. He couldn’t help but feel he had been too harsh, his old face reddening with embarrassment. He coughed and said: “This, this matter of cheating is extremely serious. I’m punishing you with three days of house arrest for reflection. Are you satisfied with this?”
Shen Xiling was sensitive and intelligent, so she naturally understood Wang Qing’s meaning. She knew this teacher was actually tough on the outside but soft on the inside—though he appeared to be disciplining her, he actually wanted her to rest and heal her injuries. She was naturally grateful in her heart.
Shen Xiling bowed respectfully to Teacher Wang, saying: “Thank you, Teacher.”
Wang Qing stood up and snorted coldly, putting on a stern and aloof appearance, then paid no more attention to Shen Xiling and left directly.
When she returned to her room, Zijun was quite shocked to see that Shen Xiling had been beaten, never expecting that their young miss could receive punishment despite studying so hard. She quickly went to prepare medicine for Shen Xiling. When she returned, she saw Shuipei and Fengshang surrounding Shen Xiling on both sides, looking at the wounds on her palms too frightened to touch them, both with teary eyes.
Zijun found them useless and applied the medicine to Shen Xiling herself. The medicinal salve was ice-cold and should have soothed the burning sensation in the wounds, but they hurt too much—no matter how carefully Zijun moved, it still caused Shen Xiling unbearable pain. Shen Xiling gritted her teeth and endured without crying out, but cold sweat broke out in layer after layer. By the time Zijun finished bandaging her wounds, her clothes were nearly soaked through.
Zijun was also so nervous her forehead was covered in sweat. After finishing bandaging Shen Xiling’s wounds, she let out a long breath of relief, then couldn’t help but say angrily: “What’s wrong with this Teacher Wang? Yes, he’s a great scholar from the Hanlin Academy, but that doesn’t give him the right to abuse people like this! Our young miss is such a gentle and delicate young lady, how could he bring himself to be so cruel?”
After a pause, she added: “Our young miss studies so hard yet still gets beaten like this—how come the Third and Fourth Young Masters, who spend all day playing around with cats and dogs, haven’t been beaten to death yet?”
Shen Xiling was about to explain on Teacher Wang’s behalf when, before she could speak, she heard Shuipei say through her tears: “Our young miss is so smart and studious, naturally she wouldn’t get punished. It’s all that Miss Zhao’s fault! She couldn’t write the answers herself, so she had to drag our young miss into cheating with her, and then they got caught by Teacher Wang—anyway, it’s all her fault!”
Author’s Note: Tomorrow is the big reveal, angels are welcome to continue guessing.