The clan school perched precariously on a mountain overlooking a body of water, its eaves jutting out over the cliff’s edge. On the south-facing slope, a dense bamboo grove thrived. Eight identical stone staircases emerged from the bamboo forest, making it unclear which led to the school buildings.
Yao Ye and Danyue knew the way, sparing Mei Jiu and Mei Ruyan the trouble of finding the path. Even so, by the time they reached the school, both were exhausted.
Mei Jiu grimaced, “Will we have to climb this mountain every day?”
“Miss, I don’t mean to discourage you,” Yao Ye said, slightly out of breath, “but not only will we climb the mountain, but we’ll also have to go to the back mountain for lunch!”
“The back mountain?” Mei Ruyan asked in surprise, leaning against a bamboo stalk. “You mean those buildings we saw on the cliff earlier?”
“That’s right,” Danyue replied. “I heard the path there is just wooden planks laid across two iron chains.”
Mei Jiu’s face paled at this news. The mountain was sixty or seventy zhang high – a fall would surely be fatal!
Mei Ruyan wondered aloud, “Isn’t our family a royal merchant? Why such strange arrangements?”
Mei Ruyan had been inquiring about the Mei family. They were indeed royal merchants, but due to a curse, many of their descendants died young. Thus, the clan mandated that children learn martial arts to strengthen their bodies.
The Mei family had risen from humble beginnings a century ago, becoming one of the wealthiest merchants in the Song Dynasty within a mere decade or so. Surely, they must have engaged in some nefarious deeds to achieve such rapid success, making divine punishment understandable. However, shouldn’t they value the lives of their clan members even more? Why subject them to such dangers within their own home?
“Are you the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Young Ladies?” a fair-skinned page boy asked, peering from the path.
Yao Ye, barely concealing her relief, quickly responded, “Yes, that’s correct.”
The page boy bowed, “The teacher has been waiting for some time. Please follow me, young ladies.”
Yao Ye said, “We servants cannot stay on the mountain. We’ll return at dusk to escort you back, young ladies.”
Mei Jiu and Mei Ruyan nodded in agreement.
“This way, please,” the page boy, though similar in age to the girls, carried himself like an old scholar.
The spacious courtyard was barren, devoid of trees or flowers. Only a few pots of slender plum trees stood beneath the corridor, one of which had begun to bud.
Over ten classrooms lined the yard, all featuring intricately carved elm doors and windows. The unpainted wood, with its straight, rustic grain, lent an elegant simplicity to the austere courtyard. Suddenly, the sound of students reciting their lessons filled the air, instantly transforming the atmosphere into one of scholarly refinement.
The page boy stopped before one of the classrooms, instructing the girls to wait at the steps while he announced their arrival. Only then were they invited inside.
The teacher sat cross-legged on a mat. Noticing the girls at the doorway, he tapped his ruler on the desk and turned to them, saying, “Young ladies, please enter.”
Mei Jiu followed Mei Ruyan inside, keeping her eyes fixed on her feet, too timid to look up.
“Are bound feet beautiful?” An Jiu asked coldly.
Unsure how to respond, Mei Jiu meekly answered, “No, they’re not.”
An Jiu laughed, then suddenly bellowed, “If they’re not beautiful, why are you staring at them like they’re flowers? Look up!”
Mei Jiu flinched at the outburst, then heard soft laughter from the front of the room. Raising her eyes, she saw that nearly all of the twenty-odd young men and women in the classroom were looking at her and smiling, each with a different emotion behind their eyes.
Mei Jiu was shocked to see boys and girls studying together – it seemed so… improper!
An Jiu, however, was surprised for a different reason. The Mei family had fewer than seventy members of the master class, yet this single classroom held twenty-seven young people of varying ages, nearly half of the family’s elite. After accounting for the family head, five elders, two elderly ladies, married-in sons-in-law, and concubines, there were very few adults left in the Mei household! In other words, the parents of most of these children were likely no longer alive.
The teacher tapped his ruler again, speaking with a slight Shaanxi accent, “Young ladies, you’ll be studying with everyone from now on. You’re all brothers and sisters here, so help each other out.”
Without further introduction, the teacher gave a brief admonition and then pointed to some empty seats in the back row, telling them, “Sit wherever you like.”
“Thank you, teacher,” the girls replied.
They made their way to the back, choosing adjacent seats along the wall.
Mei Jiu’s seat was by the window, offering a view of the lush rear courtyard, which seemed untouched by autumn. Mei Ruyan sat right next to her.
As soon as they were seated, a page brought them their books.
There were five in total: “The Great Learning,” “Mencius,” “The Book of Rites,” “The Book of Changes,” and “The Book of History.”
An Jiu, realizing she couldn’t understand the archaic language or write in traditional characters, thought about learning alongside Mei Jiu. Before she could speak, however, she discovered she could suddenly comprehend the texts!
Just as Mei Jiu had gained many of An Jiu’s abilities, An Jiu now acquired this skill as Mei Jiu began to read these books.
Mei Jiu had studied these texts before. Except for “The Book of Changes,” which she found incomprehensible, the others weren’t too difficult for her. While she might not grasp their deeper meanings, she could at least recite them from memory.
An Jiu felt no excitement at this unexpected gift. The increasing number of things forcibly shared between her and Mei Jiu was not cause for celebration.
An Jiu strongly disliked accepting things from others without earning them. Her entire previous life had taught her one lesson – you always have to pay back what you receive!
If given the choice, she would prefer to invest her effort and time into learning. With dedication, there was no reason she couldn’t master these subjects. The more she thought about it, the more this situation seemed a cause for concern rather than joy.
After the students had recited a passage from “Mencius” six or seven times in unison, the teacher allowed them a break.
Mei Jiu, drawn to the view outside, was about to lean towards the window when she heard the teacher behind her ask, “What books have you two studied before?”
Mei Jiu quickly stood and bowed, “Teacher.”
The teacher waved his hand, “Sit, sit. No need for formalities. I don’t care for such fuss.”
His Shaanxi accent made him sound both common and approachable. Mei Jiu couldn’t help but look at him more closely. The teacher appeared to be about twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old, tall and broad-shouldered, wearing a faded grey-blue cloth robe. His face was dark, with a neatly trimmed beard. His naturally narrow eyes were squinted tightly, giving him the appearance of a fox – a black fox.
His comical appearance helped ease Mei Jiu’s nervousness. “In response to your question, teacher, I’ve studied all these books except for ‘The Book of Changes.'”
Mei Ruyan admitted shamefacedly, “I’ve only read ‘Mencius.'”
At that time, the practice of frequenting courtesans was popular among scholars, who considered it a refined pastime. The highest-ranking courtesans, known as “shangxingshou,” were required not only to be beautiful but also cultured and talented. When Mei Ruyan lived in the brothel, she had tutors who taught her poetry and prose to entertain future clients.
The teacher showed no surprise at the disparity between the sisters’ education. “If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I only teach one class every five days, so if you want to excel, you’ll need to study diligently on your own.”
“Only one class every five days?” Mei Jiu had thought they would attend daily lessons.
“You’ll have other classes as well,” the teacher explained, leaning closer to the desk and reaching for a stack of papers, which he held close to his face to examine.
Seeing him nearly press his face against the paper, Mei Jiu realized his eyesight was poor. She gently reminded him, “Teacher, those are blank sheets.”
He smiled and set the papers down. “Why don’t you each write something for me to see? Hmm, how about transcribing your favorite poem?”
“Yes, teacher,” they replied.
Mei Jiu and Mei Ruyan each took paper and brush, carefully writing down a poem.
When they finished, the teacher brought his face close to Mei Jiu’s writing, squinting as he read aloud, “A single oar, a spring breeze, a leaf-like boat; A silk thread, a cocoon’s fiber, a light hook. Flowers fill the islets, wine fills the cups, Amidst the vast waves, one finds true freedom.”
Without commenting, he turned to examine Mei Ruyan’s work, reciting, “To seek spring, one must be earlier than spring itself; To view flowers, don’t wait until the branches grow old. Pale jade hue, soft to hold, The wine’s foam clear atop the cup. What harm is in frequent, radiant smiles? In the imperial garden, spring’s return is late. Drunk together in idle peace, Poems flow as the drums beat.”
“Interesting,” he said, folding both papers and tucking them into his sleeve. As he stood, he added, “For ‘A single oar, a spring breeze,’ you may go pay respects to Master Qingming. For ‘To seek spring, one must be earlier,’ you may visit Master Mo. Someone will guide you there shortly.”
Mei Jiu, unfamiliar with the customs, was about to ask for clarification, but the teacher had already started making his way back to the front of the room, bumping into things as he went.