Each class lasted one shichen, with two breaks in between.
After the lesson ended, a page boy came to escort them to meet their respective teachers. As they walked, he explained, “Master Zhao is the headmaster. He usually only teaches basic subjects but oversees the entire clan school. You’ll spend less time in Master Zhao’s classes and more with your teachers. Fourteenth Miss, you’ll be meeting Master Qingming, who’s well-versed in Chan Buddhism and has an open-minded nature. Fifteenth Miss, you’ll be meeting Master Mo, who was once a romantic scholar in his youth. Proud and arrogant, he ranked third in the imperial examinations twelve years ago, but left the capital in anger to travel.”
“Why would he be angry about ranking third?” Mei Ruyan asked.
The page boy chuckled, “It’s not that. Master Mo felt it was embarrassing.”
It was truly a case of comparison breeding discontent! Many scholars spent their entire lives studying yet failed to even pass the provincial examinations. Here was someone who ranked third in the imperial exams and still felt ashamed.
As they talked, they arrived at a bamboo house. The melodious sound of a qin mingled with the gurgle of flowing water. The wind rustled through the bamboo leaves, creating a sound like falling rain.
On the veranda sat a man in plain clothes, cross-legged with a guqin across his lap. His eyes were closed as he played, exuding an air of grace and elegance.
The three stood transfixed until the song ended. The page boy finally came to his senses and said, “Master Mo, the headmaster has chosen a disciple for you.”
Master Mo opened his eyes and looked at Mei Jiu and Mei Ruyan. After a moment, he said, “Come here.”
Seeing Mei Ruyan still in a daze, the page boy whispered, “Fifteenth Miss, you should go now. Master Mo can be a bit eccentric.”
“Thank you for the reminder,” Mei Ruyan replied, her face slightly flushed. She added quietly to Mei Jiu, “Sister, I’m going now.”
“Alright,” Mei Jiu responded.
An Jiu remarked, “The men of the Mei family seem to be generally good-looking.”
Mei Jiu agreed silently. In just a few days, they had encountered three handsome men, though their character remained to be seen, especially Mo Sigui.
“Ah!” The page boy sighed, “I wonder if the Fifteenth Miss will last seven days.”
Mei Jiu asked worriedly, “What do you mean?”
“Master Mo has a difficult temperament. Others have sought to study under him before, but were all driven away within seven days,” the page boy explained.
Mei Jiu quickly asked, “What are the consequences of being driven away?”
Seeing her nervous expression, the page boy hastily reassured her, “It’s not a problem. The headmaster will simply choose another teacher for the Fifteenth Miss.”
Mei Jiu breathed a sigh of relief, “That’s good to hear.”
“Let’s go. I’ll take you to meet Master Qingming,” the page boy said with a smile. “Master Qingming has a kind nature. Everyone likes to study with him. He currently has eleven students, and you’ll be the twelfth.”
Master Qingming’s residence was some distance away. From the fork in the road, it was a two-cup-of-tea journey southward. Mei Jiu, dragging her aching legs, felt the journey was interminable.
Suddenly, laughter echoed through the forest, both male and female voices. Mei Jiu glanced at the page boy in surprise.
“We’re almost there,” he said.
As the path curved, a clearing came into view. A large open space was surrounded by a fence, with many fruit trees planted inside. Over a dozen people were laughing and chatting as they picked tangerines.
As soon as Mei Jiu appeared at the entrance, all sound ceased. The gazes that turned to her were a mix of curiosity, mockery, and challenge.
“Hey!” a young man standing in a tangerine tree called down to her. “Are you the Fourteenth Miss who killed two martial artists with a bamboo bow?”
So the news spread everywhere!
Mei Jiu lowered her head in embarrassment, unsure how to respond. She didn’t want to admit to killing in front of everyone, but she couldn’t deny it either.
A girl in purple robes standing beneath the tree looked at Mei Jiu with unconcealed jealousy and contempt. “Hmph! It must have been Miss Yan who killed the martial artists. Look at her – she probably needs a maid’s help just to peel a tangerine!”
Seeing Mei Jiu on the verge of tears, the page boy quickly intervened, “Young masters and misses, is Master Qingming not here?”
Despite his youth, the page boy was close to the headmaster, so they showed him some respect. The young man in the tree replied, “He went to herd sheep. We don’t know when he’ll return.”
Mei Jiu thought she had misheard. Herding sheep?
An Jiu unexpectedly quipped, “Quite the Renaissance man.”
The girl in purple approached the entrance, smiling slyly. “Since we’re all idle, how about a competition?”
“What kind of competition?” Mei Jiu couldn’t pretend not to hear from such a close distance.
“Archery,” the purple-robed girl said provocatively. “Let’s compete in what you’re best at!”
“An Jiu…” Mei Jiu called out internally.
“Childish. Not interested,” An Jiu decided to stay hidden, trying to make Mei Jiu appear as normal as possible to others. Otherwise, she might truly be treated as insane.
If this were an ordinary large family, acting eccentric might be tolerable. However, the more An Jiu learned about the Mei family, the more she suspected that the assassins’ failure to silence Mei Jiu might be related to her killing of those two martial artists. If that were the case, would Mei Jiu be killed once she no longer had any use?
Mei Jiu weakly replied, “I won’t compete with you.”
“Ha!” The purple-robed girl laughed loudly, turning to address the others in the yard. “I heard Miss Yan could once fight a hundred men single-handedly, yet she gave birth to such a coward!”
Mei Jiu was both shocked and angry, her pretty face flushing red. “You’ve also studied the Four Books and Five Classics. How can you speak so crudely?”
An Jiu couldn’t bear to watch anymore. “Insulting someone with such gentle words – how refined.”
“Then how should I respond?” Mei Jiu knew she was at a loss for words, so she humbly sought advice.
“I never argue with people,” An Jiu stated.
Mei Jiu didn’t believe her. With An Jiu’s sharp tongue, anyone with a temper would surely get into an argument with her!
However, in reality, An Jiu had never argued with anyone in her previous life. Apart from accepting missions, she rarely interacted with people and spoke even less.
“Please help me think of something!” Mei Jiu pleaded. She hated it most when people insulted her mother along with her.
“I remember disagreeing with the organization’s commander once. We exchanged only three sentences before it turned into a fight. Afterward, we both ended up in the hospital for a month,” An Jiu said proudly. “But he broke three ribs, while I only broke one.”
Mei Jiu’s tolerance had improved. After hearing this, she responded, “I think… I’d better handle this myself…”
As the purple-robed girl was speaking, she noticed Mei Jiu’s distraction and angrily pushed her.
Caught off guard, Mei Jiu fell to the ground.
“Hmph, what a frail thing you are,” the purple-robed girl said, growing more indignant. “I don’t know what Elder Zhi sees in you! Apart from your face, you’re completely useless!”
Mei Jiu felt dazed. How could they say she was good for nothing? She was well-read and accomplished in the four arts of qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Why did everyone call her incompetent?
An Jiu sensed a slight tremor in the ground and immediately said, “Stand up!”
Before she could finish speaking, a strong smell of sheep wafted over. Mei Jiu scrambled to her feet in panic, only to be buffeted by an onrushing flock of sheep.
In her swaying vision, An Jiu saw an old man with disheveled white hair and dirty clothes running towards them. He waved at her, calling out, “Come give me a hand!”