Teacher Lian was a female instructor recently hired by the Shen family. She was highly knowledgeable and well-versed in both ancient and modern learning and had impeccable character and conduct. Even the Duke and Earl held her in high esteem, granting her an exceptional status in the Shen household far beyond that of an ordinary tutor.
The female students of the Shen family were also very fond of Teacher Lian, as she was an intriguing person rather than a mere bookworm.
Two years ago, when Teacher Lian first arrived at the Shen residence, the second young lady of the family, Shen He, had not yet married. Known as a talented woman in the capital, she was a formidable gatekeeper for any tutor hoping to join the household. Those who failed to pass Shen He’s scrutiny would do well to cover their faces and leave with their bags packed.
When Teacher Lian arrived, she naturally had to meet this second young lady. However, rather than engaging in verbal sparring or poetry competitions, she posed a single question that thoroughly impressed all the young ladies of the Shen family.
“When I was in Jin, Teacher Lian taught me for two years,” Ji Cheng said with a smile. Later, when the Shen family sought renowned teachers from all directions, her father recommended Teacher Lian to Ji Lan. In truth, Ji Cheng was quite reluctant to part with Lian Puhui, but she knew that Teacher Lian’s presence at the Shen residence would greatly benefit her future. That’s why she encouraged her father to recommend Teacher Lian.
As it happened, Teacher Lian had old acquaintances in the capital and gladly accepted the position.
“So you’re that former student Teacher Lian often mentions,” Shen Qin remarked, truly looking at Ji Cheng for the first time.
Ji Cheng was surprised, not understanding what was meant by “Teacher Lian’s former student.”
Shen Yuan explained with a smile, “Teacher Lian often speaks of her previous female student, describing her as clever and mischievous, and saying she learned a great deal from that pupil.”
“Oh.” Ji Cheng’s face instantly reddened, never expecting Teacher Lian to praise her in such a manner.
“I never thought we’d meet her in person!” Shen Qin exclaimed with delight.
Su Yun, intrigued by everyone’s discussion of Teacher Lian, smiled with curved eyes and said, “From what you’re saying, this Teacher Lian seems quite formidable.”
“Mm-hmm,” Shen Qin nodded vigorously. “It’s just that I can never finish the assignments Teacher Lian gives us, yet I don’t dare say I’ve tried my best.” Shen Qin then began to chatter about Teacher Lian’s amusing anecdotes.
Su Yun listened, fascinated, and asked, “What question did Teacher Lian pose to Second Sister that impressed her so much?”
“It wasn’t a difficult question,” Shen Qin replied. “The teacher asked: If there’s a fully loaded cart with one person pushing from the front and another pulling from behind, can the cart still move forward?”
Su Yun hadn’t expected such a simple question. Her instinct was to say “impossible,” but since it had stumped Shen He, there must be a reason. Could it move forward? But that seemed impossible. Su Yun wondered if Shen He had thought like her and said “possible,” while the actual answer was simply “impossible.”
Shen Qin shook Su Yun and said, “Sister Yun, hurry and answer!”
“I think it’s impossible,” Su Yun answered honestly.
Shen Cui burst out laughing, “Of course it’s possible! It’s so simple – what about going downhill?”
Su Yun was stunned. “Oh, right! How did I not think of that? Oh my, I’m so foolish.”
Shen Yuan said, “Sister Yun isn’t foolish at all, she just didn’t think of it immediately. All of us sisters were there at the time, and none of us figured it out. Teacher Lian said it wasn’t because we were stupid, but because we were accustomed to book learning and had forgotten about real-life situations. After that, she taught us principles that were useful in everyday life. We girls aren’t aiming to become top scholars, so our perspective on those books naturally differs from that of men. Teacher Lian has essentially shown us a new path.”
Su Yun nodded in agreement.
“Sister Cheng, did Teacher Lian ever test you with this question?” Shen Qin asked.
Ji Cheng wasn’t sure how to answer, as she had posed this question to Teacher Lian. Living as a widow in Jin, Teacher Lian was highly learned but also strong-willed. How could she willingly become a tutor for a merchant’s daughter? Ji Cheng had made a bet with Lian Puhui, challenging her with this question. Only after stumping Teacher Lian did she agree to become the Jis’ tutor.
This question was one of Ji Cheng’s “test questions” back then.
Ji Cheng smiled without answering, and everyone assumed she hadn’t been able to solve it either. Feeling a bit embarrassed, they didn’t press further, as it would have been impolite.
Shen Qin continued chattering with Su Yun, “Teacher Lian often gives us strange questions. Last time, she posed a xiangqi (Chinese chess) puzzle.”
Saying this, Shen Qin immediately had a maid bring a Xiangqi set. Su Yun thought she was expected to solve a chess problem, but as she usually played go and rarely touched xiangqi, she said with some difficulty, “I haven’t played much xiangqi.”
Shen Qin waved her hand, “It’s not about playing xiangqi, just watch.”
On the chessboard, Shen Qin arranged ten chess pieces into a large triangle, with one piece at the top, four at the bottom, and two and three pieces in between.
“Sister Yun, look,” Shen Qin said excitedly, “Now I want you to flip four of these ten pieces face down so that any three face-up pieces don’t form an equilateral triangle. Give it a try!”
Shen Yuan held her forehead. This fourth sister always liked to test people with Teacher Lian’s questions, delighting in stumping others. “Qin, this puzzle takes time. Why are you troubling Sister Yun with it now? Look at the time; guests will likely arrive soon.”
Shen Qin pouted, “Oh, I just got excited. Besides, it doesn’t take that long. When I tested Second Brother with it, he solved it at a glance.”
Shen Yuan replied, “You think everyone’s like Second Brother?”
However, Su Yun’s competitive spirit was aroused. If others could solve it at a glance, there was no reason she should take much time. She focused intently on the board, but after several attempts, she couldn’t find the solution. Just then, Chun Chan led two young ladies in to join them, and Su Yun had to give up.
Shen Qin then asked Ji Cheng, “Sister Cheng, have you solved it?”
Ji Cheng smiled awkwardly again. This was also a puzzle she had used to test Teacher Lian, just a “side door” trick. She had given Teacher Lian a time limit, causing her to lose. Ji Cheng hadn’t expected that someone could solve it at a glance. She had come up with this interesting little puzzle while playing Xiangqi alone out of boredom. But even she couldn’t solve it at a glance.
“Oh, I knew I wasn’t the slowest. When Second Sister came back home, she solved it in less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick, while I fiddled with it for a whole day, trying almost every method before solving it,” Shen Qin said.
By now, Shen Yuan and Shen Cui had gone to greet the two newly arrived young ladies, but Su Yun was still focused on the chess puzzle.
The two young ladies were granddaughters of old acquaintances of Duke Qi, one surnamed Yan and the other Jiang.
The actual day of the Old Madam’s birthday hadn’t arrived yet. During this period, mostly former students and old friends of Duke Qi came to offer birthday wishes. On the actual day, there would be a grand banquet for court officials, and it was said that the palace would send someone to congratulate the Old Madam. In the days following, the Old Madam would host banquets for relatives and close family friends, mainly for the women. There would also be five days of performances by dancers and singers from Changchun Garden in Qing Garden.
Qing Garden was one of the four famous gardens of the Duke’s mansion in the capital.
So, in the next few days, the Shen family was likely to receive many guests. Ji Cheng also went forward to greet the two young ladies. Though she didn’t speak much, her constant smile and attentive listening made most of the visiting young ladies remember her, especially given her beauty.
Shen Yuan observed from the side, nodding to herself. Truly worthy of being Teacher Lian’s student, despite her unremarkable background, she carried herself with neither arrogance nor humility and spoke with excellent measure. She had indeed underestimated this cousin earlier.
As the girls chatted, Su Yun suddenly exclaimed happily, “I’ve solved it!”
It wasn’t a particularly difficult puzzle; the challenge was in the solving time. Su Yun’s quick solution in this short while proved her to be quite intelligent.
Shen Qin smiled admiringly, “Sister Yun, you’re so clever! You solved it in less time than it takes to drink a cup of tea. Let’s take a look.”
On the chessboard, the large triangle now had the top piece flipped face down, the middle two of the bottom four pieces flipped, and the middle piece of the second-to-last row of three pieces also flipped. Indeed, the remaining face-up pieces could no longer form a triangle.
Having solved the puzzle, Su Yun finally had the mood to chat with the Yan and Jiang young ladies. Cheerful and lively, she soon hit it off with everyone.
If the visiting young ladies found Ji Cheng agreeable, they truly adored Su Yun. Coming from similar backgrounds, they felt more at ease conversing with her.
In the evening, after dinner and seeing off the last group of guests, Ji Cheng felt her cheeks stiff from smiling. Looking at Shen Yuan and Shen Qin, she saw that their energy had also greatly diminished. She thought to herself that being a young lady of a great family was truly challenging, having to remember the names and personalities of one wave of guests after another, while also engaging in conversation and banter.
When returning to Iron Hat Lane, not only was Ji Cheng exhausted, but Shen Cui already needed support from her maid to stand, completely disregarding her image.
Fortunately, a green-curtained carriage was waiting outside. Ji Lan had returned home early due to household matters, so Ji Cheng now shared a carriage with Shen Cui.
Shen Cui leaned sideways, glaring at Ji Cheng, “Cousin, are you stupid? Today, Su Yun looked down on you and barely spoke to you, yet you kept trying to please her. And that whoever it was, upon hearing you were my mother’s niece, sneered, yet you could still smile?”
Ji Cheng turned to look at Shen Cui, her eyes curved in a smile like crescent moons, “Fifth Sister, so you do care about me.”
Shen Cui was caught off guard, “Who cares about you, silly?”
Ji Cheng smiled without speaking. Shen Cui sat up straight and leaned closer to Ji Cheng, “I think Su Yun is nothing special. She’s not even as good-looking as you. The Su family isn’t what it used to be; it’s just those inexperienced people fawning over her, treating her like some heavenly fairy.”
Ji Cheng hadn’t expected Shen Cui to dislike the universally adored Su Yun so much. She couldn’t praise Su Yun now, as it would surely displease Shen Cui. She had come to seek an ally, but agreeing with Shen Cui’s words seemed inappropriate. They would have to interact long-term in the school, and creating a cold relationship wouldn’t be good.
“Sister Yun is a guest from afar, so naturally everyone treats her a bit better. It’s just hospitality, not necessarily meaning she’s better than you or Sister Yuan and the others,” Ji Cheng said.
Shen Cui sneered, clearly still unsatisfied with Ji Cheng’s explanation, “But you’re also a guest from afar. Why aren’t they polite to you?”
Ji Cheng smiled bitterly, “I can’t choose my birth.”
“But what right do they have to look down on us?” Shen Cui said defiantly. “It’s the glory and wealth their fathers earned, not any abilities of their own.”
Shen Cui’s thoughts weren’t entirely unreasonable. After all, hadn’t it been said that there was no noble blood in those who became kings, dukes, ministers, and generals?
Ji Cheng was silent for a moment before saying, “Men achieve greatness and establish careers largely to benefit their wives and children. It’s called ‘the ancestors plant trees for the descendants to enjoy the shade.’ The older generation put in much blood and sweat. For instance, the Duke of the Shen family died on the battlefield. All this was to ensure a better future for their descendants. This nobility was bought with the blood of their ancestors. They, and even you, have every right to be a bit prouder than others.”
Shen Cui looked at Ji Cheng in surprise, not expecting her to say such things. But unwilling to admit that Ji Cheng’s words made sense, she sneered again, “So you’re saying that because you’re from a merchant family, you should belittle yourself?”