Chapter 569: Chapter 569: Surprisingly Not a Bachelor
Even more surprising was the fact that he was actually wearing wooden clogs on his feet. The clogs were finely made, not at all crude like those of rural farmers, but instead exuded an air of casual abandon.
Luo Huiniang, having been caught speaking ill of the old residence, hurriedly explained, "Uncle, please don’t be angry, these are just rumors in the town, not sure if they are true... I didn’t mean to say that your residence is unlucky."
Back in her hometown, if anyone dared to say that someone’s home was haunted, they would be beaten up.
Master Xia looked up with a smile and remarked, "This young girl is genuinely simple and charming, not bad."
Then turned his gaze to Gu Jinli, appraising her: "You’re not bad either."
Her features were steady with conviction, and her lively eyes brimmed with vitality, blending the composure of an adult with the cleverness of a young girl.
"Hello, Master Xia," Gu Jinli greeted Master Xia along with Luo Huiniang.
Master Xia waved his hand with a smile and said to them, "Come in and sit down. We just arrived, and the house is in disarray with no one to entertain you, so please feel free to enjoy yourselves."
With that, he turned and headed towards the front courtyard of the residence.
"Okay," Luo Huiniang replied joyfully, pulling Gu Jinli to follow Master Xia.
Gu Jin’an closed the back door and followed as well.
Gu Jinli asked him, "Where is Uncle Shang?"
Scholar Shang had accompanied Gu Jin’an to Jinling Prefecture to find the Zheng Family and the Shangguan Family; they should have returned together, yet there was no sign of Scholar Shang.
Gu Jin’an replied, "He’s at County Captain Jiang’s family. Aunt Shang and Yuanyuan are staying at the Jiang Family residence. Since the master has just returned, the Jiang Family asked him to stay for a couple of days. He probably won’t be back until the day after tomorrow."
Mrs. Jiang had no sons, only a daughter named Yuanyuan. With Scholar Shang away from home, Mrs. Jiang worried that it would be unsafe for her daughter to stay in the countryside, so she brought them back to stay at the Jiang Family’s home.
After hearing this, Gu Jinli nodded and, looking at the back of Master Xia, whose robe sleeves were fluttering, asked, "And this Master Xia?"
Gu Jin’an, knowing she would ask, told her about Master Xia’s background.
Master Xia, named Xia Gu, styled himself as Changyuan, and was known as Ding Gong. He had served as a guest for both the Zheng Family and the Shangguan Family. Later, he left both families and moved to live on a manor outside of Jinling Prefecture, where he stayed for nearly ten years until he became weary of it.
Having made acquaintances with Gu Jin’an through the Zheng and Shangguan families, and learning he lived in the countryside of Qingfu Town, Master Xia decided to settle here, planning to stay for three to five years.
Gu Jinli frowned and asked, "Isn’t it rash to decide to stay for a few years just like that?"
Gu Jin’an laughed and said, "Master Xia is proud and unyielding. As a young man, he traveled through Great Chu, Da Rong, and even neighboring countries to the east. He even sailed to nearby seas and lived on an island for a while. He is a man of whims, going wherever he pleases. Moving to Qingfu Town to live for a few years and mingling with the local townsfolk is nothing unusual for him."
But...
"Master Xia doesn’t want outsiders to know his identity. It’s enough for you to know, but don’t mention Master Xia’s background to others."
Master Xia came to the countryside wishing to live a tranquil life and did not want too much attention. Although he had already reined in his wild nature thirty years ago to live in seclusion, the things he did when he was young were too well known, and if others found out, it would inevitably lead to a flood of students seeking him.
Master Xia was a man of peculiar temperament. He disliked holding office but enjoyed taking the imperial examinations. He climbed all the way up from scholar to the Imperial Examination, and when everyone expected him to become the top scorer of the new session, he submitted a blank script during the Imperial Examination, infuriating the Emperor of Great Chu.
At that time, it was the first Emperor of the Great Chu who was in control. Seeing the scholar with the loudest cheers submit a blank answer sheet at the Imperial Examination, he saw it as Master Xia intentionally slapping his face, and he was so angry that he almost had Master Xia killed.
But the first Emperor of the Great Chu had won his territory through chaotic times, where the custom of defying the officials from the former dynasty was prevalent. Everyone had a temper and was not afraid of death. They cursed the first Emperor of Great Chu to the high heavens, accusing him of being a traitor who, as a subject, usurped the master’s country and deserved to have his muscles torn, skin peeled, and suffer through three thousand cuts of execution by slicing!
They also cursed him as a bloodthirsty brute born of the military ranks, a vulgar soldier that now, as the ruler of the land, would surely treat the people’s lives as grass and cause Great Chu’s rivers to run red with blood.
The first Emperor of Great Chu was cursed every day. Killing a bunch of defiant scholars and men of letters did nothing—they would insult your ancestors when the time came no matter what. The more you killed, the more vigorously they cursed.
Later on, a Civil Minister advised the Emperor of Great Chu that conquering the land required an iron fist, but governing it could not; he must win over the scholars and defiant literati.
To these men of letters and defiant scholars, treating them with courtesy was better than killing them. Besides, these people were highly learned and could help govern the country.
The first Emperor of Great Chu didn’t want any mishaps in the territory he had painstakingly won. So he issued an imperial decree to favor all scholars. As long as they did not commit capital offenses, Great Chu would not kill any of them.
Thanks to this early decree, Master Xia escaped this disaster without being beheaded by the first Emperor of Great Chu, but his title as the top scorer was stripped away, leaving only his scholarly title intact.
Master Xia didn’t care at all. When he left the Capital, he fearlessly said, "Official positions are just shackles. Master Xia only wishes to be a free man and has no desire for the shackles."
The first Emperor of Great Chu was so angry that he almost coughed up blood and wished he could send someone to assassinate Xia secretly. But after Master Xia left the Capital, he went directly to the eastern neighboring country, lived there for several years, and by the time he returned, the first Emperor of Great Chu had already passed away.
After Gu Jin’an finished recounting all this, he added, "Master Xia first came over to renovate the house. Once the house is fixed up, Lady Xia will come over."
Gu Jinli was astonished, "Master Xia actually has a wife?"
How could such a person, who seemed to court death as soon as he was full, manage to find a wife? What kind of woman would marry him?
Master Xia paused in his steps, turned his head, and glared at Gu Jinli, "Master Xia is unparalleled in talent. How could I not have a wife? Young lady, you are really underestimating people."
Gu Jinli quickly laughed and appeased, "Master is right. If someone with Master’s talents and appearance were to remain single, it would truly be against all reason."
Master Xia gave her a sidelong glance, harrumphed, and walked away.
The servants brought by Master Xia were not many, only ten, but each of them possessed excellent physique and all their actions were proper, not inferior to the masters from wealthy families.
Some of them looked extremely steady on their feet, clearly skilled in martial arts.
They moved swiftly, continuously transporting the trunks and boxes brought by Master Xia.
Master Xia sat in the courtyard, directing his servants, "Move these boxes of books to the study; the scrolls go to the room next to the study. Don’t open the boxes; check the roofing twice first to avoid the autumn rain from ruining my paintings. I would be furious."
He also pointed to the Scholar’s Family’s yard and said, "So this is how the Scholar’s Family plants things. The bamboo outside the window is almost blocking the window, and what’s the deal with this stone block in the middle? There is truly not a hint of garden aesthetics."
The layout of gardens has always been about stacking mountains and managing water, with elaborate plant and structure arrangements, but the Scholar’s Family’s yard includes none of these—it hurts the eyes to look at it even once.
Gu Jinli listened and critiqued, "Master Xia, we’re in the countryside here. It’s already good enough that families can grow some flowers and plants. All these things you mentioned, the rural folk here don’t understand."
Isn’t it nicer to earn some money with all this time being fussy?
What happened to men of letters and defiant scholars not sweating the small stuff? They don’t mind if the house is inauspicious, yet are picky about the garden’s layout. Should country folks also invite a landscaping master to design their homes? Wake up, this isn’t the Capital!