Song Chuyi was slightly stunned. In aristocratic circles, one’s background was very important. But she could not say it. That slim plum seemed to know a little about Daoism. This life was different from her previous one. If she spoke of it and someone saw through her, would she not become a laughingstock?
“Heaven and earth are both my teachers,” Song Chuyi said slowly.
In the wind and snow, a group of people could not help but stop and turn back to look at her carefully. Earlier in the hall, they had been far away, but now, only a foot apart, they could clearly see her pair of bright eyes, limpid as a calm, wave-free pool, without a trace of the sharp edge of youth.
“The highest good is like water, benefiting all things without contending. Good eyes,” someone suddenly praised.
Song Chuyi smiled and looked toward him. He was a young man in dark brown brocade finery, with a slightly thin and long face, but a square chin and firm, rugged features, so he did not make people feel sharp or mean. Song Chuyi remembered that his name was Ji Mian, courtesy name Wumei.
“Brother Wumei overpraises me,” Song Chuyi said. Wumei, homophonically, sounded somewhat like “wumei” meaning charming and coquettish. Calling a grown man charmingly, coquettishly, made Song Chuyi feel somewhat strange inside.
“Seemingly free and easy, but in truth flashy. Not answering the question, speaking without knowing what is being said.” Nan Qi glanced at her contemptuously and was the first to lift his foot and leave.
Xi Hong laughed and said, “Huajin, do not take offense. Yunsi has always been like this. He is unforgiving with his words, but his heart is good.”
“I understand. One can guess a thing or two from his name,” Song Chuyi said with a serious nod.
Xi Hong was greatly interested and asked curiously, “Huajin, how did you tell?”
Nan Qi, walking ahead, vaguely heard their conversation and could not help but slow his pace slightly. Seeing this, the others also smiled knowingly, then slowed down as well, waiting with great interest to hear the answer.
“Qi means sacrifice. Yun has the meaning of sincerity. The meaning of Yunsi, presumably, is to express loyalty and reverence toward the gods. But matched with his surname, it is not very good. Hard to reverently sacrifice… tsk tsk.” Song Chuyi said with a face full of regret, “Brother Yunsi must be outstandingly talented yet depressed and unfulfilled. With such a name, how could the gods treat him favorably? If this goes on for a long time, it is inevitable that he will feel resentful in his heart. It is also unavoidable that he speaks somewhat harshly. Therefore, I will absolutely not mind.”
If one cannot be reverent toward the gods, how can one obtain their blessing?
This whole speech was both praise and criticism. It was clearly meant to poke fun at Nan Qi. Everyone could not help but curl up the corners of their mouths. Her explanation of Nan Qi’s name really did have a bit of that flavor.
Nan Qi’s face turned dark. He gave a cold snort, flicked his sleeves, and left.
“Strange!” Hui Shuyun clapped his hands and burst into loud laughter. “The world all says that Daoists are indifferent to worldly affairs. Today I suddenly see two covered in poisonous thorns. Could it be that Daoism has now also entered this age of great contention?”
The others laughed along with him. Laughter rang out clearly in the snow. Song Chuyi heard that there was no true mockery in Hui Shuyun’s tone, so she calmly accepted the teasing.
Song Chuyi had never been someone easy to deal with. Lowering her head once or twice because of the circumstances was one thing, but when their status was clearly equal, why should she have to live depending on someone else’s expressions? And moreover, they lived in the same courtyard, seeing each other constantly.
Song Chuyi followed the group of people to the study. A warm brazier had already been lit inside. As soon as she entered the room, she could not help but shiver, only then realizing that her body had already been invaded by the cold.
“Songzi.” An old man in his fifties came forward to greet her. He slightly raised his hand and gestured toward a small table in the corner. “That is the place prepared for you to study governance.”
Song Chuyi observed that his attire did not seem to be that of a servant, so she cupped her hands in salute and said, “Thank you, family elder.”
“Family elder” was a form of address for the senior among the retainers of a great officer, but generally, out of respect, people would address him this way.
“No need for courtesy,” the old man returned the salute and said.
This family elder’s attitude was very mild. He did not show contempt because of her young appearance. Song Chuyi rather liked him, so she asked, “May I ask your honorable names?”
“My name is Yi Shikui,” the old man said.
Song Chuyi smiled slightly and said, “Could it be that your ancestors were people of the State of Yi?”
The State of Yi was merely a small state in the Qilu region during the Spring and Autumn period, and its people took the state name as their clan name. But one had to understand that in the Spring and Autumn period, small states stood in great numbers, too many to count. Some could be considered a state from occupying only one or two cities. In an age when people could hear each other’s dogs and roosters but grew old without ever visiting one another, being able to immediately tell a person’s origin was something ordinary people could hardly do.
Yi Shikui was indeed full of surprise. He looked her up and down a few times. “To see that you are so young, yet your knowledge is so broad – it is truly astonishing, Songzi.”
“You overpraise me. You must not call me Song Zi. I cannot bear such a form of address now.” Song Chuyi modestly cupped her hands in salute. “I am Song Chuyi, courtesy name Huajin, originally courtesy name Yinyue. If you don’t mind, you may simply call me Huajin.”
Some smile appeared on Yi Shikui’s face. “Good. The small table and the bookshelf are piled with volumes on the political affairs of Wey throughout the years. Huajin, first familiarize yourself with them. We will talk another day. I must go teach the children.”
“Take care as you go.” Song Chuyi saluted and respectfully saw him off.
Yi Shikui was a retainer of the Longgu clan and the teacher responsible for instructing the children of the Longgu clan. Whenever political affairs were discussed, he also took part. Yi was his clan name, shi (meaning “teacher”) was his profession, and Kui was his given name. If one carefully parsed it, the meaning of his full name was: a teacher from the state of Yi named Kui.
“Hmph. Showing off one’s learning to curry favor with others is truly low-class,” Nan Qi drifted over with a cold jeer.
Song Chuyi was just looking around her seat when she heard this, yet she was not angry. She only said coolly, “Having learning to show off is a good thing. What is feared is having no learning and being able to show off only one’s appearance.”
Pa! Nan Qi violently threw the scroll in his hand onto the small table and turned his head to stare at her coldly.
Song Chuyi tucked her hands into her sleeves and said with a smile that was not quite a smile, “What I spoke of is merely the way of the world. Why do you glare angrily at me? Could it be…”
Several people in the room all lowered their heads and secretly laughed. It seemed the position of Wey’s number one sharp tongue was about to change hands.
“The snow is falling heavily today. It is fitting to engage in elegant pursuits. Why do we not play liubo chess together?” Hui Shuyun enthusiastically suggested.
Song Chuyi gave two dry laughs. Could liubo chess really count as an elegant pursuit?
“Excellent.” Ji Mian was the first to agree. He immediately rose, ran to the bookshelf behind him, took out the board and pieces, placed them in the center of the room, rubbed his hands, and called out, “Come, come, come, all of you, come over. Do not spoil the fun.”
“Wumei, does liubo chess count as an elegant pursuit? Wey is now facing national calamity. If others learn that we are amusing ourselves like this, I fear it would not be good,” someone spoke up to dissuade him.
The speaker was named Ji Yan, a disciple of Confucianism.
“What is there to fear? Even Master Kong said, ‘To be filled with food all day and apply one’s mind to nothing – difficult indeed! Are there not those who play bo and chess?'” Ji Mian retorted.
Confucius’s words meant: To eat one’s fill all day and do nothing at all is no good. Are there not also liubo and chess?
When the crowd heard this, they all nodded in agreement, immediately gathered around, as if they had long wanted to play liubo and had only been waiting for an excuse.
Song Chuyi was speechless. The house of Wey was about to collapse. As retainers of important ministers, could they really be called people who ate their fill and had nothing to do?
