“Hmph, you can’t give me any trouble.” Song Chuyi originally didn’t want to waste time on Longgu Buwang, but now that she was eating the Longgu clan’s grain, she had to honestly do things for them.
Even though she knew that even if she acted a bit arrogant now, Longgu Qing wouldn’t drive her away, since she planned to work in earnest, she still had to put on a good show.
Song Chuyi had seen many youths like Longgu Buwang. When faced with a setback, he would certainly strike back hard.
So as soon as Song Chuyi returned to the study and greeted everyone, she sat down in her own seat, casually pulled out a bamboo slip, and waited leisurely for Longgu Buwang to come.
Sure enough, she had barely sat there for a few breaths when the study door was kicked open.
Everyone turned to look and saw it was Longgu Buwang, so they turned their heads away. It wasn’t that they were afraid of him, but that seeing him truly gave them a headache.
Song Chuyi acted as if she hadn’t noticed, as if the bamboo slip in her hand were some marvelous secret text that she was reading with great relish.
Longgu Buwang suddenly snatched the bamboo slip from her hand, threw it aside, and grabbed her by the collar.
Only then did Song Chuyi give him a disdainful glance and say lazily, “What, you want to hit me? This humble one has no strength to truss a chicken. If knocking me down can make you very proud, then go ahead and hit me. But no matter what, what’s worthless is worthless. Don’t think you can make me submit with your fists.”
Longgu Buwang gnashed his teeth, released her, and panting heavily said, “Fine! I want to see what ability you have. I’ll give you three days. If I think you’re incompetent, then get out of this hosuehold immediately!”
“Half a month,” Song Chuyi said in a tone that brooked no doubt. She smoothed her collar and sat back down in her seat. “My abilities are limited. If you think half a month is too long, why not go find someone more capable? If you can’t swallow your anger, giving me a beating is fine too.”
“You’ll submit to me?” Longgu Buwang’s eyes, which were practically spitting fire, showed a trace of disdain.
“If you really beat me up… this humble one has never had much backbone. To survive, the next time we meet I’ll certainly be meek and submissive.” Song Chuyi picked up the bamboo slip from the ground, carefully rolled it up, looked at him, and smiled faintly. “But a brute is a brute, and a good-for-nothing is a good-for-nothing. I have eyes and a heart and can judge for myself. Even if you kill me, that view won’t change.”
After hearing these words from Song Chuyi, Longgu Buwang’s anger actually dissipated quite a bit, and he said briskly, “Fine! I’m not a coward. I’ll give you half a month, starting today!”
In fact, there was definitely more than one scholar with backbone besides Song Chuyi, and there were no few with even fiercer tempers than hers. But Longgu Buwang liked the first half of what she said: she acknowledged her own weakness while also acknowledging that she would stick to her views. Knowing what to do and what not to do was more interesting than the average rigid, stubborn person.
“I am Song Chuyi, courtesy name Huaijin, originally styled Yinyue. I study Daoism. But what I understand best is not Daoism.” Song Chuyi formally introduced herself to him.
Longgu Buwang’s anger came quickly and went quickly. After the earlier outburst of throwing and smashing things, there wasn’t much left now, but he was still resistant to Song Chuyi. Hearing this introduction, he couldn’t help but snort, “You study Daoism but don’t understand Daoism? Then what do you understand?”
Song Chuyi raised an eyebrow slightly and beckoned him to come closer.
Longgu Buwang was actually a man of his word. Having said he would give her half a month, he cooperatively leaned forward a little.
Song Chuyi moved close to him and softly uttered one word: “Play.”
Longgu Buwang had just imagined many possibilities, but the last thing he expected her to say was this. He couldn’t help but be stunned for a moment, and then Song Chuyi’s soft voice sounded again by his ear. “Using all under heaven as a chessboard and the various states as chess pieces – does such a way of playing interest you, young master?”
Hearing these words, the youth’s heart immediately surged with towering waves. No one knew that the person he admired most was Pang Juan, and he was determined to become like Pang Juan: a great general with both courage and strategy, able to charge into battle and serve as a strategist in the command tent.
Even though Pang Juan ultimately failed, and the world only said he was narrow-minded and jealous of talent, Longgu Buwang did not take Pang Juan as his goal, but rather as a great mountain he had to climb over.
Song Chuyi looked at Longgu Buwang’s expression and knew that her words had already stirred up the hot blood within the youth, so she said no more and simply watched him quietly.
Whether Song Chuyi actually had such ability could be set aside for now; these words were merely part of her plan to win over this youth.
This big pie had to be drawn well for him. People with ambition were worthy of respect, and this world did not reject anyone having lofty aspirations.
Longgu Buwang collected his thoughts and looked at Song Chuyi.
Song Chuyi had studied the Daoism of the Laozi and Zhuangzi school since childhood, so in her bones she was unconstrained by ritual and propriety, free and unrestrained. Therefore, even though she never behaved improperly, she was still very different from other scholars who had ritual and propriety carved into their very blood. Her gaze revealed that ease, making others yearn for it.
“Daoism says the Dao follows nature. Do you think there should be ritual and law in this world?” Longgu Buwang thought of it and asked it directly. Even he himself did not realize that his attitude had unconsciously become much more respectful.
“If the people of the world did not know ritual, the world would probably fall into chaos.” Song Chuyi did not mind treating this as the first lesson she gave him. “Ritual and law are things that guide people to live together harmoniously. My Daoist school believes that the Dao follows nature, and that ritual and law arise in response to the times, keeping the common people from being as crude and reckless as in ancient times, and making people know shame. People need ritual and law, which is why they can continue.”
Longgu Buwang detested cumbersome formalities and had also read Daoist texts before, but whenever he saw Daoism speak of following nature and of quietude and non-action, he felt it was impractical. If no one in the world contended, then war would indeed disappear, but what meaning would such a world have? He had never expected that “the Dao follows nature” could actually be understood this way.
Longgu Buwang straightened himself and sat up, then bowed respectfully. “I have received your teaching. But if the world is bound by ritual and law, how can one be as free and easy as you, master?”
Song Chuyi was stunned for a moment, then laughed. She had not expected that this rash youth was indeed no ordinary person; he could easily see the most essential thing in a person.
“The world has ritual and law, but my heart is free. Ritual and law are originally things meant to guide and regulate people’s behavior. As long as one knows ritual, understands ritual, and follows ritual, that is enough. If instead one lets them bind one’s own heart, that is the act of a fool,” Song Chuyi said with a smile.
Song Chuyi’s words and bearing happened to match Longgu Buwang’s own inclinations, as if he had never taken a teacher before precisely because he had been waiting for Song Chuyi’s arrival. At once he was overjoyed.
Nan Qi watched Song Chuyi’s every movement and listened to her words, and in his heart admired Yi Shikui’s ability to judge people and his boldness in employing them. Judging by Longgu Buwang’s attitude, the half-month limit probably no longer counted either. In fact, the teachers Longgu Qing had previously found for Longgu Buwang had all been people of genuine talent and learning. In terms of scholarship, some were far stronger than Song Chuyi. But the matter of taking a teacher depended on fate. Whether one had learning was one thing; whether one was compatible was what mattered most.
Yi Shikui’s scholarship was actually only ordinary, but his ability to recognize and employ people was excellent. Unfortunately, his willingness to employ people without regard to convention often seemed very risky and utterly unconvincing. For example, this time he used Song Chuyi – who would dare to employ one youth as another youth’s teacher? Such a thing looked absurd, yet he did it just like that.
It was precisely because of this style of doing things that he ran into walls everywhere, and in the end he even ended up becoming a household servant in Longgu Manor. Although he was responsible for the elementary education of the Longgu clan’s children, his status was not higher than that of an ordinary teacher.
