Transmigrating to the Ming Dynasty’s Imperial Examination Ch. 130

Chapter 130

Qin-shi and Cousin Liu stayed at their ancestral home longer than Cui Xie had anticipated, only returning to the capital in November. They hauled back two large carts filled with intricately carved red mahogany furniture, similar in style to the pieces in his bedroom. Although crafted by artisans from Northern Zhili and lacking the precious materials and lavish decorations of southern pieces, these items were designed based on his modern aesthetic and were extremely comfortable to use.

Upon arriving, they pulled the carts into Cui Xie’s courtyard, and Qin-shi immediately wanted to move the new furniture into his quarters, discarding the elm and willow pieces.

Cui Xie hurriedly stopped her, saying, “Our family is not lacking the means to replace furniture. How could I let Aunt go to such trouble? This style is very comfortable and fashionable not only in Yongping Prefecture but also here in the capital. Aunt should take these pieces back to show the folks in the Yulin Garrisons the latest trends from the capital.”

Qin-shi, feeling distressed, replied, “I have not seen your quarters in a long time. If I had known, how could I have waited until today to replace your furniture? Shou-ge has a big heart and can throw everything behind him. If he had not used this type of furniture at my maternal home and mentioned that you had similar, but inferior pieces, I would have never known you were suffering like this…”

To make that wastrel of a father’s room look good, her nephew used such broken furniture not even comparable to the ones in the guest rooms. How foolish!

Insisting, she had the new furniture moved into a vacant side room. Unable to refuse her good intentions, Cui Xie packed up his calligraphy and paintings, temporarily storing them in Cui Qi’s room, and supervised the furniture replacement.

As soon as the red mahogany furniture was placed, the room instantly felt more luxurious. Qin-shi had also set up tortoiseshell-patterned window screens with a brownish hue against the wall, explaining that southern literati favored such items, as plain white walls looked bare and were not in the style of a scholar.

Though Cui Xie preferred and was more accustomed to a more minimalist and cold aesthetic, he was not overly fixated on it. He found the room decorated and tidied up by Qin-shi quite pleasant. However, the dark tones and overly ornate textiles would need to be replaced with simpler bed linens and chair covers, and the like, once his aunt left in a few days.

Liu Yunshou looked at the newly decorated room, nodding sagely. “Now this is more like it. Cousin’s room was too plain before, I always felt it was not quite appropriate.”

Aunt Qin and Cui Xie both laughed at his grown-up manner of speaking.

Taking advantage of the moment, Cui Xie brought out the newly made robes  and held them up to Liu Yunshou’s body, smiling. “While Cousin was thinking of me, I was thinking of you too. These are the latest styles in the capital, no one else has them yet. Try them on.”

The robe, designated as winter wear, was slightly loose. The inner garment was a straight-cut robe made of white lantern-patterned jacquard-weave fabric, with widened side hems to create a slimming effect. The waistline was raised slightly and tied with a broad blue silk sash to define the silhouette. Over it, was a matching cloak with a layer of red muslin that flowed lightly, making it look less bulky than typical winter clothes.

When Liu Yunshou tried on the attire, Aunt Qin’s eyes lit up, and she exclaimed, “Wonderful! Youth should wear bright clothes. The red outside matches well with the white inside, so one does not need to worry about looking too plain!”

Cui Xie had another bundle of muslin outer garments. He opened them to show, “The muslin cloak on the outside can be changed to different colors. I know Cousin prefers white, but in this snowy winter, wearing only white would not stand out. So, I had the tailor make several sets of these gauzy outer garments.”

Cui Xie showed his cousin the buttonholes sewn into the shoulders, underarms, front, and back of the cloak. “You can change the outer layer to any color you like. There are buttons in these spots to keep the cloak in place. Button it before putting it on, so there is no worry of it fitting improperly.”

Originally, Liu Yunshou was not too fond of the red outer garment and planned to wear just the white inner robe. But upon hearing that the outer cloak could be changed, he excitedly fumbled with the buttons, quickly switching to the white gauze. He walked around a few steps, watching the hem flutter, and said joyfully, “Cousin is the best! I thought you forgot I wanted white. Now I can change my cloak ….I will change the outer garment every day and make those other boys jealous!”

Aunt Qin, too, examined the gauze cloak closely, marveling, “Tailors in the capital certainly have ingenious ideas. Instead of sewing it all together, they just made buttonholes and attached buttons to the cloak. It’s both practical, inconspicuous and seamless. You would not notice the separable design without looking closely.”

Initially, Cui Xie had intended to make it a one-piece garment, but Tailor Yu had visited halfway through to inform him that a pure white outfit was too plain and would make him look like a poor scholar rather than a refined gentleman from an official household. Additionally, matching white gauze with white silk didn’t quite work even though they were the same color. The fabrics did not lie flat together, causing the gauze to stand out awkwardly and look distorted. Up close, it was evident that the outfit was a delicately layered garment, but from a distance, it looked thick and clumsy, not at all elegant.

Cui Xie always valued professional advice, and if it had been for his own outfit, he would have made the changes. However, knowing his cousin’s preference for white, he worried about changing it too much. So, he compromised by making it a two-piece ensemble that could be detached and reassembled.

The upper part of the gauze garment was tightly fastened to the outer robe with buttons, while the lower part was left loose. As the wearer walked, the thin gauze would flutter in the wind, while the heavier fabric underneath remained steady, conferring a light and graceful appearance.

Liu Yunshou eagerly ran outside, enjoying the feeling of looking both stylish and dynamic even in the middle of winter. Inside, Aunt Qin held Cui Xie’s hand and remarked with emotion, “You are so meticulous, my dear. Your cousins could never think of such details.”

In most families, men only concerned themselves with external affairs, but this young boy had to handle even the smallest matters like clothing. It was truly a lot for him to bear.

She had not said much before her throat choked up. She patted Cui Xie’s hair, her heart aching for him, and after a moment, said, “Does this not distract you from your studies? There should be—if you trust your aunt, I can help you find a suitable match. There is a family with deep roots in the capital and connections to nobility, though they reside on the frontier. Their daughter is talented, beautiful, and has a good temperament.”

She had initially hoped to secure this match for her own son, but seeing the state of Cui Xie’s family, she felt that Cui Xie needed a capable wife to help manage the household even more.

Cui Xie quickly stood and declined politely. “I will not hide this from Aunt. Although our family is not doing terribly, we certainly cannot afford to marry into a prestigious noble family. Besides, my father’s recent letters hint at his desire to remarry. I cannot possibly compete with my father in seeking a wife, can I? I think it would be best to wait until my stepmother has settled in and let my parents make the decision…”

At Cui Que’s age, to have just divorced and already thinking of remarrying?

Aunt Qin was sickened at the thought, her face alternately paling and flushing as she patted Cui Xie’s shoulder, saying, “Good child, you do not have to wait for him to make the decision. Let me—”

Cui Xie grasped her hand and sincerely refused, “Aunt, I understand your good intentions. However, filial piety is the foundation of one’s character. I cannot delay my father’s important affairs for my own sake. Aunt, please do not worry about me. Right now, I need to focus on my studies. I fear that marrying and getting involved in a relationship might distract me and affect my academic progress.”

Aunt Qin, worried that he was overburdened with family responsibilities and that marriage might indeed distract him from his studies, thought for a while and finally sighed, “Let’s leave it at that for now. Keep an eye out for suitable girls. In a few years, when you are ready to marry, just let us know, and our Liu family will help you find a wife.”

With this matter weighing on her mind, she returned to Yulin with various local specialties from the capital and a thoroughly entertained Liu Yunshou. Cui Xie, meanwhile, took the letter from Cui Que to visit his younger brother.

The forty strokes of the cane this time were much lighter than those administered by their father at the time of Cui Xie’s punishment. Cui Heng, being healthier than Cui Xie, was already able to get out of bed after just a few days.

Upon seeing Cui Xie enter, Cui Heng instinctively flinched back. Remembering the grudge of being left to suffer during the beating, he shrank to the side of the bed, glaring at him gloomily. In a sullen tone, he said, “Did you come to see if I’m dead? Stop pretending to be a good person. You must have been happy when Grandma was beating me, right? Now that your Liu family is here to back you up and Grandma doesn’t want me anymore, I’m just an orphan here for you to bully…”

This child’s words alone made one want to hit him.

Cui Xie coldly replied, “A child without a father is called an orphan. Your mother may have been divorced from Father by the Imperial court, but you still bear the Cui surname. This Cui residence is your home. The Xu family has nothing to do with you anymore. Where have all your years of learning manners gone!”

Cui Xie turned his head slightly, and immediately a servant came up obsequiously asking, “Should this subordinate fetch the cane again?”

Observing Cui Heng leaning against the bed, too afraid to sit properly, baring his teeth in a mix of fear and hatred in his eyes, Cui Xie shook his head slightly: “His body is not fully healed yet. Just remember this for later. Go and have Little Songyan fetch my copy of 《Three Ritual Classics》. Make sure your Er-ge memorizes one hundred characters a day and recites them every evening. If he fails…”

He looked at Cui Heng, whose eyes were filled with growing terror, his whole face contorted with fear, and felt a slight pang of pity. Deciding that wishing for their father’s death was not worth severe punishment, he said, “If he fails to recite correctly, he will have to study by the light of the lamp at night until he gets it right.”

One hundred characters a day wasn’t too much. Having already memorized the 《Great Announcement Compiled by His Majesty》and《Ming Code》, Cui Heng should be able to handle 《Three Ritual Classics》 as well¹.

But the difficulty and length of the Three Rites were on a completely different level from those two books—even Cui Xie himself did not want to study it. Just hearing it made Cui Heng want to bash his head against the wall. Clutching the edge of the bed, he glared up at Cui Xie and said, “You are doing this on purpose to harm me. You want to keep me locked in this room forever! If Father were home, he would never let you do this!”

Cui Xie smiled warmly, smoothing out the letter from Assistant Administrative Commissioner Cui and placed it in Cui Heng’s hands. He pointed to the lines at the end where their father instructed him to take charge of the household affairs. “Even though Father is not home, his heart is always with us. He knows I can manage you well, so he specifically wrote this letter to authorize me to handle family matters.”

“Impossible! Father despises you the most. He has said several times that you are useless, unlike me who resembles him. He does not love you at all. How could he possibly ask you to take charge of me?” Cui Heng’s hands trembled as he read those words, his face paling. His fingertips dug into the paper as if he wanted to tear the letter to shreds.

Fearing that this brat might actually rip the letter, Cui Xie pried his fingers open and took it back, shaking his head with a cold smile: “Laoye entered the Imperial College before he was twenty. Your elder brother here became the top scorer in the provincial examinations at sixteen. If that is what you call not living up to Father, then what do you call yourself? You are fourteen years old and cannot even recite the Zhou Rites.”

He carefully put the letter away and smiled at Cui Heng. “Don’t worry. While Father is away, your gege will teach you well. In two years, I guarantee you will be well-versed in the《Rites》, 《Changes》, and《Poems》 and 《Books》, knowing how to conduct yourself properly in this world.”

Even as Cui Heng wallowed in the misery of feeling abandoned by his father, listening to the mention of those thick books made him shiver and shudder, causing him to curl up in fear.

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During the two days Cui Xie spent escorting his aunt and cousin back home, news came from the Gao Residence: Gao taijian had seized a grand Lantern Festival production from the Imperial Entertainment Bureau, titled《The Gods’ Holy Celebration of the Lantern Festival》 and it was already being rehearsed by the Drum and Bell Bureau.

Late at night, Gao Su personally delivered the script to Cui Xie, urging him to be meticulous and come up with ways to make it more refined, ensuring it outshined the new play that was to be submitted from the Imperial Entertainment Bureau.

The script was a thin booklet. The first half contained the lines of the play, set to the court banquet tune of a xianlü melody, opening with Dian Jiang Chun²; the second half detailed the characters’ appearances and costumes for each act, including their attire, beards, hairstyles, jadescepters, and waist accessories , all which were properly detailed. These had been performed the same way for years, and the Imperial regulations were strict, unlike when he could redesign the Three Kingdoms exhibit based on book illustrations

Seeing Cui Xie reading intently with a slight frown, Gao Su grew nervous and asked quietly, “Is it possible? If not, should we just use incense and curtains? But I have been changing plays everywhere for others recently, and I fear the Imperial Entertainment Bureau might have learned from me!”

Cui Xie shook his head, “That is not a problem. We can still come up with new ideas to surpass them. My only concern is whether we have enough time to complete everything.”

Gao Su replied, “You just need to come up with the ideas. The Imperial craftsmen, number in the thousands, still afraid that they cannot handle the execution of such ideas?”

In fact, before Gao Su’s visit, Cui Xie had already thought of many ideas for lighting and background effects, even considering wirework but worrying about the potential dangers in the Imperial palace and did not dare to bring it up. Now, seeing the new script, he felt confident in creating a targeted background.

After reading through the script once and memorizing it in his mind like a clear PDF, Cui Xie returned it to Gao Su with a smile, “These internal materials from the Imperial bureaus should neither be kept nor copied by me. Da-ren can take it back and start rehearsals. I will consult experienced craftsmen over the next couple of days. Within half a month, I will send you the stage design techniques and new makeup products.”

Amid his tension, Gao Su could not help but marvel, “Your memory is incredible! You do not forget anything after one read? I have listened to the Three Kingdoms opera so many times and still cannot sing it.”

Cui Xie actually could not sing it either. He recalled the time before he had formally confirmed his relationship with Xie Ying, when they had listened to the Imperial court song outside the temple dedicated to Lord Guan Yu. Despite Xie Ying singing it in his ear many times, he himself could not sing it without going off-key, like a rocket, right?

Remembering this, Cui Xie could not help but grin. Gao Su thought he was laughing at him and waved his hand, saying, “You are such a dishonest and unkind scholar, why are you making fun of others now?”

Recalling that there was someone in front of him, Cui Xie quickly composed himself and explained, “I’m not laughing at Da-ren. I just found your words amusingly relatable. I myself cannot sing opera either and my singing is so out of tune that it is better than those who cannot remember the lyrics but worse than those who can sing the tune.”

Hearing this honest and frank confession, Gao Su’s mood immediately lightened, and he looked Cui Xie up and down with a grin, “Did not expect a child prodigy like you to possess any weaknesses? I thought you were Zhuge Liang reincarnated and never dared to speak loudly in front of you. It turns out we brothers share a common flaw.”

Cui Xie laughed, “Even Zhuge Liang might not have known how to sing opera. We know he wrote the 《Memorial on Going into Battle》 but there is no record of him performing it.”

Gao Su was amused, laughing heartily and slapping his thigh, “Scholar Cui is a witty one. If I had known, I wouldn’t have come to you for stage design. I should have asked you to write the play for my father! Wouldn’t plays written by you literari surpass the old, repetitive scripts from the Imperial Entertainment Bureau?”

Well… not all scholars are talented playwrights; it depends on their taste.

Cui Xie thought of the stark contrast his cousin described: the packed theaters for 《Journey to the West》 and the 《Three Kingdoms》versus the sparse attendance for  《Complete Record of the Five Ethical Relationships》³which was Chancellor Qiu da-ren‘s adaptation of 《The Tale of the Pipa》⁴ .He shook his head thoughtfully.

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Footnotes

1. Three Ritual Classics: a collective name for three Confucian books: the Etiquette and Ceremonial, the Rites of Zhou, and the Book of Rites. The name was coined by Zheng Xuan in the Eastern Han. ↩︎
2. Dian jiang chun: is for soprano and piano. The text originates from Xizhen Zhu’s Poem from Song Dynasty in China by Feng Yansi. ↩︎
3. 《Complete Record of the Five Ethical Relationships》had such a famous author and was an adaptation of another great play, yet it still struggled. Their play,《The Gods’ Holy Celebration of the Lantern Festival》lacked depth and artistic value. To make it appealing, one would truly have to depend on special effects. ↩︎
4. The Tale of the Pipa: a Chinese nanxi play written by the playwright Gao Ming during the late Yuan dynasty.There are French, German, English translations of the play, and an English novelization-translation. It was the most popular drama during the Ming dynasty, and it became a model for Ming drama as it was the favorite opera of the first Ming emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. ↩︎

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TN: Have a good rest of your week everyone and enjoy the chapter! Had a busy week as finals and deadlines approach me for grad school, but hanging in there for now

Announcement: We have set up a kofi and patreon account! If you would like to support us or get early access to advance chapters for Blood-Sucking Empress OR TMD, those options are available for you (in support us page)! I have just added a patreon tier for Transmigrating to the Ming Dynasty’s Imperial Examinations in which patreons can have access to a google document with ALL of my advanced translated chapters for the novel. Since I am a college student, there should usually be at least 10 advance chapters in the document at a time, but depending on my schedules, there may be fewer or more. I’m currently extremely busy, but I have translated out some new chapters for you all! But, I will still post each week with the same schedule. Thanks!

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