Chapter 142
The room was filled with scholars… and their sons, creating an atmosphere of talent and purity. Academician Li and Imperial Drafter Yang, seeing a room full of students, also felt invigorated. After offering their congratulations to Old Patriarch Cui, they warmly greeted the students, encouraging them to study diligently to make progress so they could serve the Emperor well in the future.
It was only after Li da-ren introduced himself that Cui Xie learned the Imperial Drafter’s name was Yang Yiqing. Yang da-ren had studied under the same teacher as Li Dongyang, Li Chun. Now, as a drafter in the Imperial Secretariat, Yang Yiqing was a valuable asset within the inner cabinet and a useful person to the Emperor.
That afternoon, Academician Li had taken his junior out for a drink, and they encountered some swindlers using counterfeit silver to exchange for the tavern owner’s real silver. Imperial Drafter Yang’s sharp eyes caught the deceit, and he exposed them in public. Unfortunately, they did not expect the swindlers to have accomplices who yelled at them until their throats were hoarse and flew into a rage out of humiliation, calling a gang to attack them both. They were nearly in danger when Colonel Xie happened to pass by and saved them. Upon learning of his intention to visit the Cui Residence to celebrate the Old Patriarch’s birthday, they decided to accompany him.
The name Yang Yiqing also sounded familiar to Cui Xie. Any name familiar to him must belong to a significant historical figure in the books. Regardless of their family’s social standing, since they had come to visit, Cui Xie had to ensure they were well entertained!
He arranged for two additional seats at the main table and moved to the guest section himself and explained to the two da-ren: “This student’s family had arranged for a theater troupe to perform. They performed two acts earlier, and we had just come inside to have the birthday feast. With the two esteemed da-ren here, having just wine without a performance would be lacking and bland. Shall this student ask the troupe to come in and sing opera arias without staging?”
While the afternoon warmth allowed for outdoor performances, it was now evening, and the spring breeze was still chilly. Otherwise, it would have been better to enjoy a performance in the courtyard in the evening and listen to operas about beauties.
Yang Yiqing smiled casually, “There is no need for trouble. Whether there is a performance or not does not matter. As long as there is wine, for me and my shixiong, we are content.
Yang da-ren had fine brows and eyes, still without a beard, a handsome young man. But fine lines were beginning to show around his eyes and mouth, suggesting he was a man who smiled often.
Cui Xie could not help but smile in return. “We certainly have wine, and it is a good wine brewed by Xie da-ren’s family. He sent me a few jars last year, and I saved them, now they will be brought out today to entertain the two da-ren.” He then turned around and instructed Little Songyan, who stood meekly nearby with a humble demeanor, “Go to Qi-ge’s courtyard and ask Manager Xue to come and sing a set of divertimentos suitable for drinking.”
Given the limited space and the amount of people in the small hall, a full opera performance was impossible, so they would have to settle for a divertmento.
Little Songyan lifted up his big feet and immediately ran off, as if fearing a delay might lead to being questioned by the Jinyiwei. Cui Xie poured wine for the guests at the table, then went to his grandfather, feeding him some warm apricot junket and a few pieces of tender steamed fish, carefully deboning it before placing it in his bowl and asking the serving maid to mix it with rice for him.
Li Dongyang, not caring for the food, took a sip of the wine, closed his eyes to savor the flavor and recover from the alcohol, and praised with satisfaction, “Such fine wine, I have not tasted anything like this at anyone else’s residence. How is it brewed?”
Yang Yiqing added, “It’s sweet, pure and smooth, unlike the mellow sweetness of southern Daqu, but it has a pure, crisp quality. A few days ago in the Imperial palace, I heard people talk about Xie da-ren’s fine wine. Unexpectedly, today I have the fortune to taste it here.”
But the wine from the Xie family was limited, usually given only to some high-ranking officials and old friends. How could they spare some for a mere jiansheng?
Xie Ying, fearing that his true intentions might be guessed out of thin air, explained directly, “The recipe for this wine was given to me by Cui jiansheng as a token of gratitude when I saved him in Tongzhou. Naturally, as the owner of the recipe, he should be the first to taste the wine brewed from it.”
Yang Yiqing nodded, “Xie da-ren indeed has a knack for saving people. Both Cui jiansheng and we have benefited from your help. It is fate that we can all sit and drink at the same table today.”
Xie Ying squinted his eyes and smiled, “No need to thank me. Dealing with such fraudulent and bullying ruffians is part of the Jinyiwei’s duty. When this official caught them, their words and actions suggested they had more accomplices. I am afraid the manpower of Shuntian Prefecture might not be enough and possess the manpower to eradicate these villains. Tomorrow, I will submit a memorial to request a thorough investigation of these criminals in the city.”
It should be so! If all the Jinyiwei had this sense of duty, how could there be the reputation of a century of notorious deeds and evil reputations?
Li Dongyang and Yang Yiqing nodded lightly, sighing, “This is indeed a good policy. Hoping Xie da-ren can restrain his subordinates from harming the livelihood of the people while carrying it out.”
Xie Ying agreed with a smile and advised them to always bring a few servants when going out in the future. Even if they could not fight, they could at least call for help from the authorities. The two officials sighed, “We have always wandered around drinking without incident. Who would have thought those ruffians would be bold and violent enough to attack Imperial court officials?”
As they drank and lamented the state of affairs, Cui Xie, fearing his grandfather might get anxious listening to the grim topics and uncomfortable from sitting too long, excused himself to take the Old Patriarch back to the inner room to rest.
Cui Xie moved his grandfather with ease, as if handling a child, placing him on the bed, propping him up by raising half of the bed, and instructed the maids to serve tea and water.
When he returned, he found the three officials had finished discussing current affairs. Li Dongyang, clutching a wine glass, was quizzing the scholars, Yang Yiqing and Xie Ying were discussing contemporary frauds, and the students were reciting and murmuring poems and essays…
Even the children who came with their parents sat quietly, looking serious and feeling rather constrained and uncomfortable.
Cui Xie quickly ordered the doors and windows to be opened and the paper corridor to be removed. He also instructed the theater troupe to start performing to give everyone something to distract them and to help his classmates relax.
The scholars preferred watching a performance over being quizzed by Academician Li. Li Dongyang, with talent comparable to Li Bai, was getting more enthusiastic and making the questions harder with each drink, causing the students to tremble in fear, feeling as if they were back in their daily morning recitations.
Worse still, he was not randomly quizzing; he was going through everyone one by one, asking questions not on the syllabus.
The students, using the late hour as an excuse and fearing curfew and supervision checks, firmly bid farewell to Cui Xie. Academician Li, not having had his fill of quizzing, looked at the sky and said, “No need to worry about the curfew. Tonight, take my note back and have the Cui family’s coachmen take you back.”
Yang Yiqing laughed and said, “Shixiong, we did not even bring our official badges. We have to rely on Xie da-ren’s influence to get home, so let us not make it difficult for these scholars.”
The students all agreed, making excuses about unfinished studies to review and the inconvenience of staying out late for their families, turned and quickly began to leave.
Before they could step outside, a voice rang out in the courtyard, followed by the light sound of musical instruments, interspersed with one or a couple of clear clangs of copper cymbals. The sounds grew louder, then suddenly stopped at the entrance, as if something heavy had fallen. Then came a heavy wind, blowing fragrant mist and white smoke through the cracks in the door, blocking everyone inside.
The door swung open silently, and a dazzling golden light flooded in. A slender woman wearing a floral crown, petticoat and skirt stood silhouetted by the light. The yellow light from behind cast shadows in the front, making her brows and features obscure.. A strange wind that seemed to come from nowhere made her skirt flutter, and the fragrant wind and mist filled the room…
Cui Xie almost ordered the students to go out and the door to be closed again, but unexpectedly, the scholars crowded at the entrance began to cheer, “As expected of the famous Fortune and Longevity Troupe, this young lady looks like a fairy descended to the mortal realm!”
With this lighting and eerie wind…they weren’t scared?
Cui Xie instinctively glanced at the two officials—Li Dongyang was sipping his wine and sighing without paying much attention to the performance, while Yang Yiqing watched the young actress through the crowd with an appreciative expression. “To arrange such an ethereal and fairy-like atmosphere on short notice, the Fortune and Longevity troupe lives up to their reputation for performing ‘The Five Beauties.'”
Everyone thought it was ethereal, so perhaps Cui Xie’s aesthetic was too modern? Cui Xie scratched his chin and simply decided not to question it further. He urged his classmates to stay for one more divertimento before leaving.
The students, preferring not to stay and be quizzed any longer, politely declined with a mix of regret, but also with firm determination.
Cui Xie could not persuade them, so he apologized to the two officials, went outside to arrange carriages for his classmates and their wives, and distributed new sets of the 《Four Books》 to their children. Since only Hall Chief Zhang had brought his daughter, and knowing women did not need to take the Imperial examinations and could read some leisure books, Cui Xie generously gave her a collection of poems and essays by the Three Yangs1 of the previous dynasty, suitable for young ladies.
When the children came to thank him, their eyes were filled with emotional tears, but it was unclear whether of joy or sorrow.
After seeing his classmates off, he had to return to accompany the two da-ren who were unconcerned about the curfew.
As he hurried back to the main courtyard, he saw a servant, Little Six, leading Xie Ying out. He could not help but pause and bow, saying, “If Xie da-ren needs anything, please instruct me. This young servant is young and cannot handle matters.”
Xie Ying smiled politely and said, “The two da-ren are drinking and watching opera inside. I was just going out to relieve myself and did not expect to meet the host here.”
“As the host, I should guide the da-ren,” Cui Xie replied, coming up and winking at the servant. The servant looked at him gratefully and went back to serve in the main hall.
He sent the servant away and, seeing no one around, pulled Xie Ying to a quiet spot and urgently pulled his hand and touched his sleeves, anxiously asking, “You are not hurt, are you—”
Xie Ying, feeling touched and a warmth in his heart, pulled his clothes up to show Cui Xie. “These are the clean clothes I changed into before coming. There is not even a speck of dirt, let alone any wounds, how could I be injured?. Those ruffians were numerous, but they were all street thugs and no match for a well-trained military officer like me who has trained every day.”
Cui Xie circled him several times, touching his chest, waist and abdomen, until Xie Ying could no longer bear the touches anymore and grabbed Cui Xie’s hands and pressed it into his arms to calm Cui Xie down.
Seeing that Xie Ying’s clothes were indeed clean and unblemished, and that white robes would not be able to hide blood stains and there were no outlines of thick bandages under the clothes. Cui Xie finally relaxed and leaned quietly against Xie Ying, asking,
“How did you bring Academician Li here—”
“Why did Academician Li want to come to your residence—”
Their two voices overlapped, and their eyes met in confusion. Xie Ying explained first, “I caught the thugs who attacked Li and Yang da-ren and had the local heads and officials escort them to Shuntian Prefecture. I spoke briefly with Magistrate Liu. I was going to part ways with them, but they insisted on coming with me when they heard I was visiting your residence.”
Were they so frightened by the thugs that they felt particularly safe with Xie Ying and refused to leave him?
Xie Ying shook his head: “It seems like they came because they heard your name, so I wanted to ask you: when you met Academician Li in the Imperial palace, did you develop a special affinity with him?”
Cui Xie was genuinely puzzled. He was just a student, how could he have particularly hit it off with a fifth-rank Academician? Sure, he had once gone into the palace to give a lecture on the《Classic of Poetry》 to the Crown Prince, but that was akin to an outstanding university student being selected to present flowers to leaders at the Great Hall of the People and being publicly praised. Once the event was over, it was supposed to be over. Li Dongyang might recognize him and had given him a painting and an invitation, but that was just a leader showing concern for an ordinary student, sending some tokens of appreciation? As an ordinary student, receiving these items only warranted a thank-you note to his superiors–if he wanted friendships — building connections would have to wait until he passed the Imperial examination and entered the Imperial court!
He really could not understand these events and shared his thoughts with Xie Ying. Xie Ying pondered for a moment, then laughed: “After Academician Li sent you the invitation, you only wrote a letter back without visiting him in person?”
Cui Xie replied, puzzled: “Given my status, how could I casually enter the gates of a Academician’s residence? Is it customary to send an invitation from outside? Besides, the items he gave me were just stakes from a bet, all part of their official’s jesting. I was merely the subject of their examination. I have to know my place.”
Xie Ying laughed: “I fear you misunderstood. Academician Li wants you to lack such self-awareness.” He dragged Cui Xie towards the hall. Cui Xie, hurriedly still pulling on his sleeve, said: “You have not refreshed yourself yet…”
Refresh what? It was just an excuse to meet Cui Xie.
Xie Ying patted Cui Xie on the shoulder, urging: “Someone like you, thought of by the Emperor and the Crown Prince, it is no surprise that any scholar would take notice. Be hospitable to the guests later. Academician Li is truly learned, the head of the Chaling poet group and Imperial Diarist Yang is also a valuable figure in the Imperial court. Gaining their favor will certainly benefit you.”
Both dressed in flowing scholar’s robes with big fluttering sleeves, they walked side by side, their sleeves occasionally intertwining, making it hard to tell if their hands were joined or not. They entered the courtyard openly.
Inside the hall, the singing went: “May your longevity be like the mountains, and your fortune like the sea waves.” As they pushed the door open, the actress had just finished a rendition of the 《Tea Plucking Song》 and after a bow, started singing 《The Butterflies》. The two prominent figures were drinking leisurely, their faces slightly red, looking quite relaxed and comfortable.
Seeing Cui Xie enter, Li Dongyang beckoned him: “Usually you are busy with your Imperial examinations, so it is fine I don’t see you often, but now at your home, you are still nowhere to be found as the host?”
Cui Xie, having heard Xie Ying’s analysis about Academician Li’s intentions to promote him, sensed some reproach in his tone and cautiously replied: “I am merely a student with limited learning and talent. To have been summoned by the Emperor is a lifetime honor and blessing, how could this student frequently enter the palace?”
Li Dongyang, holding his cup, asked: “You may not be able to frequently enter the palace, but the threshold of my scholar’s residence is not high. Why have I not seen you visit in all this time?”
Was Xie Ying right after all?
Cui Xie showed some surprise. Yang Yiqing, laughing beside them, said: “Shixiong is a bit tipsy and speaking frankly, do not mind him. He evaluated your learning in the palace, and upon returning, spoke highly of you to me and Liu-shixiong, praising your intelligence and your ability to settle down to serious study. He wishes to guide your studies.”
Li Dongyang, squinting, added: “Yet, not intelligent enough. If you were truly perceptive, you should have visited me upon receiving my invitation. How could you leave me waiting until today?” Then, seeming to regret his words, he patted Yang Yiqing’s hand, saying: “Why must shidi tell him this? I was merely appreciating his talent, praising him a bit, it does not mean I am in dire need of disciples.”
Footnotes:
- The Three Yangs: The institution of the Grand Secretariat had become a very powerful political force in China during the period of weak leadership. Among its many Confucian officials, the three Grand Secretaries Yang Shiqi (who was also a prominent literary authority), Yang Rong and Yang Pu – now known as “The Three Yangs” – gained special distinction for their guidance of the affairs of China until the early 1440s. ↩︎
TN: Have a good rest of your week everyone and enjoy the chapter! My presentation for work went very well! Now I’m taking a more chill next two weeks as I transition to my next rotation for grad school! What are everyone’s Valentine’s day plans?? If there is nothing, that is totally okay too! I’m going to visit my long-distance bf which will be super exciting!!
Update 12/23/24: I just updated it so that all my advance chapters for TMD are up on patreon (and will be continually updated)! Sorry for being so lazy with it and apologies for taking so long to do so. I had to organize a lot of my random documents after a long hiatus last year.
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 grad 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!
Twin Dragons Translations 
Thank You for the new chapter (◍•ᴗ•◍)❤ Have a nice date!
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