“You know, why do we even need men? We can get by on our own.”
Lu Liu had heard this so often that he laughed again when he heard it. “Brother, just admit it—you can’t live without your husband, just like I can’t live without Da Feng. Whether a man is stinky or fragrant, you’ll know when you hold him close.”
Lu Yang thought Xie Yan was fragrant, and Li Feng stinky.
Lu Liu thought Li Feng was fragrant, and Xie Yan stinky.
The brothers bickered themselves to sleep and slept soundly.
Far away in the capital, Xie Yan, on the night after his first exam, sat on an examination basket used as a stool outside the examination hall, staring at the sky for a long time.
He had a stove burning and a pot of tea to keep him warm for a while. He knew that tonight Lu Yang would certainly look at the stars. Their unspoken understanding was such that a glance at the stars counted as a shared expression of longing.
Lu Yang, carrying a child in the later months of pregnancy, could not bear the cold and likely returned to his room to rest shortly after dinner.
But Xie Yan stubbornly continued to look up at the sky, repeatedly, lingering with his gaze each time, until the stove could no longer warm him and he felt the chill. Only then did he get up, fetch water to soak his feet, tidy himself, and finally slip into bed.
The capital’s examination hall was little better than the provincial one; the wooden floors creaked. He stuffed cotton into his ears and clutched a handful of red beans to sleep.
The metropolitan examination lasted nine days over three tests, similar to the provincial exam.
After finishing, it was still mid-February, with results not announced until the end of the month.
Xie Yan had a plan. After leaving the hall, he rested two days to regain energy, avoided socializing and drinking, and informed his friends. Then, accompanied by Luo Dayong, he sought out Brother Cui Er’s residence to pay a visit.
He still did not know Cui Er intended to take him as a disciple. Upon meeting, he greeted him as a senior brother, receiving a very complicated look in return.
Xie Yan, aware of propriety, first spoke of his master’s recent circumstances.
The old master had difficulty in winter. Xie Yan’s master, wealthy at home with sufficient firewood, was never cold. But winter clothing was heavy; wearing too little left him cold, too much weighed him down. He was never fully comfortable.
His diet was good. Xie Yan noted he could eat heartily—a sign of health even at an advanced age.
Ordinary days were quiet. Third Senior Brother Ling was busy with official duties and visited occasionally. Xie Yan only attended classes for half a day.
When all three met, the house was lively, full of laughter. Just two people felt a bit dull.
Cui Er was a serious man; after casual conversation, he would shift to scholarship.
Xie Yan followed the usual routine. Cui Er’s collection was vast, and he had not yet finished reading it all.
He had read Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Governance earlier, not the complete edition, but had completed it in the past six months. This delayed reading other texts, making it the main focus of his study.
Xie Yan felt fortunate to have a good master; even without finishing the full set, he benefited greatly.
He told Cui Er, “My master said once I pass the metropolitan exam, he won’t teach me further. He’s tired of teaching this, and has no desire to continue.”
Cui Er subtly shifted the conversation. “Then let my elder brother teach you.”
Xie Yan, eager to meet Brother Cui Da, immediately responded, planning to pay a visit.
Unaware that Xie Yan’s eagerness stemmed from being shorted two taels of silver, Cui Er noted his thirst for knowledge and wrote a formal letter for him to carry.
Xie Yan restrained himself and spent half a day at Cui Er’s residence, taking two books on his way out—only two, as Cui Er explicitly refused more, and Xie Yan dared not insist.
The next day, he visited Cui Da’s residence.
Cui Da was far more enthusiastic, claiming to have heard of him, and spoke with a string of slightly harsh words, as if Xie Yan had conned old Uncle Cui out of retirement funds.
Xie Yan replied, “Senior Brother, I’ve read your essay on academic disinterest. It’s excellent.”
Cui Da paused, surprised. In his years of office, no one had ever directly challenged him. He asked again, “What?”
Xie Yan recited a passage for him.
Cui Da was momentarily speechless. Why had his father accepted such a fool?
Seeing Cui Da unangered, Xie Yan cautiously probed further. “May I read books at your house?”
Merely reading seemed trivial, but taking books was another matter.
Cui Da: “If I don’t give them to you, can you take them?”
Xie Yan: “I can, because my master has face. This is our first meeting—you cannot be indifferent. Giving me books is a courtesy. I am your junior disciple.”
Seeing Cui Da’s reluctance, he seized the chance to inquire about the other senior brothers’ residences.
Cui Da’s personality differed greatly from Cui Er. He summoned twenty or more letters for Xie Yan to deliver.
Xie Yan decided to keep busy; staying active left no time for idle thoughts.
While awaiting metropolitan exam results, he did not fret about outcomes, visiting each senior brother’s residence, gauging reactions, and ensuring no valuable book was overlooked.
Returning home with a full haul, he proudly wrote to his master.
Before results were announced, he had visited all the senior brothers he knew. Even as a minor provincial graduate, he gained entry to their homes. His master might reflect—was he insufficiently diligent?
Meanwhile, the senior brothers, gathered together, displayed mixed expressions.
One wiped nonexistent sweat from his brow and smiled wryly, “Luckily I was alert. I met him with a stern face, barely spoke, sipped tea, exchanged pleasantries, and he left. Otherwise…”
So it was their fault for being welcoming? Was it wrong to treat the junior disciple warmly?
Complaining at Cui Da’s house earned them laughter. Reluctantly, they tidied up and visited Cui Er’s residence again.
Cui Er, seeing that none of his books had been taken, questioned with a glance. Learning it was a result of stern pretense, he was speechless.
This boy had changed greatly, adapting to circumstances.
Xie Yan endured the visits, while these murmuring senior brothers anxiously awaited the results.
On the day the results were posted, all eyes were on the list. Xie Yan topped it, earning fame throughout the capital.
Visitors came all day, spending silver lavishly, causing Xie Yan pain at the extravagance.
Two hundred ninety-six candidates passed the metropolitan exam. Rankings varied widely. Sheng Daxian placed fiftieth, Ji Mingzhu behind one hundred. Wu Pingzhi had been close to Sheng Daxian in the provincial exam but fell beyond two hundred this time. All had passed, at least.
The palace exam would be held in mid-March. During this period, they studied ritual at the Ministry of Rites and were treated as officials, with minor clerks courteous to them.
The palace exam would rank them again, determining placements. Wu Pingzhi, treating metropolitan results as reference, hosted a banquet.
Xie Yan was not in high spirits. He had long anticipated parting, but when facing it, he could not find joy to celebrate.
Wu Pingzhi tried to cheer him: “I’ll still count on you to support me in the future.”
Xie Yan smiled dryly, doubting his own prospects. “Once the exams end, the advantage of being well-read disappears. I still count on you to have my back.”
Though he had an excellent master, he had no desire to leverage that into rapid advancement.
A smoother official path was possible, but extraordinary success would not be easy. Without talent or skill, even help could not lift him far.
Wu Pingzhi admired him: “How do you still keep your focus? If I had such a master, I’d fail the exam; my mind would drift to the skies.”
Xie Yan said, “See? A good master is a double-edged sword. There are pros and cons.”
The first banquet was quiet. The next day, Ji Mingzhu hosted another, recounting the hardships of study and life over the years. Everyone chatted animatedly, not about ambitions, but reflecting on the struggles along the journey. Their efforts had been worth it, and the banquet was lively.
