Chapter 10, The Dream of the Messenger Assists the Journey
Liu Xiang saw that he looked coarse and unsightly, with brown vegetable leaves still stuck in the crack of the door, and felt displeased. How could he associate that delicately made-up young girl with such a vulgar servant
Ah Wu did not speak, but Rong Jie took over the conversation, "She, you know, may be small in stature but not in mind; just last year she asked me if I had found several collections of contemporary essays to read."
However, the Fourth Prince's belt was tied tightly, rendering Awu's efforts in vain
However, Ah Wu was indeed curious as to why Chu Mao, a perfectly good prince, was not staying in the palace but instead appeared among the common people during the Lantern Festival. Could it be that he had an appointment after dusk?
Ah Wu initially wanted to say it was not good, but as for the taste of the pear flower cake, she thought for a moment and swallowed. In fact, she is not a foodie; after all, as Princess Kang Ning, she has tasted all kinds of delicacies. However, due to dietary restrictions back then, she could only sample things lightly, which has led to her current inability to resist the temptation.
On the evening of the second day, Awu sat on the kang of the Cui family, enjoying pear blossom cake, with Master Rong San and Cui on either side of her, feeling quite happy. After she finished eating, she elegantly wiped the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief and then enticed Master Rong San to go to a quiet study area in the east wing of the inner courtyard.
Ah Wu does not mind being confined, as all her thoughts have recently been focused on writing the eight-legged essay. In fact, she had drafted the manuscript long ago, but she always wanted to revise it after reading Xu Lizhai's writings. Since she has taken action, there is no reason to return without success. She is just afraid that Rong Jichang is a bookworm, which would complicate matters.
At first glance, Awu resembles a young lady from a noble family. Her attire, though colorful, appears more worn than exquisite, suggesting she may be the daughter of a once-prominent but now fallen aristocratic family
Rong Yan tearfully held onto Awu, not letting go, calling out, "Sister is back, sister is back." Although Awu was smeared all over with his snot, she did not get angry. It was simply impossible to be upset with someone who cared for her.
If Ah Wu could hear Chu Mao's inner voice, he would surely praise him by saying, "Cousin, you are truly amazing"
As the spring examination takes place in February, Rong Jichang did not return to the Dongshan villa, but instead quietly studied in the study room of the residence, even having his meals there. He did not return to the inner chamber to rest at night, and the three children were also not allowed to disturb him
Rong Jichang was half-convinced by Awu's words, but such eloquence was not something Awu could produce. However, he had never encountered such fine writing before; if it existed, it would have certainly been widely circulated. Therefore, upon seeing Awu speak of dreams, Rong Jichang believed him to a certain extent.
Awu also realized that her lady-like demeanor had been compromised, and in a fit of embarrassment and anger, she pretended to tidy up Rong Jichang's desk while waiting for the flush on her face to subside. In the meantime, she casually flipped through Rong Jichang's recent writing exercises. Well, the writing was good, with profound ideas and sharp arguments, showing some improvement compared to the last time she read his eight-legged essays, though the style remained consistently composed.
Although she is an astonishingly beautiful girl, Awu, your short stature truly fails to catch the attention of men, which is why the Fourth Prince, Chu Mao, walked away without a second glance.
This article by Awu begins with the phrase "The actions and concealments of a sage are appropriate; they await the capable ones to subtly reveal them."
The Master said to Yan Yuan: When it is used, it is active; when it is set aside, it is hidden. Only I and you possess this.
Awu, seeing this, hung onto Chu Mao's pants and poked his head out, "Brother, I don't know him, he is not a servant of my family"
Awu had been pestering Rongjie for three days before Rong Jichang's entrance, asking him to take her to the study to find Old Master Rong. When Rong Jichang saw the two of them, he was particularly delighted, embracing Awu and giving her a kiss, which caused Awu to frown, while he laughed heartily
This text was indeed painstakingly written by A Wu, and its style is not entirely the same as that of Xu Lizhai, as she feared that it might be too biased towards Xu, which would not be to Rong Jichang's liking, and he might not be willing to use it in the examination.
In a household, the young ladies are surrounded by maids and their mothers attending to them; there is no reason for male servants to be present. This person must be a kidnapper; you should bind him and send him to the authorities. Thus, Chu Mao immediately accused Li the Kidnapper.
Awu noticed Rong Jichang's surprise, feigning ignorance, and smiled, saying: "Please, Father, correct me"
To say that Awu is truly an ungrateful wolf is an understatement; after all, Chumao has saved her. Yet she quickly forgets this matter. The enmity between her and her parents is irreconcilable. Although she is small and weak now, unable to move Chumao at all, she still thinks it would be good to cause him some trouble. If she could publicly make him lose his pants, it would be a way to tear off his false facade of a "transcendent being." In the future, it will be interesting to see how he continues to pretend to be this aloof sage, unaffected by external joys or personal sorrows.
Rong Jichang was momentarily moved; how could an ordinary woman appreciate the rigid style of classical prose? For someone as small as Awu to care about current affairs, it was naturally for the sake of her father.
Li Guai Zi's clumsy acting is bound to be full of flaws when displayed in front of Chu Mao, the ancestor of method acting
Upon seeing this, Master Rong San realized that it was a piece of classical prose, with the topic derived from the Four Books, specifically from the Analects of Confucius, Chapter on Shu Er
Leaving Awu in place, she touched her hand that had been hurt by the rebound, thinking to herself, how arrogant, no wonder her mother, the Grand Princess, disliked this Fourth Prince the most. In her previous life, Awu was in poor health and spent most of her time in seclusion, having little interaction with Chu Mao. Most of her impressions came from scattered accounts from the Grand Princess, as well as her later encounters with his ruthlessness and coldness, which were in stark contrast to his stunning appearance. Her impression of him could be described as utterly terrible.
Is this what you did? Rong Jichang does not believe it
Rong Jichang initially approached Awu with a playful attitude, but unexpectedly, he exclaimed, "Good, the topic is unconventional."
Ah Wu, you have revealed the truth
After this incident, Rong Jichang and others lost all interest in attending the lantern festival, and he carried Awu back home.
It is unknown how many personnel Chu Mao has arranged for this lantern festival, as finding someone is as simple as picking a large cabbage
No wonder the last emperor, who was favored by the noble consort, met his demise at his hands. It truly teaches us not to judge by appearances; one must also consider the youth of these heroic figures.
Chu Mao did not expect that a mere minor incident would reveal his hidden strength to Awu. This was also due to Li Yangguang underestimating Awu's age, thinking that she did not understand these matters, and thus leaving some clues uncovered.
Awu was taken aback, not expecting that the actual age of Chu Mao, who was merely fourteen, could already possess such influence. In the vast crowd of the lantern festival, Li Yangguang held her tightly and headed straight towards Rong Jichang's direction without any detours, indicating that someone had already pointed the way for him.
The opening statement is the essence of the entire essay in the eight-legged essay format. In Awu's opening sentence, "Saint" refers to Confucius, and "Able" refers to Yan Hui. Regardless of the names of saints or sages in the opening statement, a substitute term must be used; thus, the term "Able" is used to represent Yan Yuan. The two opening lines clearly delineate actions and conceal the distinction between "only I" and "you".
Do not ask him how he knows about Miss Rong Wu. Although Rong Wu is now somewhat famous, it is still not enough to reach the ears of the heavens. However, since the prince is to marry at the age of twenty, it is naturally better for a prince with intentions to inquire about finding a wife as early as possible and to cultivate relationships as soon as possible. Therefore, Li Yangguang has also paid some attention to this Miss Rong from the Rong family.
Hanging up the pants? Yes, you read that correctly, it is indeed hanging.
In fact, Awu is truly uncertain whether Rong Jichang will ultimately use it. Therefore, she conveyed her message through a dream, indicating that this is an unclaimed work and hoping that Rong Jichang would feel free to use it. However, she is also concerned about his youthful arrogance.
However, these are not matters that Awu should be concerned about at present, as the incident involving Awu encountering a kidnapper has caused the usually gentle and refined Cui family to lose their temper. Master Rong San has not entered the bedroom for three days, and Awu has been placed under house arrest for ten days
Li Guai Zi thought to himself, this is bad, I have encountered a tough opponent. He usually considered himself somewhat skilled, but unexpectedly, he was easily thrown to the ground by someone.
As I continued to read, I became increasingly astonished; such refined scholarly achievements could only be produced by individuals well-versed in profound texts and techniques. The writing style is pure, elegant, and upright, setting a precedent for the atmosphere of the times, and it is truly a rare masterpiece, unthinkable for mere children to have created.
The article has been submitted, and there is no longer any need to bother Rong Jichang, allowing him to reflect in solitude.
Awu playfully hugged Rong Jichang's neck, saying, "Father is so clever. This was not done by Awu; it was something I got from a dream yesterday. I thought it was good, so I hurried to write it down this morning for fear of forgetting it."
Ah Wu, however, did not concern herself with Rong Jichang's feelings; instead, she secretly praised Rong Jie, thinking to herself that this brother was truly wonderful. He had not informed her in advance, yet he somehow knew to lay the groundwork for her. Quite good, quite good. Thus, when she took out the article, it would not seem too abrupt.
Father, you should also take a rest; you need to be well-rested for the next match to have the energy.
Chu Mao frowned at A Wu's actions, and did not kick her away, which surprised the followers.
Rong Jichang saw Awu looking very serious and laughed, saying: "Awu can understand the current affairs too?"
Rong Jichang smiled at Awu's appearance, as this girl wanted to eat again while trying to act coy, looking extremely adorable.
Awu let out a scream and hid behind Chu Mao. Liu, not allowing Li Guizi to get close to Chu Mao, reached out to block him, grabbing Li Guizi's hand and pushing him back. Li Guizi stumbled and fell to the ground.
Li Yangguang naturally did not take these matters to heart, but he did not expect that apart from the emergence of Miss Rong Wu, the fallen An Guo Gong residence also had such a beautiful young girl.
Rong Jie and Rong Yan were also punished, writing large characters, twenty pieces each day
Rong Jie was also somewhat choked up
Rong Jichang expressed his gratitude to Li Yangguang's master, and of course, he was aware that the Fourth Prince lacked nothing, and that he was not someone of their status who could be associated with. Naturally, it was also best for people like them not to seek such associations, so Rong Jichang could only express his appreciation verbally
Awu only presented the text at the last moment, firstly to keep Rong Jichang's memory fresh, so as to avoid any confusion during the next performance, and secondly out of concern that if it were presented too early, he and his literary friends would critique it together, thus rendering Awu's efforts in vain
Awu presented her essay as if offering a treasure, saying, "Father, please take a look at how this piece is done"
Based on Rong Jichang's understanding of Awu, this is certainly beyond her capabilities
Rong Jichang nodded and said, "I was just about to head back to the courtyard when you arrived, my girl. Is it alright if I go buy you Liu Changchun's pear blossom cake today?"
When Xiang Jie mentioned the matter of A Wu reading the literary works, it was merely regarded as a case of daydreaming leading to night visions, and it was not impossible for her to have stumbled upon it by chance. Rong Jichang had also once received excellent lines in his dreams, and upon waking, he often noted them down to share with his literary friends, all of whom claimed that these were superior to what he composed while awake, and Rong San Ye also believed this to be the case
When Li Yangguang brought Awu to Rong Jichang, Rong Jichang was so grateful that he was on the verge of tears.
After Li Guizi was captured, Chu Mao pushed away A Wu's hand and instructed his attendant, the eunuch Li Yangguang, saying: "You take her back."
A scholar encountering fine literature is akin to a hunter spotting prey or a drunkard catching a whiff of wine; they cannot help but savor it thoroughly. Rong Jichang was no exception, spending the entire evening reciting and appreciating this piece.