Four Seasons Brocade – CH 061

Chapter 61 ☆、

And let us return to Concubine Wang. As the old saying goes, “Smash a pot to pieces just because it’s cracked.”

Once a person had lost all hope, they would either die from despair or become completely accepting of everything.

Not long after, Zi-Yan reported back to Ah Wu that Concubine Wang had likely been seduced by the Second Master.

“Should we tell Master and Madam?” Zi-Yan wondered, assuming Ah Wu’s ultimate goal was this; otherwise, she would not have encouraged Concubine Wang to ingratiate herself with Concubine Mei.

Ah Wu listened calmly. “No need. This is not something to be proud of. She’s a person, too. Now that things have come to this, she can degrade herself, but we should not add to it.” Ah Wu sighed, “It’s just that Second Uncle is not a good man. Concubine Wang, alas, what a pity.”

Ah Wu truly did not want Concubine Wang to die, did not want to get her hands dirty, and considered it a way to accumulate good karma. Of course, this was all self-consolation.

Zi-Yan nodded. Although they had played a role in connecting the dots, no one forced Concubine Wang to debase herself; this was a case of reaping what you sow. After this incident, Zi-Yan thought that Ah Wu’s willingness to save Concubine Wang and even cover for her was already more than enough.

However, Zi-Yan could never fathom Ah Wu’s true intentions. Ah Wu was arguably instrumental in Concubine Wang’s downfall; if she had not systematically cut off all of Concubine Wang’s escape routes, she would not have fallen for that good-for-nothing Second Master.

Not only did Ah Wu not expose Concubine Wang, but she also instructed Zi-Yan to cover for her if possible. If this got out, both the second and third branches of the family would lose face; a man being cuckolded was no pleasant thing.

Besides, this was a crucial time for Ah Wu’s fifth brother, Rong Jie.

Upon hearing that the renowned Neo-Confucian scholar Dong Mi was accepting his last disciple, scholars across the country were in an uproar. Yu Lei Mountain near the capital was packed with students, rivaling even the number of students attending the triennial imperial examinations.

To gain the favor of Dong Mi was even more exciting than passing the imperial examination; it was a golden ticket to officialdom, earning not only the respect of scholars across the land but also the support of many senior fellow students. Dong Mi’s disciples, though few in number, were all high-ranking officials.

For example, the current Grand Secretary Hu Qizhong, the current Grand Secretary Tang, and Cabinet Minister Tang Jinshan, among others.

Becoming their junior fellow student practically guaranteed a smooth and successful official career.

Moreover, Dong Mi, worthy of the title of a great Confucian scholar, truly possessed extraordinary talent. Although he did not serve the Emperor, his disciples had already taken his place. Dong Mi himself claimed that he was better suited to teaching than to serving in the government.

Even the Longqing Emperor’s father had not made things difficult for Dong Mi, so the Emperor dared not persuade him to take up a post. The respect shown to him by two emperors further enhanced the esteemed Dong Mi’s reputation.

In preparation for Dong Mi’s selection of disciples, every family with children of school age had recently begun to strictly control their nephews and nieces, fearing a bad reputation. Even the most dissolute young masters, who were known for their cockfighting, dog racing, and domineering behavior, had toned down their ways, hoping to deceive the aging and possibly failing Dong Mi.

The Duke of Anguo’s household was no exception. The first branch’s Rong Min, the fourth young master, was fifteen years old; the second branch’s Rong Jue, the sixth young master, was fourteen; the third branch’s Rong Jie, the fifth young master, was fifteen; and Rong Yin, the seventh young master, was twelve—all meeting the age requirements for Dong Mi’s selection of disciples.

Therefore, the Duke of Anguo’s Mansion regarded this matter as a top priority. Even the Old Madam restrained her confused thoughts considerably. However, the Eldest and Second Madams increasingly disliked the Third Madam’s branch. Rong Jie’s reputation was now renowned among the young men of the academy and the capital, and as the son of the newly appointed top scholar, he was the most popular and likely candidate to become Dong Mi’s last disciple.

Rong Yin remained muddle-headed, spending his days practicing martial arts with his master, ignoring Lady Cui’s scolding and beatings. Third Master Rong believed that there were many paths to success and that studying was not the only way. After all, scholars were a minority, but did that mean others could not achieve great things? That was not necessarily true.

Moreover, the Duke of Anguo came from a military background, and Rong Yin was good at martial arts. Third Master Rong felt this was not necessarily a bad thing. Therefore, he never forced Rong Yin to study.

Rong Jie, however, was different. Even at a young age, he displayed a talent for studying. Although he could not match Cao Zhi’s ability to compose a poem in seven steps, Third Master Rong had personally examined Rong Jie as he grew up, and he himself felt that at his age, he was definitely not as good as Rong Jie. He placed great hopes on Rong Jie.

Therefore, these days, Third Master Rong stopped going out for social engagements. Every day after returning from the yamen, he would go to the outer courtyard to personally tutor Rong Jie’s studies.

As for Rong Min and Rong Jue, the First and Second Madams hired many renowned tutors, hoping they could receive some last-minute help.

Dong Mi’s method of selecting disciples was very simple: students who wished to become his disciples would personally go to his residence, Baihe Courtyard on Yulei Mountain, to show their examination papers. If he liked them, he would grant them a certificate; if not, they would be sent back to where they came from.

This was the first hurdle, called “judging a person.” Only one or two out of ten could successfully pass.

Rong Min and Rong Jie of the Rong family obtained their examination certificates, while Rong Jue and Rong Yin fell short.

In her previous life, Dong Mi had also selected his last disciples. Ah Wu remembered who was chosen, including Tang Xiujin. However, no one from the Rong family was selected. Because Ah Wu considered herself a talented woman, she would naturally take the selection of a last disciple by a great Confucian scholar very seriously; otherwise, she would not be considered part of the circle of talented women.

In her previous life, Ah Wu did not know Rong Jie and therefore did not know his talent. In this life, Ah Wu and Rong Jie were siblings, had practiced calligraphy together, and Ah Wu had even received guidance from Rong Jie. Ah Wu believed his talent was sufficient to become Dong Mi’s disciple, and she could not understand why he had failed.

But Ah Wu soon found out why.

The second hurdle was submitting an essay. The examination certificate issued by Dong Mi contained the same questions for everyone.

The news that came back from this round was that Rong Min had passed, while Rong Jie had failed.

Rong Jie collapsed as soon as he returned home, his face turning pale. His mother, Lady Cui, was so worried that she suffered an anxiety attack.

“So what if he did not accept you? It’s his fault for looking down on us. Jie’er, do not scare your mother. You will pass the imperial examination and become the top scholar to show him. He will know he was blind! He’s already seventy or eighty years old, long since senile. You do not need to take it to heart, Jie’er, Jie’er!” Lady Cui paced anxiously around Rong Jie.

She fed him ginseng soup and pinched his philtrum.

Third Master Rong sat silently to the side. He was not a woman of the inner chambers like Lady Cui and naturally understood the immense loss Rong Jie would suffer if he could not become Dong Mi’s disciple. Third Master Rong was even more bitter than Rong Jie, but he dared not blame him. He had read Rong Jie’s article beforehand and thought it was a fine piece of work, full of flowery language, substantial content, and insightful analysis. He wondered why it had not been selected.

For a moment, Third Master Rong began to doubt his own talent, and the languid Rong Jie also began to doubt his. In their eyes, Dong Mi’s judgment and talent were beyond question; their failure must be due to a lack of ability.

Dong Mi had only ever taken on five disciples, all of whom had become top scholars in the imperial examinations. What a renowned teacher!

Ah Wu, knowing who Dong Mi’s last disciples were and having read their essays and poems, saw no fault in Rong Jie. As an observer, she saw things even more clearly.

She did not doubt Rong Jie’s talent; it was impossible for him not to have caught Dong Mi’s eye. What was even more ridiculous was that Rong Min, with his mediocre knowledge, had actually made it to the second round—it was utterly absurd.

As previously stated, Ah Wu was not afraid to think the worst of people.

The first thought that popped into Ah Wu’s mind was that someone had switched Rong Jie’s and Rong Min’s submissions. This matter could not be discussed with the scholarly and aloof Third Master Rong and Rong Jie, so Ah Wu privately told Lady Cui and Rong Yin.

Rong Yin was the most proactive. He was already popular in the outer courtyard, given his cheerful and enthusiastic nature. Even as the young master of the third branch of the family, the stewards and servants of the outer courtyard were willing to befriend him. Therefore, it was most convenient for Rong Yin to investigate this matter.

The news Rong Yin brought back was that Ah Wu’s prediction was correct.

In fact, it was not that the First Madam and her family had kept this a secret, but rather that Third Master Rong and his family were inherently kind and honest, never suspecting anyone of such a thing nor believing that anyone would be so bold as to commit such a fraud. They knew that stolen talent would eventually be exposed. Later, Rong Min’s talent would be inconsistent with his submitted work, naturally leading to a loss of face. Therefore, Third Master Rong never considered the possibility of switching the work.

However, how could their upright and honest nature comprehend the sordid intentions of others?

It was well known that a mother’s desire for her son to succeed was strong; what would a mother not do for her son? The First Madam, wanting Rong Min to rise above others, did not mind putting Rong Jie in a subordinate position and, incidentally, suppressing the Third Branch of the family. Their plan was excellent; even if Rong Min’s talent was currently lacking, as long as he studied under Dong Mi for a while, would he not eventually “attain enlightenment”? Then there would be no issue of “slapping himself in the face.”

Moreover, talented people were often arrogant and narcissistic, especially those who were only partially talented. Rong Min did not believe his talent was inferior to Rong Jie’s, but after the First Madam told him about the plan, Rong Min did not object. He was confident in himself and did not believe the truth would ever come out, and that Rong Jie had only had a moment of brilliance and happened to write a better article. However, it was only for a one-time thing.

Lady Cui immediately told the Third Master Rong about this.

It turned out that the First Madam had bribed Rong Jie’s servant to secretly replace Rong Jie’s essay with Rong Min’s. The servant switched them after Rong Jie had put the essay into the bamboo tube, and Rong Jie did not notice. He simply carried it up the mountain and personally delivered it to Dong Mi.

The method was simple and effective.