Chapter 2
“Hey! Yi, why didn’t you open the freaking door! Do I just have to kick to let you know I am here?” Outside of the door is a fair skinned, dark eyed young lady wearing a piece of light yellow fur coat, about fifteen or sixteen years of age.
Her dress looks expensive. Her words aren’t kind either. Hong Yi knows, her name is Ning, and she is the personal servant girl of the second daughter from Yun Ting Zhai, at the east side of the manor.
Yun Ting Zhai is where the second house of the manor, Mrs. Fang lives. Mrs. Fang is the flat wife of Marquis of Wu Wen. She comes from a family of businessman. They donated money to become a minor government official. She has money and some status, although she isn’t as important as Mrs. Zhao, the first house, she does have a say in the manor.
That is why even the servant girls from the second house feel like they are better than others.
Despite Yi’s identity as the marquis’ son, the lowly status of his dead mother really doesn’t bring him any good. No one treats him like a somebody, not to mention everyone in this manor knows that Mrs. Zhao has absolutely no good impression about him.
He also receives the least monthly allowance.
The entire manor of the marquis, three houses of ladies, 4 houses of concubines, plus butlers, servants and guards, has around eight hundred people. Everyone has their job, like a smaller sized imperial court.
“What do you want?” Hong Yi opens the door, goes back to his seat, and picks up where he left off. He doesn’t look at the servant girl.
Ning runs her eyes over the room and pouted with contempt. The burning coal does not have good quality. It stinks, and releases fumes that irritate the eyes.
“Yesterday my master was working on some music and poems with her friend Princess Yongchun from the manor of King Rong. Princess wrote a first sentence. Master wants me to ask you if you can come up with a second that pairs. Hey! Are you listening to me?” Ning saw Yi going back to his seat and picking up a book. She is not happy about it.
“What?!” Hong Yi frowns and blood rushes onto his face. He clenches his fists, and turns his head over to look at her.
Ning sees Yi’s response, but she does not intend to dial her attitude back. She raised her eyebrows, and gives him the “even though you are the son, and I am the servant, but what can you do to me” face.
“What poem?” After only a second of wrath, Yi takes a deep breath and calms himself down. He releases his fists and becomes tranquil again.
“Doesn’t seem to be working.” Ning mutters. “As princess of Yongchun played the piano, she said “today I haven’t played but my heart has already been disturbed”, then she started pondering about a second sentence. Master wants you give her a second.”
“Being disturbed when playing the piano, that is she isn’t able to calm herself down, how about “the heart wants what it wants, out of our control”?”
Hong Yi pulls out a piece of paper and writes his response on with perfect cursive calligraphy.
“What is that?” Ning sees the beautiful hand writing and attempts to understand it, but what does a servant girl who does not even know how to write know anything about poetry.
“You are a servant. Why do you ask when you haven’t learnt to write?” Hong Yi said in a nonchalant tone: “Just deliver it.”
“You…”
Ning is clearly upset by Hong Yi’s comment about her knowledge. Her knuckles pop with sound, indicating that she has been trained in martial art. She starts to look at Hong Yi with her
“This Hong Yi clearly has not even been exposed to the study of martial arts, just a weak scholar, why isn’t he scared? I have been training with master for a long while, and I have achieved a lot. Despite the fact that Hong Yi is our marquis’ son, he isn’t favored by the first house at all. If I just punish him a little bit, make him hurt for a few days, I am he will be fine eventually and I won’t get myself in trouble.”
A scary look appears on Ning’s face. She approaches for a few steps, pretending to catch Hong Yi’s writing, but actually weighing the pros and cons of dislocating Hong Yi’ hands as she catches his writing.
“Exile 3000 miles away. If you lay hands on me, that’s what awaits.” Hong Yi suddenly says with a stern face and fierce voice, just as Ning approaches.
“By laws of the Great Qian, hitting a scholar with a title is punishable by exile. I suggest you behave wisely.”
Hong Yi’s sudden change of tone startled Ning. She has been reminded of the fact that, no matter how powerful is the master she serves, at the end of the day, she is a servant.
“No one is trying to hit you. I was just picking up the piece of paper. You are the young master, how dare I, a menial servant lay a finger on you.” Ning backs off a bit, extends her arms and reaches for the writing, and takes a turn and walks out immediately.
“Some scholar… Knows nothing other than writing poetry and lyrics. Don’t even have the strength to truss a chicken. Intellectuals have no use at all.”
Ning shows herself out of the room, cursing Hong Yi inside. She did get a bit scared before, but why will she admit to herself.
Seeing that Ning indeed is gone, Hong Yi breathes a long sigh of relief. “As expected, facing a villain is like facing a ghost, you can never show your weakness. If you get scared, they will reach out for a yard after getting an inch. You show no fear, and they will not dare to approach you. The Note uses ghost to describe villain. This analogy is indeed very appropriate.”
Hong Yi sits back down, looks up the essay which he read before, and marks it hard with dark ink.
This story is about Li Yan’s experience meeting a ghost. He was reading till midnight an met a wandering ghost. The Ghost showed himself and asked Li Yan if he was afraid, to which Li Yan replied instantly with a firm voice “No!”. The ghost asked again and Li Yan raised his voice even louder. The ghost finally said: “If you admit that you are scared I swear I will disappear immediately and never come back to you ever.” Li Yan replied: “Not scared is not scared. There is nothing you can do to terrify me.” The ghost couldn’t think of anything to do to him, so he had to disappear completely disgruntled.
Other asked Li Yan: “What if the ghost did decide to attach you? You know no magic, you do not know how to deal with ghost, why did you say you weren’t afraid?”
Li Yan replied: “It is because I knew no magic that it is imperative for me to appear strong and dauntless. If I feared, the ghost would just throw itself at me and took control of my body.”
Hong Yi rereads the story, and he is reminded of what just happened earlier with Ning. Villains are truly like ghosts. If he did not scare her, she might actually proceed to harm him.
“But after all only keep up with the appearance cannot work forever. I still have to exercise, and maybe get my physical strength up and take up martial arts. Scholars are supposed to be good at archery and horseback riding. That is a true scholar. However I am just not equipped to learn such things.”
Hong Yi has been wanting to practice martial art for a really long time, but he just cannot afford to learn it.
For riding and archery, one good horse costs thousands of Liangs of gold, and a good bow can cost hundreds as well. Even if he does not use that and just practice barehanded combat, a good coach is even more expensive. Hong Yi cannot afford any of that.
There are a lot of guards in the manor that are good at martial arts, but who is going to help him and piss of Mrs. Zhao?
“I heard that when the Great Qian Dynasty was founded, the central government compiled two giant books. The Book of Martial Arts and the Book of Magic. They contain the right methods for practicing both. Each has millions of words in them. Unfortunately they were both banned later. If only I can be lucky enough to read it.” Hong Yi ponders.
Chapter 2
“Hey! Yi, why didn’t you open the freaking door! Do I just have to kick to let you know I am here?” Outside of the door is a fair skinned, dark eyed young lady wearing a piece of light yellow fur coat, about fifteen or sixteen years of age.
Her dress looks expensive. Her words aren’t kind either. Hong Yi knows, her name is Ning, and she is the personal servant girl of the second daughter from Yun Ting Zhai, at the east side of the manor.
Yun Ting Zhai is where the second house of the manor, Mrs. Fang lives. Mrs. Fang is the flat wife of Marquis of Wu Wen. She comes from a family of businessman. They donated money to become a minor government official. She has money and some status, although she isn’t as important as Mrs. Zhao, the first house, she does have a say in the manor.
That is why even the servant girls from the second house feel like they are better than others.
Despite Yi’s identity as the marquis’ son, the lowly status of his dead mother really doesn’t bring him any good. No one treats him like a somebody, not to mention everyone in this manor knows that Mrs. Zhao has absolutely no good impression about him.
He also receives the least monthly allowance.
The entire manor of the marquis, three houses of ladies, 4 houses of concubines, plus butlers, servants and guards, has around eight hundred people. Everyone has their job, like a smaller sized imperial court.
“What do you want?” Hong Yi opens the door, goes back to his seat, and picks up where he left off. He doesn’t look at the servant girl.
Ning runs her eyes over the room and pouted with contempt. The burning coal does not have good quality. It stinks, and releases fumes that irritate the eyes.
“Yesterday my master was working on some music and poems with her friend Princess Yongchun from the manor of King Rong. Princess wrote a first sentence. Master wants me to ask you if you can come up with a second that pairs. Hey! Are you listening to me?” Ning saw Yi going back to his seat and picking up a book. She is not happy about it.
“What?!” Hong Yi frowns and blood rushes onto his face. He clenches his fists, and turns his head over to look at her.
Ning sees Yi’s response, but she does not intend to dial her attitude back. She raised her eyebrows, and gives him the “even though you are the son, and I am the servant, but what can you do to me” face.
“What poem?” After only a second of wrath, Yi takes a deep breath and calms himself down. He releases his fists and becomes tranquil again.
“Doesn’t seem to be working.” Ning mutters. “As princess of Yongchun played the piano, she said “today I haven’t played but my heart has already been disturbed”, then she started pondering about a second sentence. Master wants you give her a second.”
“Being disturbed when playing the piano, that is she isn’t able to calm herself down, how about “the heart wants what it wants, out of our control”?”
Hong Yi pulls out a piece of paper and writes his response on with perfect cursive calligraphy.
“What is that?” Ning sees the beautiful hand writing and attempts to understand it, but what does a servant girl who does not even know how to write know anything about poetry.
“You are a servant. Why do you ask when you haven’t learnt to write?” Hong Yi said in a nonchalant tone: “Just deliver it.”
“You…”
Ning is clearly upset by Hong Yi’s comment about her knowledge. Her knuckles pop with sound, indicating that she has been trained in martial art. She starts to look at Hong Yi with her
“This Hong Yi clearly has not even been exposed to the study of martial arts, just a weak scholar, why isn’t he scared? I have been training with master for a long while, and I have achieved a lot. Despite the fact that Hong Yi is our marquis’ son, he isn’t favored by the first house at all. If I just punish him a little bit, make him hurt for a few days, I am he will be fine eventually and I won’t get myself in trouble.”
A scary look appears on Ning’s face. She approaches for a few steps, pretending to catch Hong Yi’s writing, but actually weighing the pros and cons of dislocating Hong Yi’ hands as she catches his writing.
“Exile 3000 miles away. If you lay hands on me, that’s what awaits.” Hong Yi suddenly says with a stern face and fierce voice, just as Ning approaches.
“By laws of the Great Qian, hitting a scholar with a title is punishable by exile. I suggest you behave wisely.”
Hong Yi’s sudden change of tone startled Ning. She has been reminded of the fact that, no matter how powerful is the master she serves, at the end of the day, she is a servant.
“No one is trying to hit you. I was just picking up the piece of paper. You are the young master, how dare I, a menial servant lay a finger on you.” Ning backs off a bit, extends her arms and reaches for the writing, and takes a turn and walks out immediately.
“Some scholar… Knows nothing other than writing poetry and lyrics. Don’t even have the strength to truss a chicken. Intellectuals have no use at all.”
Ning shows herself out of the room, cursing Hong Yi inside. She did get a bit scared before, but why will she admit to herself.
Seeing that Ning indeed is gone, Hong Yi breathes a long sigh of relief. “As expected, facing a villain is like facing a ghost, you can never show your weakness. If you get scared, they will reach out for a yard after getting an inch. You show no fear, and they will not dare to approach you. The Note uses ghost to describe villain. This analogy is indeed very appropriate.”
Hong Yi sits back down, looks up the essay which he read before, and marks it hard with dark ink.
This story is about Li Yan’s experience meeting a ghost. He was reading till midnight an met a wandering ghost. The Ghost showed himself and asked Li Yan if he was afraid, to which Li Yan replied instantly with a firm voice “No!”. The ghost asked again and Li Yan raised his voice even louder. The ghost finally said: “If you admit that you are scared I swear I will disappear immediately and never come back to you ever.” Li Yan replied: “Not scared is not scared. There is nothing you can do to terrify me.” The ghost couldn’t think of anything to do to him, so he had to disappear completely disgruntled.
Other asked Li Yan: “What if the ghost did decide to attach you? You know no magic, you do not know how to deal with ghost, why did you say you weren’t afraid?”
Li Yan replied: “It is because I knew no magic that it is imperative for me to appear strong and dauntless. If I feared, the ghost would just throw itself at me and took control of my body.”
Hong Yi rereads the story, and he is reminded of what just happened earlier with Ning. Villains are truly like ghosts. If he did not scare her, she might actually proceed to harm him.
“But after all only keep up with the appearance cannot work forever. I still have to exercise, and maybe get my physical strength up and take up martial arts. Scholars are supposed to be good at archery and horseback riding. That is a true scholar. However I am just not equipped to learn such things.”
Hong Yi has been wanting to practice martial art for a really long time, but he just cannot afford to learn it.
For riding and archery, one good horse costs thousands of Liangs of gold, and a good bow can cost hundreds as well. Even if he does not use that and just practice barehanded combat, a good coach is even more expensive. Hong Yi cannot afford any of that.
There are a lot of guards in the manor that are good at martial arts, but who is going to help him and piss of Mrs. Zhao?
“I heard that when the Great Qian Dynasty was founded, the central government compiled two giant books. The Book of Martial Arts and the Book of Magic. They contain the right methods for practicing both. Each has millions of words in them. Unfortunately they were both banned later. If only I can be lucky enough to read it.” Hong Yi ponders.
