"Crafty, deceitful villains are just like ghosts." "Hong Yi clearly looks like a frail scholar, too weak to even truss a chicken. So why isn't he afraid? I've trained with the young lady for a while and built up some skill. Even ordinary people feel my presence. Hong Yi may be a young master, but the First Madam doesn't favor him, and the most she'd do is scold him if he got bullied... Besides, I've recently learned the Grappling Hand. If I grabbed someone, he'd only be sore for a few days; I wouldn't injure his bones or muscles..." When Xiao Ning saw the look in Hong Yi's eyes as he said he couldn't read, her knuckles cracked twice, showing off her impressive skill. At the same time, she fixed him with a fierce stare. Hong Yi was deep in thought. "My heart is already unsettled before I've played a note today." He pulled out a sheet of white paper and wrote a line of cursive script in thick ink: "This heart of mine is never truly my own." Xiao Ning saw the characters twisting and flying like dragons and snakes. She had only learned a little and knew a few characters; how could a maid like her recognize cursive script? Clearly, Xiao Ning had trained in martial arts. She glanced at the charcoal burning in the room. It was poor quality, so it smelled bad and smoked up her eyes. She couldn't help curling her lip in disdain. "You dare lay hands on me? Don't you know you could be exiled three thousand li!" Someone later asked Li Yan, "You don't know Daoist magic and can't deal with ghosts, so why not give in and say you're afraid? What if the ghost really pounced on you? What would you do then?" "What poem?" After a moment of anger, Hong Yi drew a deep breath and calmed himself. He slowly unclenched his fists, his voice turning level. Li Yan replied, "It's precisely because I don't know Daoist magic and can't deal with ghosts that I can't be afraid. The moment you're afraid, your spirit falters, and then it really will pounce." "What?" Hong Yi furrowed his brows, blood rushing to his face. He clenched his fists slightly and glared at Xiao Ning. He had long wanted to learn martial arts, but simply didn't have the means. "You..." "Great Gan law says that assaulting a scholar with an academic title earns you three thousand li of exile. Don't bring ruin upon yourself!" The story was about how Li Yan was once reading late at night when he encountered a ghost. The ghost took shape and asked whether he was afraid. Li Yan immediately shouted, "I'm not afraid!" The ghost asked again, and Li Yan's voice grew even louder. At last, the ghost said, "If you just say you're afraid, I'll leave at once and stop bothering you." Li Yan shouted, "I'm not afraid, and that's that!" In the end, the ghost had no choice but to vanish in disappointment. Just as Xiao Ning was about to move, Hong Yi suddenly spoke, his voice fierce and commanding. As he reread the story, Hong Yi thought of Xiao Ning, the maid he had just encountered. He felt that villains really were like ghosts. If he hadn't frightened her just now, she might truly have dared to strike him. Hong Yi's sudden, fierce outburst made Xiao Ning shudder all over. "My heart is already unsettled before I've played a note today?" Hong Yi pondered. "If my heart is unsettled while playing the zither, then I can't steady my mind. I'll answer with, 'This heart of mine is never truly my own.'" Yunting Studio was the residence of Lady Fang, the second branch's mistress. Lady Fang was Marquis Wuwen's secondary wife. Her family had been merchants, and she had also purchased an official post. She was wealthy and influential. Though her standing in the Marquis Mansion was below that of Lady Zhao, the First Madam, she still had a voice in its affairs. "Hmph. All you can do is write poems and lyrics. You're too weak to truss a chicken. Scholars are useless." The Marquis Mansion had guards skilled in martial arts, but who would want to approach Hong Yi and incur the First Madam's displeasure? After Xiao Ning left, Hong Yi let out a long breath. "As expected, dealing with a villain is just like dealing with a ghost. You must never let your courage waver. The moment you do, it takes a mile when you give it an inch. If you stand tall, it won't dare come near. This Caotang Notes uses ghosts as a metaphor for people, and it contains a profound truth." "I've heard that when the Great Gan Dynasty was founded, it compiled two great books: the Martial Classic and the Daoist Classic. They covered martial arts and the cultivation of immortality, with millions of words between them. Sadly, they later became banned books. If only I could borrow a copy and transcribe it." "But frightening people isn't the answer. I still need to practice martial arts. A proper scholar should be skilled in horsemanship, archery, and the martial arts. But I truly lack the means. I'll have to think of a way." "What's this?" Xiao Ning left the room, cursing inwardly. She really had been frightened by Hong Yi, but how could she possibly admit it? "Yesterday, the young lady played the zither and exchanged poems with Princess Yongchun of the Rong Prince Mansion. Princess Yongchun recited a line but couldn't come up with the next one, so the young lady sent me to ask you. Hey, are you listening?" A young woman appeared at the doorway. She wore a yellow fur coat mottled with other colors; her face was fair, and her eyes were dark and glossy. She looked to be around fifteen or sixteen. "What do you want?" After opening the door, Hong Yi returned to his chair, picked up his book, and ignored the maid. Hong Yi received the smallest monthly allowance of all. The young woman was dressed lavishly and spoke rudely, but Hong Yi knew who she was: Xiao Ning, the personal maid of the second young lady who lived in Yunting Studio, on the eastern side of the Marquis Mansion. "Ahem..." Seeing Hong Yi sit back down at his desk and pick up his book, Xiao Ning said irritably, "Hey, Hong Yi, why did you take so long to open the door? I nearly had to kick it in!" Xiao Ning had also noticed the flush in Hong Yi's face and his slightly clenched fists. But instead of backing down, she raised her chin and gave him a look that said, "So what if you're a young master? I can treat you however I like. What can you do about it? Go on, hit me!" Practicing horsemanship and archery required a fine horse worth a thousand gold, and a good bow worth a hundred. Even without those, hand-to-hand combat required a teacher. Hong Yi couldn't afford any of it. Though he was a young master of the Marquis Mansion, his mother had been a concubine of low status who had died. No one took him seriously. What's more, everyone in the entire Marquis Mansion knew that Lady Zhao of the main branch disliked him. "You're a servant. You can't read, so why ask so many questions?" Hong Yi said coldly. "Just take it over." That was why the maids and servants of Yunting Studio held themselves above the rest. Xiao Ning's eyes flashed with malice. She took two steps forward, pretending to reach for Hong Yi's paper, while planning to use a clever trick to twist his hand when she took it and leave him sore for a few days. "He really is useless." Seeing Hong Yi hold himself back, Xiao Ning muttered inwardly. "When Princess Yongchun was playing the zither, she said, 'My heart is already unsettled before I've played a note today,' then racked her brains for the next line. The young lady sent me to ask you, hoping you could come up with one."
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