Qiantang County had no more than four thousand registered households. Only eight surnames belonged to the great aristocratic clans: Quan, Zhu, Gu, Fan, Du, Dai, Ding, and Chu. There were fewer than a hundred households of the Cold-Gate Commoner Clans, with family traditions of classical learning, along with a scattering of impoverished households whose sons also studied the Confucian classics. Thus, although the elegant mountain-climbing gathering on Qiyun Mountain on the ninth day of the ninth month was the county's foremost annual event, only a little over a hundred young scholars attended. It could be said that all the county's young worthies and talents had assembled.
When Chen Caozhi and his three servants reached the foot of Qiyun Mountain, it was about a quarter to eight in the morning. Oxcarts were everywhere, oxen lowed, and servants came and went in a great bustle. Runners and clerks from the county offices were there too, craning their necks as though awaiting the arrival of their superiors. The young scholars hoping to receive a rank, however, were not waiting at the foot of the mountain. They had gone Climbing the Mountain and sightseeing on their own. Anyone who stood respectfully below, waiting for the ranking official to assess him, would be deemed a vulgar creature, and the official would pay him no attention. At these mountain gatherings, the ranking official chiefly assessed a person by the grace he displayed in communion with all things in nature as he wandered freely through the wooded hills, and by the subtle appreciation that arose in his heart as the scenery stirred his feelings-
Of course, if you hid in some rocky cave or on a sheer cliff where the ranking official could not see you, then no matter how you gazed upward at the vastness of the universe and downward at the abundance of living things, even the most sublime subtle appreciation would be useless. Attending the gathering meant displaying yourself before the ranking official. This required finding just the right position between refinement and ostentation, maintaining a free and natural bearing even while pursuing rank.
Ding Youwei had told Chen Caozhi all of this. She always wanted to give the young master as much help as she could.
Lai Fu left his son Lai De to watch the oxcart while he and Ran Sheng accompanied Chen Caozhi Climbing the Mountain. Lai Fu had attended the ninth-day gathering with Chen Qingzhi before and was fairly familiar with Qiyun Mountain's paths.
Lai Fu carried the food boxes prepared for their outdoor feast on a shoulder pole. Ran Sheng carried a rolled felt mat and a long wooden box, following Chen Caozhi up the stone steps and Climbing the Mountain.
Because the gentlemen and ladies of the town enjoyed climbing Qiyun Mountain, the county offices had funded repairs to the mountain paths and built three pavilions over the past ten years. They were called the Abundance and Joy Pavilion, Yicui Pavilion, and Guanlan Terrace.
The stone-stepped path wound upward. After a hundred or so paces, a clear spring appeared to the left of the path, its slender stream trickling along, scattering droplets like leaping pearls and splashing jade. Gleaming in the sunlight, the spring water was so fresh and clear that one immediately wanted to cup a handful and drink.
The Abundance and Joy Pavilion stood beside this clear spring.
Qiyun Mountain's trees grew in three distinct bands. Tall ring-cupped oaks covered the foothills; beyond the Abundance and Joy Pavilion lay vast stretches of bamboo; above Yicui Pavilion, there were only pines and firs.
Among the lush woods and slender bamboo, young scholars strolled in twos and threes. Some plucked ruan lutes, some debated one another, and some had even brought writing tables up the mountain and were wielding their brushes to paint or practice calligraphy. Others wore indignant, gloomy expressions, muttering who knew what complaints.
At the sight of Chen Caozhi, these scholars stopped reciting poetry, playing their ruan lutes, and debating. Every one of them stared at him, just as Mulberry Trees Along the Path described the beautiful Luofu: "The plowman forgot his plow, the hoer forgot his hoe; returning home, they quarreled in anger, all because they had watched Luofu-"
Nor was Chen Caozhi the only person they stared at so intently. Every new arrival underwent their scrutiny, their gazes impossibly exacting. Still, Chen Caozhi's handsome appearance and graceful bearing left them briefly astonished, after which they put their heads together and asked who he was.
At this point, no one recognized Chen Caozhi.
Beyond the bamboo-lined path stood Yicui Pavilion, where someone was blocking the way below. Lai Fu said quietly, "Young master, it seems you have to answer a question here before you can pass. But the sons of aristocratic clans don't have to answer. They can go straight up."
It appeared that the scholars near the Abundance and Joy Pavilion were all students of humble birth who had failed to answer the question and pass. Only a little over a hundred people had come to the gathering in all; with this checkpoint barring the way, those remaining were the sons of aristocratic clans and a few talented young men of humble birth.
Ran Sheng snorted. "They're deliberately making things difficult for us!"
Chen Caozhi waved a hand and stepped forward, only to see County Chancellor Feng Mengxiong watching his approach with a smile. He quickened his pace and went up to pay his respects.
Feng Mengxiong merely nodded to him without exchanging greetings, then turned to someone seated in Yicui Pavilion. "Magistrate, this young man is Chen Caozhi."
The man rose and looked down over the railing. "I recognize him. I met him once at Master Zhichuan's."
So County Magistrate Wang was personally overseeing this checkpoint. Chen Caozhi bowed deeply toward the pavilion and quietly awaited his question.
From his higher position, Wang De Yi examined Chen Caozhi closely with considerable admiration. "Could someone Master Zhichuan appreciates possibly fail to pass Yicui Pavilion?" He waved a hand. "Please proceed to Guanlan Terrace."
Before his words had faded, someone on the mountain path sneered, "Since when could the Cold-Gate Commoner Clans pass Yicui Pavilion without answering a question?"
Wang De Yi frowned and turned to look down. He recognized Chu Wenbin of the Chu Clan, a younger cousin of Chu Wenqian. Ever since Chu Wenqian had lost his calligraphy contest to the humbly born youth Chen Caozhi, the Qiantang Chu Clan's reputation had plummeted. They had drawn even more criticism than the Ding Clan had when it married a daughter into a humble family. Qiantang's great aristocratic clans were not marveling at Chen Caozhi's superb calligraphy; rather, they were utterly baffled that Chu Wenqian had agreed to compete with him at all. In their view, regardless of victory or defeat, entering such a contest was already a tremendous loss of face-let alone losing it!
Even as county magistrate, Wang De Yi could do nothing about it. He too was of humble birth and dared not offend these aristocratic clans, so he changed his words. "Chen Caozhi, listen to the question-the Master said, 'A gentleman is not a vessel.' What does this mean? You must answer with the Master's own words from the Analects."
"A gentleman is not a vessel" came from the Wei Zheng Chapter of the Analects. It meant that a gentleman should not be like a utensil, useful in only one particular respect, but should instead bring his knowledge together into a comprehensive understanding, broadly learned and capable in many things.
After a moment's thought, Chen Caozhi answered, "I am no match for an old farmer."
Wang De Yi was naturally familiar with the various answers to this question. Clapping his hands, he laughed. "An excellent answer. Please proceed."
"I am no match for an old farmer" came from the Zi Lu Chapter of the Analects. When Confucius's disciple Fan Chi asked Confucius to teach him farming, Confucius replied, "I am no match for an old farmer." These words had several layers of meaning, one of which implicitly accorded with "A gentleman is not a vessel," making it an entirely fitting answer.
Chen Caozhi bowed separately to County Magistrate Wang and Feng Mengxiong, but then asked Chu Wenbin, "Do you have any questions for me, sir?"
Chu Wenbin found it a little difficult to save face. With a cold snort, he flicked his sleeve, sending a waft of fragrance into the air, and headed up the mountain first with his two servants.
Feng Mengxiong quietly informed Chen Caozhi who Chu Wenbin was. Chen Caozhi had already guessed: wearing incense and face powder was a family custom of the Qiantang Chu Clan. He promptly thanked Uncle Feng for the reminder. Only then did he notice another servant behind Uncle Feng, head lowered and eyes on the ground, with an oval face and delicate features. Who else could it be but Feng Lingbo?
Chen Caozhi nodded to Feng Lingbo in greeting, then continued toward Guanlan Terrace at the summit with Lai Fu and Ran Sheng. They had only just rounded a cliff when a sweet voice called from behind, "Young Master Caozhi-Young Master Caozhi-" The voice sounded rather like Xiao Chan's.
Chen Caozhi stopped and looked back. The finely dressed young woman whose oxcart had overturned earlier had appeared on the mountain path. Leaning on her young maid's shoulder for support, she caught up with them, panting delicately.
Chen Caozhi grew still more suspicious. Her earlier deliberate attempt to ride in his cart had already put him on guard. Now she had abruptly appeared here again; it was probably not out of any goodwill-
As for Chen Liu, who had been expelled from Chen Family Cove, along with Lu Clerk and the Chu Clan, Chen Caozhi had not let down his guard, despite seeming to know only his books and nothing of affairs beyond his window. Petty villains were hard to guard against. If he was to make the Qiantang Chen Clan a great aristocratic clan, he had to take every step cautiously. There was no room for mistakes.
Chen Caozhi went down a few steps to meet her and smiled. "Oh, it's you. I was just looking for you."
The youth's smile was as warm as a spring breeze, his gaze deep and captivating. Anyone who saw him would have been momentarily dazed, and this young woman in her showy makeup and splendid clothes was certainly no exception. "You were looking for me?" she asked blankly.
"Indeed," Chen Caozhi said. "Please come with me, madam." He took the lead down the mountain.
Although the young woman harbored an unmentionable purpose, at this point she could only follow Chen Caozhi down. Watching the young man's hemp-cloth robe flutter and his easy, unhurried stride, she felt another spell of bewilderment.
I've caught a slight cold, so the update is late. Sorry. I'll keep working hard; there will be another update tonight. Once again, please send recommendation votes!
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