Chapter 060
Author: Feast of Masks
Raws: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3185016
Translated by Gumihou
Gumihou: So many deep learning words!!! I tried my best to make these classical debates accessible to regular readers, but man, this Lin Miao person sure has a lot to say.
When questioned by the young scholar, the old woman replied almost instinctively, “Of course, that is my grandson’s name. This name was chosen for him by the most learned man in our village. This young lad is really too much, asking all these strange questions.”
Xue Tingxiang’s eyes flickered as he studied the woman’s expression.
No matter how closely he observed her, it did not look like she was lying. Could he have missed something?
Just as Xue Tingxiang was lost in thought, a sudden commotion rippled through the crowd.
The Qinghe Academy students, as if on cue, surged forward.
“What are you Qingyuan people trying to pull? Granny, don’t listen to him! The Qingyuan lot is sly and full of tricks. Your grandson, Sun He, died because he fell for their tricks!”
“You lot are very good at twisting right and wrong! Don’t think that just because you have more people, you can bully us!”
“Let’s go before things turn ugly. We’ll report everything to our Headmaster when we return.”
The dozen or so Qinghe students babbled noisily as they helped the old woman up and swept her away like a gust of wind.
Once the group disappeared through their academy gate, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.
“Headmaster, are you all right?” asked Teacher Meng.
Lin Miao wiped his face and shook his head. “I’m fine.”
Teacher Mo sighed beside him. “As long as you’re unharmed.”
The three men exchanged weary glances, taking in each other’s dishevelled and unkempt looks. Their dignity as scholars was nowhere to be seen.
“Headmaster, we’re all fine.”
“Good. Then let’s go inside.”
Everyone filed back into the academy in an orderly line. When Xue Tingxiang attempted to enter the gate, Lin Miao suddenly said, “Xue Tingxiang, stay behind.”
Mao Badou and the others cast worried glances his way but said nothing, following the others inside while Xue Tingxiang accompanied the Headmaster to the study.
Once they reached the study, Lin Miao retreated to the inner room to tidy himself.
When he emerged a short while later, he had returned to his usual composed and proper appearance. The scratches on his face had faded, and his demeanour was once again that of the dignified Headmaster. Seated behind his desk, he looked at Xue Tingxiang and said, “Thanks to you, that situation didn’t spiral further out of control. However, though your intentions were good, you shouldn’t have used a grieving person’s pain to your advantage.”
He sighed and continued, “You’re bright and resourceful, brave and quick-witted, but you also have a penchant for sophistry, which is not a good trait. A true gentleman should be upright and open-hearted. ‘As the earth is vast and steady, the gentleman carries all with great virtue. He deceives neither Heaven, nor others, nor his own heart, nor the world. That is what makes a true gentleman.’
Back when Brother Mo brought you to the academy in the hope that I would take you as my disciple, I had no intention of accepting anyone then. I have since observed your diligence and recognised your intelligence. You are one who would go far. However, you must remember this: A gentleman should know what he should and should not do. If you rely too much on cunning shortcuts, I fear you may one day ruin your own future.”
It was no wonder people said Lin Miao did not know how to play the game. He was a straightforward man, earnest and principled to a fault. A clever young bystander had stepped forward to help, but instead of praising him for his wit, Lin Miao accused him of being cunning and full of sophistry.
Yet, his words were so earnest and full of genuine concern that Xue Tingxiang could not muster any dislike toward the Headmaster. He also knew that the Headmaster’s impression of him had likely been shaped by how he had shielded Mao Badou and his smutty books.
Ever since that dream, Xue Tingxiang’s temperament had changed drastically. Moreover, two people had already expressed similar concerns to him.
One was Zhao’er, and now Headmaster Lin.
He cared little for anyone’s opinion, though he was willing to treat Zhao’er with more care, simply because she was Zhao’er. But hearing Lin Miao say the same thing stirred something rebellious within him.
“And what, may I ask, does the Headmaster believe defines a true gentleman’s conduct?” he asked suddenly.
Lin Miao was taken aback by the question. After a pause, he replied, “A gentleman must first take care to cultivate virtue. He spares no effort in his pursuit.”
These were lines directly lifted from the Great Learning. The first phrase, ‘A gentleman must take care to cultivate virtue,’ means that a true gentleman’s foremost duty is to refine his character and nurture moral integrity. The second phrase, ‘He spares no effort in his pursuit’, indicates that a gentleman should constantly strive toward the highest moral ideals, seeking perfection in his conduct.
“There is also the saying that ‘A gentleman is always amiable and open-hearted, whilst the petty man is forever fretful and furtive. Yet, in the real world, the petty thrived in arrogance and delight, whilst the gentleman suffered oppression and humiliation. Exactly as we have witnessed earlier today.”
“Clarity is clarity, and corruption is corruption,” Lin Miao replied evenly. “A gentleman may suffer injustice for a time, but truth will always prevail, and the innocent will be vindicated.”
“Once the person is dead, what good is justice to them?”
Lin Miao regarded Xue Tingxiang deeply. He was not at all angry by the youth’s sharp words. Instead, he quoted the following:
“
When the gentleman’s heart is broad, it aligns with Heaven and the Way;
When it is cautious, it reveres righteousness and holds itself in restraint.
When he has knowledge, he sees with clarity and reason;
When he is ignorant, he remains upright, sincere, and guided by law.
When he is favoured, he is humble and measured;
When he is slighted, he is respectful and composed.
In joy, he is harmonious and proper;
In sorrow, he is still and self-contained.
In fortune, he is graceful and luminous;
In hardship, he is frugal and discerning.
The petty man, however, is not so:
When his heart is broad, he grows arrogant and violent;
When it is cautious, he turns indulgent and deceitful.
When he has knowledge, he schemes and steals;
When he is ignorant, he poisons and confuses.
When he is favoured, he is boastful and insolent;
When he is slighted, he grows bitter and treacherous.
In joy, he is frivolous;
In sorrow, he is craven.
In fortune, he is proud and partial;
In hardship, he abandons all restraint.
Thus it is said: “As the gentleman advances two steps, the petty man falls two steps back.”
And so it is.
”
The passage came from Xun Zi, though Lin Miao had omitted the preface: The gentle and the petty are opposite men. The passage was meant to draw a perfect mirror of contrast, line by line, between the conduct of the noble and the base.
When a gentleman’s heart is broad, he models the Way of Heaven; when it is narrow, he restrains himself by virtue. In wisdom, he perceives and classifies; in ignorance, he acts with humble propriety. When honoured, he remains modest; when overlooked, he holds himself with dignity. In joy, he is gracious; in sorrow, serene. When prosperous, he is refined; when destitute, he is prudent.
The petty man, however, is all in reverse.
Lin Miao’s intent was not to chastise, but to educate.
Xue Tingxiang, however, only smirked as he countered with, “Thus, when the target is set, arrows will come. When the forest grows thick, axes follow.”
Since Lin Miao sought to instruct him through Xun Zi, Xue Tingxiang also responded with a quote from the same text. However, because the words were quoted out of context, their original meaning was distorted. [1] Implying that once the target is set, the attacks would come regardless. That the headmaster had been marked as a target due to his potential threat to the other school.
Lin Miao was struck speechless by this bit of sophistry. For a long moment, he could only stare at Xue Tingxiang.
After a while, he sighed and said, “Child, though you appear respectful, your words are steeped in defiance. Have you forgotten the three fears of a gentleman? The gentleman fears Heaven’s decree, fears his betters and fears the words of the [2] Sage. The petty man, however, fears neither fate nor Heaven; scorns his betters and mocks the Sage. Such recklessness would one day bring ruin upon you. Enough. You are still young. This old man shall see to your education in time.”
A thought crossed Xue Tingxiang’s mind: So, I am not a gentleman, but a petty man.
That notion had barely taken shape when the headmaster’s final words struck him: This old man shall see to your education in time.
How had-
Could that unbridled petty retort actually earn him the Headmaster’s attention? Enough to be taken in as a disciple?
Even as the reasoning unfolded, he still could not bring himself to believe it.
Seeing his dumbfounded expression, Lin Miao smiled faintly, “Once this matter passes. I shall take proper care of your education.”
Could he… truly say no to this great opportunity?
Even someone as shrewd and quick-witted as Xue Tingxiang was stunned for a moment.
But it was only for a moment. Even as his mind scrambled to realise that this was really happening, his sharp tongue automatically retorted, “It would be better for the headmaster to be concerned with self-preservation right now.”
Lin Miao’s face darkened at that.
Horrified by his own slip of the tongue, Xue Tingxiang did not linger long and fled.
Even as he hurried back to the dorms, his mind churned frantically, combing for information from his dreams about his dream-self’s early days with Qinghe Academy.
The reason he had questioned the old woman so sharply before was because of an incident in his dreams. He had even caught a glimpse of that old woman in the dream, but had not given much thought to the matter at that time. It was not until seeing the actual person today that the memory was jolted from his head.
In that dream, a student at Qinghe Academy had died, causing a great panic within the school. However, the headmaster and teachers had suppressed the matter, and none of the students dared to speak of it.
As far as he could recall, the student who had died was called Sun He, with He meaning ‘river’ and spoken with a descending tone.
However, everyone had called the student Sun He, with the ‘He’ in rising tone for ‘crane’. The old woman had confirmed this.
Tried as he might, he could not recall a student named Sun He (crane). Either such an incident had not happened in his memory, or, that his dream-self had not known about it. It was a valid consideration since the dream Xue Tingxiang had been isolated and shunned by others.
Yet, it was precisely these seemingly trivial little details that had started to move into place that made Xue Tingxiang suspect that there was something deeply amiss.
Though he could not yet say what the suspicious matter was, he could tell there was a stink of conspiracy in the air.
When he reached the dormitory, Mao Badou immediately pounced on him, with the two others following close behind, curious to know why the headmaster had singled him out earlier. Was it to praise his masterful way of de-escalating the situation?
Xue Tingxiang rubbed his nose. Praise? Hardly. He had been scolded for being a ‘petty man’… Naturally, he would never admit that. Instead, he said, “I noticed something unusual earlier, and need your opinion…”
Of course, he kept quiet about the dream, merely claiming that he had once seen that old woman before, and said that he had learned by chance that her grandson was not called Sun He (crane), but Sun He (river).
Though the pronunciation was similar enough, the characters were different.
All three immediately fell upon the conspiracy theory, especially Mao Badou. He shot up in his seat, as though someone had injected chicken blood into his veins.
“I smell a conspiracy!”
The four of them exchanged glances. Finally, Chen Jian asked, “So, do you have a plan, Tingxiang?”
“When I was speaking with that old woman earlier, she mentioned that her grandson’s name was given to him by the most learned man in her village. For now, our best lead is to find out which village they are from. From there, we should find out who this learned man is. The rest can wait.”
“Right, but how do we even start? Who would know from which small village these people come from?”
“Even if it’s difficult, we have to try.”
Li Datian suggested, “How about informing the Headmaster?”
Mao Badou immediately objected, “Why tell him at all? This is an opportunity for us to turn the tide! If we succeed, we shall be heralded as the heroes of the academy! Who knows, the Headmaster may even take us as his disciples. I heard that he never accepts personal students. Yu Ziyou and the others have all been scrambling to be his disciples.”
Naturally, this turned their thoughts to Yu Ziyou, who had been put under watch by the officials.
According to what they had heard, the literary duel had been instigated by Yu Ziyou. Of the twenty or so students from Class A, more than half had now been implicated by this incident. Yu Ziyou and Wang Qi were among them. Only Hu Lianshen escaped the incident by sheer luck, thanks to an untimely bout of diarrhoea that day.
That aside, the four tacitly agreed to take matters into their own hands and were already plotting how best to sneak out of the academy.
It turned out that there was no need to sneak out at all. In the days after the incident, several students had already made excuses to return home, for fear of being implicated. Those who stayed behind naturally despised these so-called ‘deserters’, calling them cowards who feared death.
Still, this just made things easier for Xue Tingxiang and his friends. The next day, as they left the school, they incurred the scorn of the students who had chosen to remain, the details of which need not be elaborated.
When their departure reached Lin Miao, he merely smiled forlornly to himself. Saddened, but mostly relieved by the news.
Xue Tingxiang’s actions fit perfectly with his earlier illustration of what a petty man is like. One who instinctively sought advantage and avoided harm. Forget it, perhaps they were not fated to have a master-disciple bond in this lifetime.
Please read this at kitchennovel dot com ~
When the four of them left the academy, not a single one of them knew what to do next.
As they wandered about aimlessly down the street, a mule cart suddenly stopped in front of them.
“Ting’er, what are you all doing here? Is the academy closed today?”
It was Zhao’er.
Gao Sheng was the one driving the cart, while she sat beside him in men’s clothing. As soon as the cart halted, she hopped down and blocked their path. Though her words were casual, there was a sharp watchfulness to her eyes.
It was clear that she suspected that the four of them had sneaked out to play.
“Ah, Elder Sister …” said Mao Badou.
He scratched his head awkwardly, unsure what to call her. Though he liked to joke and banter with Xue Tingxiang, he would never dare address Zhao’er as the ‘Little Fiancée’. If Zhao’er didn’t beat him to death, Xue Tingxiang surely would.
Following his lead, Li Datian and Chen Jian both obediently called her ‘Sister Zhao’er’ as well. Li Datian didn’t even notice that he was technically older than her.
Hearing three voices in a row calling her ‘elder sister’, Zhao’er’s eyes curved with amusement. Meanwhile Xue Tingxiang’s face darkened with jealousy.
Suppressing his discomfort, he said to Zhao’er, “Don’t get the wrong idea. We didn’t sneak out for fun; there is something we have to do.”
“What is it that you have to do?” Zhao’er asked. Then, added, “You can come up here and tell me. Let me know where you’re planning to go, and I’ll take you there.”
Though her words sounded perfectly casual, Xue Tingxiang could feel the probing intent behind them. That was just like Zhao’er. Even when she disapproved of his actions, she would not confront him directly unless absolutely necessary. She preferred to circle around a problem rather than meet it head-on.
In this situation, there was no point in hiding the truth, so Xue Tingxiang told her everything that had happened at the academy and what he had discovered.
“You boys really… this is exactly the kind of thing where the more help the better, and yet you tried to keep it from the authorities?” Zhao’er couldn’t help laughing, just managing to bite back the remark about how childish they were behaving.
“We just didn’t want word to get out. I suspect there’s a spy inside the academy,” said Xue Tingxiang.
[Gumihou: Augghh, this chapter is so difficult~ However, it is also rewarding, haha~] [1] Changed the meaning in the text, the original was just a repeat of what Xue Tingxiang had verbally spoken. Instead, explained why Xue Tingxiang had used those very verses against the headmaster. [2] In this case, ‘The Sage’ is actually a euphemism for ‘The Emperor’
Kitchennovel.com has a Membership System!!
Please click on the table below to check it out~
Naturally, you can also choose to support us through Patreon or tip us via Kofi~!
Don’t forget to leave a comment at novelupdates too!
