Chapter Forty: The Great Relocation at the End of the Sui Dynasty (Part One) – Third Update

After speaking with Yan Qing for a while, Du Ruhui and Fang Xuanling took their leave. Xu Shiji and Zheng Hongyi also stood up, preparing to depart. However, as they were walking out of the front hall, Xu Shiji pulled Yan Qing aside.

With a mysterious air, he took out a letter from his breast and handed it to Yan Qing.

“What’s this?” Yan Qing looked at Xu Shiji in confusion, not understanding the reason.

Xu Shiji seemed a bit embarrassed, hesitated for a moment, and whispered, “Some time ago, when you went to Xingyang, the Patriarch of the Pei clan from Hedong came together with the old master. Their purpose was to meet you. But unexpectedly... When the Pei Patriarch left, he made a request, hoping you could write a commemorative text. A couple of days ago, while you were absent, the Pei Patriarch sent over the details for the text. The eldest son asked me to come by, hoping you could copy the commemorative piece. Is that possible?”

So it turned out Zheng Renji felt too embarrassed to ask directly, and had Xu Shiji do it instead.

Yan Qing naturally understood that this was Zheng Dashi’s way of leveraging him to forge ties with the Pei clan of Hedong. Speaking of it, the Pei clan's history was much like the Zheng family’s—both were venerable aristocratic families of the northeast with centuries of tradition.

The Pei and Zheng families were also linked by marriage.

Yet, since the Northern Wei, the Pei clan had produced talents in every generation, with two or three prominent figures emerging each time. In earlier generations, Pei Zheng contributed to the drafting of the Kaihuang Code. Now, Pei Shiju, Pei Yun, Pei Shijing, Pei Shiqing and others held important positions at court. Among the younger generation, Pei Renji served as Commander of the Crown Prince’s Guard and had been granted the rank of Yitong, while his brother Pei Qiantong was also a royal bodyguard, serving the Crown Prince Yang Guang.

Given the Pei clan’s current situation, they had nothing to worry about for three generations.

As for the Zheng family? Besides Zheng Shanyuan, Zheng Shanguo, Zheng Yuanshou, and Zheng Yuanchong—who enjoyed noble titles thanks to the legacy of Zheng Yi—the third generation, the so-called backbone, had not a single figure capable of carrying the family’s reputation. Zheng Renji, relying on Yang Su, had barely managed to become a registrar in Luozhou, which paled in comparison to the Pei clan. Among the five surnames and seven great families, Zheng was now the most impoverished.

Thus, Zheng Dashi kept his posture low, naturally eager to win over the Pei clan.

Affairs among noble families were often more complicated than those in court. Zheng Dashi would never let go of any opportunity to bring the Zheng family back to prominence. Relying on Yang Su alone was far from enough. He needed to draw in more illustrious families from the northeast to secure his branch’s position at Anyuan Hall, and ultimately the Zheng family's standing.

Yan Qing, without a doubt, was pushed forward by him as a bridge of sentiment.

Yan Qing didn’t want to make things difficult for Xu Shiji, so he nodded and took the letter.

He pondered for a moment and said softly, “Shiji, I’m afraid I’m busy today—I still need to pay respects to my teacher at the academy. How about this: I’ll write it tonight when I return, and you can send someone to collect it tomorrow. It shouldn’t delay matters.”

Xu Shiji replied, “No problem. Tomorrow afternoon, I’ll bring the young master to hear your stories, and you can hand it to me then.”

Still wanting to hear stories!

Yan Qing smiled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

He sent Xu Shiji and Zheng Hongyi off, then had lunch, changed his clothes, and prepared to head for the Dou family academy.

As he was leaving, Zheng Shian stopped him.

“I’m heading into town soon to find Big Hammer and have a meal with some old friends—I won’t be back tonight. Yan Qing, you’re a man of status now; you can’t just wander about like before! The Dou academy is quite a distance—why not ride a horse? We have two or three mares at home; keeping them penned is a waste.”

Yan Qing shook his head repeatedly. “Grandfather, I’m going to pay respects to my teacher. Why make a show of it?”

But Zheng Shian disagreed. Now that Yan Qing’s reputation was out in the world, certain appearances were necessary.

After some back-and-forth, Yan Qing finally relented.

Still, he was unwilling to ride a horse. He led his blue donkey out, sat sideways atop it, took a willow branch in hand, and leisurely made his way to the academy.

Early summer was approaching, and the landscape was lush and verdant.

In the fields, farmers sang loudly. Yan Qing listened for a while and felt quite content, humming along as he went.

By the time he reached the academy, it was nearly closing.

Most students had already left, and as Yan Qing entered, he saw Dou Fengjie closing the classroom windows and doors.

“Bean!” Yan Qing called out cheerfully.

Dou Fengjie was startled, turned around, then let out a joyful shout, running to Yan Qing in three strides and hugging him tightly.

“Yan Qing, you’re back!”

There was a strange delight in his voice; it was clear Dou Fengjie was truly happy.

Seeing this somewhat timid yet straightforward companion, Yan Qing was equally glad.

“Bean, how come you haven’t left yet?”

Dou Fengjie blushed and replied shyly, “I didn’t finish yesterday’s homework, so the teacher punished me—had to tidy up the classroom.”

“Heh, just as I thought, you were slacking off again.”

“No, no, it’s not that. Yesterday, I heard my granduncle say you’d returned, so I wanted to go see you. But he wouldn’t let me, so I got upset and didn’t do my homework… Yan Qing, now that you’re back, will you leave again? Will you keep coming to the academy?

Granduncle said you might not come back—I don’t believe it. If you won’t come to the academy, I won’t come anymore either.”

“Why? Did those from the middle hall bully you again?”

Dou Fengjie shook his head vigorously. “No… They don’t trouble me anymore. A couple of days ago, Dou Xiaowen even asked when you’d return. I just feel, if you’re not here, there’s no point in coming. Nobody wants to play with me. The other day I brought them sweet cakes, but they said behind my back I was showing off.”

It’s no wonder—those baked sweet cakes weren’t something ordinary families could eat as snacks.

Dou Fengjie probably meant well, but in the eyes of other children, it seemed like boasting, even provoking jealousy.

Someone as easygoing as Yan Qing was rare.

If you bring food, he’ll eat it, nothing to fuss about.

Thus, Dou Fengjie’s goodwill was misunderstood by the others, who began to isolate him.

Yan Qing smiled, “Of course I’ll come. As long as the teacher’s here, I’ll keep studying. But Bean, don’t be upset—do what you should. If others misunderstand you, go explain it to them. Don’t keep everything bottled up… The more you do that, the more distant they’ll feel.”

Dou Fengjie nodded. “Then I’ll listen to you from now on.”

Yan Qing asked, “Is the teacher here?”

“He is, he is…” Dou Fengjie whispered, “But the teacher seems in a bad mood today. He gave several students a beating at noon—looked quite fierce. If you’re going to see him, be careful.”

In the academy, the teacher was king!

Even someone like Dou Fengjie, a direct descendant, had some fear of Li Ji.

Yan Qing was about to speak when he heard someone behind him say, “Dou Fengjie, why are you still… ah!”

Yan Qing turned to see Li Ji standing in the corridor at the classroom door, staring at him blankly with a very strange expression.

Joy, sadness… and a trace of indefinable kindness.

Dou Fengjie, seeing Li Ji, hurriedly said, “Teacher, I’m going right now. Goodbye, Sir!”

With that, he tugged at Yan Qing’s sleeve, meaning: I’ll go first…

This fellow really was a bit scared of Li Ji; seeing him was like a mouse spotting a cat, and he dashed out of the academy at a speed Yan Qing had never seen before. He couldn’t help but chuckle to himself.

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Here is the third update—wishing everyone a pleasant weekend of reading! And, please recommend…