Chapter 10

As the main guest left, Sun Taichong smiled and said that the spring light was just right today, and suggested they should prepare tea and enjoy it. Most of the people present naturally agreed and got up to go to the tea room. However, Du Shiyi, who had already been served a cup of tea by a maid when he sat down, forced himself to take a sip. He was first overwhelmed by the pungent smell of scallions and ginger in the tea, and then his throat became dry and uncomfortable from the indescribable salty and spicy taste. So, he didn't bother to join the crowd he couldn't stand and, seeing that Liu Ximing, who had just targeted him, was talking to the abbot of Songyang Temple, Song Fuzhen, he simply stood up and quietly left the room.

However, as soon as he stepped out of the room, he realized that he had unconsciously brought out the small, exquisite white porcelain teacup in his hand. Standing in the well-lit outdoor area, he held it up to the sunlight and saw that the teacup was as white as snow and as light as a cloud, with no impurities or other patterns, and its design was simple and ancient. Thinking of the earthen bowls and cups used in his own thatched cottage, he remembered that there seemed to be a set of porcelain in Fan Chuan's home. He wondered if it was still there or if it had been sold by Du Shisan's wife to pay for medical expenses. He couldn't help but squint his eyes, turned around, and went back into the room. Seeing that Liu Ximing was still talking to Song Fuzhen, he called over a maid.

"Just now, while playing with it, I accidentally brought this porcelain cup out. You take it."

The maid obediently took the cup with both hands. After seeing Du Shiyi leave, she suddenly heard the abbot's call and hurriedly turned around and approached respectfully. After reporting the reason for Du Shiyi's return, she saw the abbot wave her off and quickly and quietly retreated.

As soon as the maid left, Liu Ximing sneered, "Although the Du family is a prominent family in Guanzhong, the outstanding figures of recent years are far fewer than before. Even the sage once lamented that the Duke of Lai had no successor. In contrast, although the princess's family, the Wei Qu branch, has almost been wiped out, there are still some people. I've been to the literary gatherings of the Du family in Fan Chuan several times, and Du Shijiu, who is praised as unparalleled, is actually just ordinary! Unfortunately, his illness has made the elders' efforts to seek an audience with the emperor to revive the family's reputation in vain! Just by seeing a white porcelain teacup as something special, it's clear that he is truly incompetent!"

"Enough!" Song Fuzhen interrupted him and then said calmly, "At the Du family's literary gatherings, if there are talented people, it's not wrong to praise them. You went to join the crowd and then complained about others praising him? Today, you provoked him in public and were countered. Do you think this is a good way to show off?"

"Uncle, I thought Du Shijiu had run out of talent and was ashamed to admit it, but I didn't expect him to actually..."

"So you insisted on poking at his sore spot? And then tried to make amends by using Mr. Sima as a cover? This is a case of being too clever and ending up in a mess! The Liu family is also a prominent family in Guanzhong, with a wealthy household far surpassing the gradually declining Du family. If you want to compete, you should use proper means. Today's actions will only make people laugh! I specially invited you here on the day Mr. Sima was to arrive at Songshan, not to let you embarrass yourself. Moreover, Du Shijiu's poem about the farmers clearly resonates with Mr. Sima. If you don't improve your character, it will be extremely difficult to achieve a high rank in the Jingzhao Prefecture next year!"

Faced with this harsh reprimand, Liu Ximing lowered his head and agreed, but a hint of disagreement flashed across his face. Du Shiyi's four-line poem merely expressed concern for the farmers, and in terms of word choice and antithesis, it was just ordinary, merely flattering the crowd. Moreover, whether it was written by him was still questionable! If he had any real talent, why would he avoid Sun Taichong's invitation to the tea room?

Du Shiyi was completely unaware that the uncle and nephew were talking in the Feixing Pavilion. He had followed a Taoist boy in and was quite interested in the architecture of Songyang Temple. Now, he decided to take a stroll back. The weather was good today, and there were many visitors in the temple, but places like the Feixing Pavilion, where the Taoists lived, were off-limits to outsiders. As he walked out to the incense-filled Sanqing Hall, he watched the devout men and women praying and hesitated for a moment before finally stepping over the threshold and entering.

Although Du Shisan's wife was tight-lipped, he had learned from Zhu Ying that their current situation was quite tight. Even though Tian Mo was diligent and the vegetables and firewood no longer needed to be bought from the market, the basic necessities of life were still a concern. Moreover, when Du Shisan's wife took him away from Jingzhao Prefecture, the situation was very difficult. If he returned now, even if he had recovered from his illness, how could he face the greatly diminished reputation? In the past, he was a celebrated prodigy, but now, with the halo gone, there were many people like Liu Ximing who would gloat or even bear ill will. He could talk about it in front of others, but he couldn't really become a farmer. To live well in this era with Du Shisan's wife, some things were indispensable.

He did not kneel on the prayer mat like the other visitors but stood in place, raised his hands, and silently prayed. After a while, he bowed deeply. As he straightened up, he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Little Master Du, you're here, making me search for you."

Turning around, Du Shiyi naturally greeted Sima Heiyun with a smile. After leaving the Sanqing Hall and avoiding the many visitors, they walked down a quiet path. Then he heard Sima Heiyun say, "Today, so many guests came unexpectedly, which my master did not anticipate. He originally wanted to entrust you with the task of copying books, but with so many people, it wasn't appropriate to mention it. My master is now in the Yangxing Hall. Fortunately, you didn't go to the tea room, otherwise, I would have to visit you again."

"Then let's go, please lead the way, Brother Sima!"

The Yangxing Hall was one of the small, elegant, and quiet pavilions in Songyang Temple. Du Shiyi followed Sima Heiyun inside and only encountered two or three attendants along the way. Once inside, he saw Sima Heiyun sitting cross-legged in meditation, seemingly in a state of complete absorption, with only a Taoist boy standing beside him. Seeing Sima Heiyun give him a nod and then tiptoe out, he thought for a moment and sat down on the mat. He thought the other person might test his patience, but after a short while, the meditating Sima Heiyun opened his eyes.

"Whose calligraphy did you practice from a young age?"

"First, I practiced the calligraphy of Ouyang Xun, then the calligraphy of Wang Xizhi." This was true in both his past and present life, so Du Shiyi answered without hesitation.

"So, Little Master Du is skilled in the Eightfold Script?" Seeing Du Shiyi nod, Sima Heiyun continued, "Can you write a few characters for me to see?"

Seeing the Taoist boy bring in the Four Treasures of the Study, although Du Shiyi had practiced the writing posture in recent days, he still took a deep breath before taking the paper, dipping the brush in ink, and writing carefully. After completing the two lines, he waited for the ink to dry slightly and then handed the paper back to the Taoist boy. After a moment, Sima Heiyun took the paper from the Taoist boy, examined it carefully, and was quite satisfied with the brushwork. He then read aloud, "Weeding at noon, sweat drips onto the soil. Who knows the hardship of the food on the plate, every grain is hard-earned... It's the same poem as before, the calligraphy is good, and the poem is even better! To know about the farmers at such a young age is truly commendable. My late teacher once said, 'The foundation of the world lies in agriculture.'"

Hearing Sima Heiyun mention his late teacher, Du Shiyi, after some thought, finally asked directly, "Mr. Sima, I am young and inexperienced, and I know little. Although I have been helped by Mr. Sima twice, he has never revealed your identity. Today, I came to copy books, but I encountered such a grand scene. If I don't know who you are, I might really embarrass myself in front of others."

"Oh, so you still don't know who I am?" Seeing Du Shiyi shake his head, Sima Heiyun couldn't help but clap and laugh, "Good, good! I am neither a government official who promotes agriculture and water conservancy, nor a famous poet and scholar. I am just a Taoist who cultivates the body and mind, and it's not necessary for everyone to know me. When I arrive somewhere, guests flock from all directions! Little Master Du, you have spoken the most honest truth!"

Du Shiyi didn't detect any sarcasm in the laughter and felt that the old man seemed genuinely pleased, which made him even more puzzled. The next moment, he saw the old man smile and say, "Black Cloud didn't reveal it to you because he has followed me the longest and knows my temperament. Since you asked directly today, I have nothing to hide. I am Sima Chengzhen, with the religious name Dao Yin."

This time, Du Shiyi had a vague memory. However, it wasn't from the memory of the former Du Shiyi, who was only focused on reading and writing poetry. Instead, he had seen this name in the ancient rubbings of stele inscriptions that his father cherished in his previous life. And associated with this name were many anecdotes.

"Are you the Master Sima of the Shangqing Sect on Maoshan?"

Sima Chengzhen, seeing Du Shiyi frown and think, and then suddenly realize, found the young man's reaction genuine and interesting. Combined with what Sima Heiyun had told him about the young man, he was quite satisfied. So, he nodded slightly and said, "I prefer a quiet life and don't like crowds. Today, it seems that the scene of guests flocking will only get worse. I came back to Songshan at the request of Zifang because Songyang Temple houses many of the writings of the ninth-generation ancestor of the Shangqing Sect, Tao Hongjing, which my late teacher once collected. These books were given to Songyang Temple by my late teacher, and some of them I don't even have copies of. Since you told Black Cloud you can copy, you can be my helper."

Du Shiyi was surprised that Sima Chengzhen's purpose in coming to Songshan was this. He couldn't help but laugh bitterly, "If you had openly proposed this, there would be a line of people willing to copy all the way to the foot of Junji Peak."

"You are mistaken. I haven't proposed it yet, but today, the temple is already full of guests. It's a pity that the professional copyists in the market will lose a lot of business!" Sima Chengzhen smiled and raised his eyebrows, then continued, "However, they all volunteered to help this old Taoist, while Little Master Du is copying to pay off the debt of the Kunlun slave. So, there is a difference. I heard you know medical techniques and acupuncture. How about copying Tao Hongjing's 'Commentary on the Classic of Materia Medica'? Although the court has revised the 'Materia Medica,' the original works left by the ancestor are valuable and should not be lost."

It was the original 'Commentary on the Classic of Materia Medica' by Tao Hongjing!

In the future, the only remaining part of Tao Hongjing's 'Commentary on the Classic of Materia Medica' from the Dunhuang caves, which was taken out of China by the Japanese, had an uncertain fate. He had only seen a rubbing of it that his father cherished, which was a gift from a former teacher. Another fragment was in Germany, and he had never had the chance to see it despite traveling halfway around the world. Now, being able to copy the original handwritten version by Tao Hongjing, how could he not agree!

"Of course, I would be honored to do so."

Seeing Du Shiyi stand up and bow deeply with joy, Sima Chengzhen laughed, "If so, will you stay at Songyang Temple to copy, or return to your thatched cottage?"

Although Songyang Temple would soon be filled with important guests, and staying here might bring many opportunities, Du Shiyi still said without hesitation, "If Mr. Sima allows it, I would like to ask Brother Sima to send the book to my thatched cottage, and I will copy it daily and have him return the copies. The thatched cottage is quiet and more conducive to focused copying."

Sima Chengzhen laughed and nodded without hesitation, "Good, as you wish! Since you were just wandering around, it seems you don't plan to return to the Feixing Pavilion. I'll have Black Cloud send the book and you back together. I'll inform Abbot Song and Zifang for you."

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