Chapter 41: Southern Gu Hermit

"A foolish child? A pitiful person?" Wang Qinghe raised her head, gently brushing aside her dark hair, and asked with a pretty face, "Someone with a family background that allows them to become famous through any of the arts—zither, chess, calligraphy, or painting—must have a decent upbringing; how could they be pitiful?"

Gu Jiangming from seventy years ago?

This was clearly not the person Wang Qinghe was looking for.

She was looking for the Shushan Dao Venerable who had shaken the world of Shushan hundreds of years ago, that Peerless Elegance who had left her past life's soul unsettled.

In this way, it could also be considered fulfilling the karma of her past life.

Suddenly, Wang Qinghe thought of something.

That's right!

Gu Jiangming might not have only had one life; hundreds of years have passed since the time of the Shushan Dao Venerable, so in this process, could he not have gone through Reincarnation?

The same name was enough to prove some clues.

Moreover, Wang Qinghe did not find this strange, because sometimes her name in her past life was the same as her current name.

For instance, this current Reincarnation happens to have the same name as her present self.

It is just that occasionally it changes to another name.

If there is an opportunity, she could go to the former residence of this Southern Gu Hermit to take a look.

This Gu Jiangming might just be another reincarnation of the Shushan Dao Venerable.

Thinking of this, Wang Qinghe's interest was reignited, while Wang Yuan, in front of the oil lamp, put down the book in his hand and said in a tone of regret, "No, his background was humble, so the fact that his calligraphy attainments could reach such a level can only be described as a heaven-sent talent."

"The Emperor at the time, besides that scroll of essays, praised his excellent handwriting, which is why he rose to fame in the capital."

"But this doesn't sound like there is anything worth regretting," Wang Qinghe smiled, "It sounds more like those talented scholars in stories when they are riding high on success."

"Wrong," Wang Yuan shook his head, "A humble background is not the problem; a stubborn temperament is where one suffers. Keep listening to me and you will know the regrettable part of this person."

"He burst onto the scene, and as soon as he passed the imperial examination, he gained the favor of the local gentry. Naturally, many people wanted to offer him favors, but he cut off the gentry's intentions with a single sentence: 'I will not eat food given in contempt.'" Wang Yuan chuckled, though it was unclear whether it was out of admiration or regret.

"It is not easy for a humble family to produce a noble son, and the land under a successful candidate's name is exempt from all taxes. Therefore, many wealthy families wanted to register their land under his name, and some even wanted to take advantage of this trend to act as matchmakers for him."

"After all, if he were to advance further in his official career, he would be on a path of rapid ascent."

"But he ended up not getting along well with those gentry because of his temperament." Wang Yuan naturally knew the faults of some gentry; they have always been bullies who fear the strong and prey on the weak.

They would grovel and fawn over scholars with good backgrounds.

But when someone who was once beneath them and of humble status suddenly rose up, although they knew in their hearts they should curry favor, they inevitably felt unhappy after the shift in status. After a few arguments, things became unpleasant, and someone with high spirits would naturally disdain to conspire with them.

"This meant that even after he passed the examination, he was not well-off. Coupled with the fact that he was already married and had a stubborn attitude, refusing to divorce his wife at home, even fewer people were willing to come and curry favor with him."

"Therefore, that trip to the capital for the imperial examination was very important to him," Wang Yuan said earnestly, "And the Heavenly Dao rewards diligence; Heaven naturally favored him, as he was full of talent."

"Speaking of which, it was also a matter of the right time, the right place, and the right people."

"The Emperor ordered them to write policy essays on current ills. This man was bold and reckless; he wrote a 【Petition of the Ten Thousand People】, exhausting the many ills that had already appeared in the Great Jing from the perspective of the common people. It also happened to coincide with the new Emperor's ascension, who had the ambition to inherit the past and usher in a new era of restoration, so this memorial hit the mark."

"The Emperor openly showed his favor, which caused his status to rise with the tide. Most of the ministers close to the Emperor believed he carried imperial favor and had already gained the Emperor's appreciation, so they vied to take him as a son-in-law. Once the 【Petition of the Ten Thousand People】 was out and the list was posted, he was snatched up," Wang Yuan said, stroking his beard.

"But didn't he already have a wife?" Wang Qinghe thought for a moment, "How could this matter be hidden from those officials?"

"Do you think they cared?" Wang Yuan sneered, "A great man need not worry about having no wife. A village woman standing in the way of an official career—how many would care about that?"

Wang Qinghe thought about it again, and it was indeed the same logic, "So... did Gu Jiangming divorce his wife of humble origin?"

But after pondering for a moment, Wang Qinghe felt something was wrong. How could someone who just said he would not eat food given in contempt do such a thing?

"It's not that the ministers didn't care about how his wife of humble origin felt, but he happened to care," Wang Yuan sighed, "But who would pay attention to his thoughts?"

"Or perhaps... who could have expected his determination to be so great."

"He endured for five months. When everyone thought he had already given up on that idea and decided to soften his stance and follow the path of an official, he ran away. He ran out of the capital alone, without even preparing travel expenses."

"All for a village woman."

"He gave up his official career," Wang Yuan said, sounding frustrated, "A simple letter sent home to explain things clearly, giving more money—there were many ways to avoid ruining his reputation while still advancing. He just wouldn't do it. How... how stubborn!"

From his perspective, he did not like Gu Jiangming acting this way, but Wang Yuan noticed the gaze of his own beloved daughter, Wang Qinghe, becoming sharp, so he immediately changed his tune.

"I will not eat food given in contempt, and I will not abandon my wife of humble origin. A great man should be as upright as this. Can one govern a country by being petty and scheming all day?" Wang Qinghe pouted, showing her unhappiness.

Wang Yuan immediately appeased her, "The Southern Gu Hermit was indeed an upright person, but with such a temperament, one cannot go far in an official career."

"Then what happened later?" Wang Qinghe pressed, "He went back, surely he could win his wife's heart, and then they could live a secluded life together. A reunion in the countryside would also be nice."

"If things were really that wonderful, he wouldn't have to be called the Southern Gu Hermit," Wang Yuan continued, "How long did he spend going to the capital for the exam, and how long did he stay? Without any travel money, the journey home was even more difficult."

"When he passed the exam, the news of him being snatched as a son-in-law spread out. This news went back and forth and had long since reached his hometown, Leping County."

"Those gentry who were at odds with him—would they let go of this opportunity to mock him? Naturally, they went everywhere desperately disparaging the Southern Gu Hermit."

"And because the Southern Gu Hermit's relationship with the gentry had soured, he lost a source of income. Those friends and relatives who could have relied on him to live a wealthy life were naturally very unhappy. Moreover, he had married the daughter of a high official in the capital and didn't give them any benefits. You see, who would these pressures fall upon?"

"The Southern Gu Hermit... his wife in the countryside?" Wang Qinghe finally realized the problem.

Wang Yuan nodded, "Yes, before he returned to his hometown, his wife had already been driven to a dead end by their relatives."

"But returning from the capital to his hometown without travel money, the Southern Gu Hermit also had it hard. How he finally made it back, I don't know, but... there is no greater sorrow than a dead heart."

"It is hard to imagine the scene he saw when he returned home... that feeling must have been despair."

"After all, the hardships along the way could not leave him with a happy ending."

"Then what happened later?" Wang Qinghe asked with a trembling voice; hearing this, her heart had already been touched.

"The Southern Gu Hermit lived in seclusion from then on, spending his whole life polishing his art of calligraphy and painting, wanting to paint his wife's face. But there are not many paintings handed down, though he did leave behind many poems and calligraphy."

Wang Yuan smiled, "And from then on, he never left his hometown again."

"My wife is buried in the south; I must not look to the north."

"Thus, he also earned the name Southern Gu Hermit."

Wang Qinghe listened quietly until the end, suddenly feeling a sense of loss, her nose sniffing slightly, "One day, I must go to this Leping County to see..."

As she spoke, she twisted her body in a bit of anger, "This story is too regrettable; I don't like it."

"How could you people act like that? Knowing someone has a wife and still forcing a marriage."

Wang Yuan gave a bitter laugh, "That was the way people did things in the past; what does it have to do with me?"

"Father, you are an official too; who knows when you might take a fancy to someone and sell your daughter off." Wang Qinghe glared at her, "I am telling you now, I will only marry someone I take a fancy to. If you dare to betroth me to someone at will, I will die to show you."

As the words fell, bursts of cicada chirps rang out in the courtyard.

That night.

A black crow on the eaves flapped its wings.

And at the Celestial Master Mansion.

Jiu Jiu stepped onto the Dengtian Stone Steps, one step at a time.

"I wonder if the Celestial Master Mansion would be willing to do a weak woman like me a favor?"

At this moment, the figure of an old man walked out from within the mansion; he wore a simple and plain robe, and with a vigilant expression, he asked, "What favor?"

"Help me find someone."

"And while you're at it, let me see all the archives within the Celestial Master Mansion from three hundred years ago."

Asking for monthly tickets at the beginning of the month!

Please, please, please give me monthly tickets!

Asking for monthly tickets at the beginning of the month!

The early-stage thread of the story's central axis is about to close the loop.

(End of this chapter)