Jing Xingzhi’s Daily Life in Ancient Times

The second day.

Jing Xingzhi woke up at six o’clock in the morning, had breakfast, climbed up the back mountain, and arrived at the cottage a quarter of an hour before the appointed time.

The cottage was literally a cottage in the mountain. Only the top of the courtyard gate was covered with grass. Inside was a very small courtyard. Opposite the gate was the lobby, with empty rooms on the east and west sides.

Yesterday, the doors of the two empty rooms were closed. Today, when Jing Xingzhi came, he found that the door of one of them was open. There were two desks and low stools for students. Jing Xingzhi guessed they were for his studies.

No one was in the house, making it difficult for Jing Xingzhi to go in. He sat on the steps, took out a book from his bag, read a few pages, and memorized them with his eyes closed.

As he recited, he heard footsteps. Slow and steady, slightly heavy, they matched the stern Fang Qichen in Jing Xingzhi’s mind.

However, no one spoke. Finishing the paragraph, he had memorized, Jing Xingzhi opened his eyes and said, “Hello, teacher.”

In modern times, “teacher” was a name for educators, but in this era, during the Li Dynasty, “teacher” was exclusively reserved for those teaching academic subjects, while “master” was a title for martial arts instructors.

Fang Qichen stroked his beard and looked at Jing Xingzhi. “Arriving earlier than me shows respect for teachers, waking up early to study is diligence, and even those who were once adversaries acknowledge your goodness. What do you think is not good about you?”

Jing Xingzhi was a bit perplexed by the old man’s praise. He wondered, ‘what kind of test is this? Does he want me to assess myself?’

After thinking for a moment, Jing Xingzhi, to be cautious, gave a seemingly incomprehensible response: “Student feel that I wasn’t very skilled at making money.”

He chose this answer, thinking it would make Fang Qichen believe he values family more and wouldn’t pose any problems.

Fang Qichen glanced at him. “It’s not good to speak in riddles.”

Jing Xingzhi felt he might still be too young.

Following this, Fang Qichen led Jing Xingzhi into the open east room.

Entering the east room, Jing Xingzhi realized it was quite luxurious. The entire wall was covered with various scriptures, books, silk cloth, and bamboo slips, creating an imposing sight.

Observing the extensive collection, Fang Qichen’s eyes brightened.

He turned around, faced Jing Xingzhi, and commented, “You have two senior brothers, a father and son, both at the emperor level. You are slightly behind, but you can strive to catch up in the future.” Jing Xingzhi shook his head.

He responded seriously, “Disciple dare not strive too hard.”

If working hard means having three emperors under one teacher, wouldn’t that imply rebellion? Rebellion was exhausting, and he hadn’t encountered any tyranny.

Fang Qichen, understanding his meaning, laughed. “Where would you go! How can a minister utter anything disrespectful to the emperor?”

After a couple of questions, Fang Qichen noticed his new disciple was genuinely clever—not necessarily in poetry and literature, but in dealing with matters and having a sharp mind.

He thought Jing Xingzhi would make a good official. Pleased, Fang Qichen said, “Now let’s discuss your academic affairs. Do you feel confident about this year’s Imperial Examination?”

In Jing Xingzhi’s memory, the little scholar received much praise from his teachers. He was expected to pass the exam, but to achieve a higher rank, he needed more preparation.

Jing Xingzhi thought for a moment and responded according to his mentors: “The teachers mentioned that hitting the target is possible, but aiming for the top requires more effort. The heat is not sufficient, and there are weaknesses in the eight parts.”

After he finished speaking, a gust of wind entered through the door, rustling the papers on the table and leaving a trace of early spring chill.

Fang Qichen coughed twice, gestured, and said, “There’s a bibliography I’ve written on the table. Read it first.” He covered his mouth, coughing.

Jing Xingzhi rose to close the doors and windows for the old man. The room dimmed, but the brisk wind vanished.

Fang Qichen sat on a soft chair and chuckled to himself, “I’m getting old. I don’t know if I can guide you well.”

“Yes,” Jing Xingzhi said, “You seem like you’ll live for a long time.”

“I am seventy-seven. You’re fifteen, but you’re much better than those old men who died early.” Fang Qichen thought, feeling quite satisfied with himself.

As a veteran of two generations, he had taught the emperor the first time when he was not much older than the emperor. The second time, becoming an Imperial Teacher, didn’t frighten him any more than the first.

“Then you can live at least to eighty-eight, which is about ten years left.” Jing Xingzhi glanced at Fang Qichen’s face, observing the clear signs of the old man’s longevity, and comforted him.

“You’re a sweet boy. Read a book first, and I’ll take you to my house for dinner at noon.” Fang Qichen sat, slowly closing his eyes to rest.

After Fang Qichen rested for a while, he sat at another table, took out a yellow booklet, and began writing. While writing, he occasionally glanced at Jing Xingzhi, and the three words “Jing Xingzhi” appeared frequently on the paper.

Jing Xingzhi was unaware that Fang Qichen had written about him in the booklet. He focused on the names on the bibliography.

After scanning the title of a book, Jing Xingzhi’s eyes fell on the other two examination papers nearby.

He opened one of them, saw the three characters “Zhang Kaiwei,” and quickly perused it, finding three circles and a triangle in the bottom comments.

Then Jing Xingzhi opened the second one. It read “Wu Mingrui,” and the exam paper ended with four circles.

In a formal examination room, a circle from the examiner indicates a “pass,” and a triangle is for consideration.

The content on this examination paper was from the academy’s monthly exam. Wu Mingrui ranked second after four circles?

Jing Xingzhi looked at the writing and was genuinely shocked. Damn… Zhang Kaiwei was also manipulated!

What Fang Qichen showed him was undoubtedly authentic. Therefore, according to normal procedures, Wu Mingrui should be first place. If Zhang Kaiwei couldn’t take the top spot, the conflict with Zhu Da wouldn’t have arisen. However, Zhang Kaiwei bypassed Zhu Da and secured the first place!

Jing Xingzhi raised his head and directly asked Fang Qichen, “Teacher, what about these two exam papers?”

“Hmm?” Fang Qichen narrowed his eyes and focused on the two exam papers. “Exam papers, give them a little guidance.”

When Jing Xingzhi heard the words “a little guidance,” he couldn’t help but think of the previous punishment of copying books. Back then, he felt the old man’s strict reputation was undeserved. After hearing Wu Mingrui’s analysis, it seemed more reasonable.

Now, it appears that copying the book was a ruse to deceive and confuse. Fang Qichen’s punishment directly disrupted Zhu Da and Zhang Kaiwei’s small alliance behind their backs.

Of all the people who gathered around Jing Xingzhi that day, only Zhu Da and Zhang Kaiwei were leaders, and the others were incidental. Even in Class A, they were just figureheads, and it was challenging for someone to pass the exam.

If Jing Xingzhi hadn’t been selected by Fang Qichen yesterday, Fang Qichen’s actions would have essentially resolved Jing Xingzhi’s troubles.

Moreover, no one knows anything. The two exam papers with comments on the table were switched, and there are no traces of them on the original papers.

Jing Xingzhi figured it out and said convincingly, “Thank you, teacher.”

Fang Qichen looked at his young disciple, smiled, coughed slightly, and said, “Read a book.”

“Okay.”

Jing Xingzhi buried his head and continued to immerse himself in the book.

The books provided by Fang Qichen were extensively annotated, providing a rich source of knowledge. Although the reading pace was slow, the insights gained were significant. The annotator’s profound understanding of the books was evident in the concise words left behind, leaving a refreshing impact on the reader.

Jing Xingzhi found that two hours had passed swiftly while engrossed in his reading.

Fang Qichen, after finishing his own reading, even pulled out a few additional books for Jing Xingzhi. During this time, he stepped out into the yard, performing a set of five exercises.

.

As the sun climbed high in the sky, Fang Qichen, noticing his growling stomach, reminded, “Xiao Jing, it’s time to eat.”

“Ah? Oh, okay.” Jing Xingzhi suddenly snapped back to reality, realizing he might have heard the growl of his stomach over the insightful annotations. He smiled and said, “Teacher, are you hungry? Let’s go for a walk!”

Fang Qichen stood up and remarked, “Today I’ll guide you down. I won’t be here tomorrow, so you can manage your meals on your own. The dining hall below is quite far, a waste of time.”

“Alright, don’t worry. Let’s eat more.” Jing Xingzhi grinned, feeling much better with the old man’s subtle assistance.

Fang Qichen could sense the warmth in their interaction. The portly old man hummed a tune, seemingly in high spirits.

Exiting the thatched cottage, they strolled towards a large flat area at the back. Passing through this expanse, small courtyards appeared, emitting smoke from the houses. A child with unsteady steps approached Fang Qichen, grabbing onto his trouser legs, exuding the familiar scent of people.

Fang Qichen gently assisted the child, carried him into his yard, and then explained to Jing Xingzhi, “These are the residences where the teachers live with their families. Since there are women and children, these yards were specially built on the back mountain. There’s also a road down the mountain on the side, and it’s always guarded.”

Pointing to different yards as they walked, Fang Qichen continued, “This small courtyard belongs to Teacher Zhang Qiwen. He lives alone with his servant.”

“And this one belongs to Teacher Wang, who takes care of your Class A.”

He continued his introductions until they reached three interconnected courtyards.

Pointing to the central one in the distance, Fang Qichen said, “That’s where I reside.”

He furrowed his brows a bit unhappily, gestured towards the yard with a bunch of flowers in front of the door next to his, and said, “That’s Zhang Mingyu’s yard, Deputy Chief Zhang. You know him.”

The flowers in front of the yard were clustered and flourishing. One particular white flower, wrapped with two blood-red stamens, had an intriguing allure that caught Jing Xingzhi’s attention.

Deputy Chief Zhang’s yard? These words flashed through Jing Xingzhi’s mind.

Then, Jing Xingzhi frowned and gazed at the bone flower, seemed like it was aged ten years old.

This flower was also a rarity in modern times, and Jing Xingzhi had only seen two of them side by side at an expert exchange meeting.

Flowers growing on bones for ten years — a person who died unjustly, buried for a decade. If resentment lingered, it would transform into flowers on the bones, blooming to the extreme and bringing calamity to the nearest place. When flowers grew from the bones, the deceased’s resentment would spread, making it lingering for too long.

Jing Xingzhi thought for a moment, then grabbed Fang Qichen’s arm, hid behind him, and exclaimed, “Teacher! There is, there is dead body!”