The Red Mansion

Chapter 63 My Teacher is the Governor
Today, the drizzle in Shenjing City stopped for an hour at noon, as if the sky was taking a break. However, in the afternoon, the drizzle began to fall again, light and dense.

Eastern suburbs.

Raindrops pattered against the roof of the Jiang family's small courtyard, making a subtle sound. In the inner courtyard, a half-dead pear tree stood alone in the rain. Though seemingly desolate, it felt nourished by the rain. Two red gauze lanterns hung outside the gate swayed gently in the wind, like two large red eyes admiring the rain.

At this time, the sound of horse hooves came from the rain, coming from far away.

Bao Yan, the palace's top guard, rode a majestic horse with an oilcloth saddle toward the Jiang family's gate. He wore a waterproof felt hat, greased with oil for both rain protection and warmth. The brim of his hat drooped, but it didn't obscure his sharp eyes. He wore an oilskin coat, made of thick cloth soaked in tung oil, which shimmered faintly in the rain. He wore a pair of waterproof boots, made of tanned cowhide and lined with felt, which swayed gently.

There was a horse-drawn carriage traveling with Bao Yan, and the wheels made a dull sound as they rolled over the muddy dirt road.

The carriage stopped outside the Jiang family's gate, the curtains parted, and a man stepped out. He was twenty-nine years old, with fair skin, a full face, beautiful eyes, a kind gaze, a sparse beard, a large mouth, and was dressed in a plain robe. He looked like a combination of scholar, businessman, and cook. If he were dressed like a butcher, he would look like a butcher...

His name is Qu Jishan, also known by the courtesy name Yuanchang.

Qu Jishan held an oil-paper umbrella and stood with Bao Yan under the eaves of the Jiang family's gate. After they waited for a while, Jiang Nian came out quickly to greet them.

After Jiang Nian and Bao Yan greeted each other, Bao Yan pointed at Qu Jishan and said to Jiang Nian, "This Mr. Qu is the teacher that the prince invited for Brother Nian."

Qu Jishan smiled slightly and said to Jiang Nian in a loud and clear voice, "Since I am here to teach you the art of imperial examinations, I will not be polite and will call you Brother Nian. How about that?"

Jiang Nian hurriedly bowed and said, "As it should be, please come in, sir."

Jiang Nian invited Bao Yan and Qu Jishan into the house, and at the same time instructed the servant Dong Feng to lead their entourage into the back room for entertainment.

Qu Jishan followed Jiang Nian into the main hall, his steps slow and gentle. He occasionally looked up at Jiang Nian, and sometimes looked around the old house, feeling both curious and puzzled.

Today, Prince Zhongyi suddenly summoned him and his father Qu Tai, and told him that he would teach a boy the art of imperial examinations for the next month, and that he must go to the boy's house every morning to teach him until 4:15 in the afternoon.

He originally thought that this guy must be a nobleman from a wealthy family, but he didn't expect that he would live in such an old little house. Although he was a little surprised, he did not look down on him.

Prince Zhongyi told Qu Tai and Qu Jishan that this young man was very close to him, and instructed Qu Jishan to teach him wholeheartedly and not to neglect his duties.

Jiang Nian led Bao Yan and Qu Jishan into the main hall. After the three of them sat down, Jiang Nian personally served tea to Qu Jishan, the new teacher, and also served tea to Bao Yan.

The three chatted for a while, and then Bao Yan stood up to say goodbye. Jiang Nian invited Qu Jishan into the study, and Qu Jishan would start teaching Jiang Nian the art of imperial examinations from today.

Jiang Nian was already surprised.

He knew that although the Daqing of this world was founded by the Han people, many things were similar to the Qing Dynasty in his previous life.

He also knew that in his previous life, during the Yongzheng period, there was a pair of important officials, father and son. The father was named Yin Tai and the son was named Yin Jishan.

He naturally knew that the teacher who would be teaching him the art of the imperial examination this time would most likely be similar to the honest and capable Governor Yin who had served as a frontier official for over thirty years in his previous life...

Thinking of this, Jiang Nian bowed slightly and said respectfully, "Sir, I am deeply grateful for your kindness in teaching me. I will study hard and live up to your teachings."

After saying this, he took out two silver notes of one hundred taels each and presented them with both hands, saying, "This is a two hundred tael gift from your disciple to you, sir. I hope you will accept it." Seeing this, Qu Jishan quickly waved his hands away, his voice still loud and clear: "How can I accept this? Not to mention that I have come here under the command of the king, so I shouldn't accept your gift. Even if I did, how could I accept such a large amount?"

Jiang Nian insisted, "If you don't accept me, how can I be ashamed to learn from you? Please don't refuse."

The two of them pushed and shoved each other, and finally Qu Jishan could not resist Jiang Nian's sincerity and had to accept the two hundred taels of silver.

Qu Jishan's father, Qu Tai, had served as an official for many years and, upon his arrival in Beijing, was appointed a second-rank cabinet scholar. However, Qu Tai was an incorruptible official, and his family, with its large size, was not wealthy. Two hundred taels of silver was a substantial sum for Qu Jishan. With this sum, his personal finances would improve, allowing him to better prepare for this year's imperial examination.

Qu Jishan looked at Jiang Nian with a little more gentleness in his eyes.

He felt that this young man was becoming more and more mysterious. He lived in an old little house, but was very close to Prince Zhongyi, and the gift he gave to him was two hundred taels.

……

……

4:00 PM, which is the time when Daqing officials are off duty during daylight saving time.

Qu Jishan's teaching to Jiang Nian was also scheduled to end at 4:30 pm every day.

The drizzle had stopped, and the sky seemed washed clean. The clouds had dispersed, revealing the gentle sun, which bathed the Jiang family's small courtyard in a warm glow. Water droplets still dripped slowly from the eaves, making a gentle sound, as if accompanying the tranquility of the clearing sky after the rain.

In the study, Qu Jishan's eyes were full of praise as he said to Jiang Nian, "Your memory is exceptional, which is truly rare. In just one hour, you have learned what an ordinary person would learn in several days. It's truly amazing."

Jiang Nian smiled slightly and said modestly, "Sir, you are too kind. If it weren't for your extraordinary knowledge and thorough explanations, it would be difficult for me to make such rapid progress."

This was a sincere statement, and although he had only studied for an hour, he had benefited greatly. Although Qu Jishan was only a juren, he already had the knowledge of a jinshi and was skilled in the techniques of taking the imperial examinations.

Jiang Nian invited Qu Jishan to stay for dinner, but Qu Jishan politely declined, saying with a smile, "I have to go home to be with my family. That's all for today. I'll come back tomorrow morning to teach."

Jiang Nian did not force it and respectfully escorted Qu Jishan out of the house. The two exchanged a few more pleasantries at the door before Qu Jishan boarded the carriage and left.

After seeing Qu Jishan off, Jiang Nian returned to the inner courtyard and found Xue Baochai standing next to the half-dead pear tree.

The sunlight after the rain shone on Xue Baochai, casting a faint halo on her simple and elegant dress. She had been looking up at the branches and leaves of the pear tree. When she noticed Jiang Nian entering the inner courtyard, she quickly looked over at him.

In the inner courtyard where the sky cleared after the rain, the two of them looked at each other with a slight smile.

Jiang Nian's heart moved, and he thought that in the original novel, after Xue Baochai came to Beijing, she lived in the Lixiangyuan of Rongguo Mansion, and there happened to be a pear tree in the inner courtyard of his own old little house.

Isn’t this also a wonderful fate?
"It turns out that this half-dead pear tree seemed to be calling Xue Baochai to live here..."

Jiang Nian sighed in his heart.

(End of this chapter)