Chapter 4 Entering

  After dinner, Wei Zhao came to his bedroom-study and lay down on the bed, taking out the ancient book that Xiang Xi had respectfully given him. This book had no title or author, and many of the characters were blurry and unclear; he could only vaguely guess at the profound meaning hidden within, yet he still read with great relish, unable to put it down.

  This book expounds on Laozi's teachings, the entire text is about wu-wei thought, directly pointing to the original heart. If it were in the past, Wei Qiao might have intuitively discarded it with disdain, but now he reads it with great attention.

  "Heaven and earth are self-sustaining without anyone pushing them, the moon is self-illuminating without anyone burning it, the stars are self-arrayed without anyone arranging them, birds and beasts are self-generating without anyone creating them. This is all done by Nature itself, why bother with human effort?"

  "Jade and gold fill the halls, but none can keep them; wealth and honor bring arrogance, and one's own downfall. Achieving success and then retiring, this is the way of Heaven."

  "For only he contended with no one, therefore none in the world could contend with him."

  "I have three treasures which I hold and keep: The first is mercy, the second is economy, and the third is daring not to be ahead of the world."

  Wei Zhao felt that these words were very suitable for him now, especially in the way of dealing with people here, and even more so.

  The flickering candlelight danced across Wei Zhuo's face, his expression growing increasingly excited. Every time he read this book, he gained new insights, so when it came to these words, he didn't dare say he understood, yet couldn't say he didn't understand either.

  "The gate of all mysteries, mysterious and again mysterious." Wei Xiao put down the book and let out a deep breath, suddenly uttering this sentence.

  Thinking of Yuanyuan's worried expression at the dinner table, Wei Zhao slightly furrowed his brow and gazed at the desk one zhang away, a glint flashing in his eyes.

  He got out of bed and came to the desk, spread out the rice paper, and gently ground the ink. After a long time, he picked up his brush and began to write on the rice paper with a dragon-like stroke. Wei Xiao was familiar with many fonts, but his favorite was still Lao Zhao's thin gold body, which always felt elegant and leisurely, in line with his mood.

  Not long after, a pastoral poem I remembered from before but couldn't recall its name appeared on paper.

  An ox plows half an acre of land, harvest depends on heaven, desolation also depends on heaven.

  Coarse tea and plain rice fill three meals, fragrant in the morning, fragrant at night.

  Clothes made of cloth are warmer than silk and down, can be worn long or short.

  A thatched hut with a few rooms, I can travel in peace and stay in peace.

  Last night, men and women talked in front of the lamp, ancient times also talked about it, nowadays also talked about it.

  After the rain, the sky clears, I drive a small boat, fish on one side, wine on the other.

  Said above three bamboos I alone sleep, who is immortal, I am immortal

  Wei Zuo looked carefully, nodded with a smile, and suddenly felt something was missing. He glanced at the ink pad beside him and hastily added below: The 19th year of Daqi Wenzheng, August 11th, evening. Inspired by reading, written casually. Wei Luyu.

  After finishing writing, he put down his brush and picked up the seal mud, and pressed a solid seal on it.

  "Perfect!" Wei Xiao carefully examined it and finally felt truly satisfied. He clapped his hands, blew out the candle, and went to bed.

  "Wan Er sister, young master has fallen asleep, let's go." Just as Wei Zao had just lain down on the bed, a very low and soft cry sounded from the doorway.

  "Hmm." In the darkness, two thin figures slipped away stealthily.

  In the morning, an unknown little bird was chirping on the eaves of the house, and the dew drops were hanging on the flowers, grasses and trees in the yard.

  Wei Zhuo opened the door, took a deep breath, and the cool and refreshing feeling in his lungs made him want to shout out loud. He stretched his waist, picked up the stick in the yard, and started practicing with a whooshing sound.

  Wan'er and Xiangqian, who had always refused but were used to fetching water for Wei Zhao to wash his face, burst out laughing at the sight and hid in the house.

  Wei Zuo ignored them and focused on creating his own unique skills. He practiced with his staff every day, writing down each move in his notes. Once perfected, he planned to spread it throughout the Wei family, Jinling, and even the entire Da Qi, saying that one day he would become a legendary master like Zhang Sanfeng.

  Two little maidservants were accustomed to the young master's fanciful or boring habits, and went about their work as usual, folding quilts in the room and tidying up the room.

  Actually, Wei Zhao's room was almost untouched except for the bed, and Wan'er made the bed while Xiangxiang wandered around aimlessly. In her mind, she secretly hoped to stumble upon the new and strange thing that Young Master had just done last night and take it by chance.

  Unfortunately, the head of the bed, table, and stool, where things are often placed, were all empty. The little girl pouted her small mouth and wandered into the study room.

  Weizao recently only looked at one book, the bookshelf was neat and tidy, the little girl swept over it, her eyes fell on the desk. Mr. Wei's old master hoped that his family could get rid of their humble origins and open up education, so the family valued learning, and these little girls knew a few words. The unnamed poem written by Weizao didn't have any rare characters, and the little girl recited it as soon as she opened her mouth.

  Wan'er had just finished tidying up the bed and hurried over, leaning in with her small head to take a look. As soon as she saw the signature at the bottom, her pretty face lit up with joy.

  Xianglian didn't know many characters, so she couldn't evaluate the poem either. She just smiled and said: "Wan'er sister, this is still the young master's first time writing a poem, is it good or not?"

  Wan'er read it carefully, frowning. Although she knew more characters than Xiangqiang, she didn't have much understanding of poetry either. Moreover, this poem was simple and easy to understand, straightforward and plain, so she was also a bit uncertain.

  Wan'er hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "I don't know either. Let's make a copy first. I'll go ask Madame Wei tonight." Apart from Wei Zhao, only Li Xilian was the most literate in the Wei family, and it was said that she came from a scholarly family and was a talented woman.

  Xianglian was slightly disappointed upon hearing this, but she still nodded repeatedly. In her heart, she also hoped that the young master would be exceptionally talented.

  Unbeknownst to them, this was Wei Zhao's deliberate attempt to boost Li Xianyun's morale. The two little maids' every move couldn't escape Wei Zhao's notice; guessing that Yuanner still had a few words left unwritten, Wei Zhao let out a loud shout, pretended to finish the task, threw away the rod, and turned around to head back into the house.

  Xianglian, who was gazing out the window, suddenly became anxious and rushed into the study, urging in a low voice: "Sister Yuanyu, hurry up, hurry up, if Master finds out, we'll be in trouble, he'll spank our bottoms."

  Wan'er's small face suddenly became flustered, and her right hand holding the brush involuntarily sped up a few more strokes, causing the originally neat and elegant characters to become disordered once again.

  Wei Zhuo took two steps forward and then turned back, holding a branch and drawing on the ground.

  Xiangliang stretched out her small head to take a look, and suddenly her big eyes widened in surprise, her face tense. Looking at Yuanner calmly putting away the rice paper, she hummed: "Yuanner sister, Young Master is back again, I think he's intentionally teasing me! Hmph...".

  Wan'er stretched out her slender fingers and poked her brain, saying in a low voice: "Finally smart for once."

  Xianglian's eyes widened in shock as she stared at Yuanner's calm smile, then turned to look at Wei Zhao outside, her face frozen for a long time before pouting and almost bursting into tears.

  Wan'er hastily covered her little mouth and glared at her.

  It was all just boasting after all.

  ……………

  New book uploaded, eagerly awaiting response~~~~