Wang Chong, hearing Jiang Zhu'er's reply, suddenly understood. "I ought to be steadier," he said, then answered at once, "My mother disciplines me very strictly, afraid I will neglect my studies. She often takes an object as a theme and has me write a fitting piece, so I showed off a bit. I hope Sister Jiang Zhu won't take offense."
Su Luo Yan had originally only regarded Wang Chong as an ordinary jianghu friend, never expecting him to compose such elegant, splendid verses. She could not help but glance at Chu Qiuzi again, thinking to herself, "This Purple-Green Jade Maiden is indeed fortunate."
"There are plenty of chivalrous youths with strong martial arts in the jianghu, but those accomplished in both literature and martial arts are rare."
Chu Qiuzi had been slightly annoyed, but hearing Wang Chong's words she could not help but chuckle softly. "When we first met, Young Master Wang composed poetry much like this, only it was incomplete at beginning and end—very vexing."
She then repeated the poem Wang Chong had "copied" that day.
Wang Chong answered sheepishly, "My scholarly ability is quite mediocre; it is inevitable that I sometimes fall short of talent. My mother would usually beat me with a bamboo board, set me a time limit, and make me write another piece to make up for it."
The three women—Su Luo Yan, Chu Qiuzi, and Jiang Zhu'er—looked at him askance, all coming to regard this "old lady" with great awe.
Ordinary young men who could write such exquisite poetry should at least be encouraged, even praised—but this old lady actually beat him with a bamboo board? The poem was incomplete, after all, but it was still well written!
Su Luo Yan, suddenly curious, asked, "I wonder how many times Young Master Wang has been praised by this old lady in his life? Surely not never?"
Wang Chong thought for a moment. "From as far back as I can remember, my mother has praised my writing as passable about forty or fifty times."
Chu Qiuzi and Su Luo Yan exchanged glances and nearly in unison said, "Young Master Wang, would you choose a piece to recite, and open our eyes?"
Jiang Zhu'er's eyes darted about, and she quietly slipped away.
Wang Chong was still hesitating when the beautiful maid had already summoned someone, who brought brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. She smiled and said, "Coincidentally, the young mistress bought an ingot of ancient ink, over a hundred years old, weathered by wind and frost. It is only fitting that Young Master Wang leave a treasure of ink here."
Wang Chong was not afraid of writing. His calligraphy and painting had been taught in proper training classes since elementary school; he could write eight styles of script and had practiced odd tricks like hollow characters. As for what poetry to write—that was not his problem. The problem was which ancient poet he ought to copy!
Wang Chong took the brush Jiang Zhu'er handed him, soaked it in thick ink, and casually wrote:
The sky meets the cloud waves, joining the morning mist;
The Milky Way seems ready to turn, as a thousand sails dance.
As if my dream-soul returns to the Heavenly Lord's court,
I hear heavenly words and am earnestly asked where I return.
I reply: the road is long, I lament the late day;
In poetry, I vainly have startling lines.
Ninety thousand li—the wind-peng soars.
Wind, do not rest; let the reed sail carry me off to the Three Mountains.
This little scene was nothing—the scholar Yi'an alone could outshine every female poet in this world.
Hmm, and ninety-nine percent of male poets too.
Su Luo Yan saw this vigorous, disciplined calligraphy and first silently praised it. Then, reading the poem, she was stunned, her heart filled with some indescribable feeling. Her gaze toward Chu Qiuzi now held a touch of envy.
Chu Qiuzi, seeing the poem, felt her heart struck as by a heavy hammer, yet also secretly rejoiced, thinking, "Young Master Wang is indeed a treasure."
Jiang Zhu'er saw the calligraphy and then read the poem. She had prided herself on being Su's maid, different from other households, naturally of higher status, but now she suddenly felt sour, pitying and blaming herself.
Wang Chong did not care much. He was very satisfied with the calligraphy, thinking, "This Mi-style calligraphy of mine, with the brush tip sprung in all directions, is better than what I wrote in school. Clearly, the higher one's martial arts, the more subtle one's control over body, wrist, and arm strength."
Su Luo Yan said gently, "I have spoiled this maid. How could there be reason to force a guest to write and compose poetry in public? When we return, I will surely punish her and teach her some rules."
Wang Chong laughed. "There is no such thing. This old piece is merely passable, but my usual writing is not this free-flowing. If not for Sister Jiang Zhu coaxing me, I could not have written this piece. I hope Fairy Su will grant me a small favor and not punish Sister Jiang Zhu."
Su Luo Yan naturally did not truly want to punish her beloved maid. Going along with it, she said, "Why do you not hurry and thank Young Master Wang for his magnanimity? And quickly take this calligraphy down to be mounted and framed, and carefully stored."
Jiang Zhu'er said softly and gently to Wang Chong, "This lowly servant has offended you, young master; please do not take offense."
Wang Chong suddenly remembered that before he transmigrated, there had been a hot search about France's number one maid. He had joined the fun on social media and posted: "People are dissatisfied with the saying 'France's number one maid'; that indeed is offensive. Better to change it to 'France's number one little maid.'"
"Hmm, not the kept kind!"
He suddenly grew a bit familiar and roguish, saying, "Empty words—what good is an apology? How about Sister Jiang Zhu compensates me with something, as an apology?"
Jiang Zhu'er was slightly flustered. "What does the young master want this lowly servant to compensate?"
Wang Chong laughed. "Just make Sister Jiang Zhu prepare a set of paints for me. I have a fan face to paint, but traveling is crude, so it has been delayed till now."
Jiang Zhu'er breathed a sigh of relief, stole a glance at Su Luo Yan, saw the young mistress nod slightly, and then left like a butterfly, light and graceful.
Su Luo Yan brought the two into the wine banquet. After a while, Jiang Zhu'er brought a set of paints and a painting brush. Wang Chong took the brush, unfolded his folding fan, glanced at Chu Qiuzi, and sketched casually. In a short moment, the graceful figure of this Qingcheng second senior sister leaped onto the fan.
Wang Chong deliberately did not paint the face, only a vague side profile, but the clothing was what she wore when they first met. Anyone else would not recognize her, but in the eyes of the Qingcheng beauties, they would surely recognize her as their own second senior sister. Chu Qiuzi naturally recognized her too, and her heart was stirred and fluttered again, teased into feeling.
Su Luo Yan glanced. Although she was not that familiar with Chu Qiuzi, she could tell it was this Qingcheng heroine, thinking, "Young Master Wang's painting skill is truly marvelous, almost supernatural. Clearly he does not paint the face, yet he paints Chu Qiuzi's figure as if alive."
"It is a pity I met him too late..."
Wang Chong finished painting and placed it on the table to let the paint dry in the shade, then chatted casually with the two women. Su Luo Yan occasionally asked, and hearing that Wang Chong was going to Chang'an, her heart stirred slightly. But glancing at Chu Qiuzi, she said nothing about traveling together. Instead, she excused herself for a moment, and after a while returned to the seat, saying, "Young Master Wang, traveling the jianghu, how can you manage without a maid to mend things by your side?"
"I have a newly trained maid named Liu Xian. She is clever and obedient, skilled in needlework and women's handicrafts, and has learned a little martial arts, so she will not be a burden to the young master. I will give her to you to keep by your side."
Wang Chong thought: Accepting a book boy would be one thing, but a maid—surely that is improper, is it not? He was about to decline when he heard Chu Qiuzi say: "I have already ordered a junior disciple of the sect to follow Young Master Wang as a book boy. But Qingcheng Sect simply has no suitable female disciple. A maid personally trained by Sister Su must be first-rate in character. Having one more person to keep you company puts my mind at ease."
... Wang Chong: I want an older one...
Chapter 23