APSIL -Chapter 38 The Most Beautiful Misunderstanding

Elder Ge—whose full name was Ge Yong—was no ordinary old man.

He was the retired Grand Preceptor, former tutor to the Emperor, instructor to imperial princes, and the revered master whom countless powerful officials desperately wished would accept their sons and daughters as disciples.

He also held the record for serving the longest tenure as Director of the Imperial Academy, and was the honorary headmaster of well over a hundred academies throughout the empire.

As for his other accomplishments…

His ability to appreciate fine wine was unmatched, making him the most welcomed guest at dozens of taverns in the capital.

His poetry was so celebrated that famous courtesans once spent fortunes simply to obtain a single poem from him.

Unfortunately for them, the old master had laid down his brush and stopped composing poetry ten years ago.

The poorly informed country youth Zhang Shou naturally knew none of this.

Fortunately, he possessed the finest intelligence source imaginable—

Miss Zhu.

Raised in the capital, she knew every influential family by heart and was familiar with every piece of gossip circulating among the nobility.

Though Zhang Shou had never been timid when dealing with people, and had remained perfectly calm when he first met Ge Yong…

Now that he knew the old man’s true identity, standing before him again felt indescribably awkward.

At this moment, Ge Yong had already driven away the troublesome young nobles and was now wandering leisurely around Zhang Shou’s modest house, peering here and there with an expression so strange it made people uneasy.

Finally, he stopped in front of Zhang Shou, pointed at his own nose, and said, “Young Master Zhang.”

“We meet again.”

“Surprised to discover that the fraud you spoke of… was me?”

Zhang Shou had been a little nervous.

But Ge Yong’s childlike antics amused him so much that he nearly laughed aloud.

Suppressing a smile with some difficulty, he answered seriously, “At the time, I failed to recognize a true master. I hope Elder Ge will forgive my ignorance.”

“Besides, I had no idea Cuiyun Hall originally belonged to you.”

“When I spoke of someone deceiving the world with a false reputation, I wasn’t taking a jab at anyone else.”

“I was talking about myself.”

Zhu Ying hurriedly interjected.

“Grandpa Ge, you can’t blame Zhang Shou! The whole idea was mine—”

Before she could finish, the old man flicked her smooth forehead with a finger.

She instantly fell silent.

“Little Yingying.”

“You think I don’t know you?”

“You’ve loved beautiful faces ever since you were little.”

“When your father begged me to teach you, you made every excuse imaginable to avoid lessons.”

“But after meeting me, you immediately started chasing after me, calling me ‘Grandpa Ge’ every day.”

“And why?”

“Because even though I was old, I still had style.”

“I didn’t lecture like a dried-up pedant.”

“I told jokes all day.”

Then he grinned knowingly.

“So tell me the truth.”

“You saw this Young Master Zhang, handsome as a jade tree in the wind.”

“His personality suited your taste.”

“So you had your family’s people spread rumors throughout the capital.”

“You staged this entire affair…”

“…just so he could become a teacher admired by thousands, just like me.”

Zhu Ying stole a glance at Zhang Shou.

Then, lowering her head, she answered honestly, “…Yes.”

Only then did Ge Yong nod in satisfaction.

Turning to Zhang Shou, whose face was filled with helpless amusement, he continued, “And you?”

“You were probably completely exasperated by Yingying’s impulsiveness.”

“But you couldn’t stop her.”

“Nor could you stop all those spoiled young nobles.”

“So when an old fellow like me came seeking this so-called hidden master out of curiosity…”

“…you tried your best to stop me by calling yourself a fraud.”

“Couldn’t stop her?”

Zhang Shou was both amused and exasperated.

It was true that Miss Zhu’s ability to act immediately could create enormous trouble if left unchecked.

But if someone patiently reasoned with her, she was actually willing to listen.

More importantly…

She hadn’t discussed any of this with him beforehand.

He hadn’t failed to stop her—

He hadn’t even known about it.

As for what he’d told Elder Ge yesterday…

Calling the hidden master a fraud hadn’t merely been honesty.

Even then, he’d vaguely sensed the old man was anything but ordinary and had wanted to lay a little groundwork in advance.

Of course…

That very night he had turned around and revealed his true face to part of the young nobles anyway.

Still, Zhang Shou readily accepted all responsibility.

“Miss Zhu may have acted rashly, but everything began because of my foolish idea.”

“I was the one at fault first.”

“I simply thought that since the recluse who once lived in the bamboo grove hadn’t returned for years, and the bamboo house had fallen into disrepair…”

He smiled awkwardly.

“…it would be better to put abandoned resources to good use.”

The moment Ge Yong heard the phrase put abandoned resources to good use, he immediately glared, beard bristling.

Zhang Shou pretended not to notice.

“So during the farming off-season, I asked the villagers to repair the buildings.”

“We also built several additional bamboo cottages nearby.”

“I named the place Cuiyun Hall.”

“The bamboo house where you once lived became the Hall of Gentle Breeze.”

“I intended to use it as a school for teaching the village children.”

“Later, after reluctantly accepting so many students, I simply turned it into our classroom.”

“I myself moved into the House of Still Waters.”

“Those names were all chosen by me.”

“I know I essentially occupied someone else’s nest.”

“For that, I sincerely apologize.”

With his hands clasped behind his back, Ge Yong slowly walked forward a few steps.

Then he said leisurely, “‘A gentle breeze arises, and the water remains undisturbed… We raise our cups to our guests, recite verses beneath the bright moon, and sing graceful songs…'”

“Su Dongpo’s Former Ode to the Red Cliff truly is one of the finest works ever written.”

“Using ‘Hall of Gentle Breeze’ for my bamboo cottage…”

“‘House of Still Waters’ for your own…”

“And naming the estate Cuiyun, another elegant name for bamboo…”

“Your taste is quite respectable.”

He sighed softly.

“If Su Dongpo hadn’t suffered such repeated frustrations, he never would have written those final lines.”

“‘Life is but a mayfly between heaven and earth, a grain of millet in the vast sea…'”

“‘We lament our fleeting lives while admiring the endless Yangtze River.'”

“As for me…”

“This old man has enjoyed success throughout his entire life.”

“Now that half my body is already in the grave…”

“I’ve long learned to let go.”

“The tranquility of gentle breezes and still waters suits me quite well.”

So…

After saying all that…

The old man was really just praising himself?

At last, Zhang Shou understood.

No matter how unparalleled Ge Yong’s accomplishments were…

At heart…

He was still an incorrigibly show-off old child.

Unable to think of any suitable response, Zhang Shou merely laughed awkwardly.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Ying beat him to it.

“Grandpa Ge!”

“Since you and A-Shou get along so well…”

“Why don’t you simply accept him as your disciple?”

Watching the usually proud and headstrong young lady hug the old man’s arm while secretly winking desperately at him…

Zhang Shou couldn’t help feeling deeply moved.

After all…

She had always been thinking about his future.

It wasn’t that he cared about appearances.

After all, Ge Yong was an unimaginably prestigious mentor.

Ordinary people could only dream of becoming his disciple.

But Zhang Shou had an intuition.

Someone as unconventional as this old man couldn’t be approached in such a straightforward manner.

In that split second, he made his decision.

Smiling, he said, “Earlier, Elder Ge mentioned that your greatest pride isn’t becoming first in every examination, but your mastery of mathematics.”

“Yesterday…”

“Did you happen to look through the exercise books at Qi Liang’s house before you left?”

“If so, then you must have noticed his remarkable talent for mathematics.”

“If possible…”

“Could you perhaps give him a little guidance instead?”

Ge Yong blinked.

He had expected Zhu Ying to recommend Zhang Shou.

Instead…

Zhang Shou was recommending someone else—

A boy with dreadful handwriting but astonishingly neat and logical mathematical work.

He stared at Zhang Shou for a long time.

Yet he found no reluctance.

Only complete sincerity.

Finally, he snorted.

“Yingying, stop speaking up for him.”

“This brat is acting modest after already taking all the benefits.”

“When your father begged me to stay here and teach one of his younger relatives…”

“I lived for months in that drafty bamboo hut.”

“And this ungrateful little rascal never once came to visit!”

“The only visitors I got were curious village children.”

He became more indignant as he spoke.

“I even wandered around the village several times wearing a bamboo hat and veil!”

“And he still wasn’t curious!”

This time, Zhang Shou could no longer maintain his composure.

So that was it.

Given Duke Zhao’s meticulous personality…

How could he possibly have abandoned his future son-in-law in the countryside?

The arrangements had already been made.

Perfectly.

Only…

The original Zhang Shou…

Had somehow missed the brightest golden opportunity imaginable.

Seeing Zhang Shou’s embarrassment, Zhu Ying burst into laughter for the first time since entering.

Then she asked sweetly, “Grandpa Ge, what happened after that?”

“What happened?”

Ge Yong rolled his eyes.

“The boy had no sense at all.”

“He heard there was a recluse living in the village…”

“And still didn’t come over out of curiosity.”

“How was I supposed to seize an opportunity to accept him as a disciple?”

“Was I supposed to knock on his door and say…”

‘Young man, your bones are extraordinary. Become my student.’

“That would have been far too obvious!”

“So…”

“Since there was no fate between us…”

“I packed my luggage with my servant and returned to the capital.”

“Then I gave your father a thorough scolding.”

Zhang Shou rubbed his nose with a bitter smile.

Zhu Ying, meanwhile, laughed so hard she nearly doubled over.

She dearly wished she could have seen her father’s expression back then—

Unable to scold Zhang Shou directly because he was dozens of miles away…

Yet furious enough to explode.

Having vented his grievances, Ge Yong’s expression finally softened.

Then he spoke thoughtfully.

“Still…”

“Since I’d accepted your father’s request…”

“Before leaving, I left an entire chest of books inside the bamboo cottage.”

“The Analects.”

“The Spring and Autumn Annals.”

“The Ten Mathematical Classics.”

“I thought…”

“If he happened to learn even a little from them…”

“Then your father’s efforts wouldn’t have been entirely wasted.”

“But I never imagined…”

“When I was here…”

“The boy never even showed his face.”

“After I left…”

“He somehow found those books.”

“And…”

“He mastered everything without a teacher.”

“Not only that.”

“He even created so many ingenious mathematical problems of his own.”

“Calling him a mathematical prodigy wouldn’t be an exaggeration.”

“And the funniest part?”

“When he started pretending to be a teacher…”

“He even dressed almost exactly the way I used to.”

“What incredible coincidence.”

“If I hadn’t been pestered endlessly by that big-headed Prefect Wang of Shuntian…”

“And agreed to write a few mathematics questions for the clerical examinations…”

“A young man from Rongshui Village wouldn’t have solved every single one.”

“I graded the papers myself.”

“Only then did I discover…”

“He was Zhang Shou’s student.”

“The boy told me…”

“Zhang Shou had taught him that the Classics, history, and mathematics all came from instruction by a traveling old gentleman.”

“So I questioned him further.”

“Only then did I learn…”

“Back then, Zhang Shou had been in poor health and rarely left home.”

“I sent people to investigate Rongshui Village.”

“And what did they hear?”

“All the rumors Little Yingying had spread.”

“So yesterday…”

“I came here personally.”

He suddenly laughed.

“Come to think of it…”

“Zhang Shou has actually been my student all along!”

Meeting Zhu Ying’s astonished, delighted gaze…

Remembering how he himself had once claimed that both his classical learning and mathematics came from “an old gentleman who happened to pass by”…

Zhang Shou was genuinely stunned.

What in the world…?

When had he ever found the secret cache of books Ge Yong was talking about?

Could it have been…

That chest discovered during the restoration of the Hall of Gentle Breeze—

The one whose contents had crumbled into dust the moment the oilcloth wrapping was removed?

How…

How was he supposed to explain this wonderfully beautiful misunderstanding?