Chapter Sixteen: News from the County

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Li Daguang was thoroughly embarrassed. He had been caught visiting a brothel by three younger relatives, of all people. Fortunately, he was unmarried and did not have to worry about being dragged home by the ear and made to kneel on a bed of abacus beads.

Li Yanqing sent Li Er and Li San back first. There was still something he wanted to ask his Fourth Uncle.

“I only came to listen to some music. I enjoy music, that’s all. Ha-ha!”

Li Daguang offered a guilty explanation, then suddenly felt it was unnecessary. What could a six-year-old boy possibly understand?

“Qing’er, how was your first day at school? That Old Ox Yao must have been very strict!”

“Fourth Uncle, there’s something I want to ask you.”

“What is it?”

Li Yanqing asked softly, “Did my father ever do anything… disgraceful?”

He could not forget the undisguised contempt in Master Yao’s eyes whenever his father’s name was mentioned.

“Why are you asking that? Did someone say something to you?” Li Daguang glanced at Li Yanqing, instantly alert.

“I’m his son. I just want to know.”

Li Daguang hesitated for a long while before saying, “In principle, I shouldn’t tell you, but you’ll find out sooner or later. Your father… Ah! One moment of folly can bring a lifetime of regret!”

With a long sigh, Li Daguang told Li Yanqing an old story.

“Your father was once the pride of the family. Seven years ago, he passed the prefectural qualifying examination in Xiangzhou, ranking first. That same year, he married your mother—a double blessing, as they say. At the time, he was often an honored guest of the county magistrate. The following year, he went to the capital to sit for the provincial examination. Though he did not pass, the chief examiner took a liking to him and advised him to study hard and return to the capital for the next examination.”

“What happened after that?”

“Then, five years ago, something happened. Unable to refuse the county deputy’s request, your father went to Cizhou to sit for the prefectural examination in place of his nephew. I believe the two of them looked rather alike, but your father was still recognized. From that moment on, his life was ruined. His academic title was stripped from him, and he was forbidden ever to take the imperial examinations again. He became the family’s disgrace and the laughingstock of Tangyin County. People mocked him behind his back by calling him ‘Li the Ghostwriter.’

“He spent his days getting drunk and causing a scene at home. He even sold the family’s ancestral fields, leaving the household utterly destitute. Your mother fell ill from worry and never recovered; she died the following year. Your father regretted everything bitterly. To atone for his sins, he went deeply into debt to bury your mother.”

For a long while, Li Yanqing could not utter a word. He and his father had actually shared the same fate. Could this be the deliberate design of fate, arranged by some unseen creator?

Li Daguang patted him on the shoulder and said earnestly, “Now you understand, don’t you? Why your father desperately saves money to send you to school, and why he insists that you take the imperial examinations. You are his only hope. Only you can wash away the disgrace he bears. Otherwise, he will never be able to hold his head up for the rest of his life.”

“Thank you, Fourth Uncle. I’ll… be going now.”

Heavy-hearted, Li Yanqing turned and walked away.

Watching him disappear into the distance, Li Daguang could not help shaking his head in secret. The prefectural authorities had already entered Da-qi’s name into their records. Unless that record was erased, even Qing’er would one day be implicated. Da-qi still imagined that the authorities would forget after enough time had passed, but matters like this were never so simple. Da-qi’s own life was already beyond saving; it was only a pity for such an intelligent child as Qing’er.

…

Li Yanqing returned home with a weight in his heart as heavy as a bucket of lead. He had no thoughts at all. His mind was utterly blank. He did not even know how he had made his way back, nor did he remember when he and Li Daguang had parted.

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When he reached the entrance, the courtyard gate was still there, but the house was gone. All that remained was a stretch of mud-wall ruins. Li Yanqing stood there in a daze for a long time, unable to comprehend what had happened.

At that moment, Dahei, who had been searching through the rubble, spotted his young master. Like a gust of wind, the dog charged over and began barking frantically, as though trying to tell him that their home was gone.

Only then did Li Yanqing emerge from his bewilderment. Their family was going to build a new brick house; he should have gone to Auntie Hu’s home next door.

Looking into Dahei’s aggrieved eyes, Li Yanqing smiled, hugged him tightly, and then sprinted with him toward Auntie Hu’s house.

That night, Li Yanqing dreamed that he had become his father, while his father from the Song Dynasty had become his son, also named Li Da-qi. In the dream, he harshly scolded his son for taking an examination on behalf of a fellow student.

Li Yanqing suddenly awoke. He stared blankly at the roof, savoring the dream and feeling the wondrous interweaving of human destinies across a thousand years. He remained awake until the rooster crowed.

…

East Street in Tangyin County was the commercial heart of the county. Shop signs and banners filled the street, cries of vendors rose and fell, and people streamed back and forth. The avenue was bustling with activity.

The first shop on East Street was a publishing house called Scholarly Spring. In truth, it was a bookstore with a workshop behind it: the front served as a bookshop, while the rear housed a printing workshop and a place where books were copied by hand.

Although printing technology was already highly advanced in the Song Dynasty, the business of hand-copying books had not disappeared. Some private collectors still preferred to hire professional copyists. Li Da-qi worked there for that very reason. His calligraphy was beautiful, so the shop hired him to copy books for its customers. He was also skilled at carving and occasionally engraved printing blocks. Movable type had already been invented, but for various reasons, including typesetting and appearance, it had not replaced block printing.

Scholarly Spring was one of the three major publishing houses in the Western Hebei Circuit. Its main headquarters was in Daming Prefecture, while the branch in Tangyin County was merely one of its subsidiary shops. Even so, it occupied the finest location in the county. It carried a wide range of books, all of good quality, and was beloved by Tangyin’s scholars. Business was thriving.

That day, the owner of Scholarly Spring had come to inspect the Tangyin branch. The shopkeeper and assistants were therefore extremely busy, rising early to clean the entire establishment until it was spotless.

The owner, whose surname was Yang, was a young man in his early thirties, shrewd and capable. He had inherited the family business only two or three years earlier and was fiercely ambitious, determined to make Scholarly Spring the greatest publishing house in the realm.

At that moment, in the shopkeeper’s room on the second floor, Shopkeeper Luo was reporting the business results of the past few months to the young owner. He soon realized, however, that the owner was not listening. Instead, he was reading a manuscript, apparently absorbed in it.

Only then did Shopkeeper Luo remember that the manuscript had been given to him by Li Da-qi the previous day. Li had said that his son had written it and asked him to take a look. But the shopkeeper had been busy preparing for the owner’s visit and had tossed the manuscript aside. Besides, he had not been particularly interested in something written by a six-year-old child. He had never expected the manuscript to fall into the owner’s hands.

Shopkeeper Luo awkwardly stopped his report and waited a while, but the owner showed no sign of putting the manuscript down. If anything, he became even more engrossed.

Just then, an assistant came upstairs and said quietly, “Shopkeeper, the tavern has delivered the meal. Shall I ask the owner to come downstairs?”

“What nonsense. Bring the food up!”

The assistant hurried downstairs and, a short while later, brought the dishes up and set them on the table.

Shopkeeper Luo smiled obsequiously. “Owner, you should eat first.”

“Mm. Leave it there. I’ll eat later.”

With no alternative, Shopkeeper Luo closed the door and withdrew. When he reached the ground floor, he did not see Li Da-qi and immediately asked, “Where is Da-qi?”

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“Li Da-qi has gone home. Someone from his village came looking for him, and he just left!”

“This is bad!”

Shopkeeper Luo stamped his foot and ran outside. Li Da-qi had already gone a considerable distance. Luo chased after him, shouting, “Da-qi! Wait!”

Worried about his son at home, Li Da-qi had been preparing to return with his neighbor Hu Sheng. Hearing someone call from behind, he turned and saw the shopkeeper, then quickly stopped.

Panting heavily, Shopkeeper Luo hurried up to him. “Da-qi, wait a moment. Don’t rush home.”

“Shopkeeper Luo, I’ve finished copying that book. I left it on your desk.”

“I know! This isn’t about that. It’s about the book your son wrote. It seems to be quite good. We should discuss it further. There’s no harm in returning tomorrow.”

Hu Sheng laughed beside them. “Stay, Da-qi. My mother is looking after Brother Qing. There won’t be any problem.”

Li Da-qi could not refuse the shopkeeper’s request, so he nodded. “All right. I’ll return tomorrow.”

Shopkeeper Luo pulled him back to the shop. As soon as they entered, an assistant hurried over to them.

“Shopkeeper, the owner is looking for you!”

Shopkeeper Luo quickly said to Li Da-qi, “Wait here a moment. I’ll be right back.”

He hurried up to the second floor and pushed open the door. The food had not been touched at all, while the owner was still turning through the manuscript. Luo approached cautiously.

“Owner, you wished to see me?”

“Who wrote this?” Owner Yang asked, raising the manuscript in his hand.

“It was written by the son of one of our copyists. He only brought it yesterday, and I haven’t had time to read it yet.”

“Is there more?”

“I’m not sure. Shall I go and ask?”

“Quickly, invite this copyist here to see me. It’s a wonderful book! We nearly missed it.”

Shopkeeper Luo hurriedly turned and ran downstairs. He felt extremely fortunate that he had managed to bring Da-qi back. Otherwise, the situation would have become troublesome. He had never before seen the owner praise a book so enthusiastically.

…

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