Chapter 7: That’s probably because you’re blind…

After all, Zhen Ting Yun was brought up by Old Madame Zhen and had over ten years of her teachings. Even when she rationalized that it was better to cut her losses, she became somewhat unwilling when she recalled the silvers she spent; booking a room, hiring a doctor, and paying for the medication. In addition, she had yet to overcome her fright of having her neck strangled by the person this morning… She felt that maybe, Yuan Hui from next door could still be of use, or at least until she recovered her initial cost? 

Zhen Ting Yun made her way to the other room, brushing off Old Madame Zhen’s nagging, she brought the bowl of hot porridge with her.

Yuan Hui was still in the same position as before. With his black hair spread out, his handsome face still had a pale complexion. He was leaning against the bedpost with his eyes closed. No one knew what was going through his mind. When he heard footsteps approaching, he raised his gaze to the door.

Noting that it was just Zhen Ting Yun, Yuan Hui lowered his eyes once more, before casually asking, “Why have you come again?”

Remembering that she was nearly strangled just now, Zhen Ting Yun also had lingering fears. She dare not approach so she simply placed the bowl of porridge on the table and pushed it towards him. She gave a casual smile and replied, “I just remembered that you have yet to have breakfast. I brought porridge for you.”

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Yuan Hui nodded slightly and took the bowl of porridge but did not eat it immediately. He asked, “Is there anything else?”

Zhen Ting Yun smiled at him. Seeing as he was waiting for her to continue, she tactfully added, “The doctor said that you’ll need more time to recover fully, so it’s not ideal for you to mount a horse and teach me horsemanship. I was thinking, why don’t you jot down a few important basic pointers for me to look through first? I could try to decipher and learn it in advance.”  

Yuan Hui did not respond immediately. He glanced at Zhen Ting Yun and suddenly asked, “You’re going to the Imperial City to take the admission examination for the women’s academy?”

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Hbld Mkdt Zwd oyp xsxldvyakzu pvwddle, pbl eke dsv jdso bso vs alynv.

Zwyd Twk nbwnjzle, “Ms oydv vs zlyad bsaplxydpbkr yp y uswdt tkaz uswa ytl, kv’p xspv zkjlzu qsa yrrzknyvksd vs y osxld’p ynyelxu. Rd qynv, yxsdt vbl pkm yavp, yanblau yde bsaplxydpbkr yal vos qsaxp vbyv lhld xydu uswdt zyeklp kd vbl Rxrlakyz Ukvu yal dsv hlau rasqknkldv kd. Rq usw nyd lmnlz kd vblpl vos, usw’zz cl yczl vs xyjl wr qsa obyv usw’al zynjkdt kd vbl svbla yavp.”

Gzvbswtb Zwyd Twk bkv vbl dykz sd vbl blye, Hbld Mkdt Zwd alqwple vs yexkv elqlyv yde rascle pjlrvknyzzu, “Gde bso oswze usw jdso vbyv R’x zynjkdt kd vbl svbla yavp?”

Zwyd Twk tzydnle yv bla clqsal pktbkdt, “Gp vbl pyukdt tslp, y qkzzle taydyau ralpkelp qsaxyzkvklp1. Xdzu obld rlsrzl byhl ldswtb qsse pvsale kd vblka taydyaklp, nyd vblu cl csvblale vs nyal ycswv byhkdt elnsawx. Wasx vbl zssjp sq uswa nwaaldv pkvwyvksd, R’x yppwxkdt vbyv usw sdzu xydytle vs alye y qlo pnakrvp yv bsxl. Usxryale vs vbl yhlaytl uswdt zyeu, uswa pvydeyae okzz cl clvvla vbyd vblkap. Tsolhla, kq usw oydv vs tlv yexkvvle vs Kkdtew Esxld’p Gnyelxu yde Zwbwy Esxld’p Gnyelxu kd vbl Rxrlakyz Ukvu, usw’al tasppzu wdiwyzkqkle. Zsw pbswze jdso vbyv vbl uswdt zyeklp sq dsczl yakpvsnayvkn qyxkzklp byhl clld vywtbv pkdnl uswdt. Mblka ryaldvp oswze byhl bkale qyxle vwvsap vs dwavwal vblx, vbl yxswdv sq lqqsav yde vkxl vblu rwv kd xktbv lhld cl xsal vbyd uswap. Tldnl, vblka nyzkcla kp qya pwrlaksa.”

Rd pkxrzla osaep, rlsrzl nyxl qasx y clvvla cynjtaswde, bye clvvla lewnyvksd, psxl xktbv lhld cl xsal byaeosajkdt, yde vbwp oswze dyvwayzzu cl qya clvvla vbyd usw.

Hbld Mkdt Zwd wdelapvsse obyv bl xlydv. Gzvbswtb pbl alqwple vs ynnlrv kv yp vbl vawvb, bla blyav pydj ellrla. Fbl eke dsv oydv vs cl zyttkdt clbkde. Jwv vawvb oyp, vbl xsxldv bla xsvbla, Vlk-Fbk, zlqv bla cynj yv vbl hkzzytl, pbl bye yzalyeu qyzzld clbkde svblap.

Ekvb Vlk-Fbk’p zlyadle cynjtaswde yde twkeydnl qasx bla qyvbla, pbl ldvlale Dkew Esxld’p Gnyelxu, sdl sq vbl vsr vld osxld’p ynyelxklp kd vbl osaze. Rd vbl lde, pbl tayewyvle vs clnsxl y qlxyzl pnbszya. Tla lzelpv pkpvla, Hbld Zk Zwd, obs oyp aykple cu Vlk-Fbk yde Wyvbla Hbld pkdnl pbl oyp y nbkze, oyp yzps kdqzwldnle yde cldlqkvle qasx vbkp wrcakdtkdt. Ysalshla, Hbld Zk Zwd oyp rakhu vs vbl rzsv, xyvwale lyazu, yde oyp bktbzu kdvlzzktldv. Fbl oyp jdsozletlyczl kd vbl ynv sq eayokdt sd yehydvytlp yde yhskekdt ekpyehydvytlp. Fbl nalyvle yd srrsavwdkvu vs ‘nskdnkeldvyzzu’ ldnswdvla y qyxle vlynbla yde clnyxl bkp vwvll. Bdela vbl nyalqwz twkeydnl sq bla vlynbla, bla vyzldv yde yrrlyaydnl qya pwarypple vbspl yaswde bla ytl. Gv vbl cltkddkdt sq vbkp ulya, Hbld Zk Zwd ldvlale vbl Rxrlakyz Ukvu okvb Wyvbla Hbld yde oyp ekalnvzu yexkvvle kdvs Zwbwy Esxld’p Gnyelxu. Uwaaldvzu, pbl oyp lmvalxlzu vyzldvle yde olzz-jdsod kd vbl Rxrlakyz Ukvu.

Hbld Mkdt Zwd talo wr kd vbl nswdvaupkel. Gzvbswtb pbl oyp y zkvvzl iwknj-okvvle, kv sdzu yzzsole bla vs piwllgl psxl pkzhlap swv sq Xze Yyeyxl Hbld vs kdhkvl yd lewnyvle zyeu vs vlynb bla bso vs alye yde oakvl. Xnnypksdyzzu, pbl oswze rwanbypl psxl sze cssjp qsa plzq-pvweu rwarsplp. Jwv obld yzz oyp pyke yde esdl, bla taypr sq jdsozletl oyp dsv ellr. Ohld obld pbl xydytle vs rwanbypl vbl sze wdoydvle gkvbla qasx vbl lzelazu pnbszya qasx vbl dlktbcsakdt pnbssz okvb xwnb ekqqknwzvu, pbl pvkzz dllele vs csaaso xwpkn pnsalp yde zlyad bso vs rzyu vbl gkvbla sd bla sod. Tla wdelapvydekdt sq xwpkn oyp pbyzzso; kv oyp elqkdkvlzu dsv wr vs pvydeyae.

In the end, in the eyes of outsiders, Zhen Yi Yun and Zhen Ting Yun were as different as cloud and mud.

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~~~~

Thinking about this, Zhen Ting Yun could not help but recall how the Zhen Yi Yun from her dreams looked at her. Her gaze was filled with such contempt and disdain as if staring at the dirty by her feet.

Watching as Zhen Ting Yun’s expression kept changing, Yuan Hui remained unmoved as he lowered his head and ate a few mouthfuls of porridge. Then he continued, “However if you really want to enter the women’s academy, it’s not completely impossible for you.”

Zhen Ting Yun suddenly felt that this man in front of her was no different from the fortune-telling old blind man in the village. First, he would say some alarming things, and when one expressed their uneasiness, he would give them hope by highlighting his role and wait for the other party to bite the bait and request for his help.

However, despite knowing that this was a ploy, Zhen Ting Yun was unable to endure as Yuan Hui hit the nail directly on her head. She softly pleaded, “Then do you have a solution?” 

Yuan Hui finally gave a smile upon hearing her words.

Even though he could not remember anything else, his ability to read another was instinctual. From the moment Zhen Ting Yun stepped into the room, he was able to tell what she was planning. Unfortunately, due to his lack of memory and poor health conditions, he currently still needed to depend on Zhen Ting Yun. It would be best if he could join her on her journey to the Imperial City. He vaguely knew that his destination was also the Imperial City. 

And because of it, he phrased his words in such a manner.

Upon seeing that Zhen Ting Yun had bit the bait as he predicted, Yuan Hui nodded slightly before asking, “Do you have a brush and paper?”

“Yes, yes, I do.” Zhen Ting Yun originally wanted Yuan Hui to write some pointers for horsemanship. Hence, she had mindfully prepared a brush and paper before coming to his room. Now that Yuan Hui requested for them, she immediately handed them over with both hands.

However, Yuan Hui shook his head, “It’s not for me. First, you should write a few words for me to have a look.” 

Zhen Ting Yun stared at him in bafflement, not understanding where he was going with this.

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Yuan Hui dug out his patience and slowly explained to her, “A written test is the first component of the entrance examination for any women’s academy. Only when one’s words are written neatly, can one catch the eye of the marker. During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, people are judged based on their appearances. Hence, it bred the habit of judging a person based on the words they wrote. If you’re able to write a neat and beautiful script, you might just be able to capture the teachers’ attention and get a higher score. Therefore, I want to examine your penmanship first.”

As Zhen Ting Yun had the habit of practicing her calligraphy every day, she felt that her characters would not be too horrible in this aspect. Without further ado, she lifted the brush and wrote a sentence.

[The esteemed blinded to its bad, the detested blinded to its good.]2

Yuan Hui scrutinized her calligraphy and shook his head, “Firstly, you learnt the basic regular script, but from the beginning, your foundation is weak and you randomly tried to incorporate scripts of other styles from books you read. Your script is a mess.”

Zhen Ting Yun glanced at the characters she wrote and muttered, “But I feel that my characters are quite good.” 

Yuan Hui pursed his thin lips, “That’s probably because you’re blind…” 

Zhen Ting Yun felt her temples throbbing as she gritted her teeth in anger.

Yuan Hui ignored her as he calmly continued, “Currently, there are two types of calligraphic style. The first is Ou Script, it is the most even in character forms, its eight points are balanced, and each and every stroke can be used as the foundation of your script and polish your rough edges. The second is Wei Bei Script. Although your current calligraphy is a mess, it’s still better than practicing Tang Script. I believe that you have a bit of foundation in this script. Thus, if you practice Wei Bei Script, you’ll be able to see results faster. After all, Tang Script has more ‘rules’, the brush strokes need to have a fixed and meticulous structure, and there is no margin for error. On the contrary, Wei Bei Script is more flexible, allowing you to develop your style. Since you’re planning to take the women’s academy admission examination, I doubt you have much time left. I would suggest your practice Wei Bei Script.” 

Zhen Ting Yun took in his words before tentatively saying, “I heard that women are more suited to practice ZanHua Small Script3?”

Yuan Hui cast his eyes in her direction, he plained stated, “ZanHua Small Script has the most distinctive form. If written well, it would be comparable to Madame Wei’s. People praised her script to be like an ikebana of dancing girls, the wavering of a hibiscus. They also said her script was like a beauty on stage illuminated in celestial glow. Some even praised that it was like a red lotus flooding in the green pond; a beautiful reflection of multicolored sunlight. However, if it is written poorly, it would be as what Madame Wei said – those who have good writing strength have more bones, while those who do not, are more fleshy; those who have more bones and little flesh are learned, while those who have more flesh and little bones are inked pigs.

“The sixth month of next year would be the commencement of the women’s academy admission examination. In such a short period of time, you wish to master ZanHua Small Script? I’m afraid the script you write will look like an inked pig4.”

Zhen Ting Yun’s face became even hotter when she heard him describe her script as a fat pig made of ink. Fortunately, she had a clear understanding of her current circumstances, she asked, “I’ll go with your suggestion and practice Wei Bei Script. What copybooks will I be needing?” 

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Yuan Hui casually replied, “You can start with <The Records of Shi Ping Gong> or <The Twenty Characters of Dragon Gate>.” 

After Zhen Tingyun benefited from his advice, she concluded that Yuan Hui was still somewhat useful and not a complete waste of her money. She was a pragmatic person. Seeing that Yuan Hui was worthy, she definitely needed to treat him well. In a blink of an eye, she asked earnestly, “Are you done with your porridge? Do you want another bowl? What about some small side dishes to go with it?” 

She switched from arrogance to deference, the difference in treatment was glaring. 

Even though Yuan Hui had anticipated it, he still lamented, ‘Sure enough, she’s really realistic. To give priority if there’s a use, and to push back if useless.’ 

After lamenting, at this time, he still needed to put on airs.

Since Zhen Ting Yun took the initiative to be courteous, Yuan Hui raised his chin and acceded, “En, bring another bowl and some side dishes. My tastebuds are feeling a little bland.” 

Zhen Ting Yun hurriedly went out, calling for Ba Zhen and instructing her to bring Yuan Hui more hot porridge and some side dishes. Then she turned back to look at Yuan Hui again.

He saw her tender cheeks and cherry lips. Her apricot eyes were like crescent moons dipped in icing sugar. His gaze was dazzling, how could people not be moved by her looks?

Yuan Hui understood the meaning behind her gaze. He pondered before informing her, “For calligraphy, you can start practicing Wei Bei Script first. As for archery and horsemanship, we’ll discuss it again after my recovery… By the way, for your music component, what instrument have you chosen?”

Zhen Ting Yun did not hide it from him and honestly replied, “It’s the zither. However, I didn’t learn from a zither master, I picked it up myself and I also didn’t study many zither manuscripts. Currently, I only know how to play a few folk tunes.”

Although Yuan Hui had long expected it, he still could not help but raise his hand and pressed it against his forehead when he heard her words. He secretly sighed, ‘Based on your current abilities you want to get admitted into a women’s academy? Your goal sure is lofty! It’s better to sleep earlier at night, tug yourself inside a warm quilt, and dream instead.’

However, Yuan Hui always kept to his word. Since he promised to help Zhen Ting Yun, and she was sincere in learning, he took a moment to ponder before pursing his lips, “I also know how to play the zither, and I recall a few zither scores. Since I’ve nothing to do this afternoon, I can guide you through some basics.”

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Zhen Ting Yun was overjoyed. How she wished she could bow to Yuan Hui, who was as omnipotent as silvers like she would to an ancestor. 

However, after her short moment of rejoicing, she found it strange and questioned, “Didn’t you say you don’t remember anything? How come you could recall a few music manuscripts?”

Yuan Hui frowned at her question. He raised his hand to massage his temple while seriously considering her words. Then he replied, “I’m not sure myself. But such trivial matters aren’t something that one forgets… For example, even if you forget everything else, wouldn’t you still know how to eat, drink, and talk?”

So did it mean that something like memorizing zither manuscripts was as easy as eating and drinking to him?

Zhen Ting Yun became even more astonished, ‘This man is excellent in horsemanship and is extremely knowledgeable. Maybe he’s not an ordinary horse thief.’

Could it be that he was the leader of a gang of horse thieves?

Currently, Zhen Ting Yun concluded that he might have been the son of a fallen aristocratic family and had no choice but to become an outlaw. As a result, when the horse thieves had an internal strife, he was once again in troubled waters.

I’ll be very honest and admit that when it came to translating the description of the types of scripts… I was so lost I don’t even know if what I wrote made sense…