Chapter 20: The Contest

Once one person started the conversation, others crowded around, tossing in their own words. The story grew more exaggerated with each telling, until it was impossible to know who to believe.

The group was so absorbed in their gossip that they failed to notice a new face standing behind them. "Are you talking about me?"

A young man in a white silk robe looked at them with curiosity. Up close, one could see the subtle patterns embroidered into the fabric of his robes.

With the subject of their discussion standing right before them, the students felt embarrassed and quickly apologized before hurrying away.

"Why aren't you leaving?" the man asked Chen Ping, who had remained behind. "Aren't you going with them?"

"I'm heading to the library; it’s not the same direction as theirs," Chen Ping replied, gesturing to the books in his hand.

"I see. It seems I misunderstood you," the man said, showing a friendly gesture. "May I ask your name?"

"Just call me Chen Ping."

"Chen Ping?" A sharp glint flashed in the man's eyes. "Are you Chen Ping, the closed-door disciple of Ye Wenchang?"

Hearing the old master’s name spoken so bluntly made Chen Ping uncomfortable, but he answered anyway. "That is I."

"Do you dare to compete with me?"

"Compete?" Chen Ping’s eyes narrowed in caution. "Why would I want to compete with you?"

"Because you are Master Ye’s disciple." The man looked Chen Ping up and down, a look of disdain on his face. "I don't know how a wretched boy like you became his student."

Chen Ping’s clothes had been made from new fabric bought by the Xiang family. While they were simple linen compared to the man's silk robes, every stitch was filled with his mother’s love. Moreover, when someone comes looking for trouble for no reason, even a saint would lose their temper.

Chen Ping’s expression darkened, his eyes turning cold. "Fine, I will grant your wish today. Just don't go home crying later. Tell me, how shall we compete?"

"Who will be crying is yet to be determined." The man was clearly confident. To show he was serious, he identified himself as He Qingxuan, a former student of the Jiangxia Academy.

The two agreed to pose questions to each other; whoever failed to answer would lose.

Seeing how young Chen Ping was, He Qingxuan offered to let him go first. Chen Ping did not decline and began with a mathematical problem: "There is a rectangular field eighteen zhang wide and twenty-seven zhang long. What is the area of this field?"

"Eight mu," He Qingxuan answered after a moment's thought. He then countered, "Children are eating rice balls. If each is given three, fifty-seven remain; if each is given five, three are left over. How many children are there, and how many rice balls?"

"Twenty-seven children, one hundred and thirty-eight rice balls."

At first, neither used their full strength, but as both answered instantly, they began to take it seriously, making their questions increasingly difficult.

This drew the attention of passing students, who stopped to watch the back-and-forth. A few competitive ones even started calculating along with them.

As the problems grew more complex, Chen Ping was fortunate to have paper and brush, but He Qingxuan, who had come alone, had nothing. Seeing that the contest was becoming unfair, Chen Ping called for a pause.

"This isn't working. How about we change the nature of the competition?"

He Qingxuan agreed, but just as they were about to decide on a new topic, Master Ye’s voice echoed from a distance.

"Who is it that wants to compete with my disciple?"

Master Ye walked over in a hurry, with Ye Chongwen trailing behind him. Seeing the old master arrive, the surrounding crowd of students soon dispersed.

Noticing Ye Chongwen winking at him, Chen Ping immediately knew who had fetched the old master.

"I am He Qingxuan. I heard your lectures back in Jiangxia."

Master Ye searched his memory. "Qingxuan... I have some recollection. Are you the boy from the He family’s fabric shop?"

"That is I."

Hearing the confirmation, Master Ye still looked skeptical. In his memory, the He family boy was only two or three years older than Ye Chongwen and Chen Ping, but this young man was now a head taller than both of them.

Seeing Master Ye staring at him and Chen Ping in turn, He Qingxuan, who was used to it, explained, "I don't know why, but I’ve grown quite rapidly this year."

"That is truly remarkable," Master Ye remarked, looking at the tops of Ye Chongwen and Chen Ping's heads. "Growing tall is a good thing."

Noticing that many students were still watching from afar, Master Ye waved his hand and led them all into an empty study, with Ye Chongwen sneaking in behind them.

Inside, before He Qingxuan could speak, Master Ye stated plainly that he would not accept his father’s invitation, as he was now just an old man accustomed to the wild.

He Qingxuan bit his lip, deep in thought. After a moment, he spoke: "I will tell my father the truth. But my father is my father, and I am I. Ever since you lectured at Jiangxia Academy, I have admired you. Please, Master Ye, give me a chance. I want to be your disciple."

"I have already taken a closed-door disciple; I will not be taking any more," Master Ye refused without hesitation. "There is no room for negotiation. As for you, since you are at Huating Academy, study hard. Your father is waiting for you to pass the examinations and bring honor to your ancestors."

He Qingxuan looked at Chen Ping standing beside the master, his eyes filled with undisguised resentment. He was taking this to heart.

Master Ye sighed softly and motioned for Chen Ping to come forward, asking what they had been competing over. Chen Ping explained truthfully. Master Ye nodded, then said, "Since you two haven't determined a winner, let us continue. I shall provide the questions, shall I?"

He beckoned to Ye Chongwen, who was watching with great interest. "You join them as well."

A disaster for no reason fell upon Ye Chongwen, but he had to accept it. He stood next to Chen Ping with a mournful face.

Master Ye pondered for a moment before posing a question: "It is said that the order is Scholar, Farmer, Artisan, and Merchant. Let us discuss why the merchant is considered the lowest."

As soon as the question was asked, He Qingxuan’s expression turned grim. Both Chen Ping and Ye Chongwen noticed his discomfort.

Though it is said that the nail that sticks out gets hammered down, Ye Chongwen felt that it was better to get it over with, so he answered first.

"Naturally, it is because they are the busiest."

Ye Chongwen’s answer was so brief that Master Ye didn't even react. "That’s it?"

"That's it!"

"You boy, say that again!" Master Ye raised his teacup, threatening to throw it at him.

Sensing trouble, Ye Chongwen hid behind Chen Ping. "Just pretend I didn't say anything! Besides, I’m not even part of the competition."

His excuse sounded plausible, but his lazy, evasive attitude still infuriated the old master. *He’s my own grandson, my own grandson,* he reminded himself, trying to stay calm.

Taking advantage of Ye Chongwen’s antics, He Qingxuan found an answer. His face pale, he said, word by word, "Because merchants are often profiteers. In the past, there was Lü Buwei, who manipulated people’s hearts with profit, causing scholars to fear him. Later, there were many who used wealth to move hearts and collude with officials..."

"Stop!"

Seeing He Qingxuan getting carried away, Master Ye cut him off, his face turning ashen. "Is this how you view your own father?"