Chapter 336: Coming Clean

The Government Office provided a charcoal allowance^[1].

In an average winter, most people would just light a brazier in the room to keep warm.

But someone like Yan Lao’er walking in with a whole stove? That was a first.

Once everyone realized it had just been a big misunderstanding, they let out a sigh of relief.

The truth was, the Crouching Tiger Government Office was old and in disrepair. If a real fire had broken out, the damage would’ve been far too great.

And when it came to whether there was money in the government coffers, no one knew better than the constables themselves—probably better than the magistrate.

They couldn’t afford any messes.

Yan Lao’er entertained visitor after visitor.

He couldn’t just let them sit there with nothing to do. Since the stove was already going, he threw a pot on top to boil water and let them warm themselves up.

The early morning chill was still hanging in the air.

Yan Lao’er made it into the building one step ahead of Magistrate Tian.

He muttered to himself, That was close.

Magistrate Tian pointed out a seat for the uncle and nephew, then gave them an essay prompt before turning to leave.

Yan Lao’er was dumbfounded.

He hadn’t even started learning yet, and now they were supposed to write an essay?

“Sigh… happens every time new folks arrive,” said the student who’d been at the County School the longest.

The others took it in stride, dipping their brushes and grinding ink, racking their brains for ideas.

Yan Lao’er followed their lead and did the same.

He’d learned how to grind ink from Yan Yu during a crash course. Still unfamiliar with the tools, he ended up fumbling around quite a bit.

Someone beside him kindly said, “Don’t be nervous. The magistrate just wants to see where you two are at so he can teach accordingly. Even if your essay isn’t very good, it’s no big deal. We’re all here hoping to get a little guidance from him when he has the time.”

“Exactly,” another chimed in. “Among all the magistrates, he’s the one most invested in our studies. You two should make the most of your time—he’ll likely come by before the midday break and go over each essay one by one.”

To Yan Lao’er, it felt like a bolt from the blue!

They had to turn it in by noon? And he was going to critique each one… personally?

Seeing that nobody else was talking now—even his eldest nephew had started writing in earnest—Yan Lao’er grit his teeth. At the very least, he couldn’t hand in a blank page.

He vaguely remembered a couple of phrases he’d seen somewhere.

But where?

He’d flipped through every book in the book chest.

Found it!

Yan Lao’er was overjoyed.

He carefully matched the original and copied it down with all the concentration he could muster.

When the page was finally full,

he stopped writing.

Quickly, he gathered up his things.

A nearby student looked on admiringly. “Brother, such brilliance! Done already?”

Yan Lao’er didn’t have to touch his face to know it was burning red.

“So, uh… can I hand it in early?”

There was no way he could sit there and have it critiqued with the rest of them.

He’d die of embarrassment!

The student thought for a moment and said, “The autumn grain storage is still underway, so the magistrate probably won’t be going elsewhere. If you run into his Personal Retainer^[2], you could ask him to let the magistrate know and see if he’s available.”

Yan Lao’er thanked him, then hurried out with his “essay” in hand.

When the Personal Retainer actually allowed him in,

he froze.

He paced in circles, then steeled himself, shut his eyes, and charged in headlong.

Hands trembling, he placed the paper on the magistrate’s desk.

Magistrate Tian picked it up, glanced at the first line,

and then looked up at him.

Then he looked further down, reading faster and faster, scanning ten lines at a glance, and soon finished the entire text.

Magistrate Tian: …

“What does Huai’an mean by this?”

“Magistrate, I… I never really applied myself to studying. Back when I was a kid, all I ever thought about was going out to play. What I read today, I’d forget by tomorrow. Later, as I got older, I grew even more impatient and just tossed the books aside. I haven’t touched them in years. Now picking them up again out of the blue, my head feels completely empty. I don’t even know what I’m supposed to write…

In my family, I’m the only one who’s no good at studying. Everyone else is sharp, but I’m the one missing a screw. When we were in Qishan Prefecture, I had already given up on pursuing anything like this. But after we got to Guanzhou, my family started thinking about it again…”

Magistrate Tian understood.

It was easier to obtain scholarly titles in Guanzhou Prefecture.

Given that, Yan Huaiwen’s plan wasn’t unreasonable.

“Does your elder brother know about your situation?”

Yan Lao’er shook his head repeatedly. “My big brother? He has no idea. I kept it well hidden. He’s fully devoted to the imperial exams and teaches at an academy too. He’s in town, I’m in the village… He thinks that after all these years of schooling, I must have some foundation left.”

He lowered his head, embarrassed. “But me, I’ve got nothing left…”

Magistrate Tian almost found it amusing. He coughed lightly and said, “From what I’ve seen of how you speak and act, you don’t seem like someone completely ignorant. You’ve clearly been influenced by your surroundings.”

Seeing that Magistrate Tian wasn’t angry and was still speaking kindly, Yan Lao’er opened up even more. “Even if I have to fake it, I try to. My brother is a scholar, so I try to imitate him a little, so I don’t embarrass him.”

Magistrate Tian studied the man in front of him carefully.

This second Yan brother was not afraid of hard work, valued his brother deeply, had strong interpersonal skills, and an open, optimistic nature. While he wasn’t scholarly, he was quite capable of managing affairs. The quick stabilization of Xiao’an Village owed a lot to his efforts and coordination within it.

Everyone has their strengths.

Some excel in reading and writing, others in getting things done.

Yan Lao’er was the latter.

He could also understand some of the worries weighing on his brother.

Yan Huaiwen was destined to rise high. If Yan Lao’er simply stayed in the village as a prosperous landowner, there would be no issue.

But if he had to deal with people outside the village without a fitting identity, he would inevitably be looked down on.

This all stemmed from a sincere love for his younger brother.

“Huai’an, let me ask you, the books you’ve read, do you really forget them the moment you look away?”

Yan Lao’er hesitated for a moment, then answered honestly, “Not exactly. I just have to recite things several times before I can memorize them. And I have to go back and review once in a while, or I’ll forget.”

Magistrate Tian let out a soft “Oh,” fell silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Your family eagerly hopes you can earn a degree. But what does Huai’an himself think?”

Under the old magistrate’s all-seeing gaze, Yan Lao’er whispered, “I… I kind of want it too…”

Though he kept saying he didn’t want it out loud, he was a grown man with decent intelligence. How could he not know the difference between having and not having scholarly status?

“Recite everything you still remember,” Magistrate Tian said.

Having been so open with his thoughts, Yan Lao’er now felt more at ease in front of the magistrate.

He promptly rattled off all the passages he could still recite.

More fluently than he’d ever done before.

Magistrate Tian then asked him to explain their meanings.

That part came more haltingly. Sometimes he even added his own plain-spoken interpretations.

Magistrate Tian understood the situation well.

He didn’t blame Yan Huaiwen for pushing so hard. This wasn’t a matter of being slow-witted – it was a lack of diligent study.

After all, he had abandoned his studies for years. Picking them up again wouldn’t be easy.

The best approach was to start from the beginning.

But if he were lumped in with the youngest pupils, it would be a waste, since he had studied once before.

In that case…

He would simply need to accelerate the teaching and make the coursework more rigorous.

With intense study, he was bound to make progress!

Magistrate Tian made up his mind.

His tone grew noticeably warmer.

“Huai’an, since you’re here, you might as well settle in. You’re here now, so why not stay and study for a few days? If in the end there’s no improvement, I will speak with your brother myself and arrange for your early return home. How does that sound?”

Yan Lao’er’s whole face seemed to light up. “Of course, that sounds great. Many thanks, Magistrate.”

“Your nephew is still in the academy, and as his uncle, you should at least maintain some dignity. Here’s what we’ll do. From now on, I’ll personally oversee your progress. During the noon break and after court is adjourned, come find me in the rear courtyard. I’ll assign your lessons personally.”

(End of chapter)