Chapter 2667: The Capital (Part 23)

"That, I will tell you later. For now, you need only follow me and study diligently." The Teacher deflected the question.

Zhou Lezhi had heard from Wang Liang that the Teacher was a man from the Yongle Era—that he had once sailed the seas with the Sanbao Eunuch and cultivated the Dao until he achieved immortality overseas. Most people, of course, dismissed this as the typical boasting of monks and Taoists, not worth taking seriously.

Still, there was something undeniably strange about the Teacher. His face appeared no older than thirty, yet his knowledge and learning ran impossibly deep. This alone lent some credence to the notion that he might have mastered the art of eternal youth.

Whenever others spoke of his supernatural powers, however, the Teacher would demur with great humility, insisting he was merely a mortal who had been fortunate enough to obtain a small measure of "wisdom root."

As for what this "wisdom root" actually was, everyone in the Wang residence guarded the secret closely. Even Zhou Lezhi, despite his status as a "disciple," remained in the dark. This only deepened the aura of mystery that surrounded the Teacher.

After following the Teacher for a few days, Zhou Lezhi was roused one night just after falling asleep. Wang Liang had come to summon him for an audience with Master Wang.

Zhou Lezhi already knew that Master Wang served as Chief Official of the Office of Transmission—an impossibly lofty position for a commoner like himself. The prospect of a private audience made his heart quiver with apprehension.

He dressed hastily and followed Wang Liang through a maze of winding paths to a secluded courtyard. Upon entering the chamber, he found a middle-aged man seated in the center, his bearing stern and imposing. It was Zhou Lezhi's first time standing before such a high official. His knees buckled, and he dropped to the floor with a thump, pressing his forehead to the ground.

"You are that child?"

"Yes, yes, this lowly commoner is he," Zhou Lezhi replied quickly.

"Has Wang Liang explained everything to you?"

"Yes, he instructed this lowly commoner to study under Mr. Zhou and become his disciple."

"You must learn from Mr. Zhou with the utmost diligence," Master Wang said, nodding slightly. "Mr. Zhou possesses vast learning and extraordinary insight, and it is rare indeed that he is willing to take on a student. You must not grow complacent."

"This lowly commoner would never dare!" Zhou Lezhi kowtowed again hurriedly, then realized his answer sounded improper and quickly amended, "This lowly commoner will dedicate his very life to learning!"

"Hehe, risking your life won't be necessary. So long as you understand its importance. This represents a great future for you."

"I humbly ask the Master to continue guiding me." Sensing that Master Wang's words were gentle admonitions rather than reprimands, Zhou Lezhi relaxed slightly and hastened to express his loyalty.

"Good child." A faint smile seemed to cross Master Wang's face. "Since you have come to my residence, it must be fate. Work hard, and I will not treat you unfairly. Earning a future for yourself and bringing glory to your ancestors—these need not be difficult things."

Zhou Lezhi was not the most perceptive of young men, but he understood Master Wang's meaning clearly enough: he was being taken on as a personal retainer. The implication was plain—he should recognize where his primary loyalty lay. His relationship with Master Wang as servant to master came first; his status as the Teacher's disciple was secondary.

He spoke quickly. "This servant understands. If the Master has any orders, he need only command me!"

"Naturally, you must apply yourself wholeheartedly to your studies with Mr. Zhou." Master Wang paused, seeming to weigh his next words carefully. "Do not harbor any disrespectful thoughts toward him. However, he resides alone in my household. As his employer, I cannot help but concern myself with his welfare. Yet I am occupied with many matters and cannot attend to every small thing—keep an eye on him for me."

This was an order to monitor the Teacher. Though somewhat unexpected, Zhou Lezhi felt no qualms about accepting immediately.

After all, he had only been with the Teacher for a dozen or so days. There was no deep bond between them to speak of, nor had he seen any tangible benefits. When he considered it honestly, even the Teacher's food, clothing, and lodging were provided by Master Wang. What reason would he have to develop independent loyalties?

"This servant understands!"

"You are indeed a clever one," Wang Yehao praised. "From now on, if you have anything to report, speak to Wang Liang privately. There is no need to mention such matters in front of others."

"Yes [Nuo]." Zhou Lezhi bowed deeply.

"If there is an urgent matter, you may also come directly to me." Wang Yehao fixed Zhou Lezhi with a stern gaze.

From that day forward, Zhou Lezhi began his dual career as student and spy.

In truth, apart from occasionally spouting inexplicable words and appearing somewhat unhinged, Mr. Zhou said nothing particularly outrageous.

They did not remain in the capital for long. Zhou Lezhi followed the Teacher to Shaoxing Prefecture. This journey south had actually been Wang Yehao's idea; he had specially requested leave from the court. The official reason was "to repair his parents' graves," but in reality, there was also the matter of discussing land and property with his younger brother.

Zhou Lezhi knew nothing of these affairs. He simply followed along with the main party as they traveled south. Fortunately, they could take the Grand Canal for most of the journey. As an incumbent high official, Master Wang received support from local authorities at every turn—whether requisitioning boats, requesting services, or securing accommodations. Everything proved remarkably convenient. Traveling by boat also spared them the exhaustion of overland travel by cart and horse. During the long, tedious days on the water, the Teacher held his lectures aboard the vessel.

The content of these lessons, beyond that awkward "Teacher's Mandarin," now included arithmetic.

Zhou Lezhi had studied arithmetic before. The clan elders, concerned for the future of the clan's children, had once hired scholars skilled in mathematics to teach them. As a result, Zhou Lezhi not only knew how to use an abacus and solve problems like "chickens and rabbits in the same cage," but had also studied material from the Mathematical Manual of Zhang Qiujian and The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art.

Although most of what he had learned was practical in nature rather than theoretical, it covered considerable ground—plane geometry and area calculations, volume formulas, solutions to systems of linear equations, and more. He was no blank slate. Once he overcame his initial difficulty accepting the unfamiliar numbers and formulas, he soon immersed himself in the subject.

Zhou Lezhi could tell the Teacher was uncertain about exactly what to teach him. Sometimes he taught arithmetic; sometimes he lectured on the study of investigating things [Gewu/Science]. Other times he expounded upon the geographical patterns of mountains and rivers. In short, the Teacher seemed to understand everything, and his vast knowledge inspired genuine awe. There was just one glaring weakness: his calligraphy was truly abysmal. His handwriting looked as though a dog had crawled across the page, and it was riddled with vulgar simplified characters. As for composing poetry or crafting parallel couplets—that proved even more hopeless. Never mind comparing him to a proper scholar; even Zhou Lezhi, a child who hadn't yet passed his first formal examinations, far surpassed him.

Upon arriving in Shaoxing, the Wang family members returned to their ancestral home, while Zhou Lezhi and the Teacher's group were quietly dispatched to a separate villa.

At the villa, they resumed their leisurely routine of daily study, just as they had in the capital. If anything changed, it was that Master Wang transferred a pair of beautiful maids—a gift from the Prefect of Quzhou—to attend the Teacher, and assigned the Liu brothers to serve as the Teacher's personal guards.

After these beautiful maids arrived, Zhou Lezhi witnessed another side of the Teacher at this secluded property. Previously, though the Teacher lacked literary refinement, he had conducted himself as a modest gentleman, treating the maids and servant women of the residence with proper respect. Now Zhou Lezhi realized that his earlier composure had simply been because he hadn't yet encountered the right temptations.

Food and desire were, after all, basic human nature—nothing surprising there. But the Teacher's appetites proved truly uninhibited. As a disciple living in the same courtyard, Zhou Lezhi was himself a young man in the prime of his vigor. The sounds that carried through the walls every other night left him in torment, wishing he were dead. Come morning, the Teacher would appear radiant and refreshed, while his disciple could barely keep his eyes open.

Mr. Zhou stayed in Shaoxing Prefecture for quite some time and made a special trip to visit the Cao'e Temple. It was said that the Teacher's hometown lay in Shangyu County. But despite wandering throughout Shangyu, they never found the location of his ancestral home or family graves. Master Wang even asked the Prefect of Shaoxing to conduct an investigation, but nothing came of it.

Judging by the Teacher's daily demeanor, he seemed utterly indifferent to all of this. Zhou Lezhi suspected that his so-called "inspection tour" was mostly sightseeing, with no real intention of tracing his roots or honoring his ancestors. He never mentioned his forebears even once. This struck Zhou Lezhi as deeply strange—he who had grown up in a clan village, raised by the collective efforts of his kinsmen.

Zhou Lezhi naturally knew nothing of what Master Wang was doing in Shaoxing. He only observed that every three to five days, Master Wang would inevitably come to meet with the Teacher. The two would closet themselves away for private discussions. The Master also summoned Zhou Lezhi from time to time, asking whether the Teacher had displayed any abnormalities and how he conducted himself in private.

To all of this, Zhou Lezhi reported everything truthfully. Yet from the suspicious look in Master Wang's eyes, his employer seemed unsatisfied with these answers.

What exactly did this Mr. Zhou discuss with the Master that made him so eager to discover the Teacher's "true face"? Zhou Lezhi was deeply curious, though his curiosity mingled with unease.

Nevertheless, Master Wang's mood seemed quite good these days. Zhou Lezhi had grown familiar with Wang Liang, the Master's longtime attendant. According to Wang Liang, ever since Mr. Zhou had joined the staff, the Master's spirits had improved dramatically. He trusted Mr. Zhou implicitly, often consulting the Teacher before undertaking any major decision.

"Everyone says Mr. Zhou possesses the gift of foreknowledge. You're his disciple—has he taught you any of it?"

Zhou Lezhi shook his head with a laugh. "He teaches many things, but none of them have anything to do with divination. I've never even heard him speak of such matters."

"That makes sense. It's his livelihood, after all—how could he pass it on so easily? Without three to five years of study, I doubt you'll catch even a glimpse of its surface." Wang Liang clapped Zhou Lezhi on the shoulder, his expression envious. "Little brother, you're truly fortunate! With a master like that, whatever heights you reach in the future, at the very least you'll never want for food or drink."

"Uncle Wang flatters me. How could I possess such fortune? To serve Mr. Zhou and earn my bowl of rice in this residence—that already satisfies me beyond measure."

"Bah! You probably have no idea how much my Master values Mr. Zhou!" Wang Liang dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "The Master has staked half his career and fortune on him. You could say he obeys the man's every word!"

Zhou Lezhi was stunned. He had never imagined Master Wang's trust in the Teacher ran so deep. Doubt crept into his voice. "Although Mr. Zhou is clearly capable, everyone says he's a man without roots or background..."

"You're right about that, but the man simply has the ability. Not a single prediction has missed its mark. No wonder the Master trusts him so completely." Wang Liang's manner grew conspiratorial. "Just a few days ago, the Master instructed us to scout for suitable land around Dongyang and Jinhua. He's preparing to purchase property there—to establish a manor and gift it to Mr. Zhou as his own estate."

Zhou Lezhi's eyes went wide. He had no idea where Dongyang and Jinhua were, but Master Wang intended to gift Mr. Zhou an entire manor? Such generosity was truly extraordinary! What supernatural power did the Teacher possess that made Master Wang value him so greatly?

(End of Chapter)