Chapter 96: Questions and Answers

“Yuan Jie, why do I always meet noble people whenever I’m with you? Last time it was the Crown Prince, and now it’s the Princess of Zhou. Perhaps the King of Zhou and Master Yao are in there too!”
“What’s that compared to? The first time I met Yuan Jie at the Yang family’s residence, he not only brought Scholar Xiao Yang but also brought the emperor and Crown Prince, who were on an incognito tour!”
“Ahem, if only Yuan Jie could not only attract nobles but also bring wealth and treasures!”
Although Princess Chenliu and Du Wan entered the middle room together, all the burly guards stayed outside. Zhang Yue and the others didn’t dare enter rashly, so they waited outside, chatting idly out of boredom. Zhang Yue, who was under constant attack, rolled his eyes in exasperation and ignored those three gloating guys, staring instead at a few magpies fighting on the roof tiles.
After a long while, movement finally came from the middle room. The door curtain was suddenly pulled up by a hand, revealing a head wearing a headdress styled like “unified mountains and rivers.” Though dressed in typical male attire, the untidy strands of hair on his forehead and his overly delicate face sparked some strange thoughts, while his clear, melodious voice confirmed the four people’s suspicions.
“Master Yao is in the inner room and has agreed to see you, but one by one. The King of Zhou is playing chess with the young lady, and the princess is watching. Be quiet so as not to disturb them. Who’s first?”
Though they weren’t sure whether this girl in male clothes belonged to the Zhou family or the Du family, her words brought good news, so the four of them discussed it briefly. As expected, Wan Shijie had been most eager for this trip to Qixia Temple from the start, so he volunteered to be the first to enter the room. But after just a short while, he came out, clearly excited. Soon after, Fangling and Sun Han entered in turn, and when they came out, they too looked overjoyed.
Seeing Sun Han come out, Zhang Yue stepped up the steps and entered. The spacious room had wooden floors, two scrolls hanging on the walls—both in almost unreadable cursive script. There were four ink painting screens on one side, a blue-and-white porcelain vase on a small table in the corner, and a chess table in front of the inner wall. Everything exuded a strong Tang Dynasty style.

Fighting against each other on either side of the chess table were an old man and a young man. The older one was in his fifties, with a streak of gray beard on his chin, exuding an air of noble dignity despite himself—none other than King Zhu Tu of Zhou, whom Zhang Yue had met before. The younger one was Du Wan; she was using the black pieces, completely absorbed in the game and unaware of anything else.

Seeing King Zhou sweating, Zhang Yue found it amusing and then entered the inner room. Compared to the outer room, the furnishings here were simpler. There was a wooden stand for candles by the wall, and an old monk sat on a mat nearby. The monk’s face, full of wrinkles, was rather ugly, clearly showing signs of old age, yet as he sat cross-legged in a drowsy state, he still appeared full of vitality.

By now, the curtain had been drawn behind him, but Zhang Yue did not speak right away. Instead, he observed the old monk carefully for a while before bowing and saying, “Your humble student, Zhang Yue, pays his respects to Master Daoyan.”

Upon hearing the name Daoyan, the old monk suddenly opened his triangular eyes, and any trace of laziness vanished. After studying him for a while, he couldn’t help but smile. “Since I resumed the Yao surname, even the emperor addresses me as ‘Young Master.’ Few people still use the name Daoyan these days. You’re quite bold! I’ve been in seclusion for many years, only interacting with a few old friends. I met you four today at the request of that girl from the Du family—after all, I owe her a great favor. I can allow you to ask one question, or I can tell you what the first young man asked about achieving success, and what the next two asked about having a bright future. What do you want to ask?”

It was then that Zhang Yue understood why Wan Shi Jie and Sun Han from Fangling had looked so pleased after leaving. But as for what he wanted to ask, he was somewhat hesitant. As a member of an aristocratic family, he certainly didn’t lack for food and clothing in this life. As for wealth and glory, those were easy to obtain but hard to maintain, and he didn’t think such knowledge could be taught. As for achieving success, that required careful, step-by-step effort and personal experience. After thinking it over, he suddenly had an idea.

“To be honest with you, Master, I came here purely out of curiosity, not to seek answers. But since you mention it, and my three friends have already asked, I would like to ask as well: how can I ensure that my parents and family live long lives?”

Upon hearing these words, Daoyan, who had been smiling indifferently, was instantly stunned. He stared intently at Zhang Yue before suddenly bursting into laughter. The laughter lasted for a long time, until he himself could laugh no more. Then he looked at Zhang Yue and asked, “Young man, why don’t you ask about glory or wealth?”
Zhang Yue remained calm and said solemnly, “Whether it’s glory or wealth, one must first have a long life to enjoy them. Having many servants at one’s command is great, but if there’s no one to share that wealth and glory with, isn’t loneliness unbearable? As an ordinary person, I naturally also desire power, wealth, and glory. But just because our ancestors succeeded by following a certain path doesn’t mean others will succeed by doing the same, as times and circumstances change. That’s why I only want to ask the master how to help my parents and loved ones live a long life.”
“No wonder someone as noble as the crown prince also praised you as an honest and remarkable person,” Daoyan said, unable to suppress a laugh. Then he glared at Zhang Yue irritably and said, “Since you pretend to be foolish, don’t try to trick this old monk with such questions. If you have anything to ask or say, just say it directly.”
When Daoyan had just laughed, the two people playing chess outside were also disturbed. King Zhou Zhu Tu was awakened by the laughter. As he calculated his moves on the chessboard and realized he was about to lose again, he became furious and said, “Why is the tutor laughing at this moment? I’m losing again! Damn it! I don’t know how many times I’ve lost to that girl Du in these three days!” With that, in anger and embarrassment, he threw the chess pieces back into the box, swept his sleeves, and left the room.
Princess Chenliu, used to her father’s lack of grace after losing at chess, simply chuckled and paid no attention. Glancing toward the inner room, she winked at Du Wan and asked smilingly, “Sister Wan, didn’t you used to hold some resentment toward your father for abandoning you and your mother back then? Why are you being so kind to your senior brother now? You even went to ask that old monk for him.”
“The princess already said he’s my senior brother. Shouldn’t I help him when it counts?”
Du Wan smiled, unfazed by Princess Chenliu’s teasing. As she gathered the chess pieces, she couldn’t help but glance toward the inner room, feeling puzzled. She had known Monk Daoyan for some time now and knew that he rarely saw outsiders. Even toward King Zhou, he was indifferent. If not for her request, he wouldn’t have met them four, let alone show kindness and support for the younger generation like her father once had. So why was there no further reaction after he laughed?