Chapter Twenty-Eight: Persuasion

After much coaxing and teasing from the others, Big-Faced Treasure had no choice but to accept reality. If he hadn’t remembered that the ethereal Lin Sister was waiting for his attention, he would have probably made a scene for Qingwen’s sake. Lin Daiyu seemed oblivious the entire time, only casting glances at Shi Yi now and then. Shi Yi, in turn, responded with exaggerated winks and faces, causing Daiyu to frequently hide her laughter behind her sleeve.

It wasn’t until around noon that Lord and Lady Shi Ding took their leave from the Jia household, soon to depart the capital together. Shi Yi, however, remained behind; before leaving, Shi Ding entrusted Jia Zheng to keep a close eye on and guide Shi Yi in his studies. This came as no surprise—his opportunistic father had long harbored hopes of seeing him embark on an official career.

Shi Yi, sorting out his tangled thoughts, returned to the east wing. Though he would be staying for a while this time, his lodgings had not changed. As he stepped into the courtyard, he saw Qingwen standing by the door with a bundle in her arms, looking as delicate and pitiful as ever.

Shi Yi smiled slightly and approached, intending to pinch her cheek and tease her. But the girl dodged him. Standing there, Shi Yi chuckled and said, “Qingwen, this time you’ve lost.” Qingwen stubbornly lowered her head, saying nothing. When Shi Yi stepped forward, she awkwardly retreated a step; for every step he took, she took one back.

A bit vexed, Shi Yi said, “If you don’t come inside, you’ll have to sleep in the snow tonight.” Qingwen glanced at him cautiously, “Master Yi, you go in first.” Was this girl really so afraid of him?

Shaking his head, Shi Yi stopped bothering with her and went straight inside. Sitting at the writing desk, he pondered a while before picking up a wolf-hair brush and drawing on rice paper. He worked for over half an hour before finally stopping. The floor was littered with discarded papers; silently, Qingwen picked up each one he tossed aside.

Brows tightly furrowed, Shi Yi had been trying to improve the firing mechanism of a gun. He had drawn out the schematics and all the major components. On the surface, everything seemed complete, but upon closer inspection, something always felt off. Perhaps his fragmented memory was to blame; weapon blueprints demanded utmost precision—one careless mistake could doom the entire firearm.

Besides, according to his plan, improving the firing mechanism meant he had to update the entire design. But an upgrade meant not just the guns but the bullets too would need changing. With the current level of Dàshùn’s industry, even with the blueprints, could they truly manufacture such weapons?

But that wasn’t his concern. As long as the old man approved the schematics, everything else could be resolved. That meant not a single error could be allowed. Shi Yi wasn’t fully confident that what he had drawn was flawless; he couldn’t be certain he hadn’t forgotten some crucial detail.

After some thought, he decided to set the matter aside for now. This required extreme caution. If, at a glance, he felt something was wrong, then there must be a problem. Some things simply couldn’t be rushed, otherwise it would all be for nothing.

He glanced at Qingwen, who was sitting on the heated couch, distractedly sewing. The girl clearly hadn’t let go of her worries—this wouldn’t do. It was necessary to offer her some counsel.

Shi Yi walked over and sat before her. “Qingwen, from now on you are my personal maid. You must let go of all those old thoughts, especially anything about that Baoyu fellow.”

Qingwen pouted, “Master, you overthink it. I’m just a maid; serving someone depends on a single word from my betters. I wouldn’t dare pine after the household’s golden boy.”

Shi Yi flicked her forehead. Qingwen cried out, rubbing it, “Master, that hurt!”

Shi Yi’s face turned stern. “That’s a minor punishment. Next time, don’t be so self-deprecating. Now that you’re with me, it’s for life. Besides, I’m not so bad—why is everyone so eager to squeeze into Baoyu’s golden nest?”

He shot her a look. “Did you hear me? From now on, you’re no longer a member of the Jia household. No one but me can order you around. Isn’t that enough?”

“Oh!” Qingwen stuck out her little tongue and went back to her needlework.

Shi Yi pulled out a money pouch and tossed it to her. “Now that you’re my personal maid, you’ll be in charge of all my personal belongings and money. Do you know what ‘personal’ means?”

Qingwen gripped the money pouch tightly, nodding as if she understood. She surmised there must be at least several thousand taels in there. Her eyes sparkled.

Shi Yi nodded in satisfaction and said with a smile, “From now on, follow me and you’ll eat well and live well—much better than in this household.”

Qingwen nodded eagerly like a pecking chick, then quietly opened the money pouch. “Master, how much silver is in here?”

“Count it yourself,” Shi Yi replied, turning over to lie down with his hands behind his head.

Qingwen carefully stowed the pouch away, fetched a blanket from the cupboard, and covered him, then sat to the side rubbing her legs.

After a moment’s thought, Shi Yi sat up again. “Qingwen, go see if Miss Lin is taking her afternoon nap.”

Qingwen, not understanding, replied obediently and went off, soon returning to lift the curtain and say, “Master, Miss Lin is asleep.”

Shi Yi could only turn over and nap himself.

…

When he awoke, the sun was already setting. After lunch, Shi Yi felt refreshed and was about to seek out Daiyu for some conversation when Jin Chuan’er came to summon him: Jia Zheng wished to see him in the study.

He had no choice but to go there first. As expected, upon his arrival, Jia Zheng began by repeating his father’s admonitions, pressing him to study diligently in the library and forbidding him from going anywhere else.

Shi Yi sighed, flipping open a thick book. “Confucius said, ‘At fifteen, I set my heart on learning; at thirty, I stood firm.’” He read a few lines, then closed the book with a smile. “Uncle, I’m not taking the civil service exams. These books won’t do me much good.”

Jia Zheng was furious. Shi Yi hurried to support him, “My ambition is to win glory on horseback and become a great general. My father was just here today—why didn’t you tell him that!”

Jia Zheng snorted and sat back down. “Your father is determined you should study and enter government; he entrusted you to me only today. If I did as you say, wouldn’t that make me inconsistent and unreliable?”

Shi Yi’s eyes twinkled as he smiled, “Uncle, there’s no need to blame yourself. You want me to study, I’ll study—but I’ll focus on military strategy, and it’s my own idea, so even the old man can’t fault you. Besides, I truly don’t want to become a useless scholar.”

Jia Zheng pondered a while. “You may read military texts, but you must also study the classics. If your father asks in the future, it has nothing to do with me.”

“Alright, I’ll do as you say!” Shi Yi replied with a bow and a smile.

He had finally persuaded Jia Zheng, and this time it had gone surprisingly smoothly. In the end, the result was what mattered. If he’d really been forced to write those ornate essays, he’d rather heft a hundred-pound stone lock any day.

With the court beset by hidden currents, Shi Yi was convinced that the military was the swiftest path ahead. To abandon the martial for the literary would be a senseless waste of his strength.