Chapter 29: My Master is a Juren (Please bookmark and follow)

The living room of the Huang residence.

It appeared far more opulent than the living rooms of either the Li or Shan residences.

The flooring was exquisitely laid, and several porcelain ornaments bore the red stamps of official kilns. The calligraphy and paintings on both sides were the works of contemporary masters; in particular, the freehand landscape painting in the central hall was the work of the renowned Scholar Ouyang.

Wei Tu believed that this stance of his should make a shrewd man like Master Huang understand that he had no intention of clinging to the Huang family's wealth and status.

"Is Young Master Wei interested in calligraphy and painting?" Master Huang smiled upon seeing this. He knew well that martial artists from humble backgrounds were often particularly interested in such refined pursuits, even if they could not truly appreciate them.

Wei Tu shook his head.

He knew that at this moment, Master Huang likely held a stubborn prejudice against him.

Just as when he was redeeming himself from servitude, Lady Li had to hear twice that he intended to take the military examinations before she understood his meaning.

And at that time, he had spoken very clearly and analytically.

Master Huang's expression darkened slightly as he set down his teacup. "Young Master Wei, are you perhaps looking to hire a renowned master to study martial arts and military strategy, so that you may make up for your deficiencies in future examinations...?"

Master Huang had begun to admire Wei Tu. To be able to discern the relative importance of fame and fortune at a glance meant that a bit of wealth was naturally incomparable to the prestige of a military title.

—With a military title, one could fly as high as the heavens; a little wealth would be easily within reach.

However, Wei Tu's perceived greed still made Master Huang feel somewhat uneasy. It meant the Huang family would have to expend even more to satisfy him.

The sun set in the west.

Outside, a bleak north wind blew, making the withered bamboo branches in the courtyard creak and rustle.

The dim, yellowish sunlight filtered through the louvered shutters and fell upon Wei Tu, illuminating the surprise on his face so clearly that even the maid standing outside the door could see it.

Wei Tu turned his gaze toward the prosperous man sitting in the seat of honor and said earnestly, "There is no need for Uncle to worry about this matter. Wei Tu has a master to guide him; there is no need for the Huang residence to hire another..."

—He truly did not understand why Master Huang had thought of hiring a renowned master for him just now.

It was very strange.

"A master? He is likely not a renowned master. Then again, with your martial skills, if you had no master to guide you, you wouldn't have been able to develop them."

Master Huang was not surprised at all by Wei Tu's reaction. Among the gentry, the consensus regarding Wei Tu was that he lacked a *renowned* master, not that he lacked a master.

"Renowned master" and "master" differed by only one word, yet the distinction was vast.

Hearing this, Wei Tu straightened his posture solemnly and bowed to Master Huang. "Uncle, my master is indeed a renowned master. I hope Uncle will be careful with his words."

If Master Huang had merely belittled him, it would have been nothing; it was not uncommon for relatives to be at odds. But if the subject was his master, and he insulted his teacher, that became a very serious issue.

At best, it would lead to hostility.

At worst, it would lead to a vendetta.

Instantly, the hall fell silent.

"Cui Liu," the maid from the second branch who was keeping watch outside the door, grew anxious. Wei Tu's words were a direct confrontation with Master Huang.

She knew that for the Second Madam, Wei Hong, to have Master Huang acknowledge Wei Tu as a nephew, she must have exerted considerable effort.

In terms of status, Wei Tu could not compare to the wealthy Master Huang at this moment. Master Huang's willingness to recognize Wei Tu as a nephew was an opportunity the Second Madam had worked hard to secure...

But now, Wei Tu's words had undoubtedly squandered all of Second Madam Wei Hong's efforts, and might even implicate her.

How could she not be worried and anxious?

"I... I was impolite." Master Huang's eyes narrowed slightly, and his expression turned somewhat unpleasant, but he maintained his etiquette and did not lose his manners.

He picked up his teacup, took a light sip, and then gave a look to the maid beside him, signaling her to see the guest out.

However—

Just as the maid was about to speak, using Master Huang's poor health as an excuse to escort Wei Tu out, Wei Tu spoke again.

"Uncle, my master is Scholar Shan of Sanyuan Township. Master Shan is indeed a renowned master..." Wei Tu said slowly.

In the hall, the maid who was about to speak froze in her tracks. She stood obediently to the side with her head bowed.

The status of a military scholar.

In front of officials, it was naturally unremarkable, as there were many statuses higher than that of a military scholar.

But Master Huang was not an official; he was merely an ordinary merchant. Although his wealth was decent within the county town, he was not the kind of tycoon who could interact as an equal with high-ranking officials.

Furthermore, unlike civil scholars who had to wait for the Ministry of Personnel to be appointed as officials, once one became a military scholar, they could be directly commissioned as a military officer and serve in local government.

Master Huang would still be polite to a civil scholar, let alone a military scholar.

"So... Young Master Wei is a disciple of Scholar Shan. It seems... Uncle guessed incorrectly and almost did harm while trying to do good..." Master Huang's expression changed again, and a smile spread across his face.

He picked up his teacup once more and sipped the Cloud Mist tea, which cost three taels of silver per ounce, to soothe his throat and mask his embarrassment and trepidation.

A disciple of a military scholar was naturally nothing special, especially since he was not the biological son of the scholar and could not inherit his wealth and prestige.

But... a disciple of a military scholar who had lifted "five hundred catties" was different.

That was a potential "Master" in the making!

A young military officer, not yet thirty!

Since ancient times, the common people did not contend with officials.

Master Huang knew the consequences of offending a future local military officer. Even if the officer's jurisdiction did not overlap with his, officials protected their own, and authority could be "borrowed" between them.

When that time came, even if Wei Tu did not destroy the Huang family, causing them great harm would be an easy task.

As for whether his claim of being a disciple of Scholar Shan was true...

Master Huang did not believe Wei Tu would dare to lie or joke about such a matter.

Besides, if it weren't true, Wei Tu would not have so easily rejected his offer to hire a renowned master.

"You are too kind, Uncle." Wei Tu sat back down and also took a sip of the Cloud Mist tea.

Since arriving in the county town, his composure in the face of the Li and Huang families stemmed not only from confidence in his own martial prowess but also from confidence in his background.

This background was sufficient to allow him to speak as an equal with the heads of the Li residence and Master Huang.

"Young Master Wei, as you are participating in this year's military examinations, are you confident in obtaining a title?" Master Huang's expression returned to calm as he asked with a smile.

"It is hard to say..."

"I have the results from the county exam's weight-lifting test. Even if my performance in the subsequent stages is somewhat lacking, I can still be recommended for the prefectural exam..."

"However, competition at the prefectural level is fierce. It is difficult for your nephew to be confident in securing the status of a *tongsheng* (student) through it," Wei Tu said, shaking his head.

As he spoke, he was careful with his wording, changing his self-reference from "Wei" to "your nephew" to show intimacy.

In the hall, the two conversed freely and cheerfully.

Shortly after, Wei Hong entered briskly, leading a teenage boy dressed in green. She came to Wei Tu's side and instructed the boy, "Yuanshan, quickly greet your cousin..."

Half an hour ago, she had heard from the maid "Cui Liu" that Wei Tu was a disciple of Scholar Shan. Without a moment's delay, she rushed to the inner quarters to wake up the sleeping Huang Yuanshan, telling him to pay his respects to his maternal nephew, who was destined for a bright future.

"Cousin," Huang Yuanshan called out, a hint of reluctance on his face.

"You child," Wei Hong pinched Huang Yuanshan's ear, somewhat frustrated by his lack of initiative.

"Second Aunt, Yuanshan is still immature," Wei Tu smiled.

It was then that he noticed Wei Hong had changed her makeup, which looked slightly different from what he had seen at the City God Temple.

Wei Tu did not know that this was the "Golden Vermilion" makeup Wei Hong had applied specifically to please him; he merely assumed that wealthy families had many etiquettes and required fresh makeup for meetings.

Thus, he took a glance and then looked away.