Chapter 20: Today We Drink; Tomorrow I Rise

“Excellent!”

Qin Yan was the first to leap up, striking the table. His face was red, whether from wine or excitement. “Ten years shut away behind a covered door! Who says a poor house cannot yield a jade? Tomorrow, watch me rise beyond the clouds!”

He strode to Wei Nisheng. “Child, did you compose that yourself?”

Nisheng nodded calmly. “Yes, Master Qin. I composed it just now.”

Qin sighed toward the heavens. “At ten, to have such breadth of mind and such talent…”

He turned to the guests, excited. “Listen to him! What ordinary person could match this child’s ambition? In my view, the one who will raise the Wei family to greatness is this spirited boy!”

The hall erupted in discussion. A servant had already brought Qin the sheet of paper, its ink still wet. Qin took it, intending to read the lyric again, but his gaze suddenly fixed on the characters. His pupils narrowed.

“What… what script is this?”

The guests gathered around. The characters were slender yet forceful, their edges sharp; the turns looked cut by knife and axe, yet possessed a striking, unusual beauty. Each character was like an unsheathed sword.

Zhou Yan, an assistant director in the Ministry of Works, leaned in and drew a sharp breath. “I’ve lived more than forty years and never seen such a script! Which master wrote this?”

Another upright scholar shook his head. “I’ve seen Chu Suiliang’s graceful style and Yan Zhenqing’s powerful hand. But this is neither clerical nor standard script, nor running or cursive. Could it be a school of its own?”

Once again, everyone stared at Nisheng in disbelief. “You wrote this?”

Oh no. I’d forgotten about that. Nisheng’s heart tightened. Slender Gold script had been a hobby in his previous life. He had liked the look of it and practiced for pleasure; carried away by his writing, he had used the wrong script.

He didn’t panic. His mind raced through the resources available to him. Then he raised his head and answered calmly, “Master Qin, I developed the script by studying and experimenting myself.”

“Yourself?” Qin’s eyes lit up. “How?”

“After my early lessons at four, I was placed in the side courtyard. There were no books there, so I often went to ‘clean’ the ancestral hall. It had several plaques my grandfather had inscribed.

“His characters were strong and slender, their sharpness restrained. I was curious and copied them every day. Later, when I occasionally had a chance to enter Father’s study, I saw an original work by Chu Suiliang of the former Tang. I liked its graceful freedom.

“Later still, I slipped into Grandfather’s study and found copybooks by Xue Ji and Xue Yao. The Xue brothers’ characters were lean and hard, with their edges fully exposed. I wondered what would happen if I combined Grandfather’s hand, Chu Suiliang’s grace and the brothers’ lean strength.

“For seven years in the side courtyard, with little else to do, I studied and practiced every day. In time, this is what emerged.”

Qin was silent for a long while. He looked at the ten-year-old with admiration. “You mean… you created a script of your own?”

Nisheng shook his head slightly. “I wouldn’t dare call it an invention. I merely combined the strengths of those before me and learned a little.”

“Combining their strengths to make a style of your own…” Qin sighed. “If that isn’t creating one, what is?”

Zhou Yan patted Mingde’s shoulder. “Brother Mingde, the Wei family is destined to prosper.”

Another scholar exclaimed, “Lord Wenduan’s spirit must be smiling in the next world.”

All eyes rested on Nisheng, filled with wonder and praise. No one doubted him: the sharpness of Slender Gold script perfectly matched the spirited boy’s character. A child who had drawn a sword to kill a slave at ten could naturally write characters with such exposed edges. The pride and ambition in his lyric, paired with that incisive hand, seemed made for each other.

Qin took Nisheng’s hand and said solemnly, “Child, I’ve taught for decades and seen countless gifted students. But you… If you’re willing to work hard, you will surely become a great master of your generation.”

Nisheng bowed. “You praise me too highly, Master Qin. I don’t deserve it.”

Qin laughed. “You do! Does your script have a name?”

Nisheng paused. This age had no name for Slender Gold. After a moment he said, “Not yet. If you wouldn’t mind, Master Qin, would you give it one?”

Delighted, Qin stroked his beard and studied the writing. “The characters are slender and upright, sharp as swords, yet full of strength of character. How about ‘Slender Gold’?”

So it had come back to the same name after all. Nisheng smiled inwardly, but answered respectfully, “Thank you for the name, Master Qin. From now on it will be called Slender Gold.”

Qin liked the script more each time he looked at it. “Mingde, your second son is exceptional!”

Mingde smiled awkwardly, unsure what to say. Qin continued holding Nisheng’s hand, talking on. “The script’s edges are too exposed. You may use it yourself, but in the examination hall you’ll need something neat and rounded…”

Nisheng nodded. “I know. Later I practiced standard script again in preparation for the examinations.”

Qin stared, then laughed. “Good! You know what you want and when to hide your edge. If you need anything in future, you may come to the Imperial Academy and find me.”

Nisheng immediately bowed deeply. “Thank you for your kindness, Master Qin.”

Qin nodded, visibly pleased. Shouzheng stood beside them, face livid, but dared say nothing. Looking at Nisheng’s sword-sharp characters and then at his own conventional, unremarkable lyric, he saw the difference: one was a heaven-given talent, the other an ordinary boy.

……

The banquet continued, but its atmosphere had changed completely. Qin no longer looked at Shouzheng; he kept Nisheng beside him, asking about his reading, his calligraphy practice and his understanding of the classics. Nisheng answered readily, with composure and occasional modesty that made him appear all the more admirable.

The guests’ eyes followed the ten-year-old.

“Today we finally know which of the Wei family’s two jades is the true treasure.”

“He will surely achieve great things.”

“If Lord Wenduan were here, how happy he would be.”

Mingde sat in the host’s seat, unsure what he felt. Yesterday he had told the wretch to kill himself. Today the boy was the genius everyone admired. Mingde could only sit there smiling awkwardly at his colleagues’ compliments. How many contained sincere admiration, and how many concealed mockery?

……

As the night deepened, the banquet ended and the guests departed. Qin reluctantly released Nisheng’s hand. “Child, when you have time, visit my residence. You may read anything in my study.”

Nisheng bowed. “Thank you for your kindness, Master Qin. I will call on you for guidance.”

Qin nodded and turned to Mingde. “Give your second son a good education. Don’t let this uncut jade go to waste.”

“Rest assured, Master Qin, I certainly will…”

Qin smiled and departed in his carriage.

At last everyone was gone. Only the Wei family remained in the main hall, with a table full of leftovers. Nisheng looked at Mingde, Lady Cui and Shouzheng. “Father, Mother, Elder Brother, if there’s nothing else, I’ll return to the side courtyard.”

Without waiting for an answer, he turned and left. Outside, the night breeze carried an early spring chill. Wei An was waiting at the door and quickly draped a cloak over his shoulders.

“It’s cold at night, Second Young Master.”

Nisheng nodded and pulled it close. They walked back over stone paving washed in moonlight.

“Second Young Master,” Wei An said quietly, “after today, your reputation is established.”

Nisheng didn’t answer. He looked up at the moon, remembering the lines he had just written: “Today, let every cup of wine be drained; tomorrow, watch me rise beyond the clouds.”