Han Qian's thoughts

  "Father, did you see that scholar named Su Hao today?"

  In the inner courtyard of the Zhi County's house, Han Qian pretended to be nonchalant and asked her father, Han Wen.

  "Have you seen him? Didn't you see his sister Lu Xiuer?" Han Wen asked while changing out of his official uniform and into casual clothes, responding to his daughter's question.

  Han Qiantao said: "I saw that Lu Xiuer. Father, after you talked to Su Hang, do you really think this person is so amazing?"

  Han Wen usually likes to discuss some county government affairs with his wife and daughter. Yesterday, after receiving the news from Li Xing's report, Han Wen returned to the inner house and talked about Su Huan with his family. In the conversation, Han Wen had some disbelief in Su Huan's magical skills, so Han Qian asked the question now.

  When he heard his daughter's question, Han Wen nodded and said: "I examined him with Master Fang, it seems that this person's talent is not exaggerated, but has some real skills."

  "Could it be that he has studied divination and is skilled in observing the stars and reading the atmosphere?" Han Qian asked.

  "No, no." Han Wenzhong said, "Su Huo's learning is the Yi people's geomancy, which is quite different from our Great Ming scholarship. Listening to him, this Yi people's geomancy also makes sense, at least in terms of well-digging, it's more reliable than those feng shui masters."

  Han Qian was astonished: "How does Su Hao understand the principles of the barbarians? I heard Lu Xiuer say that he is just an ordinary scholar, and has only been to the county town a few times. Who did he learn the principles from?"

  Hanwen recounted Su Hao's words to Han Qian again, combining what Lu Xiuer had said, and the two came to a conclusion: that Su Hao had met a Buddhist monk while going into town to study one time, learned from him for a few days, then continued to enlighten himself, thus understanding some principles. If this guess was correct, then Su Hao's IQ and learning ability were both against the heavens.

  "Father, with a talent like this, have you managed to recruit him?" Han Qian asked.

  Han Wendi said, "That's natural. I originally intended to appoint him as a clerk in the workshop, but then thought that Taizu had an established order: those who served as clerks would never be allowed to participate in the imperial examination for their entire lives. I didn't want to hinder his future prospects, so I gave him the title of teacher and rewarded him with 20 taels of silver."

  "Father, as far as I know, this is the most generous reward you've ever given to your subordinates."

  Han Wenda said, "Adding flowers to brocade is not as good as sending charcoal in snowy weather. I can see that Su Huan is no ordinary person, his future prospects will far surpass mine, and who knows, one day I may still have to rely on him for support. Take advantage of the fact that he is still poor now, and give him a helping hand, so that everyone can speak easily when they meet in the future."

  Han Qian displeasedly said: "Father, you're speaking like this, it's a bit too pragmatic."

  Hàn Wén laughed and said: "Haha, no need to say it so pragmatically. I think Sū Hào is a rare talent, willing to help him achieve success as soon as possible and serve the country. Isn't this also a good thing?"

  "This is just about right." Han Qianjiao said with a pout, after finishing, she was silent for a moment, then pretended to be nonchalant and asked: "Father, from now on, since Su Huan will be working at the county government office, if I have anything I don't understand, can I also ask him for guidance?"

  "How can this be?" Han Wen was originally leaning on the chair, but when he heard his daughter's words, he immediately sat up straight. He looked into Han Qian's eyes and asked: "What do you want to ask him about?"

  Han Qian didn't dare to look directly at her father's gaze, and with her head lowered, she said: "I... I think what he said about the principles of things is quite interesting, these are things that aren't in books, so I wanted to ask him some questions."

  Han Wen shook her head: "You are a young lady, and it's already improper for you to show your face in public. Su Hao is after all a young man, and if you interact with him too much, you'll invite gossip."

  "What's there to gossip about!" Han Qian pouted, "If you old men also understood the way of things, I naturally wouldn't have gone to ask him for advice. I was just curious about that person's learning, and yet you're all thinking wildly."

  Han Qian's face changed, and Han Wen's attitude softened. There was no way, this daughter was his darling, spoiled since childhood, and it was really impossible for him to scold Han Qian severely. Compared with the Song Dynasty, the social atmosphere had become more open, and married or unmarried women could go out shopping, and some even didn't care about having an affair. Han Wen was a Zhejiang native, and from a young age, he had been influenced by a culture that valued freedom, so he didn't think his daughter's idea was too radical.

  "Hmm, if you're interested in geomancy, and want to learn from Su Huan, that's fine. How about this? I'll arrange for Su Huan to give a lecture to everyone, and you can just listen in with the crowd. That way, we can avoid any awkwardness." Han said compromisingly.

  "Thank you, Father," said Han Qianxi.

  "Qian'er, you're 16 this year and can't be as naive as before. I've arranged a few marriage proposals for you through someone, but you don't seem willing to accept any of them. What's going on? Do you have any thoughts about your future husband that you'd like to share with me?" Han Wen brought up his daughter's marriage while noticing her emotional state.

  In the Ming Dynasty, a 16-year-old girl was already at the age of marriage, but unfortunately, Han Qian disdained several young masters arranged by her parents, which had become a heart disease for Mr. and Mrs. Han.

  When Han Qian heard her father mention his own marriage, her face sank, but fortunately, she didn't run away this time. Instead, she replied solemnly: "Father, the people you and mother introduced to me are either the young master of the county magistrate or the nephew of the provincial governor. I've heard that these men all love wearing women's clothes, applying lipstick and powder, and they're even more skilled at dressing up than I am. So, after we get married, should I call them my husband or my sister?"

  "Absurd!" Han Wen was laughed at by Han Qian, but after thinking carefully, it seemed that what Han Qian said was indeed the case.

  During the Wanli era, a phenomenon known as "fashionable evil" emerged in some cities in Jiangnan. In modern terms, it refers to the emergence of unconventional dressing styles. Once, an official named Li Le went into town and was shocked to see that all the young scholars on the street had their hair tied with red silk threads, wore red lip balm, white powder on their faces, and rouge on their cheeks. As for their clothing, they were dressed in bright red and purple, wearing inner garments outside, even more extravagantly than women.

  It is said that after this official Li returned home, he was filled with emotion and revised an ancient poem as follows: Yesterday I arrived at the city walls, returning with tears streaming down; all those wearing women's clothes were actually scholars.

  It seems that this brain-damaged disease has been around for a long time, and it was already an epidemic during the Ming Dynasty. It is said that Li Shizhen once declared that there is no cure for brain damage, I guess he was referring to this matter.

  The Korean men introduced to her daughter, of course, are all good at pursuing fashion, learning from others to dress up as women and wear women's clothes, which is not surprising. But such a dress falls into Han Qian's eyes, it feels disgusting, where is the desire to interact with them again?

  "Alas, the hearts of men are no longer ancient, and the world's customs decline daily." Han Wen sighed, "Alright, I'll go find out which family's young master adheres to the sage's teachings, and then introduce him to you. However, you're already 16 years old, this matter absolutely cannot be delayed any further."

  "Father——" Han Qian's face turned red as she said in a nasal tone: "Where is the daughter not filial enough? You're so anxious to kick your daughter out. I think it's pretty good now, and I don't want to get married that early."

  Han Wen shook his head: "A girl is not allowed to stay at home, a 16-year-old girl, if she doesn't get married soon, it will be hard for her to find a good match in a few years. We are stuck in this small Fengcheng County, and it's hard to meet any talented scholars, those few in front were introduced by my colleagues from Nanchang."

  "Who says Fengcheng doesn't have any talented scholars? I think..." Han Qian blurted out, but before she could finish her sentence, she became so embarrassed that she couldn't show her face to anyone and hastily got up and ran away.

  Korean saw his daughter run away without finishing her words, and he was still a bit puzzled. After being stunned for a while, he suddenly slapped his thigh heavily: "It's bad, this girl must have taken a fancy to Su Huan!"