Chapter Thirty-Four: Clear Wind and Bright Moon

  Yang Yidao and Tang Hu stood guard at the gate, leaving only Li Qing and the three people of Qingfeng Xiyue in the room. Li Qing nodded slightly, looking around this simple schoolroom. Although it was very simply decorated, after the two women had made some slight arrangements, it seemed to have a somewhat scholarly atmosphere. On the wall hung several couplets with inscriptions, including those from several high-ranking officials of the current government, such as Lu Yiming, Shang Haibo and Xu Yunfeng. On the other side were several unsigned standard regular script calligraphy pieces, whose characters were soft but elegant and refined, quite pleasing to behold, probably written by Qingfeng Xiyue herself.

  Li Qing's gaze fell on the couplet written by the two girls, and they couldn't help but feel a little flustered. They had heard that this general was not like ordinary rough men, but a refined and cultured young master from a good family, who had once won over the famous courtesan Jiangyan with a poem in Dingzhou. They couldn't help but feel a little nervous, as they were both born and raised in a deep boudoir, although they had some talent, they knew they couldn't compare to Jiangyan.

  Sister Qingfeng's face flushed with a red glow, and she said in a low voice: "General, I'm sorry, this humble woman carelessly painted a duck, but it has stained the general's law-abiding eyes."

  "No, no, I think each of these calligraphy pieces has its own unique charm. Mr. Shang's piece is bold and expansive, with a hint of military spirit between the lines - if I didn't know him well, I'd have thought it was written by a seasoned veteran. On the other hand, Mr. Lu's strokes are always measured, leaving room for further expression, which suits his cautious nature perfectly. And County Magistrate Xu's piece is robust and powerful, with a strict and meticulous structure - not a single stroke out of place. These two pieces must have been written by the two young ladies - although their wrist strength may be slightly lacking, they make up for it with elegance. As the saying goes, 'calligraphy reveals one's character' - our ancestors were indeed truthful!"

  Qingfeng looked at Li Qing and thought to himself, "It's said that this general is a Confucian general, and it seems to be true." "General, your eyes are like torches, I am deeply impressed."

  Jingyue, on the other hand, was more lively than Qingfeng. "I've heard that General's poem and lyrics can subdue Taoran's tea smoke. I wonder if my sister and I are lucky enough to see General's treasure?"

  Li Qing smiled slightly, sizing up the two sisters. Perhaps because she was younger, Xi Yue seemed to have emerged from the pain of that disaster, with a hint of joy between her eyebrows. But it wasn't so for Qing Feng; although she forced a smile, in the depths of her eyes, there was still an unmistakable tinge of sorrow.

  "Alright, since I'm here, I'll leave a calligraphy piece for these young ones." Li Qing intended to discreetly inquire about the sisters' background, to see if there was anything he could do to help them, and didn't mind writing a piece of calligraphy.

  The moon was delighted to prepare the pen and ink, spread out the paper, and looked at Li Qing with expectant eyes. Li Qing walked over, concentrated for a moment, and suddenly picked up the pen, writing two lines of large characters in one breath: "A path leads to the mountain of books, diligence is the key; The sea of learning has no bounds, hard work is the boat!" After signing his name at the end, he said with a smile: "These days have been busy with military affairs, and I haven't picked up a pen to write in a long time. It's a bit awkward. You two are experts, please don't laugh."

  The clear wind and the bright moon did not make a sound, but only stared at Li Qing's calligraphy. Li Qing's handwriting was in the style of Yan Zhenqing, with strong and vigorous strokes. This kind of handwriting had never been seen before in the Great Chu, although it had been written in Taoran House, it was treasured by Mingyan as a precious thing, carefully collected, except for Huan Ji, there really wasn't anyone who had seen it.

  "Wow!" Xi Yue exclaimed after a while, "General, you really have good handwriting. Sister, I had so many words pasted at home before, but none of them were written as well as this 'general' character!"

  Li Qing's heart moved slightly. Her family had collected many couplets, it seemed that these two were indeed the daughters of a scholarly official family who had read poetry and books for a long time.

  "Sit down and talk!" Li Qing sat down by the fire with a big smile, reversing host and guest. "Today is a rare day off, it's great to have a good chat with you two girls!"

  The two women sat down, their faces filled with anxiety. They were both beautiful, but it was this beauty that had brought them trouble. Li Qing's arrival today was unintentional, or so she thought. Since her misfortune, she had been heartbroken and knew her life was already ruined. Although she had lost the will to live, she was still a proud person and did not intend to serve others again. She just wanted to live a simple and quiet life, hiding her identity and surname, and that would be enough. But if Li Qing had other ideas, how should she deal with it? Now that they were both unable to return home, where could they go if Li Qing also had other plans? The world was vast, but where could the two of them find a place to settle down?

  Qingfeng was deep in thought, but Jingyue asked excitedly: "General, you are indeed a good calligrapher, but I don't know whose work this is. I've never seen it before."

  Li Qing smiled and said, "I didn't copy from anywhere, I just wrote whatever came to mind." Upon hearing this, Xi Yue's face was filled with even more admiration. Her beautiful eyes blinked repeatedly as she gazed at Li Qing, her eyes shining like little stars. This was truly a unique font, it was incredible!

  Qingfeng thought to himself, took a clay pot from beside the fire and poured hot water into a coarse ceramic cup, saying softly: "The school is simple, General, have a cup of hot water?"

  Li Qing took the cup of water, but didn't drink it. Through the rising steam, he seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, then suddenly said: "The two young ladies' family background is profound, I suppose you're not from an ordinary family?"

  As soon as the words came out, both Qingfeng and Jiyue's faces changed drastically, their faces turned pale white, they lowered their heads and remained silent, even the lively Jiyue hung her head down.

  "Now that you've escaped from the barbarians, why don't you go home? Your parents must be worried sick, and it's hard to sleep at night. Why do you want to stay in Chong County and suffer?" Li Qing said, seeing their conversation and knowledge, Li Qing knew that these two should be noble ladies.

  The room was silent, and after a while, Qingfeng slowly raised her head. "General, do you know that my sisters and I have suffered misfortune, lost our innocence, how can we return home?" The wound that had been difficult to forget was reopened, and the pain in her heart was like a knife cut. Tears were already falling down, and Xueyue covered her face with both hands.

  Li Qing found it somewhat strange that the two of them didn't react, and asked in return: "Why can't you go back? Having survived a great calamity, your parents at home must be overjoyed and eagerly awaiting your return."

  Qingfeng suddenly lifted his head, with some anger in his heart. This Li Qing was also from a wealthy and noble family, how could he not know? Why did he humiliate my two sisters like this? But looking at Li Qing's face, it didn't seem fake, his expression was sincere. For a moment, he didn't know what to do, then sighed: "General, don't you know that my two sisters have already lost their innocence? Even if they return home, our father will probably only give us three feet of white silk and a cup of poisonous wine!"

  Li Qing finally came to his senses, realizing that he was still a modern person at heart. He didn't know how important it was for women to maintain their chastity during this time period. If it were an ordinary family, it wouldn't be a big deal; poor people would be lucky to marry a wife and as long as she came back alive, it would be fine. However, the more prestigious the family, the more they valued this matter. No wonder these two sisters could only live in this place? Li Qing cursed the evil old society in his heart.

  "It's all my fault." Li Qinglong sighed, "In that case, the two young ladies can at least ask someone to send a letter to report their safety!"

  "Long ago, I died. Qingfeng has forgotten the past and only wants to live a peaceful life here. Even if we were to send a message back, it would only bring shame to our family. We beg of you, General, to have mercy and take us in."

  Li Qing was speechless, thinking that if these two really delivered the message back, their family might even send someone to force her and her sister to death.

  "Well, in that case, you can rest assured and stay here. Forget about the past and start your life anew, I believe you will definitely have a good ending." Li Qing felt that his words were somewhat pale, seeing two thin and frail beauties, he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret, "Do you live here?"

  Qingfeng said: "Yes, Lord Xu arranged for us two to teach children's literacy here. Our residence is in the small hut behind, it's just that the accommodation is simple and not convenient for General to go."

  Li Qing waved his hand and said, "If you two need anything, just go find me. Yang Yidao, take a look back at the two ladies and see what they lack, and prepare everything to send over to them."

  "Yes, General!" Yang Yidao replied loudly at the entrance.

  Qing Feng said gratefully: "Thank you, General."

  Li Qing stood up, and suddenly had an idea. He said: "You two are both very talented, but now there are too few people in Chong County who can read and write. My marshal's office is a laughing stock because of this. At present, except for me, there aren't many people who can read and write. You two only teach half-day courses every day, I don't know if you would be willing to go to my marshal's office to help me with some paperwork? These things are quite complicated and give me a headache, but for the time being, I couldn't find anyone to do it."

  What he thought in his heart was that if these two had something to do, they could relieve their sorrow a little.

  Qingfeng and Xiumei exchanged a glance, pondered for a moment, before Qingfeng said: "If the General doesn't mind, we two are willing to go and share the General's worries. We're just afraid that our knowledge is too shallow and might mess up the General's affairs."

  Li Qing saw that the two men agreed, and he was delighted. He said: "Very well, let's do it this way. You two will teach the children here in the morning, and in the afternoon you will go to my place to handle some documents. Everything will be provided for, just take what you need from me. Yang Yidao, inform Lord Xu about this matter."