After the topic of the Jiaowei Zither had come to an end, Cai Yong once again devoted himself fully to playing.
As he plucked the strings, he kept an eye on the audience’s reaction.
Seeing how everyone was entranced by his music, Cai Yong—despite being over forty—couldn’t help but feel a little smug.
His gaze eventually landed on Liu Bei.
Although Liu Bei didn’t match the Romance of the Three Kingdoms description of having arms that reached his knees and ears that hung down to his shoulders, he was still a handsome and refined young man.
Cai Yong’s expression grew more puzzled as he studied Liu Bei.
‘Which noble family does this fine young man belong to?’ he wondered.
‘Why does he seem completely unfamiliar?’
If some court official had such a graceful and handsome son, surely word would’ve spread long ago.
Unable to figure it out, Cai Yong simply asked aloud.
“The young man seated in the fourth seat on the right.”
Liu Bei was still immersed in the music.
As someone later known in history for his appreciation of the arts, Liu Bei’s musical sensibilities were quite refined.
As Cai Yong played, Liu Bei gently swayed to the rhythm, completely absorbed.
When Cai Yong suddenly addressed him, it took him a moment to register what was happening.
‘Wait…’
‘Fourth seat on the right…’
‘That’s me!’
Startled, Liu Bei quickly stood up and bowed apologetically.
“Forgive me, Master Cai. I was so captivated by your music that I lost myself for a moment.”
“No harm done,” Cai Yong replied with a smile, waving it off.
“If anything, I’m delighted that you appreciate my music so much. Why would I fault you for that?”
“I see…”
Liu Bei responded with a sheepish smile.
Cai Yong, now satisfied with the response, asked the question that had been nagging him.
“Tell me, whose son are you? Which family in court are you from? I don’t believe we’ve met before.”
“I’m Liu Bei,” Liu Bei answered with a deep bow.
“I come from a humble family in Zhuo Commandery, You Province. I am not a court official’s son. I’ve come to Luoyang simply to study under a teacher. My patron is Lu Zhi, Editor Lu.”
Hearing this, Cai Yong’s expression changed to one of surprise.
He even leaned forward from behind the table, momentarily forgetting to continue playing.
“Lu Zhi? So you’re also one of Lu Zhi’s students? Wait, did you say your name is Liu Bei?”
Liu Bei grew more confused upon seeing Cai Yong’s excitement.
“Master Cai… have you heard of me before?”
“Hahaha, of course I have!” Cai Yong laughed heartily as he stroked his beard.
“That fellow Lu Zhi used to mention you all the time back when he worked at the Eastern Library Pavilion. He told me you were a good student—but that you took a wrong turn and didn’t like to study much. Still, he believed you would straighten out in time.”
“I-I see…”
Hearing Cai Yong’s words, Liu Bei felt a mix of joy and embarrassment.
Liu Bei felt both pleased and awkward.
He was pleased that, out of over a hundred students, his teacher could still remember him—and even considered him a good student.
But he was also deeply embarrassed.
Even though his teacher thought so highly of him, he had completely let the old man down.
Instead of studying seriously, he had spent his days wandering around Luoyang, mixing with the wrong crowd.
After being thoroughly scolded by Bai Tiandeng during the day, Liu Bei had finally realized where he went wrong.
Now, thinking back to what he had said to his teacher just a few months ago, he could only laugh bitterly at his own foolishness.
‘So what if he could fool the privileged young nobles of Luoyang? What would that matter in the future?’
‘If he became an official without enough experience and knowledge, would he be able to fool himself? Fool the common people?’
Without proper learning and life experience, even if he were appointed to office, he would amount to nothing more than a mediocre official!
***
Late at night, the banquet at the Cai residence had ended.
The guests departed, each returning to their homes.
Liu Bei was currently staying at the Goushan Academy run by Lu Zhi, essentially living on campus like a boarding student in the modern day.
He hadn’t drunk much at the banquet, so he remained sober on the walk back to the academy.
Once he arrived at his residence, Liu Bei subconsciously turned toward Lu Zhi’s room.
It was already close to midnight, but there was still a soft glow of lamplight from within.
Realizing that his teacher had not yet gone to sleep, Liu Bei pressed his lips together for a moment, then suddenly showed a serious expression.
Without hesitation, he headed straight for Lu Zhi’s room.
He stopped outside and knocked on the door.
“Who is it?”
Lu Zhi’s voice came from inside.
Liu Bei responded softly.
“It’s me, Liu Bei—your student.”
“Liu Bei, huh…” A note of amusement appeared in Lu Zhi’s voice.
“Come in. The door’s not latched. What brings you here at this hour?”
Liu Bei opened the door and stepped inside, scratching his cheek awkwardly.
“I… there’s something I wanted to tell you. But Teacher, it’s already so late. Why haven’t you gone to bed yet?”
“I have to teach the disciples tomorrow, of course. I’m just preparing ahead of time to avoid any mistakes during the lesson.”
As he spoke, Lu Zhi picked up a sheet of paper from his desk, densely filled with writing, and showed it to Liu Bei.
At this time in the Han dynasty, most paper made by local workshops wasn’t suitable for writing.
Only a white paper made in Qingzhou, called Zuobo paper, allowed for smooth writing. In later times, it would be known as mulberry bark paper—named for the tree bark it was made from.
Because it was lightweight and easy to write on, Zuobo paper was highly prized among scholars.
However, since it required mulberry bark, the supply was limited.
Even wealthy households could rarely get their hands on more than a few sheets.
Only a renowned Confucian scholar like Lu Zhi, whose fame was known throughout the empire, could afford to use it for note-taking.
After all, scholars often exchanged gifts, and when paying respects to a scholar as esteemed as Lu Zhi, what better offering than Zuobo paper, the prized treasure of literati? As a result, Lu Zhi had an ample supply, more than he could use.
After explaining why he hadn’t yet gone to bed, Lu Zhi suddenly smiled and shook his head, teasing Liu Bei.
“But some kid doesn’t need to study at all. He can just go out and play whenever he wants. After all, he’s already memorized all the classics I have—there’s no need for him to keep studying, right?”
“Ahaha… well… about that…”
Liu Bei’s face immediately turned red with embarrassment at Lu Zhi’s teasing.
But those words actually solidified his resolve.
Suddenly, Liu Bei knelt down heavily and kowtowed three times to Lu Zhi, his voice filled with remorse.
“Teacher, I was wrong! I may have enough shallow knowledge in my head to trick some rich kids in Luoyang, but what about when I one day enter government service? Will that still be enough? I might be able to fool the nobles, but I can’t fool myself—and I definitely can’t fool the common people.”
“With the little ability I have now, if I became an official, I’d be nothing more than a mediocre one. But I don’t want to be mediocre. So Teacher, may I continue studying under your guidance?”
“Huh? You brat, how did you come to your senses so quickly?”
Lu Zhi didn’t immediately answer.
Instead, he looked at Liu Bei in surprise and asked the question with a hint of amusement in his tone.
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