A life of clearness

Chapter 2 Prince Ning’s Mansion

The day in Prince Ning's Mansion begins in the kitchen. At this moment, there is no sign of dawning, and a few stars are scattered in a corner of the sky.

The small door of the palace was opened. At this time every day, someone would deliver fresh ingredients through the alley. A fire was lit under the stove, and breakfast was prepared on the stove according to the standards of each master.

When the day began to break, the clear sound of birdsong could be heard from the trees. Maids dressed neatly were ready to help their masters get up. From time to time, maids shuttled through the courtyards, carrying food boxes in their hands, walking at a fast pace, but with a generous posture.

Rong Qing opened her eyes on time, not bleary-eyed as when she first woke up, but bright. She quickly got up, put on her clothes quickly and neatly, and put her hair into a bun. But after washing up, she suddenly stopped when she looked in the mirror.

The mirror is not a blurry bronze mirror, so some hidden changes can be detected.

Rong Qing held up the mirror and looked at it carefully. Her face was still the same as before, but a very fine line had quietly appeared at the corner of her eye.

The time that had stagnated for more than eight hundred years began to be counted again for her, when her realm completely fell to that of a mortal.

Time. Rong Qing sighed in her heart and put the mirror back to its original place with a normal look. She had already prepared herself for getting old.

It has been more than eight years since she came to Suicheng. She was originally just doing odd jobs in the academy, and later she was chosen by a female teacher and followed her to the Ning Wang Mansion three years ago. If Rong Qing's appearance had remained at the age of twenty without changing, it would have aroused others' fear.

There were three rhythmic knocks on the door, and a clear female voice rang out, "Mr. Yu, Rui'er is here to bring you breakfast."

"Come in." Rong Qing shouted outside.

The door opened and a petite girl came in. She was not a little girl, but she was very short, only reaching Rong Qing's chest.

The courtyard allocated to the female teacher and others in Prince Ning's mansion was naturally equipped with maids and old women. Rui'er was the maid responsible for taking care of Rong Qing's daily life.

Rong Qing was making morning tea, while Rui Er opened the lunch box and took out the hot porridge and snacks and placed them on the table. After doing all this, Rui Er retreated and waited at the door, waiting for Rong Qing to finish eating before coming in to clean up.

Rong Qing would not ask Rui'er to sit down and eat with her. Firstly, the maids and servants all got up early to eat before starting to work, and secondly, it was the rule of the mansion and there was no need for her to deliberately break it.

The kitchen had calculated Rong Qing's appetite very accurately, allowing her to feel just full after she had finished all the food on the table.

After calling Rui'er to come in and clean up, Rong Qing's fingers unconsciously turned the teacup, staring at the slightly trembling light-colored tea liquid. She suddenly asked, "Do you know what caused the commotion in the yard next door yesterday?"

Ruier's hand paused.

She bit her lip and stammered. "It should be Qiuxueyuan, cleaning it." Qiuxueyuan was the name of the courtyard next door. "Mammy said that some empty courtyards should be cleaned up recently to avoid dust accumulation for a long time and bring bad luck."

"Okay, don't be nervous." Rong Qing smiled and shook her head, "I'm just asking casually." She motioned for her to leave first.

Seeing Rui'er's more hurried steps than usual, Rong Qing's smile faded. As a former cultivator, she was more alert than ordinary people. Moreover, the commotion in Qiuxueyuan last night was not small at all.

The Qiuxue Garden next door had been an empty yard since she moved in. The yards here were used by the teachers of the children of Prince Ning. The servants should have cleaned up Qiuxue Garden last night, which showed that a new teacher was coming. However, she had never heard any news, so she had no idea who was coming and what he was teaching.

She was a little curious, but not too worried. At most, she was worried that if the new tutor of the young princess came, would the treatment of their courtyard be reduced?

After all, the little princess, the only daughter of Prince Ning, was given the title of princess at birth. Her only teacher at present is the one who brought Rong Qing into Prince Ning's mansion.

Master Guo was very famous in the whole Jing State. Although it was partly due to her being a woman, her rich knowledge was real. She taught at the Mingzi Academy in the capital for a long time. Later, when she was old, she came to the branch in Suicheng, partly for retirement and partly for her own research.

Naturally, the Ning Prince's Mansion would not miss such a good opportunity and invited Master Guo to teach the little princess.

Of course, Master Guo brought in more than just Rong Qing. There were also two commoner women who had followed her to study for a long time and could be considered half of her students.

Checking the little princess's homework is only a small part of Rong Qing's work. What she has to do every day is to consult and record a large number of classics such as official history, unofficial history and local chronicles preserved in Jing State, in order to find traces of a Taoist temple. Carts of books will be transported between the capital and Suicheng every month according to the progress on the book list. Without the assistance of magic or modern tools for retrieval, a mortal has to complete so much work every day, which not only tests his patience and perseverance but also his memory. Fortunately, Rong Qing, who was once a cultivator, still retains this advantage in her current body. This is also the reason why Master Guo chose Rong Qing.

After checking the little princess's handwriting and confirming what she needed to bring for today's teaching, Rong Qing carried her book box and went to pay her respects to Master Guo.

Master Guo will be sixty next year, but she has been calm and peaceful for a long time, and her spirits and energy are still very good. She has always been easy-going. Rong Qing and the other two took turns to follow her to teach the little princess, so she only asked the one on duty to come to her to say good morning, and then discuss the recent research progress after the class. As for the other two, they just need to do their own work well, and Master Guo didn't even think it was troublesome to say hello at such a short distance.

When Rong Qing arrived, Master Guo had just finished feeding her mynah bird.

Master Guo said calmly, "Sit down." But the starling was extremely excited, flapping its wings in the cage and calling out, "Rongrong. Rongrong."

Rong Qing had long been accustomed to it, and her expression remained calm at this moment. She handed the little princess's calligraphy to Master Guo, "This calligraphy, the princess has made great progress."

Master Guo flipped through it and nodded.

For scholars, especially children of nobles, practicing calligraphy is not a joke. Although the princess is young, she has been practicing the basic strokes for a whole year. After Master Guo approved her, she began to practice some simple characters. Because her wrist strength for writing has been trained, learning new characters is much smoother. Until recently, she began to give the princess some calligraphy copies and let her try to imitate.

"I feel that the princess is more familiar with Madam Yun's calligraphy. I found three copies of Madam Yun's calligraphy, all of which are less than 100 characters, suitable for the princess to practice." Rong Qing has been working with Master Guo for a long time, and has learned to think more before doing things. Although Master Guo has an easy-going personality, if Rong Qing makes any mistakes, he will definitely point them out immediately. He won't scold her, but it will be enough to make Rong Qing feel ashamed. That's why she is more thoughtful now and prepared Madam Yun's calligraphy so that Master Guo can choose.

"You are thoughtful." Master Guo was not stingy with praise. Looking at the calligraphy works that Rong Qing had selected, some of which were poems and some were essays, a look of satisfaction appeared on his face. "It's just right to use the official script works. Although the princess is naturally intelligent, there is no need to waste time on things she is not good at." Master Guo shook his head with a sigh. The older people are, the more they feel this way. "Life is short."

Rong Qing nodded silently, agreeing deeply.

(End of this chapter)