Chapter 230 Madam wants to see you

"Your last name is Wei?" Li Daoxuan asked puzzledly.

"That's right, my last name is Wei." The old man seemed to be relieved when he saw Li Daoxuan's puzzled expression. He said cheerfully, "It was me who opened the door for the young Taoist priest just now. I was a little puzzled when I heard that you wanted to see me, young master."

"Indeed not." Li Daoxuan shook his head and muttered, "Not like him."

After hearing this, Yao Nianchun folded his fan and said with a smile, "Even if I say so, there is no housekeeper named Qian in the mansion. I have been in the mansion for some time, so how could I not know this?"

Li Daoxuan did not respond to him, but looked at Steward Wei and asked, "I wonder if the old steward knows if there is anyone with the surname Qian in this mansion?"

"Qian?" Old man Wei frowned, lowered his brows and thought, then pounded his palms and said, "Old man, I have heard of someone with the surname Qian, but that was more than ten years ago."

"What happened more than ten years ago? Why don't you tell us about it, old butler?" Li Daoxuan was confused and continued to ask.

"Before the old man, there was indeed a butler named Qian. His name was Qian Bo. He had a very good relationship with the lady and was quite trusted by her. Later, he was on a business trip to Hangzhou and was burned to death on the boat by thieves. Every time the lady talked about this, she felt sorry for him."

"I've never heard my mother mention the surname Qian." Yao Nianchun sighed, "But since my mother cares about him so much, I guess the housekeeper Qian must have some special qualities, right?"

"Young Master, you don't know that Steward Qian is proficient in poetry, songs, and music, and is good at playing chess, calligraphy, and painting. Not only is Madam fond of him, but the Master also trusts him. If he were still alive, he would have followed the Master to the capital to manage things. I have also heard from others that Steward Qian was originally the son of a wealthy family, but later his family committed a crime and was exiled. But Steward Qian was lucky, and was spotted by Madam during exile and bought back, so he became a steward."

Listening to Old Man Wei's detailed story, Li Daoxuan seemed to be thinking deeply. It turned out to be such a person. No wonder he spoke so elegantly.

"Alas, such a talented person, but he died. What a pity." Yao Nianchun felt extremely sorry when he heard about Butler Qian.

He was a man who loved elegance and had a special preference for such men of letters and refined scholars. Qian Bo was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and could be considered the person he loved to talk to the most.

It’s just that he died early, and now all that’s left is regret.

"Let's not talk about that. The young Taoist priest is tired after coming here. I have prepared a room for him and asked the kitchen to prepare dishes. I will definitely entertain him well today."

Li Daoxuan was even more confused at this time, but he did not refuse Yao Nianchun's warm hospitality and went with him to the restaurant, where the two of them had a very pleasant conversation.

Young Master Yao is an eloquent and well-spoken person. He not only has a wide range of knowledge, but also knows many new and interesting things in the East and the West.

Li Daoxuan was not bad either. His knowledge was not comparable to that of Young Master Yao. He talked about all sorts of things and fooled Yao Nianchun so much that he was completely confused.

Things like the giant iron bird flying in the sky, the one-armed giant that can split mountains and rocks, and the iron box on four wheels that can travel a thousand miles a day, were described so vividly and magically that Yao Nianchun was fascinated and couldn't bear to leave such a world.

"There is such a magical place in the world. It must be a fairyland." Yao Nianchun sighed, "It would be great if I could live in this world."

"You don't have to be like this, young master. As Zhuangzi dreamed of a butterfly, there is always good and bad in this fairyland or the human world. If the immortals were flawless and everything was good, how could there be so many immortals coming down to earth to seek cause and effect?" Li Daoxuan comforted.

"Haha, what the Taoist priest said is true, but I just yearn for it." Yao Nianchun sighed, "The more I read, the more constrained I feel. I once knew a few Western friends, the blond and blue-eyed ones, who spoke the Central Plains dialect and knew everything about heaven and earth. Taoist priest, you don't know, I was quite complacent at first, thinking that I had read thousands of books by saints, so how could I be worse than these Western devils, but who knew that in the end, they would stump me."

"They said the earth is round and we live on a sphere, and there are iron carts that spew smoke and can pull tens of thousands of logs. In short, these are things I have never seen or heard of. I always feel uncomfortable when I hear these things, and I always feel that I am not well-educated."

Yao Nianchun drank his wine, smiled bitterly and told about his various aggrieved feelings. He toasted Li Daoxuan and then said: "Master, do you know that my father is a senior official in Beijing, wearing a flower feather, but in front of those Westerners, my father can only bow his head. He always taught me that only the sage's book can govern the world, but there are so many people in the world who have read the sage's book, why are we still defeated by the Westerners? I always want to ask, can this sage's book ever defeat the powerful ships and guns? Little Taoist, tell me! Have I read this sage's book in vain?"

Yao Nianchun drank too much and lost his composure. His face was flushed, he was staggering, and he was yelling something, full of frustration about only reading scriptures.

When he talked with Li Daoxuan, he was confused about the current situation in China and was still upset about the defeat in the naval battle with the foreigners.

Especially in the sixth year of Emperor Xianfeng's reign, the British and French allied forces entered the mouth of the Pearl River and bombarded Chinese warships. More than 100 Chinese ships were sunk, while only one British transport ship was seriously damaged.

Li Daoxuan rarely sees someone like him who was born in a powerful family and yet has such a patriotic sentiment.

In these days when there is no future or light in sight, perhaps there are many young people like Yao Nianchun who are frustrated and unhappy.

They all respect the teachings of sages and uphold the philosophy of self-cultivation, family management, governance of the country and peace in the world.

But now this concept has collapsed. Even though we have read a lot of books written by sages, we are still unable to govern the country and ensure its well-being. So, are the books written by sages really useful?

This is the confusion in the hearts of scholars, and it is also the reason why Yao Nianchun behaved so out of control.

Li Daoxuan thought about it, then picked up the wine glass and drank with Yao Nianchun.

He was not used to drinking, especially the white wine of this period, not to mention that he was only in his teens, so he asked someone to bring him the sweet fruit wine.

He drank it in one gulp, raised the cup and asked Yao Nianchun, "Young Master, do you think the saints' books are useless?"

"Of course, it's just a useless thing." Yao Nianchun sighed.

"No." Li Daoxuan shook his head. Seeing the puzzled look on Yao Nianchun's face, he continued, "The ancient sages said that learning without thinking is useless. If you only read the books of sages as you said, then it is useless. After all, the books of sages cannot bring food or houses. But you might as well think about it again. If there were no books of sages, the world would be in a state of confusion, rituals and music would collapse, and morality would not exist. Would you still have the feelings of worrying about the country and the people, and feeling unhappy? So whether the books of sages are useful or not does not depend on external things, but on yourself."

"My dear young master, you can be inspired by reading the books of sages and be motivated by reading the words of sages. This is the purpose of sages writing books. To enlighten the people, this is the meaning of the existence of sages' books."

"." Yao Nianchun sat at the table in silence for a long time after hearing this. He picked up the wine glass again and said to Li Daoxuan seriously, "Listening to your words is better than reading for ten years."

"Young Master, you are too modest." Li Daoxuan smiled, picked up the wine glass and drank it again.

The banquet was very enjoyable. After the wine and meat were consumed, Li Daoxuan walked in the Yao family's house, looking at the gradually setting sun. He remembered that he had planned to send Gong Youwei back to the inn first, and was about to go find Yao Nianchun to say goodbye temporarily, when he heard Qian Bo's hurried voice behind him.

"Little Taoist priest, so you are here."

Turning around, I saw Qian Bo walking towards me quickly.

"I have been looking for you in the courtyard for a long time, but I didn't see you, little Taoist priest, and you ran here. Come with me quickly, Madam wants to see you."

"Madam, you want to see me?" Li Daoxuan's pupils widened slightly.

(End of this chapter)