"Your unworthy nephew’s family is not well-to-do, and as my mother is advanced in years, I have yet to find a suitable marriage match. Thus I have caused my mother hardship until I am nearly twenty, and I have never been able to hide my guilt. I have been unable to fulfill the filial duty my mother wishes of me, and I have no words to offer."
After Yang Shaoyou thanked her again and again, he took his leave and withdrew.
The date of the examinations was close at hand, but Yang Shaoyou’s heart was so stirred by Du Lianshi’s words that she would find him a marriage match that he could not study.
Several days later, Yang Shaoyou went to Ziqing Temple with an eager heart.
"While asking around here and there, I saw the young lady of a certain household. Her extraordinary beauty and talents would make her in no way unworthy as your bride. But the family’s rank is so high that this worries me. For six generations they have held ducal and marquisate honors, and for three generations they have all served as ministers of state. If you take first place in this examination, there may be hope for the marriage, but otherwise one could not even bring up the matter. So do not trouble yourself coming to see me, but devote yourself all the more to your studies and pass first in the examination."
Du Lianshi greeted Yang Shaoyou with a smile and said this.
Unable to suppress his curiosity, Yang Shaoyou asked Du Lianshi.
"Whose daughter is this young lady?"
"She is the daughter of Situ Zheng. Their house has a red gate opening onto the main road, with a window set above the gate. But that young lady is truly a heavenly maiden, not a person of this mortal world."
Du Lianshi gladly told him.
Since Gui Chanyue had also recommended Situ Zheng’s daughter, Yang Shaoyou found it strange inwardly and asked Du Lianshi again.
"Auntie, have you spoken with that young lady?"
"How could I recommend her if I had not met and spoken with her? Miss Zheng’s beauty and purity are beyond words."
Du Lianshi answered.
"It is rash and presumptuous for your unworthy nephew to say this, but taking first place in this examination will be as easy as turning over my hand, so please set your mind at ease on that point. However, I have one wish. I have not the slightest intention of seeking marriage without first seeing the young lady, so I beg Auntie to show compassion and allow me to behold Miss Zheng’s form."
At Yang Shaoyou’s plea, Du Lianshi was startled and said,
"How could you possibly see a young lady raised with such care within the women’s quarters of a ministerial household? Could it be that you do not trust my words?"
At this, Yang Shaoyou hurriedly shifted in his seat and said,
"No. How could your unworthy nephew doubt Auntie’s words? Yet each person’s eye differs; how could Auntie’s judgment and mine be the same?"
"I understand your meaning. But even children, when speaking of the phoenix and the qilin, call them auspicious, and the clear blue sky and bright sun are seen alike by the foolish and the clever. How could I fail to recognize Miss Zheng’s beauty and virtue?"
At Du Lianshi’s words, Yang Shaoyou could press her no further and returned to the guesthouse with displeasure in his heart. At dawn the next day, Yang Shaoyou once again came to Ziqing Temple, intending to pester Du Lianshi.
"Seeing that you have come so early at dawn, there must surely be some reason."
Du Lianshi said with a smile filling her face.
"Forgive me, but unless your unworthy nephew sees the young lady of Situ Zheng’s household with my own eyes, I cannot set my heart at rest. I beg Auntie, please think of my mother’s request and consider my earnest plea. With some marvelous stratagem, please arrange for me to meet her just once."
Yang Shaoyou pleaded again, his face bright.
"That is an exceedingly difficult request, and I cannot grant it."
Du Lianshi said, shaking her head from side to side.
"Yet there must be some wondrous plan. Please do not reject your unworthy nephew’s request."
Du Lianshi fell into thought for a moment, then turned to Yang Shaoyou and asked,
"From what I have seen, your talent is extraordinary, and you are clever and quick-witted, so I suspect that between your studies you have learned music. Is that so?"
Yang Shaoyou answered.
"Some time ago I had the honor of meeting a certain Daoist and learned a wondrous melody from him, so your unworthy nephew is well acquainted with the five notes and six pitch-pipes—gong, shang, jue, zhi, yu, Huangzhong, Taicu, Guxian, Ruibin, Yize, and Wuyi."
"Situ Zheng’s household is one of great ministers through the generations. Its walls are high and its gates are fivefold, and its flower garden is broad and luxuriant, so without wings one would not dare approach it. Moreover, Miss Zheng loves learning and has read widely, and she is so well versed in propriety that there is no fault in her every movement. She has never once come to our Ziqing Temple to burn incense, never gone to a monastery to offer rites, and never even seen the lanterns on the fifteenth day of the first month. What young lady of any house could compare to Miss Zheng? There is one clever way to see Miss Zheng, but I worry that you may not follow it."
Du Lianshi looked over at Yang Shaoyou and broke off.
"If your unworthy nephew can see Miss Zheng with my own eyes, then even if I must ascend to heaven or enter the earth, plunge into boiling water or tread through fire, how could I not follow it?"
Yang Shaoyou answered earnestly.
"In recent days, Situ Zheng, taking advantage of his advanced age and illness, has not cared for official service and instead seeks pleasure in landscapes and music. Situ Zheng’s wife, Lady Cui, has also always loved music, and Miss Zheng is so intelligent and keen that there is nothing she does not know. In music as well, once she hears the clear and the muddy, the high and the low, she immediately analyzes them; even the acuity of Shi Kuang and the divine skill of Zhong Ziqi could not surpass her. Therefore, whenever Lady Cui hears a new melody, she invariably summons the player and has the tune performed before her. Then the young lady attends at her side and comments on its heights and depths. Lady Cui takes as her greatest pleasure sitting with her head resting against a table as she listens to music. So if you truly know how to play the geomungo, learn a piece in advance.
The last day of the third month is the birthday of Lingfu Daojun, one of the Five Thearchs, so that household will certainly send a maidservant with incense and candles. Every year they send a maidservant to the Daoist temple, so she will surely come this year as well. At that time, if you change into women’s clothing and play the geomungo, the maidservant will hear it, return, and tell her mistress. Then that lady will certainly summon you. Whether you go to Situ Zheng’s house and are able to meet the young lady face-to-face or not will all depend on your destined bond, so it is none of my affair. There is no other plan besides this, so do not think it strange and follow it. Also, your face is like that of a lovely maiden, and you have not grown a beard, so it will be easy to disguise you."
Yang Shaoyou was delighted and thanked her repeatedly, then returned to the guesthouse and counted the days on his fingers as he waited for the last day of the month.
Originally, Situ Zheng had only one daughter. On the day Situ Zheng’s wife went into labor, she dozed off for a moment, and a beautiful celestial maiden descended lightly from the heavens, threw a single pearl to her, and vanished. Not long afterward, she gave birth to a daughter, and so Situ Zheng named the child Qiongbei. As the young lady gradually grew, her beautiful appearance and wisdom proved exceedingly outstanding, and Situ Zheng and his wife regarded her as a precious jewel held in the palm. When the young lady passed the age of ten, Situ Zheng widely sought a son-in-law, but there was no suitable talent, so even at sixteen her marriage had yet to be settled.
One day, Situ Zheng’s wife called for the young lady’s nurse, Nanny Tian.
"Today is the birthday of Lingfu Daojun, so take incense and candles to Ziqing Temple and deliver them to Du Lianshi. And send cloth, tea, and sweets as well, and convey my longing for her."
"Madam, I will keep it in mind and carry out your command."
After gathering the items, the nurse rode in a small palanquin to Ziqing Temple. Du Lianshi received the incense and candles from the nurse and offered them at the Hall of the Three Pure Ones—Yuqing, Shangqing, and Taiqing—and also thanked her deeply for sending the tea, sweets, and silk, then entertained the nurse.
When the nurse was about to ride back in her chair, the sound of a geomungo came from the direction of the detached hall.
It was Yang Shaoyou, sitting in the detached hall and playing the geomungo. The music was so clear and fresh that it seemed to float above the clouds, and the nurse turned back and asked Du Lianshi,
"In all my years serving Madam, I have heard the geomungo of famous players, but this is the first time I have ever heard such a melody. What sort of person is playing this tune?"
The nurse asked earnestly.
"A few days ago, a young Daoist nun from the land of Chu came up to the capital to see the sights, and from time to time she plays the geomungo. But I do not understand music, so I could not distinguish its clarity or muddiness. Now, hearing your earnest praise, she must indeed be a master."
Du Lianshi said, feigning ignorance.
"If the lady of our house hears of this, she will surely summon her in order to hear the melody, so please have that Daoist nun remain here a little longer."
At these words, Du Lianshi readily agreed. After the nurse rode off in her chair, Du Lianshi went to the detached hall and told Yang Shaoyou of the conversation she had had with the nurse.
At this, Yang Shaoyou rejoiced and began to look forward to Situ Zheng’s wife’s summons.
Miss Zheng’s Extraordinary Wisdom
The nurse returned from Ziqing Temple and went straight to the lady’s quarters.
"Madam, at Ziqing Temple there was a certain Daoist nun playing the geomungo, and the music was so clear and wondrous that it did not seem to belong to this world."
When the nurse reported the marvelousness of the music, Situ Zheng’s wife was pleased and said,
"I wish to hear that Daoist nun’s geomungo."
The next morning, the lady sent a palanquin and a maidservant to convey a message to Du Lianshi.
"I wish to hear the young Daoist nun’s geomungo, so I hope you will kindly urge her to come to me."
When Du Lianshi heard the summons, she told Yang Shaoyou,
"A noble household has summoned you, so do not decline. Go and return."
"For a lowly person from the countryside to appear before a noble lady is a most difficult matter, but how could I disobey Du Lianshi’s words?"
At this, Yang Shaoyou disguised himself in the headcloth and garments of a Daoist nun, then came out carrying the geomungo. Seeing Yang Shaoyou’s appearance and bearing, like Lady Wei and like Xie Ziran, the maidservants of Situ Zheng’s household could not stop marveling in admiration.
Guided by the maidservant, Yang Shaoyou entered Situ Zheng’s house, where Situ Zheng’s wife was seated in the main hall and welcomed him warmly. Yang Shaoyou glanced at the lady and saw that her bearing was exceedingly dignified, so he bowed twice below the main hall.
"After hearing what my daughter’s nurse said upon returning from the Daoist temple the other day, I wished to hear your geomungo and thus invited you here. Now that I behold your pure appearance, it seems that all the disorderly thoughts of the mundane world vanish at once."
When the lady finished speaking, she had a seat prepared for Yang Shaoyou.
“This lowly body was born in the land of Chu and has led a life of wandering here and there; that my lady should summon me fills me with immeasurable awe. Now I come before my lady with these rustic skills, and can only feel humbled and afraid.”
Soyu declined the seat and offered his greeting.
At that moment, when the wife of Jeong Sado asked to see the geomungo, Soyu handed it to a maidservant.
The lady touched the geomungo the maidservant had brought and spoke in praise.
“Truly, it is a geomungo made from marvelous timber.”
Soyu bowed his head, clasped his hands, and replied.
“The wood of this geomungo is paulownia that stood for a hundred years deep within Mount Longmen.
Thus its nature is incomparably firm and solid, like metal or stone, and it would be difficult to buy even for a thousand pieces of gold.”
While they spoke thus, shadows began to fall upon the stone steps. Yet the young lady still had not appeared in the main hall, and Soyu grew uneasy within.
Suppressing his impatience, Soyu addressed the lady.
“Though this body has learned melodies, they are all ancient ones; I cannot play the melodies of today, nor do I know them. The other day at the inn by Ziqing Temple, I heard that the talents of my lady’s daughter are wondrous, and that in her understanding of music she is the Zhong Ziqi of this age. I beg to receive instruction from the young lady, whose virtue and talent are foremost under heaven.”
The lady granted this and sent a maidservant to the detached hall.
After a short while, an embroidered silk window opened and a mysterious fragrance drifted forth; then a beautiful maiden of the inner chambers came walking lightly and seated herself demurely beside the lady.
Soyu quickly rose and bowed, then stole a glance at the young lady’s face. Her appearance was like the morning sun rising in splendor, like a lotus reflected in blue water; his spirit wavered and his eyes could not open properly, so that he could not look closely. Regretting that he was seated far from her, Soyu said to the lady,
“My lady, I wish to receive the young lady’s careful instruction, but the main hall is too wide and the tones will scatter; I fear I may not be able to hear in detail.”
The lady readily permitted it and had a maidservant move the Daoist nun’s seat forward.
Yet though he had come closer to the lady’s seat, he was placed to the young lady’s right, which was not as good as facing her directly. Soyu could not plead a second time, and had a maidservant light incense in the brazier.
Soyu sat upright, drew the geomungo toward him, and asked the young lady,
“Are there none of the six taboos?”
“One must avoid extreme cold, extreme heat, fierce wind, torrential rain, thunder, and snow. At present, none of these six is present, so you may play the geomungo at ease.”
The young lady answered in a voice like an oriole’s song.
“Then are there none of the seven circumstances in which one may not play?”
Soyu asked again.
“One may not play for those who have heard news of mourning, for those whose minds are disordered, for those whose robes and caps are not properly arranged, when incense has not been lit, or when one has not met a true knower of the sound. At present, there are also none of these faults.”
Soyu admired her inwardly and played “Yishang” as his first piece.
“It is truly a melody of unsurpassed beauty. The air of a peaceful and prosperous age is clearly revealed in it. Though people may understand this piece, none could play it with such mystery as you, Daoist. Is this not the tune of which it is said, ‘When the war drums of Yuyang shook the earth, they startled the Rainbow Skirts and Feathered Robes’? Yet this is a licentious melody and not one to enjoy listening to. Play another piece.”
The young lady raised her bright eyes and replied.
Soyu played another melody.
“Within this piece’s joy there is licentiousness, and within its sorrow there is a spirit too urgent. It is none other than Chen Houzhu’s ‘Yushu Houting Hua.’ Is this not the tune of which it is said, ‘When one meets Chen Houzhu beneath the earth after death, across the river he will still be singing Houting Hua’? This too is not something to be esteemed, so present another piece.”
At the young lady’s words, Soyu presented another piece.
“This melody seems to sob and yet to rejoice, seems moved and yet sunk in thought. In ancient times, the beauty Cai Wenji, a gifted woman, was taken captive by the barbarians during war and bore two sons there. Later, Cao Cao paid a vast ransom for Wenji and had her return to her homeland. Grieving at parting from her sons, Wenji composed this melody to express her sorrow—the one of which it is said, ‘Barbarian tears fall upon the grasses at heaven’s edge; the Han envoy’s heart breaks before the returning guest.’ This melody is worth hearing, but it belongs to one who lost her chastity; how could it be listened to with pleasure? I ask you to play a new melody again.”
When the young lady’s critique ended, Soyu played a melody as though he had been waiting for it.
“This is Wang Zhaojun’s ‘Song of Leaving the Frontier.’ She grieved that her body was in that place, resented the painter for his unfairness, and set her discontent into the melody. It is just as the saying goes: ‘A single tune, passed down to the Music Bureau, can make a thousand autumns remember her.’ However, this is a melody of barbarian lands and a sound of the borderlands; it cannot be called proper music. I ask you to try another piece.”
When Soyu played yet another melody, the young lady’s expression changed and she said,
“Indeed, Daoist, you are no ordinary person. It has truly been long since I heard this piece, and hearing it now fills me with boundless emotion. Is this not Xi Shuye’s ‘Guangling San,’ wherein a hero, failing to meet his time, cannot place his heart in the world, and a spirit of loyalty and righteousness fills a disordered age? When he was about to be executed, he looked back at the sun’s shadow and played a melody, saying, ‘Alas! Because there was no one who sought to learn Guangling San, I cherished it and did not transmit it. How sorrowful—thus Guangling San is cut off.’ This is precisely what is meant by, ‘Alone I gaze toward the southeast; where now is Guangling?’ They say this piece was not transmitted to later generations, so surely, Daoist, you must have met Xi Shuye’s spirit and learned it from him.”
The young lady’s erudition once again filled Soyu’s heart with admiration.
“Since the young lady’s wisdom is like this, who could possibly follow after you? What my teacher said in the past was exactly the same as what the young lady has now said.”
After kneeling and praising the young lady, Soyu played another melody.
“The blue mountains seem to pierce the heavens, and the blue sea is boundlessly wide; traces of immortals appear in the mortal world. Is this not Bo Ya’s ‘Shuixian Cao’? This is, ‘Since I have already met Zhong Ziqi, why should I be ashamed to present Flowing Water?’ If Bo Ya’s soul knew of the Daoist’s true understanding of sound, he would not have grieved so deeply over Zhong Ziqi’s death.”
The young lady bestowed words of praise.
Soyu played another melody, a new piece.
“How holy, how utterly profound. A sage, encountering a chaotic age, travels throughout all under heaven, wishing to save the people of the world. Is this not Master Kong’s piece? Who else could have composed such a melody? Surely it is ‘Yilan Cao’: ‘Wandering through the Nine Provinces, with no fixed place to rest’—is this not what it means?”
The young lady again straightened her collar, knelt, lit the fading incense anew, and presented a fresh melody.
“Ah, what a truly beautiful melody. All things between heaven and earth hold the light of spring, and it is so lofty and vast that it cannot be named. This is Great Shun’s ‘Nanxun.’
‘The fragrance of the south wind may soothe the resentment of my people.’ In truth, goodness, and beauty, none surpasses this; even if there are other melodies now, I shall ask for no more.”
The young lady spoke in admiration.
At this, Soyu looked up respectfully at the young lady and replied,
“I have heard that when music is played nine times, the heavenly spirits descend. I have already played eight pieces, and one melody remains, so I wish to play the last as well.”
When Soyu finished speaking, he set the geomungo properly, tuned the notes, and played. Its sound was clear as flowing water and also seemed to blaze upward, enough to make one’s body and mind grow unrestrained. It was as if a hundred flowers before the courtyard bloomed wide all at once, swallows flew in pairs, and orioles called to one another. The young lady lowered her lovely gaze and sat silently, but when the melody reached the line, “O phoenix, O phoenix, return to your homeland; roaming the four seas, you seek your mate,” she lifted her beautiful face and examined Soyu’s appearance.
Seeing Soyu’s bearing, a red glow gathered on the young lady’s cheeks, and her bright expression vanished into her brows as her complexion suddenly changed. The young lady quietly rose and, without a word, went into the inner quarters. Greatly startled, Soyu stopped the hand with which he had been playing the geomungo and sat there in a daze.
At this, the lady asked Soyu,
“What piece was it that the Daoist nun just played?”
“I learned and practiced it from my teacher, but I do not know the name of the piece. I beg you to allow me to receive the young lady’s instruction.”
When the lady had a maidservant tell the young lady to come out, the maidservant returned after some time and reported,
“The young lady says that, having been exposed to the outside air for half the day, she feels unwell and cannot come out.”
Soyu wondered uneasily whether Miss Jeong had guessed his true identity, and could no longer remain. He took his leave of the lady.
“Since the young lady says she is unwell, I feel immeasurably sorry. It seems this body has been somewhat excessive, so I would now like to withdraw.”
The lady hurriedly ordered a maidservant to bring out silver and silk to give as a reward.
But Soyu declined and said,
“My lady, though this body has learned a little music, it is only for my own enjoyment. How could I accept payment for entertainment?”
At this, the lady thought well of him and felt sorry to part.
Jeong Sado Chooses a Son-in-law at the Examination Grounds
The lady, worried by the young lady’s abrupt change, called her into the inner quarters and questioned her, but the young lady only blushed.
After withdrawing from the inner quarters, the young lady returned to the detached hall and called a maidservant.
“Has Chunrang’s illness still shown no improvement?”
The young lady asked with a worried face.
“No, my lady. Today, when she heard that you were listening to the sound of the geomungo, though her illness had not improved, she rose from her bed and washed her face.”
“It is fortunate that she rose from her bed.”
The girl named Chunrang, about whose illness the young lady had asked, had the surname Ga and was from West Lake. Her father had come up to the capital and become a clerk in the Chancellor’s Office, and she had followed him there. Clerk Ga rendered much service to Jeong Sado’s household, but unfortunately died of illness when Chunrang was thirteen years old.
Jeong Sado and his wife pitied Chunrang, an orphan alone in the world, and took her into their household to keep the young lady company. Chunrang was the same age as the young lady, differing only by one month, and in her modest and dignified bearing she was no less than a maiden of a minister’s household.
Chunrang possessed a noble bearing that, though it could not match Jeong Seo-jeo's, held a beauty distinct from hers. Moreover, her divine skill in writing and needlework was no different from Seo-jeo's, so Seo-jeo loved and cherished Chunrang as she would a sister. The two women were never apart for even a moment, and their mutual affection ran deep; though the distinction between mistress and maidservant existed, they were truly like friends.
Chunrang's birth name had been Choun. Seo-jeo, loving her elegant bearing, had taken from the writings of Han Tuizhi—a Confucian scholar and literary man of the Tang dynasty—the phrase "Daetaedo Chun Gong'un" and changed her name to Chun'un. From that point on, everyone in the household called her thus.
When Seo-jeo entered inside, Chunrang greeted her and asked,
"Miss, earlier all the maids were unanimous in their praise, saying that the priestess who played the geomungo had the bearing of Lady Wei and that the melody was incomparably divine. Since you too were filled with admiration, this maid endured her discomfort and rose to see that priestess as well; why did she return so quickly?"
As Chunrang spoke, Seo-jeo sat silently for a moment, then blushed and slowly opened her mouth.
"I have been especially careful in my conduct and always kept my mind pure; you know well that until now I have never stepped outside the middle gate, and that my words have not reached even a thousand feet beyond. Yet I was suddenly deceived by another and suffered humiliation—to the point that I can scarcely raise my face to meet people."
Seo-jeo's face grew even redder. Surprised, Chunrang quickly asked,
"Miss, what in the world has happened?"
"The priestess who came earlier had an otherworldly bearing, and her skill at the geomungo was likewise incomparably divine."
Jeong Seo-jeo could not finish her words before blushing again.
"What did that priestess do, that your complexion has grown so pale, Miss?"
Chun'un gazed upon Seo-jeo's complexion with a deep, searching look.
"That priestess first played the Yeosanggok, then at the eighth piece played Shun's Namhungok, all the while lavishing praise upon me and saying that I might stop now. Yet then she said she had one further melody and played a new piece. It was the Fengqiu Huangqu that Sima Xiangru once played to captivate Zhuo Wenjun's heart. At that moment, I suddenly grew suspicious of that priestess and observed her closely; her features and bearing differed little from a woman's air, did they not? Yet surely some crafty man, desiring to gaze upon my figure, disguised himself and entered. If only you had not been ill and lying down, we could have seen her together and determined the truth... For a woman of the inner quarters like myself to have sat and conversed with a man of no relation for half a day—how shameful a thing is that? Though she is my mother, I could not bring myself to speak of this to the Lady; I am telling only you."
Seo-jeo finished her words with great care.
Thereupon Chunrang laughed and said,
"Oh, my lady, where is there a law that says a noble lady's body cannot listen to Sima Xiangru's Fengqiu Huangqu? Might you not be seeing the reflection of a bow in your wine cup?"
"No, it is not so. In that priestess's geomungo playing, there was an order to the pieces. If she harbored no ulterior thoughts, why would she play Fengqiu Huangqu last? Moreover, for a woman's frame, her bearing was far too vigorous, and the lines of her figure were quite thick. In my opinion, as the civil examination draws near, scholars from the capital and the provinces are gathering in Seoul; among them, someone who heard false rumors of me seems to have plotted an elaborate scheme under the pretext of viewing the flowers."
Seo-jeo answered, still blushing.
"If that priestess is indeed a man, as you say, Miss, then with such clear and handsome looks, such bold bearing, and such mastery of music, one can well surmise that his talent and natural gifts are abundant and high. So how can you say that he will not become a Sima Xiangru in time?"
Chunrang said,
"But Chunrang, even if that person becomes a Sima Xiangru, I will never become a Zhuo Wenjun."
Seo-jeo admonished with a stern face.
"Zhuo Wenjun was a widow, while you are a maiden. Zhuo Wenjun followed him from the depths of her heart, while you listened unwittingly. Why, then, do you bring up Zhuo Wenjun?"
When Chunrang said this, Seo-jeo finally let out a breath of relief, and the two of them laughed together in delight.
One day, as Seo-jeo was attending her mother in the inner hall, Jeongsado brought in the newly published civil examination list and presented it to the Lady, saying,