Chapter Ninety: Zhang Ji Arrives

Renshi Wei rose and went to open the door, but when he pulled it wide, there was a huge face almost touching his own.

Startled, he stumbled back a step. The man before him was peering forward with narrow, smiling eyes. It was none other than Zhang Ji, who had appeared some days earlier at the poetry gathering in Fuchang County School.

“Master Zhang?” Renshi Wei blinked. “What brings you here?”

“So this is the right place after all.” Zhang Ji smiled. “May I come in and speak?”

Renshi Wei hurriedly stepped aside. “By all means.”

Zhang Ji went inside, and Haiqing Jiao rose as well. The two exchanged greetings.

After Renshi Wei entered, Zhang Ji stepped back half a pace, then suddenly bent at the waist and bowed deeply to him.

“At that poetry gathering, I misunderstood Scholar Wei,” he said. “I once said that if I had misjudged you, I would apologize to your face. So I made many inquiries before finally finding your residence and coming here. That day I was mistaken about you; the fault was mine. I ask your forgiveness.”

“This...” Renshi Wei moved aside and helped him up. “Why go to such lengths, Master Zhang? I am only a young boy. I am not worthy of such courtesy from you.”

“If I have done wrong, I should apologize,” Zhang Ji said. “That day, Scholar Wei and Scholar Li were the youngest there, yet your poems were the best. Even by the end of the gathering, no one had produced verses surpassing yours. And the two of you seem to be on excellent terms, both hailing from Changgu. It seems Changgu is truly a place of remarkable people and spiritual excellence.”

Renshi Wei, however, was quite curious about Zhang Ji's narrow eyes.

They did not look like the eyes of a nearsighted man.

If his manner suggested poor eyesight, then it was certainly not mild nearsightedness. Severe myopia would have altered the shape around the eyes, yet Zhang Ji showed no such sign at all.

And yet it was obvious that he did not see clearly.

“Ha... I have suffered from an eye ailment for many years,” Zhang Ji suddenly said to him. “My vision has grown worse and worse.”

“My apologies, Master Zhang. I was rude,” Renshi Wei said awkwardly.

Zhang Ji waved a hand and smiled. “No matter. It is an old complaint of mine. I do not know when it began, but I could no longer see things clearly, and my eyes are always dry.”

Then he added, “Scholar Wei and Scholar Li are both gifted in letters, and most rare of all, so young. If you could obtain the guidance of a renowned teacher, you would surely accomplish much in years to come. Tell me, Scholar Wei, do you and Scholar Li plan to enter the county school and become students there, or are you intending to seek out a famous master yourselves and later take the path of the local tribute examination?”

“We plan to follow the local tribute route,” Renshi Wei said.

Zhang Ji nodded. “Good, good. With the natural talent you and Scholar Li possess, returning to the county school now would only waste time. At present, you should be seeking out a master and refining yourselves. If that is so, then when I return to the capital, I shall speak on your behalf. My teacher has always cherished talent, and he will certainly be willing to instruct you both.”

His teacher... Han Yu?

Indeed, Han Yu valued talent and protected it. He was a true patron of genius, and a teacher and friend as rare as any in the world. In later generations, many poets of this period had received Han Yu's guidance, instruction, and assistance. What was even more admirable was that he never lorded it over those he had helped; instead, he often treated them as friends.

“Many thanks for your regard, Master Zhang!” Renshi Wei stood and bowed. “However, if you intend to mention this to Doctor Han, then please speak only of Li He. There is no need to mention me.”

Zhang Ji was taken aback. “Why is that?”

He could not simply say that the imperial examinations held no place in his ambitions. So Renshi Wei replied, “My talent falls far short of Longji's. If he could receive Doctor Han's guidance, he would surely advance by leaps and bounds. Besides, Longji is a descendant of the imperial clan. Though his family has declined, he still wishes only to serve the court with all his heart. As for me, I have long been accustomed to idleness, and would rather be a carefree man of leisure.”

“This...” Zhang Ji looked at him in surprise. “How could Scholar Wei think that way? Since you possess such talent, you ought to...”

And Zhang Ji began trying to persuade him.

But Renshi Wei suddenly noticed that the skin at the back of Zhang Ji's neck was rough, and seemed to be peeling in places.

He also did not wish to explain himself further, nor to listen to more of such advice.

Still, he absolutely could not say outright that he had no interest in the examinations.

Seeing Zhang Ji continue endlessly to urge him toward them, Renshi Wei thought for a moment and then interrupted: “Master Zhang, please extend your hand and let me have a look.”

Zhang Ji froze, breaking off in surprise and not knowing what he intended, but he still held out his hand.

Renshi Wei examined his fingernails carefully. They were deeply ridged and marked with many lines.

This brought a possibility to mind.

In later years, a colleague of his had been just like this. The skin at the back of the neck was very rough, like sandpaper to the touch, and it also peeled. The nails had many ridges and were very brittle, breaking easily, and the eyes could not see clearly. At first they thought it was nearsightedness. Later, when skin lesions appeared, they thought it was psoriasis. When the nails became brittle, they thought it was a calcium deficiency. They treated all three, but none of it worked.

In the end, in a fit of anger, that colleague went to a major hospital in the capital, where an experienced doctor diagnosed not three separate ailments, but one condition causing three manifestations: vitamin A deficiency.

After returning to take vitamin A supplements, all of the symptoms disappeared before long.

It did sound rather similar...

“Scholar Wei, what is the meaning of this?” Zhang Ji withdrew his hand, looking puzzled.

Seeing that the topic had been successfully diverted, Renshi Wei felt secretly pleased. He said, “If my guess is not wrong, by nightfall Master Zhang, your eyes are as good as blind, and you can see nothing at all.”

Zhang Ji stared for a moment, then nodded. “That is right.”

“And you catch colds very easily, and once you do, you cough for days without relief?” Renshi Wei asked.

Zhang Ji nodded again. “Could it be that Scholar Wei also knows the art of healing?”

“Master Zhang does not know this,” Haiqing Jiao said from the side. “Before, I nearly fainted, and even the physicians at the clinic were helpless. It was Brother Renshi who saved me by pricking the palm of my hand with silver needles. He also regulated my health for me, and I am much better now.”

At that, Zhang Ji asked, “What Scholar Wei has just described matches my symptoms exactly. Do you know how to treat it?”

Surprised, he sprang to his feet. “If you do, please save me, Scholar Wei! I have suffered from this ailment for far too long!”

Seeing that he was finally no longer urging him to sit the examinations, Renshi Wei smiled.

“I only know a simple method,” he said. “As for whether it will truly work, I cannot say for certain. Master Zhang may as well try it, but if it proves useless, please do not blame me.”

“Not at all! Over the years, I have tried countless remedies for this illness, and they have all had mixed results, never curing it at the root,” Zhang Ji sighed. “If Scholar Wei's method works, I shall be endlessly grateful. If it does not, I am already used to disappointment, and I would still thank you for your kind effort. How could I blame you?”

“In that case...” Renshi Wei smiled. “Once you return, Master Zhang, eat more pork liver, chicken liver, lamb liver, and river crab with your meals every day. Also eat more leeks, shepherd's purse, and other greens, or fruits such as apricots and persimmons. If you take these regularly, the illness can be cured.”

“Ah?” Zhang Ji blinked again. “That simple?”