Chapter 02
Two Pouches**
The ancients had the backward custom of favoring sons over daughters. It was indeed common for some families to raise their daughters as boys, in hopes that the next child would be a son. But generally, once the child reached five or six and started remembering things, they would switch back. Someone like Liu Yi, who had lived as a boy for nearly fifteen years, was practically unheard of.
If she didn’t even hold her coming-of-age ceremonyâthe most important ritual for a girlâit would be hard to justify ever returning to a daughter’s identity in the future.
“Father knows you have lofty ambitions, but it’s somewhat inconvenient for a woman to show her face in public. You’ve managed to keep up the pretense for these past two years, but you can’t play the man forever.”
Governor Liu took out two bulging pouches from his bosomâone red and one yellow.
“These are two gifts your father has prepared for you. You may choose one.”
“The red pouch contains the key to our family storehouse, which holds the dowry your parents have saved for you. If you wish to return to being a daughter, your father and mother will surely find you the finest young man in all the landâone who will protect you all your life.”
“The yellow pouch contains a letter of apprenticeship from a master renowned throughout the realm. If you are unwilling to be confined to the inner chambers as a wife, your father will send you to study under this master, to leave our humble backwater and see a wider worâ Hey!”
Before Governor Liu could finish, the yellow pouch was snatched from his hand.
“Which master?” Liu Yi asked as she deftly began to open it.
A master famous throughout the realm during the late Han and Three Kingdoms eraâshe might have heard of him.
“Wait!” Governor Liu snatched the yellow pouch back. “You’ve decided just like that? Won’t you think it over some more?”
“Then… can I have both?” Liu Yi pointed at the red pouch. “Can I claim the dowry without getting married?”
“Th-that’s not impossible…” Governor Liu broke out in a sweat, seeing that his daughter’s expression didn’t look like she was joking.
“This property is meant for you anyway, but, it’s just that…”
Madam Qian pushed Governor Liu aside: “With such a clumsy tongue, I wonder how you ever became a governor!”
She took Liu Yi’s hand: “Child, if you don’t marry, as long as your parents are here, we can still keep you safe. But when we’re gone, without a husband and without brothers to rely on, even if you sit on a mountain of gold and silver, others will bully you. You won’t even have anyone to plead your case to.”
So that was what they were worried about. Liu Yi curved her brows in a smile.
She wasn’t surprised at all that her parents worried about this. It wasn’t just in the Han Dynasty over a thousand years agoâmodern parents nagged about it countless times too.
As if a woman without a man to rely on, even if she had a doctorate and a research position, was destined to live a miserable life.
“Mother, don’t worry. I have no husband and no brothers, but I have skills and I have value. I won’t let myself go to waste, and I certainly won’t let anyone bully me.”
Madam Qian paused briefly, exchanged a glance with her husband, and nodded.
Liu Yi’s choice didn’t surprise them either. Asking again today was just to see how firm her resolve was.
“Good. Since you’ve already thought through the pros and cons clearly, we won’t say more.” She gently stroked Liu Yi’s palm. “Even though your abilities have already surpassed your parents’, always remember: as long as your father and mother are alive, this home will always be your safe harbor.”
Madam Qian took good care of herself and looked young, but her eyes and brows were very gentle. Sometimes, when Liu Yi looked at her, she thought of her modern mother.
Though not related by blood, and never having been completely open with each other, over the yearsâthrough every thread of cloth, every gust of wind, every drop of rainâthe three of them had walked the path together.
Because Liu Yi was a girl, and Madam Qian’s poor health prevented her from having more children, the clan elders had pressed Governor Liu to take a concubine and produce a son in the early years. Madam Qian had even been willing to compromise. But because Liu Yi had said “I don’t want that,” her parents had stubbornly weathered the pressure, making excuses and dragging things out until those meddlesome elders passed away, preserving their rare three-person household in ancient times.
Perhaps because of her mental age, Liu Yi sometimes couldn’t quite see them as her real parents, but the feelings between them were no weaker than those toward her biological parents.
She nodded: “Alright. If I make something of myself in the future, I’ll be your safe harbor too.”
Her parents exchanged a knowing smile, as if they didn’t take her childish words seriously.
“Never mind all that. Take a look at this.” Governor Liu handed over the yellow pouch.
Liu Yi opened it and took out the letter. On the paper, the characters “Bei Hai” (North Sea) were clearly written.
Bei Hai…
“Father, the master you mentionedâcould it be Kong Rong?”
Governor Liu’s eyes lit up: “Aha! So you’ve heard of him too! The twentieth-generation descendant of Confucius! Chancellor of Beihai Kingdom! Kong Rong, styled Wenju! He has read extensively, his writings are exquisite and widely recited. He’s not comparable to the country tutors in our small town. Studying under him would be endlessly beneficial!”
Of course Liu Yi knew Kong Rong.
In the modern world, no child could escape the story of “Kong Rong Giving Up the Biggest Pear.” Many children knew Kong Rong before they even knew Cao Cao or Liu Bei.
In this era, Kong Rong was an even more illustrious celebrityâa super, super, mega-famous scholar renowned throughout the realm.
His current official post was Chancellor of Beihai Kingdom, which made him the governor of Beihai Commanderyâthe same rank as Liu Yi’s father, the Governor of Yuyang. But for Governor Liu to send his daughter to study under him wasn’t as simple as just sending a casual greeting.
In the Han Dynasty, there was no imperial examination system yet. If someone wanted to become an official, they could only do so through recommendations from other high-ranking officials. So family background and reputation were especially important.
Kong Rong came from a prestigious clan. His father had served as a Commandantâroughly equivalent to a deputy provincial-level officialâand he himself had become famous at a young age. In modern terms, he was one of the “twin top-tier figures” of the Eastern Han’s political and academic circles.
For ordinary people, it was a tremendous honor just to exchange a few words with him or have him critique one’s writings. If he praised you, you could soar to fame and join the ranks of the elite!
By comparison, Liu Yi’s father was far too modest.
The Liu surname was a major one in the Eastern Han, but their branch had already declined by the time of Governor Liu’s grandfather. Governor Liu’s own father had to make a living as a fortune-teller.
When young, Governor Liu was handsome and well-studied. He was favored by the local Qian family, who were relatively prosperous in the area, and they married their daughter to him. Only then, with the Qian family’s influence, did he gradually rise to become a governor. Along the way, he naturally endured plenty of mockery for being a kept husband.
Not to mention that Yuyang Commandery was just a backwater eighteenth-tier commandery, with less than a tenth of Beihai’s population… To put it bluntly, even a position grinding ink and flipping pages for Kong Rong might not be within Governor Liu’s reach.
He had managed to obtain this letter of introductionâwho knows how many favors he had begged for behind the scenes.
“What’s the matter? Stunned speechless?” Governor Liu looked smug.
Liu Yi didn’t want to say anything to dampen the mood. She smoothly spread out the letter, and three heads immediately crowded together.
*[To the Governor of Yuyang Commandery, as if meeting face to face.]*
*[Your son is of excellent character and remarkable insight.]*
*[However, since he is in fact a woman, it would be inconvenient for us to interact. Regarding the matter of apprenticeship, please seek another master.]*
*[Kong Rong of Beihai.]*
The three of them were silent for a long while after reading it. Liu Yi turned the letter over, saw that the back was blank, and flipped it back again.
