Qingshan

Chapter 64 : Chapter 64

Chapter 64: True Bodhisattva

The liveliness of White Cloth Lane was different from Red Cloth Lane's liveliness. Red Cloth Lane's establishments were called brothels, tea houses, lodgings, and cribs. Here, they were called 'elegant singing troupes.'

White Cloth Lane had clean blue brick roads with carved plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum patterns.

There were no sounds soliciting customers, no seductive women leaning on second-floor railings to attract patrons. Only qin and se music floated from buildings and courtyards, women's singing melodious and enchanting, tugging at heartstrings.

Only hearing their voices, not seeing their faces, like women embracing pipa lutes, covering their appearances.

I opened my eyes. The golden melon seed, gleaming and heavy, fell into my palm.

Just now I hadn't deliberately waited for the golden melon seed before opening my eyes. It was really that I'd just been knocked down by the halberd soldier again and nearly couldn't recover...

At this time, the Embroidery Building's entrance grew lively again, drawing everyone's attention: A carriage from Deputy Prefect Chen's manor in Luocheng had arrived.

A spacious carriage stopped at the entrance. Chen Wenzong, Chen Wenxiao, and Lin Chaojing descended together, coming to the desk while chatting and laughing.

Chen Wenzong smiled and asked: "Brother Chaojing, will you go or shall I? Just one poem can admit four people. Either of us could easily manage."

His tone was confident, as if it could be easily accomplished.

Lin Chaojing smiled humbly: "Naturally you should go, Brother Wenzong. It's been over half a month since leaving Donglin Academy. I haven't enjoyed your poetry in a long time and miss it dearly. Do you have any new poems recently?"

Chen Wenzong smiled: "I do."

These three scholars were refined and elegant. The weather had turned cool, and they'd already donned clean furs.

Furs were divided into grades, with the white fox underarm fur they wore being most precious.

Liu Quxing smacked his lips and said quietly: "It's not even winter yet and they're already wearing furs. Aren't they sweltering? Why not hold hand warmers too!"

The next moment, a stable hand behind Chen Wenzong helped remove the fur from his shoulders. Chen Wenzong picked up the brush from the desk and quickly wrote four poems.

Having finished, he smiled at the two greeting ladies outside the Embroidery Building: "We're three traveling together. We won't take advantage of Courtesan Liu—one poem per person to exchange for second-floor elegant seats."

The greeting lady smiled: "Why write an extra one?"

"This is a separate gift for Courtesan Liu."

Onlookers called out praise, saying Chen Wenzong truly had the manner of a romantic talented scholar.

Chen Wenxiao smiled: "Elder brother's great talent will surely win top honors in this provincial examination!"

Chen Wenzong's expression seemed displeased: "You should also work hard... Forget it, I won't dampen your spirits today."

The greeting lady took the four poems upstairs. After just a moment, she returned to the entrance smiling: "My lady says Young Master Wenzong's thoughts are clever—four poems encompassing spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Three young masters, please come upstairs!"

Princess Baili looked at Chen Wenzong, then at me: "Your father is too biased."

I smiled: "It's fine. I'm doing pretty well now."

The Prince sighed: "Your legitimate second brother Chen Wenxiao wasn't much better than me at Donglin Academy. I even saw him at the tavern below the mountain. Now he's putting on airs. Everyone only gives him respect for Chen Wenzong's sake."

Baili frowned: "Brother, you mustn't speak ill of people behind their backs!"

"I'm talking about Chen Wenxiao..."

"Doesn't matter who! This isn't gentlemanly behavior! If you're dissatisfied with him, you should scold him to his face later!"

The Prince raised both hands: "Fine, fine, I won't say anymore..."

Just then, the greeting lady said: "Everyone, there aren't many elegant seats left on the second floor. If you have poetry, bring it quickly."

This made the Prince anxious.

The Prince took advantage of others not noticing, crouched down beside me: "Quick, quick, what other poems do you have?"

I pondered: "Besides the previous line, I need two more lines, right? One golden melon seed isn't enough."

Baili pulled out another golden melon seed and stuffed it in my palm, quietly complaining: "It's like making wishes to a bodhisattva and having to donate incense money."

The Prince laughed: "Sister, when you donate incense money to bodhisattvas, they might not respond. But when you donate incense money to Chen Ji, he responds immediately. Just consider him a bodhisattva."

I pondered, gathering the golden melon seeds into my sleeve while selecting two more lines of poetry to quietly teach the Prince.

Baili's eyes sparkled: "Why are they all only half lines? If only the complete poems could be written, how wonderful that would be. Now it's such a pity... Hey, why did you fall asleep again?!"

I didn't answer her, having already returned to the green mountain to fight.

The Prince and Baili came to the Embroidery Building's entrance. Someone recognized them: "It's the Prince and Princess Baili from Prince Jing's Manor!"

Others whispered: "Is it that useless prince the Donglin scholars mentioned..."

"Shh! You don't want to live?!"

"It's fine. The Prince is a good person and won't mind."

This world's logic was strange. The more evil a person, the less others dared bully them. But if you were a good person, everyone dared step on you.

The Prince came to the desk and wrote with a flourish, full of spirit. When he reached the third line, he lowered his voice: "Baili, what's the third line again?"

"A thousand mountains, birds in flight extinct..." Only after Baili's reminder did the Prince write the third line.

The Prince set down his brush and looked at the two greeting ladies: "It's done. But I'm different from others."

The greeting lady had heard this person's identity from others and smiled: "May I ask the Prince, how are you different?"

The Prince said proudly: "Others need to write a complete poem to enter, but I write even better than them—half a line is enough! Take it and let Courtesan Liu see!"

The greeting lady was stunned, took the paper, and ran upstairs.

"I heard from a scholar who returned from Donglin Academy that this Prince gets scolded by teachers every day. He either catches wild chickens and rabbits on the mountain or sneaks down to the city to drink. Look at that group beside him—where do they look like scholars? Brandishing swords and sabers like country bumpkins."

"Courtesan Liu should let him up for his Prince status, right?"

"You don't know—earlier in Jinling on Qinhuai River, when a Hu family heir couldn't produce poetry but wanted to board the boat and made a scene, guess what happened?"

"What happened?"

"A young master from the Xu family beat that Hu family heir and threw him in Qinhuai River! So if the Prince wants to pull rank, he's picked the wrong place. This Courtesan Liu is protected by Chief Grand Secretary Xu's family. The Xu family doesn't need to give face to a feudal prince..."

At this time, people still discussed heatedly. The Prince paid no attention to these voices, only waiting for the greeting lady to return. He asked curiously: "Miss, what did Courtesan Liu say?"

The greeting lady smiled sweetly: "My lady says the Prince didn't boast—your half line can top others' ten lines! Please come upstairs!"

Onlookers were shocked: "The useless prince can actually write poetry?"

The Prince's eyes narrowed slightly. He turned to scan the crowd, wanting to find who spoke.

His appearance was handsome. Wearing the prince's black gauze hat and silver-threaded python robes, once he put away his smile, he naturally carried authority. For a moment, he didn't quite resemble the former wastrel.

The speaker wasn't stupid. He was only bold because of the chaotic crowd. Seeing the Prince's hint of anger, how would he dare truly provoke this authority? He immediately shrank into the crowd.

Someone in the crowd shouted: "Bring out what the Prince wrote so we can see if Courtesan Liu is playing favorites!"

The Prince was silent, then laughed out loud freely: "Say what you want. Anyway, I can go upstairs and you can't. You'll be so angry! Let's go drink!"

The Prince waved his hand grandly, quite heroic in martial world spirit.

He no longer paid attention to these people, turned excitedly to Liang Gou'er and beckoned: "Quick, quick, carry Chen Ji upstairs to drink!"

Everyone's gazes turned to me and the others. Why were they carrying someone sleeping?

"Why are so many people carrying him?"

"Maybe he's disabled and can't walk?"

"How pitiful."

Liang Gou'er and Liang Mao'er carried the bamboo chair forward. Liu Quxing smiled: "Now Chen Ji will become famous in Luocheng."

She Dakang felt sorry: "Better to leave him at the clinic than have people say he's disabled."

Liang Gou'er said boldly: "We martial world children—how can we drink without one person? If he stayed alone at the clinic, how dreary. Naturally we drink together! After drinking until morning, we'll carry him up the drum tower to watch the sunrise. Now that's refreshing!"

By now I'd died once more and woken up, but hearing the surrounding discussion, I really didn't have the courage to open my eyes...

I kept my eyes closed, gritting my teeth: "Stop chatting. Hurry up!"

Liang Gou'er and Liu Quxing burst out laughing: "So you were awake!"

Entering the Embroidery Building, the interior was elegant and refined. In the center of the great hall was actually a fish pond with three to five koi.

Everyone was about to go upstairs when a pretty maid came down the stairs. The Prince suddenly raised his hand, signaling Liang Gou'er to stop with Liang Mao'er in front of the maid.

The Prince patted me: "Chen Ji, look at this young lady. She's very pretty."

The maid covered her mouth with a light smile.

I refused to open my eyes, absolutely wouldn't do this embarrassing thing. But the Prince perversely wouldn't leave.

After an unknown stalemate, sitting on pins and needles, I quickly opened my eyes then immediately closed them, nearly grinding my teeth to dust: "I looked. Hurry upstairs."

The Prince laughed heartily: "Just looking—what's there to fear? Don't be shy!"

I: "..."

You all didn't treat me like a disabled person, but you didn't treat me like a person either...

The Prince walked beside the bamboo chair teasing: "Usually you're quite composed. Why so reserved today?"

I turned to look at him: "Were you also carried here?"

"Hahahaha." Everyone's laughter surged upstairs, as if circling the beams, lingering endlessly.

I felt incredibly embarrassed. But after being embarrassed briefly, I couldn't help laughing too, cursing: "After my injuries heal, I'll kill you all."

......

......

Just dozens of zhang away on the street, Jinzhu and a spy dressed as wealthy merchants quietly observed the Embroidery Building.

Jinzhu said in a low voice: "Pay close attention to this Embroidery Building. Luocheng is in troubled times. Today isn't an auspicious day, yet he chose today to open—something's fishy. And that Courtesan Liu—she was doing fine in Jinling. Why suddenly run to Luocheng?"

"Lord, it's customary across our dynasty for elegant singing troupes to invite Qinhuai River courtesans for ribbon-cutting ceremonies. After all, they're famous—everyone knows Qinhuai River's are the best."

Jinzhu shook his head: "Different, different. During this time, we must watch all unfamiliar faces appearing in Luocheng closely. Also that Prince and Princess—Donglin Academy suspended classes a month ago. Even if riding carriages back takes half a month, where were they the other half month? What did they do? Investigate."

"In Luocheng territory, provoking Prince Jing's Manor might..."

Jinzhu narrowed his eyes slightly, sneering: "Without Prince Jing's Manor backing them, would the Liu family dare collude with the enemy? Even if rebelling and usurping the throne, they need to find a new master. Without Prince Jing, could the Liu family sit on the dragon throne themselves? They wouldn't qualify! The Xu, Chen, Qi, Hu, and Yang families would devour them alive!"

Jinzhu understood one principle clearly. Even if the Liu family succeeded in rebellion, they couldn't sit on that chair. So they had to choose someone to sit there.

Then who did they choose? Prince Fu, Prince Qi, Prince An? These three were all young with no ability to command respect. Only Prince Jing had the qualifications to be the Liu family's confidence.

While chatting, Jinzhu watched me being carried into the Embroidery Building by Liang Gou'er and Liang Mao'er, with Princess Baili even helping lift the armrest...

He instinctively rubbed his eyes: "Did I eat something dirty and see things? Quick, look—is the person Liang Mao'er and Liang Gou'er are carrying Chen Ji?"

The trusted spy said dryly: "It's him."

Jinzhu was even more shocked: "This kid's status in Prince Jing's Manor is so high?! Tomorrow I must visit him and instruct him to watch the Prince and Princess closely, find a way to dig out evidence of the manor colluding with Jing Dynasty!"

......

......

Reaching the Embroidery Building's second floor, the arrangement was strange: All elegant seats were blocked by layers of gauze curtains hanging from the ceiling, as if isolated from the world.

The Prince asked curiously: "What does this mean? Sitting behind these curtains, how can we see Courtesan Liu?"

A maid beside explained: "This is tonight's game. The autumn air is crisp and refreshing. My lady says to use autumn as the theme—everyone must compose three poems related to autumn. The curtains blocking the elegant seats have three layers. Write one poem and one layer is removed. Complete three poems to see my lady."

The Prince looked around to see a maid removing the three curtain layers from Chen Wenzong's side. He'd already finished all three poems.

Looking at another elegant seat, someone from behind the curtain handed out paper. Soon a maid came to remove the curtain, revealing Liu Mingxian sitting properly inside.

The Prince instinctively looked at me, but I had entered dreamland again.

He urged: "Baili, quick, donate incense money!"

Princess Baili pulled three golden melon seeds from her purse and stuffed them in my palm. But this time, I lying on the bamboo chair didn't wake.

The Prince cried out: "This is bad—even giving money doesn't work. He's a true bodhisattva!"