Chapter 14: A Legacy Through the Ages
The voting concluded.
After Madam Liu finished counting the silver coins with her attendants, she stepped up to the flower platform and began reading aloud from the list in her hand.
“Young Master Zhang Xian supports Miss Ziwei, donating ten taels of silver.”
“Young Master Liu Feng supports Miss Caiyi, donating twenty taels of silver.”
“Young Master Wang Dafu supports Miss Mei’er, donating ten taels of silver...”
As Madam Liu named each donor, the maidservants on the platform applauded enthusiastically, and the crowd below cheered loudly.
Wang Dafu, hearing his own name, immediately felt a pang of regret.
"Damn it! That scoundrel Liu Feng actually donated twenty taels. If I had known, I would have given twenty-five! How humiliating to be outdone by him!"
Madam Liu deliberately began announcing the donations before the poetry scores were revealed, intending to appeal to the scholars’ pride and competitive nature. This way, in future events, these gentlemen might be more willing to donate more silver despite themselves.
“Young Master Liang Yucheng supports Miss Zhiyin, donating twenty taels.”
“Young Master Su Bie supports Miss Mei’er, donating eleven taels...”
“Damn!”
Wang Dafu suddenly stood up from his seat, glaring at Su Bie across from him. “Brother Su, not only did you secretly support my Miss Mei’er, but you’ve also outbid me by one tael! That’s downright despicable!”
Su Bie laughed heartily.
Zhang Yitian couldn’t help but chime in: “Wasn’t Brother Su just saying that Miss Mei’er was too common to be worthy of the stage?”
Su Bie shook the folding fan in his hand and replied earnestly, “True, but the way Miss Mei’er sways her waist and hips... tsk tsk, truly captivating.”
“Cowardly! Shameless! A scoundrel!”
Wang Dafu slammed the table in anger and shouted, “Brother Su, if you don’t apologize over drinks today, consider our friendship ended!”
Su Bie chuckled and raised his cup. “Three cups from me, one from you.”
Wang Dafu pushed the wine pot away and snorted, “Make that one whole pot for you!”
Su Bie weighed the wine pot in his hand and smiled readily, “No problem.”
Wang Dafu continued grumbling, his gaze drifting back to the stage. Upon hearing others had donated more than him as well, he resumed cursing them.
“Hmph, what’s Liu Wenshuo showing off for? Putting on airs! His family’s so poor they can barely get by—last time his wife had to go borrow rice—but now he’s pretending to be rich, donating ten taels! If his wife knew, she’d probably die of anger!”
Su Bie commented, “That’s just how he is—so concerned with face. I heard the tuition for his schooling was paid by his wife, who earned money sewing clothes for others.”
Zhang Yitian’s eyes flickered briefly as he shook his head with a cold smirk. “People like that might as well be dead.”
On the flower platform, Liu Ju had finished reading the list.
By now, several elderly gentlemen had reviewed and scored the poems.
Liu Ju took the poems from the maid and began reading them aloud one by one.
When the first poem was finished, the crowd burst into cheers and praise.
“Brother Zhang’s poem is excellent, deserving of seven points! Look at those last two lines—not only do they capture Miss Ziwei’s delicate beauty, but also her skill with the flute...”
These scholars were well-versed in poetry; upon seeing a fine work, they naturally grew excited and began discussing it eagerly.
Wang Dafu, Su Bie, and Zhang Yitian also debated each line.
Luo Zijun, growing increasingly anxious as time passed, felt the pressure mounting—and having drunk too much out of boredom, now needed to relieve himself.
“Gentlemen, continue your discussion; I’ll step out for some fresh air.”
Luo Zijun rose and exited the cabin.
Wang Dafu glanced after him and whispered, “Does Brother Luo not know how to write poetry? He looks bored watching us discuss.”
Zhang Yitian nodded. “Probably not very skilled. He hasn’t said a word.”
Su Bie sneered, “You two are mistaken this time.”
“Oh? How so?”
Meanwhile, outside the cabin, Luo Zijun found no one around; the visitors on the shore and broken bridge had already dispersed. Quickly, he loosened his clothes and relieved himself over the railing.
“Hopefully the Xu Xian he meets isn’t the White Lady...” he silently prayed.
Suddenly, he heard two startled gasps behind him and turned in shock.
From the nearby shadow to his left, two figures stood frozen, wide-eyed and covering their mouths.
One was a petite maid with her hair arranged in a servant’s style—the same one who had just seen him earlier. The other was a slender young lady in a pink gown, graceful yet delicate, her long black hair flowing behind her. Her face was obscured.
Both stood motionless in the shadows, seemingly petrified by the scene before them.
The sound of his urine splashing into the lake echoed loudly in the silent night.
Embarrassed, Luo Zijun wished he could dive into the lake, but unable to retract in time, he forced himself to speak, “Um, ladies, would you like to join me?”
...
The two froze for a few seconds longer, then suddenly turned and dashed back inside.
What a disaster!
Having finished, Luo Zijun fastened his clothes and resolved never to relieve himself outdoors again, nor to return to this cursed place.
He hurried indoors.
“Brother Luo, what happened? Were you chased by a dog?” Wang Dafu asked, curious at his sudden return.
Luo Zijun shot him a glance. “You’re the one being chased!”
Damn it, how was he so unlucky? Not only had he not met Xu Xian, but he’d suffered two social deaths in a row.
Clearly, this place was not for him.
“Brother Luo, those two lines from the pharmacy—did you really come up with them yourself?” Wang Dafu suddenly asked.
Luo Zijun was distracted. “Which two lines?”
“The ones that go, ‘May no one in the world fall ill; why let the medicine gather dust on the shelf...’” Zhang Yitian spoke up.
Luo Zijun denied it outright, “No.”
Before they could press further, a fresh burst of enthusiastic applause and cheers erupted around them.
“Excellent verses! Wonderful lines!”
Su Bie joined in, clapping and praising, “Indeed, worthy of eight points!”
Curious, the group turned to the flower platform.
An elderly gentleman held a sheet of rice paper, stroked his beard, and smiled, “Young Master Liang’s poem was debated at length among us; we agree it is a rare gem, hence the high score. Look at this opening line...”
“Brother Xu! Come quickly! Look at this one!”
At that moment, a few elderly gentlemen at the back beckoned Xu Baohuai over, their faces alight with excitement.
He was puzzled—he had never seen his friends so moved before. Could there be an even better poem?
“When life were only as at first sight...”
Upon reading the first line, his eyes brightened instantly as he snatched the paper to read in rapt silence.
Meanwhile, in a nearby side chamber, Liu Chujian and her maid Bi’er huddled behind a locked door, trembling, faces flushed with embarrassment and panic.
The two had hesitated for a long time before bravely stepping out the door, planning to walk along the corridor outside the cabin and peek through the windows to find the young man who had just relieved himself. But as soon as they stepped outside, they witnessed the dreadful scene...
“Miss, is that man sick? I’ve only seen him twice, but both times he was peeing in the most inappropriate places...”
Bi’er felt utterly disgusted, as if her eyes had been sullied beyond cleansing.
Liu Chujian blushed deeply, her heart pounding wildly.
That man was just... was just...
Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door.
Then, the door was pushed open.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
Liu Ju, unable to open the door, knocked excitedly from outside. “Chujian, come out quickly! Great news! This is incredible—your name’s already famous!”
Her voice trembled with excitement.
When Bi’er opened the door, she found Liu Ju flushed with joy, looking ten years younger, radiant, and glowing.
“Oh my! Your poem earned a full twenty points from those elderly gentlemen! Twenty whole points! Even the scholars, after hearing your poem, were banging tables in excitement, saying they’d never before given such an exceptional twenty-point bonus! Ha ha ha—now you’re the most celebrated girl at Tiansian Pavilion!”
Unexpectedly, Liu Chujian did not share in the excitement. Instead, she stood dazed.
Liu Ju quickly grabbed her hand, rubbing it tenderly and speaking eagerly, “My dear girl, who wrote that poem? Tell me! I’ll go bow to him! Do you know what those elderly gentlemen said? They said your name will be remembered for a thousand years! Our Tiansian Pavilion’s name will live forever! And my own name might even be recorded in history! Ah, hearing this makes my heart burst with joy—so thrilled I’m shaking and my skirt’s wet! Ha ha ha... Oh no, I need to go relieve myself by the railing now...”
Liu Chujian: “...”
Bi’er: “...”