Why Does Mr. Xie Favor Me? Chapter 34

Chapter 34 The rich family’s broken jade

Today’s hot search in Guzang: The scene of the Wang family tearing up manuscripts

In the afternoon of the next day, the sun shines through the sparse clouds and shines on Wang’s Lanhui Garden in the east of Guzang City.Although this place is called Biyeye, its exquisiteness and luxury are better than the main residences of many aristocratic families.

The pavilions and pavilions in the garden are scattered at random, and they are located along the curved canals made of artificially diverted running water. Today coincides with the drama of drinking water from the curved water.

The sound of silk and bamboo came from the water pavilion, the clearer and more melodious. The maids dressed in uniform light pink carried various delicacies and walked among the guests, walking slowly and almost silently.

Wang Xinlu is the undisputed focus of the day. She is only eighteen years old, wearing a peony and vermilion skirt that is the most fashionable in Guzang at the moment. She has a simple hair style, with red gold dots in her hair and slender tassels hanging down. She trembles with her movements, making her carefully painted face even more charming and attractive.

She sat at the head of the throne, her chin slightly raised habitually, and her eyes slowly swept over the dozens of guests sitting or standing, all of whom were children of aristocratic families carefully selected by her brother Wang Yuzong and officials close to the Wang family and their families. There was inherent superiority and a trace of imperceptible scrutiny in her eyes.

She picked up the small jade cup in front of her with her slender fingers, raised the corners of her lips in a just right arc, and said in a clear voice, “Today I am honored by you all, with the theme of elegance, and with poetry as my friend. But…”

She paused, her eyes moving, “Everyone here has been a master of poetry and etiquette for many generations. The true meaning of the word “elegance” is the charm in the bones. Naturally, it cannot be seen by those poor people who have just recognized a few words and are proficient in writing and have the courage to discuss the pros and cons of the government without knowing the heights of heaven and earth.”

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a burst of understanding low laughter and echoes in the banquet, “What the young lady said is absolutely true. Elegance is in the heart and passed down in the blood. How can it be achieved by those who suddenly become wealthy?”

The poetry meeting proceeds step by step, with some chanting and others commenting.A young man named Zhang, who came from a lower-class noble family, mustered up the courage to compose a song “Remembering Qin E”

In Chen Yi’s place, the hills are thick with bamboos and the fragrance lingers there.

Stay fragrant,

A stream of smoke and moon,

Two bridges are exposed.

The sound of birds in the forest separates each other,

The green shade is infinite and the centrifugal dawn is endless.

centrifugal dawn,

Flowers fall by the waterside,

The garden is full of mangroves.

After finishing the poem, he looked at the subject with some anxiety.

Wang Xinlu’s slender eyebrows were raised slightly, as if he was savoring it. After a moment, he spoke in a tone that sounded regretful but actually mean: “This “Recalling Qin’e” reads as if the word “香” was cut out of “The Songs of Chu” to make up the scenery. The hills are thick with bamboos, leaving fragrance.It’s obviously a leisurely scene of watching orchids in the courtyard, but it touches Qu Zilanpei’s thoughts of Mingzhi. The classics and scenery are thousands of miles apart, and they are merged into one place. It seems that the young master only read half a sentence of “Li Sao” and was in a hurry to show off his elegance at the poetry meeting.”

She sighed softly, “Although your father is an official in the court and works conscientiously, the heritage of the poems and books passed down from generation to generation is still lacking in quality.”

Mr. Zhang’s face turned red instantly, sweat appeared on his forehead, and he couldn’t speak. Amid the sympathetic or mocking eyes around him, he retreated to his seat in embarrassment, wishing he could bury his head under the desk.

Wang Xinlu seemed to have just brushed away a speck of dust and turned to a girl he was friends with. His words were chatty and low-pitched, but enough for people nearby to hear clearly: “Sister, I recently read the history of the former government and came across an interesting thing. It said that a certain official from a humble background, in order to curry favor with his superiors and seek promotion, actually gave his biological daughter as a concubine to his superior who was over sixty years old.”

She pursed her lips and smiled, her eyes full of ridicule, “It can be seen that if there are some valuable things missing from this bloodline, in order to climb up, all the ethics, integrity, flesh and blood, and family ties can be easily discarded. Don’t you think so?”

The girl covered her mouth with a round fan and chuckled, “My sister is always so insightful and to the point.”

Wang Xinlu picked up a crystal lychee, peeled it slowly, and said with a chuckle: “I just like to tell the truth. The elegance of the court, the clear discussion of criticism, is a tacit game between us and the nobles. Is it worthy of a poor family to talk about the gains and losses of political affairs? In my opinion, they are just a group of ants who exploit every opportunity to work hard. Seeing the excitement, they will be gone after one kick.”

She put the peeled lychee into her mouth with an elegant gesture, as if she was not talking about a group of people, but some insignificant insect.

Three steps away from her, Shen Youjin stood bowing.He was dressed in ordinary servant clothes, with his eyebrows lowered and his eyes lowered, like a lifeless clay and wood sculpture. He was holding a blank roll of paper and pen and ink in his hand, which was nominally to record the masterpieces of the poetry meeting in order to prepare them for presentation to the palace.

In fact, he sees in all directions and listens in all directions. Every person’s expression and every key word are silently classified and recorded in his heart.

At the end of the poem, the maid served Wang Xinlu freshly brewed Yangxian tea.As soon as Wang Xinlu lifted it up and touched his lips, he frowned with his carefully painted eyebrows, showing displeasure.

Shen Youjin immediately took half a step forward, bent even lower, and said in a very submissive voice, “Young Master, but the tea doesn’t suit your taste? I’ll go get another one right now.”

Wang Xinlu didn’t even look at him. He suddenly raised his hand and poured the cup of scalding hot tea onto Shen Youjin’s chest.

“Slave dog.” Her voice suddenly became sharp, “You can’t even pour tea. This tea soup is turbid in color. It’s obviously yesterday’s old tea. How dare you bring it to me? Is the Wang family short of food or clothing for you, so you use this to deal with me?”

The hot tea instantly soaked into Shen Youjin’s cotton shirt, and a burning pain immediately came.His body trembled violently and his face turned pale, but almost at the same time, that humble and almost flattering smile immediately filled his face again.

He seemed to feel no pain, and bowed repeatedly, his voice still calm: “You deserve to die, it’s my blindness. I will go get the newly brewed tribute tea, please wait a moment.”

He maintained his bowed posture, quickly retreated in small steps, and the moment he turned around to leave, the well-trained smile on his face suddenly disappeared, leaving only a cold numbness and a fleeting hatred deep in his eyes.

He walked quickly to the waiter. The burnt area on his chest hurt, but it was not half as bad as the pain in his heart. He counted silently: “The seventy-third public humiliation.”

As the poetry meeting came to an end, Wang Xinlu gave the top spot to a distant cousin who had mediocre poetry but was from the Wang family.

The tone of the announcement was lazy, “Today’s poet is the leader, Wang Gongzi. The poetry is broad, the use of allusions is graceful, and it is quite ancient. As for…”

Her eyes glanced in the direction of the few junior nobles who had just composed poems, and she said lightly, “Some people’s poems are too craftsmanship and become natural. It’s better to take them back and study behind closed doors for a few years, maybe they can get some of the essence.”

The children of the aristocratic families present all complimented her: “Young lady has a sharp eye.”

“It is precisely for this reason that the common people have a shallow foundation and will never be able to reach the realm of elegance.”

“Arty and elegant only make you smile.”

The sound of silk and bamboo began again, as if the humiliating and harsh comments just now were just insignificant ripples in this elegant event, and soon disappeared in the luxurious fragrance and laughter of Lanhui Garden.

Only Shen Youjin changed into clean clothes and quietly stood back in the shadows.

The next day, in the southeast of Guzang City, the area where the Imperial Academy was located was shrouded in the last haze before dawn.The tall gray-white courtyard wall stands silently, and the decaying grass on the top of the wall shrinks in the breeze.

Bai Ce, Li Yun, Yu Wenyuan, and two other students from poor families who firmly followed, a group of five people.

They took advantage of the fact that the sky was still dark and the gate was first opened, and quietly came to the main gate of Taixue.Bai Ce held tightly in his arms a long article written on thick linen paper with dripping ink. It was “Han Shibian” that they wrote with blood, tears and anger all night long.

Li Yun was carrying a small bucket of freshly cooked thin paste, and his fingers were a little red from the cold.

The sky was getting brighter, and the faint sound of morning reading came from the Imperial College.Bai Ce took a deep breath of the cold air, looked at his companions, and nodded.Yu Wenyuan watched the wind vigilantly, while Bai Ce and Li Yun quickly unfolded the hemp paper and pasted “Han Shi Bian” flatly on the most conspicuous position on the gray brick wall.

The article begins with the following words:

“Masters, the pillars of the country, are they only judged by their family status? In the past, Guan Zhong was a prisoner, assisting Huan of Qi to dominate. Baili Xi slaves helped Duke Mu prosper the Qin Dynasty. Wei Qing was born as a slave, and Huo Qubing started from the side. They have both made great contributions and are famous in history. Today, there are children of aristocratic families who are full of food all day long and have no intention except knowledge.Singing to the wind and moon, competing for splendor, they actually mocked the poor family as ants, and denounced the clear water as a camp.But let me ask, if there were no ordinary people in the poor family, with their bare hands and feet, working on the crops, where would you have come from?If there were no soldiers from the poor family, guarding the border with blood, waiting for the end, how could you sit in the palace and talk about elegance for a long time?

“A certain class of poor students, whose family does not have the wealth of a collection of books, can hang on the beam to stab the buttocks, and hold the fireflies in the bag to reflect the snow. They dare not forget every word of the books of the saints. They do not have the luxury of gold and jade, but they have the world in their hearts, and the eyes are hard and they are worried.The suffering of the people has not diminished bit by bit.In the ten years of Hanchuang, the scholars have been loyal to the emperor and patriotic, and they have adopted policies to manage the world and benefit the people.Why do you think that we are not qualified to discuss politics?”

Gradually, students who got up early and rushed to Taixue passed by. They were attracted by the long article on the wall and stopped to look at it and recited it in a low voice. Discussions began to sound.

“Well written!”

“Every word is true, and it will spit out a piece of cake in our hearts!”

The students who came from poor backgrounds were excited, and some even took out their pens and paper and began to copy.

But there were also one or two children of aristocratic families who happened to be passing by. After a few glances, they sneered disdainfully and whispered to each other: “Grandstanding.”

“You don’t know what you can do.”

“The steward will clean it up later.”

Within a moment, the news reached Wang Xinlu’s ears. A personal maid walked in quickly but quietly, and knelt down three steps away from her. Her face turned pale, and her voice had an imperceptible tremor: “Female…Female Young Master, news just came from outside. A long article was posted outside the main gate of Taixue, titled “Han Shibian”.”

Wang Xinlu paused slightly while combing his long hair, but did not look back. He only looked at the frightened face of the maid in the mirror, “Oh? What did you write that was not popular?”

The maid swallowed her saliva and recounted the fragment she had heard with difficulty, “The article mentioned that you mentioned at the poetry meeting the day before yesterday that a poor family could not even read the entire Book of Songs, but they were qualified to discuss politics, and… and that the children of aristocratic families wereHe was full of food all day long, and mocked the poor family as ants.The article quoted many famous officials and generals from poor families, saying that the nobleness of a scholar does not depend on his family status, and also questioned whether the family could enjoy wealth without the poor family working hard and guarding the border…”

There was a soft “click” sound.

The valuable mutton-fat jade comb in Wang Xinlu’s hand was suddenly broken into two pieces by her. She turned around slowly, the usual carefree smile on her face disappeared without a trace, replaced by a cold anger after being offended.

“Okay,” she said two words softly, her voice was low, but the temperature in the room suddenly dropped, “What a bunch of ants who don’t know how to live or die. How dare you bark at the sun and the moon, and even try to leave traces.” She threw the broken comb on the ground with a crisp sound.

“Go,” her tone returned to calmness, but it was even more heart-stopping. “Ask the steward of the outer courtyard to immediately bring people to tear up those things that stain my eyes. No scraps of paper are allowed to be left.”

A cold light flashed in her eyes, “In addition, let him find out who wrote it. If you dare to write, you must have the courage to bear the consequences of writing. If you find out, you don’t need to reply to me, you know what to do.”

“Yes…” The maid was sweating and retreated quickly.

There were more people watching “Han Shibian” in the afternoon than in the morning, and the discussion was louder.Students from poor families exchanged looks of appreciation or emotion with each other, while a few children from aristocratic families gathered in the distance, folding their arms and sneering, waiting for a good show.

Suddenly, a clutter of heavy footsteps came from the corner of the street.I saw more than a dozen burly slaves holding eyebrow-level sticks, led by a middle-aged man who looked like a butler, and rushed straight to the gate of the Imperial Academy.

The crowd was rushed away by this ferocious aura. The steward did not even look at the article on the wall. He waved his hand and shouted sternly: “On the order of my daughter-in-law, we must clean up the dirty words and get out of the way immediately.”

The slaves rushed forward like wolves and tigers, and stretched out their hands to tear the “Han Shi Bian” on the wall.

“Stop!” Bai Ce’s eyes were splitting, and he and his companions rushed to stop him, “Why are you tearing it apart? This is Taixue, a place where the imperial court educates people. It has its own laws and you are not allowed to destroy articles privately.”

Li Yun even stood up in front of the paper and shouted loudly: “In broad daylight, the world is clear. This article does not violate national laws, and it does not violate human ethics. It is all facts. Why do you Wang family tear it up so easily? Is there any royal law?”

The steward sneered, his eyes contemptuous, “In this Guzang City, there are some things that are more effective than the king’s law. Give me a beating, the young master said, these people who don’t know the dignity of others just need a lesson.”

The stick fell without warning, and Bai Ce was the first to bear the brunt. His forehead was hit hard, and his skin and flesh were immediately torn.

Li Yun received a heavy blow on his back and fell to the ground with a groan.Yu Wenyuan and the other two were also surrounded by the slaves, and fists, feet, and sticks fell like raindrops.

There were students from poor families whose eyes were on fire and their fists were clenched, but they were intimidated by the power of the Wang family and did not dare to step forward.The children of the aristocratic families in the distance showed such smiles as expected.

In just a moment, “Han Shibian” was torn to pieces, the paper scraps mixed with the dust on the ground, and was trampled into disarray.

Bai Ce and the other five people fell to the ground with bruises. Bai Ce and Li Yun were particularly seriously injured, and their blood dyed the bluestone beneath them red.The steward coldly glanced at the messy scene and the few people groaning on the ground, and spat: “Bah, bad luck, let’s go!”

When several doctors from Taixue hurried over after hearing the news, the noble slaves of the Wang family had already walked away, leaving only paper scraps and blood stains on the floor, as well as a few injured students who were struggling to get up.

The towering gray wall watched all this silently, and the plaque on the wall that read the scriptures looked a bit dazzling in the afternoon sun.