Before the two of us could indulge in our intimacy for much longer, Xie Bin spotted us. The scholars gathered in a huddle, whispering for a moment before they all bowed in unison to greet Wei Qingming.
Xie Bin was quite tactful; he did not address her as "My Lord," but instead asked with a smile, "Third Young Master Wei, bringing your lady to join the festivities? One would expect you to seek quiet amidst the clamor, yet you even stepped up to the challenge. How fascinating! Truly divine skill, divine skill!" He naturally caught sight of the cricket cage held between our joined hands. Seeing it as a sign of marital harmony and whimsical charm, the corners of his mouth curled into a knowing smile.
Wei Qingming merely offered a faint smile. I spoke up on her behalf, beaming. "How have you been lately, Master Xie? Have you stayed away from the wellside?"
"Haha, thank you for your concern, Madam," Xie Bin laughed heartily. "Forget the wellside—with all the snow in the north, this humble student hasn't even been drinking well water!"
Hou Tianyong, Qian Danxu, and the others also crowded forward to exchange pleasantries. Hou Tianyong didn't seem bothered by his earlier loss of face; though the anxious sweat on his brow hadn't dried, his cheeks were flushed with excitement. His bulging eyes sparkled with sharp wit as he squinted and joked mischievously, "I am ashamed, truly ashamed. I couldn't even manage three bowls and three balls, let alone the Nine Linked Rings in Brother Wei’s hands!"
Qian Danxu, on the other hand, was rather haughty. He had already been impatient with his friends' insistence on trying these common street tricks. Now, he didn't care to discuss them further. After greeting Wei Qingming, he stood silently to the side, tilting his head slightly to watch the clouds in the sky.
A few young successful candidates, having just been introduced, were quite curious about Wei Qingming—a person of noble birth and refined temperament. They spoke a few mild, scholarly words before a few more people strolled over from behind. Among them were officials Hua Lingheng and Wen Siming, accompanied by a fresh face. These three were several years older than Xie Bin and his cohort; they had also studied at the Imperial College or Lianshan Academy and were regarded as reliable seniors by this group of "green" juniors. Though I say "green," they were actually all twenty-five or twenty-six, older than Wei Qingming... One could only say that these literati, living tranquil lives within the academies, had remained untainted by the world's hardships and were thus somewhat naive.
"Third Brother Wei!" Hua Lingheng called out with a warm smile. He nodded to me in greeting before gesturing toward the stranger. "What a coincidence to meet today. This is Brother Fang Weisong. Huizhen, this is my wife’s cousin, Wei Min, the third son of the Duke of Wei."
"I have long looked forward to meeting you," Wei Qingming said with a bow. "The *East Capital Suppressing Chaos Gatha* still rings in my ears like a clear bell, a deafening wake-up call that refreshed the nation's spirit and united the scholars. Brother Huizhen, you possess great talent."
I was also greatly surprised. Fang Weisong was the current head of the East Society, one of the three major literati societies. He had risen to fame over a decade ago because of that very manifesto, which denounced Yuan Jihai, the then-Governor of the two eastern provinces of Wuyue. Fang Weisong had authored the piece and signed his name first, followed by other famous Jiangnan talents like Wei Qijun and Chen Zhenyun. Yuan Jihai had clung to the coattails of the treacherous eunuch Wu Bao during the reign of the late Emperor Zhenzong, committing atrocities for years in the wealthy southwestern province of Ezhou. After Wu Bao fell, Yuan Jihai used heavy bribes to escape unscathed. Within three to five years, he rose again, leaping to the rank of Governor. Fang Weisong’s manifesto provided the newly enthroned Emperor with the perfect pretext for a purge, exposing a hoard of national parasites. From then on, the literati of the East Society became known to the world, and men like Fang Weisong were hailed as paragons of virtue.
Back then, he was barely twenty, unafraid of tigers or leopards. Now, twelve years and more had passed. The friends who had signed alongside him had entered officialdom, becoming seasoned by the shifting tides of the political sea. Chen Zhenyun had even reached the rank of Superintendent of the East Yue Maritime Trade Bureau, a high official of the fifth rank. Yet Fang Weisong had not even passed the provincial exams, remaining an old scholar in his late thirties. Given his talent and fame, it shouldn't have been so; the truth behind it was something everyone understood in their hearts.
Though he likely heard that manifesto mentioned every time he met someone new, Wei Qingming’s presence was so noble and her aura so clear that even flattery from such a cold, aloof aristocrat seemed exceptionally sweet. Only I knew that Lord Wei was a master at using that handsome face of hers to deceive. In all the world, she was the best at fawning, brown-nosing, reading people's expressions, and winning their trust...
Fang Weisong was of medium height and possessed dignified features. One could imagine how dashing and high-spirited he must have been in his youth. Now, however, two deep lines, like those carved by a chisel, ran from the corners of his mouth down to his jaw. His brow was permanently furrowed, so that even when he smiled, a hint of bitterness seemed to weigh down the corners of his eyes, making his once-bright gaze heavy with worry. Hearing her words, he pursed his lips, which twitched slightly before he managed a strained, unfamiliar smile. He cupped his hands. "A mere matter of the past. It hardly counts as an achievement."
Meanwhile, Wen Siming checked on me with perfect decorum. Among this group of scholars was his brother-in-law, He Rao’s younger brother, He Yankun. I smilingly asked after Wen Xiang and He Rao. At the mention of his wife, Wen Siming looked slightly bashful, yet his expression was incredibly soft. He and He Rao had been married for less than a year and were still in the honeymoon phase. He explained that the ladies of the house had no patience for walking with the men and had chased them away, agreeing to meet in the beast-fighting arena after they had finished browsing the outskirts. Hua Lingheng was in the same boat. The two men shared a helpless, knowing glance, then teased me and Wei Qingming again for the way we were clinging to each other, arm in arm.
Knowing I had little patience for dealing with pedantic scholars, Wei Qingming exchanged a few more polite words before gracefully taking our leave. We had walked about a dozen paces when a familiar voice called out from behind us: "Coming through, coming through... Ouch! My apologies, young master, my apologies."
That "thud" of a collision happened to be against Qian Danxu. The young master Qian grunted in displeasure, frowning, but he maintained his poise and didn't scold the man. He only said, "Watch where you're going." With that, the noisy group of young scholars headed off in the opposite direction.
As the person was about to scurry past us, I cleared my throat to stifle a laugh and turned to shout, "Master Qian—"
Before the "—qian" could leave my mouth, Gu Shuguan stomped his foot in a frantic "shush." He turned and saw Wei Qingming. First he froze, then he shuddered, instinctively retreating three large steps. "I... I didn't steal much from him..." he stammered in a low voice.
Seeing his cowardly state, I couldn't help but double over in laughter. He didn't realize that while Lord Wei was a government official, she didn't care much for morality or justice. Her heart was far "darker" than Old Gu's; he had no reason to fear her on moral grounds. Yet Wei Qingming, that official full of wicked schemes, insisted on teasing him. She knit her brows coldly, radiating an aura of official authority that made Gu Shuguan’s legs shake even harder in the cold wind.
She then casually raised a finger, pointing toward a crowd diagonally ahead of us. She spoke tonelessly: "The mark is there."
Gu Shuguan and I both craned our necks to look. It was indeed a group of wealthy merchants and their attendants, disguised as ordinary commoners. The one leading them looked arrogant, but was actually just a head steward. The true masters were tucked in the middle: two merchants, one fat and one thin, accompanied by a woman of the demon race. That woman was stunningly beautiful, her smiles enchanting. Her phoenix eyes, both tender and commanding, had the two men completely spellbound, competing for her favor until sparks practically flew...
I was busy admiring her and wondering which house in the Cloud Alleys she belonged to, while Gu Shuguan nodded vigorously. "Very fat, very fat!" As for what kind of "fat" he meant, I didn't understand at all. Even after spending all those years at the Dream-In, if a group of wealthy merchants stood before me in their fine silks, they were just a bunch of flabby, idle men; I truly couldn't tell who was worth more.
Gu Shuguan salivated and rubbed his hands, ready to go. Then he remembered the terrifying deity beside me. He turned back with a start, looking at her timidly for permission, fearing that her sudden kindness might hide some ulterior motive. Wei Qingming finally offered a faint smile, her eyes narrowing. "If there are any seals or letters, feel free to 'borrow' them."
At this, Old Gu came alive, like a withered tree meeting spring or a fish leaping through the dragon gate. With a cry of "Understood!", he vanished like a wisp of smoke.
I found it both funny and intriguing. There must be thirty to fifty thousand wealthy merchants in the capital, and I knew the richest ones at least by sight. I had never seen these few in the capital before. For them to catch Wei Qingming’s interest meant they were truly significant. Once Gu Shuguan was far enough away, I leaned against Wei Qingming’s arm and asked with a grin.
Wei Qingming replied, "Wealthy households from the south. It's no wonder Zhenzhen doesn't recognize them. The fat one is Shen Wanbiao, the owner of Xianxia Pavilion in Yuezhou. The thin one is from the He family—He Bingshi, the nephew of the current patriarch."
"Xianxia Pavilion!" I huffed. "So that's the Shen Wanbiao whose business is always trying to suppress our Lingxiao Silk Manor! Old Gu should steal even more from him!" As for the He family, they were the Wuling He clan, once the richest family in Jiangnan five hundred years ago and the ones who spearheaded the founding of the Tianjun Sect. During the reigns of Emperors Dezong and Zhenzong, they had declined significantly and lost their title as the wealthiest, but a hundred-legged insect does not easily die. Moreover, the current patriarch was said to be in his prime; having been in power for only three years, the He family already showed signs of reversing their decline.
Looking closely, He Bingshi did indeed have a more refined air. Shen Wanbiao was all smiles, constantly talking to please the demon woman, who giggled incessantly. He Bingshi only listened with a faint smile, his expression haughty, never joining in on the crude jokes. The head steward leading them seemed lukewarm toward both sides, making it impossible to tell if he served the He or Shen family.
Wei Qingming remarked casually, "That is Ding Lesheng, the steward hired by Prince Yi after he opened his own manor."
"It's him!" I whispered in shock. "They say half the Prince's manor is held in the hands of 'The Hook.' Prince Yi only cares for flowers and the moon and can't be bothered with finances. Anyone who wants to get through the door has to keep this Great Steward Ding happy... In the business world, they've even given the fellow the nickname 'Prince Le'!" However, having seen through Prince Yi’s true face, such ghost stories were only fit for fooling children.
I finally understood Wei Qingming’s motive for sending Gu Shuguan after this group. Two major Jiangnan merchants coming north at the end of the year to meet with the Prince’s manor—it was surely a major matter concerning military supply contracts.
Watching Gu Shuguan stroll past the group with an air of nonchalance, Wei Qingming and I shared a smile. Time was running short, so we held hands and hurried toward the beast-fighting arena.
Inside the arena, a round had just ended. The beasts were being returned to their cages, and demon slaves were busy cleaning up, picking up severed limbs and bloody claws from the ground like they were gleaning wheat. The originally ochre-yellow soil had been soaked by dripping blood, turning into a dense, sticky brownish-red. And this was only the first morning; a rough estimate suggested only about ten pairs had fought so far. The gore and brutality of this performance were plain to see.
The fan-shaped stands were packed with spectators. Those in the innermost circle were all dressed in magnificent robes. Zhu Yixin saw us entering from afar and stood up to wave her handkerchief.
"Why are you so late! There's only one group left!" she complained as she pulled me up the steps to sit. Catching sight of the cricket cage I was cradling like a treasure, she teased me for being childish. I teased her right back, and the two of us sat together affectionately, watching the preparations in the arena. Wei Qingming sat beside me with a quiet, indifferent air, reaching out to tighten the ties of my cloak and straighten my slightly askew veiled hat.
Hong Lu had arrived early to prepare tea and snacks. Qiao Songlin sat to Zhu Yixin’s left, while Lu Kaifeng and the others sat in the row behind us, one level higher. Xue Su truly followed like a shadow; she appeared out of nowhere and sat obediently between Lu Lingfeng and Nie Xiaoyan. I turned to tease Nie Xueqing a bit, making the Eldest Senior Brother cough in embarrassment. Everyone laughed, with Chief Nie laughing the loudest and longest...
Amidst the clamor of laughter and conversation, the great iron gates slowly groaned open. A tall, elderly man stepped out. Though his hands and feet were sturdy and calloused, his manner was exceptionally elegant. He bowed gracefully to the crowd. The final and most thrilling match was about to begin.
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Dreams of the Ancient Mountain: The Cat's Masquerade | Chapter 169 | The Mark Revealed | Novela.app | Novela.app
