Chapter 84

On the ninth day of the ninth lunar month in the first year of the Wenhe era, we went on an autumn outing.

Prince Consort Cheng held a banquet at Qujiang Pool, and Minister Xiao and his son Xiao E received invitations.

Not long ago, Xiao Jijiu fell ill. His eldest son, Xiao E, was young and inexperienced. Madam Xiao was worried that Xiao Jijiu would not be able to take care of his son, so she asked Fan Hui and Wei Mingsu to accompany them to the banquet.

Fan Hui was very excited.

Before the Double Ninth Festival, he prepared a new set of clothes and also bought new clothes for Wei Mingsu.

In order to attract talented people from all over the country, the imperial court encouraged scholars to submit their own applications and allowed powerful officials to recommend candidates. Therefore, scholars who came to the capital would submit their poems and essays to powerful officials and the chief examiners of the Ministry of Rites. If they could gain their appreciation, they could successfully pass the imperial examination and enter officialdom.

Wei Mingsu came from a humble background and had no influential connections to promote him. Even if he were to enter officialdom, he might never be selected as an official, and all his education would be in vain.

Fan Hui admired Wei Mingsu's talent and wanted to pave the way for his own career, so he often gave Wei Mingsu advice on social interactions.

“Ming Su, with your background, talent alone isn’t enough for a promising future; you also need the appreciation of influential people. Your teacher is taking us to Prince Consort Cheng’s autumn banquet, where all the guests will undoubtedly be wealthy and powerful. How can you wear old clothes for such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?”

Wei Mingsu looked at the book and said, "Brother Fan, our teacher is unwell, and we are here at his wife's request to take care of him and his eldest son."

Fan Hui was in high spirits and said with a smile, "Even if the teacher can't introduce us to high-ranking officials, the Autumn Outing Banquet is still a rare opportunity. Every year, famous poems are published at the Autumn Outing Banquet. If we prepare a few poems about climbing mountains, we might win the appreciation of distinguished guests and make some new friends."

Like Xiao E, he was also from an official family, but not a high-ranking one, and he also hoped to gain the appreciation of high-ranking officials.

Before we knew it, the day of the banquet arrived. Yellow flowers stood proudly, their golden stamens shimmering like rosy clouds.

Fan Hui and Wei Mingsu accompanied Xiao Jijiu and his son to Qujiang Pool by car.

Although Prince Consort Cheng held only the nominal title of general, a low-ranking official, his mother was a member of the imperial clan, and he himself married a member of the imperial clan. Therefore, as Fan Hui had predicted, the guests at the banquet were indeed mostly princes and ministers.

The area was bustling with activity, with carriages and horses moving about, and ceremonial figures gathering in large numbers.

Xiao Jijiu was still recovering from his illness. After exchanging a few pleasantries with acquaintances, he found a room to rest and sent his son and students to stroll around Qujiang Pool.

As soon as the three of them came out, the son of the Imperial Son-in-Law Cheng walked towards Xiao E with a big smile, recited a poem that Xiao E had written last month, and praised him for surpassing his teacher.

The other party was from a prominent family, and Xiao E was flattered to receive their praise.

Young Master Cheng invited Xiao E to admire the chrysanthemums that the Empress Dowager had bestowed upon Prince Consort Cheng, and Xiao E agreed without hesitation.

Fearing that Xiao E would get drunk at the banquet and that he would be scolded by his teacher's wife when he got back, Fan Hui pulled Wei Mingsu along and followed Xiao E.

Young Master Cheng led the way, taking the three of them into a spacious courtyard.

The scene here was even more lively, with six female singers playing the flute and pipa, and in the pavilion, eight Hu women dressed in long-sleeved dance costumes and colorful skirts dancing gracefully on a carpet to the music.

A group of richly dressed young gentlemen sat cross-legged on mats under the eaves, some playing games, some drinking, some watching songs and dances, and some chatting and laughing with others.

When Xiao E and his companions entered, the courtyard fell silent. The young masters looked up, their gazes falling on Xiao E and his group, scrutinizing them with curiosity.

Under the eaves, a handsome young man sat cross-legged and asked with a stern face, "Which of these three is Wei Mingsu, the scribe of the Wang family?"

His attendant pointed to Wei Mingsu, who was standing behind Xiao E, and said, "Young Master, the tallest one is Wei Mingsu."

A chorus of disdain immediately erupted around them.

"He really is a poor boy. Look at his belt and boots, they're all old."

"How poor was he? He looked shabby from head to toe."

"He's just average-looking, nothing special, nothing remarkable about him!"

Amidst the whispers of the young masters, Young Master Cheng led Xiao E and his two companions to the corridor, introduced them to the others, and invited the three to take their seats.

Xiao E recognized

The handsome young man, Pei Jingxi, the eldest son of the Pei family, grew increasingly excited, with barely concealed glee. Fan Hui also couldn't help but feel a little happy, while Wei Mingsu remained calm.

As soon as the three of them sat down, Pei Jingxi clapped his hands.

Several beautiful maids approached the three people carrying golden platters. One platter contained clear water, while the other held snow-white, fine powder, emitting a strong, sweet fragrance.

taste.

Xiao E was taken aback. The sons of powerful and wealthy families in the capital lived a life of luxury and extravagance, and they liked to compete at banquets. He couldn't immediately see what kind of novel way of eating this was.

Fan Hui whispered to Xiao E and Wei Mingsu, "This isn't for eating, it's for washing hands."

As he spoke, he washed his hands with fine powder and water.

Xiao E suddenly realized that the fine powder in the golden plate was not edible flour.

The three of them washed their hands.

Then, the maid poured wine for the three of them.

Xiao E breathed a sigh of relief; he had almost made a fool of himself in front of the scions of high-ranking families.

The servants of the Cheng family brought out the chrysanthemums bestowed by the Empress Dowager, and everyone appreciated them.

Returning to the topic of the various card games everyone was playing, Xiao E and Fan Hui rolled up their sleeves and joined in.

Wei Mingsu didn't play the gambling games; he just watched from the sidelines.

Among the young masters in the courtyard, Pei Jingxi was clearly the leader. Before speaking, everyone would unconsciously glance at him first. He had been drinking, his gaze cold, and he didn't participate in the conversation much. Suddenly, he put down his wine cup, looked at Wei Mingsu, and asked, "Young Master Wei, gambling games are popular in the capital these days: 'Holding the Spear,' 'Dice Selection,' 'Backgammon,' and 'Leaf Game.' Which one do you know?"

The game of "holding the spear" is also called "long marching game". The method of playing is very simple, so it is popular throughout the country. It is loved by both literati and ordinary people. Everyone will participate in banquets and gatherings.

Dice games, backgammon, and leaf games were all popular gambling games among the court and nobility.

Wei Mingsu shook his head and said, "I am not good at gambling."

Xiao E gave a dry laugh.

The young men playing under the eaves exchanged smiles, their faces flashing with disdain.

Pei Jingxi bent down, picked up a black bone chess piece from the mat, threw it out, and said, "Third Sister knows how to play all of these, and she plays them very well."

Wei Mingsu raised his eyes.

Fan Hui and Xiao E were stunned.

Pei Jingxi looked at Wei Mingsu and smiled, "What, you seem surprised. You didn't know that Third Sister likes gambling?"

Third Sister?

Fan Hui's heart skipped a beat, and he met Xiao E's gaze.

The two of them now understood that Young Master Cheng did not appreciate Xiao E's poetry at all!

The two brothers were in a cold sweat, one feeling ashamed, angry, and disappointed.

Pei Jingxi turned to the young men in brocade robes and said, "Third Sister likes gambling. She usually plays games to pass the time after meals. At every banquet, she cancels her social engagements and hides away to play games."

The others nodded with smiles and chimed in, "At the last banquet of the Twelfth Princess, she had so much fun playing with the spear that she didn't want to go home even after the banquet ended."

Pei Jingxi also recalled that banquet, a smile appearing on his lips: "She won that day."

Everyone present was a friend of Lu Huaying, and they understood Pei Jingxi's intention in asking Young Master Cheng to bring Wei Mingsu over: a mere scribe of lowly birth was not even worthy of carrying Third Sister's shoes! Pei Jingxi's actions were meant to humiliate the scribe and make him back down.

They deliberately chatted amongst themselves, recounting the amusing story of Lu Huaying playing gambling games at the banquet.

Wei Mingsu listened quietly, remaining silent.

Pei Jingxi chatted and laughed with everyone for a while, then turned to look at Wei Mingsu: "Young Master Wei may not know anything, but you should know polo, right? Third Sister likes to watch polo matches."

After polo was introduced to the Central Plains from Persia, it became popular throughout the north and south. Almost every member of the royal family and nobility knew how to play polo, and many noble families built their own polo fields in their mansions. Every year, the emperor would reward his officials with horsewhips to encourage them to play polo.

In the capital, the sons of powerful and wealthy families took pride in playing polo well and felt ashamed of playing poorly. Sometimes, the emperor would even use polo matches to select generals.

Everyone looked at Wei Mingsu with ambiguous smiles.

Wei Mingsu calmly replied, "I am not good at polo either, please forgive me, Young Master Pei."

The crowd sized him up with smiles, whispering amongst themselves. One young master chuckled softly, "

He doesn't even seem to own a horse, does he? How can he play polo? Has he ever even been to a polo field?

The others laughed so hard they were doubled over.

Fan Hui knew they were deliberately trying to embarrass Wei Mingsu, so he suppressed his anger and said, "He is skilled in calligraphy."

One of them whispered, "This young master Wei is a sutra scribe."

Everyone covered their mouths and chuckled.

Someone pressed further, "Isn't he a relative of the Xiao family?"

Fan Hui

His anger surged again, and he wanted to lash out, but Wei Mingsu shook his head, turned to look at the young men who were quietly gossiping about his identity, and said, "Both the Secretariat and the Chancellery have scribes who are ordered to copy scriptures. Common people also have a need to make offerings to Buddhist scriptures, so there are scripture copyists. I am indeed a scripture copyist, making a living by copying scriptures. I come from a humble background, but I am grateful to my teacher for not abandoning me and for making an exception to take me under his wing."

Seeing his open and honest demeanor, the crowd was somewhat surprised and glanced at Pei Jingxi.

Pei Jingxi's face was full of mockery.

Seeing that Wei Mingsu was neither humble nor arrogant, Young Master Cheng smiled and smoothed things over, saying that Chief Scholar Xiao had the eye of a talent scout.

After a brief discussion about calligraphy, the atmosphere eased, and everyone resumed playing with the halberd.

A short while later, a maid came to serve the dishes.

Phoenix embryos, small heavenly cakes, roasted lamb, roasted, boiled, fried, pan-fried, steamed... a wide variety of dishes, cold dishes, cold plates, hot dishes, pastries, hawksbill turtle shells, sea cucumbers, wild deer, bear paws, sea fish, delicacies from land and sea, all exquisitely made and extremely luxurious.

Even officials' sons like Xiao E and Fan Hui were dazzled and amazed by the spectacle.

Wei Mingsu had never seen any of the dishes on the table before. Fan Hui had heard of some of them and was worried that Wei Mingsu would embarrass himself and be laughed at, so he quietly explained each dish to him as it was served.

After the banquet, Young Master Cheng invited everyone to climb the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, and repeatedly invited Xiao E to go with him.

Xiao E immediately forgot his earlier unpleasantness and nodded in agreement with a smile.

The distinguished guests invited by Prince Consort Cheng were also going to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Fan Hui didn't want to miss the poetry gathering, so he looked at Wei Mingsu with difficulty and said, "If you don't want to stay, we'll go back."

Wei Mingsu knew that he had even prepared a poem about climbing to a high place, so he said, "You go with Dalang, I'll go see the teacher."

Fan Hui breathed a sigh of relief and left with Xiao E.

Wei Mingsu watched them leave, then turned around.

Pei Jingxi stood under the corridor, gesturing for his entourage to step back, and coldly looked at Wei Mingsu: "Wei Mingsu, is this your first time attending a banquet like this?"

He pointed to the leftovers on the table.

"Look, this plate of fish costs tens of thousands of coins. How many Buddhist scriptures could you write to earn tens of thousands of coins?"

“Wei Mingsu, Third Sister has lived a life of luxury since childhood. What about you? You can’t even afford one of her favorite dishes after writing Buddhist scriptures for a month.”

"Third Sister is only seeing you for a fleeting moment of novelty. She'll get tired of you after a while. Someone like you doesn't even have the right to speak to her. The Lu family doesn't take you seriously right now, which is why they let Third Sister run rampant. You'd better recognize your place and stop daydreaming. I'll send people to follow you. If you dare to disrespect Third Sister, I won't let you get away with it."

Pei Jingxi's tone contained no anger, only a condescending indifference.

Wei Mingsu looked directly at Pei Jingxi and said, "I know my place, so there's no need for Young Master Pei to worry."

Pei Jingxi sneered and turned away.

Wei Mingsu went back to see Xiao Jijiu, who was playing chess with his colleagues. When he saw Wei Mingsu return, Xiao Jijiu asked him to play chess with him.

In the evening, Xiao E and Fan Hui returned, and the group bid farewell to Young Master Cheng.

Wei Mingsu escorted his teacher home, and then walked back to his own home.

The sky was pitch black.

Hearing the noise, the neighbor brought over a basket of cakes and said with a smile, "A young lady came looking for you today. She waited for you for more than an hour, but you didn't come back, so she had to leave. She left these cakes and asked me to give them to you."

Wei Mingsu remained silent for a moment, then took the basket and thanked his neighbor.

The neighbor asked in confusion, "Young master, aren't you going to ask which lady sent these cakes?"

Wei Mingsu looked at the cakes and said, "I know who it is."

He took the basket home.

Even without opening the lid, the room was filled with fragrance.

Wei Mingsu didn't eat any cakes or pastries; he simply lay down and went to sleep.

He didn't need Pei Jingxi to remind him; he was self-aware enough to know that he was just a poor scribe.

The novel things at the banquet that he had never seen or heard of before were things that Lu Huaying was used to. That was Lu Huaying's life: extravagant and indulgent.

He was just a poor boy who had never even seen a backgammon board.

The gentry and commoners, the noble families and the poor families, were separated by an insurmountable chasm.

Lu Huaying is the moon in the sky and the flower in the clouds.

High above, unattainable.

He was as insignificant as dust.