Chapter 32 A Harsh Look

Biqing Academy is located on Biqing Creek. Liu Min has two good friends studying there. It was these two who jointly wrote a letter to Liu Min informing him of the grand event where Bai Caizi would meet with friends through painting. They also said that they would reserve a place for him and asked him to come.

Liu Min's two friends, Zhang Yi and Chen Yu, were cousins, both from prominent local families. Liu Min and Zhang Yi had once taken refuge in the same nunnery, which is how they met. Later, Zhang Yi introduced Chen Yu to Liu Min, and the three of them became acquainted. For a time, the three of them spent almost every day together, practically inseparable.

The headmaster of Biqing Academy was Chen Yu's uncle, and also related to Zhang Yi, so both of them were sent to Biqing Academy to study. Liu Min didn't want to be separated from his good friend, and the old goat was really annoying, so he also wanted to go to the academy. However, how could Madam Qin agree? No matter how much she tried to persuade him, he still made a fuss. Finally, Madam Qin nodded, and Liu Min happily went to school.

He only stayed at the academy for half a month before he couldn't bear it any longer and packed his things to go home. It wasn't that he couldn't endure the harsh conditions at the academy, but rather that although Old Madam Qin had agreed to let him leave home to go to the academy, she was still worried. So she sent a group of people with him, and all the food and supplies were brought from home. Among his classmates, his wealth was overwhelming. Frugality was a long-standing tradition at the academy; the first headmaster had founded the academy precisely to put into practice the sage's teaching of education for all. Therefore, most of the students at the academy came from ordinary families. Thus, the Liu family's extravagant behavior caused quite a stir at the academy. However, because everyone knew that Liu Min had a father who was a high-ranking official, no one dared to offend him. They didn't dare speak openly, only offering whispers behind his back, which only fueled their resentment and made the gossip even more intense. Liu Min, knowing this, felt it was pointless and bid farewell to his teachers to return home to continue his studies.

Zhang Yi and Chen Yu arranged to meet Liu Min at the Guochun Pavilion in front of the mountain. After they met, the two of them would lead Liu Min to a good spot that they had reserved for him.

So Liu Min grabbed Shan Lai's hand and dragged her straight to the Spring Pavilion.

Zhang Yi and Chen Yu were already waiting. When they saw Liu Min from afar, the two of them hurriedly went to greet him.

"Lian Si, you're finally here! I thought you weren't coming!"

Zhang Yi spoke first, but his eyes were fixed on Shan Lai behind Liu Min as he spoke.

"Who is this young master? I've never seen him before?"

Chen Yu was impatient and couldn't wait, so he asked first.

Young master, you are indeed a kind person.

At Liu Min's request, Shanlai put on a fine dress, and Gantang styled her hair into a double bun, adorned with two rows of pearl hairpins, making her look exquisite and lovely, and highlighting her radiant beauty and gentle grace.

Gan Tang truly felt incredibly beautiful and was very satisfied. She was just thinking of asking her master for praise when her master said, "Take it off and style it like mine."

Gan Tang had no choice but to loosen her hair, comb it back together, and tie it up with a ribbon.

But the clothes were still women's style, a green silk skirt and a pale yellow short shirt, which looked mismatched.

Liu Min then asked Gan Tang to find his previous clothes.

Once you put it on, it doesn't seem strange anymore. He's just a young master from a wealthy family. If you have to say what's different about him, it's that he's too handsome.

Although she was very pretty, she was nowhere near as eye-catching as when she dressed as a woman.

Everyone would see her like that. What if she caused any trouble? It would be too late to regret it then.

So Shanlai was dressed up as a boy.

This time, Liu Min felt he had to take responsibility for Shan Lai, so he never let go of her hand and wouldn't let her out of his sight.

When people asked who Shanlai was, he replied, "A friend I recently met." As he said this, he didn't let go of Shanlai's hand, nor did he push Shanlai to the front for a formal introduction. He only said this one sentence and didn't say anything more.

It's all incomplete and baffling.

Zhang Yi couldn't help but wonder: "Why didn't you introduce him to us? Liu Liansi, you're not a fool, are you? What's going on today? Since he's your friend and you brought him to us, you should at least tell us his name, age, and how he's not going to disappear like this. You should at least give us a proper address!"

That's quite true.

Chen Yu chimed in from the side, "Yes, yes, we have to tell them what the young master's name is!"

“His name is… Yao Shan! Yao as in Yaoxu, Shan as in Yangyan, and he is one year younger than me.”

“If you’re a year younger than me, then you’re two years younger than me!” Zhang Yi said with a grin. “So you’re Brother Yao!” He bowed respectfully to Shan Lai and said, “Calling you ‘Brother Yao’ sounds too formal. Do you have a nickname?”

Shan Lai shook his head.

"No... Then I'll call you A-Shan! A-Shan, you can call me Tong-Jun, that's my nickname, that's what everyone calls me."

Chen Yu also chimed in, "My nickname is Lingci!"

The two of you should speak kindly, taking turns saying your piece.

Shan Lai was not a talkative person. Besides, it was their first meeting, and she was dressed as a man, making it all seem fake. She didn't know what to say, but they were all acting like this, and she couldn't handle it. She could only ask Liu Min for help, frowning and glancing at him.

For the first time, Liu Min felt that his two friends were not presentable, like peacocks displaying their tails, which was really unworthy of respect. How could his friends be so worthless?

He pushed her to her limit, yelling, "Get out of here! What Ah Shan! Are you guys that familiar with him?" He shoved one of them away with each hand, then quickly grabbed Shan's hand and turned to her, saying, "Ignore those two! They're such attention-seekers!"

Shanlai also felt that the two of them were causing him a lot of trouble. He agreed with Liu Min's words, but because of his introverted nature, he didn't express it. He just held Liu Min's hand tightly.

Liu Min ignored his two friends and dragged Shan Lai toward the academy. He already knew where the gathering would be held and didn't need them. He had been a student there for half a month and knew the place well.

"Hey? Why did you leave already?" Seeing the two of them leave, Zhang Yi and Chen Yu hurriedly chased after them, still clinging to each of them. "It's not time yet! You don't know, that talented man is arrogant and conceited, acting like he'd be beneath himself if he didn't make people wait! So you can wait a little longer, and you should rest too. You must be very tired after this journey..."

Liu Min was naturally unwilling to stop listening to their nagging, so he gritted his teeth and pulled Shan Lai up the mountain.

In the end, they were still just children. Climbing a mountain was not an easy task. Although it was only a very gentle slope, it still took a lot of physical effort to climb it. Liu Min, in particular, was not only on his own but also had to climb with Shan Lai. Therefore, he was panting heavily, and his face was so red that it was almost burning hot.

Shan Lai was only slightly out of breath, showing no signs of strain. She knew very well why. Seeing Liu Min's condition, she felt not only gratitude but also guilt.

I can't help but want to be good to him.

She took out a handkerchief from her body and gently and carefully wiped the sweat from his face, then broke off a leaf from a single-stemmed lotus to fan him.

Zhang Yi was also panting heavily. Seeing this, he asked Shan Lai, "Shan, why are you only fanning him? We're all terribly hot too, we can't be biased!"

Upon hearing this, his and Chen Yu's servants were reminded and hurriedly picked leaves to fan them.

Chen Yu happily enjoyed the breeze, but Zhang Yi pushed his servant aside, saying disdainfully, "Who wants you to fan me? You're covered in sweat! The breeze you create will stink too!" Then he changed his expression and said to Shan with a smile, "Shan is not only beautiful, but she also smells wonderful. I smelled it this morning, a faint fragrance that is very pleasant. Speaking of which, it's rare to see someone as beautiful as Shan. She's even more beautiful than my sisters!"

He had the despicable, vulgar look of a lecherous scoundrel, so utterly tasteless that one would be ashamed to admit to knowing him.

Liu Min was genuinely exasperated. "How come I didn't know you were so talkative before?"

Zhang Yi, without the slightest shame, smiled and said to Shan, "I took a liking to Shan when I met him. Is it wrong for me to want to talk to such a person more?" He added, "Shan isn't a local, is he? If so, how come I only found out today? He probably isn't. Is he here as a guest? Then he must come to my house for a few days. My garden is very nice. Everyone who goes there praises it highly. It has recently been renovated, which took a lot of effort. Since Shan has come to Pingcheng, he can't miss it."

That was true, and Liu Min agreed, nodding as he said to Shan Lai, "His garden is indeed very nice. I'll take you there to have a look later, but..." He changed the subject, glancing over at Shan Lai, "...staying there is not an option."

“Why not?” Zhang Yi protested. “Is my home some kind of den of dragons and tigers? A place that eats people without spitting out the bones?”

Liu Min was too lazy to pay him any attention.

Suddenly, the flutes and drums sounded loudly, along with the sounds of bells and chimes, startling countless birds into flight.

Zhang Yi and Chen Yu exchanged a glance, then looked at Liu Min, and said with a pale face, "It's starting."

The group hurried towards Yonggui Terrace.

Liu Min still held Shan Lai's hand tightly.

Upon arrival, the crowd was like a swarm of heads, a dense, overwhelming mass. After all, the talented scholar from Hedong was renowned, and this was an elegant gathering of friends through painting. How could any refined person miss it? Thus, every person of any standing in Pingcheng was present at Biqingxi today. What a joke! If they weren't there today, would they still have the face to call themselves a celebrity of Pingcheng in the future? This is what it means to be honored at such a grand banquet!

Zhang Yi and Chen Yu were both influential figures at Biqing Academy, especially Chen Yu, who was the headmaster's nephew. Everyone in the academy, regardless of who they were, had to give him some face. That's why he and Zhang Yi dared to tell Liu Min that they had reserved a good position for him.

The best spots are already taken.

Chen Yu went over to argue, "Brother, didn't you promise me? You said you'd give me those seats, so why are there people here now? Get them out of here!"

The young man, whom Chen Yu had called "senior brother," wiped the sweat from his brow, remained silent for a moment, then shrugged and said, "I can't help it! Who should I chase away? If I really did, wouldn't I become a laughingstock?" With that, he ran away, unwilling to get involved in the mess.

He left, leaving behind a few children. They looked at each other, one after the other, as he was jostled and the other was jostled, with no time to find a place to stand.

The clamor and noise were deafening, like hundreds of monks chanting sutras at once, but their chanting was so chaotic that it annoyed everyone.

"What did you say? I can't hear you!"

Liu Min asked loudly, bringing his ear close to Zhang Yi's mouth.

Zhang Yi covered his ears and shouted, "I say! I think this so-called talented scholar from Hedong is just all talk and no action. I saw him yesterday, he had a mean face and didn't seem to have any real talent. Let's go somewhere else to have fun, instead of wasting time here!"

After shouting it out in one breath, he was horrified to find that everyone around him was looking at him, and their expressions were surprisingly consistent—all of them were shocked and bewildered.

Just moments before, the headmaster of Biqing Academy had walked to the center of Yonggui Terrace and asked the guests to be quiet.

As soon as the crowd quieted down, Zhang Yi spoke.

Piercing through clouds and splitting rocks.