Chapter 10 The Top Scholar Who Murdered His Wife and Daughter (Part 10) A Farmer's Son's Counterattack Against the Emperor...
Sun Tan nodded before continuing, "The Yellow Crane has flown away, never to return; white clouds drift aimlessly for a thousand years." He then personally poured Song Ce a cup of wine, saying, "Brother Song, please!"
Song Ce: "..." No wonder scholars are so refined; even their methods of tormenting people are so dull and uninteresting. Let him think... are they planning to get him drunk, then send a beautiful, respectable woman to their bed to ruin his reputation?
He was right, I have to say.
Song Ce nodded and drank it all in one gulp. Then, feigning weakness, he rubbed his forehead. Seeing this, Bi Shuang poured Song Ce a cup of cold tea and brought it to him.
Zhao Wei and Chen Haoren exchanged a quick glance. The latter nodded almost imperceptibly. Then Chen Haoren stood up and said with a smile, "Miss Bishuang, it's my turn."
Bi Shuang blushed deeply and hurriedly presented the divination sticks with both hands. Chen Haoren glanced at the wooden sticks casually; they were for the character "moon."
Chen Haoren shook the wooden stick in his hand and laughed, "What a fine stick! The moon sets, the rooster crows, frost covers the sky." He paused, then continued, "It's clearly a crow, so why do I say a rooster? Because 'The crow flies south, circling the tree three times, finding no branch to perch on.' Isn't that right, Brother Song?"
Song Ce seemed oblivious to the sarcasm in his words and laughed, "Brother Chen is right."
Chen Haoren: "..."
Even though Song Ce hadn't said anything, and had said it to him with a smile, Chen Haoren still felt quite annoyed. He wanted to lash out, but that would go against his usual gentlemanly conduct. Chen Haoren tugged at his sleeve, snorted, and turned to look at Qiu Qing, who was playing the zither.
At least out of sight, out of mind.
Seeing the atmosphere become somewhat awkward, Zhao Wei quickly spoke up, "Brother Chen, you haven't said yet who should drink this cup of wine?"
Chen Haoren glanced at Song Ce, whose face was slightly flushed, and said in a cool tone, "Brother Song, please!" He then glanced at Zhao Wei.
Zhao Wei understood his meaning, picked up the wine pot beside him, and with a slight twitch of his thumb, personally poured wine for Song Ce: "Brother Song, you truly have a generous spirit. Please!"
Song Ce had been carefully observing the proceedings at the banquet, and Zhao Wei's subtle movements naturally did not escape his notice. He picked up his wine glass, glanced at it but did not drink from it, and then put the glass back on the table.
Chen Haoren was already a little nervous, and upon seeing this, he sat up even straighter, feigning ignorance, and asked, "Brother Song, what does this mean?"
Song Ce smiled slightly, a smile that made Chen Haoren feel a little uneasy. He addressed the people present and said, "Gentlemen, seeing Brother Zhao bowing and personally pouring wine for me reminds me of something from the past."
Song Ce's eyes were filled with nostalgia and emotion, which made everyone present look over curiously.
"Brother Song, what is it?" Yu Lou asked, resting his forehead on one hand and holding a piece of pastry in the other.
Song Ce picked up his wine cup again and said softly, "What do you all think of this wine?"
Sun said, "It's smooth on the palate yet leaves a pleasant aftertaste; it's a fine wine."
Song Ce shook his head and said, "But I think this wine is not as good as the homemade rice wine of our Qingzhou County."
Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this, even Chen Haoren, who had been keeping a straight face, relaxed a bit and said sarcastically, "What kind of good wine is that? Brother Song is exaggerating."
"No, no." Hearing Song Ce's rebuttal, Chen Haoren wasn't angry. Instead, he felt that Song Ce was indeed from a small village and hadn't seen much of the world. Why bother arguing with him?
"When I first came to Qingzhou County to study, it was the dead of winter, and my family was poor, so we didn't have any extra money to buy clothes to keep warm. When I was eating in the county school canteen, Brother Zhao saw that I was shivering from the cold, so he shared half a bowl of his meager wine with me and said: 'It's not good wine, brother, don't be disgusted, it's enough to warm you up.'"
After Song Ce finished speaking, he picked up his wine cup and said with deep emotion, "So I want to use this cup of wine to toast Brother Zhao. Since that day, no matter how good the wine in the world is, it is not as good as the half bowl of homemade rice wine that Brother Zhao gave me that day."
Song Ce looked at Zhao Wei with a smile, his eyes earnest and slightly red at the corners, as if he had been brewing this in his heart for a long time before finally pouring it out today with the help of alcohol.
Zhao Wei never expected that such a trivial matter would be remembered by Song Ce, this arrogant and talented scholar, for so long. He took a deep breath, his voice slightly choked with emotion, "It's nothing, Brother Song, you don't need to take it to heart." After saying that, he snatched the wine cup from Song Ce's hand and drank it all in one gulp.
Chen Haoren: "..."
He felt an even tighter tightness in his chest. Looking at Zhao Wei, whose face was flushed and who could barely stand but was still grinning foolishly, he said weakly, "Brother Zhao's alcohol tolerance is still so poor. He gets drunk after just one cup." As he spoke, he stepped forward to support Zhao Wei. Thinking that the ten taels of silver he had spent on Huanjin San was gone just like that, he couldn't help but glare at Song Ce: "Since Brother Zhao is already drunk, let's call it a day and meet again another day."
Bi Shuang, who was standing to the side, was also moved to tears by Song Ce's deep affection and loyalty. Seeing that everyone was about to leave, she quickly stepped forward, grabbed Song Ce's sleeve, and said shyly, "Young Master Song, do you have some free time later? I would like to invite you to our private room for a chat. Last month, I happened to acquire a rare ancient book from the previous dynasty, and I would like to invite you to appreciate it together."
Chen Haoren was even angrier. Look at her! This is supposed to be a virtuous woman! She shamelessly throws herself at any man she sees! And she's throwing herself at that hypocrite Song Ce! What kind of taste does she have! Chen Haoren was so angry that he dragged Zhao Wei forward a couple of steps, still not satisfied, and said sarcastically, "Brother Song, you'd better not let down Miss Bishuang's feelings."
Song Ce smiled and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Brother Chen."
What a load of rubbish!
Sun Tan stepped forward to help Chen Haoren support Zhao Wei, while Yu Lou also stood up, patted Song Ce on the shoulder, and grinned, saying, "Brother Song, you have excellent writing skills. I will definitely ask you for some guidance another day."
Song Ce returned the greeting with a cupped hand.
Seeing that Song Ce hadn't left yet, Bi Shuang shyly tugged at her handkerchief. Before she could say anything, Song Ce bowed to her and said, "Thank you for your kindness, young lady, but I already have someone I love in my heart, so I cannot accept your invitation."
Upon hearing this, Qiu Qing, who had been focused on playing the zither, also stopped.
Bi Shuang raised her head and forced a smile, "Young Master Song, what are you saying? Someone of my status has always harbored infatuation."
Song Ce smiled and shook his head, saying gently, "Miss, there's no need to belittle yourself. It's just that my heart belongs to someone else." After saying that, he nodded slightly and walked out.
Seeing that Bishuang was still staring blankly in the direction Song Ce had left, Qiu Qing sighed, stepped forward, took her hand, and said softly, "Sister Bishuang, such a person is not someone we can keep. You... don't be sad."
Bi Shuang nodded, her eyes slightly red, and said, "Sister is right, I was bewitched." Seeing this, Qiu Qing took out a silk handkerchief and gently wiped away Bi Shuang's tears, letting out a long sigh.
As Song Ce walked out of Miaojin Pavilion, he didn't notice a young girl dressed as a maid standing next to a pastry shop on the street, staring blankly at him.
Tao'er hurriedly took the pastries wrapped up by the shop assistant and ran quickly in the opposite direction from Song Ce.
Du Ningwan was leaning against a low couch, embroidering patterns, when Tao'er ran into the room from the outer room, her eyes red and swollen. She turned back to close the door behind her and cried softly, "Miss! Something terrible has happened! I went to buy you almond pastries at Wuweizhai and saw..."
Du Ningwan put down the embroidery frame and comforted her, "What did you see? Tell me slowly, don't rush."
"This servant saw Young Master Song come out of Miaojin Pavilion!"
Du Ningwan stiffened slightly and remained silent for a long while. Tao'er said resentfully, "I thought he was a gentleman, but I didn't expect him to be no different from those ordinary romantic scholars. It's a shame that Master admired and praised him so much!"
Du Ningwan closed her eyes. "Tao'er, you can go now. I want to be alone."
Tao'er stamped her foot: "Girl! You'd better think of something! If things continue like this, Master will definitely..."
"Go down!"
Having no other choice, Tao'er could only bow and say, "Yes, Miss."
When Du Zhiyuan finished his shift at the county government office, he saw that his daughter had already ordered someone to set out a meal in the flower hall, and he felt comforted.
"Wan'er".
"Father." Du Ningwan hurriedly stood up and bowed, asking, "Father caught a cold just two days ago, and you're already so tired today. You don't care about your own health, but I do!" As she spoke, she ladled a bowl of soup and placed it in front of Du Zhiyuan, saying softly, "Father, please try this. I specially cooked it for you."
Du Zhiyuan picked up the soup and took a sip, saying repeatedly, "Delicious! Delicious! But it's late, from now on, let the servants do these things, don't tire yourself out."
Du Ningwan said with a hint of helplessness, "Dad, look at what you're saying. Doing such a small thing shouldn't be tiring."
Du Zhiyuan picked up a few bites of food, and seeing Du Ningwan's brows furrow slightly, he picked up a piece of cucumber and put it in his bowl.
A hint of surprise flashed across his face. He put down his chopsticks and asked, "Wan'er, is there something you want to tell your father?"
Du Ningwan exclaimed "Ah!" and whispered, "Dad, I didn't..."
"You don't usually like to eat cucumbers. Tell your father, has something happened?"
Seeing her father speak so gently, Du Ningwan straightened her back, hesitated for a long time, and finally asked, "Father, what kind of person is Song Ce...?"
Du Zhiyuan's mind stirred slightly. After thinking for a moment, he solemnly said, "Song Ce is a good boy. He is talented and handsome, humble and polite, ambitious, not bound by old customs, and values loyalty. He is definitely not someone to be underestimated."
Seeing that his daughter's expression remained unchanged, Du Zhiyuan smiled and said, "This boy once vowed that he would never take a concubine in his life. People of this time valued their promises, so I have no worries about his character."
Du Ning nodded late.
Du Zhiyuan poured himself a glass of wine, took a small sip, and then said, "Why do you ask me this, Wan'er?"
Du Ningwan pursed her lips and said, "I just have some doubts. Father, do you think this person can be called a gentleman?"
Du Zhiyuan nodded: "Of course."
Du Ning nodded, slightly relieved. Her father's judgment of people was always extremely accurate.
After the meal, Du Zhiyuan called Tao'er to his study and asked, "What's wrong with Miss today?"
Seeing her master's serious expression, Tao'er quickly bowed and said, "Master, today I went to the market to buy pastries for Miss and happened to see that Scholar Song coming out of Miaojin Pavilion! I can't keep secrets, and I didn't want Miss to be kept in the dark. Now that I've seen it, it's better than Miss getting married in the future..."
"Watch your words!" Du Zhiyuan abruptly stood up, immediately stopping Tao'er from uttering what she was about to say. "Such words that would damage the young lady's reputation, are they something a mere maid like you could casually fabricate?"
Tao'er trembled with fright, realizing she had spoken out of turn in front of the master. She quickly knelt down and repeatedly confessed her sins.
Du Zhiyuan told her to stand up and said, "Since you serve Miss, you should know what you should and shouldn't say. If you encounter similar situations again, just relay the message to me, Master. The questions Master asked you today, once you leave this room, you must keep them to yourself. Don't let them reach Miss's ears, understand?"
"Yes, sir," Tao'er replied obediently.
After waving for Tao'er to leave, Du Zhiyuan dipped his brush in ink and wrote the two characters "Virtue" on the Xuan paper. He stared at them for a long time, a heavy expression on his face.
A note from the author:
----------------------
The car is all broken, but thank you to all the little angels for your support!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
