Chapter 117 The Scholar Who Favored His Concubine Over His Wife (Part 9) Carrying on Pure Love to the End…
Regardless, today was a good opportunity to make friends with ladies from prominent families and daughters of powerful and wealthy families. Although Liu Xinhui secretly resented that lowly maid was allowed to attend the poetry gathering, she could do nothing about it and could only follow Wang Hechuan around, socializing everywhere.
For this poetry gathering, Liu Xinhui specially changed into a crimson silk pleated skirt, with a moon-white light shirt over it, adding to her elegance. As she walked, the skirt billowed like flowing clouds, further accentuating her graceful figure.
"Sister Liu, your outfit today is truly stunning and captivating, leaving me speechless!" Not far away, a woman in a sky-blue dress approached gracefully, accompanied by a maid in purple.
"Sister Yuran, when did you arrive?" Liu Xinhui hurriedly took a few steps forward and asked with a look of surprise.
Wang Yuran covered her mouth and laughed, "I just came over and spotted you right away. Where's that brat Hechuan? Why isn't he out with you?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Xinhui blushed. She lowered her head, twisted the handkerchief in her hands, and said softly, "Just now, Lord Wang had something to discuss with Young Master Wang, so he went ahead."
"I see." Wang Yuran nodded slightly, her tone slightly teasing, "After all, Father organized today's Poetry Gathering, and there are many complicated matters to attend to. Sister Liu, you must take care of it."
“Of course.” Liu Xinhui finished speaking and was about to reach out to take Wang Yuran’s arm when she suddenly heard a murmur of discussion coming from not far away.
"So that's Miss Liu? I heard that when her second younger sister got married, her mother deliberately used inferior rare medicinal herbs to make up the difference, but Mr. Gao saw through it!" A woman in blue covered her mouth and chuckled, her eyes full of mockery.
"Are you telling the truth?" the woman in the pink shirt next to her asked in surprise.
"Of course it's true! The Liu family secretly falsified their daughter's dowry, and this matter is now common knowledge throughout Qizhou!"
"What was the reaction of the families who married into the Liu family? Did they take them to the government office?" the woman in pink asked again.
"You mean the Song family? Well, now only Young Master Song remains. He hasn't pursued this matter with the Liu family. I heard from Miss Tao today that Second Miss Liu and her husband have also come to the Morning Pear Poetry Gathering. It seems they are very loving and have a very harmonious relationship."
"This Young Master Song is quite the gentleman, not caring about such sordid matters. The Liu family, as expected of a merchant family, is truly short-sighted. They actually do such a degrading and immoral thing." The woman in pink snorted and said disdainfully.
"Shh, keep your voice down. If Miss Liu hears you, she might come and cause you trouble..." the woman in blue hurriedly whispered.
Liu Xinhui listened intently to every word of the gossip, her nails digging deep into her palms, the pain excruciating. Forcing back her emotions, she turned to Wang Yuran and forced a bitter smile: "I've made a fool of myself in front of you today, Sister Yuran. I... I don't know how to defend myself. The substitution of the dowry was done by the unruly servants in the house. Even though my mother opened her private treasury and gave you the most expensive set of jewelry from her dowry, it couldn't silence the gossip. I... I truly don't know how to face this." As she spoke, Liu Xinhui's eyes gradually reddened, and she looked as if she was about to cry.
Seeing her so aggrieved, Wang Yuran believed her and quickly patted her hand to comfort her, saying, "Don't worry, once the poetry gathering starts, they'll see your appearance and personality and make their own judgments. But that one... I didn't even know the Liu family had gained another sister?"
“Sister Yuran, she actually…” Liu Xinhui hadn’t finished speaking when Wang Hechuan rushed over. His expression instantly turned cold when he saw Liu Xinhui’s tearful eyes.
"Sister Liu, what happened to you?" Wang Hechuan asked with a pained expression.
"Young Master Wang, I... am fine." Liu Xinhui forced a stiff smile, trying to hide her emotions.
"If you've been wronged, just tell me. Why bear it all alone?" Wang Hechuan said with pity, convinced that she was putting on a brave face.
"Hechuan, since you invited Sister Liu here, how could you leave her alone? If I hadn't run into her, I don't know how badly she would have been bullied!" Wang Yuran held Liu Xinhui's hand, her tone full of reproach.
"What exactly happened?" Wang Hechuan pressed.
"It's all because of those ignorant fools. It was clearly the wicked servants in the house who committed the evil deeds and took the second young lady's dowry, but they refused to open their eyes to see the truth. Instead, they gathered in twos and threes to spread rumors and exaggerate the facts. It's truly despicable to associate with them!" Wang Yuran said indignantly.
"What second young lady? She's just a maid that Madam Liu bought out of pity. The master honored her and adopted her as his goddaughter, but she doesn't know how to appreciate it and lets outsiders gossip about the Liu family. She's truly a lowly girl!" Wang Hechuan sneered and said contemptuously.
Upon hearing this, Wang Yuran felt even more sorry for Liu Xinhui and quickly comforted her, saying, "Sister Liu, don't worry. Once the poetry gathering starts, Brother Hechuan and I will definitely teach that girl a lesson and clear your name!"
Liu Xinhui could no longer hold back her tears, which had been welling up in her eyes, and she bowed deeply to the two siblings. Her unspeakable suffering and pitiful appearance filled Wang Yuran and Wang Hechuan with tenderness.
The three talked for a while longer, and soon the Asahi Poetry Gathering officially began.
Seeing that everyone was seated, Wang Sushou, dressed in a dark blue robe with subtle patterns, stood on the pavilion. He cleared his throat and called out to the crowd below, "Today is the Chaoli Poetry Gathering. All of you refined scholars are welcome to set aside your inhibitions, freely engage in drinking games, and make friends through poetry!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd, who had been somewhat reserved, gradually relaxed. As the son of the county magistrate and a student of the county school, Wang Hechuan naturally attracted many young students who came to invite him.
"Brother Hechuan, would you be interested in joining us for a drinking game?"
Wang Hechuan took a look and realized it was Liang Zibai, a classmate from the county school. Although the Liang family was an ordinary family, one of his uncles was a sixth-rank Hanlin Compiler in the capital, two ranks higher than Wang Hechuan's father, who was a county magistrate. Naturally, he couldn't refuse Liang Zibai's request.
“Of course, but there are only six of us, it seems we are one person short?” Wang Hechuan’s eyes swept around, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.
“Indeed, why don’t we invite another scholar to join us in this game?” Liang Zibo said with a smile.
Wang Hechuan glanced at Song Ce and Liu Wanyao, who were admiring the pear blossoms not far away, and an idea suddenly came to him.
"In my humble opinion, that young master's speech and manners are quite reminiscent of a gentleman from ancient times," Wang Hechuan said, tapping his palm lightly with his folding fan. "Why don't we invite him to join us for a drinking game?"
He had just inquired about Song Ce with Sister Liu. Although he had previously passed the imperial examination at the county level, he had subsequently lost both his mother and father, and his family was now struggling to make ends meet. It seemed he had lost all interest in continuing his studies. Since his wife had caused Sister Liu's family to be criticized and gossiped about, he would make sure this man lost all face among the upper class of Qizhou City today, so that he would never have the honor of attending such an elegant poetry gathering again.
"Hey? Isn't that Song Ce?" a student in blue exclaimed.
Wang Hechuan raised an eyebrow, feigning curiosity: "What? Brother Tianqiong knows this person?"
Yu Tianqiong pondered for a moment, then said carefully, "When the false dynasty was in power, Song Ce studied diligently and passed the imperial examination at the age of nineteen. However, after my new dynasty was established, all the titles and honors of the old dynasty were abolished." He hesitated, clearly indicating that there was more to the story.
"If you have such talent, why don't you come to the county school to continue your studies?" one of the students asked.
“This…” Yu Tianqiong pursed her lips and lowered her voice, “This person is arrogant and conceited. In previous years, when classmates asked him for advice on poetry, he publicly mocked them as ‘utterly ignorant,’ saying that they couldn’t even remember their names. After making a lot of comments, he turned and left.”
"This is absolutely outrageous!"
"Exactly! He's just a washed-up scholar, yet he's so arrogant!"
"Let's go! We want to see if this person really has any skills or knowledge!"
While the students were indignantly speaking out for their classmate whom they didn't know, Wang Hechuan secretly signaled to his servant to quickly inform Wang Yuran and to send Liu Wanyao away beforehand. He didn't believe Song Ce could follow them all the way since the back seats were all occupied by women.
Sure enough, a moment later, only Song Ce remained under the pear tree.
The group strolled leisurely through the pear blossoms scattered on the ground. Among those present, only Yu Tianqiong recognized Song Ce, so he naturally stepped forward to mediate.
Yu Tianqiong braced himself and stepped forward, cupping his hands in greeting, "I'm sorry to bother you, Brother Song. We are short of someone to lead the drinking game, so I came to invite you. I wonder if you are free?"
"So it's Brother Tianqiong. It's been a long time. How have you been?" Song Ce smiled slightly and said gently.
Yu Tianqiong hadn't expected Song Ce to remember her, and the sarcastic words she had prepared instantly stuck in her throat. "Thank you for your concern, Brother Song. I'm doing well."
Song Ce nodded and said frankly, "Since Brother Tianqiong has invited me, I should not refuse. However, I have been out of writing for a long time and I am afraid I will make a fool of myself."
Upon hearing this, the students, who had been eager to teach Song Ce a lesson, looked at each other in bewilderment.
What's going on? Wasn't this guy arrogant and conceited? Why is he just admitting he's not good at studying? He doesn't seem like the type to hold a grudge. People started to have doubts.
Wang Hechuan was naturally unwilling to let the matter rest. He immediately stepped forward and laughed loudly, "Brother Song, why belittle yourself? We are just having a casual get-together. Brother Song, you don't need to be so formal."
“Yes, Brother Song, please enjoy yourself. You can come anytime.” Liang Zibai also said gently.
"I am honored by your kindness, how could I refuse?" Song Ce nodded slightly and followed the group toward the pavilion not far away.
Their group consisted entirely of young gentlemen, all of whom were quite handsome. Naturally, their gathering attracted the attention of many scholars, gentle ladies, and intellectuals.
"Who is that young master? He looks so unfamiliar." One of the young ladies in yellow pointed vaguely at Song Ce and asked curiously.
"Sister Qu, you may not know this, but that is my second sister's husband, Young Master Song Ce," Liu Xinhui said with a smile.
Seeing that she had taken the initiative to speak, Miss Qu couldn't very well not respond, so she just gave a perfunctory reply: "I see."
Seeing this, Wang Yuran suddenly spoke up: "Sister Liu, where is your sworn sister? I heard that she got married a few days ago. As her older sister, I was unable to return in time, so I specially prepared a small gift to congratulate her on her wedding."
The young ladies were taken aback by this, and the woman in pink who had been whispering about the Liu family in the courtyard asked, "Miss Wang, who is this sworn sister you mentioned?"
"Don't you all know?" Wang Yuran feigned surprise. "The Liu family only has one daughter, my sister Liu. A few days ago, when Madam Liu went out, she met my sworn sister and took pity on her, so she brought her back to the Liu mansion and treated her like her own daughter. To save face for her, she claimed that she was being raised in her hometown. A few days ago, Madam Liu went to great lengths to find her a marriage match, but unexpectedly, a wicked servant in the mansion dared to secretly switch my sworn sister's dowry and even tried to frame Madam Liu. Poor Madam Liu, who meant well, fell ill after all this trouble, and she hasn't gotten better for quite some time now."
These words immediately silenced the room. Xia Xiangjun, the woman in pink who had been discussing the Liu family, blushed slightly and exchanged an awkward glance with her companion.
Liu Xinhui lowered her eyes at the right moment and said softly, "I'm sorry to have made you sisters laugh. My sister is still young and doesn't know the implications, so some unfounded rumors have spread. It's just a case of falsehoods being spread."
Upon hearing this, the woman in pink stood up, curtsied to Liu Xinhui, and said, "Sister Liu is truly a remarkable person. I hope that Sister Liu will be magnanimous and not take offense at my previous words and actions."
"What are you saying, Sister Xiangjun? We've only just met, how could I possibly have any grudges against you over such trivial matters?" Liu Xinhui said with a smile.
“Sister Liu is kind-hearted, but I wonder where your sworn sister is? This is a great opportunity to defend your mother against the rumors, so why is she nowhere to be seen?” Wang Yuran changed the subject and asked loudly.
"This... I don't know." As soon as Liu Xinhui finished speaking, a woman dressed in a light green dress was being led by a maid and slowly walked over from not far away.
"Isn't she here now, Sister Liu? But judging from the direction she came from, it seems she came from the men's section." Wang Yuran's eyes sparkled as she chuckled.
As Liu Wanyao approached, Liu Xinhui quickly stood up and said with a gentle smile, "Sister, come and sit down. It's windy outside, be careful not to catch a chill."
"Yes, Miss." Liu Wanyao bowed first and then sat down.
Seeing this, the girl from Naqu covered her mouth and giggled, saying, "Miss Liu, your sister seems rather petty. Since she has been recognized as your mother's daughter, how can she behave like a servant?"
"Her background is what it is, and it's hard to change her petty nature. Miss Qu, don't ask for too much." Xia Xiangjun said with a smile, pulling at her handkerchief.
"Little sister, where did you go just now?" Wang Yuran tilted her head, feigning confusion, and asked, "We've been waiting for you."
"I accidentally spilled tea on my outer robe. My sister has gone to change." Liu Wanyao replied with her eyes lowered.
"That's quite a coincidence. The tea must have been spilled at the exact moment... Oh, look at me, I just can't stop talking once I start." Wang Yuran said in a drawn-out tone.
Which of the young ladies present wasn't shrewd and intelligent? Xia Xiangjun was already embarrassed and speechless because of the gossip about Liu Xinhui earlier, so she thought of saying a few words for her.
Xia Xiangjun: "Speaking of which, I received a fine poem about pears the other day, which is quite fitting for today's scenery."
The young ladies naturally understood and asked Xia Xiangjun to read it out.
Xia Xiangjun stepped forward gracefully, bowed to the crowd, and then slowly said, "The pear blossom, with its pure face, stands proudly among the flowers, not vying with the peach and apricot blossoms for beauty. It laughs at the vulgar people of the world, guarding its noble purity and fragrance."
"What a wonderful poem! What a wonderful poem!" Everyone clapped and praised.
"It is indeed a fine poem, written by the sage Gu of the previous dynasty. This poem expresses his profound understanding of nature and reveals his noble sentiments. From these verses, my daughter has gleaned a simple truth." Xia Xiangjun paused, then said meaningfully, "Some people, it's not terrible to be of humble birth, but it's terrible to have a heart tainted by worldly dust, who insists on stirring up trouble out of nothing, creating waves even without wind. I think she should learn from this pear blossom, that being content with one's lot is the right path."
As soon as Xia Xiangjun finished speaking, her gaze was fixed on Liu Wanyao, and the implication in her words was self-evident.
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Author's note: Who's working overtime on Saturdays doing experiments? It's me! [crying emoji]
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