Chapter 343: The most infatuated person
Xu Zuiyin held a wine glass in his hand and looked at the scholars below who were eager to try. He was filled with emotion. He thought that it was only with the emergence of this Wenzhai that the literary style in the capital was flourishing and was showing a tendency to surpass that of Suzhou and Hangzhou.
Xun Kuang looked down at the many students downstairs, many of whom he could call out by name. He then sighed as he saw them either thinking or about to join in, "It is human nature to pursue fame and fortune. Only these two things can make people move forward. Although it sounds vulgar, it is really only by relying on these two things that my Great Xia literature can flourish. I just hope that there will be a few scholars who don't pursue these two things, like me. Alas, I am still too good."
At the end of his speech, Xun Kuang picked up the wine glass and looked at Xu Zuiyin.
Xu Zuiyin has a good temper, and after listening to what his junior brother said just now, he felt some empathy.
There is nothing wrong with studying for fame and fortune!
But there is nothing wrong with reading to cultivate one’s character!
But compared with the two, Xu Zuiyin, who is only obsessed with learning, feels a little sad.
However, after hearing Xun Kuang's next words, he immediately smiled helplessly and said, "Master said that since you no longer return to your hometown and indulge in the food of the red-light district, you have become more shameless. Sometimes he even thinks that you are about to surpass him."
After saying this, Xu Zuiyin realized that he had mentioned something he shouldn't have said and wanted to apologize immediately.
However, Xun Kuang was very open-minded and didn't care about these things, so he smiled and said, "Brother, you didn't say anything wrong, why are you raising your hand to apologize to me? Besides, studying is supposed to be very free, and I'm not feeling well now? As for the shameless brother, look at Master, he who stays close to red will be red, and he who stays close to ink will be black. I still want to remind you to let your kid be careful! Didn't you see that I always try to make my Yan Shu stay away from Master Yao and Master Zhao as much as possible?"
Although Xun Kuang said it was not necessary, Xu Zuiyin still bowed slightly and apologized. Some things are wrong and they are wrong.
Xu Zuiyin knew a lot about Xun Kuang's affairs and knew how sad his junior brother's hometown was for him.
Xun Kuang was so high-spirited in his past. Although he was born in the Xun family, he was not considered a member of the Xun family because he was a distant relative. Therefore, his family was poor, but he had no inferiority complex.
At that time, the "Seven Sons of Luoan" in Luoan City were very talented in writing, and showed signs of being the best of the new generation of literary world in Daxia.
But after Xun Kuang appeared, the Seven Sons of Luoan dispersed, only because this junior fellow apprentice suddenly appeared and dominated a dinner party held by the previous emperor that year. He fought against seven people alone and surpassed all the talented people of the same generation. Since then, there was a poor student above their peers, and many people gave up the path of studying completely.
At that time, there was a saying that appraised Xun Kuang like "the Venus descending to the earth, so talented, so bold and unrestrained, so optimistic and confident."
There is also a saying in the market: "No matter how talented and famous one is, when meeting Xunzi, one has to bow down three points. One point is because of his free and easy manner, one point is because of his literary talent carved by the moonlight, and one point is because of his feelings. The other seven points are because of Xunzi himself."
Everyone knows that Xun Kuang loves a woman deeply, so Xun Kuang was so independent and so many women pursued him. Even the former emperor said that if he had a sister, he would definitely marry Xun Kuang. In addition, many powerful people wanted to recruit him as their son-in-law.
Especially when Xun Kuang ranked first in the examination that day, the scene of capturing a son-in-law under the list was so grand. Although it was called capturing a son-in-law, the only person captured was Xun Kuang.
However, Xun Kuang just smiled, indicating that he already had someone in his heart, and wrote, "The moon is not always round, the flowers are easy to fall, and I am sad for you all my life."
But suddenly one day.
Xun Kuang has changed.
Xun Kuang no longer wrote poems about scenery, love, and thoughts, but only about beautiful women, delicious food, and fine wine.
He also began to frequently stay in the brothels on that red-light district. If he had nothing to do, he would be accompanied by wine and beauties. People talked about him as the romantic and talented man who was no longer infatuated. Xun Kuang also began to behave in a weird and shameless manner.
The world doesn't know what happened.
Somebody asked, what happened?
Xun Kuang lay on his side on the bench in the flower pavilion, picked up the wine pot, drank the wine and said, "I have realized it, what else can I do."
Everyone guessed that it was because of love.
Only a person who is truly affectionate will change because of affection, and will not be able to get out of that vicious circle, being trapped in it for the rest of their lives.
And everyone close to Xun Kuang knew that they were not wrong.
It's because of love.
The root cause is the girl from my hometown.
Hence.
The high-spirited and handsome scholar who deliberately kept a distance and showed awe and respect to women disappeared.
There is a new director of the Imperial College who always smells of alcohol, looks sloppy and unrestrained, is often accompanied by beautiful women, and is fond of romantic affairs.
Seeing his senior brother saluting towards him, Xun Kuang also returned the salute, and then Xun Kuang thought for a moment and asked, "Senior brother, are the osmanthus flowers in my hometown blooming well?"
Xu Zuiyin and Xun Kuang are not from the same hometown, but their hometowns are only two days' journey apart. In fact, if you don't have to count, they can be called fellow townsmen.
Xu Zuiyin nodded: "I don't go there often, but your sister-in-law went there once with her best friend three months ago, and she said it was very good."
Xun Kuang smiled and said, "That's fine."
Xu Zuiyin looked at Xun Kuang, knowing the meaning of the question, and couldn't help but sigh, then picked up the wine cup and drank a glass with his junior brother.
Xun Kuang took a sip of wine and said softly, "Last time, at the Shihua Pavilion, I saw Madam Xin's carriage. She must have come to the capital to do business? But maybe it was someone from her family."
When Xu Zuiyin heard Madam Xin's address, he was stunned for a moment and then said, "Junior brother, the past is like smoke."
Xun Kuang immediately laughed: "Why are you being so sentimental? I just said I saw it. Now that I see her business is getting bigger and bigger, I am happy for her. What does it have to do with me? I just saw it, that's all."
Xu Zuiyin stared at his junior fellow apprentice and thought for a long time, thinking more about the previous chat between his master and him, about the current literary world and the academy that was being built. When talking about his junior fellow apprentice, the master was full of pride, saying that if his students were willing, many people would be willing to take that high-ranking position in the central government, and they could go there at any time, but it was not rare!
But at the same time.
Mu Xu felt somewhat guilty when looking at Xu Zuiyin, because he felt that he, as an old man, had allowed Xun Kuang to fall into depravity. If he had given him a hand and pulled him out of the trough back then, Xun Kuang might have a family now, instead of being like this, where he had delayed himself and even Ji Shuying.
Thinking of what his teacher said, and looking at Xun Kuang in front of him, Xu Zuiyin frowned and said, "Junior brother, Shuying is pretty good."
Hearing this, Xun Kuang immediately became serious: "Do you want me to say it?"
Xu Zuiyin was helpless, and then said: "What I mean is, don't let the past clouds and mist blind your eyes, the bright moon in the clouds is right beside you."
Xun Kuang asked, "Master and Master Yao asked you to be their lobbyist?"
Xu Zuiyin shook his head: "You told me, but you didn't tell me to talk to you about this."
Xun Kuang was shocked: "Hey, you don't know, those two have been thinking about me every day! And they are going to report it to the Queen! If the Queen was not injured and needed to be nursed back to health, there would be no need for her to worry about such a thing at this time. She would definitely come to me. Oh, brother, I am worried, our Queen is that kind of person."
When it comes to here.
Xun Kuang saw a few masked women sitting at the table next to them on the second floor. He wondered why they looked so familiar.
But don’t think too much about it.
Instead, he continued, "Empress Queen, although she is not the kind of person who would meddle in other people's business, if the teacher and Master Yao come to visit in person, and if Mr. Shuiyun also joins in the fun and talks to Shuying, the Queen Queen will definitely come to talk to me. What should I do if she does that? I will have to talk to her again, but with the Queen Queen's way of talking, I may not be able to convince her. Although the Queen Queen doesn't talk much, you don't know, brother, to be honest, she talks a lot, and I have never heard some of the things she says, but they are very reasonable, just like the matter of editing a book this time. There is nothing difficult for those who are willing to work hard. Take a look and tell me what you think."
Xu Zuiyin smiled bitterly, motioned Xun Kuang to stop talking, and then frowned: "Don't you like Shuying?"
Xun Kuang smiled bitterly: "How could I not like such a good woman?"
Xu Zuiyin thought for a moment and asked, "Then why didn't you dare to take that step and let Shuying wait for so many years?"
Xun Kuang hesitated for a long time, then took a sip of wine and said, "I can't get out of the osmanthus tree that year."
Xu Zuiyin looked at Xun Kuang, and even though he had a good temper, he felt a little annoyed. He also understood more clearly why his master blamed himself so much and why Master Yao was so angry.
Looking at Xun Kuang, Xu Zuiyin, who had never cursed in his life, held back for a long time before cursing, "Idiot!"
Xun Kuang smiled bitterly. He was not annoyed at his senior brother scolding him. He just wondered why his senior brother had not learned any of the master's ability to scold people without using any dirty words but still hurt their hearts.
But in his heart, Xun Kuang was also bitter. It was not that he could not get over it, but that he could not forget. If he could not forget that girl, how could he dare to like such a good woman like Ji Shuying.
Not worthy~~
Thinking of this, Xun Kuang went to drink, but suddenly raised his eyes and noticed that the masked girls sitting at the next table in the same row were looking at him.
Don’t say!
It looks quite familiar!
But when Xun Kuang looked over like this, the woman was also looking straight at him. However, after looking at the woman with the white Nuo mask for a long time, Xun Kuang really couldn't think of where he had seen her before.
But I just don’t think about it anymore. I have met so many women, so I am familiar with them.
At this time.
However, a man came to Xun Kuang and Xu Zuiyin, looking exhausted, and bowed, saying, "I'm sorry for being late."
The man who came was about the same age as Xun Kuang, very elegant, and had a fair face. He seemed to have put on rouge, and if you look closely, it was the makeup of Jia Baoyu in "Red Lips". Although it didn't match his age, the makeup made the man look handsome.
But under the rouge on the man's face, you can still see some signs of burns.
The visitor noticed Xu Zuiyin's angry look and couldn't help asking, "But did Xun Kuang irritate Senior Brother?"
Xun Kuang immediately scolded, "Wu Qiuyi, you are late, but you are trying to sow discord between me and my senior brother as soon as you get here!"
Wu Qiuyi was one of the seven masters of Luoan in the past.
In theory, he is also Mu Xu's student, but he has not performed the ceremony of paying homage to his teacher, so it is understandable that he calls Xu Zuiyin "senior brother".
He now works in the Honglu Temple.
Wu Qiuyi was too lazy to pay attention to the scoundrel Xun Kuang and just looked at Xu Zuiyin.
Xu Zuiyin shook his head and said nothing. He just looked at Wu Qiuyi and said, "Why are you so tired? I just invited you because I haven't seen you for many years. It's not an urgent matter."
While talking, Xu Zuiyin helped Wu Qiuyi pour some wine and gestured for him to sit down.
Wu Qiuyi smiled and said, "I was delayed by something at home. I was afraid that my senior brother would have to wait for a long time, so I rushed over. But I didn't expect that there would be so many people gathered here at Zuiyaju. I finally squeezed in."
Hearing this, Xun Kuang looked outside.
Upon seeing this, Xun Kuang actually laughed, because the number of people was much greater than before.
But he was not surprised. He just looked at Wu Qiu and said, "Brother, you used your own poems as a prize. I guess people outside know about the invitation to friends, so they all came."
Upon hearing this, Wu Qiu looked at Xu Zuiyin in confusion, and after thinking for a while, he asked, "Brother, have you taken over this Wenzhai?"
Xu Zuiyin nodded: "Yes, my kid knew that I planned to stay in the capital, so he took over the business within two days with the help of Su Liheng. He took out some of my previous poems and calligraphy and hung them in the hall. He also found other people's poems. Today's incident was also caused by him. He said that he got Su Liheng's advice."
Wu Qiuyi was a little happy, because he didn't expect that his senior brother would settle down in Luoan City!
But after thinking about it carefully, Wu Qiu smiled and asked: "No wonder Senior Brother made an appointment here, it doesn't cost money to have your own restaurant, right?"
Xu Zuiyin smiled and shook his head: "It's that kid again. He heard that I wanted to invite you and Xun Kuang to dinner, so he asked us to come here, saying that we could play some couplets to make it lively. If someone recognizes me, it can also help to attract more people to the shop. Although I don't care about these, but since the kid asked, I can't refuse. Besides, it takes some money to settle down, so don't blame Qiuyi."
Wu Qiuyi smiled and shook his head: "Making money is something that even scholars cannot do without. There is nothing strange about it. That's it."
Wu Qiuyi looked at Xun Kuang and said, "Xun Kuang, in addition to Su Zifeng's Qingya, this is another place where you can eat and drink for free. Senior brother, please explain this clearly to my nephew."
Xun Kuang got angry when he heard this: "You rouge-wearing woman! Who said you didn't pay for your meal? I owe you money! I will pay you back when I have money. Believe it or not, I will find Su Zifeng to confront you right now!"
Wu Qiuyi smiled and looked at Xu Zuiyin: "I just met Zifeng yesterday, and he was nagging me that Xun Kuang had dinner at Qingya and ran away again."
Xun Kuang was a little embarrassed and quickly explained: "Waiting for salary!"
but
Just when Xun Kuang finished speaking, there was a sudden uproar from below, and even cheers!
A few people looked outside out of curiosity.
"What are Yan Shu and Li Wei doing here!" Xun Kuang was surprised when he saw the two people standing in front of the desk in the most elegant residence among the crowd.
Yan Shu was still dressed in blue and was very humble. Even though the person in front of him was just a waiter, Yan Shu was still very humble.
Levi on the side was looking at the waiter with anticipation, obviously waiting to see what the next couplet would be.
According to the rules of today's most elegant residence, if you want to win the lottery, you can get a gift if you come up with three suitable couplets. But if you want something better, you naturally have to continue to come up with couplets.
But it looks simple.
It is possible to write three couplets in succession, especially the first couplet of the most elegant residence, each one is more difficult than the last, so so far there have only been two at most.
At that moment, it was Yan Shu who gave three responses, which were particularly neat, and for this he was applauded by the people around him.
Especially when someone recognized Yan Shu, they cheered and let the people around him know that he was the top scholar. This made everyone sigh even more and look forward to it, waiting for the top scholar to win the first place.
Listening to what some people were saying, Xun Kuang also knew everything. He couldn't help but frowned: "This brat, if he wants his uncle's writings and other things, he can just ask for them directly. Why did he come here to make such a scene?"
Xu Zuiyin and Wu Qiuyi were somewhat helpless when they heard this. Wu Qiuyi even said bluntly, "Do you think Yan Shu is as shameless as you?"
Xun Kuang frowned, "How can you be so shameless to ask for things from your own family! Just like what my junior fellow apprentice Su Zhaoxin said, he told me that he was never polite when he took things from our queen. Why? Why should we be polite when asking for things from our own family? If we are polite, it will be too formal."
As he said this, Xun Kuang muttered, "That brat boasted to me last time that he would give me the Empress's writings, but he still hasn't done it."
When Xu Zuiyin and Wu Qiu heard this, they all smiled helplessly. As for the youngest son of the Su family, Wu Qiu naturally needed no explanation, as he had seen how fierce his strength was, and Xu Zuiyin had heard about it in the past few days!
At this time.
The waiter at Zuiyaju looked at Yan Shu and said respectfully, "Master Yan, the first couplet prepared by our head shopkeeper this time is 'Look at the mountain, the mountain is already steep', please give the second couplet to Master Yan."
(End of this chapter)
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