Chapter 11 How to Govern the Way During the Flower Festival
The man with Yao Bin was named Cai Chongmin. He came from a prominent family in Guiyang County and had been traveling in the capital for two years, where he knew most of the young men. His family was quite wealthy, and he had recently become close to the Wang family. If he passed the imperial examinations, he might very well become their son-in-law. With the Wang family's support, he wouldn't have to worry about his career prospects.
He originally didn't want to come to Zhuangyuanlou, but after hearing from Yao Bin that Wang Shiniang was there, he decided to see her beauty.
Wang Shiniang was renowned for her talent in the capital, and was a living advertisement for the Wang family's women's ability to appreciate music and poetry. Cai Chongmin knew that even if he could marry a woman from the Wang family, he would have no chance with Wang Shiniang, so he naturally wouldn't let go of the opportunity to get to know her.
"Brother Huaiyi, do you really know where Wang Shiniang is?" Cai Chongmin asked Yao Bin in a low voice.
Yao Bin proudly waved his fan: "Of course, all the rooms at Zhuangyuanlou were booked five days ago. A mere guest booking list is a piece of cake for me."
Seeing Cai Chongmin's expectant gaze, Yao Bin kept him in suspense, prompting Cai Chongmin to plead repeatedly before finally pointing to the private rooms hidden behind gauze curtains and saying, "This room is for the Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat. This room is for the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies. This room contains a few纨绔子弟 (playboys), but we don't need to pay them any attention."
Yao Bin leaned against the table, his folding fan sweeping across the room: "This room belongs to the young lady of the Xie Lu Lang family, this room belongs to the niece of the Princess Qianjin's husband. This room belongs to the niece of the Princess Consort of Xinxing County."
As they talked, they pointed to Fu Sui's room: "I remember this room belongs to a merchant's daughter, whose family is in the jewelry business." After most of the private rooms had been booked, Yao Bin pointed to a room: "Wang Shiniang."
The room's window had been opened at some point, and a figure seemed to be moving behind the gauze screen. Cai Chongmin squinted to examine it carefully, but unfortunately, the gauze screen used in the Zhuangyuan Tower was shimmering on the outside, and even with Cai Chongmin's sharp eyes, he could only make out a blurry human figure.
Since the gathering was a literary exchange, it naturally involved composing poems and essays. Fu Sui, who was upstairs, heard people below drawing topics and composing poems. The manager of Zhuangyuan Tower ordered several large screens, each several feet in size, to be brought over, all covered with jade-leaf paper. After each topic was judged to produce a "Poet King," the composer would be invited to write their poem on the screen. Furthermore, singing girls and musicians were present to recite and sing the poems on the screens.
Qiao Zhenzhen sat upright by the window, listening attentively, sometimes nodding in praise, sometimes frowning slightly. Fu Sui rested his chin on his hand, sipping fruit wine, listening to the musicians' singing with half-closed eyes, occasionally tapping the table lightly in sync with the melody.
After the musicians had performed several rounds, and everyone present had drunk quite a bit, someone jumped onto the high platform in the hall and wrote a note on the large screen on the platform.
Qiao Zhenzhen listened attentively to the recitation coming from the hall and said softly, "A gentleman has wine, so he feasts and makes merry, sings and dances, thinks and drinks, this is the joy of life."
Fu Sui listened to the sounds outside, but his mind was on Wang Lingshu.
Wang Lingshu had been there for over an hour, sitting quietly in the room. During the poetry competition, several young men used the topic to express their feelings, almost directly declaring their affections to Wang Lingshu, but she didn't respond at all. What was Wang Lingshu doing here today? Was it merely to appreciate poetry and listen to music?
Fu Sui was filled with doubts. Did Wang Lingshu know who Xue Guangting was? Could it be that she didn't recognize him at all, like Fu Sui and Qiao Zhenzhen?
"The so-called virtuous conduct of a gentleman, you gentlemen possess the means of governing and inherit the will of sages and worthies, why do you need to cultivate and manage to govern the world?"
Fu Sui frowned as he listened: "He's really drunk. In public, what right does one have to discuss governance?"
Qiao Zhenzhen said softly, "They will also be tested on current affairs when they go to the examination hall, so it won't hurt to discuss it."
There were more participants in the policy debates than in the poetry contests, and those who disagreed naturally argued by citing classical texts. A few people did point out some political ills, but the solutions needed to be considered from the perspective of the imperial family. The rest of the participants mostly just quoted previous scholars and talked at length.
Suddenly a clear, cold voice rang out: "The affairs of the world originate from the actions of one person; the path to enlightenment lies in one's own heart."
Fu Sui raised an eyebrow slightly. He wondered what was in his heart to be so self-righteous. He looked up at Qiao Zhenzhen and saw that she was also taken aback. Fu Sui found it even more interesting and went to the window to look for the man's figure.
Most of the people in the hall were looking in the same direction, presumably at the speaker. Through the gauze screen, she saw the man surnamed Xu that Qiao Zhenzhen had mentioned also turn his head to look to his side; the speaker seemed to be someone with him. However, it was too dark there, and she couldn't see clearly at all.
She simply lifted the gauze curtain. Without the curtain obstructing the view, Fu Sui saw two people standing there. One was tall and slender, with a clear and bright complexion, while the other seemed to be about to speak, with a fair and delicate face.
Fu Sui's movement of lifting the curtain was not loud, but the upstairs room, which was completely silent before, naturally attracted attention when there was a sudden commotion. The eyes that were originally looking at the people in the corner all turned to the second floor.
Shen Siming was speaking when he was interrupted by the action upstairs and subconsciously looked up. He saw a woman on the second floor lift the gauze curtain, revealing a face as beautiful as a peach blossom. In an instant, Shen Siming's heart froze, and he forgot all about poetry, music, and people. Only the line "As if she were a light cloud veiling the moon, as if she were drifting snow in the wind" lingered in his mind.
Xue Guangting was about to hear Shen Siming's opinion when he saw Shen Siming look up and remain silent, so he turned to look. But he was a step too late; the person in the pavilion had already lowered the gauze curtain, and Xue Guangting could only glimpse a quiet and elegant figure through the gap, set against a pink hibiscus that was as ethereal as smoke and mist.
When Cai Chongmin saw the gauze curtain once again cover the fair face and red lips, and the delicate beauty in her eyes was replaced by the bamboo comb and light gauze, he felt a sense of loss. He remembered that Yao Bin seemed to have said that this private room belonged to a merchant's daughter, and he was amazed that such a beautiful woman could be kept in a wealthy family. For a moment, he murmured in a daze, "If I could have the Wang family's daughter as my wife and this woman as my concubine, I would have no regrets in life."
Although he was talking to himself, the silence in the hall made his words all the more clearly audible. Yao Bin also looked up at the second floor. Fu Sui didn't remember him, but he recognized Fu Sui. He was wondering why it was Princess Yong'an who had booked the room when he heard Cai Chongmin's voice from the side.
Yao Bin was startled. At this moment, he was still some distance away from Cai Chongmin. He was about to step over to remind Cai Chongmin that she was Princess Yong'an and should not be disrespected when he noticed a man dressed as a guard quietly getting up and leaving from the shadows.
Yao Bin silently retracted the foot he had already raised, and then "casually" took a few steps to the side, distancing himself further from Cai Chongmin, pretending that he did not know Cai Chongmin.
"Did you see it?" Qiao Zhenzhen asked.
“There are two people, but I don’t know which ones they are.” Fu Sui compared the appearances and demeanor of the two people and thought that they were probably the ones that Song Shangshuang had mentioned.
Qiao Zhenzhen's tone was light and teasing: "You just lift the curtain like that, and who knows how many people are talking about you down there."
Fu Sui didn't care. She didn't have the strict family rules of those noble families to follow. The emperor's only requirement for her was not to disobey. Qin An would never teach her "Admonitions for Women" or "Instructions for Women," so Fu Sui never deliberately avoided men outside the family.
"They're just talking about it, consider it a compliment." Fu Sui looked at the person diagonally opposite, "What's up with Wang Lingshu? Is she here to meditate or something?"
I thought I would see Wang Lingshu and Xue Guangting exchanging poems today, but I didn't expect that I didn't know Xue Guangting and couldn't even meet Wang Lingshu.
"Princess," Kouyun called softly from outside, "someone below has something to report."
Fu Sui's entourage had been scattered in the lobby downstairs. What could they possibly want up here now? Fu Sui pondered this as he sent someone in to report.
The man who came to report tactfully stopped outside the screen and replied through it, "A man downstairs said some disrespectful things." He then repeated Cai Chongmin's words verbatim.
Fu Sui gritted her teeth and sneered, "So this is the King of Hedong. I, a woman of the Fu family, am only fit to be a concubine under the Wang family's rule." She ordered sharply, "Go back to the manor, retrieve my seal, and deliver these words to the palace without missing a single one."
After the attendant left, Qiao Zhenzhen called her maid and told her to stand guard outside the door. Kou Yun also left, leaving only Fu Sui and Qiao Zhenzhen in the room.
Qiao Zhenzhen said, "That man probably doesn't know your identity. If this gets back to the palace, the Emperor's dissatisfaction with the powerful clans will only increase. Although dismantling the clans is imperative, it must be done gradually. These four families have been powerful for hundreds of years and are deeply entrenched. Acting rashly would be unwise."
Fu Sui scoffed: "In the end, I won't become emperor. What does it matter to me if we fight to the death? The one on the dragon throne is very thoughtful. He has already learned his lesson from being too reckless once, and he certainly won't make the same mistake again."
Qiao Zhenzhen didn't understand when the Emperor would act rashly, but she knew her limits. Whenever it involved the royal family, she would never ask any questions unless Fu Sui mentioned it.
Qiao Zhenzhen then turned to the topic of the imperial examinations: "At the beginning of the dynasty, the imperial examinations were mostly based on recommendations. Now, except for the Mingjing examination, all other examinations are conducted anonymously. Even in the Mingjing examination, the number of people who are selected through the open examination has dropped from 70% when the previous emperor was in power to less than half. As a result, talented scholars from commoner families can enter officialdom through the imperial examinations, which weakens the influence of the four major families in the court."
The key is to capture the leader; the number of magistrates or assistant judges is irrelevant. What matters is uprooting these powerful clans. Knowing the emperor as he does, Fu Sui wouldn't stand idly by while a particular family produces generations of high-ranking officials and wields absolute power. As long as the struggle between the emperor and his powerful families doesn't harm imperial authority, Fu Sui is happy to fan the flames.
Chen Siming stared blankly at the second floor for a moment, then realized Xue Guangting was looking at him. Feeling somewhat ashamed, he quickly composed himself and finished his reply. With Chen Siming's opening remarks, the other young men chimed in with their own arguments, and the hall returned to its previous lively atmosphere.
However, Fu Sui's interruption dampened many people's interest in discussing the Dao. Some busybodies approached Xue Guangting and Shen Siming to flatter them, saying, "This gentleman has just opened his mouth and a beautiful woman has already lifted the curtain to look at him. It seems that good things are about to happen." As soon as these words were spoken, three or five more people gathered around, all teasing and probing.
Shen Siming had never witnessed such a scene before. His family was poor when he was young, and he had lived with relatives for a long time. Later, he studied at Bishan Academy and the Imperial Academy. Even his sisters rarely spoke of such things, but they would freely discuss other women. Suddenly being discussed alongside a strange woman, Shen Siming blushed with shame and remained speechless.
Xue Guangting frowned, displeased with the frivolous words of the crowd. Seeing Shen Siming struggling to answer the questions, he simply pulled Shen Siming away from the Zhuangyuan Tower.
Someone started it, and the poetry contest began again in the hall, but this time it had a more romantic and poetic feel to it than before.
A note from the author:
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"Like light clouds veiling the moon, like swirling snow in a flowing wind."
Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River
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