Chapter 149 The Powerful Minister Returns to His Youth 3.
This silver ingot, weighing a full twenty taels, was a considerable sum in a teahouse where gambling was considered a minor pastime.
Those around the table were startled by the sound and looked up to see who had come from the side.
This person, true to his voice, was a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy with exceptionally handsome features. His eyebrows were like frost-covered branches, and his eyes were like stars. He wore a ginkgo-yellow dress that perfectly matched the autumn season, and his hair was tied with a green ribbon like willow leaves. He had a slight smile on his lips, and a precious jade pendant hung at his waist. His mannerisms and speech were like the vast wind of the north and the lingering clouds of the south.
Upon seeing him, everyone's eyes lit up, and they were immediately filled with admiration. What a brilliant and elegant person he was!
But this young man is clearly not a student, so why did he suddenly make a big bet?
"May I ask your surname, young master?" someone asked.
"No need for formalities, my surname is Ye," the young man replied amiably with a smile.
"Does Young Master Ye know this Yu Shiqing or Yu Danzhi?" the man asked again.
"We are complete strangers," the boy replied.
"They're incredibly wealthy, indulging in pleasures, they don't need this much money," the man asked again.
The young man said, “Although my family is quite wealthy, I am very stingy. To be honest, I saved up for half a year to earn these twenty taels.”
The crowd's confusion was evident: "Young Master Ye, you don't know Yu Danzhi, and you're not the type to squander money recklessly, so why are you betting twenty taels on him? Don't act impulsively!"
The scholar in blue who was setting up the betting pool also cupped his hands and said, "Young Master Ye, we are just waiting here out of boredom, having some fun. We don't mind a few copper coins or a few taels of silver, but throwing down twenty taels is really unnecessary. Please take it back!"
Then the scholar who had just been fanning himself and mocking said, "Twenty taels to bet on Yu Shiqing's success in the provincial examination is clearly a way of giving money to us poor scholars who are only fit to sit in teahouses. Why refuse it? I will thank this young master on your behalf. However, although you are rich, you still need to work on your judgment."
"Even if Yu Shiqing passes the imperial examination this time, he will only be a nobody!"
Yu Dashu was shocked at first. No matter how confident he was in Yu Shiqing, he would never dare to bet half a year's savings. Then, after hearing what the people around him were saying, he became angry. Didn't this mean that no matter what, Qilang was destined to be the top scholar?
Although he was annoyed, he couldn't argue, because he also felt that Young Master Ye had bet too much.
The people in the teahouse chatted amongst themselves, while the young man stood by the table, listening with a smile without interrupting. Only when they stopped did he raise his hand and press down on the silver ingot on the table.
The crowd had different expressions, but they all felt that the young man had taken his words to heart and was about to withdraw his bets.
Unexpectedly, the young man just smiled, pushed the silver coins deeper into the table, and with a flick of his finger, pulled off the precious jade from his waist and put it down as well: "There are no rules for going back on the gambling table or chessboard."
"I won't take back the twenty taels; I want to keep it as collateral."
The scholar in blue frowned: "Young Master Ye, what's going on...?"
This time, the young man didn't listen to him finish speaking. He raised his hand slightly and interrupted, "This young master and everyone else think that I was just spending money casually and acting on impulse. Is that right?"
The scholar with the fan scoffed: "Otherwise what? You don't know Yu Shiqing, and you're not a scholar. What else could you bet such a large sum of money for? Aren't you just an idle loafer who came here to join the fun and gamble?"
The people in the teahouse did not respond, but judging from their expressions, they all agreed.
The boy's smile remained unchanged: "It's true that I'm just joining in the fun, but I'm not doing this for no reason or making random bets."
"I am new to Huai'an, so I don't know Yu Shiqing. But you all know that I bet on him because of you."
"What?"
Everyone was astonished. "Don't talk nonsense! We didn't ask you to take him as a hostage!"
"You didn't explicitly tell me to bet on him, but the conversation you just had about him was practically a veiled invitation for me to bet on him, wasn't it?" The young man looked at someone at the table. "This gentleman just said that Yu Danzhi became a child prodigy at ten and a scholar at thirteen, and that he has a photographic memory. Even in the literary-rich Jiangnan region, he would be considered a genius, wouldn't he? The last person like him already has a place in the Grand Qi cabinet! Why shouldn't I bet on him?"
"As for great scholars and academies..." the young man pondered, "they are indeed indispensable if one wants to strive for excellence. So originally, I only wanted to bet on Yu Shiqing passing the imperial examination, but it's still this gentleman..."
The scholar he had singled out widened his eyes even more: "You, you... what does this have to do with me!"
The young man ignored him and continued, "This gentleman said that Yu Shiqing has not been well-known in recent years and has not even written a single poem or article. What is the reason for this? It is because he spent three years living in seclusion and another year traveling for study. For the first three years, he devoted himself to guarding the tomb, and for the last year, he left his hometown and went far away. Therefore, he has remained unknown and obscure in Huai'an."
"Since the previous dynasty, the rules for observing mourning have not been so strict, whether in the court or among the common people. The three-year mourning period only prohibits marriage and entertainment. Those who are willing to endure hardship and live in seclusion for three years are either truly pure and filial, or they are just seeking fame and reputation, only to gain a reputation for filial piety."
“Yu Shiqing is a well-known scholar. If he has a reputation for filial piety, he could easily become a disciple of a famous teacher sooner. He doesn’t need to do much; he can simply let the rumors spread in the village and write some poems and articles, and that will be enough.”
"But in your eyes, he has already faded into obscurity, even become a wasted life. What does this mean?"
The boy looked around the teahouse.
All around was quiet.
The young man's voice was clear and resonant: "That means he doesn't want to gain fame through this, and is truly a person of utmost purity and filial piety! Such a simple, honest, and pure-hearted person may never become the top scholar in the imperial examinations, but how can he not be worth betting on him for the top scholar title? Twenty taels and a piece of precious jade are not enough for me!"
"Among you all, if any one of you believes he can defeat Yu Shiqing, I will bet my entire fortune on him!"
The people in the teahouse stared at the spirited young man and suddenly fell silent, exchanging bewildered glances. The once lively atmosphere had become so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
The young man raised an eyebrow at the scholar who was fanning himself and sneering: "Brother, you just looked down on Yu Shiqing. You must be far superior in both learning and character, right? Would you like to tell me about it?"
The scholar's face flushed red. He opened his mouth, about to speak, but the young man curled his lips into a mocking laugh. The scholar gripped his fan tightly, his hand trembling.
The young man seemed not to notice, but simply composed himself and bowed to those around him, saying, "You all advised me with good intentions, and I thank you. However, many things are just hearsay and not the truth."
"I share these words with you all."
After bowing, the young man's hair ribbon fluttered as he turned and left.
The teahouse was quiet, but after a short while, cheers rang out, followed by a cacophony of sounds, making it even more lively.
"Eloquent and silver-tongued!"
In a nearby teahouse, a well-dressed young man leaned against the window, frowning.
The white-haired scholar opposite him laughed heartily: "Clearly, he's quick-witted and eloquent! Your Highness is still too harsh on your younger brother!"
“You didn’t teach him, and he… well, never mind,” the richly dressed young man sighed with a headache. “Give him twenty taels, consider it a drop in the ocean, let that little miser feel the pinch!”
The scholar's smile deepened slightly: "Splashing water? That's not necessarily true..."
The well-dressed young man paused, surprised: "You... you think highly of that unknown Yu Shiqing?"
"Being unknown now doesn't mean you can't become famous in the future," the Confucian scholar said.
The young man in fine clothes was genuinely surprised: "You think so highly of him? Even if he becomes the top scholar in the provincial examination, he'll only be a provincial graduate. In the seventeen provinces of the two capitals of the Great Qi, how many top scholars in the provincial examinations end up not even becoming a junior scholar..."
The scholar recalled the young student he had met more than half a year ago during the drought in Fujian, and shook his head. "If he had not been able to enter the court, it might not have been his regret, but it would definitely have been a loss for the Great Qi."
The young man in fine clothes was startled, frowned, and turned to look out the window again, seemingly trying to find the boy who could cause the Great Qi to suffer a loss, but he was destined to find nothing.
"Young Master Ye! Young Master Ye!"
Seeing the young man in the apricot-yellow robe about to disappear around the street corner, Yu Dashu called out and quickened his pace.
He wasn't very learned, but he had studied at the clan school for a few years. Although this young master Ye spoke somewhat indirectly, he could understand that he was defending his seventh son. Such a good person, he couldn't let him suffer any loss.
"Young Master Ye, Young Master Ye, please wait!"
Yu Dashu shouted after him, but unfortunately the results were about to be announced and there were too many people on the street, so the young master didn't seem to hear him.
Yu Dashu was sweating profusely with anxiety. He looked around, about to find a shortcut to jump a few more steps and rush to call out to him, when suddenly he saw a flash of green robes in front of him, and a familiar figure appeared in front of the young master.
It's Shichiro!
When did he come out?
Yu Dashu was puzzled, but he wasn't in a hurry anymore. He breathed a sigh of relief and slowly moved forward against the flow of people.
At the street corner, Ye Zangxing paused, his gaze lingering on the long, slender arm that had blocked his way. He then looked up at the person approaching.
This was a young scholar who looked to be about the same age as him, but his demeanor was much more composed, like an elder, even more so than a young man.
This strange contradiction made Ye Zangxing unable to resist looking at him closely.
He wore the most ordinary blue robe and the most ordinary jade hairpin, yet he had an extraordinary face, handsome and refined, dignified and aloof, like a celestial being from a painting walking in the mortal world, exceptionally elegant and graceful.
Yet, on that face, there seemed to be a hint of melancholy, like a flaw in a beautiful jade, making one feel pity for her while also finding it difficult to investigate further.
There were many beauties in the palace, and Ye Zangxing had seen quite a few, but he never felt that any of them were particularly outstanding.
But for some reason, just one glance at the person in front of him made his neck feel hot and his fingertips sweat.
"Is there something you need, young master?"
Ye Zangxing tried his best to remain calm and asked.
From the moment Yu Shiqing first saw Ye Zangxing, it was as if he had suddenly fallen into a vast fog.
In the fog, he could see and hear nothing clearly; everything was dim. Only the figure, face, and voice of that person seemed both close at hand and yet unreachable, holding his heart and mind captive.
Oh, that spirited young emperor...
Yu Shiqing's jaw started chattering.
He tried to suppress it, but it only caused an even stronger sourness and bitterness to rise up like a tide.
My mouth was full of sugar water, but then salt got mixed in.
The bowl in his hands trembled slightly, and Yu Shiqing lowered his head. He didn't know what he looked like, but he knew he must have lost his composure. He didn't want Ye Cangxing to see him like this on their first meeting.
One can hide one's face and body, but one's eyes cannot.
He stared at him intently, unable to look away even a fraction of an inch.
A gentle morning breeze came from the Huai River, causing the apricot-yellow dress and willow-green hair ribbons to flutter like unreachable navigational beacons.
The beacon slowly turned a circle, about to drift away, so he disregarded everything else and trudged after it, stumbling and wading, until he reached it as if trying to catch the wind, and stretched out his hand—
"Is there something you need, young master?"
Ye Zangxing raised his eyes, clear as the vast northern sky.
Yu Shiqing was startled and suddenly woke up.
The thick fog dissipated in an instant.
The sounds of the wind, human voices, and heartbeats were like the beating of drums.
Yu Shiqing gazed at the young man before him, his eyes slowly gliding over the willow-like hair ribbon. His voice was soft, like the breeze beneath the willow: "I am... Yu Shiqing of Feishui. Thank you for your frank words, young master."
Author's Note:
I've been a bit busy with real-life matters lately, and I'm not satisfied with the quality of my drafts. But this can't go on like this, so I plan to go into seclusion this weekend to work hard on the outline and drafts (I'll be in seclusion but updating normally, not taking leave or anything like that). My goal is to get two more chapters of revised drafts and get the update schedule back to 6 PM.
I'm so sorry for being late these past few days, please forgive me, my little angels! [Please!]
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