Chapter 23: A word is worth a thousand gold, how about it?
"The flames of war tempered our courage, and our armor forged the Kunlun Mountains. For ten years, we held our spears southward, our heroic spirit cleaving through the clouds. We once traversed the vast and desolate waters, and bound the demons of the mountains, settling the border with laughter. The barbarian drums sank to the bottom of the abyss, and the Wei banners stood tall on the horizon."
"The birthday banquet is held, the golden goblets are full, and spring arrives in Mengguan. Why lament with white hair? The stars are the emblems of our achievements! The pine waves of a thousand peaks are our praise, the Milky Way in ten thousand valleys is our brew, and mountains and seas are intoxicated with joy. We wish to borrow the brush of Heaven to rewrite the glorious deeds of Dingyuan!"
After Xiao Wuge finished reciting aloud, the inexplicable surge of hot blood in his chest made his face slightly flushed.
Xiao Wuge quickly took a breath, feeling slightly uneasy, afraid that he would be blamed by Xiao Yuan and the others for performing poorly.
However, the courtyard was completely silent at this moment, and no one paid any attention to him.
The old man next to him, named Sun Fu, courtesy name Changming, once served as the Left Provincial Administration Commissioner of Shuzhou.
Regardless of his achievements as an official, he certainly possessed considerable knowledge.
Therefore, after hearing this poem, he couldn't suppress the surge of pride that welled up within him, and blurted out:
"What beautiful words! They evoke a sense of nostalgia and heroic spirit!"
"Every word is just right, Lao Xiao, your birthday banquet this time will probably make a lot of old guys envious."
The corner of Duke Zhang Xuan's mouth twitched slightly. Damn it, is this really not written for me?
"The words are good, but they are obviously more suitable for me."
Xiao Qiuyun, who was standing to the side, listened with sparkling eyes.
However, the one most affected was none other than Marquis Xiao Yuan.
He sat upright in his chair, ignoring his two old friends' words, and kept reciting the contents of the poem, his mind involuntarily filled with memories of the decades of battles he had fought over.
Among his exploits were his defeat of the barbarian army at Mengshui Pass and his leading the Dingyuan Army on a southern expedition to the Kingdom of Vaishsa, where he planted the banners of the Great Wei throughout the cities.
There was also the regret and remorse of his Xiao family descendants who died on the battlefield.
All of these things are still vivid in my mind, as if they happened just yesterday.
His eyes welled up with tears, and he sighed, "It must have been hard for Chen Yi to write such a birthday greeting for this old man. Alas."
Zhang Xuan looked on with a hint of jealousy. "You should be secretly happy. If you don't want it, give it to me."
Even if everything in the lyrics is true, it's just... a damn shame to apply it to Xiao Jingteng.
Xiao Yuan laughed angrily, "Get lost."
Sun Fu sighed and said, "Old Xiao, your grandson-in-law has really given you a big gift this time."
"How so?"
"This poem is enough to be remembered for generations to come. Don't you think it's a great gift?"
With Sun Fu's insight, it's not hard to see the power of this poem, which is equivalent to Xiao Yuan, an old man with absolutely no literary talent, being remembered for generations.
"To be remembered for generations? Wouldn't that mean I, an old man..."
"That's right, you're destined to be remembered for eternity thanks to this poem."
Xiao Yuan was taken aback. It would be a lie to say he wasn't happy; who wouldn't want to leave a name in their lifetime?
But he always felt something was off, as if his entire military career hadn't been as long-lasting as the fame of a single poem.
At this moment, Zhang Xuan realized what was happening, looked at Old Marquis Xiao, carefully examined him from head to toe, and suddenly revealed a friendly smile:
"Old Xiao, my birthday is coming up soon. How about we make a deal and you give me this poem as a gift?"
As he spoke, he patted his chest and assured, "Don't worry, I will definitely pay you a generous fee."
Before Lord Xiao could refuse, Sun Fu stood up abruptly, his beard bristling and eyes wide with anger: "You shameless old man, you have no shame at all, how dare you even think of such things?"
Zhang Xuan glanced at him sideways: "Old Sun, I am the Duke of Gan in this dynasty."
“I passed the imperial examination in the thirty-second year of Yongping. No matter what you say, old man, this poem is not for you. You have killed barbarians, um... so what if you have killed some? Have you ever been to Vaishsa?”
"Tomorrow I will lead the armies of Jiaozhou and Guangyue Prefecture to press on the border, and we will surely plant our banners everywhere!"
"And what about the Marquis of Dingyuan?"
"I have decided to hold a grand birthday banquet here. Is that feasible?"
"You, you shameless person! How can you treat such a masterpiece, which is one in a hundred years, with such contempt?"
"A once-in-a-century event?"
Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment, then slapped his thigh and looked at Xiao Yuan, saying, "Old Xiao, a word is worth a thousand pieces of gold, how about it?"
"Get lost!" Xiao Yuan laughed and cursed, "You may be shameless, but I still am."
"If people find out that I resold the birthday greeting written by my grandson-in-law, I'm afraid I'll be infamous for eternity."
Zhang Xuan smacked her lips, still somewhat unwilling to give up, and gestured with her eyes to Xiao Qiuyun beside her to try and mediate.
He truly loved this poem, which was enough to demonstrate his bravery and achievements.
It should be noted that when the barbarian king led his army north to attack the pass, he also brought soldiers from Jiaozhou to provide support.
Although Xiao Yuan was the commander-in-chief of the three armies, Zhang Xuan also deserves credit for defeating the barbarian king's army.
Seeing this, Xiao Qiuyun thought for a moment and smiled, "Father, this poem is good, but it is obviously based on my uncle's life, so it may not be suitable for you."
"In Qiuyun's opinion, the one who tied the bell must untie it, and the person who wrote this poem is right here in the mansion."
Zhang Xuan thought about it and smiled.
“That makes sense, Lao Xiao. I won’t argue with you about this poem, but can I borrow someone from you?”
"Wu Ge's brother-in-law, right? Brother-in-law?"
Zhang Xuan paused, his smile fading, and exclaimed, "Is that Er Yatou's husband, Chen Xuanji's illegitimate son?"
Xiao Yuan nodded slightly and waved for the others to continue bringing the food. "It was indeed written by Chen Yi. What, do you have any ideas about asking him to polish the work?"
"Don't forget, you old codger, a few days ago you criticized the Chen family to the point of being worthless, cursing the two brothers Chen Xuandu and Chen Xuanji for relying on the Emperor's support and making a mess of Jiangnan Prefecture."
Zhang Xuan snorted sullenly, "Times have changed. Chen Yi is now a son-in-law of the Xiao family and has no connection with the Chen family. Let him write a poem..."
never mind.
He really didn't have a good impression of the Chen family in Jiangnan Prefecture. The thought that his birthday greetings were written by a member of the Chen family made him feel disgusted.
Thinking it over, he changed the subject: "Old Sun, recommend a talented poet to me later, and I'll give you 20% of the fee."
Sun Fu laughed and scolded him for being shameless, then, as if he had thought of something, sighed, "What a pity about Chen Yi."
Xiao Yuan sat up straighter slightly. "Oh? Tell me, what's a pity?"
Sun Fu looked at him, hesitated slightly, and said, "Old Xiao, if I may say something unpleasant, please don't be upset."
"This poem alone shows that Chen Yi is a man of extraordinary talent. It seems that the rumors that were circulating in Nanjing that he was 'loyal and filial, and exceptionally talented' must be true."
"But now he is a son-in-law of your Xiao family, and cannot serve as an official, so it is difficult for him to show his talents."
With a serious expression on his aged face, Sun Fu asked, "Isn't it a pity?"
Xiao Yuan paused, then pondered, "It is indeed a pity."
Hearing this, Zhang Xuan looked at him suspiciously: "Old Xiao, back when we were looking for a son-in-law, why did you think of the Chen family?"
“This,” Xiao Yuan shook his head, “this matter is over, and I do not wish to mention it again.”
There are many things involved, and it's difficult to explain them clearly in a short time.
However, Zhang Xuan was not going to let him off the hook and pressed on, "I've heard that Chen Yi isn't having a good time in the Chen family. The eldest wife from the Cui family has been suppressing him. Was she the one who arranged this marriage?"
"I guess so."
Did Chen Xuanji know about this?
"He should be unaware of this. As you and I both know, Chen Xuanji was sent as an envoy to the Buddhist Kingdom of the Western Lands by the Emperor and has not yet returned."
"What about Chen Xuandu? He went to Beizhou; does he know about this?"
Xiao Yuan hesitated for a moment before replying, "Perhaps he knows, perhaps he doesn't."
Seeing his strange expression and reluctance to say more, Zhang Xuan guessed that there must be something hidden, so she didn't ask any more questions, but still couldn't help but remind him:
"Old Xiao, those Chen brothers are not easy to deal with. Be careful."
Xiao Yuan nodded silently; he knew all of this, so there was no need to say more.
After a while.
Although Xiao Yuan's excitement had subsided, his complexion became even more rosy. He ordered, "Go and get the food. I'll eat five bowls today!"
Soon the servants came with the food, and Xiao Yuan greeted them:
"You two have seen how much I can eat. Let's have a contest today and see who can match my former glory."
"Do you think you can eat half a cow in one sitting right now?"
"Why not...?"
Needless to say, the three old men began to eat meat and drink wine heartily, laughing and joking as if they had returned to their youth.
Seeing this, Xiao Wuge bowed and said, "Grandfather, please continue eating. I'm going back now."
Xiao Yuan swallowed a large piece of pork. "Well, later you can tell your brother-in-law that I have forgiven him for running away from the wedding."
Xiao Wuge's face lit up with joy. After bowing respectfully, he prepared to return and tell Chen Yi the good news.
At this moment, Xiao Qiuyun, who had been sitting next to him with a smile on her face, said, "Wu Ge, don't leave yet. Take Heng'er to Chunhe Garden for a visit."
"Mother, I don't want to go find that runaway groom, he..."
"Um?"
Before Zhang Heng could say anything more, Xiao Qiuyun glared at him to stop him, and said with a slightly serious tone:
"You mustn't be rude when you get there, understand?"
Zhang Heng responded listlessly.
Xiao Wuge was reluctant, but after looking at Xiao Yuan and the others and seeing them eating and drinking in silence, he had no choice but to leave with Zhang Heng.
After everyone left.
Xiao Yuan took a sip of wine and ate his meat, then said, seemingly casually, "Don't blame me for being nosy, but Heng'er should be studying."
Xiao Qiuyun's expression changed slightly, but she dared not object and agreed.
Zhang Xuan glanced at her, smacked his lips, and said nothing.
Although there is an old saying that "it is the father's fault if he does not teach his son well," there is also a saying that "a doting mother often spoils her son."
Sun Fu ignored their family affairs and ate while muttering, "What beautiful words! If I could write such a masterpiece, I could die in peace."
"Since you like it so much, why don't you, Old Sun, become Chen Yi's apprentice?"
“That’s feasible, but after you become my grandson-in-law’s apprentice, remember to address him differently.”
"Change your tune, my ass."
"That old man's swearing! It's an insult to civility..."
(End of this chapter)
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