16. Discussion Meeting (Part Two)
"I have no romantic relationship with Miss Shen."
The appearance of Shen Suqin caused everyone present to widen their eyes in surprise, wondering why such a person would be rumored to be a village girl, when she was clearly a mountain spirit who had become an immortal.
Shen Suqin stood on the front of the carriage, her bright eyes sweeping across the crowd, catching sight of Xiao Pingchuan behind the crowd.
Their eyes met briefly, and Xiao Pingchuan was the first to look away uncomfortably, looking down at the cracked bluestone pavement beneath his feet.
Shen Suqin got out of the car and walked towards Xiao Pingchuan.
The crowd parted to make way for her, and several pairs of eyes remained fixed on her from the front and back.
At this moment, someone with a quick mind suddenly thought of something, looked at Shen Suqin, then at the glamorous Miss Shen not far away, and then excitedly nudged the person next to him and whispered, "You said that General Xiao has an affair with Shen Da and is engaged to Shen Er. Who is he here for today?"
"Oh dear, I forgot about that. If you ask me, it's definitely because of Shen Da. What kind of background and reputation does Shen Da have? How can she, a girl from the countryside, compare?"
"But Shen Er's appearance, ugh..."
"Now that you mention it, it's not impossible to accept both, haha."
The discussion was in full swing, and everyone around, including Shen Suqin and the others, overheard it. Suddenly, the way people looked at the three of them became ambiguous.
Shen Suqin stopped in her tracks. At this moment, she was still a little distance away from Xiao Pingchuan, and not close to Miss Shen either. The three of them were in a "three-legged" stance.
Miss Shen happened to look over at that moment, their eyes met across the distance, and then she looked away indifferently.
Everyone looked and exclaimed, "Wow, this is going to be a good show! It's exciting!"
"Guess who General Xiao will walk towards?"
"They're definitely heading towards Shen Da. Anyone with a brain knows they need to distance themselves from Shen Er today."
"That makes sense, how could I have forgotten about that? Oh dear, Xiao Pingchuan has made a move..."
Everyone stared intently at him, watching him walk step by step toward Shen Suqin, and stop, saying, "You've come."
Shen Suqin crossed his arms, pointed with his chin at Shen Suqiu not far away, and said, "General, you've gone the wrong way, haven't you?"
She vividly remembered Shen Da admitting to her that she and Xiao Pingchuan had a somewhat ambiguous relationship. She'd completely forgotten about it before and had even promised to let him come, but someone reminded her today.
Xiao Pingchuan turned his head to look in the direction she pointed, then turned back.
Everyone listened intently to what he had to say.
“You’ve come to the right place. I have no affair with Miss Shen. I’m here for you.”
Wow, this isn't what I expected.
Shen Suqin seemed somewhat surprised as well, "The two of you?"
Xiao Pingchuan replied seriously, "It's just a rumor."
"I see." Shen Suqin gave Shen Suqiu a meaningful look.
At this moment, Liu Xi, who was beside Shen Suqiu, was displeased and questioned, "Xiao Pingchuan, what do you mean!"
She had always believed that he had been relentlessly pursuing Shen Suqiu without success, and that Shen Suqiu had never refuted her in all this time.
Xiao Pingchuan replied: "The literal meaning."
"Ladies and gentlemen, the discussion is about to begin. Please hurry and enter the garden," Miss Shen suddenly announced.
To most people, this was tantamount to an admission of guilt.
Just then, Xiao Pingchuan added, "I am already engaged to the second young lady of the Shen family. I am here today to clarify this and put her mind at ease."
Everyone had a knowing look on their faces.
Shen Suqin laughed: "General, do you know why I'm here today? If you're tied to me, you might embarrass yourself later."
"Don't be afraid, I'll protect you later."
Shen Suqin stopped laughing, stared at him intently, and after a long while, burst into laughter again: "Since that's the case, then today I'll tell you that rejecting the most talented woman in the capital is not a loss."
Xiao Pingchuan raised an eyebrow.
"Let's go in."
"Um."
The two walked towards the door one after the other. When they passed Shen Suqiu, Shen Er stopped and said, "I didn't expect that it was you, sister, who couldn't get what you wanted. You have good taste."
Shen Suqiu, as expected of the first female student of the Imperial Academy, did not change her expression at all, and said indifferently, "When did I say that I had anything with the general? I suggest you think about how to apologize later."
Shen Suqin: "It's not certain who will apologize later."
Shen Suqiu: "You're just being stubborn. Don't block the door, please come in, you two."
"See you later, elder sister." Shen Suqin waved her hand.
After the two went inside, Liu Xi, her face pale, asked Shen Suqiu in a low voice, "What happened? Before, when Xiao Pingchuan came to the capital, didn't he come looking for you as soon as you called him, all eager to..."
“Alright,” Shen Suqiu interrupted her, “you go in first.”
"Oh." Liu Xi didn't dare to say anything more.
At this moment, Pei Tingxue walked over and said, "Your adopted sister is quite resourceful. She managed to win over the general so quickly."
Shen Suqiu grabbed her arm and said through gritted teeth in a low voice, "Cousin, be clear-headed today. You and I, the Pei family and the Shen family, are bound together by fate.
Pei Tingxue got goosebumps all over her body, feeling that her voice was as cold and slippery as a snake, drilling straight into her ear.
"We must crush her to death today, otherwise we won't be able to explain ourselves to the powerful families," Shen Suqiu said.
The aristocratic families heard what Shen Er said at Xingyuan Restaurant the other day. They heard not only slander against "Dongliang Fu", but also slander against the aristocratic families.
"I, I know."
Yinshan Residence is a rather elegant courtyard, with dappled shadows of trees and shimmering water. There are artificial hills and waterside pavilions, and towers and pavilions. Every step reveals a new scene, making it very elegant.
The discussion was held on a low open space in the courtyard, surrounded by rocks and pavilions, which served as natural seating areas, and were now full of people.
Xiao Pingchuan was placed in an inconspicuous corner by Shen Suqin, while she herself stood calmly in the middle of the open space, accepting everyone's scrutiny.
She knew that all these noble families, peddlers, and commoners were there to see her make a fool of herself. They wanted to see the great scholar Zhan Boyan teach the village girl who was spouting nonsense a lesson, and they wanted to see her cry and run away with her face covered.
"Please keep us waiting. Our teacher is on his way and we can begin shortly," said Shen Suqiu, acting as the person in charge.
Great scholars are all aloof, which everyone understands perfectly, since they would not easily meet such figures if it weren't for today's discussion meeting.
"No rush, no rush, we will wait patiently for Elder Zhan."
"Please let Elder Zhan proceed slowly."
Shen Suqin stood quietly in the center with her head bowed. This was not the demeanor a village girl should have. However, the crowd was too eager to watch the spectacle and did not take it to heart at all.
After a short while, with the help of two students, Professor Zhan walked to a pavilion diagonally above the open space and stood there, looking down at Shen Suqin. He showed no intention of stepping down to argue with her face to face.
“Young friend, if you can say that the ‘Ode to the Eastern Liang’ is truly worthy of its name, I will let you leave.” He spoke directly without any pleasantries.
Shen Suqin looked at him with a frank gaze: "The 'Eastern Liang Rhapsody' does indeed have its merits."
She paused deliberately at this point.
Everyone assumed she was scared and trying to show weakness, and they all started to sneer at her.
Xiao Pingchuan frowned as well; this wasn't like her.
Sure enough, before their laughter had even subsided, Shen Suqin continued, "It's a pity that the effort was too strong, all show and no substance."
The laughter stopped abruptly.
Old Master Zhan said slowly, "Young friend, tell me where it exerted too much force?"
Shen Suqin: "For example, 'The cloud tower is half open and hangs high on the wall, the flying pavilion flows down to the three mountains.' All I can see is the imagery that is awkwardly piled up and the smugness of showing off the words."
Professor Zhan: "The entire 'Dongliang Fu' is famous for its rhythmic cadence and powerful, penetrating talent. The point you made is a minor flaw that does not detract from its overall excellence."
Shen Suqin said seriously: "No, literature can be enjoyable, but it must also convey the Way. As a work of enjoyment, the Dongliang Fu is indeed excellent; but it is not useful enough. It is ornate and empty, and cannot bear the weight of being the 'number one literature in the world'."
Mr. Zhan: "That's just your opinion."
Shen Suqin: "Indeed, this is just my opinion. But I stand here today to tell everyone that it is time to bring the 'Dongliang Fu' down from its pedestal. There is no benefit in indulging in its decadent music."
Zhan Boyan waved his whisk and immediately retorted, "What we value is not a single word or phrase, but its expansive and open-minded state of mind. Reading it cleanses the mind and purifies the heart, allowing one to distance oneself from worldly and materialistic things."
Shen Suqin scoffed, "Stay away from money? I've never seen any aristocratic family throw away a single coin or two to help the world. Instead, they're obsessed with acquiring land, accumulating wealth, and squandering it all. You all must be familiar with this article, so why don't you see anyone indifferent to money?"
“You can recite a couple of lines from the ‘Ode to the Eastern Liang’ and call yourself a transcendent person, but you do the most vulgar things imaginable. Aren’t you ashamed?”
The officialdom of the Great Liang Dynasty is now mostly controlled by the third generation of aristocratic families. As the saying goes, wealth doesn't last three generations, and by their generation, extravagance and debauchery have become the norm. Using the "Ode to the Eastern Liang" to establish a persona of detached elegance, spending his days traveling, enjoying nature, engaging in lofty discussions, and playing around in the world—this is the meaning behind Shen Suqin's previous statement.
Zhan Boyan truly understood the art of philosophical discourse: “Young friend, you are too young to comprehend the ways of the world. You should know that life is like a vast ocean, and only the clear breeze and bright moon can serve as a guide for all people.”
"Stop with this nonsense," Shen Suqin said, looking around. "All of you here hold high positions. Haven't you heard the saying, 'When in office, don't be concerned with official duties; when handling affairs, don't be preoccupied with trivial matters'?"
Shen Suqin was too lazy to argue about the so-called "Number One Scholar Under Heaven" anymore. "You come from noble families and regard trivial matters as lowly tasks. You have never personally plowed the fields or weeded them. You do not know when to sow or when to harvest. Your skin is fragile and your bones are weak. You cannot walk properly. You are physically weak and cannot withstand the cold and heat. With the Great Liang in your hands, it is no wonder that there are corpses everywhere and the land is sinking."
Everyone present was thoroughly humiliated, and none escaped the consequences.
Shen Suqin's remarks were even more direct, ruthless, and arrogant than they had been at Xingyuan Restaurant that day.
Someone, enraged, retorted, "How dare a country bumpkin spout such nonsense here!"
"You haven't read many classic texts, yet you're here pretending to be a saint and lecturing people. Who do you think you are?"
"Exactly, anyone who didn't know better would think you were some great Confucian scholar of our time, you're just talking nonsense."
Master Zhan and most of the people present felt that the person in front of them was too arrogant. How dare a mere country bumpkin talk about current affairs and give advice in front of half of the noble families of Liang? She was just a clown.
At this point, Shen Suqiu was satisfied. She felt that her adopted younger sister was doomed. From now on, she would have no place in the capital.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
