One battle to fame
By the time Tang Feng and Zhang Mobai returned to the mansion, the sun had already set. "You're back so late! It seems you had a good time composing poems today." Before the carriage had even come to a complete stop, Qin Jiujiu had already gone forward to greet them. Tang Feng leaned out of the carriage window. "Sigh, all I wrote were headless poems. How could I have had a good time?" After saying that, Tang Feng lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage.
"Don't bluff me! We've all heard about it. Your two lines of poetry were absolutely stunning! Even my godfather said he never imagined you had such lofty ambitions at such a young age. It made our old man so happy!" Qin Jiujiu helped Tang Feng up after he got out of the car.
It spread so quickly? Tang Feng thought his two lines of Wang Changling's poem would be discarded because they were incomplete, but it actually got back to Xiling. The speed of gossip in ancient times is no less than in modern times!
"Brother, I'm going back now. I'll come find you again tomorrow."
"Ah! Okay, please give my regards to Uncle Zhang." After saying goodbye to Zhang Mobai, Tang Feng followed Qin Jiujiu into the gate. "Xiao Feng, don't go back to the courtyard yet. Your godfather wants you to go to the main hall to see him first." Qin Jiujiu pulled Tang Feng towards the main hall. "You don't know, your poem was circulated in the mansion this afternoon. Your godfather read it carefully, and he couldn't stop smiling."
Upon entering the main hall, Old Master Tang sat upright in the hall. "Feng'er is back?"
"Father!" Tang Feng immediately bowed to Old Master Tang.
"Get up! Cough cough, well... Jiu Jiu asked for your poem from outside today and insisted on showing it to me. I... I only glanced at it. It was passable, I guess!"
"Oh, Godfather, why are you always so concerned about saving face? Xiaofeng is your son, what can't you say to his face? You didn't say that just now! You said: 'My son can compose these verses, though only a few lines, yet enough to bring glory to our ancestors. Such a magnificent and awe-inspiring masterpiece, I am ashamed of my own inferiority.'" Old Master Tang's face turned pale and red as Qin Jiujiu spoke to him.
Tang Feng bit his lip, barely suppressing a laugh. Actually, Tang Feng didn't really care whether his grandfather praised him or not. He hadn't written the poem himself, and even if his grandfather showered him with heartfelt praise, Tang Feng wouldn't be happy. In modern times, stealing Wang Changling's poetry would be considered copyright infringement. However, seeing his grandfather's awkward and embarrassed expression still amused him.
Since Tang Feng came into this world, Old Master Tang has never smiled at him. According to Liu Yiwan, Old Master Tang was originally a serious and unsmiling person who was very strict with Tang Feng's upbringing. However, since Tang Feng went to Wanchun Lane, Old Master Tang seems to have become even more serious, and nine out of ten sentences he utters are curses and swears.
"Xiao Feng, what are you standing there for? Your godfather asked me to prepare a table full of good wine and food today. It'll get cold if we don't eat soon," Qin Jiujiu said, then went to help Master Tang up. "Godfather, you're still sitting here! Let's go."
Watching Qin Jiujiu and Grandpa Tang walk towards the backyard, Tang Feng followed. The meal didn't last long; Grandpa Tang used the excuse of tomorrow's morning court session to go rest, while Qin Jiujiu took Qin Liuliu to review tomorrow's lessons. The backyard suddenly became quiet. Tang Feng picked up the half-finished wine and downed it in one gulp, wiping his mouth. "Isn't this better than the wine from this morning?" The aroma of wine filled the air. Tang Feng hadn't tasted the wine from that morning, but it tasted like diluted water. Holding the bottle, Tang Feng swayed as he stood up. This was no ordinary wine; after three cups, Tang Feng was already a little disoriented. Even so, he stumbled to the wall and shouted, "Little madman! Open the door! I've brought you some wine!" He then threw the wine jug across the wall. A moment later, Zhang Mobai's voice rang out, "Little brother! Why aren't you sleeping? What are you doing, drunk over there? You spilled wine all over me!" Unfortunately, Tang Feng didn't hear him; he had already fallen asleep against the wall.
Tang Feng was woken up again by Liu Yiwan, "Oh my goodness, Young Master, what are you doing lying here?"
"Hiss~" Tang Feng heard Liu Yiwan's voice, slowly opened his eyes, and rubbed his throbbing temples. He didn't know what had happened to him yesterday; he had fallen asleep leaning against the wall. "What time is it now?"
"Young master, it's already past 7 AM. The rooster in the small kitchen has crowed three or four times already."
"It's Chenshi (7-9 AM)! My goodness, where's Qin Liuliu? Is she going to be late for school?" Tang Feng, hearing how late it was, quickly got up, patted his bottom, and was about to leave.
"Young Master, Young Master, please don't be in such a hurry!" Liu Yiwan grabbed Tang Feng. "Young Master had Miss Jiu deliver it, and she should be on her way back now. Besides, the streets are in chaos right now, and it's really not appropriate for you to go out!"
Tang Feng was a little confused. Why was it inappropriate to go out? But Tang Feng really didn't want to go out today. The wine that Grandpa Tang's daughter drank yesterday was too strong. Now, Tang Feng felt dizzy and his brain was buzzing whenever he walked.
"Is Young Master alright?" Liu Yiwan saw Tang Feng standing motionless against the wall, holding his head, and reached out to help him. "Miss Jiu said that the kitchen has heated up some hangover soup for you. Don't forget to drink it when you wake up. Also, she told you not to go out today and to rest at home. Would you like to take a bath first? I've already filled the tub with hot water for you. Oh, and shouldn't you eat something first, otherwise you might faint in the bath... Hmm. Waaah..."
Tang Feng grabbed Liu Yiwan's mouth and said, "Liu Yiwan, shut up for a bit. You're making me dizzy. My stomach hurts so much right now. Don't make me throw up in your face." Seeing the growing fear in Liu Yiwan's eyes, Tang Feng added, "Nod if you understand." Only after seeing Liu Yiwan nod frantically did Tang Feng release his grip.
"Young..." Liu Yiwan was about to speak after her mouth was released when Tang Feng glared at her, silencing her. Liu Yiwan quickly covered her mouth, then made way for Tang Feng, gesturing for him to proceed.
Tang Feng, with his hands behind his back, swayed and floated past. Liu Yiwan followed behind him, cursing a couple of times, but dared not utter a sound, only using gestures to vent her dissatisfaction. "Keep your voice down when you're cursing, don't let me hear you!" Tang Feng suddenly said, startling Liu Yiwan, who quickly stood up straight, ran in front of Tang Feng, opened the door, and said with a smile, "I'm completely loyal, how could I possibly curse you!"
Tang Feng rolled his eyes at Liu Yiwan and said, "I'll change my clothes and then take a shower. I won't eat yet, I don't have much of an appetite." With that, he closed the door.
After a while, Tang Feng came out, adjusting his belt as he walked. "Young Master, the water is ready for you," Liu Yiwan said, pointing to the steaming house.
"Okay, don't follow me," Tang Feng said and left.
Seeing Tang Feng enter the bathroom, Liu Yiwan went to the door to wait for him to come out. Suddenly, she heard a commotion at the door and rushed to investigate. When she arrived, she saw Qin Jiujiu, who had just returned from taking Qin Liuliu to school. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes were dirty, and she was sitting weakly at the doorway, panting heavily.
"Miss Jiu?" Liu Yiwan quickly stepped forward to help her up. "What happened? You look so disheveled."
"Sigh, our doorstep is packed with people right now. It took me ages to get in."
Why?
"What else could it be about? It's all about Xiao Feng. Yesterday, Xiao Feng wrote two lines of poetry, and everyone's vying to finish them off. The noise at the door was absolutely deafening."
"Then what are you doing here at our residence?"
"No one else's writing can compare to the original author's! That's why they came looking for us!"
"Then I was right not to let the young master go out. I heard a commotion on the street this morning, but I didn't listen carefully. I didn't expect it was about this," Liu Yiwan shook his head. He hadn't expected his young master to become famous overnight. Before, his young master was well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics, but he was weak-willed and afraid to face people. Sometimes he would cry and whine when something happened. Ever since Tang Feng fell from his horse, although he still acted as if it was unrelated, it was clear that Tang Feng had done many things and said things that his young master had never done or said in the previous sixteen years. Liu Yiwan had also secretly glanced at the poem yesterday. Although he was not good at poetry, he could feel that the poem revealed a grand ambition and aspiration for the vastness of the world and the eternal prosperity of the rivers and mountains. Perhaps his young master had really grown up! Just then, Liu Yiwan suddenly remembered that Tang Feng was still taking a bath and wondered if he had come out yet. He quickly ran back to check.
By the time Liu Yiwan ran back, Tang Feng was already dressed. "Hmm? Where have you been?" Tang Feng narrowed his eyes as he saw Liu Yiwan rushing over in a panic. "Were you doing something sneaky behind my back again and then framing me?"
"Heaven and earth bear witness, my young master! How could we do something so treacherous!"
"Others...maybe not, but you can," Tang Feng said, wiping the water droplets from his hair and tossing the towel to Liu Yiwan. "Alright, alright, I'm not kidding anymore. What's wrong?"
"Oh! Those two lines of poetry you wrote yesterday have spread throughout Xiling. All those scholars are vying to add the two lines you didn't write, but they probably think they're not good enough! So they've all come to our mansion to find you."
"Is that all?" Tang Feng cleaned the water from his ears, then walked towards the small kitchen. "Is there anything to eat? I feel much better after a bath. Is Sister Jiu back yet? I want to eat her stir-fried beef."
"You're really carefree! The gates of your house are practically bursting at the seams right now, and you still have the mind to eat?"
"Why not eat? Go hungry? Do you think this poem will just come out of my mouth if I'm hungry?" Tang Feng glanced at Liu Yiwan nonchalantly. "Besides, haven't you heard the old saying? 'Man is made of iron, food is made of steel; you'll get hungry if you skip a meal.'"
"Which ancient person said that? I don't know," Liu Yiwan muttered under her breath, then followed Tang Feng into the small kitchen. "This morning, Miss Jiu made lotus leaf eight-treasure duck and spicy braised tofu. You can go out first! I'll serve you your rice and take it over." Liu Yiwan saw Tang Feng start rummaging through the kitchen, afraid that Qin Jiujiu would come in and get angry if she saw the mess, so she wanted to quickly kick Tang Feng out.
"Fine, fine, let's go then. Honestly, this kitchen is like a forbidden zone to me." After saying that, Tang Feng took an ear of corn and went out. He strolled over to the rocking chair in the backyard, lay down, and called out to Liu Yiwan, "Call me when you've served the rice!" Then, without caring whether Liu Yiwan heard him or not, he closed his eyes to rest.
After an unknown amount of time, Tang Feng felt someone patting him. He adjusted his somewhat stiff body and slowly opened one eye. "Young Master," Liu Yiwan's large face filled his entire eye. Tang Feng frowned. Opening his eyes to see him was so unlucky. "Is the rice served?"
"Um...it's ready, but someone's looking for me at the door."
Who is it?
You may want to see him, or you may not.
"So tell me who he is!" Perhaps because his sleep had been interrupted, Tang Feng seemed a little impatient.
Liu Yiwan didn't have a good impression of Lu Changyuan. Back when Tang Feng was still in private school, Lu Changyuan often bullied him, and later he would ambush Tang Feng on his way home every day, scaring Tang Feng so much that he dared not go to school or go out. So now that Lu Changyuan had come to his door, Liu Yiwan wasn't sure if Tang Feng wanted to see him.
"Huh? What does he want from me? It's not about that poem again, is it?"
"Yes," Liu Yiwan replied, bowing his head. "I suppose it's because he cares about his image and wants to boast in front of those scholars, so he came, saying he wouldn't leave if you didn't see him today."
"Pfft~ Really! Then don't leave. Let's go eat." Tang Feng patted his butt, stood up, and was about to leave.
"Young Master! What about Lu Changyuan?"
"He wants to wait, doesn't he? Tell him that sincerity is key." With that, she walked into the room.
After Tang Feng had eaten and drunk his fill, he took another nap in the rocking chair. Liu Yiwan finally couldn't sit still any longer and asked, "Young Master, are you still not going to see Lu Changyuan?"
"Oh dear! Look, I almost forgot about him! Let him in quickly!" Tang Feng said anxiously, but his body language betrayed him; he remained lying motionless in the rocking chair.
When Liu Yiwan invited Lu Changyuan over, Tang Feng was still in the rattan chair, fanning himself with a palm leaf fan, showing no intention of getting up to greet the guest. Lu Changyuan said to Liu Yiwan in a low voice, "Why don't you go down first? Tang and I can stay here." Liu Yiwan was in a dilemma, unsure whether to stay or leave. He was afraid that Tang Feng would be bullied by Lu Changyuan again.
"Brother Lu, just go down if he tells you to!" Seeing that Tang Feng had spoken, Liu Yiwan couldn't stay any longer and could only slowly shuffle along, hoping to help Tang Feng in some way.
"Oh, Brother Lu, I didn't even greet you when you arrived. I drank too much yesterday, and now I feel dizzy with the slightest movement. I hope you won't be angry with me!" Tang Feng said, getting up as he spoke.
"Look at what Brother Tang is saying, of course I wouldn't..."
"Then I'll sit down," Tang Feng said, sitting back down before Lu Changyuan could finish. Tang Feng hadn't even thought about it, but out of politeness, he had to pretend to sit down.
"Come! Brother Lu, please sit down," Tang Feng gestured with his palm-leaf fan, indicating that Lu Changyuan should sit down. Lu Changyuan looked around and saw that there were no other chairs in the entire courtyard except for the rattan chair that Tang Feng was currently sitting on. So, he gritted his teeth, stomped his foot, and plopped down on the pebbly path.
"Brother Tang, I admit I always targeted you before, but things are different now. I've come with a great gift today, so could you please finish the remaining two lines of the poem?"
"Do you think I'm that shallow?"
"No, no, Brother Tang is of pure and noble character, and he refuses to compromise his principles. How could you possibly compare yourself to ordinary people like us?"
Tang Feng was barely able to contain his laughter, but he forced a serious expression and said, "The problem is... I don't usually write poetry. If you insist on me thinking of those two lines, I really can't come up with anything!"
"Brother Tang, I know you are exceptionally talented and erudite. Please help me! I made a bet with someone outside that you and I are very close, and that you would definitely give me the remaining two lines. If I go out empty-handed, wouldn't that be a slap in my face?"
Hearing this, Tang Feng sat up from the recliner and looked around but couldn't find Lu Changyuan. Looking down, he saw him sitting on the ground. Lu Changyuan was already quite large, and his flesh made him look like a small mountain. "Oh, Brother Lu, why aren't you talking? There's no chair! You can't sit on the ground!" Tang Feng had only thought that Lu Changyuan standing while talking to him was making his neck hurt. He hadn't expected there to be no chair around, and he certainly hadn't expected Lu Changyuan to just sit on the ground like that. Thinking about how Lu Changyuan had been mocking him with a long face yesterday, and now he was fawning over him, it was indeed as the little madman had said—incompetent but obsessed with saving face.
"I... I just like sitting on the ground, hehe, the cobblestone path in this mansion is so comfortable and healthy, it's like a massage. Brother Tang, don't worry about me." After saying that, Lu Changyuan even wiggled his butt, as if to prove that sitting on the ground was really comfortable.
Hearing this, Tang Feng smiled, tucked the palm-leaf fan behind his neck, and said, "The moon of Qin, the passes of Han, ten thousand miles of long march, no one returns. If only the Flying General of Longcheng were here, the barbarian horses would not dare to cross the Yin Mountains. Alright, go and report!" After saying this, Tang Feng stood up to leave, but Lu Changyuan, due to his bulky figure, couldn't get up no matter what.
"Brother Tang..."
Tang Feng turned around and saw Lu Changyuan, exhausted and covered in sweat, unable to get up. "Liu Yiwan! Come help our young master Lu! Oh, by the way, Brother Lu, I'll accept the gift at the door." With that, he turned and left.
"Brother Tang, please go ahead." Seeing Tang Feng walk away, Lu Changyuan dropped his smug smile, grabbed a handful of pebbles from the road, and threw them on the ground. Still feeling unsatisfied, he punched his thigh three times, but the last punch missed, landing heavily on the pebble path. He wanted to shout, but was too embarrassed to let Tang Feng laugh at him, so he could only kneel on the ground, clutching his arms, silently roaring.
"Young Master Lu, let me help you." Liu Yiwan emerged from the courtyard gate. She had been waiting on the roof since leaving through the back door, fearing Lu Changyuan might have ulterior motives towards Tang Feng. Instead of seeing Lu Changyuan's rudeness, she witnessed Tang Feng making Lu Changyuan sit on the ground, and even Lu Changyuan pounding his chest and stamping his feet, making Liu Yiwan laugh so hard she almost fell off the roof.
Upon seeing Liu Yiwan arrive, Lu Changyuan immediately stood up. "No need, no need, it's no trouble at all," he said, and then fled from the Tang residence as if escaping.
After Lu Changyuan copied the four-line frontier poem from the Tang family, he distributed it to the palace and the common people. Everyone praised the Grand Historian Tang Zhaonan for having such a patriotic and promising young son.
In the palace, everyone had a copy to read. "Eunuch Feng, you said this poem is so powerful, was it written by Tang Feng?"
"If Your Majesty thinks it is, then it is; if you don't, then it isn't. I'm just an uneducated person and can't offer my opinion."
"You're really trying to absolve yourself of all responsibility."
When the eunuch saw Emperor Yun hand him the scroll of poetry, he quickly took it and set it aside. Then he heard the emperor say, "This man is truly not to be judged by appearances! Just a few days ago he was kneeling and weeping at the palace gate, and now he can write such poetry."
"Young Master Tang may one day become an invaluable talent!"
"What was he here for a few days ago?" Emperor Yun picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and said, "I think it was to bestow a marriage upon him."
"Indeed, Lord Tang even wrote a letter reminding you of this just two days ago!"
"Yes, bring me pen and ink."
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