Lu An, carrying a stinky tofu, happily went back home.
Lu Xian leisurely strolled among the small vendors near the dock, with Huang, the big yellow dog, following behind.
He bought two frozen radishes, two pickled cabbage, a small pile of frozen pears, and ate two bowls of red oil wontons at a wonton stall. He bought two beef pies for Huang and packed ten for himself before happily returning home with his purchases.
While he was wandering outside, a strong man carrying a bundle of firewood entered the Rain and Dew Alley and pushed open the gate of his small courtyard.
The round and chubby Tu Sun lazily glanced at the strong man, recognized him as a familiar face, and then lazily "huffed" before lying down at the entrance of the thatched shed and falling asleep with his head tilted.
The strong man placed the firewood in the firewood room and put a small bag of golden millet in the kitchen's rice jar. He then hung two dried goat legs by the birdcage on the southern side of the roof and left on his own accord.
Not long after the strong man left, Lu Xian returned home happily, carrying his purchases.
He looked at the two goat legs under the eaves and smiled as he tapped the head of the big yellow dog. He went straight to the kitchen, casually scooped a handful of millet from the bag.
A small scroll made of extremely thin and flexible bamboo paper ended up in Lu Xian's hands.
The message that Ah Hu, who had just fried stinky tofu, obtained was only about Anle Lane and its surrounding areas.
The big man who had just delivered the items, however, followed the rules set by Lu Xian and delivered news collected from the streets and alleys of hundreds of districts in the imperial capital, which were then organized and summarized before being sent over.
Standing beneath the birdcage, Lu Xian spread out the scroll, which was covered in neat handwriting the size of small flies.
The scroll indicated that since the second day of the Lunar New Year, some of the teachers in the various district schools under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Taixue in the imperial capital had started spreading the poems Lu Xian had written during his years in the ancestral school.
What's labeled on the scroll were the poems that had been highly praised by these teachers in the district schools and public academies, such as "Goose, goose, goose, head stretched out singing to the sky," "Sleeping in spring, unaware of the dawn," "Desiring to reach the end of a thousand miles," and so on.
News also came from several major bookstores around the Imperial College that Lu Xian's manuscripts of copying poems in "Wei Tablet" font from the writings of several great scholars of the Dayan Dynasty had been accepted by those bookstores.
Now these bookstores were secretly carving the woodblocks, preparing to print Lu Xian's practice works into "script copybooks" for public sale.
Furthermore, in many districts of the imperial capital, within a few short days after the New Year, Lu Xian's name had already started spreading among the circles of lower-ranking scholars in taverns and brothels.
In places like the Imperial Taixue, the Imperial Academy, and the Hanlin Academy, where scholars and talented individuals were concentrated, virtuous individuals and talented people appeared, evaluating the articles and poetry Lu Xian had previously written.
There were even great talents who had been evaluated in the Caiwei assessments, openly commenting on Lu Xian - "Fond of poverty, not forgetting one's origins, wholeheartedly studying the books of the sages, worthy of being a role model for scholars in the imperial capital"!
In several high-end brothels, there were young, well-known literary figures spreading rumors that Lu Xian would undoubtedly rise strongly and at least rank among the top one hundred on the first "Caiwei Ranking" of the 19th year of Jia You.
Of course, the most important news was that Lu Xian's engagement with Miss Bai Shuang of the Bai family had already spread among the literary circles.
Many scholars and officials praised the Bai family for not despising Lu Xian's poor family background and for keeping their promise to complete the marriage contract, saying it showcased the gentlemanly virtue!
More people admired and envied Lu Xian, saying that with Bai Changkong's discerning eye, he had actually found such an excellent son-in-law.
There were also people who envied and begrudged Lu Xian, saying that as a poor boy like him, he had suddenly stumbled into prosperity.
As long as he married Bai Shuang and had Bai Changkong's "personal guidance" and "careful teaching," Lu Xian's future prospects in the court would certainly not be less than that of a Third-Rank official!
"This is ridiculous!"
Lu Xian shook the small scroll in his hand, "chick" sounds could be heard, and a trace of blue-flowing wind spun rapidly at his fingertips, turning the scroll into a fine powder that scattered on the ground.
He smacked the big yellow dog's head, his face darkening as he said, "This is ridiculous. Flattery when there's no need, nothing but intrigue and thieving!"
"In just a few days, they went from desperately suppressing and defaming me to doing everything they can to promote me. This... signifies a hidden motive!"
Lu Xian wrinkled his brow and muttered to himself, "What's the point of this? To flatter me? It doesn't seem like it!"
"They want to annul the engagement!"
"If they raise my reputation too high and speak too highly of me, wouldn't they be afraid of having to pay a high price for the catchphrase 'a gentleman's promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold'?"
The big yellow dog let out two "woof woof" sounds while looking at Lu Xian, its shiny eyes filled with confusion!
With a "clang," the courtyard door was pushed open.
Lu Xian hastily glanced towards the gate, only to see Lu Yu, the contemporary Duke of Laiguo, who had a wealthy appearance and a round figure, walking in wearing a luxurious blue-feathered crane robe and a white jade lotus-flower crown on his head with his hands behind his back.
When Lu Yu saw Lu Xian, he burst into laughter.
"Well done, my talented nephew, well done!"
"In fact, your father and I had a great relationship when we were young. I liked to cultivate my qi and refine pills, while your father had a great interest in the divine, immortal, Buddhist, and demonic."
"Back then, in the Imperial Academy, your father and I had numerous candlelit conversations. What a delight it was!"
"However, the two of you were separated due to the regulations of the imperial court, which forcefully split us up. Your father and I grew a little distant."
"Ah, I just didn't expect that your father..."
Lu Yu walked up to Lu Xian, patting his shoulder with great enthusiasm as he spoke loudly, "But you, my talented nephew, you have a promising future. Well deserving, well deserving."
"I understand, this Great Yan Dynasty is a world for scholars in the future."
"Violence and killing have no future. Especially now that peace is restored throughout Great Yan, even if martial arts are still strong, there is nowhere for them to shine."
"Studying is what leads to success."
"You are the seed of our Lu family when it comes to studying, and you have Bai Changkong's special attention. Moreover, you are going to be his son-in-law, ah, ah, in the future, the prestige of our Lu family in the court will depend on you!"
Lu Yu didn't wait for Lu Xian to respond as he continued on, "Good days are ahead. On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, you can expect to worship the ancestral hall and enter the bridal chamber. Ah, don't worry about anything, Uncle will take care of everything for this wedding. The Duke of Laiguo Mansion will handle it and it will be done splendidly!"
Lu Yu smiled until his eyes were nearly closed. Without waiting for Lu Xian's response, he left with his hands behind his back, leaving a few servants in the courtyard waiting to help Lu Xian move!
To Lu Yu, Lu Xian was just a collateral distant relative.
Whether Lu Yu really had a good relationship with Lu Xian's father was not important at all, not at the least.
What was important was that Lu Xian would be the son-in-law of Bai Changkong, one of the representative figures of the scholarly faction in the court.
Nowadays, martial arts are declining while the literary faction is rising in Great Yan.
The traditional aristocratic families either tried their best to suppress the literary faction or tried their best to align themselves with it.
Lu Xian would be the natural link between the Laiguo Duke's family and the literary force represented by Bai Changkong.
In order to win over Lu Xian, sacrificing a six-section courtyard in Min'an Lane was a bit painful, but compared to the benefits that Lu Xian brought, what was it?
Shortly after Lu Yu left, Madam Hu, accompanied by a fragrant breeze, came flying in with a sound akin to a mother hen laying eggs. A dozen or so maids and strong women followed behind her, bustling about.
"Younger Cousin, congratulations, congratulations!"
Madam Hu's smile was as beautiful as flowers, almost pouncing into Lu Xian's arms. She grabbed his hand, and in the process, also grabbed the deed that Lu Xian held, bursting into hearty laughter.
"Incredible! No wonder the Duke of Laiguo, the head of our Lu family in Jingsun, has been so generous. The Lai family of his is truly wealthy!"
"Since the Duke of Laiguo is overseeing this matter, Cousin can rest assured. When it comes to this wedding, Uncle will take care of everything properly!"
Lu Xian's silence left Madam Hu momentarily stunned, but then her laughter grew even more exuberant, coming from the depths of her heart.
"Oh my, I didn't expect it! Young Master Bai Qiong mentioned that a few days ago, he just wanted to test your character and personality, but he didn't expect you to be so calm and steady under pressure."
"That's called... called what again?"
"Right, calm and steady, truly a gentlemanly demeanor!"
"And, with your good character, good looks, and good talent."
"Otherwise, why did Bai Shuang make up her mind to marry you at a glance?"
"Are you happy or not? Are you excited or not?"
"On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, you will be able to get married!"
"Oh my, look at this, truly a blessing dropped from the heavens!"
"Who would've thought that Senior White Fang said that a few days ago just to test your attitude and character, but you turned out to be a... steady and composed, full of the air of a true gentleman!"
"Oh my, with your good character, good appearance, and good talent..."
"Otherwise, how could Bai Shuang decide to marry no one but you?"
"Whether you're happy or not, joyful or not?"
"You should be!"
"Settle down, Cousin! We must have a hefty dowry when you get married. You are my own nephew!"
Madam Hu firmly held Lu Xian's hand, her gaze fixed on the deed, tightly restraining the impulse to snatch it away and carefully examine its detailed contents.
She leaned in close to Lu Xian's ear and whispered, "Listen, Cousin, there's something Aunt has to tell you when she thinks it over carefully."
"Tsk, your father gave your Aunt a deed for salt coupons, but these salt coupons can only be sold in Anle Lane."
"Once you marry... no, once you marry Miss Bai Shuang, look, help Aunt change these salt coupons into ones that can be freely sold throughout the imperial capital, alright?"
"Like they say, 'one doesn't let the rich waters flow into another's field.' After all, I'm your close aunt!"
Lu Xian stared at Madam Hu, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly smiled, "Aunt is absolutely right. One doesn't let the rich waters flow into another's field; it's a very reasonable saying."
"Mmmm, I won't move today. There are still some things that need to be sorted out here."
"Tomorrow afternoon, tomorrow afternoon, I'll move!"
"As for the rest, once I'm married, everything can be discussed. We're all family, there's nothing we can't negotiate!"
He was ushered out, getting ready to participate in the "Art and Virtue Study".
(End of this chapter)