Lu Suan stood far away with several young eunuchs, gazing at the main gate of the Bai family estate.
He actually wanted to bring his men closer.
But at this moment, the area in front of the Bai family gate was packed with a sea of people—at least three to four thousand strong, pressed so tightly that not even a drop of water could leak through.
Unless he fought his way through with fists, it was simply impossible to get near.
And these people—all were wearing feathered crowns and silk kerchiefs, or wearing official blue gauze hats with one or two layers of folding, dressed in long gowns, or in the increasingly popular crane-cloak Taoist robes.
Even in the dead of winter, many held folding fans or feather fans in their hands.
Some, in their affectation, even carried jade flutes or jade xiao flutes in the broad daylight.
All three to four thousand of them were scholars.
Especially their clothing—silk and brocades of the finest quality—and their thick-soled official boots.
Many wore small ornaments carved with coiling dragons, cloud dragons, or entwined dragons in gold or silver at their waists, clearly gifts of favor from the imperial court.
Right, they were all scholars, and all from very respectable backgrounds.
Lu Suan had always been cautious in life, only seeking to live a little better, a little longer.
Unless he had lost his mind, he would never try to punch his way through such a crowd.
Even the young eunuchs beside Lu Suan clearly had decent martial cultivation, but upon seeing this gathering of wealthy, high-born scholars, their pale faces turned even whiter than before, trembling like quails chilled to the bone.
"Master!" one young eunuch tugged on Lu Suan’s sleeve.
“Just watch. Keep watching,” Lu Suan glared at him. “What are you afraid of? Do you think they’d just randomly charge over and beat you up?”
The young eunuchs forced out some nervous chuckles.
Shrinking into themselves, they hid cautiously behind Lu Suan's imposing figure.
In front of the Bai estate gate, dozens of apparently high-ranking young men laughed loudly, applauding continuously.
A line of twelve young men, all elegantly dressed and handsome in a way that seemed almost theatrical, stood confidently before the estate gate.
They proudly announced their origins and social nicknames from the scholarly circles of Haojing.
Oh, wait, these young men weren’t lowly bandits of the Jianghu world; they didn’t have street nicknames.
Instead, they were known by refined literary names and scholarly pen names within the reading society of Haojing.
Lu Suan strained his ears, but with the thousands of people making a racket, he couldn't quite catch the exact titles those youths enumerated.
But since many loud voices echoed and repeated these names, Lu Suan was able to roughly discern their identities.
They called themselves the "Poetry Demon," "Painting Fiend," "Little Sage of Calligraphy"...
All twelve were amongst the most outstanding and famous literary disciples of the young generation in Haojing City—bright talents who ranked in the top ten in refined scholarly arts such as qin music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
Judging by the intense applause coming from nearby scholars, these twelve young men had all placed in the top thirty of the fourth session of the Caiwei Review held at the end of last year—that is, the 18th Year of Jiayou.
That was no small matter.
The Caiwei Review covered all young people in Haojing City, regardless of gender.
To make that list was to be recognized as among the very cream of the city’s millions of youth.
Merely making top one hundred during this flourishing era of literary culture was considered a great honor for one’s lineage.
Reaching the top thirty meant these young men had immense skill and fame.
Applause, cheers, noise and roaring—this commotion in front of the Bai estate lasted a good fifteen minutes before the large doors finally creaked open.
Out came Bai Qiong himself, with a sickly pale face, leaning on a cane and supported by two guards, slowly stepping out of the house.
The twelve young scholars immediately bowed deeply to Bai Qiong.
Thousands of scholars clapped and cheered in unison, “Master Bai San is out! The main figure has appeared!”
“Oh wow, Master Bai San! I just read his ‘Analysis of Ancient Rites: On Resisting Lust’ last year!”
“That treatise on Daoist philosophy was brilliant, but I think Master Bai San’s peak work is his ‘Brief Analysis of Filial Piety: The Book of Female Instruction’ written five years ago!”
“Exactly, that ‘Book of Female Instruction’ is revered by my own father who has had all the sisters in our clan study it carefully every year.”
“Indeed, only with a virtuous father like Master Bai San could there be a peerless beauty like Miss Wei Shuang!”
The atmosphere among the scholars rose even higher with clapping and cheers, repeatedly chanting Bai Qiong’s name.
Lu Suan listened, stunned speechless.
“‘On Resisting Lust’? Are you kidding? Bai Qiong’s injury by the female ghost happened at the Qionghua Pavilion!”
“‘Book of Female Instruction’? You actually use that Daoist discourse to lecture your daughters at home? Ha ha ha, why don’t you monkeys crawl into Bai Lu’s belly and take a good look yourself?”
Lu Suan kept his hands tucked deep in his sleeves and looked rather bleakly at the smiling Bai Qiong.
Bai Qiong clearly enjoyed the worship of thousands.
Standing at the gate, a faint flush colored his ashen face.
He smiled and looked out at the frenzied, applauding scholars.
After at least a cup of tea’s time, he slowly raised his right hand and pressed down lightly.
The surrounding cheers and applause immediately stopped—complete silence fell without a single sound remaining.
Such instant obedience! These scholars’ behavior before Bai Qiong was like a highly trained army!
Lu Suan’s face turned dark as iron.
The young eunuchs around him peered anxiously around, eyes scanning eaves and corners, clearly seeking a convenient escape route.
“Dear talented gentlemen, what is the purpose of your visit?” Bai Qiong smiled warmly, addressing the twelve fine scholars lined up before the gate.
One youth stepped forward, dressed in a sky-blue brocade long robe, wearing a feathered crown, jade belt around his waist, holding a white-feathered swan-wing fan as elegant and graceful as a blooming flower.
His refined manners and noble bearing made him stand out.
He cupped his hands and bowed to Bai Qiong.
“Master Bai San, the unworthy student is Gong Sun Ming, a fourth-year student at the National Academy, grateful for the favor of esteemed seniors. My courtesy name is ‘Poetry Madman.’”
“Today, student comes upon hearing that Miss Wei Shuang has regained her freedom.”
“Student dares not be arrogant and humbly reckons he has some talent and virtue; among the countless youth in Haojing City, only a mere few dozen can stand shoulder to shoulder with me. Since ancient times, gentle ladies are sought by gentlemen, and I believe I can uphold the title of ‘gentleman.’ Thus, today, I make a special visit to formally propose marriage to Miss Wei Shuang.”
Lu Suan’s mouth dropped open.
The young eunuchs beside him all stared wide-eyed.
Bai Changkong, the Bai family, and what kind of brazen moves were these?
“That official appointment is still nailed to the door, isn’t it?” one young eunuch muttered quietly. “Doesn’t he fear angering the Empress Dowager and the Emperor? Bai Changkong governs his academy by rules and rites—this kind of action is disrespectful.”
“Bai family has only one daughter, right?” Lu Suan murmured.
Beside Gong Sun Ming, eleven other handsome and talented youth stepped forward in unison and said loudly, “Miss Wei Shuang is gracious and beautiful, virtuous and wise... we have admired her for many years. Bound by Miss Wei Shuang’s engagement, we have watched from a distance, revering her, but have followed propriety, not daring to approach.”
Lu Suan shook his head in disbelief.
Eleven people speaking in perfect unison with such coordinated words—it wasn't believable that this wasn’t rehearsed beforehand!
But after the big fire last night and Bai Changkong only returning home early this morning, having all this organized by the afternoon—with twelve top talents as decoys—the efficiency of Bai Changkong’s network was terrifying.
Another youth, as radiant as a pearl on the immortal path, exuding talent and nobility, stepped forward, respectfully bowing deeply to the still-smiling Bai Qiong.
“But alas, there are those with wolf’s hearts and dog’s lungs, ungrateful and depraved, who prefer to join the eunuch faction and suffer eternal disgrace.”
“Bai Old Master, in accordance with gentlemanly righteousness, has annulled Miss Wei Shuang’s engagement and restored her freedom. We rejoice immensely, and today specially come to formally seek her hand.”
Depleted of vital energy and once feeble, Bai Qiong now looked flushed and vigorous.
He laughed heartily, “Good, good, good! My father declared the nullification of the engagement with that slothful, depraved scoundrel. To let my daughter regain freedom is right! I will find Haojing’s finest immediately for her marriage—let those scoundrels understand that missing Wei Shuang will be the greatest regret of their lives.”
Bai Qiong took a deep breath, then hesitated, “However, with twelve gentlemen present here...”
Gong Sun Ming and others exchanged glances and said in one voice, “We are willing to compete fairly through talent and virtue.”
Lu Suan sighed softly, “Sigh… I wonder which fine gentleman will end up diving headfirst into a dung pit.”
Lu Suan’s sigh was a little louder than intended.
A few readers not far away, who had been tiptoeing and peeking around the gate, suddenly turned sharply and glared fiercely at him.
That glare made the corners of those readers’ eyes twitch.
A pallid, beardless scholar suddenly pointed at Lu Suan and exclaimed, “Nearly nine feet tall, long arms and wolf-like waist, a handsome face… wearing the eunuch faction robes—could you be the ungrateful Lu Suan?”
‘Whoosh’—several hundred scholars simultaneously turned their heads toward Lu Suan, their eyes burning with fanatic intensity.
No one knew who started it, but suddenly someone raised their arm and shouted, “Kill the eunuch faction! Punish the traitor to the nation!”
A crowd rolled up their sleeves, grabbing their folding fans, feather fans, jade flutes, and jade xiaos, and charged chaotically towards Lu Suan and the young eunuchs.
Lu Suan cursed, turning and running.
The young eunuchs ran even faster, faces ashen with terror, screaming as they dashed up onto the roadside walls and vanished in an instant.
Lu Suan slowed just enough to draw enemy attention, covering for the eunuchs, letting them escape first.
Behind him, more than two thousand scholars roared their battle cries, chasing him with frenzied zeal.
Lu Suan felt the absurdity of it all!
What merits or faults did he, Lu Suan, possess to deserve being called a ‘traitor to the nation’?
In these past few days, hadn’t he acted in the country’s interest?
Be it the ghostly fiends from the Nine Yin Cult, the deadly assassins, or even those ghost women—he, Lu Suan, had been meritorious to the state!
Sighing, once the young eunuchs were safely out of sight, Lu Suan let out a long yell, launching himself more than twenty zhang (dozens of meters) into the air like a great bird.
Flapping and turning, he instantly disappeared into a nearby courtyard, vanishing from the pursuing scholars’ view.
The scholars all stared blankly as Lu Suan soared skyward, a sudden chill crawling down their spines.
(End of chapter)