Chen Wenzong stood by the desk, holding a piece of rice paper, silently reciting lines of poetry about autumn, as calm as jade.
For some reason, a sense of regret and sorrow rose in his heart.
What he regretted was that, except for the line "Withered vines, old trees, crows at dusk," all the other poems were just fragments.
Though each line was exquisite on its own, they lacked the complete imagery and couldn't be considered full works.
Just as Chen Wenzong was about to put down the paper, he picked it up again...
It was precisely these incomplete fragments that made his heart itch with curiosity.
He examined the handwriting: the characters were delicate and graceful, clearly not written by the young master.
Chen Wenzong recalled that when the maid had lifted the curtain earlier, it was Princess Baili who had been holding the brush.
Could it be that she had written these? If he saw the princess again, he would definitely ask her about the complete versions of these poems.
The eldest son of the Chen family in Luocheng was so captivated by the poetry that he completely forgot his younger brother, Chen Ji, had also been at the gathering.
"Brother, what's wrong? Why are you standing there motionless?" Chen Wenxiao asked.
"Hmm? I'm looking at poetry," Chen Wenzong replied, snapping out of his reverie.
At that moment, Lin Chaojing also stood up and walked over, wanting to see what Chen Wenzong was holding.
"Is that the poem written by the young master? Back at Donglin Academy, I advised him not to cause trouble, but he just wouldn't listen..."
As he spoke, Lin Chaojing also froze when he saw the nine lines of poetry in Chen Wenzong's hand.
More and more people gathered around the desk.
Princess Baili had written three pages of rice paper, and these pages began to circulate among the crowd.
Two maids approached, smiling, and said, "Gentlemen, our lady has arrived!"
They saw Liu Xing, the head courtesan, slowly ascending the wooden staircase.
She appeared to be around eighteen or nineteen years old, not particularly stunning in appearance, and even seemed a bit plain compared to the elaborately dressed women of Red Sleeve Lane.
Yet, there was a lively charm in her eyes that made her captivating.
As Liu Su reached the top of the stairs, she noticed all the scholars and literati gathered around a single desk, not sparing her a glance.
The maid was about to remind everyone again, but Liu Su stopped her with a smile.
She tiptoed over and asked a scholar with a bright smile, "What are you all looking at?"
Only when her fragrant scent wafted over did the scholar realize her presence.
"Ah, we're looking at some poetry."
Liu Su glanced at the poems on the rice paper and asked curiously, "Oh? Who wrote these?"
"The young master of Jing Manor wrote them, but he's already left."
"Left?" Liu Su walked to the window, leaning on the sill to look down at the street below.
She saw the young master and his group laughing and joking as they walked out of the building.
The scene outside was far more interesting than the one inside.
Liu Su smiled and said, "They seem so lively. I wish I could have invited them to stay for a drink or even gone out drinking with them."
The maid was taken aback.
"Miss, what should we do? Should I go and invite them back?"
Liu Su chuckled.
"No need. Interesting people are best admired from afar. Getting too close might ruin the charm. Let's go, we still have to deal with those boring men."
"What about the three empty seats? Should we find someone to fill them?"
"Sure, money is money, no matter who it comes from."
...
...
The young master walked out of the building, though he had been driven out in frustration, he carried himself like a victorious general.
Someone at the entrance saw him and asked curiously, "Didn't you just go into the building? Why are you out so soon?"
The young master laughed openly.
"I can't write poetry, so I left!"
"Did you see Miss Liu?"
"No, and it's a good thing I didn't spend any money, or I'd have lost big!"
At that moment, the streets of White Sleeve Lane were lined with beautifully crafted lanterns, shaped like koi fish and buildings, intricate and fascinating.
The streets were filled with scholars and literati, well-versed in both the heavens and the earth.
The young master and his group walked boldly down the small street, standing out like sore thumbs.
Once they were far enough from the building, the young master quietly asked Baili, "Did I do the right thing today?"
Baili smiled.
"You did. That's my brother for you—decisive and straightforward."
The young master grinned, adjusting his clothes.
"They look down on us, but we look down on them too! Since we can't compete in poetry, we just won't compete anymore!"
Baili's eyes curved into a smile.
"Exactly, what's the point of all that comparing?"
Liu Quxing added, "Did you see how Lin Chaojing was showing off earlier? Like a peacock spreading its tail."
She Dengke muttered, "You haven't learned much from your master's medical skills, but you've certainly mastered his knack for sarcasm..."
Everyone burst into laughter, and the earlier unpleasantness was swept away.
At that moment, Liang Gou'er asked, "Young master, where are we going now? To Red Sleeve Lane's Golden House or somewhere else?"
The young master waved his hand.
"Not Red Sleeve Lane yet. The little monk should be done with his prayers by now. Let's pick him up first, then head to the Golden House together! How can we leave him out of such a fun time? We even carried out the crippled guy, so why not the monk?"
Chen Ji: "... When we get back to the manor, can you just leave me at the clinic and forget about me? I don't want to go drinking."
"No way!"
"Let's go, back to the manor to get the little monk. No one gets left behind!"
"Get the little monk!"
Chen Ji watched helplessly as this group of lunatics, arm in arm and laughing, prepared to walk for over half an hour back to the manor to fetch the little monk, then another half an hour to return to the east market...
It was as if, in their youth, they could be reckless and waste time without a care.
As long as you stood gracefully in the midst of youth, the world would forgive you after a night's sleep.
At some point, you might be convinced by the world that this was wrong.
But when you looked back in your twilight years, you'd suddenly realize that there was no right or wrong, no success or failure.
The days when you and your friends stood on tables singing until dawn, or grinned foolishly at the girl you liked—those were the truly good times.
Because you could never go back.
Chen Ji asked, "Princess Baili, is your brother always this crazy?"
Princess Baili smiled faintly.
"He's usually even crazier. Last year during the Lantern Festival, he got drunk and insisted on going to Tuoluo Temple to ring the bell. He and a few of his friends sneaked in late at night, and the bell woke up hundreds of nearby households. My father hung him from the rafters and beat him for a whole day."
"Why did he want to ring the bell?!"
"He said he wanted to wake up those who couldn't be woken..."
Chen Ji was impressed.
"He certainly woke up a lot of people."
"I'm following him now because I'm worried he'll do something even more outrageous."
"Do you feel bad for him getting beaten?"
Baili shook her head.
"Last time, my father was so exhausted from beating him that he fell ill and took half a month to recover. My father is already busy and tired, so it wouldn't be good if he got upset again."
Chen Ji: "... Such a deep father-daughter bond."
...
...
By the time they picked up the little monk and returned to the east market, it was already late at night.
Red Sleeve Lane was still brightly lit, with rows of red lanterns hanging from one end of the street to the other, like never-ending fireworks.
As Liang Gou'er carried the bamboo chair through the buildings, the girls upstairs giggled and waved their handkerchiefs.
"Isn't that Brother Gou'er? Who's your rich patron tonight? Don't go to the Golden House to find Miss Yan'er—you can't outdrink her. Come drink with me instead, I'll be down after two cups!"
Liang Gou'er laughed and retorted, "I won't drink with you. I'm afraid you'll drain my yang energy!"
The girl upstairs cursed, "Liang Gou'er, the amount of wine you've bought could open another Golden House for Yan'er. You're being fooled and still won't listen. What she's drinking with you isn't wine, it's water!"
Liang Gou'er continued walking, laughing as he replied, "I don't mind!"
At that moment, a stunningly beautiful girl came out of the Golden House to greet him.
"Brother Gou'er, you're here!"
Liang Gou'er laughed heartily.
"Miss Yan'er, don't go entertaining other guests tonight. Call the girls over to take care of our table. Don't neglect my new friends."
Yan'er glanced at the young master's silver-threaded python robe and immediately smiled.
"Of course!"
She led the group upstairs to a spacious private room, where dishes and drinks were served in an endless stream, each one unique.
Soon, a group of girls swept in, their fragrant scents filling the room.
Baili glanced at them and pointed at Chen Ji.
"He doesn't need company. He's injured."
At that moment, one of the girls tried to sit on the young master's lap.
He glanced at Baili and awkwardly laughed.
"No, no, let's just drink."
Outside, a guest said, "Did you hear? The young master of Jing Manor wrote twelve lines of poetry at the building."
"Oh? How were they?"
"Ha! Lin Chaojing, the one most likely to compete with Chen Wenzong for the top spot this year, said the young master's poetry was nonsense. Each poem was only half-finished, incomplete. Who knows where he picked them up, or if he bought them."
"What did others say?"
"They said the same thing—that the young master's skill only allows him to write half a poem."
"That's the young master for you."
The private room where the young master sat was quiet.
He drank a large bowl of wine, exhaled, and asked, "Miss, let me ask you, how do you think this line is: 'In autumn, the scenery beyond the frontier changes; the wild geese leave Hengyang without a second thought'?"
The girl smiled.
"Big brother, I don't understand these things."
The young master scratched his head and asked again, "What about this one: 'After the rain, the empty mountains feel new; the evening brings the chill of autumn'?"
The girl refilled his wine and smiled.
"Young master, don't tease me. If you want to impress girls with poetry, you should go to White Sleeve Lane. Here in Red Sleeve Lane, it's better to fill your cup first. We don't cater to scholars here!"
The young master was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"This place is good, really good! I don't like those scholars either!"
The girl covered her mouth and laughed.
"Some middle-aged scholars like to sneak into Red Sleeve Lane. Before getting into bed, they secretly take pills for impotence with their wine, telling us to wait and not rush. Before the medicine kicks in, they chat with me about Han history, Confucian classics, astronomy, and geography. I used to admire them so much. But when the medicine takes effect, I ask them where Sirius is, and they say, 'Stop asking, just take off your clothes.'"
The little monk blushed, reciting sutras while listening.
The young master thought about what the other guests had said earlier.
It turned out that the poetry he had once yearned for wasn't as important as he had imagined.
"When I first arrived at Donglin Academy, I saw Chen Wenzong and Lin Chaojing composing poetry and was so envious. How could they be so elegant and romantic, while I couldn't? I thought if I could write good poetry, like 'If life were as beautiful as our first meeting, why would autumn winds grieve the painted fan?' then I could stand with them. But today I suddenly realized that we were never from the same world. There's no need to force it."
The young master raised his bowl to Chen Ji.
"Sorry for dragging your poetry down with mine."
Chen Ji smiled and comforted him.
"It's fine. You paid for it."
The young master, having drunk too much, became more talkative.
"And those academy teachers, always preaching about self-reliance, yet they brought their concubines into the academy... Hah, the Donglin faction."
Baili frowned and pinched the young master's waist hard.
"Brother, watch your words."
"Ha, alright, alright. Let's drink!"
That night, the young master drank an unknown amount.
Chen Ji, who hadn't planned to drink, also ended up dizzy.
All thoughts of secret agents, military intelligence, combat skills, and sword techniques were tossed aside, leaving only the sweet wine of Red Sleeve Lane.
Chen Ji couldn't remember why he had drunk so much.
He only recalled that in his haze, someone shouted, "Let's go to the drum tower to watch the sunrise!" And so, the group carried him out.
Before leaving, Liang Gou'er took Yan'er's hand and asked, "Are you coming to watch the sunrise?"
Yan'er smiled.
"The Golden House still has business."
Liang Gou'er asked again, "Are you coming?"
Yan'er replied, "I'll come."
They ran through the night to the drum tower of Luocheng.
Baili slipped a silver peanut to the guard, who then let them pass.
On top of the drum tower, the cool autumn wind blew, and Chen Ji opened his eyes.
He saw the young master sitting dejectedly on the railing, as if a gust of wind could blow him off.
The young master shouted, "Liu Quxing, what do you want to do in the future?"
"I want to inherit my master's legacy and become a royal physician!"
"Good! You'll be the royal physician of Jing Manor!"
The young master then shouted, "Liang Mao'er, what about you?"
Liang Mao'er thought for a moment.
"I want to buy a few acres of land."
"I'll give them to you tomorrow!"
The young master then asked, "Chen Ji, what about you?"
Chen Ji mumbled, "I don't know... really don't know. Just survive, I guess."
Everyone laughed.
"Surviving isn't much of a plan."
"Young master, what about you?" Liang Mao'er asked.
"I want to be a great hero!" the young master said with a smile.
"I've realized that reading those classics is useless. From now on, I'll read whatever the wind blows my way, and tear out the pages that are too hard! Beat the drum!"
With that, he picked up the drumstick and was about to strike the giant drum.
But Baili stopped him.
"Brother, think carefully. If you strike that drum, the guards below will be exiled to the army!"
The young master sheepishly let go.
"Then I won't strike it."
Chen Ji looked to the other side, where Liang Gou'er gazed dreamily at the sky, and Yan'er leaned gently against him, lost in thought.
Liang Gou'er held her.
"Liuxian, where have you been all these years?"
Yan'er gripped Liang Gou'er's collar, as if holding onto the warmth of this wanderer.
She whispered, "I'm back now."
"That's good, that's good."
As the words fell, someone shouted, "The sun is rising!"
Chen Ji looked up and saw a red sun slowly rising at the edge of the world.
The clouds drifted, and the orange-red light gradually bathed everyone.
Surrounded by a group of fools drunk on wine, even the autumn sunrise felt gentle.
Baili looked at Chen Ji.
"What are you thinking?"
Chen Ji smiled.
"I want that cloud in the sky to stop."
(End of Chapter)