Chapter 158: Hello Chang’an
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**Chapter 158: Better to Rely on the Monkeys of Mount Emei (Please Vote for Monthly Tickets)**
Qiao Yan shook his head. “It’s hard to say…”
He rarely left the Imperial Academy and rarely got involved in political matters.
“But with the current situation…” Qiao Yan gazed at the rippling surface of the river and said slowly, “There could be turbulence anywhere.”
Chang Suining also looked at the river.
Indeed, turbulence could arise anywhere.
But this ripple, once it started, might affect the entire river.
A gust of wind rose, and the yellowed willow leaves on the old willow tree by the riverbank fluttered down. Though light, the falling leaves caused small ripples on the surface of the river.
“You’re daydreaming, child. Time to reel in the rod!” Qiao Yan urged.
No matter how vast the world, nothing was more important than reeling in the rod.
“Come now, just give it a light shake first…” Qiao Yan patiently instructed. “This will make the hook go deeper, and the fish won’t easily slip off…”
Chang Suining followed his instructions carefully.
A blue fish struggled and was hauled out of the water, sending up a splash.
Qiao Yan nodded in satisfaction. “Fish are always easier to catch in the autumn.”
Chang Suining grabbed the fish and unhooked it, tossing it into the basket. She watched it thrash around, its tail slapping against the sides of the basket.
Fish die for food, and people act for gain.
The wind grew stronger, and the sky darkened slightly. Chang Suining didn’t hurry to bait the hook again. Instead, she unconsciously glanced toward the darkening sky across the river, where the winds and clouds were gathering.
It seemed like rain was coming.
The autumn rain had been brewing for some time, and it would fall eventually—it was just a matter of whether it would come a day earlier or a day later.
Before the rain arrived, Qiao Yan packed up the fishing gear.
The wind grew more blinding, and the Polo match ended early. Cui Lang hurried over to grab the fish basket, and the group made their way back to Qiao Yan’s residence, chatting and laughing along the way.
“Is something on your mind, Miss Chang?” the youth, Xi Zhiyuan, asked as they walked.
He had fair skin, slanted eyes, and a perpetual smile on his face, giving him an easy-going aura. He got along well with Cui Lang and the others, often staying quiet and nodding in agreement with whatever was said. It was rare for him to ask a question, so this was an unexpected instance.
Chang Suining, who hadn’t spoken much during the walk, didn’t deny it. She simply said, “I’ve been thinking about some things.”
“Is it about the Lotus Flower Banquet?”
Chang Suining shook her head. Not wishing to dwell on the topic, she casually asked, “I heard you’re graduating next year, Young Master Xi. Do you have any plans after that? Will you stay in Da Sheng, or return to Dong Luo?”
“Nothing specific yet,” Xi Zhiyuan smiled. “I’ll have to discuss it with my family before making a decision.”
“Return to Dong Luo? Just stay in Da Sheng! You can’t bear to leave our Wuer Society, can you?” Cui Lang, carrying the fish basket in one hand, threw his other arm over Xi Zhiyuan’s shoulder.
Xi Zhiyuan chuckled and shook his head. “Of course, I can’t bear to leave.”
Cui Lang laughed. “You always top the exams, and after graduation, it’ll be easy for you to get a post in the capital. Why not just join the Da Sheng ranks, marry a girl from here, and become a good husband? That would be wonderful!”
Xi Zhiyuan coughed lightly, his fair face showing signs of embarrassment.
Qiao Yubai smiled. “Xi Zhiyuan is always modest. Don’t tease him too much, Brother Cui.”
“This is no joke. I’m genuinely planning for him,” Cui Lang responded.
By the time they reached Qiao Yan’s residence, they found a group of about ten students waiting at the gate.
At the front was Song Xian, and most of the others were familiar faces from the Xunmei Society.
Song Xian immediately spotted Chang Suining.
The young woman in the green robe looked over at him as well.
This was the first time they met after the chess match.
The young woman’s face showed no hostility, no smugness, nor any emotion worth mentioning. When their eyes met, she simply nodded at him in a neutral manner, as a form of greeting.
Song Xian avoided her gaze but also nodded slightly in return.
“I’ve heard that today is the birthday of Head Master Qiao. We, the students, have come to offer our congratulations,” Song Xian and the others stepped forward to bow, presenting the prepared birthday gifts.
“Such a rare display of thoughtfulness from you all,” Qiao Yan nodded in appreciation, smiling. “The sentiment is what matters, so just take the gifts back with you.”
“They are not anything valuable, merely some simple offerings, mostly calligraphy and paintings done by the students.”
“That’s right. Just accept them, Head Master.”
The students all appeared sincere in their gestures, and Qiao Yubai laughed and explained, “What you might not know is that the abbot of Daping Temple once said that my father is in a time of misfortune this year and should not hold a birthday banquet or accept gifts. This is a precaution against disaster.”
Song Xian was taken aback for a moment but immediately bowed again, saying, “If that’s the case, we’ve overstepped.”
“No, no, no,” Qiao Yan smiled. “Just keep the gifts for next year, and I will gladly accept them then.”
The students all agreed in unison.
“Would you care to stay and have a meal with us?” Qiao Yan gestured toward the fish basket in Cui Lang’s hand. “Fresh fish just caught!”
Song Xian and the others exchanged glances.
It had to be said that Qiao Yan’s invitation to dinner felt somewhat rushed.
“Since Head Master Qiao is unable to hold a banquet, we will not trouble you further,” Song Xian replied.
“Yes, yes…” The group of students bowed and prepared to leave.
Cui Lang and the others didn’t want to overstay their welcome, so they too excused themselves and followed suit.
As they saw Song Xian and the others walking ahead, a young man beside Cui Lang raised an eyebrow and said, “Young Master Cui, shall we have some fun with them?”
In the past, everyone in the Xunmei Society had been arrogant, often looking down on them. Now was a good chance to take revenge on them for all the insults.
“What nonsense are you talking?” Cui Lang slapped him lightly on the head. “Master told us not to kick someone when they’re down. The matters of the chessboard should be left to the chessboard, and after the game, we should not mock the opponent based on the outcome.”
He deliberately raised his voice to make sure Song Xian and the others could hear.
Once he said this, Cui Lang felt quite pleased with himself. He felt as though his own image and demeanor had been elevated in an instant. Even towering figures like Mount Tai would feel small in his presence now.
It had to be said, standing on the high moral ground was far more satisfying than mocking the others!
Cui Lang outwardly appeared generous and magnanimous, but inwardly he was secretly pleased with himself as he swaggered past Song Xian and the others.
Song Xian pressed his lips together.
The companions beside him looked troubled. “Song Xian, they…”
Song Xian remained silent for a moment, then said, “They’ve done well enough.”
The others fell quiet.
The way they had behaved in recent days didn’t leave much room for argument.
After a long while, Song Xian finally said, “Let’s go.”
Over the past month, he had thought about it many times and had visited the Dengtai Tower to view painting more than once.
He was gradually realizing where he had gone wrong. He hadn’t just lost to the willful and arrogant young woman; he had lost to his own prejudices, which had clouded his judgment.
He had harbored dissatisfaction and bias toward her from the start because she had chosen Qiao Yan as her teacher, a decision he hadn’t made for himself. He hadn’t been willing to admit it, and so he’d constantly found reasons to belittle and deny her, even using her gender as an excuse.
His intention had been to protect his own dignity and face, but in the end, he lost both.
If he had gone to Dengtai Tower earlier and had seen that painting of the mountain and the tiger, experiencing the grandeur it embodied, he would not have arrogantly assumed he could defeat her. If he hadn’t been so confident in his own superiority, he might not have lost.
In fact, from the moment he allowed his bias to color his judgment, he had already lost badly.
That game of chess was the biggest loss he had suffered since entering the capital.
The mockery and ridicule he had received were deserved. Over the past month, he had come to terms with it all. Now, he would take it as a lesson, constantly reminding himself not to repeat his mistakes.
As for the ‘small young woman’ who had beaten him…
Upon thinking about this, Song Xian’s expression shifted, as if avoiding something.
He still hadn’t figured out how he would face her when they next met. However, he would soon be leaving the Imperial Academy to prepare for the spring examinations, and he likely wouldn’t have the chance to meet her again for a while.
---
Meanwhile, halfway along his journey, Cui Lang was intercepted by a servant sent by his family.
“...My father wants me to return?” Cui Lang’s scalp tingled. “Can’t I stay away?”
After the incident at the Lotus Flower Banquet, he figured his relatives would surely report back to his father, so he had buried himself in the Imperial Academy, not even daring to go home, hoping to avoid his father’s wrath.
The servant hesitated, then replied, “Master is ill, and Madam specifically asked you to return.”
“Father is ill?” Cui Lang froze for a moment before quickly saying, “In that case, I absolutely can’t go back! If Father sees me now, he’ll surely be so angry that it’ll make his condition worse. That would only make things worse!”
After a pause, he said firmly, “I’ll stay in the Imperial Academy to show filial piety instead.”
The servant smiled bitterly, lowering his voice, “But Madam said that Master fell ill because of the marriage proposal at the flower banquet. He was so upset, unable to scold or reprimand the eldest son, that he became sick from holding it all in. If you don’t return now, Master is likely to go mad…”
“So, my mother wants me to go back and take the eldest brother’s place in dying?”
He wondered, **Is he really my father?**
“Well, it’s not entirely about taking your elder brother’s place…” The servant responded tactfully. “But during the flower banquet, you did back him up, didn’t you?”
Cui Lang was on the verge of tears.
The reason their family had managed to stay together all these years, despite all the tension, was because he had sacrificed everything for it!
---
At the Cui family residence in Anyi Lane, Cui Xian lay half-reclined on a couch, his face pale from illness.
As the sky darkened, he coldly asked Lu Shi, “It’s already this late, why hasn’t that boy come back from the Imperial Academy yet? I’m lying here sick, and he can’t even follow the proper etiquette to attend to me?”
Lu Shi replied with a cold tone, “Master, you’re better off expecting monkeys from Mount Emei than hoping for Lang’er to tend to your illness.”
Cui Xian frowned, “You…”
He couldn’t help but feel that ever since the Flower Banquet, Lu Shi, who had always been so compliant, seemed to have developed a sharp tongue, frequently taking jabs at him. Who gave her the courage to do so?
Cui Xian was furious, his face darkening as he spoke, “These past days, I’ve been busy dealing with the relatives’ reproaches, but I haven’t had the chance to ask you why, at that banquet, you supported that rebellious son in causing trouble!”
....
This novel is translated by the Eternal Novel Hits translators. Please read it at https://eternalnovelhits.blogspot.com
....
It was well known that, to him, "the boy" referred to the second son, and "the rebellious son" referred to the eldest.
Lu Shi’s heart skipped a beat. She knew that this wasn’t the right moment to fully rebel. She had to endure a little longer before fully standing her ground in front of her irritable husband.
In the next moment, she expertly reddened her eyes.
At the same time, the maidservant handed her a handkerchief.
---
(Extra update will be added in the evening.)
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