Top Scholar

Chapter 194 It turns out the front seat is planted with peach blossoms

Huang E was not the kind of talented woman who only knew how to compose poems and lyrics, but a woman who truly loved reading and pursuing knowledge.

In her view, this kind of true scholarship was far more captivating than ordinary poetry. Unfortunately, the scholars she encountered in her daily life would immediately start reciting poems and lyrics upon seeing her, and very few could truly discuss scholarship with her.

That's normal. Scholars study the Four Books and Five Classics, maybe with some Qin and Han dynasty writings. Unlike her, who reads everything and has a wide range of knowledge, it's hard to keep up with her pace after just a few sentences. Naturally, composing poetry is much more enjoyable...

But Su Lu was different. At the request of his two abbots, he read every book imaginable and possessed an exceptionally broad and prodigious memory. More importantly, he had spent many years of intense internet surfing in his previous life, absorbing an unimaginable amount of information and knowledge compared to his contemporaries.

Combining these two approaches, he was not only able to answer Huang E's questions, but also to provide her with a satisfactory answer—something Huang E had never encountered before in her life…

So, on their mountain climb, amidst the birdsong and fragrant flowers, Su Lu and Huang E happily discussed many issues in the *Chronicles of Huayang*...

For example, the definition of the geographical area of ​​'Huayang'. Huang E was quite familiar with geography and knew that there was a Huayang Town in Chengdu, so he asked Su Lu if the two Huayangs were related.
Su Lu told her that 'Huayang' refers to 'the sunny side of Mount Hua', and its area roughly includes Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Hanzhong in Shaanxi, Gansu, and the area near Sichuan in Hubei and Hunan. It is just a coincidence in name with Huayang Town, and the geographical scope is completely different.

Furthermore, many of the evaluations of figures from the Ba-Shu region in the *Chronicles of Huayang* differ from mainstream assessments today…

Huang E asked softly, "It is often said that Liu Shan, the last emperor of Shu, was a wise and just ruler who appointed virtuous ministers. But from the Song Dynasty to the present, he has been criticized as a weak and incompetent ruler who lost the land of Shu. Which one do you think is more correct, brother?"

"Neither is wrong. People and events are constantly changing and multifaceted. The evaluation of historical figures is never simply an academic issue; it depends more on the political needs of the era in which the evaluator lived. For example, the Eastern Jin Dynasty advocated 'mutual assistance between the ruler and his ministers,' so Chang Qu naturally had a high opinion of Liu Shan. However, since the rise of Neo-Confucianism, 'integrity and loyalty' have been elevated to the top priority. With different evaluation standards, the conclusions will naturally be vastly different."

"I see..." Huang E pondered for a long time after hearing this, then smiled and said, "Hearing your words is truly better than reading for ten years! Brother, you are not only highly learned, but also a good teacher who knows how to teach students."

“Likewise,” Su Lu also said with a smile. “I also benefited greatly from chatting with Miss Huang.”

“It’s just that Brother Hongzhi always addresses me as ‘Miss Huang,’ which feels too formal,” Huang E said, lowering her head slightly as she looked at her small, exquisite blue embroidered shoes.

"Then how should I address you?" Su Lu asked.

"..." Huang E suddenly blushed and said in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, "Little sister, your eyebrows are like the character '草' (cǎo, meaning cursive script)."

Su Lu was overjoyed and whispered, "Xiu Mei..."

"Yes," Huang E responded, then blushed and quickened her pace, saying, "We've arrived at Jiangshan Pingyuan Tower, let's hurry over there."

"Alright!" Su Lu's spirits lifted, and he couldn't suppress the smile on his face.

~~
Jiangshan Pingyuan Tower stands atop Baoshan Mountain, and the plaque inside, inscribed with the words "Jiangshan Pingyuan," is actually signed by Huang Tingjian.

Legend has it that when Huang Tingjian passed through Luzhou, he heard that Baoshan Mountain offered a panoramic view of the entire city. He climbed the mountain to take a look and was indeed not disappointed. Overjoyed, he left behind these four characters.

However, this building was actually built during the Southern Song Dynasty. Due to its fame and excellent location, it was frequently repaired during the current dynasty, so Su Tai and others can still climb the building and enjoy the beautiful scenery that Huang Tingjian once gazed upon.

Looking down, one can see the Changtuo River and the two Tuo Rivers embracing the city, with buildings and houses standing side by side, and masts like a forest at the confluence of the two rivers.

Looking west, the ninety-nine peaks of Fangshan Mountain, shrouded in clouds and mist, appear and disappear, while the eaves of Yunfeng Temple on the mountaintop gleam with golden light in the sunlight.

Upon closer inspection, the ancient cypress trees at the foot of the mountain are lush and green, and peach blossoms are in full bloom in front of the temple. Many young ladies from prominent families are going in to burn incense and pray for blessings...

She Yunlu suddenly realized and said to Huang E, "I understand now. The painting you didn't finish is the one you see from here, isn't it?"

Huang E nodded and smiled, "It's a pity that last time I came with my father, we were in a hurry and didn't have time to look at it carefully. This time I need to look at it carefully and finish the painting when I get back."

She then explained to Su Lu, "I have a habit of drawing the local scenery whenever I go to a place, so that I can easily recall the people and things there. Otherwise, if I go to too many places, my memory will become blurry."

"I was born when my father was serving as the magistrate of Longyang County in Huguang. Later, my father returned to the capital to serve as the Supervising Censor of Shaanxi Circuit. Three years later, he was appointed as the Inspector of Guizhou. That's when I met Yunluo." Huang E said with a bitter smile:

"Then came the Shandong Provincial Surveillance Commissioner and Coast Guard Inspector, and finally this place, plus my hometown of Suining where I spent two years... Don't let my young age fool you, I've already painted the sixth one..."

Everyone felt a little sad upon hearing this. Miss Zhu took her hand and said, "I hope you can stay in Luzhou for a few years."

"Yes, I hope so." Huang E looked at the people around her and smiled sincerely, "I've never had so many friends before."

But everyone knows that this is just wishful thinking; a high-ranking official like Huang Bingxian, who is a supervisory official, cannot stay in one place for long...

~~
After descending from Jiangshan Pingyuan Tower, the group arrived at a nearby peach grove. Zhu Zigeng had already reserved a clearing in the grove beside a babbling brook. His servants had laid out mats, set out small tables, and placed the fruits and snacks they had brought.

The young men and women each took a mat and rested for a while. Then Zhu Zijing took out a wooden wine bowl with a base and handles on both sides. This was called a 'feather cup'.

"Gentlemen, let's begin the 'Floating Wine Cups' game!" he announced loudly to the crowd.

This is a traditional activity of the Shangsi Festival, the most famous of which was organized by Wang Xizhi. At that time, he and other famous scholars such as Xie An took a bath together... uh, and held a purification ritual. Afterwards, they sat on the ground on both sides of the Qingxi River at Lanting, placed wine cups upstream, and let them float down the winding stream.

Whoever the wine cup hovered or stopped in front of had to compose a poem on the spot; if they couldn't, they had to drink the entire cup. At this gathering, the participants produced thirty-seven poems. Wang Xizhi, in high spirits, wrote the preface, creating the "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion," considered the finest calligraphy of all time!
Therefore, the "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion" is also known as the "Xi Tie" (禊帖).

Everyone came specifically to play this game, so they readily agreed.

Then they drew lots to determine who would be the host. Miss Zhu held up the command flag and said with a smile, "Since I'm the host, let's make it a little more exciting. We'll use 'Spring Day in Luzhou' as the first and last couplet of a poem, one couplet for each person. Each couplet must rhyme with the Pingshui rhyme scheme and cannot repeat any rhyming words that have already appeared. It also cannot deviate from the theme."

"It's alright, it's alright. Compared to the questions we set, it's not too tricky," Zhu Zigong said with a smile.

"Hahaha!" The group, who had also suffered under Zhou Shanzhang's tyranny, burst into knowing laughter.

Miss Zhu then handed the command flag to Xiao Tiantian, who couldn't compose poetry, and said with a smile, "Sister, you can be the supervisor. Whoever the wine cup stops in front of, or circles around in front of, must recite the next line of poetry within ten counts. If you exceed the time limit, you will be penalized with a cup of wine."

And the next person takes over. They are not allowed to cheat or shirk their duties.

"Yes, sir!" Little Tiantian accepted the command flag with both hands, her little face filled with utmost solemnity.

Actually, there were two others who couldn't write poetry, but they've already disappeared on their own; I wonder where they went to eat lion's head meatballs again...

After Miss Zhu finalized the first couplet and rhyme scheme, she wrote: "Peach and plum blossoms on Baoshan Mountain reflect the spring sunshine, the Tuo River reflects the light and egrets fly." It rhymed with the character "微" (wei).

The pageboy then lowered the wine cup upstream, and everyone saw it drift downstream, circling right in front of Zhu Zigeng.

Zhu Zigeng took the wine cup and began his poem with the word "flying": "Flying catkins cling to my clothes, filling my sleeves with fragrance; lychees bloom for the first time, their flesh like jade." He then switched to the rhyme "branch".

Lychees are a specialty of Luzhou, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that statement.

Zhu Zigeng put down the wine cup again, and saw it float in the water for a while before stopping in front of Zhu Zihe. Zhu Zihe then continued with the word 'muscle':
"My muscles and bones are chilled, so I seek warmth in wine; a wine flag points to the west of the small market."

"Excellent!" everyone praised, "Every sentence mentions Luzhou without explicitly stating it, yet every sentence is imbued with Luzhou."

Luzhou is a holy land of wine culture, and Xinai City, a small town, has a famous market.

The next turn went to Huang E, which was no challenge for her, and she responded with the character '西' (xi, meaning west).
"Looking west, the clouds over Fangshan resemble the sea; from the Haiguan Tower, the moon shines like a jade tablet." (Rhyming with "Qi")

Fangshan Mountain and Haiguanlou are both famous scenic spots in Luzhou.

"The next one will probably be drinking," Miss Zhu said with a smile. "It's not easy to start with the character 'Gui'."

Those sitting upstream of Huang'e were laughing gleefully, while those sitting downstream remained silent, deep in thought.

Huang E then steadily placed the wine cup into the stream, and the stream carried the cup, swirling it around in front of Su Lu...

"Haha, the crisis is over," everyone laughed.

"Of course. It's difficult for anyone, but it can't be difficult for my brother!" Zhu Ziming said loudly.

"You guys really believe me." Su Lu chuckled, relieved that he hadn't disappointed them, and then continued with the character '珪':
“Jade-like light shatters into fragments, floating on oars; the oars stir ripples, scattering brocade-like scales.” (Rhyming with “true”.)

"Haha, that's impressive, Hongzhi!" everyone laughed. "He actually managed to come up with such a fine line!"

"But then I'll have to apologize to the next person," Su Lu said apologetically.

“Indeed, the character ‘鳞’ (lín) is even harder to start with.” Everyone shook their heads and smiled wryly, “You two conspired to make things difficult for each other, didn’t you?”

"I really didn't mean to." Su Lu spread his hands and put the wine cup back into the water.

“Me neither,” Huang E replied, shrugging.

The wine cup finally stopped in front of Zhu Zijing, who obediently poured the wine into his own cup and drank three cups before finishing.

Fortunately, it's a type of sweet wine that girls can drink...

After Zhu Zijing finished his penalty drink under Xiao Tiantian's supervision, he pretended to be sorrowful and wrote a self-deprecating limerick:
"The flowing water reflects the rosy clouds, and I alone drink three cups as punishment, acting like a fool."

It's not that I'm at a loss for words; it turns out there are peach blossoms planted in front of me!

"Hahaha!" Everyone laughed so hard they wiped away tears, saying, "This is the first time I've ever heard of rhyming with 'ha'er'!"

"Third Brother is amazing! He created the Ha'er rhyme, adding another rhyme to the Pingshui rhyme!" Zhu Ziming laughed heartily.

Su Lu and Huang E blushed, even a child could understand what "the front seat is planted with peach blossoms" meant...

Fortunately, everyone pretended not to understand and didn't join in the commotion.

P.S. I saw the comment from a reader about the "bitter smile" issue. It's because I finished writing so late that my brain was numb, and it was completely subconscious... I'm suffering, and the protagonist is just giving a bitter smile...

I'll revise it; I'll try to limit the number of times I give a bitter laugh to each chapter to no more than twice. (Bitter laugh as I beg for monthly votes...)

(End of this chapter)