Top Scholar

Chapter 217 Fortune's wheel turns, so you'll have to work up a sweat too.

This day is the Dragon Boat Festival in May.

At noon, Magistrate Lu invited two officials and distinguished guests, including Zhu Jie, to ascend the East Gate Tower to celebrate with the people.

All the lattice windows of the city gate tower were wide open, with colorful silk ribbons of mugwort and calamus hanging from each window. The lanterns under the eaves were also replaced with patterns of the "five poisons" according to the ancient custom of "fighting poison with poison," and images of Zhong Kui and talismans made of leaves were pasted on the walls, creating a festive atmosphere for the Dragon Boat Festival.

The area below the city was packed with people, with the entire city's residents, young and old, all wearing sachets, bean sprouts, and sticky mugwort tigers, waiting by the river to watch the annual dragon boat race!
Inside the building, a row of eight-immortal tables had already been set up. In addition to the usual dried and fresh fruits, pastries and candied fruits, there were also festive snacks such as Five Poison Cakes and Green Rice Dumplings.

Once the distinguished guests were seated, maids would file up with trays and present them with sachets.

"Come on, let's all wear sachets for the Dragon Boat Festival." Prefect Jia picked up a sachet and hung it on his leather belt first.

The officials all smiled and put on their sachets, but Huang Bingxian waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need any.

"Let the military officer wear one; it'll allow him to share in the joy with the people without damaging his official appearance," Prefect Jia said with a smile.

"I've got it." Huang Bingxian smiled and took out a beautifully crafted sachet from his sleeve. It was round like the moon, with a Tai Chi symbol embroidered in the center and surrounded by lotus patterns. He tied it to his plain gold belt with a touch of ostentation.

"Such exquisite needlework, did your daughter embroider this?" Magistrate Jia asked, trying to sound amused. Everyone knew that Huang Bingxian had three sons, but only one daughter, born when he was forty, who was truly the apple of his eye.

Of course, which father wouldn't cherish the most talented woman in Sichuan?
"Of course." Huang Bingxian nodded proudly. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Of course, of course! Miss Huang's skills are simply exquisite. The military officer is very fortunate!" Magistrate Lu and the others hurriedly said with smiles.

"Sigh, he's still a worry even when he's grown up." Huang Bingxian sighed, glancing around and noticing that Su Lu hadn't taken the sachet from the tray either.

He asked with a half-smile, "Hongzhi, did someone also make you a sachet?"

"..." Everyone turned to look at Su Lu. Zhu Jie was even a little expectant. Was the kid going to break out in a sweat again?
"Yes." Su Lu smiled slightly, flicked his wide sleeves, and revealed the 'orchid gourd' hanging at his waist.

This time he remained as steady as a rock, not breaking a sweat...

~~
After being caught off guard by Huang Bingxian on the official ship, Su Lu quickly realized that the old thief had probably already figured something out!

This is normal. Huang E is always accompanied by maids, servants, sedan chair bearers, and guards. It would be a disservice to Huang Bingxian's profession not to have a spy by her side.

That old scoundrel's so-called self-test was not a spur-of-the-moment decision at all! Those two questions he asked right off the bat were no accident; they were a warning to himself—

Kid, marriage is a serious matter that must be arranged by a matchmaker; you can't make a lifelong commitment privately! So don't have any more contact with my daughter in private!

Although it seems like I've left myself an opening... I could ask a matchmaker to propose marriage.

But Su Lu had been fooled by too many empty promises from his boss in his past life, and knew that such things were ultimately meaningless. So he didn't believe a word of it!
These days, when men and women discuss marriage, the first thing they consider is whether they are well-matched in terms of social status and economic status!

What is my family's current status, and what is the Huang family's? Let's not say they're worlds apart, but they're still worlds apart... Believe it or not, even if I dared to propose this marriage, no matchmaker in Luzhou City would dare to take the job.
This is why, although she is quite popular among the young ladies of Luzhou, no one has ever come to propose marriage. She simply can't get past her parents' objections, okay?
Therefore, before Su Lu could propose marriage, he had to desperately improve his family's social standing. Passing the county-level imperial examinations, let alone becoming a scholar, wasn't enough. Unless he could become a top scholar in the provincial-level examinations or a scholar in the metropolitan-level examinations…

But is it something you can just hope to win? Even if you have a lucky streak and reach the highest rank, that would still be three years from now.

But just like the Zhu brothers said, Huang E will be ready to get married next year. Such a sought-after girl, how many wealthy families in Sichuan are eyeing her? Could that old scoundrel really hold onto her for three years? Impossible!
That old scoundrel truly lives up to his title as the Military Commissioner; what a brilliant delaying tactic he's employed...

In such situations, most people would have no choice but to comply, since they couldn't afford to offend their future father-in-law, especially since he was the highest-ranking official in the area.

But Su Lu was no ordinary person; he was incredibly perceptive! Although he had never been a son-in-law, he could grasp the subtle dynamics between father-in-law and son-in-law…

Just like brothers, who are both afraid of their brothers suffering and afraid of their brothers driving Land Rovers, fathers-in-law have a complicated mindset when it comes to their sons-in-law. They don't want their sons to be confrontational, but they also don't want to see their sons back down.

The former is easy to understand, and the latter... is not difficult to understand either.

If forced to choose between the two, Su Lu would rather stand up to him than back down. Standing up would definitely anger him, but at least he wouldn't condemn her as a person. Backing down, while giving him what he wanted, would make him look down on her.

Who would want their daughter to marry a coward who cowers at the slightest provocation?

Once Huang Bingxian denies his character, the impact will be devastating. Not only will his relationship with Huang E fall through, but his path to the imperial examinations will also be shrouded in uncertainty…

If Huang Bingxian looks down on him, the safest way to prevent this so-called talented man from bothering his daughter again after he passes the imperial examination is to cut off his own path to success.

For a high-ranking official in a scarlet robe with real power, this was nothing more than a matter of lifting a finger, requiring only a single word... Despite having some prestige, once Huang Bingxian opened his mouth, no examiner would accept him.

Although it was a bit impolite to think of Huang Bingxian as an old silver coin, Su Lu put himself in his daughter's shoes and thought that if he had a daughter who was bothered by a mangy dog, he would not hesitate to break its spine.

Therefore, the best option at this time is to confront them head-on without hesitation!
The reasoning is simple: my uncle has already demonstrated it perfectly. The one who's afraid of making a big fuss isn't me, but Huang Bingxian!
Even if he messes up... Huang Bingxian is a proper censor, he can't possibly dig a hole and bury himself, can he?
So he needs to know he's not afraid of him. If he dares to suppress him, then he'll make a big scene. As the saying goes, "Even a stick can't fight a wolf without fearing both sides," it'll come down to who has the guts...

~~
When Huang Ke saw Su Lu reveal the orchid gourd at his waist, his pupils visibly contracted, and he remained speechless for a long while.

The officials, however, were unaware of the reason and casually praised, "Oh my, Hongzhi's sachet is so unique."

"This orchid is embroidered so lifelike, the needlework is as skillful as writing, it has the elegance of a scholar, and most embroiderers don't have this level of skill." Even Prefect Jia praised it highly.

"Why don't you take it off quickly so that your grandfather can have a good look at it?" Magistrate Lu hurriedly said.

"Hey, what do you know? This must have been a gift from your sweetheart; no one else can touch it." Prefect Jia waved his hand with a smile and said, "Am I right, Hongzhi?"

Su Lu smiled awkwardly, neither denying it nor untying it.

"Hahaha, my father was right!" Magistrate Lu and the others burst into laughter upon seeing this.

“But that’s normal. Hongzhi is known as the Little Yang Shen of Luzhou; it would be strange if no girls were interested in him!” Prefect Jia was a man of letters, otherwise he wouldn’t have traveled with a courtesan. He asked with great interest, “Which family’s young lady is she? Would you mind telling us?”

"Tell us, tell us quickly!" Although Magistrate Lu and other officials from Hejiang were not familiar with the situation in Luzhou, that didn't stop them from praising the prefect.

Holidays are meant to be enjoyed. Leaders don't want to be formal all the time; the key is to find time to have fun.

Only Master Zhu didn't join in the commotion... His daughter had already told him the inside story: Su Lu and Huang E had even gone on a date at his house before the Dragon Boat Festival. How could he possibly be so magnanimous as to join in the commotion?

Zhu Jie glanced furtively at Huang Bingxian. Well, now it was Huang Bingxian's turn to break out in a cold sweat…

Fortunately, at that moment, a signal cannon sounded from the city gate tower, signaling the start of the dragon boat race!

Prefect Jia and the other officials, no longer caring about Su Lu, rose and walked out of the city gate tower, leaning against the crenellations and gazing at the river.

"Over at Guanyinzui!"

Following the direction pointed out by Magistrate Cao, everyone saw that two miles away, in the direction of Guanyinzui, where Xishui and Chishui meet, twenty dragon boats were already ready to set off!
When the third blast of the cannon sounded from the city wall, the drummers on the twenty dragon boats began to beat their war drums together!
Amidst the thunderous drumbeats, the oarsmen rowed with all their might. Twenty wooden oars on each boat flew in formation like geese, splashing water up to three feet high, forming endless white waves!
Dragon boats shot towards us from afar like arrows released from a bow!

The banks of the Chishui River were packed with spectators, villagers from all over the area, there to cheer on their own dragon boats. They shouted with all their might, as if that would make their dragon boats go faster…

Amidst the deafening cheers of tens of thousands of people, the oarsmen glared fiercely, their bronze backs taut like iron bows, all their muscles straining as they rowed furiously, showing no signs of fatigue!

Gradually, the twenty dragon boats separated into different groups. The drummers beat their drums with all their might, urging the paddlers to race against each other with all their might. In the blink of an eye, they had paddled two miles of waterway and arrived at the foot of Hejiang City.

When the dragon head of the lead boat struck the colorful ribbon at the finish line, a deafening cheer erupted from the city walls.

Immediately afterwards, the other dragon boats also rushed to the finish line, almost within moments.

But in that instant, everything changed. The victorious rowers raised their oars high and cheered, then rowed their dragon boats to the dock to receive their prizes, while the people on the shore frantically threw mugwort, cattails, and flowers onto the boats.

The losers could only sit on the boat in a daze, and no one cared whether they were resentful or frustrated...

The audience was still excited and discussing the competition when suddenly a clear bamboo whistle came from the middle of the river... It turned out that another traditional event of the Dragon Boat Festival - the wonderful 'water swing' was about to begin.

On a large ship, a swing set five or six feet high was erected. A girl in a white dress with her hair in two buns stepped barefoot onto the swing and swung steadily.

The swing swung higher and higher, and when the girl's body was almost parallel to the swing's crossbar, she suddenly let go of her hands and abandoned the swing without hesitation!

Amidst gasps of astonishment, the girl soared into the air like a fairy, gracefully performing several somersaults before finally plunging into the water!
The gasps turned into cheers, and the still-excited crowd shouted, "One more!"

The adults returned to their seats, raised the realgar wine poured by the maids, and together wished for a peaceful and healthy Dragon Boat Festival, and for the Emperor's long life! May the world be at peace, and may the seas and rivers be calm and clear!
This was the Dragon Boat Festival in the Ming Dynasty, ordinary and unremarkable, just like always, and it will be the same next year.

I wonder if the viewers will still have the same peaceful state of mind they have today.

(End of this chapter)