Now I really have to marry the princess.

Chapter 99 Two Identities, War is About to Begin

Perhaps due to their shared interests, the six-person group who entered the Martial Virtue Hall through connections became much more harmonious.

After finishing their martial arts practice that day, the group went together to a hot spring bathhouse to experience the members' services.

Just as they left the imperial city, a group of people were waiting for them.

The leader was about fifteen or sixteen years old, wearing a dark blue round-necked robe with a turban on his head. The others were probably his attendants.

The leader rode up on his horse, having come to find Yang Zhengdao.

Changsun Chong recognized him and made the introductions.

The visitor was Cui Shaoye, the nephew of Cui Dunli, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War. He was the ninth in his family, which, like the Yan family, meant he was a cousin.

Yang Zhengdao had heard Li Hui mention Cui Jiulang before. He was a frequent visitor to the Southern Opera in Pingkangfang and one of his admirers, San Shang Jushi.

I have come today to invite Yang Zhengdao to sit for a while at his villa in Yongchangfang.

They were very polite in their speech.

"Master Sanshang, I have something to discuss with you today. Please forgive any abruptness."

This Cui Dunli is from the Cui family of Boling, so he must be related to "Lianping Chun" (Spring with Curtain Screen), but that was written by the hermit Chang'an Xiaoxiaosheng, so what does it have to do with me?

For Yang Zhengdao, this invitation was like a godsend.

He was already thinking about how to refuse the gathering at the hot spring resort that night, and now he had a perfect excuse.

He has always been a respectable person, both in his past and present lives. He prefers to enjoy such things alone, rather than sharing them with others.

We can still do it, but let's skip the fellow travelers.

In the Tang Dynasty, although people did not necessarily share a bed, friends would express their deepest affection by gifting courtesans or concubines to each other.

The most famous pair among them was Bai Juyi and Yuan Zhen.

The Tang Yulin records:

When Bai Juyi was appointed governor of Hangzhou, there was a courtesan named Shang Linglong in Hangzhou who was skilled in singing and dancing. Bai Juyi spent his days with her, enjoying poetry and wine.

When Yuan Zhen heard of this in Yuezhou, he offered generous gifts to invite Linglong. Bai then sent her away and made her sing all the songs she had sung. Later, Yuan Zhen sent Linglong home.

Yuan Zhen even wrote a poem for Bai Juyi in response.

Do not let Linglong sing my poems, for most of my poems are farewells to you.

I bid farewell again at the riverbank in the Ming Dynasty; the moon sets and the tide calms as I depart.

If Li Hui dared to make a move on Yingluo, Yang Zhengdao suspected that he would fly into a rage and stab Li Hui to death.

He immediately clasped his hands in apology to Cheng Chubi, Yuchi Baoqi, Shi Renji, and Changsun Chong: "Please forgive me, everyone. Cui Jiulang has come to invite me here because there is important business. Today's appointment at the hot spring bathhouse will be accompanied by Li Erlang, so I am sure we will have a great time."

So, the group went their separate ways.

Shi Renji watched Yang Zhengdao leave with Cui Shaoye and said regretfully, "Yang Dalang's understanding of 'Spring Screen Curtain' is the best among the six of us. It's a real pity that he didn't get to try it out this time."

The other three shook their heads helplessly upon hearing this.

Cheng Chubi sighed, patted Shi Renji on the shoulder, and explained, "Little Ji, you're still young. Think about why Li Hui asked for leave today."

Shi Renji then realized what was happening and exclaimed, "That Li Hui! I won't rest until I make him drink ten cups tonight!"

""

At this moment, Li Huigang furtively saw Li Tai and his party off through the back door and settled down in Rumeng's room.

He let out a burp, shook his groggy head, and took a bowl of hangover soup from Ru Meng's hands.

Ru Meng looked worried: "My lord, Yang Dalang and the others will probably arrive soon, and there will inevitably be another banquet tonight."

Li Hui leaned into Ru Meng's arms, took a deep breath of the warm, sweet fragrance, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"Don't worry, my dear. Adao will be there tonight. I'll just keep you company and drink less."

Li Hui was unaware that his dear brother had already followed Cui Shaoye into the gate of Yongchang Ward.

Cui Shaoye's villa was hidden in the southeast corner of the neighborhood. The entrance was inconspicuous, but the interior was deep and spacious.

Unlike ordinary residences, this villa has no front hall, making it even more secluded and private.

After entering the front yard, Cui Shaoye led Yang Zhengdao through a round doorway to a courtyard.

The ground is paved with bluestone, and two pomegranate trees are planted in the corner.

There was a low couch under the eaves, with a small table on it, and tea set already laid out on the table.

The guests and hosts took their seats.

Cui Shaoye pushed a white porcelain teacup in front of Yang Zhengdao.

The tea is a tender green color, and the tea leaves are crystal clear.

Cui Shaoye smiled faintly: "Master Sanshang, this is a roasted tea from Xiazhou. Although it is not as precious as pre-Qingming tea, it is still quite sought after."

Yang Zhengdao took a sip and understood. It seemed that the green tea processing technique had spread.

He offered a nonchalant compliment and waited for Cui Shaoye to continue.

Cui Shaoye is also acting as a lobbyist today, following the instructions of his uncle Cui Dunli.

According to him, he should absolutely not get involved in this mess.

Even if "Spring in the Curtain Screen" has some hidden meaning, the one who should be anxious is the Cui family of Qinghe, not the Cui family of Boling.

Furthermore, their family is the second branch of the Cui clan of Boling, which migrated to Guanzhong a century ago.

However, my uncle believed that the Shandong gentry were of the same blood and were one family.

When one is in a position of power and wealth, one family may stand out; but in times of crisis, only one family can share the burden.

After pondering for a while, he tentatively asked, "Master Sanshang, have you recently read Chang'an Xiaoxiaosheng's 'Spring Behind the Curtain'?"

Yang Zhengdao remained calm and smiled faintly.

"I was fortunate enough to see it at the literary gathering of the King of Yue and the King of Xu, and it was truly a remarkable piece of writing."

"Oh, why did the Layman Sanshang think that the Young Master Xiaoxiaosheng of Chang'an wrote this strange article?"

After Cui Shaoye finished speaking, he pretended to ponder and answered his own question: "Since I am hiding my true intentions, it is not for fame; since I am secretly passing on my knowledge, it is not for wealth."

Yang Zhengdao glanced at Cui Shaoye and then sneered, "Cui Jiulang, there's no need to test what I see. I am neither from a noble family nor a poor one; I am just an ordinary young man who is fond of beautiful women and only seeks novelty."

Upon hearing this, Cui Shaoye laughed heartily.

"Yang Youya is indeed a man of great character, open and honest. I, Jiulang, am ashamed; we young people should be like him."

After bowing deeply to Yang Zhengdao, he said, "According to the opinion of the Three Hermits, perhaps the Chang'an Xiaoxiaosheng is from a poor family."

"Indeed."

"What does that mean?"

"Only those from poor families who are unable to achieve their ambitions harbor hatred towards the gentry."

Upon hearing this, Cui Shaoye did not respond, but instead picked up his teacup and fell into deep thought.

His uncle hinted that the circulation of "Lianpingchun" might be a royal act, using Xiang Zhuang's sword to smear the name of the Shandong gentry.

However, what the Hermit Sanshang said also makes sense.

It is understandable that a poor scholar, who failed the imperial examinations, would harbor resentment towards the aristocratic class and write such a strange article.

Before Cui Shaoye could think it through, Yang Zhengdao shook his head with a wry smile.

"Cui Jiulang need not worry. His words on politics are not entirely true. Perhaps he is just using the fame of Cui, Lu, Zheng, and Wang to make sensational statements and gain popularity."

If that's the interpretation, it seems quite reasonable, and Cui Shaoye was momentarily at a loss.

He could only manage an awkward smile: "Perhaps that's true."

Yang Zhengdao was secretly delighted; a disguise was truly a wonderful thing.

Riding on the coattails of Mikami Koji's reputation, his earnest analysis left the young man in front of him completely bewildered.

The initiative in the dialogue has been seized.

Yang Zhengdao then took the initiative to speak: "I suppose Cui Jiulang's invitation today is not just for a casual chat."

Cui Shaoye then came to his senses and said with a smile, "I have invited you here today because I have a favor to ask of you. Among my peers, only the Layman Sanshang has extraordinary talent. I would like to ask you to write a remarkable piece of writing and reward you with a thousand strings of cash."

This is incredible! There's a mastermind behind this!

There's really nothing new under the sun!

The techniques of using trending topics to hedge against each other and manipulating public opinion, which are most successful in later generations, were also conceived by people in the Tang Dynasty.

Use new trending topics to cover up old ones.

Since "Spring Behind the Curtain" cannot be banned and its momentum is only growing stronger, let's find someone else to write another extraordinary article.

Regardless of whether it can overpower the other, it can at least confuse the public, reduce the popularity of "Spring Behind the Curtain" and divert some of the world's attention.

At present, the most famous writer in Chang'an because of "The Song of Everlasting Regret" is the San Shang Jushi, who has become the first choice.

The older generation with official positions would naturally not come to discuss this matter with a young man like him.

Thus, Cui Shaoye, who was of similar age, became the persuader.

Even if he rejects you, it's not a loss of face.

Moreover, they spent thousands of coins in one go; the Shandong gentry were truly wealthy!

He was tempted, but it wasn't simply because of the reward of a thousand strings of cash.

If he had declined the task, the scholars of Shandong would have naturally found someone else to write it for them, and then things would have become uncontrollable.

Rather than doing that, he should agree to the matter and take the initiative.

After all, the first reaction of the Shandong gentry upon seeing "Lianpingchun" would certainly be that this article would tarnish the reputation of the four major surnames: Cui, Lu, Zheng, and Wang.

Of course, this is only one purpose; another purpose is to promote the idea of ​​not marrying close relatives.

It's not that no one realized this, but rather that the numerous classic scenes and absurd plots in the text were so dazzling that they concealed the true purpose of not allowing close relatives to marry.

Having thought all this through, Yang Zhengdao had made his decision.

He feigned difficulty, saying, "I know what Cui Jiulang is anxious about, but although Zhengdao is fond of beautiful women, my heart already belongs to someone else, and I do not wish to linger on romance."

Upon hearing this, Cui Shaoye was overjoyed. This hermit Sanshang was indeed as obsessed with Changle as the rumors suggested.

However, since the Hermit Sanshang has said so, this matter is likely to succeed.

My uncle never expected anyone to write another masterpiece.

After all, the abundance of ingenious techniques and exquisite craftsmanship in "The Spring Curtain Screen" was far beyond the capabilities of a young man like San Shang Jushi.

My uncle just wanted to use the reputation of the hermit Sanshang.

He quickly bowed to Yang Zhengdao and said, "Master Sanshang has misunderstood. I would never dare to ask Master Sanshang to talk about those three things. Elegant anecdotes and romantic stories are all welcome."

You said it yourself, that I can write whatever I want, so there's no reason not to accept this reward of a thousand coins.

Yang Zhengdao sighed and said slowly, "Some busybodies have compared me to Chang'an Xiaoxiaosheng, which I have always disdained. Romantic tales are nothing but trivial matters, yet now they write poems to associate themselves with me and compete with me. I shall certainly respond."

"Absolutely! Absolutely!" Cui Shaoye was overjoyed, never expecting that the matter would actually succeed.

He had already heard of the poem at the entrance of the hot spring bathhouse.

It still retains the style of Chang'an Xiaoxiaosheng, written with such vividness and charm that it's no wonder it aroused the desire for comparison among scholars.

After a series of feigned refusals, Cui Shaoye promised to deliver a deposit of 500 guan to Xingdaofang the next day, while Yang Zhengdao agreed to give Cui Shaoye the first volume of the manuscript three days later.

With these two aliases belonging to Yang Zhengdao, the "Three Upper Hermits" and the "Three Lower Hermits" are about to go to war.