Chapter 25: Learning Xie Lingyun

Yuyang Le Pang explained to Wang Yang: "The nun Master Hui Xu lives in that alley. She is very refined in tea ceremony. When the Prince of Yuzhang was in charge of Jingzhou, he treated her with great respect, and the Princess of Yuzhang even followed her to learn Chan methods..."

Prince of Yuzhang?

Wang Yang remembered the respectful expression of Lisi when he mentioned the Prince of Yuzhang.

So he had guarded Jingzhou.

"Xie Fourth Lady comes every five days to learn tea ceremony from her. She comes out every hour, very punctually. I don't know why she was delayed today?"

Le Pang shook his head and muttered to himself: "Nun Master Hui Xu hasn't seen outside guests for a long time. I once submitted a visiting card, but wasn't allowed in. Only a woman with a heart as beautiful as Xie Fourth Lady could be favored by her. Xie Lady is truly extraordinary!"

Yuyang Le Pang sighed with a smile on his face, then felt a bit dejected, patted his chest and said:

"I don't know when Xie Niangzi will return to the capital. I have kept this letter in my bosom for two months, but I'm afraid it will never be delivered to her."

Wang Yang gave him an idea: "Send it to her house."

"It's not that simple! I don't know how many people have done this, but they can't even pass the maid's level! There are also those who intercept carriages to send letters, rush into private rooms in restaurants to send letters, and even use paper kites to send letters! There are all kinds of tricks! But she just doesn't accept them. Even if she accidentally receives one, she just throws it away without even looking at it. Sigh."

Yuyang Le Pang sighed long and drank the wine in his cup in one gulp.

Wang Yang blinked and said slowly: "Actually... wanting her to read the letter... is not difficult."

"Bragging." Yuyang Le Pang snorted and didn't take it seriously.

Wang Yang smiled without saying a word.

Yuyang Le Pang sat up slowly, staring at Wang Yang: "Are you serious?"

"Of course it's true."

"But... but if you want her to read the letter, you have to deliver it to her first."

"Of course, if you don't deliver it, how can she read it?" Wang Yang looked confident.

Yuyang Le Pang was even more confused: "But even if it's delivered to her, she won't read it!"

Wang Yang smiled slightly: "So, you have to make her have to read it."

Yuyang Le Pang jumped up, trembling with excitement: "I beg Young Brother Wang to help me! If you can make her read my letter, I am willing... I am willing not to eat meat for a month!"

Wang Yang couldn't help laughing, thinking this brother was going to make some big wish, but it turned out to be not eating meat for a month!

He felt this little fat boy was quite interesting, sincere, not deep in scheming, although he seemed to have a star-chasing brain, he was worth making friends with. Of course, this was just his initial impression, and he needed to see his character later.

"I'll handle this for you, but I also have a request. I'm short of money and want to borrow 2,000 coins from you. I'll definitely pay you back later."

Yuyang Le Pang was stunned, not expecting Wang Yang to borrow money from him, but soon said: "If you can really do it, these 2,000 will be the reward, no need to pay back!"

The Black Man was overjoyed to hear this. He didn't understand why Young Master wasted time chatting here before, but now seeing him raise 2,000 coins in an instant, he couldn't help but admire him greatly.

Getting 2,000 coins for nothing was good, but Wang Yang didn't want to take advantage:

"I must pay back the money. You stopped me from going over just now and told me so much, I'll remember this favor. Helping you deliver the letter is a small effort, so what reward is needed? Since we talk about human favors, we don't talk about price. If I weren't in a hurry to use money, I wouldn't borrow these 2,000 from you."

Yuyang Le Pang was very happy: "'Talk about human favors, don't talk about price,' well said! Then please guide me, Young Brother!"

"Le Brother, let me see the letter first."

"That's not very convenient." Yuyang Le Pang was a bit embarrassed.

"If I don't know the content, I can't make a plan. Don't worry, I definitely won't laugh at you."

Yuyang Le Pang hesitated, really not wanting to show this private letter to others. But for the sake of the "letter delivery plan," he still gave the letter to Wang Yang.

Wang Yang almost spat out a mouthful of old blood after reading it and patted the letter:

"You tried every means to send a letter, and you sent this!"

"Right, what's wrong? Is the poetry not good?" Yuyang Le Pang picked up the letter and glanced at it again.

"This... this is not a question of good or bad, you send this poem, aren't you afraid of being slapped to death by others?"

"I'm afraid! That's why I haven't dared to send it!" The little fat boy looked innocent.

Who would dare to send this! Fortunately, I read it first!

Wang Yang already regretted promising to help him deliver the letter!

Actually playing pure love here! Almost got pitted to death!

"You... you say you..." Wang Yang only felt angry and funny, not knowing what to say.

Yuyang Le Pang was a bit unhappy: "Young Brother Wang, you said you wouldn't laugh at me."

"I'm not laughing at you, I'm saying you're domineering. The first time you send a poem, you send a lewd poem. You're amazing!"

"Lewd poem? What lewd poem?!" Yuyang Le Pang was shocked.

"Still pretending?"

Yuyang Le Pang hurriedly reread the letter:

"The wind rises and the wine half disappears, the willows droop and then sway. Good flowers bear clear dew, long boats bring the evening tide. 【25-4

"Orioles call from afar, I walk quickly across the narrow bridge. Not greedy for the green of fragrant grass, I first taste the purple grapes."

"This... where is this lewd? Isn't this describing the scenery? Using scenery to express emotion, to show my leisurely and broad-minded demeanor—this is what my cousin said!" Yuyang Le Pang shouted, feeling wronged!

"Your cousin?!"

Yuyang Le Pang's face turned red, and he said somewhat embarrassedly: "I... I don't know how to write poetry. This was written by my cousin on my behalf. He said Lady Xie Si likes the poems of her ancestor Xie Lingyun. So it's best to write fresh and natural landscape poetry to cater to her tastes."

Xie Lingyun? Landscape poetry? Fresh and natural?

Could it be that I am the one who is too dirty?!

Wang Yang took the poem again and read it carefully from beginning to end, then slapped it onto the table: "To hell with learning from Xie Lingyun! Except for the first five characters of the first line, not a single line of this poem is clean!"

Yue Yue Xiao Pang said in shock: "How is that possible?!"

"What is the willow? What is the flower? Why write 'long boat' when writing about a boat, and why say 'narrow bridge' when talking about a bridge? What is the oriole's cry? What is the fragrant grass? And 'dewy,' 'damp,' 'walking quickly,' and 'tasting grapes'! You think about it properly!"

This cousin is quite a talent. Writing lewd poems is one thing, but it's rare that he disguised it so well. If one didn't think about it carefully, one would really think he was writing about scenery!

Le Yue Yue Xiao Pang stared blankly for a while, then suddenly jumped up with a howl: "Sun Duo, you bastard!!! I'll fight you to the death!!!" He rushed off, intending to go settle the score with his cousin.

Wang Yang immediately stopped the little fatty: "Aren't you sending the letter to Lady Xie anymore?"

"Right, right, right, I almost ruined the big event!" Le Yue Yue Xiao Pang calmed down, but he was still so angry his teeth itched. He grabbed the letter paper and tore it to shreds.

Right, almost ruined the big event; the two thousand coins hadn't been received yet.

"But the letter is gone, what should I send?" Yuyang Le Pang asked Wang Yang with a miserable face.

Wang Yang smiled slightly: "Bring the brush, I'll write it for you!"

Yuyang Le Pang had the shopkeeper bring paper and brush. Wang Yang pondered for a moment, then wielded the brush and set it to paper.

"Another poem?" Yuyang Le Pang had some psychological trauma from his cousin's poem. He didn't understand poetry well to begin with, and now that he saw Wang Yang had written another one, he was skeptical: "Still seven-character? Don't they all write five-character? Can Lady Xie like this?"

"Whether she likes it or not is secondary. The key is that you can deliver it, and she can read it."

"What do you mean?"

Wang Yang said while writing: "Lean your ear over."

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Note: As far as my humble knowledge goes, there is no title "Shi Tai" (Master) in Six Dynasties literature; nuns were all called "xx Ni." But if the novel were written as "Hui Xu Ni" according to medieval customs, readers unfamiliar with the cultural context of the Six Dynasties would not easily feel the sense of respect. Calling her "Master Hui Xu" directly is better, so I used "Shi Tai."