Chapter 159: Borrowing a Boat to Put to Sea

A single pink petal fluttered through the wind, threading past the low-drooping willow leaves along the riverbank, then drifted gently down into the flowing waters of the Qinhuai River, raising a tiny ripple before drifting slowly away with the current.

"Fragrant grasses skirt the long embankment; year after year, the southern shore grieves parting. The waters carry rippling glances, the hills gather emerald brows — just as when Taoye crossed the river."

Fang Yizhi finished his recitation and drew back his angled folding fan. Pang Yu let out an exaggerated exclamation of praise.

Pang Yu and his three companions had traveled from Taihu to Shijiu Lake, then entered the Qinhuai via the Official Silver River, arriving smoothly in Nanjing — far more reassuring than traveling on the Yangtze. After settling into lodgings in Nanjing, they had gone to see Fang Yizhi as arranged. Today, when leaving the Fang Family residence, it happened that Fang Yizhi was heading out to secure a venue for the society gathering, which was near Pang Yu's inn, so they had come together to Taoye Ferry.

Accompanying them was Fang Yizhi's brother-in-law Sun Lin. Pang Squad Leader was likewise dressed in a well-fitted Green Robe, a folding fan tucked at his waist and a Square Scarf bound over his hair — though his hair was somewhat short, making his topknot appear very small, giving him a refined, scholarly look. Sun Lin, on the other hand, wore a black fitted martial outfit with a Waist Saber hanging at his hip. Walking together, the three of them made Pang Yu look more the literatus than Sun Lin.

Beside them, the Qinhuai River's water was clear and crystalline, the riverbank winding and secluded. April's peach blossoms scattered on the wind, dotting the bluestone-paved path with patches of pink.

Hearing Fang Yizhi's words, Pang Yu said with sudden realization, "So it's because there are many peach trees. Then why not call it Peach Blossom Ferry — wouldn't that be more evocative?"

From the other side, Sun Lin gave a dry cough. Fang Yizhi looked somewhat embarrassed and hurriedly explained, "During the Eastern Jin, Wang County Seat had a concubine named Taoye. This concubine often crossed back and forth at the Qinhuai River ferry crossing, and Wang County Seat would see her off and receive her there every time. He wrote three 'Taoye Songs,' and the ferry crossing has been called Taoye Ferry ever since. Because it bore the name Taoye, later generations planted many peach trees here — it is not that it was called Taoye Ferry because there were many peach trees."

"So that's how it is." Pang Yu craned his neck to glance at Sun Lin on the other side. This brother-in-law, who had taken the courtesy name Wugong, was also looking at him, his expression rather peculiar, as if deeply skeptical of Pang Yu's level of education.

Every scholar in the Southern Capital knew the literary allusion behind Taoye Ferry. The moment Pang Yu opened his mouth, he had made a fool of himself. To a cultured man like Sun Lin, it was at least a thousand-point critical hit. Pang Yu, however, looked perfectly at ease, as if he did not mind it in the slightest.

Seeing that Pang Yu was unbothered, Fang Yizhi magnanimously changed the subject. "Pang Squad Leader pacifies bandits with his sword. There is no need to know every one of these common literary allusions."

"Actually, I too have a literatus's dream." Without a trace of shame, Pang Yu said, "I have heard that the Restoration Society takes the revival of classical learning as its mission. I deeply express my approval. It is merely that my actual scholarly attainments are limited, so I cannot join the Restoration Society — but that does not prevent me from yearning for it in my heart."

Sun Lin could not help saying, "Pang Squad Leader is in the prime of his youth and can read and write. If your heart yearns for it, then naturally you should unite knowledge and action. Begin with the classics — even if you do not sit the imperial examinations, you can still rectify the heart and firm the foundation. This does not conflict with pacifying bandits by the sword."

From the other side of Fang Yizhi, Pang Yu cupped his hands respectfully. "Thank you for your instruction, Wugong. When I return, I shall certainly devote myself to reading. If I achieve anything in the future, it will all be thanks to Brother Wugong's guidance today."

Sun Lin was taken aback. He had not expected Pang Yu to be so receptive — it sounded like perfunctory, insincere flattery.

Fang Yizhi smiled and said, "Since Pang Squad Leader yearns for the Restoration Society, why must you leave in such haste? You cannot even wait two days, and will miss this society gathering."

"At the Grand Coordinator Yamen, I heard that the Roving Bandits are marauding through Huguang and there are signs they are pushing east toward Anqing. To be frank, Tongcheng's defenses were arranged by my own hand. I truly dare not linger any longer."

Fang Yizhi and Sun Lin both drew a sharp breath. The Roving Bandits had only just left — how could they be coming again? Though separated by the Great River, the last time the bandits reached Jiangbei, Nanjing and the surrounding areas had still been thrown into panic several times a day.

They could never have imagined that Pang Yu was simply talking off the top of his head. The Yingtian Patrol Office had received no definitive intelligence whatsoever.

"In that case, we certainly cannot let private matters hinder public duty. This time, we dare not detain Pang Squad Leader." Fang Yizhi sighed. "The day after tomorrow, the society gathering is at Mei Lou — the most exquisite spot along the ten-li Qinhuai. Pang Squad Leader comes and goes in such a rush; you are missing a fine opportunity."

"Mei Lou?" Pang Yu thought for a moment. "That name doesn't sound particularly exquisite."

Sun Lin, no longer inclined to mock Pang Yu's provincial air, explained, "The name itself is nothing remarkable. It is taken from a woman there named Gu Mei. This woman is a romantic talent in poetry and painting; her orchid paintings are a unique skill."

Fang Yizhi added, "She is also extremely skilled in Southern Tunes — she can be called the top of the Southern Tunes on the Qinhuai."

Sun Lin, however, disagreed. "That is somewhat overblown. Compared to the vocal style of that Zhu Yinxian in Ruan Dacheng's household, Gu Mei still falls short."

The moment Pang Yu heard the three syllables of Ruan Dacheng's name, his heart gave an involuntary jolt — he did not know what conditioned reflex had been triggered.

Fearing any further mention of Ruan Dacheng, he hastily changed the subject. "Since her reputation is well established, even if she cannot match Zhu Yinxian, her skill must still be outstanding. For all you society friends to hold your gathering in such a refined and elegant place — truly the envy of onlookers."

Sun Lin waved a hand to brush aside a petal drifting toward his face. "Some people do not see it that way. The moment you go to a pleasure house, they call it wanton extravagance and debauchery, with singing girls plying wine."

Fang Yizhi stopped walking. "Wugong, do not misunderstand. Those words of Wu Yingji's were not aimed at us."

"That he spoke of Zhang Pu makes it even more unacceptable." Sun Lin said indignantly. "What is a matter of refinement and elegance, he describes as something vulgar and obscene."

Fang Yizhi did not argue. He shook his head and continued walking forward.

Pang Yu quickly offered a mollifying remark. "Then this fellow Wu simply does not understand refinement and speaks nonsense. But from what I have heard Master Fang say, at your society gatherings you mostly discuss Current Affairs Essays. Can those women truly understand?"

"Of course they can understand." Sun Lin glared, looking as though he would throttle Pang Yu if he dared doubt it. "The pleasure houses we visit are not filthy places like the Pearl Market. Not to mention Gu Mei — even the women of the Old Court quarter are widely learned in both ancient and modern matters. They exchange verses and debate with us, and we often gain considerable insight."

As they walked, Pang Yu took the chance to observe the nearby pleasure houses. They were all refined abodes and elegant lodgings, with flowing streams and bamboo groves before their gates, and peach blossoms dotting the open spaces. They truly did not look like places of transaction; rather, they bore the style of exclusive clubs.

"Hearing this makes my heart itch unbearably. A pity, a pity." After observing Fang Yizhi for a moment, Pang Yu said, "I have an unworthy request. Just now, Wugong told me to study the classics, but I was thinking that canonical models must be combined with Current Affairs Essays. Only by diagnosing contemporary ills can the ancient be applied to the present — that is precisely the mission of the Restoration Society. Studying this way yields twice the result with half the effort. Might I also borrow for my perusal the Current Affairs Essays that come out of your usual discussions?"

"That... should be possible. Every so often, our Current Affairs Essays are compiled into volumes for the reference of society friends in other regions — mainly great talents like Tianru and Wozi."

Pang Yu's eyes darted about. Suddenly, he bent at the waist and performed a grand salute, startling Fang Yizhi and Sun Lin so much that they had no idea what he was about to do.

"In my humble opinion, the Restoration Society's revival of classical learning is meant to rectify hearts and purify the wellsprings of the realm. If such Current Affairs Essays circulate only among society friends, is that not a waste of heaven's treasures?"

Fang Yizhi asked in surprise, "Then Pang Squad Leader means to say..."

"They should be printed as a broadsheet and widely disseminated across the land, so that all who can read and write may see them and learn the essence of the Restoration Society. Not only must they be disseminated, but timeliness must also be ensured — they should be released at least monthly. Only then are things put to their fullest use."

Sun Lin and Fang Yizhi exchanged a glance. Both hesitated for a moment. Finally, Sun Lin said to Pang Yu, "But these Current Affairs Essays — not many ordinary people can understand them clearly."

"Brother Wugong, you are mistaken there." Pang Yu said with righteous solemnity. "Even if only one person is edified, that is the merit of one person, and the realm gains one more measure of righteous spirit. When I defended Tongcheng, I understood a principle even more clearly."

Sun Lin asked blankly, "What principle?"

"That one must trust the common people and not look down on them. Within the common people, boundless wisdom is born. Who knows but that someone might be set upon the right path by a single Current Affairs Essay? That would be the merit of the newspaper. The common people can receive edification, and the Restoration Society can also expand its influence. At present, the literati know of the Restoration Society, but the common people do not. If one day the common people all know of the Restoration Society, how would those treacherous sycophants dare to suppress it so casually?"

"For all the common people under heaven to read it — how many copies would need to be distributed? A new printing plate every month — that would cost no small amount of silver."

"Leave the silver to me. I will handle the printing plates. As long as we can promote the Restoration Society, spread righteous spirit across the realm, and edify the myriad people, what does the loss of a little silver matter? Even if it offends treacherous sycophants and powerful nobles, what of it?"

Fang Yizhi cupped his hands with solemn respect. "This is great wisdom and great courage — far broader in vision than confining oneself to a single society. At the society gathering the day after tomorrow, I shall discuss this with my society friends and inform Pang Squad Leader of the outcome."

"Then I shall leave a reliable man here to await word."

Pang Yu watched the retreating figures of Fang Yizhi and his companion as they entered the serene and secluded Mei Lou, a smug smile lifting the corner of his mouth.

He Xianya came up beside him. "The Restoration Society scholars truly are wealthy. A single gathering at this place costs at least a hundred taels of silver. Second Brother, it's a shame you're not going."

"A shame it is, but for now I cannot get too close to the Restoration Society."

He Xianya looked at Pang Yu skeptically, then asked him, "Second Brother, are you really going to help them print a broadsheet?"

"Of course I am. This broadsheet will be useful later." Pang Yu pointed at Mei Lou. "The Restoration Society has several thousand scholars, spread across the entire country, mostly in the south — all the most economically developed regions. And most of them come from established families. This network is an enormous potential resource. We need to borrow a boat to put to sea — use the Restoration Society's resources to handle our own affairs."

"What use can a broadsheet be?"

"Advertising, of course." Pang Yu smiled. "And we can use it to build ties with the Restoration Society. You'll understand later."

"But last time you said the court might suppress the Restoration Society, and we couldn't get too close to them."

"That's why I have to act a bit crude and unrefined — so they won't pull me into the society." Pang Yu reached out and caught a petal, crushed it to pulp, and dropped it on the ground. "Even more so, I cannot attend the society gathering. We'll wait until they've settled the score with Wen Tiren's faction. It also spares us their questions about Ruan Dacheng. Right now, I can't bear to hear that name."

He Xianya asked quietly, "Then are we still going to Ruan Dacheng's place or not?"

"Naturally not. Although Zhang Guowei didn't say anything outright, he already made his meaning clear — we cannot get too close to Ruan Dacheng, or it will be hard to account for. Once we reach Anqing, send him a letter saying we received an urgent report of Roving Bandits and had to leave immediately. We depart Nanjing tomorrow."

"I understand."

"Wen Tiren, the Donglin, the Restoration Society — each has their own power. Ruan Dacheng included, none of them are people we can afford to offend. The situation right now is unclear; we mustn't rashly place our bets. But that doesn't stop us from borrowing some of their resources. We just have to handle the balance in the middle carefully — one misstep and a clever move becomes a blunder. So for the job of running the newspaper, we absolutely need someone both reliable and shrewd to handle it."

He Xianya suddenly recalled something and said, "Just now, my lord, you mentioned leaving one person to wait for a letter. I wonder whether you'll keep Guo Fengyou or Xu Lengzi."

"Neither."

"Then…" He Xianya's expression changed.

Pang Yu smiled and patted him on the shoulder.