Chapter 21

Seeing Wu Jing Shan leave, the atmosphere on the spot instantly became awkward; this poetry gathering hadn't even started writing, the highest-ranking official, the Minister of Rites, had already left, the scene nearly hit rock bottom, and continuing seemed pointless.

Vice Censor-in-Chief Su Qingkun chased after Wu Jing Shan's steps and left; today Wu Jing Shan was someone he had invited, originally hoping to use this poetry gathering to give Wu Jing Shan a good pat on the back, letting him show off in front of the literati, but he never expected Hu Xiaotian's sudden appearance to leave Wu Jing Shan embarrassed and disheveled, even slapping his old face left and right. Although Su Qingkun hated Hu Xiaotian to the core, he quietly gauged his own weight. Minister of Revenue Hu Buwei was not someone he could provoke, and before leaving, Su Qingkun gave Xu Zhengying a resentful glare, obviously transferring all his resentment onto him.

Xu Zhengying muttered depressingly, 'What the hell, it's none of my business! Who am I scolding?' Seeing Wu Jing Shan and Su Qingkun leave one after another, Xu Zhengying understood that today's grudge was set; in this court he would likely gain two more enemies, and his current predicament was entirely thanks to Hu Xiaotian. Thinking of this, he looked toward Hu Xiaotian.

Yet he saw Hu Xiaotian chatting enthusiastically with Huo Xiaoru, completely treating everyone else as if they were air.

Huo Xiaoru obviously also took a liking to Hu Xiaotian, being teased by him into occasional giggles.

All the literati had become mere accompaniments; this poetry gathering, disturbed by Hu Xiaotian like this, truly left no one knowing how to proceed. People rose one after another to greet Xu Zhengying, after all his status was there, and now his rank was the highest. Xu Zhengying silently cursed, 'Now you think of me? When that old dog Wu Jing Shan was here just now, you never treated me so politely.'

Actually this is no surprise; people are realistic creatures. Wu Jing Shan is the Minister of Rites, his rank is higher than yours, so when you two are together he is the red flower and you can only be a green leaf garnishing it. Yet worldly affairs often change, just like Hu Xiaotian's appearance—before, nobody noticed this guy, thinking he was merely a weed, not even a leaf. But if a weed grows tall enough, it can one day steal the show; Hu Xiaotian's performance is the best proof.

At this moment Qiu Zhitang came over to solicit Xu Zhengying's opinion; Xu Zhengying naturally didn't want to linger either, since Wu Jing Shan and Su Qingkun had left. If he stayed to continue hosting the poetry gathering, others would surely think he was deliberately opposing Wu Jing Shan, and this grudge would only deepen. Although Xu Zhengying had won a bout thanks to Hu Xiaotian's help, he didn't want to overdo things—everything should be done in moderation, knowing when to stop is to leave oneself room. Xu Zhengying feigned contemplation and said, 'Sir, I still have affairs, nephew. I see it's getting late; we should go as well!'

Hu Xiaotian was chatting happily with Huo Xiaoru when Xu Zhengying came over again to interrupt; Hu Xiaotian was greatly displeased, 'This old lightbulb, truly devoid of any tact—didn't you see this young master is flirting?' He didn't even glance at Xu Zhengying, waved his hand and said, 'You go first; I'll keep chatting with Miss Huo.'

In front of everyone, Xu Zhengying was given a noseful of dust by him, his old face flushing involuntarily; but his words were already out, he couldn't just stick around shamelessly—Hu Xiaotian was the one he had brought out, originally it should have been him sending him back, yet Hu Xiaotian clearly had taken great interest in the famed performer Huo Xiaoru; he was as if glued to the stool, unable to leave for a while.

Xu Zhengying could only nod and say, 'All right, I'll go first!'

Xu Zhengying descended from the Smoke Water Pavilion, originally intending to leave the carriage and horses behind; although his contact with Hu Xiaotian had been brief, he had already seen that Hu Xiaotian's talent for causing trouble was top-notch, so just in case he kept the carriage and horses waiting for him. But as soon as he stepped out of the Smoke Water Pavilion, he saw Hu family's servant Liang Da Zhuang grinning widely and approaching cheerfully: 'Sir Xu, where is our young master?'

Xu Zhengying saw Liang Da Zhuang behind him followed by five more servants; these people had actually been following since earlier, waiting downstairs all along. Seeing that the Hu household had sent people, Xu Zhengying also relaxed, pointing upstairs and said, 'He's chatting with friends; he might need a while before coming down.'

Liang Da Zhuang let out an 'oh', feeling somewhat puzzled: why would Sir Xu leave the young master alone and go first himself? This official is rather inconsiderate—we agreed to look after the young master, so how could he just leave by himself? Chatting with friends? When has our young master ever had friends? I've never heard of such a thing.

Xu Zhengying said, 'I still have matters to attend to; you few wait here for him to come down.'

Liang Da Zhuang nodded.

Once Xu Zhengying left, those literati naturally had no reason to stay any longer, and they immediately departed.

Huo Xiaoru said to Hu Xiaotian, 'Master Hu, the poetry gathering is over; let's go as well!'

Hu Xiaotian replied, 'Poetry gathering? Heh, I haven't even seen a brush—how can we talk about any poetry gathering? It would be better if next time I and Miss Huo make a private appointment, using the gathering as a pretext to practice calligraphy, discuss literature, and exchange life insights—that would also be good.'

Huo Xiaoru smiled gently, 'Thanks to Master Hu's favor, your talent is impressive; I, the humble woman, am deeply impressed.' Although she wore a veil, her bright, kind eyes and subtle autumn glances made Hu Xiaotian's heart sway involuntarily.

Seeing Huo Xiaoru about to leave, Hu Xiaotian gallantly stepped forward to hold the back of her chair for her. Huo Xiaoru rose, feeling that this young man was indeed somewhat special—different from anyone she had ever met before; she couldn't pinpoint exactly how, but she sensed his body was filled with too many special qualities. Though he seemed worldly and unrestrained on the surface, he was certainly not an ignorant, uneducated playboy.

Hu Xiaotian accompanied Huo Xiaoru; the little maid held a fox dog, and the three descended the Smoke Water Pavilion together. Throughout, Huo Xiaoru never removed the light gauze on her face; although Hu Xiaotian greatly wanted to glimpse her features, he never got the chance. The more mysterious something is, the more it stirs desire in others; Hu Xiaotian found that this intellectual beauty truly knew how to display her charm.

Having stepped outside the Smoke Water Pavilion, Huo Xiaoru stopped, turned her delicate form, and her lovely eyes fixed on the three characters on the horizontal plaque, as if reluctant to leave the pavilion; she whispered, 'I also thought of a lower couplet just now.'

Hu Xiaotian stood beside Huo Xiaoru; with a beauty at his side, his heart felt open and refreshed, the breeze carrying her faint fragrance into his nostrils—every pore of his body seemed to exude a great sense of ease. He smiled and said, 'I am all ears.'

Huo Xiaoru said, 'When sons and daughters are on good terms, refraining from evil makes one a Buddha!' Her couplet was aptly matched, and it seemed to conceal a didactic meaning. Hu Xiaotian's heart jolted: 'Refraining from evil makes one a Buddha?' Could it be that Huo Xiaoru already knew his identity, heard of his misdeeds, and thus gave him this couplet to advise him toward goodness? Hu Xiaotian clapped his hands in praise: 'Excellent, excellent! Miss Huo truly is Dakang's foremost talent.'

Huo Xiaoru laughed, 'What, Dakang's foremost talent? I dare not claim that—I've merely read a few books of poetry and managed a couple of couplets; in front of Master Hu I'm showing off my modest skills before the experts, inviting laughter.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Modest, modest, Miss Huo is truly too modest—but modesty makes people gain weight; if Miss Huo became fat because of her modesty, wouldn't she then have to lose weight later?'

Huo Xiaoru laughed until her branches trembled; although her pretty face was veiled with a thin gauze, her alluring demeanor still left Hu Xiaotian dazed. Hu Xiaotian said, 'I suddenly thought of another couplet.' In front of the beauty, this fellow today was also quick-witted, his thoughts flowing like a spring, seizing the moment to display his talent.

Huo Xiaoru's captivating, soul‑stealing eyes blinked: 'I am all ears.'

Hu Xiaotian gazed at Huo Xiaoru and said, 'A maiden's beauty is exquisite; all that comes later follows the husband!'

Huo Xiaoru could hardly miss the ulterior meaning of his words; her pretty face flushed involuntarily. Although she felt that Hu Xiaotian's couplet was full of teasing and harassment, she could not help but acknowledge his abundant talent, and softly praised, 'Master Hu's talent is high! I, the humble woman, cannot compare.'

At this moment Liang Da Zhuang spotted Hu Xiaotian, grinning widely and approaching happily, calling from afar, 'Young—' before he could shout 'master' he met Hu Xiaotian's murderous gaze; Liang Da Zhuang swallowed the word 'master' back into his belly, spread his arms to block the several companions behind him—this fellow wasn't stupid either; he realized the young master was flirting, and if he rushed out now to spoil the young master's plan, he would surely get a beating.

While Hu Xiaotian and Huo Xiaoru stood outside the Smoke Water Pavilion exchanging literary talent and admiring each other, a few literati passing by stopped to listen, secretly sighing that their couplets were marvelous, with admirers and dissenters alike.

The two sons of the Grand Historian, Qiu Zhigang and Qiu Zhitang, were seeing people off at the gate; today's poetry gathering had been initiated and organized by them, and they had originally placed great hopes in it, inviting many prominent figures from the capital's literary circles, yet they never imagined it would end like this—everything had been disrupted by Hu Xiaotian. Although they knew Hu Xiaotian had been brought by Xu Zhengying, they did not know his exact identity. Seeing Hu Xiaotian and Huo Xiaoru still chatting heatedly outside the Smoke Water Pavilion, the brothers instantly felt intense resentment. If it weren't for this fellow stealing the show, today's poetry gathering would not have concluded in such an awkward situation.

Qiu Zhitang gave a cold snort and said, 'What great talent? Nothing but mutual flattery—I also have a couplet!' That sentence drew everyone's attention.

Qiu Zhitang cleared his throat and proclaimed loudly, 'Women's branches are prostitutes; the sea of affection has no heart, naturally azure heaven!' Around them rose a chorus of approval, yet as they praised, all eyes turned toward Huo Xiaoru. Although Huo Xiaoru bore the title of talent, in everyone's mind she was merely a famous courtesan; Qiu Zhitang's couplet clearly concealed a barb, using the couplet to mock the low status of courtesans and implying that women of that profession are devoid of feeling. Although Qiu Zhitang's couplet was sharp and harsh, one must admit it was aptly matched and possessed great destructive power.

Hu Xiaotian listened on the side, silently cursing that bastard for being so spiteful—Huo Xiaonu didn't provoke or offend you, why use a couplet to insult her? Fuck your grandpa, are you jealous, you bastard, seeing her getting along with me?