[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber":3,"chapter-my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-23":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","My Life as a Rising Force in the Red Chamber",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2310821,4515,"Chapter 23: Literary Master, Sage of the Dao","my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-23",23,"\u003Cp>“Liu Brother, how come you’re here? Are you also here to attend the Nanxi Literary Gathering?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Bi smiled and said, “I came with my grandfather—I don’t have nearly enough prestige to receive an invitation to the gathering.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jia Cong also came with an elder, but I never heard that the Jia family’s elder was someone in literary circles.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Bi was just being polite; everyone in the capital knew that twenty years ago, the Rong and Ning mansions had produced a jinshi of the dual lists, Jia Jing, who seemed to have exhausted the Jia family’s rare literary brilliance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only ten years ago did they produce a xiucai, Jia Zhu, but he died not long after, and since then, the Jia family hasn’t produced a single xiucai who passed the county examination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nor have there been any recent achievements by Jia family youths in literary matters—it’s naturally unlikely any Jia member would be invited to the Nanxi Literary Gathering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Bi’s thoughts were probably shared by everyone else present, but Liu Bi was curious: who exactly had brought Jia Cong?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isn’t that young Master Liu? Is your grandfather, Master Jing’an, here? Let us juniors pay our respects.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A slightly plump young scholar, his face filled with reverence, looked at Liu Bi; behind him followed several others, each with solemn and respectful expressions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Cong understood: their expressions of awe were not because of this half-grown boy, Liu Bi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was because of Liu Bi’s grandfather, the literary titan Liu Yanxiu, known as Master Jing’an—could this be him? Liu Bi was truly his grandson.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the next ten years, he devoted himself to local governance, rising steadily due to outstanding achievements; at forty, he was appointed Minister of Rites, and before fifty, promoted to Grand Secretary, reaching the pinnacle of officialdom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Jing’an—Jia Cong suddenly felt his heart leap—he remembered the biographies of famous figures that Tan Chun had sent him, which included brief accounts of contemporary luminaries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After entering officialdom, Liu Yanxiu served as Compiler in the Hanlin Academy, then transferred to the Ministry of Justice as a clerk; because of his incorruptible integrity, he offended high officials and powerful nobles, was flogged, and exiled to a small county as a station master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spent seven years in that abandoned station, distracted by disappointment, he immersed himself in scholarship, studied classics until he nearly forgot himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even so, he remained the most revered literary master and sage of the Great Zhou realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was because of Liu Bi’s grandfather, the man known as Master Jing’an.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the time, everyone believed this zhuangyuan had fallen forever, with no hope of redemption.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had always possessed the talent of a zhuangyuan; after seven years of arduous cultivation, his literary and scholarly prowess advanced by leaps and bounds, producing an endless stream of poetry, essays, and scholarly treatises, his works towering as high as his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was said he was precocious from childhood: at eleven, he could compose poetry; at thirteen, passed the county examination; at nineteen, ranked first in Shandong’s provincial examination; at twenty-one, topped the first imperial examination of Emperor Yongxi of Great Zhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These writings spread throughout the land, causing a sensation in scholarly circles; admirers and students traveled thousands of miles, gathering like clouds and winds, rushing to that remote station to seek his guidance—a truly magnificent sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But ten years ago, he was implicated in the deposed crown prince affair, voluntarily resigned, and retired to Luocang Mountain west of the capital, closing his door to worldly affairs and devoting himself to reading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yanxiu’s entire life lived in legend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The court, aware his fame had spread far and wide, recalled him to the capital for office, but he declined, preferring only to serve as county magistrate in his remote post.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His imperial examination record was perfect to the point of envy; even after forty years, scholars of Great Zhou still spoke of him with admiration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This incident once shook court and countryside; scholars and students flocked to study under him like fish crossing a river, yet Master Jing’an loved quietude and had taken not a single outsider as a disciple in ten years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In those ten years, teaching only his own descendants, he produced six jinshi, not to mention the countless xiucai and juren.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Jia Cong first read these biographies, he found them novel and fascinating; now that the man stood before him, his mind still felt dazed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With such a sage as his grandfather, no wonder Liu Bi passed the provincial examination at twenty—in ordinary eyes, this was extraordinary scholarly success, even deserving of the title genius.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in the Liu family, he was merely average.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Bi saw Jia Cong’s expression and smiled proudly; everyone who learned his grandfather was Liu Jing’an reacted this way—he’d grown used to it since childhood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when he turned and saw the plump young scholar, his face stiffened slightly, and he said coolly, “Ah, it’s Master Jinrong. My grandfather’s carriage has just arrived; the old man has caught a slight chill these past few days. Let us meet after we enter the villa—it won’t be long.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dozens of carriages had already gathered beneath the archway, at least forty or fifty people—if they all came to pay respects, they’d exhaust the old man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Cong watched from the side; Liu Bi clearly had seen this scene many times before, handling it with practiced ease, yet he was cold toward the plump scholar—why, he didn’t know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The plump scholar’s faint, unnoticeable flattery and fervor faded, and he stepped back helplessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him, a medium-built young man stared fixedly at Jia Cong for a long time, his eyes filled with mockery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These people came to pay respects out of reverence for the contemporary literary master; having seen his grandson, they couldn’t possibly neglect to exchange greetings—it would violate scholarly etiquette.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But no one truly expected the old man to stand in this freezing snow, watching them line up to bow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Liu Bi was about to ask Jia Cong again who had brought him,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several people descended the stone steps behind the archway; the leader was a man in his twenties, wearing a purple-gold crown inlaid with jewels, a python robe embroidered with four-clawed dragons amid ocean waves, his face as radiant as jade, his eyes bright as stars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Cong recognized the two men behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The middle-aged scholar was Zhou Changyan, who had delivered the letter to his mansion; the other, dressed in a blue brocade flying-fish robe with black gauze mountain cap, was Wang Dong, who had brought Jia Cong’s New Year’s Eve gift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Five-clawed dragons were for imperial robes; four-clawed dragons were for princely python robes—Jia Cong guessed the leader must be Prince Jiashun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man in the python robe walked to a simple two-horse carriage and bowed respectfully toward it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said, “Master Jing’an’s arrival at Shuyun Villa is an honor beyond measure. I apologize for arriving late—please forgive this humble servant.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A warm laugh came from within the carriage; the curtain parted, and an elderly man with white hair stepped down, his steps slow and unsteady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness is too kind—I’m old now, my legs aren’t as nimble as before; please forgive my infirmity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prince Jiashun insisted it was he who should apologize; though Master Jing’an had taken no disciples in ten years, Prince Jiashun had long been known for his scholarly devotion, and his noble status made him especially worthy of reverence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had honored Master Jing’an with deep respect, visiting Luocang Mountain several times over the past few years, and each time, Master Jing’an received him warmly—they had found mutual affinity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prince Jiashun had even stayed for a time on Luocang Mountain, to consult Master Jing’an frequently; the two shared a bond akin to half-teacher and half-disciple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prince Jiashun ordered his attendants to bring a sedan chair surrounded by warm curtains, ready to carry Master Jing’an up the mountain to Shuyun Villa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, thunderous hoofbeats echoed from afar—a four-horse carriage, imposing and majestic, approached head-on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Son of Heaven’s carriage used five horses; a prince’s carriage used four.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this was no prince; Jia Cong saw two delicate triangular flags mounted on the carriage, embroidered with Daoist talismans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The carriage curtains were bright yellow, patterned with the Eight Trigrams and the Yin-Yang fish, fluttering in the mountain wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind the carriage followed a fair-skinned, red-lipped young Daoist, with a slender, athletic frame, a long sword on his back, riding a fine steed, closely trailing the carriage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This four-horse carriage bore unmistakable Daoist markings; its occupant was certainly no prince, yet his status was surely as exalted as a royal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1452,"2026-06-20T12:19:54.434Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","575bae7c8174e247dd6f2c50748db7aaf2dd85afbdf72e86ed51c2b09c6c1f9c","my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-24","my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-22",920,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmy-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-cover.jpg"]