Chapter 555: Let the Crane Soar, Wait for Spring Tower

Xie Yuan could not help asking, "Uncle Mingshan, what is the purpose of seeking out Brother Guan?"

Xie Qiyue's face betrayed a flicker of envy and resentment; since her father returned home these past days, he had secluded himself in the Dengchun Tower within Hongjing Courtyard, refusing all visitors—neither Lady Zhao nor even she herself had been granted an audience.

Aside from daily greetings to the matriarch, her father had remained within the Dengchun Tower, never stepping outside a single step.

Numerous aristocratic families among Bianjing's Nine Great Surnames, even Xie Hong's students at the academy, had come to pay their respects, yet all were politely turned away at the gate.

The woman her father had brought home, however, had been allowed to stay within the Dengchun Tower, which enraged Lady Zhao, the mistress of the Second Courtyard.

Today, something extraordinary had occurred!

The western corner gate of the Xie Fu had welcomed a visitor who walked straight into the Yingchun Tower—and for the first time in ages, her father's laughter was heard again.

Soon after, her father's voice echoed from within the Yingchun Tower.

"Send for Master Xie Guan."

Xie Qiyue, waiting outside the Yingchun Tower, immediately set off with a servant toward Xie Guan's small courtyard.

Zhang Yunzhi frowned slightly. "This Xie Erye, famed throughout Bianjing, wishes to see you—why?"

Xie Qiyue placed her hands on her hips. "It's not you he's calling, so why do you care so much?"

Xie Yuan chuckled. "Ha! I heard someone waited two full days outside the Yingchun Tower and still couldn't get an audience with Uncle Mingshan—did your feet grow sore from standing?"

"Xie Yuan, you're asking for a beating!"

Struck where it hurt, Xie Qiyue lunged at Xie Yuan, claws out and teeth bared.

"Fourth cousin, look at Xie Qiyue—does she have even a shred of feminine grace?" Xie Yuan ducked behind Zhang Yunzhi.

Zhang Yunzhi murmured softly, "Enough, Qiyue. If Uncle Mingshan has summoned Master Guan, we mustn't delay matters."

Xie Qiyue reluctantly withdrew, shaking her fist at Xie Yuan as a warning.

Regarding family lineage, Xie Yuan's mother, Lady Zhuge, Zhang Yunzhi's mother, and Xie Qiyue's mother were all from the illustrious Zhuge clan. They had grown up together since childhood, bound by deep affection and intimate familiarity.

You did not rush; instead, you neatly put away your brush and ink before rising to enter the inner chamber and change into fresh attire.

"Master Guan, may I take this scroll with your three lines of calligraphy?" Zhang Yunzhi asked.

You stepped outside, now clad in a deep blue robe, and smiled.

"Miss Zhi, of course it's yours to keep."

You bowed to Xie Yuan and the others. "An elder has summoned me—I dare not refuse. Sixth brother, Miss Zhi, I shall take my leave."

With that, you followed the green-clad servant waiting outside toward the Daguan Garden.

Xie Qiyue did not follow; returning to the Yingchun Tower, she merely stood outside with her third brother, Xie Renfeng, exchanging silent glances.

With another visitor today, seeing their father would be even harder—better to remain here in peace.

Xie Qiyue silently wondered why her cousin Zhang Yunzhi and Xie Yuan seemed so familiar with this junior branch's bastard son, Xie Guan.

Could Xie Guan truly have been summoned by their father?

Zhang Yunzhi gazed at the paper left on the stone table, its three lines written clearly:

"Between goosewood and maple."

"The transformation of dragon and snake."

"Without entering the dragon's lair, how can one attain his merit?"

Should she truly let their father risk this? To enter Dezehu alone?

She looked up as Xie Guan's figure faded into the distance, watching his retreating back—this bastard son of the Great Courtyard endured far greater hardship than she, the legitimate daughter.

His mother died early; in the Xie Fu, he suffered constant bullying and cold glances—even the matriarch called him a "curse." His studies were arduous, his future bleak beyond measure.

Yet three days ago in the Daguan Garden, his conduct, his every word and deed, had been impeccably proper, radiating the grace of a true gentleman.

Trapped in mire, he showed no despair, no self-abandonment.

When a man holds lofty aspirations, it is not fortune alone that grants him passage.

Deep within her, a quiet premonition lingered—that this youth, still uncoronated, would one day rise like a dragon drenched in rain, soaring like a crane released to the heavens.

"Zhi-jie, what are you thinking about?" Xie Qiyue asked, watching her cousin stare into the distance.

Zhang Yunzhi had carefully folded the paper and tucked it into her sleeve.

"Nothing."

Xie Qiyue remembered something and said eagerly, "Zhi-jie, the Xixiang Pavilion this year is bustling—Yuehua Xuan, Qimochun Fang, and Zixiao Ge are all holding their Qunfang Ban on the day before New Year's Eve."

"Qunfang Ban" was a refined term—it meant the selection of the flower queen at the Xixiang Pavilion.

Xie Yuan remained indifferent. "What's so remarkable? Last year, two of them held theirs together on Lantern Festival."

He was puzzled—traditionally, the Qunfang Ban was held around Lantern Festival in the new year. "Why so early this year?"

Each year, the selection of the flower queen by the three courtesan houses was one of Bianjing's grandest events, with every gambling den racing to open odds on the winner.

Yet this spectacle had always drawn mostly men; few women made a special trip to the Xixiang Pavilion.

If women did go, they came incognito.

"Guoban" meant noblewomen disguised themselves to visit brothels for tea and meals.

Xie Qiyue smiled triumphantly. "You don't know this yet—this year is different. The Qunfang Ban is co-sponsored by the Great Qi court and the academy."

"The academy? The court?"

Zhang Yunzhi's face lit with curiosity.

The court had never interfered in Xixiang Pavilion affairs. Though Qimochun Fang was rumored to have court backing, business was business—it never meddled in the Pavilion's affairs.

And the academy? Impossible.

The academy had always stood above worldly matters—why would it suddenly care about a flower queen's contest?

Seeing her cousin and Zhang Yunzhi's confusion, Xie Qiyue did not tease.

"This morning, notices were posted throughout Bianjing. The academy's students are already buzzing."

"This year, besides each house selecting its own flower queen, they will jointly choose the top ten, called the 'Beauty List,' and the Great Qi court will circulate it across all thirteen provinces."

Xie Yuan was even more baffled.

The court was going to publicly glorify a flower queen? An unprecedented move.

Xie Qiyue continued: "And even more—this year, the academy's Third Master will attend the Qunfang Ban."

"The Third Master?"

At this, both Xie Yuan and Zhang Yunzhi exclaimed in shock.

Xie Yuan could hardly believe it: "The Third Master will attend the Qunfang Ban? How is that possible?"

Remember this!

The Third Master had not left the academy's top floor in nearly twenty years.

Zhang Yunzhi pondered, then asked, "Qiyue, what else did the notice say?"

Xie Qiyue added: "Besides flower tickets, ninety percent of all money collected will be diverted to fund the Yellow River's course correction."

Previously, five taels of silver bought one flower ticket. Many wealthy merchants from Jiangnan, desperate to elevate their favored courtesan's name, had sold ancestral homes and farmland to buy hundreds of thousands of tickets.

Yet flower tickets were only one criterion—otherwise, last year Hu Yunniang wouldn't have won the title solely on the strength of a single phrase of praise.

The Qunfang Ban, also called the "Little Mid-Autumn," was like the Mid-Autumn Poetry Gathering—it often birthed timeless verses.

Since its inception, every Qunfang Ban had produced two or three poems that stunned Bianjing.

In selecting the flower queen, poetry and literary fame were indispensable.

A single brilliant poem could elevate a flower queen's renown, spreading her fame across the land.

Reputation, as always, could multiply wealth—and stir storms.

Thus, the Qunfang Ban was not merely a stage for courtesans to compete in beauty, but also a battleground for poets to display talent and vie for fame.

"The Yellow River's floodwaters have swallowed two provinces…."

Zhang Yunzhi suddenly understood—the court's true aim: fundraising for disaster relief.

Each year, the flower queen contest drew tens of millions of taels from wealthy patrons—a staggering sum.

Now, with the Great Qi court and the academy jointly backing it, this year's Qunfang Ban would be unprecedented in grandeur.

But how had the court convinced the three houses to agree? Their entire annual income depended on the Qunfang Ban.

Xie Yuan clapped his hands in admiration. "Brilliant!"

"Now our silver no longer buys only the favor of flower queens—it serves the people."

"Half for beauty, half for the people—truly elegant."

"Then how could I possibly miss it?"

Xie Qiyue added cheerfully, "Father has agreed to go too."

"Uncle Mingshan is going?"

Xie Qiyue nodded gently, recalling her father's words: "Father said he's going to meet an old friend he hasn't seen in years."

Xie Yuan guessed—could it be the academy's Third Master?

…

…

You followed the servant to the Daguan Garden, passing without obstruction.

The green-clad servant and every official along the way bowed respectfully.

Even a mere servant of Xie Hong revealed the immense status of Xie Erye within the Xie Fu.

Even the official who had once barred you now greeted you with a smile.

The Yingchun Tower stood on the northern edge of the Daguan Garden, accessible only by boat across the lake; beneath the water, two characters drifted slowly with your vessel, radiating warmth.

You showed no overt familiarity—Lu Hua had warned you before: never reveal your connection to the Second Master lightly.

This left the two dragon-characters beneath the water looking distinctly "dejected."

You are merely filled with curiosity—these two remaining characters on the lake belong to the two swords among Second Master's Nine Swords.

The Sword of Severing Ghosts, as your cultivation deepens, becomes ever more profound and unfathomable.

You can sense that this thread of sword intent is even more valuable than the Seven States of the Soul recorded in the Yin Fu Jing.

If you could integrate this sword intent into a painting and render it as a Door God image, it would be sufficient to suppress evil spirits and haunted mansions in a region.

When the boat reached shore, you continued forward, heading north straight to the northern side of Daguan Garden.

Compared to Hongjing Courtyard, this place lies some distance away; along the way, you passed a deep pool whose water was not green or black due to its depth, but instead radiated layers of blackness.

Legend says this was where Second Master Xie once read, practiced calligraphy, and washed his brushes; over the years, the pool water had been stained pitch black.

Daguan Garden was vast; after walking for a while, you finally saw a small, secluded courtyard, with a plaque above its entrance reading "Dengchun Pavilion."

Before the courtyard lay a lake pavilion and artificial hills; behind it stretched a bamboo grove.

Though deep autumn had arrived, the bamboo grove behind the courtyard remained lush and vibrant, its dense green suffused with the misty white fog drifting from the chilly lake.

It lent the courtyard an elegant, tranquil charm.

But now, the courtyard gate was tightly shut.

Two people stood at the entrance.

The young servant leading you halted far off, bowing deeply to one of them.

Both were familiar to you: Third Young Master Xie Renfeng of the Second Courtyard and his maid Gan Zhi, waiting outside Dengchun Pavilion.

Gan Zhi wore a long, emerald-green silk gown that accentuated her tall, graceful figure. A delicate silver hairpin adorned her head, and her hands rested neatly crossed at her waist.

Since Daguan Garden, she seemed to have regained her former composure.

As a servant, she accepted her fate with quiet resignation.

When Xie Renfeng saw you approaching, his brow furrowed.

Gan Zhi, standing behind Xie Renfeng, lifted her beautiful eyes toward you.

You wore a blue robe, your features clear and refined, your eyebrows like distant mountains, your eyes dark as stars, your expression imbued with gentle warmth.

Anyone who saw you would praise you as a handsome young man.

For some reason, Gan Zhi felt you were even more handsome than you had been three days ago in Daguan Garden, your aura more striking than ever.

It truly gave her the sense that inner cultivation manifests in one's bearing.

At this moment, Gan Zhi could not help but think that this pitiable bastard son looked and carried himself even better than Young Master Renfeng.

But!

What good is looks and aura? What use is talent?

Gan Zhi shook her head. Xie Guan was disliked by the Xie family's mistresses; he would likely spend his life confined within the Xie Fu. She also knew this Young Master Guan might be facing a calamity.

Xie Renfeng's expression shifted, his eyes scanning you with hostility.

You maintained a calm expression, stepped forward slowly, and bowed respectfully: "Third Cousin."

Xie Renfeng glared at the green-clad young servant beside you and demanded:

"Why did you bring him to Daguan Garden? Why to Dengchun Pavilion?"

His tone grew impatient: "Xie Guan, you have no right to be here."

The young servant hurriedly replied: "It was Master who ordered me to summon Young Master Guan."

Xie Renfeng froze, then his face darkened with anger.

"Did Father truly send for him?"

The servant nodded frantically: "Absolutely true—I wouldn't dare fabricate such a thing even if I had a hundred lives."

Xie Renfeng narrowed his eyes and let out a cold snort.

He had waited three days straight, coming every afternoon to pay respects and wait.

Yet his father had not only refused to see him—he hadn't even let him step inside Dengchun Pavilion.

(End of Chapter)