[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-top-scholar-of-da-ling":3,"chapter-the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-chapter-90":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Top Scholar of Da Ling",{"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},2288925,4475,"Chapter 90: The Shameless Lecher","the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-chapter-90",90,"\u003Cp>At that moment, Jiang Mingyu stood in the county magistrate’s hall, staring intently at a yellowed map on the wall, lost in thought as if pondering some grand scheme.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The day before, he had dispatched hundreds of cavalry scouts to search for bandit trails, while ordering the city garrison to prepare for immediate deployment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps soon, the prepared garrison would leave the city once again to crush bandits after many years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu was pondering which men to take on campaign and which to leave behind, when Cloud of the Murong shook the remaining snow from his coat and strode in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Xingqiu, Master Zhuge is here to see you—he’s waiting outside,” Cloud of the Murong said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu was startled. Why would Zhuge Yu suddenly appear? He remembered his talented disciple was supposed to be selling coal across the counties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Cloud of the Murong could speak, Zhuge Yu’s familiar voice slipped through the cold wind into Jiang Mingyu’s ears: “Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, where are you? Come out and collect your silver!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he finished speaking, he glided into the hall, his wide sleeves fluttering in the wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu looked at Zhuge Yu’s flawless, handsome face and calm demeanor, and couldn’t help but smile inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu stepped forward with a beaming smile, speaking warmly: “Good disciple, you’ve traveled far. Come, tell your master how much silver you’ve brought back this time?” His tone dripped with greed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This money-grubbing display left Zhuge Yu speechless: “Master, can’t you be less obsessed with silver?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve trudged through five surrounding counties—don’t you even have a word of thanks?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu sneered: “Enough nonsense. Do you want to use my poems to make your name? Hand over the silver!” His words betrayed no concealment of his lust for gold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Jiang Mingyu grow angry, Zhuge Yu quickly bowed and begged: “Master, calm down—I’ll tally the accounts right away.” He reached into his wide sleeve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after rummaging, Zhuge Yu’s face froze. He blurted out: “Oh no—the silver notes are gone!” His face flushed with embarrassment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu, who had been waiting to count the money, turned pale and roared: “How could you be so careless? An adult losing money notes? You’re utterly hopeless!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhuge Yu looked apologetic, explaining: “It was only eighty thousand taels. I didn’t think much of it—I just tucked them away carelessly. On such a long journey, they must’ve fallen out somewhere. Truly an accident—my fault!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sighed heavily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing it was only eighty thousand taels, Jiang Mingyu’s face darkened. He exploded: “Do you know that was nearly two months’ pay for my troops? Worse—I took their silver and promised coal! Now I’ll have to pay back at least a hundred thousand!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you don’t produce those eighty thousand taels today, I won’t let you off easy! What are you standing there for? Go find them!” Jiang Mingyu stood with hands on hips, eyes bulging, looking like a scorned woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Jiang Mingyu’s furious face, Zhuge Yu burst into laughter: “Master, I was just teasing you—the silver notes aren’t lost!” He pulled the notes from his sleeve and handed them back untouched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu snatched the notes with a scowl, wishing he could strangle this disciple who clearly mocked and betrayed him. After Zhuge Yu told him the required coal quantities, he still made no move to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu’s face remained stormy, thinking: I’ll make you pay for mocking your master later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zhuge Yu, oblivious, stood there grinning, waiting for something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu tucked the notes away, his expression finally brightening. He pressed: “So, have you used up all the poems I gave you last time?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He meant the dozens of poems he’d written for Zhuge Yu to use as credentials across the land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhuge Yu grinned without shame: “My reputation’s booming now—I need fresh poems to pose as a refined scholar everywhere. If I stayed in the state capital, those old poems might last until New Year.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way, the poetry collection I compiled in the capital is selling like wildfire—I’m preparing the second volume. Master, considering the silver notes, could you write a few more?” Zhuge Yu looked at him with eager hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu knew Zhuge Yu cared only for silver. For the sake of profit, he agreed: “Fine, I’ll write them for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he picked up the brush, Jiang Mingyu grumbled inwardly: If not for your silver, I’d never bother with your nonsense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhuge Yu yawned loudly and waved: “I’m exhausted. Master, take your time writing—I’ll go nap first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without waiting for Jiang Mingyu’s reaction, he sipped tea, grabbed Cloud of the Murong, and dragged him off to find a place to sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu sighed helplessly, dipped his brush in ink, and began drawing inspiration from the cultural achievements of ancient times before his reincarnation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had written only seven or eight poems when a guard entered the door: “My lord, Miss Liu is here to visit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since their last meeting in the magistrate’s hall, Liu Yi had often dropped by when idle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Ximen assumed his daughter was grateful for Jiang Mingyu’s punishment of Zhu Tianxiang, so he never stopped her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Liu Yi had come, Jiang Mingyu was delighted. He immediately set down his brush: “Show her in at once!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu put down his brush and rushed out to greet Liu Yi. He tugged at his clothes, trying to look more alert.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yi still wore red, her delicate face slightly flushed—clearly chilled by the cold outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After so many encounters, she had grown comfortable with Jiang Mingyu. She greeted him and began chatting casually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They chatted aimlessly until Liu Yi’s gaze fell upon the poems on the desk, their ink still fresh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She picked one up and read: “The moon sets, crows cry, frost fills the sky…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord, are these your own compositions?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With no escape, Jiang Mingyu had no choice but to nod reluctantly: “Miss, you flatter me—it’s mere trifles.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yi, raised on poetry since childhood, was even more astonished: “I never imagined my lord possessed such literary brilliance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Forgive me for saying so, but any one of these poems would shake the literary world of Da Feng.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her words echoed exactly what Wang Zhe had said before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the admiration in the beauty’s eyes, Jiang Mingyu couldn’t resist continuing his act: “Miss, you overrate me—it’s just trivial skill.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Compared to the poems I composed before His Late Majesty’s throne, these are nothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yi was stunned again: “My lord met His Late Majesty?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu carried on: “Of course! I was the top scholar of this year’s imperial exam—I rode through the capital on horseback. Who in the city didn’t know me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yi was stunned for the third time: “You’re the top scholar? The one personally appointed by His Late Majesty?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu’s expression grew even more smug: “Absolutely genuine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, gazing at Liu Yi’s delicate face, he added: “Miss Liu, you’ve come at a perfect time—my poetic inspiration is high.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Outside, the world is draped in snow, and you, Miss, are beyond compare. I’d like to compose a poem for you—what do you say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yi, lips pursed, found it amusing: “A poem for me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve never had a poem written for me—not once in my life. My lord, please recite it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching her eagerness, Jiang Mingyu thought: Back when Shang Mu was on the brink of collapse, no one had the mood to write poems for you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused briefly, then recited slowly: “A few plum branches in the corner, blooming alone against the cold. Far away, I know they’re not snow—because a faint fragrance drifts forth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss, how’s my literary talent?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He deliberately stretched out the final syllables, his smugness overflowing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Jiang Mingyu’s effortless brilliance, she assumed the “faint fragrance” referred to herself, and her face flushed again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beauty in red robes, her cheeks now glowing with a more alluring crimson, left Jiang Mingyu spellbound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he felt his eyes could not tear away, a young woman’s sharp cry rang out from afar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cold voice carried clear anger: “You shameless lecher—where are your eyes wandering?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Jiang Mingyu could react, his decent-looking face was slapped hard—twice, left and right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His face burning, still confused, he was then kicked hard in the chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a footprint on his chest, he flew backward like a sack of rags, landing far away, all before Liu Yi’s stunned gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire world fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>",1416,"2026-06-20T03:28:17.113Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","7bbaf59f21be73005e00704cc42c2bf415bcf182b0cd2f2ac3eeb1bf14c60511","the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-chapter-91","the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-chapter-89",392,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-top-scholar-of-da-ling-cover.jpg"]