Chapter 56: There's a Spirit Upstairs!

The sun climbed to the zenith.

Outside the peach blossom grove, near the riverside, sat a small farmhouse courtyard that housed a restaurant.

It was named: Taoyuan Building.

The owner of the restaurant was named Liang Ruhai, said to be a failed scholar.

This place faced the peach blossom grove and backed onto the Qingshui River, with an excellent view.

Because the owner was a man of letters who loved poetry, whenever the peach blossoms were in full bloom during the third or fourth month, many scholars and poets would come here by reputation.

They would drink wine, admire the flowers, and compose poetry.

In front of the restaurant, there was also a peach blossom poem inscribed by the previous dynasty's poet Du Rubin, which attracted countless poetry enthusiasts.

Today, this Taoyuan Building was exceptionally lively.

In the courtyard alone, several groups of tourists had already arrived.

The courtyard was planted with seven or eight peach trees, a few crabapple trees, and various other flowers and plants; at this moment, the flowers were in full bloom, and the fragrance was overflowing.

The tourists were drinking tea and admiring the flowers while chatting and laughing, feeling quite content.

The students of West Lake Academy had decided on this place for their lunch during this outing.

The day before, Huang Beicheng had already sent someone to make a reservation.

However, he was not sure if the women from the Academy would come today, so he only booked spots for the men.

It was already noon.

The women had originally brought dry rations and did not intend to eat lunch, but at the invitation of Huang Beicheng and the other men from the Academy, they still came to Taoyuan Building.

For the men to go eat while the women stayed outside hungry—what kind of decorum was that?

"It's fine, if there are many guests, we can just wait a while."

"Of course, we can also go in in batches; the others can just drink tea in the courtyard and wait for a bit."

The restaurant looked very busy.

By the windows on the second floor, some people were already sitting in twos and threes.

There were also quite a few people in the courtyard.

When the forty-plus male and female students from West Lake Academy marched into the courtyard in a grand procession, they immediately attracted everyone's attention.

"Huh, they all seem to be scholars."

"Look at their attire; they seem to be students from West Lake Academy."

"Tsk tsk, it's actually the talented men and women of West Lake Academy..."

In the courtyard, some tourists recognized this group and looked on with envy.

Huang Beicheng and the others immediately held their heads high, feeling quite proud.

People on the second floor also poked their heads out to look.

The restaurant manager, Liang Si, immediately brought the waiter out to greet them with a face full of smiles.

Huang Beicheng hurriedly stepped forward and cupped his hands: "Manager, I am Huang Beicheng from West Lake Academy. I sent someone to reserve seats yesterday."

As he spoke, he took out his Student Nameplate.

Liang Si took a look and said with great enthusiasm: "Young Master Huang, there are many guests today. The twenty-seven seats you reserved are all on the first floor. Please, come in!"

"Are they all on the first floor?"

Huang Beicheng looked up at the second floor; he could clearly see a few empty seats.

"Manager, the young ladies from our Academy have also come today. Could you possibly clear a few more seats? Money is not an issue."

Liang Si glanced at the women behind and asked: "How many young ladies are there in total?"

Mei Yanqiu hurriedly came over and replied: "Fifteen in total. It doesn't matter if we sit a bit crowded; sorry to trouble you, Manager."

Upon hearing this, Liang Si immediately showed an apologetic look: "Young Master Huang, I am truly sorry, there aren't enough seats. There are only twenty-some seats left on the first floor; even if they squeeze in, the young ladies can only fit five at most."

Mei Yanqiu immediately asked: "What about the second floor? I just saw that there seem to be seats left on the second floor."

Liang Si whispered: "There are distinguished guests on the second floor; they booked the entire second floor days ago."

"What kind of distinguished guests? Are they more distinguished than my brother?"

At this moment, Wang Dafu suddenly emerged from the crowd, dressed in gold and jade, swaggering as he shook the Jade Pendant at his waist and the large thumb ring on his hand.

Suddenly, a "pfft" sound came from the second floor, followed by a woman's laughter.

Wang Dafu hurriedly looked up, but only saw a corner of a verdant green garment and a few burly men with sharp gazes.

Liang Si hurriedly whispered: "Young Master, do not be reckless. Those upstairs are distinguished guests from the Inner City—truly distinguished guests."

Once these words were spoken, Wang Dafu immediately deflated, muttered something, and retreated back into the crowd.

Mei Yanqiu also dared not speak again.

Huang Beicheng had no choice but to say: "Manager Liang, how about this: we will have twenty-some people go in first, and the rest will wait in the courtyard. What do you think?"

Liang Si smiled: "That would be excellent. Many thanks for your understanding, Young Master Huang."

Huang Beicheng turned around to look at the male students behind him, and just as he was about to tell them to wait in the courtyard, a voice as crisp as an oriole suddenly came from the window on the second floor: "Young Master Huang, I have long admired the great names of the talented men and women of West Lake Academy. I am the maid Cuimo, greetings to you all."

Everyone immediately looked up and saw a maid dressed in a verdant green dress bowing to them from the window upstairs.

"Greetings, young lady."

Seeing this, the students hurriedly returned the bow.

The maid named Cuimo smiled with poise: "My young mistress has heard that the students of your esteemed Academy are all talented men and women with great literary depth. Since we have the fortune to meet here at Taoyuan Building today, she would like to exchange poetry with you all. If anyone composes something good, you may come upstairs to dine, and we will cover all the costs."

The words had just fallen.

A middle-aged man wearing a Confucian robe walked out from the restaurant entrance and said with a smile: "Students, if any of you can win the admiration of the young lady upstairs with your poetry, I will cover the entire cost for all forty-plus of you today."

Liang Si hurriedly went over, bowed his head and waist, and said respectfully: "Master."

It turned out that this middle-aged man was the owner of this Taoyuan Building, the scholar-manager Liang Ruhai.

Upon hearing these words, Huang Beicheng and Mei Yanqiu exchanged a glance, their gazes both turning toward the students behind them.

"Did everyone hear that?"

Huang Beicheng said in a clear voice: "Since the noble guest upstairs has such refined interest, we are naturally happy to oblige. Everyone must do their utmost; we must not disgrace the reputation of our Academy!"

At this moment, the young maid named Cuimo upstairs said in a crisp voice again: "Since we are in Peach Blossom Spring, today we shall take peach blossoms as our theme; poems, lyrics, songs, or prose are all acceptable. My young lady says to let the talented young women of your Academy go first."

Upon hearing this, Mei Yanqiu hurriedly expressed her thanks.

Then she walked to the back and began to encourage the women of the Academy.

"Yan'er, you go first."

"The piece you just composed can be brought out directly; let everyone see the true ability of our West Lake Academy first!"

The women all encouraged Sun Yan'er to go first.

Sun Yan'er said in a low voice: "I have another one."

Knowing they were coming to the peach blossom forest this time, she had already prepared two peach blossom poems in advance.

The men in front all took the initiative to clear a path.

Mei Yanqiu led the women forward.

Sun Yan'er gathered her courage, walked to the very front, first lowered her head to bow, then looked up and said: "This young woman is Sun Yan'er of West Lake Academy; I have just composed a peach blossom poem and ask for your guidance." The young maid Cuimo upstairs said with a smile: "Please, Sun Guniang."

The owner of Taoyuan Building, Liang Ruhai, also stood at the entrance, stroking his beard, looking at the young girl before him with a face full of smiles.

At this time, the surroundings all fell silent.

Sun Yan'er took a deep breath and recited in a delicate voice: "The spring breeze rises slightly, scattering fragrant dust; the clear water ripples, and fallen petals drift lightly. How many times have I seen the beauty of youth in dreams? A touch of rouge, drunk with resentment between the brows. Behind, the bridge and flowing water are desolate; the fragrant grass is lush, but the old faces are gone. A single branch leans against the east wind in chaos; pink tears fill the branches, for whom does the flower's color fade?"

After she finished reciting, the crowd pondered for a few moments, then all began to applaud and cheer.

"Good poem! Good poem!"

"The women of West Lake Academy actually have such talent; I admire it, I admire it!"

Liang Ruhai also nodded with a smile and said: "This little poem by Sun Guniang does not mention peach blossoms, yet it is all about peach blossoms. It entrusts feelings of parting and longing to the process of peach blossoms blooming and falling, contrasting the blooming and withering of flowers with the changes in human affairs; it is subtle and sorrowfully beautiful. Wonderful! Truly wonderful!"

Others also praised it endlessly, with applause continuing.

Two blushes immediately appeared on Sun Yan'er's face, her heart full of happiness and self-satisfaction.

!

She unconsciously turned her head and glanced at someone in the crowd.

"Why are you looking at me? I refuse to applaud!"

Luo Zijun immediately turned his head away and looked elsewhere.

Is this woman sick?

Ever since they first met, she had looked down on him, and there had long been no connection between them; why was she suddenly acting all strange today when they met?

"Sun Guniang, please come upstairs."

At this time, the young maid Cuimo on the second floor invited her with a smile.

Sun Yan'er expressed her thanks, lowered her head, and entered the restaurant.

Next, Mei Yanqiu walked forward, cupped her hands, and said: "This young woman is Mei Yanqiu of West Lake Academy; I have also come to show my inadequacy."

As the captain of the women for this outing, she naturally could not fall behind others.

"The spring breeze brushes the face, peach blossoms bloom; light pink and soft red reflect on the pavilion. The new buds on the branches are light as a dream; the light rain dyes the fragrance, and the swallows return..."

After finishing, she received a round of praise and was also invited up.

"This young woman is Wu Yao..."

"This young woman is Zhang Liyan..."

"This young woman is Huang Zhaodi..."

Following this, the remaining women all stepped forward one after another to recite their respective poems.

These poems had already been thought of in the peach blossom forest; some had been recited, some were still in their minds, and this was the perfect time to bring them out.

Everyone else had recited; if they didn't, it would naturally be very embarrassing.

Moreover, everyone discovered that as long as one stood out to recite a poem, regardless of whether it was good or bad, they would be invited to the second floor.

It seemed that the noble guest upstairs had intended to invite everyone up from the start.

So the women all set their minds at ease and went out to perform one after another.

Soon, more than ten women had all been invited to the second floor.

The rest were all men.

Although there was enough seating in the first-floor hall, at this time, the male students naturally would not admit defeat.

If they were outdone by the women, how could that be allowed?

Furthermore, these male students were all thinking about going up to the second floor to see exactly which noble from the Inner City was here for an outing.

If they were lucky enough to be noticed by that noble...

Zhang Yitian was the first to stand out, tidied his clothes, and recited his proudest poem in a clear voice.

The result.

The young maid named Cuimo on the second floor shook her head with a smile: "Although Young Master Zhang's poem has flowery language, it lacks interest; you had better go sit on the first floor."

Zhang Yitian's face immediately flushed red.

He wanted to look up and argue a few words, but seeing the few sharp-eyed Han men standing upstairs, and the young maid with bright eyes and white teeth smiling, he feared losing his composure and becoming even more disliked, so he had to give up dejectedly and lower his head to go to the first floor.

At this time, a woman on the second floor said in a low voice: "Sister Tanchun, if a man really does compose a good poem..."

"Then let him come up. If he is truly a man of talent, what is there to avoid? Our Begonia Poetry Society..."

At this moment, a man's voice came from downstairs again.

"I am Huang Beicheng of West Lake Academy..."

Seeing Zhang Yitian fail, Huang Beicheng feared it would affect everyone's morale, so he had no choice but to step out first and recite his own work.

Who would have thought that as soon as he finished, the pleasant voice of that maidservant came from the second floor again: "Young Master Huang's poem has a good intent, but the phrasing is too shallow and cliché. Please go sit on the first floor, Young Master Huang."

Huang Beicheng's face flushed red; he cupped his hands in a salute, lowered his head, and went to the first floor.

Following that, the third and fourth men went out to compete.

Without exception, they all failed.

Only then did the crowd realize that the noble person upstairs might never have intended to let them, these male students, go up.

And Liang Ruhai, the scholar-manager standing at the door, only smiled and stroked his beard, offering no further commentary.

The meaning was so obvious that the remaining men immediately dared not go out and invite humiliation upon themselves.

"Let's go, let's go to the first floor; there's enough seating on the first floor anyway."

Although the crowd felt dissatisfied, they dared not show it and prepared to go straight to the first floor to eat.

However, at this very moment, a voice lacking in vigor suddenly rang out.

"I am Xu Xian of West Lake Academy, here specifically to show my incompetence..."

Hearing this, the crowd was stunned and all stopped in their tracks.

Cuimo, the maidservant on the second floor, was also slightly taken aback, her gaze turning toward the young man who had spoken.

"Xu Xian, shut your mouth!"

Luo Zijun's expression changed, and he directly covered Xu Xian's mouth.

This fellow Xu Xian was suddenly so bold and proactive; could it be that upstairs... there was something attracting him?

"Brother Xu, stop showing your incompetence, let's go, let's go to the first floor to eat!"

Not waiting for Xu Xian to speak again, Luo Zijun grabbed him by the back of the neck, intending to forcibly take him away.

Yet at this moment, Xu Xian suddenly erupted with all his strength, struggling desperately: "Brother Luo, you... let go! Let me recite! Let me recite!"

Seeing him suddenly become so agitated and firm, Luo Zijun felt even more that something was wrong!

"Do you believe I'll beat you?"

Luo Zijun immediately threatened in a low voice.

Who knew that Xu Xian had already made up his mind: "Even if you beat me, I have to recite! Beat me after I recite! Let me recite! Let me recite quickly! I can't hold it in anymore!"

Luo Zijun: "..."

Not good, there really is demonic Qi upstairs!

(End of chapter)