Chapter 44: Literary Gathering

A red invitation, tied with a bright yellow braided cord, was adorned inside with gold leaf featuring auspicious cloud patterns. It exuded a certain grandiosity but lacked the refined elegance of a scholar.

This young lord is truly fond of entertaining guests. He hosted a literary gathering just yesterday, and another one today.

Chen Ji returned to the clinic with the invitation. Liu Quxing approached him. “What a beautiful invitation… But regarding the invitation from Chunhua, it might be best if you don’t go.” As he spoke, he instinctively glanced at She Dengke, muttering quietly, “I don’t mean anything else; I just want to warn Chen Ji that there might be danger.”

She Dengke lowered his head and said nothing.

At that moment, Liang Gou’er also came over, a strong scent of alcohol emanating from him as he got closer. “It’s this afternoon’s literary gathering… Why did they only send you the invitation this morning?”

She Dengke asked in a muffled voice, “Is there a problem?”

Liang Gou’er explained triumphantly, “Of course there’s a problem! Hosting a banquet traditionally involves ‘three invitations.’ The first invitation is sent three days before the banquet; the second is delivered on the morning of the banquet itself; and the third, a final invitation, is sent one hour before the banquet begins. Sending an invitation three days in advance is considered a proper ‘invitation,’ but inviting someone on the same day is called ‘grabbing a guest,’ which means you’re just a filler guest for the gathering!”

“Oh,” Chen Ji nodded, but he didn’t seem to mind.

Liang Gou’er immediately added, “If you go to such a last-minute ‘filler guest’ banquet, people will look down on you. How about I go in your place?”

Chen Ji replied, “...Your intentions are practically written all over your face.” He looked at Liu Quxing and She Dengke. “As Senior Brother Liu said, I previously offended Concubine Jing when I was consulting at the Evening Star Pavilion. This time, I need to go and clear up the misunderstanding with her. You two don’t need to go; I’ll go alone.”

The backyard fell silent. Liu Quxing’s resolve wavered, but She Dengke took a step forward, saying, “I’ll go with you. If anything happens, I can at least help out.” After speaking, She Dengke turned to Liu Quxing. “Are you going or not?”

Liu Quxing’s gaze darted around. “Why are you looking at me like that… Of course I’m going! Don’t make it sound like you’re the only righteous one. It’s just that we don’t have any suitable, presentable clothes for a banquet. Those people will be scholars and high officials; we’d look so shabby if we went like this… I’m not making excuses, I’m saying we should buy some clothes this morning so we can go respectably.”

She Dengke said flatly, “I don’t have any money.”

Liu Quxing gritted his teeth, “I’ll lend it to you first; you can pay me back next month!”

Liang Gou’er, watching from the side, clicked his tongue in wonder. “Three brothers moving forward and retreating together—I actually see a touch of jianghu spirit in you all. How rare, how rare.”

Liang Mao’er, worried that Chen Ji might no longer want to learn swordsmanship, hastily added, “Practice your swordsmanship diligently with my brother, and perhaps your legends will also be told in the jianghu in the future.”

However, Liang Gou’er playfully undercut him. “Mao’er, what you just said is unlucky. How can there be living legends in the jianghu? Only the dead become legends. Young lads, the chivalrous spirit of the jianghu has long been broken; don’t listen to my brother’s nonsense.”

Liang Mao’er pushed Liang Gou’er into the house, saying, “Brother, please say less!”

In the late afternoon, Liu Quxing was dressed in a well-fitted blue long gown, his hair neatly gathered by a net cap, wearing a pleated cap with a cherry blossom design, and Chen Qiao shoes on his feet. Chen Ji observed him. This attire, surprisingly, gave the shifty-eyed Liu Quxing the appearance of an official, especially the black gauze cap on his head, which suited him remarkably well.

She Dengke’s attire was simpler. Like Chen Ji, he only wore a hairpin in his hair, and his clothes were simply newly purchased cloth garments.

The three arrived at the side gate of the prince’s residence and presented their invitations. Upon seeing the invitations, a robust servant immediately led the way respectfully towards the Flying White Pond in the back garden. Along the way, the servant reminded them, “Guests are requested to remain only in the back garden and not to trespass into the ladies’ quarters.” Liu Quxing quickly replied, “Don’t worry, Ma’am, we won’t.”

As they walked deeper into the garden, the three could hear from afar the spirited discussions of scholars and refined guests amidst the sounds of stringed and wind instruments.

One person declared loudly, “If you ask me, the cavalry of the Jing Dynasty are nothing to fear. It’s already autumn, and they’ve been dragging on without being able to break through the Chongli Pass. Their men and horses are exhausted, and they will retreat soon. If they truly try to breach the pass, our Great Ning’s cannons and firearms will ensure they pay dearly.”

“Exactly! The greatest threat to our nation’s stability is not the Jing Dynasty, but the eunuch faction! If I succeed in the imperial examinations this time, I will surely present before His Majesty the ills of the eunuch faction’s interference in government!”

“With Brother Lin’s great talent, he is sure to win first place in the provincial examination this time and then become the top scholar in the palace examination!”

The first speaker quickly said modestly, “This year’s provincial top scholar will undoubtedly be Chen Wenzong. For the past three years at Donglin Academy, he has been the teachers’ pride and joy.”

Liu Quxing muttered quietly, “They’re all so full of themselves, bragging about being top scholars. Is there enough to go around?”

They saw dozens of low tables set up by the Flying White Pond, with bamboo mats spread on the ground, and scholars and refined gentlemen all seated on the mats. Not far away, six small wooden gazebos had been erected. Curtains hung from the gazebos, shielding those inside from public view, suggesting that ladies were seated within them.

Liu Quxing quietly asked the guiding servant, “Excuse me, Ma’am, are there any young ladies from prominent families here today?” The servant replied, “To inform Your Honor, seven or eight young noblewomen have arrived.”

Upon being addressed as ‘Your Honor,’ Liu Quxing immediately straightened his back, adjusted his clothes, and then took a seat at an empty low table. He said in a low voice, “My mother told me that usually, during such literary gatherings, the heads of various families bring their wives and eligible daughters, who observe from behind curtains to see if there are any suitable candidates for marriage. If one is truly chosen, it could save them ten years of detours in life.”

Chen Ji remarked, “Senior Brother Liu, you truly don’t want to take any detours in life, do you?”

The low tables were arranged in three rows, apparently to determine seating based on social status: who sat in the middle and who sat at the back. The three sat side by side in the last row. She Dengke looked around, searching for Chunhua, while Liu Quxing discreetly poked Chen Ji with his finger: “Look at the first row opposite us—your two legitimate elder brothers.”

Chen Ji looked over, and indeed saw Chen Wenzong sitting upright, discussing his views with others, hoping the court would encourage free speech and invigorate officialdom. Even amidst the crowd of talented scholars, he stood out like a bright pearl, easily noticeable at a glance. Looking towards the gazebos, it seemed several girls were peering through the curtains towards Chen Wenzong. Then he looked at his other legitimate elder brother, Chen Wenxiao, who was slouching, his gaze drifting aimlessly. He hadn’t seemed particularly out of place when he was on horseback earlier, but now he was overshadowed by Chen Wenzong.

As he was observing, Chen Wenzong’s gaze met Chen Ji’s. Chen Wenzong smiled and nodded in acknowledgment, treating him simply as an ordinary guest attending the literary gathering, without paying him much more attention.