Chapter 19: Self-Hanging on the Southeast Branch

Since the Mid-Autumn Festival night when "Shuidiao Getou" was revealed by Xiao Chan, Ning Yi had been staying home, reading books and feigning illness for several days. When bored, he would play Gobang with Xiao Chan. Today was his first day out. In the morning, he attended classes at the academy. In the afternoon, he picked up some wooden boards that he had previously had whitewashed, then bought some charcoal sticks. He came directly here, where Elder Qin and Kang Xian happened to be present.

Ning Yi had no psychological hang-ups about using poetry. He considered the poems he knew to be excellent strategic resources in this era. If he ever became restless and wanted to accomplish something in the future, using them could greatly enhance his reputation through promotion and hype. However, revealing them now would only satisfy a little vanity, which he found pointless.

Scholars and literati of this period spoke and acted with frequent classical allusions. If one truly wanted to gain fame, they would inevitably be tested. Quick wit in such situations couldn't be achieved by merely memorizing all Tang and Song poetry. Ning Yi could explain works like the Analects and The Great Learning in vernacular, even offering fresh insights, but he lacked talent in other academic areas. Releasing the lyrics now was perhaps a bit premature, but since it had happened, he accepted it with nonchalance, given his personality.

For him, this was not a major issue; there were countless ways to solve problems, whether by unconventional or conventional means. The day before yesterday, Elder Su and Su Boyong had called him and Su Tan'er to inquire about it. He casually made up a few excuses, claiming the lyrics weren't his, but then something went wrong... Elder Su looked at him for a long time before just smiling and saying, "Since things have come to this, it's best to keep it a secret externally..." The old man was astute; whether he believed Ning Yi or not was another matter. However, if Ning Yi were truly a great talent, the Su family's position would indeed be awkward, and everyone was currently speculating.

Being a talented scholar was nowhere near as comfortable as being a live-in son-in-law. He didn't have to do much, bear responsibility, or deal with high expectations, so there was no pressure. Elder Su even looked out for him. Only a fool would want to escape such a life. After finally enjoying several months of leisure, he was determined to cling to his identity as a live-in son-in-law until something significant happened. He found his own thoughts amusing, though he knew that if he told anyone, even Xiao Chan probably wouldn't believe him.

He knew there would be rumors circulating within a few days and could roughly guess their nature. However, when Xiao Chan told him about the Quiescent Water Poetry Gathering, he was startled by Kang Xian's name and couldn't help but laugh. He had known before that the old man was not simple, but he never realized he was so renowned.

After taking a few days of much-needed rest, he temporarily put the matter aside and returned to his normal life. This morning, during his lecture, visitors came to Yushan Academy. They were Yu Zixing, who had been reprimanded by Elder Kang, and several other literati, who had come to apologize.

In a sense, Yu Zixing's reputation as a scholar was largely ruined by Kang Xian's reprimand at the poetry gathering; it was truly an undeserved misfortune. However, Kang Xian still valued his talent and spoke with him privately before leaving, offering earnest guidance. Yu Zixing later found time to apologize, and once this became known, it would somewhat enhance his good name, as admitting mistakes and making amends can also be considered a form of commendation.

Since they had an agenda, Ning Yi briefly played along, staging a scene of mutual respect. As for their invitations to student gatherings at various venues that evening, he casually declined them. He then bid farewell to the scholars and left to retrieve the whitewashed wooden boards.

"Zixing is a decent person ethically, and his talent, while not top-tier, is certainly excellent," Kang Xian said with a smile. "It's just that your 'Shuidiao Getou' is truly exceptional. Once this lyric is out, I fear no one will dare write moon poetry for the Qin Huai Mid-Autumn Festival for years. I truly never imagined that an unlearned fellow like you would possess such poetic talent."

"I've already said I don't understand poetry," Ning Yi said, taking a sip of tea. "When I was young, a ragged traveling Taoist priest passed by my house and recited this poem, so I memorized it. That's all there is to it..."

He had told Elder Su the same story. Elder Qin burst out laughing. "I doubt even a three-year-old child would believe that explanation."

Kang Xian also said, "This fellow is too lazy; he needs a good scolding... But the reputation of a talented scholar seems quite useful. That woman just now, with her excellent appearance and temperament, walked with you and seemed to be enjoying your conversation. If a match could be made, haha, young man, you'd have to thank this old man profusely..."

Given Ning Yi's status as a live-in son-in-law, it was certainly not easy for him to pursue women; Kang Xian was merely being playful and teasing. Ning Yi then explained the incident of saving someone before the Mid-Autumn Festival, which clarified the situation for them. At this point, the game between the two had finished. The three sat resting on the side. Elder Qin picked up his teacup, nodded, and became interested in something else: "Writing? So you intend to write on this whiteboard with charcoal sticks for use in the academy?"

"Yes, a sand table allows too few characters to be written at once and is quite troublesome to use. Ultimately, writing like this is more convenient and intuitive."

In terms of teaching, all lessons at that time involved writing on a sand table. Often, after writing a single character, the sand table had to be leveled again. Teachers merely demonstrated how to write characters. With most knowledge being orally transmitted, students were required to pay close attention while the teacher spoke and then painstakingly record the lectures based on their own understanding after the teacher finished. It was quite difficult for students who weren't exceptionally intelligent or diligent to keep up with the pace of instruction.

Of course, to people like Elder Qin and Elder Kang, this teaching method had been practiced for over a thousand years, so they naturally found nothing wrong with it. Scholarship was for the elite, and how could one become elite without enduring hardship? This very process was a form of test. Elder Qin picked up a charcoal stick and drew on the whiteboard, then frowned.

"The sand table is soft, and writing on it with a twig is similar to using a brush. But charcoal is difficult to write with. This kind of change might not be suitable."

Just now, Nie Yunzhu had only focused on how the characters were written. Elder Qin, however, had a different perspective. With just two strokes, he raised an objection: a teacher not using brush techniques in class could be a minor or major issue. Elder Kang then came over, tried it himself, and frowned, saying, "This matter requires caution." If Ning Yi were his disciple, he might have already given him a severe dressing-down, sternly pointing out the seriousness of the issue like a thunderclap.

Ning Yi naturally understood their concerns. He smiled, squatted down, and picked up a charcoal stick himself. "It's not a big problem. Writing is primarily for cultivating temperament. Besides, these character styles actually share some commonalities with brush calligraphy. If it's merely for recording, there's no harm in being more flexible; it's just... another perspective."

After saying this, he reached out and began to write. He wrote "Crimson hands, yellow wine" in regular script, then switched to clerical script for "Outside the long pavilion, by the ancient road, a line of egrets ascends to the blue sky."

After these two lines, the script changed to Song typeface: "Three mountains half vanish beyond the azure sky."

The Song typeface had not yet appeared. Elder Qin and Elder Kang exchanged glances. To illustrate this point, a more impactful method was better. Ning Yi had always preferred a subtle yet powerful approach when discussing business or promoting products. The next line transitioned to a beautiful and elegant Slender Gold script: "Two rivers divide Egret Isle."

Next, he switched to cursive script: "There is a beauty in the northwest, who hangs herself from a southeast branch."

Then, in italic bold: "To see a thousand miles further, hang yourself from a southeast branch."

The whiteboard was only so big. After writing these, he put away the charcoal stick and asked, "How is it?" Elder Qin and Elder Kang had already burst into laughter and curses.

"The calligraphy is passable, but the poetry is pure nonsense..."

"It's an insult to scholarship, infuriating..."

"Your temperament is truly too lazy, haha, what kind of poems are these..."

While they spoke, their eyes never left the white board. Occasionally, they would recite a line and offer a comment.

"A beauty in the northwest... Truly unlearned! It's clearly 'A beauty in the north, peerless and independent,' from the Book of Han. And then 'hangs herself from a southeast branch,' haha, do you really think 'northwest' rhymes with 'southeast'..."

"Elder Kang is indeed insightful."

"If you were my disciple, I'd have someone beat you with a stick! How dare you casually defile classic works of ancient sages? 'To see a thousand miles further,' but still 'hang yourself from a southeast branch'? Aren't you afraid Wang Zhihuan will turn into a vengeful ghost to settle accounts with you! Every line says 'hang yourself from a southeast branch'; 'Peacocks Fly Southeast' is truly unlucky. Did that southeast branch ever bother you?"

"Haha, it's just that one day I suddenly felt that if poems were pieced together like this, they might have a unique flavor. Don't you agree, Elder Kang? 'There is a beauty in the northwest, who hangs herself from a southeast branch. Looking up at the bright moon, hangs herself from a southeast branch. No one is seen in the empty mountain, hangs herself from a southeast branch. All ancient sages were lonely, only hanging themselves from a southeast branch. Who has ever escaped death since ancient times? Better to hang oneself from a southeast branch...'"

Elder Kang shook his head. "When it comes to ancient sages, one must be rigorous." His words held a touch of amusement but also a hint of warning. Elder Qin, meanwhile, was looking at something else and then said, "When will the bright moon..." Elder Kang interjected, "Most likely, it will also have to hang itself from a southeast branch..." and laughed.

Elder Qin then took the charcoal stick and pointed to the first few lines. "These are also pieced together, though I don't know their origin. I suppose they must be Liheng's old works, haha. 'Crimson hands, yellow wine'... The following lines don't connect well. 'Two orioles sing among the green willows' and 'A line of egrets ascends to the blue sky' should be a single line... And 'Three mountains half vanish beyond the azure sky, Two rivers divide Egret Isle'... What beautiful imagery, that must be another poem..."

He circled these lines with the charcoal stick, isolating "Crimson hands, yellow wine" and "Outside the long pavilion, by the ancient road." After a brief look, he drew another line in the middle, apparently thinking these two lines were also not from the same piece. Kang Xian also nodded. "They should be two separate pieces." Then he looked at Ning Yi. Ning Yi was somewhat impressed. If he had seen these twelve characters under such circumstances, he might have recognized them as lines from a single poem, as they were quite neatly arranged, and lyrical works were typically long enough to accommodate such transitions. These twelve characters were not easy to separate, yet the two elders instinctively distinguished them.

"These should be four poems then. I wonder if you have the complete poems, or if these are just fragments you coincidentally acquired?" Elder Qin looked at Ning Yi and asked.