Chapter 193: Unexpected Events

“I have often heard of Li Heng’s talent at the Prince’s Manor, but unfortunately, he did not attend the last gathering, and I have never had the chance to meet him. I was truly regretful. Meeting him today, I realize Li Heng is indeed a gifted young man, and his reputation is well-deserved. Old Zhang and I were planning to go to the East Market to look for a fine Duan inkstone. Might I ask where Li Heng and the little Princess are headed?”

“It is just that the Princess is nearing her coming-of-age ceremony; moving about outside like this is always a bit improper…”

It was only early February, and Jin’er’s shop had only been open for a few days, but business was quite booming. However, it was thankfully after lunchtime, and there were still private rooms available on the second floor. When Ning Yi, Zhou Pei, Song Qian, and the two men, Zhang and Li, arrived together, the main hall downstairs seemed rather lively. Ning Yi did not know if Yunzhu and Jin’er were present, but since he was with outsiders, he saw no need to seek them out. He simply settled into a room upstairs to drink tea and converse.

The room was exquisitely decorated, and its location was excellent. Opening the back window would have provided a panoramic view of the Qinhuai River, but as the weather was still cold, the windows could not be opened. Several potted plants were placed around, and a few ink paintings and poem manuscripts adorned the walls, creating a strong scholarly atmosphere. After everyone had taken their seats, the female attendants served tea and refreshments, and Zhang and Li began to speak.

Li Tong, who was slightly plump, wore a pleasant smile. Among the two, he essentially played the good cop, warmly attempting to put Ning Yi at ease. Zhang Rui, on the other hand, with his established status and age, directly frowned and questioned Ning Yi. In truth, both men likely harbored envy and resentment. Although Li Tong had a reputation for talent, he had little interaction with Zhou Pei and Zhou Junwu during his years in the Prince’s Manor. Zhang Rui, while having taught the siblings some things and thus holding a master-disciple title, could never arrange for them to attend classes at an academy like Ning Yi did, nor could he often take them on excursions here and there. Their relationships were simply too different.

Zhou Pei was an independent-minded girl. In the past, she would likely have been annoyed by Zhang Rui’s remark that it was "improper for the Princess, nearing her coming-of-age, to move about outside like this." But today’s situation was different.

Having just competed with Ning Yi that morning, and with her crying on the side having been witnessed, Little Zhou Pei felt secretly delighted that the two masters were clearly there to challenge her teacher. She didn't mind at all the old master’s comment about her lack of freedom to go out. Her stomach was already a bit hungry, and her appetite increased significantly. She grabbed a pastry and munched on it, feigning the posture of an obedient student who respected her teacher and listened to instruction, wishing she could nod vigorously. On the other hand, she was anticipating Ning Yi using some twisted logic to refute the two masters. Of course, at this point, their conversation was still developing, and Ning Yi merely smiled and replied that he was going to the Prince Consort’s manor to deliver some items, and was taking Zhou Pei along the way.

Li Tong nodded with a smile. "The Prince Consort's manor... Is that Minister Ming's residence? I heard Li Heng has quite a good relationship with Minister Ming?"

"We are chess friends."

"I presume Li Heng's chess skill is quite high. I happen to have some experience myself. Perhaps another day, when you are free, we could arrange a time for a game of chess."

While Li Tong offered pleasantries, Zhang Rui glanced at a corner of the room. "Are those the items Li Heng intends to send to Minister Ming's residence?"

Ning Yi glanced at him. "Old Zhang recognizes them?"

"Those must be military fire lances. May I ask where Li Heng obtained them?"

Zhang Rui frowned, and Ning Yi briefly explained. These fire lances were originally obtained from Kang Xian for Ning Yi’s research. The technology for fire lances was not particularly advanced, and he had already largely understood them. Keeping too many in his small courtyard was useless, and two of them were already broken. Although Kang Xian had significant influence in covert circles, fire lances were, after all, military items. Ning Yi felt it would be better to return some and have Lu Agui officially report their status, so he brought them along, intending to deliver them.

By this point, they had exchanged a few words, and the topic had suddenly shifted to guns. Zhou Pei, munching on her pastry, looked around, somewhat confused. The conversation was supposed to have turned to literary talent and poetry, with the three of them engaging in a competition—first some provocation, then the two masters challenging Ning Liheng in a literary battle with drinking games, poetry, and essays. That becoming a fine anecdote was the development she had anticipated in her heart.

Now, hearing Zhang and Li discuss trivial matters concerning Kang Xian, Zhang Rui said, "I have seen those fire lances a few times. Such objects are truly repulsive. Placed in the army, they are like a chicken’s rib—ingenious but useless tricks, harmful and without benefit. I have heard several times that Li Heng is interested in these things, which is truly improper. Li Heng should focus on his studies and devote his mind to beneficial matters. Otherwise, he will inevitably harm himself."

Zhou Pei's eyes widened into perfect circles, as if in a sudden gasp. She held her pastry with both hands, shifted her bottom back, and sat up straight and cautiously, her eyes darting around, observing Ning Yi’s and the others’ expressions. With pursed lips, she looked like a rabbit, awaiting Ning Yi's rebuttal. Yet, Ning Yi merely smiled, cupped a hand in salute, and said, "Old Zhang speaks truly."

With no fire ignited, the rabbit's ears drooped. She had heard Kang Xian speak of Ning Yi’s temperament before: her teacher was the type who could politely apologize a hundred times and nod a thousand times for something, but would absolutely never change his actions. If Grandfather Qin or Grandfather Prince Consort were here today, he might genuinely debate with them. But these two clearly failed to arouse his fighting spirit, and he simply went along with it and nodded.

However, even though Ning Yi was willing to concede, the other side was not necessarily willing to let go. Zhang Rui shook his head. "Li Heng is young and impetuous, and perhaps dismisses what I say. But what I am referring to is not actually about the fire weapon itself. In my view, these fire weapons merely make a loud noise when fired, which can scare people. Their range is inferior to bows and arrows, their accuracy is extremely low, and reloading them between shots is exceedingly troublesome. After firing a few rounds, they may explode and injure the user, and they cannot be used in the rain. Their only benefit is that because they are gunpowder-fired, even a child or an old man can use them if they aim in the general direction. But... that is also their greatest drawback."

Although this old man clearly held a challenging attitude, he was no fool; he understood the fire lances quite well. "What benefit is there in placing a weapon a child can use in the military? What our Wu Dynasty soldiers lack is never these strange and bizarre objects, but military morale and spirit. Think of the Jurchen clan, who, with fewer numbers, could decisively defeat the Liao army. Our Wu Dynasty soldiers, however, flee at the mere sight of the Liao people. Are people truly so different? I have seen Jurchens; they are not creatures with three heads and six arms. Our Wu Dynasty soldiers today are cowardly and only know how to seek pleasure. Only through harsh criticism and strict training, awakening their courage and fighting spirit, can there be hope of victory. If these things are placed in the army, they will only make the military more useless. Even if the power of these fire weapons were doubled, they would still be harmful and useless!"

"That makes sense," Ning Yi nodded. This time, he was not being perfunctory; he genuinely agreed with some of what the other man said.

"As Heaven maintains vigor through movement, so must a gentleman constantly strive for self-perfection. These ingenious but useless tricks can only lead people to laziness and degeneration. What the sages said is all profound truth. I heard that Li Heng is interested in these matters, which is harmless for a young person. But now Li Heng is a teacher and a role model. To hear that he is even letting the young prince learn these things—that is perhaps going too far…"

Zhang Rui had a master-disciple relationship with Zhou Pei and Zhou Junwu, and although it wasn’t particularly close, he knew that the young prince had recently developed an interest in the "investigation of things." While this might fool ordinary people, in the eyes of these elders, it was truly nothing more than ingenious but useless tricks and craftsman’s studies. The old man changed the subject, finally getting to the heart of the matter. Li Tong, however, was unclear, frowning. "With Li Heng's talent, surely he wouldn't stoop to this, would he? I don't understand what Old Zhang is referring to…"

The atmosphere in the room now finally became strange; in a sense, it had finally reached the main point. Zhou Pei bit into her pastry, frowning as she looked at Ning Yi, sensing that the matter had become tricky. If rumors spread from the Prince's Manor later about Old Man Zhang reprimanding Ning Liheng, she would feel that she had lost face. At this moment, she worried about what words Ning Yi would use to argue back.

As Zhang Rui and Li Tong spoke back and forth, someone suddenly knocked on the door. Moments later, a veiled woman entered carrying a tea tray. She was not a mere servant of the restaurant. The woman had an extremely beautiful figure, and her eyes behind the veil were lively. She appeared to be at least a manager of the restaurant. She smiled and exchanged a few polite words, then replenished the tea and pastries before turning to leave. Li Tong seemed to recall something, staring blankly at the woman's retreating figure, for a moment forgetting to criticize Ning Yi. Zhou Pei, however, recognized her. She had seen her at Zhuji's main branch; this was Yuan Jin'er, the courtesan who had since bought her freedom, and she knew her teacher.

Indeed, after the woman left, Ning Yi also stood up with a smile. "You two continue chatting; I'll step out for a moment."

After saying his goodbyes, Ning Yi left the room. Sure enough, in the corridor nearby, Yuan Jin'er was secretly peeking in their direction. Previously, when she came here to oversee workers, she didn't mind her appearance being seen. But now, acting as the owner of Jin'er’s shop, she had become more reserved, keeping her face veiled behind a scarf to maintain an air of mystery. As Ning Yi approached, she said, "You've been very busy lately. Why did you come over?"

"Just passing by. Where's Yunzhu?"

"Sister Yunzhu was just upstairs, but now I can't find her either. I don't know if she was called out for something. I heard from Xiaomin that you seemed to have arrived, so I came to see. Besides that little girl, who are the others who came with you?"

"Scholars who love to argue."

"Scholars?" Jin'er blinked. Ning Yi nodded. "Very famous ones."

"No wonder… I think I've seen that fat man before…"

As they spoke, a noisy clamor, mixed with the sound of a performance on a zither, drifted from the first-floor hall. Jin'er seemed to have something on her mind, looking out the window facing the street from the second floor several times. Ning Yi also leaned out to glance; it was nothing more than a street with pedestrians coming and going. "What are you looking at?"

"Uh… nothing, none of your business. Go argue with those two scholars." She thought for a moment, then hummed lightly. "Honestly, it's not fun when you men compete without women present. Ultimately, it's all about showing off in front of women. Why don't I send someone in later to watch your verbal sparring? Two sisters from Yancui Tower are here today; they're beauties, you know. You wouldn't want Sister Yunzhu to accompany them, even though she would definitely be biased towards you…"

Yuan Jin’er’s casual remarks about men showing off for women were indeed spot-on. In truth, there was nothing to debate today. Zhang Rui and his ilk had their own logical system, well-honed and unassailable. If the discussion were about the qualitative impact of technological advancements, someone like Old Qin, with whom they had known for some time, might seriously consider it, but these men would not.

Even if both sides were sincere, there was no possibility of convincing each other, rendering such a conversation meaningless. Ning Yi, however, did plan to list out detailed data regarding "ingenious but useless tricks" upon his return to "persuade" the two, simply because he was bored anyway.

He went downstairs to the latrine to wash his hands and then returned. The data was already compiled in his mind. Just as he entered the second-floor corridor, something unexpected happened.

Noisy sounds mixed with music came from behind. Ning Yi was walking towards his room when footsteps rushed from behind, then pushed his shoulder.

Zhuji’s Second Branch was spacious, and the corridor was not narrow. The person who pushed Ning Yi was clearly in a great hurry. Ning Yi, for his part, didn't mind. The person was a burly, tall man, seemingly from the North based on his attire. He walked directly into a room with an open door just ahead.

"That's him…"

The man had uttered these words. As Ning Yi walked past, someone inside closed the door. A few faint sounds of conversation emerged. Ning Yi did not pay much attention at first. He looked at the bend in the corridor ahead, where Yuan Jin’er was no longer visible. She seemed to be in a mood today, but he didn't know why… As he thought this, his steps suddenly halted. Moments later, he tapped his fingers twice at his side.

Since he had self-studied the second-rate internal martial arts taught by Lu Hongti, his physical condition had significantly improved, and his hearing was sharper. As he walked past just now, he seemed to have faintly heard phrases like "by Qin Siyuan's side… guard…", but he couldn't be sure. Now, stepping back two paces, he concentrated and faintly heard some fragmented sentences.

"...Are you sure you want to do it?"

"...Just the right opportunity…"

"...Too hasty…"

"First, ensure everything is in order. After it's done, leave the city immediately…"

What was going on?

Someone in that room had a louder voice, making it a bit clearer to hear, but he still couldn't piece together the full picture. The people inside exchanged a few more words. Ning Yi took a step forward, and then the door opened. The people who emerged seemed to glance at him before heading towards the corridor exit. When Ning Yi looked back, he saw one person who was tall and thin, wearing a large animal fur coat, while the other looked like a young nobleman. Both walked with remarkably steady steps.

Ning Yi thought for a moment, then also turned back and walked over.

Emerging from the corridor, there was a platform next to the stairs, from which one could see the situation in the main hall. The two people who had come out of the room stood there, looking down. The main hall's liveliness had somewhat diminished now, with performers hired from Yancui Tower on stage. Ning Yi stood beside the two men, glanced down, then waved to a waiter, asked for the name of the girl performing on stage, and without another look, turned and left.

At a table on one side of the hall, Nie Yunzhu was accompanying Old Qin, speaking with a waiter. There was nothing on the table yet, indicating that Old Qin had just arrived and sat down recently. Ning Yi had heard the old man say a few days ago, at Old Qin's residence, that he would come to visit Zhuji’s Second Branch once it opened and he had time.

The direction those two men had been watching just moments ago was precisely this one.

Inside the room, Zhang Rui was talking with Zhou Pei. Zhang Rui and Li Tong’s explanation for Ning Yi’s departure would likely be that he had fled in disarray, but Zhou Pei knew this was not the case. Ning Yi and Yuan Jin’er’s departure ignited her gossip-loving heart, making her wish she could chase after them and sneak a peek. After all, one was the foremost scholar, and the other a former head of the Four Great Courtesans; perhaps there truly was a romantic and poignant love story between them. However, she disliked the thought of Ning Yi losing face, and she was still a bit sulky about the morning’s events, so she did not follow them out. She simply waited for Ning Yi to return and regain lost ground – there was no doubt in her mind that her teacher could recover; she just didn’t know what theory he would use.

Zhang Rui was happily delivering his criticisms aimed at Ning Yi, adopting the air of earnestly instructing Zhou Pei. His primary aim was to guide the clever little Princess back to the right path and help her recognize who was the better teacher. Li Tong, meanwhile, was thinking that when Ning Yi returned, he would have nothing to say. However, this matter was also a bit strange. Scholars always vied to prove themselves, and if someone said they were wrong, they would never admit it. But today, Ning Yi had shown no temper, merely smiling and saying, "You make a good point," which was truly frustrating. When he returned, they would have to speak more severely. If word of this spread later, it had to be clear that Ning Liheng had lost face. He then recalled that the shop was called Jin’er’s Shop, and the woman who looked very much like Yuan Jin’er, and for a moment, his thoughts drifted to that.

Soon after, the room door finally opened, and Ning Yi returned. First, he quietly spoke a few words to Song Qian, the Prince’s Manor guard who sat to the side as if invisible. Song Qian frowned and left with a serious expression. Ning Yi then approached the others. Li Tong smiled. "Li Heng, Old Zhang and I have just discussed some more ideas…"

Zhang Rui frowned. "It's more than just ideas, Li Heng. I truly believe this matter is quite serious and concerns the young prince's future. It cannot be taken lightly. You must provide an explanation in the next few days. Otherwise, not only will this spread throughout the Prince's Manor, but I will also advise the Prince. This matter is not specifically against you, however… however…"

The old man did not finish speaking; he blinked. Li Tong’s eyes also widened. Zhou Pei, tucked in her seat, was still munching on her pastry, her mouth open, unable to take another bite for a moment. Ning Yi did not respond to either of them. He looked back at the door, then from a corner of the room, picked up the long bundle containing five fire lances. He placed the bundle on the table, unwrapped it, picked up a gun, untied a small powder packet, poured the gunpowder into the barrel, and used a long iron ramrod to tamp it down, beginning to load the weapon.

At this moment, Ning Yi stood there, engrossed in his task, having lost all interest in the boring debate. Across the round table, Zhang Rui and Li Tong sat, not knowing what this man was about to do. Ning Yi loaded one gun, then thought and proceeded to load another. As his gaze swept across their faces, he even offered them a benevolent smile, though the corner of his eye flickered towards the door. Of course, Zhang Rui and Li Tong were currently too stunned to notice such subtle movements.

"You… you…" Li Tong swallowed hard. "A gent—a gentleman uses his words, not his hands…" He stammered out the phrase, unable to continue. Who debates like this? To think he would shoot them because they said his "ingenious but useless tricks" were useless…

Ning Yi took out a fire starter from his person, opened it and shook it a few times in his hand, then blew it alight. He then covered it and put it away. He wrapped up the two loaded fire lances, carrying them on his back in a way that allowed him to draw them quickly, then took a deep breath.

"Something is happening outside. You two stay inside for a while… perhaps it's a mistake…" He thought for a moment, then added, "I hope it's a mistake…"