Chapter 61: Intimidation (Part 2)

The Son-in-Law

Literati and scholars, when competing in poetry and prose, fight for their pride. Even if they lose to someone, they must not lose their composure or grace. Gu Yanzhen and others were quite accustomed to such events, usually able to guess the outcome from the very beginning.

Generally, it is said that there is no single best in literature, and slightly weaker poetry isn't usually a major issue. Of course, the current situation was different because Chen Jiwen was present, and the two Su brothers were exceptionally poor at it. So, after their opponent's mocking, when the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were pushed over, Chen Wending and others dared not put pen to paper again, lest they become even more of a laughingstock. If this were outside, a fight might have broken out, but with so many onlookers present at the gathering, brawling would only lead to being dragged away by the soldiers maintaining order. For a moment, their faces flushed red, and they were speechless.

When Li Pin came upstairs and showed that he knew the Su brothers, it seemed impossible for them to escape the situation. Soon after, Chen Jiwen openly issued a challenge. When its details reached their side, Gu Yanzhen, Shen Miao, and others began to smile, finding the boring dispute finally becoming somewhat interesting.

Who knew that within a few sentences, the previously tense parties seemed to have had cold water thrown on them? The standoff continued, but their sharpness appeared to be invisibly suppressed. Li Pin merely exchanged a few greetings and moved aside with his companions, seemingly no longer interfering. The few people who had intended to write poetry hesitated, unable to put pen to paper. Gu Yanzhen had witnessed their poetic talent before, especially Chen Jiwen's; he held his brush, seemingly with some apprehension, as if he had verses ready but kept hesitating to write them down. How could such a thing happen?

They couldn't hear the conversation from the other side, only allowing information to slowly filter over. A strange atmosphere spread among the onlookers. Whispers and pointing ensued. The Su brothers relaxed, but also seemed unsure of their next move, exchanging glances and then looking towards Li Pin.

"Dexin is here, and he's made Chen Jiwen hesitate to write? When has that ever happened?" Gu Yanzhen frowned, though a wave of shock went through him, as he hadn't returned to Jiangning in several years.

Shen Miao shook his head, "He just challenged Dexin; how could he now be unable to write?"

"Perhaps he thought he had a good poem earlier, but now realizes he hasn't fully crafted a line?"

His companion guessed this, and then someone left their seat, "I'll go see."

That person walked around several seats, asked among the whispering crowd, and then looked towards Li Pin and his companions by the window. Realizing something, he returned, smiling, "So that's it. It's not because of Dexin, but the person next to him. Chen Jiwen and his group are really unlucky this time..."

"Who is that young man?"

"Ning Yi."

"...Ning Yi of the Su residence? Ning Liheng?" Shen Miao paused, then chuckled, "Ah, no wonder... It's him who's made Chen Jiwen hesitate for so long. He never participates in social gatherings, so it's no surprise he's not recognized. If I were to go and write poetry, I'd probably be troubled for a long time too. Chen Jiwen is in a predicament, having run into him by chance..."

"Is that Ning Liheng, of 'Shuidiao Getou' and 'Qing Yu An'? I often heard the fame of 'When will the bright moon appear?' in Tokyo, but to this extent..." Gu Yanzhen frowned, first with doubt, then stopped speaking. He watched the scene across from him, pondering the two poetic pieces, filled with uncertainty and surprise.

After hesitating for a long time, Chen Jiwen finally put pen to paper. Those who came with him gathered around as if granted a great pardon, seemingly letting out a sigh of relief. The poem was then taken to the other side, but their gaze remained fixed on the window. Their previous arrogance and continuous mockery had vanished, replaced now by only a few polite formalities. Then, they somewhat nervously awaited the reaction from the other side.

Ning Yi sat by the window, by now somewhat sensing that the entire standoff on this side was not as amicable as he had first perceived. However, this had nothing to do with him; his thoughts were not on it at the moment.

As he went upstairs, there was a glimmer of light outside, as if he had seen something. Yet, upon reflection, he couldn't even be sure himself. It seemed to be just a fleeting impression caught inadvertently; during a lull in his mood, he suddenly recalled a glimpse from that Lantern Festival night when he wrote "Suddenly looking back." Honestly, he hadn't seen the female assassin's appearance then, only noticed her gaze. Now, recalling it, four months had passed, and the image he perceived earlier when he came with Li Pin felt uncertain even to himself.

While he had been moving around the venue earlier, he had actually seen Commandant Song Xian, laughing and chatting with people while accompanied by some personal guards, which also reminded him of the female assassin. Some scenes this evening were similar to those of the Lantern Festival, perhaps giving rise to this extra thought, he judged. Yet, after sitting down, he still found himself looking downstairs, intentionally or unintentionally. As people moved in and out of his sight, that impression grew increasingly faint.

He must have been mistaken.

While he was completely oblivious to the standoff in the teahouse, Chen Jiwen on the other side was indeed hesitating because of the name Ning Liheng. Ning Yi was unfamiliar with his opponent's reputation, but it was impossible for his opponent not to have heard of "Shuidiao Getou" and "Qing Yu An." This was mainly because Ning Yi took an unconventional path, manipulating public opinion and human psychology to the extreme. Others sought fame as scholars through dozens or hundreds of poems, flaunting them at every gathering. Ning Yi, however, only had two poems. The timing was coincidental, the technique involved building up before revealing, coupled with the casual remark "the Taoist recited two poems" and his subsequent low-key demeanor. At most, others could call him a reclusive eccentric with an odd personality, but they could no longer completely ignore his presence.

And hermits, due to their air of mystery, sometimes made people feel even more unable to grasp them.

Chen Jiwen was not without talent; if he had prepared, he certainly could have competed with Li Pin and others. But at that moment, thinking of the other's two poetic works and then his own poem that he had just prepared, he continuously deliberated. Finally, after gritting his teeth and writing it, he still lacked confidence and could only watch for the reaction from the other side.

By the window, Ning Yi didn't pay much attention to their actions, but Li Pin reacted immediately. While Chen Jiwen was writing his poem, Li Pin had roughly inquired about the situation's development, then returned and spoke, smiling. Seeing Chen Jiwen's complex expression on the other side, he finally understood why the other party had spoken that way and couldn't help but chuckle. Then he looked at Su Wending and Su Wenfang, and got up to go over.

At that moment, Chen Jiwen's poem was being brought over. Struggling painfully to utter some polite remarks without causing offense, someone then said, "Young Master Gu Yanzhen and his companions are over there too, hmph, ignorance is ignorance, and the criticism earlier wasn't just from me."

Li Pin glanced towards where Gu Yanzhen and others were. Su Wending and the others quickly handed the poem to him for appraisal. Li Pin held it and smiled, "It seems a bit chaotic just now. I haven't even greeted Miss Tang. How rude of me." These words were primarily directed at Tang Jing, who had been overlooked.

Su Wending and the others only then realized that, having been in such an awkward position earlier, they had completely forgotten about it. Tang Jing hadn't known what to do before, and then suddenly hearing names like Li Pin, and even Ning Yi (Ning Liheng), she widened her eyes, unsure how to greet them. Su Wending hadn't introduced her, leaving a young girl neglected at the side, which was quite pitiful. Only then could she finally pay her respects to Li Pin. Ning Yi had also approached, saying, "It was truly rude of me not to have greeted Miss Tang earlier."

Tang Jing was delighted and quickly bowed, "This humble girl is Tang Jing. Greetings, Young Master Ning. You are too kind; it should have been this humble girl who greeted you first."

"Oh, actually, Miss Tang was dancing on the large central drum earlier, wasn't she? I hadn't realized you knew Wenfang and Wending."

"Did Young Master Ning also see my performance just now?" Tang Jing's face instantly flushed, and she looked at him with wide, somewhat nervous eyes.

"Of course, I saw it; you danced beautifully." Ning Yi nodded with a smile. "Dexin was also here, wasn't he?" Tang Jing was flattered. "Thank you, Young Master Ning, Young Master Li." She then glanced at Su Wending. The tense atmosphere on their side almost immediately dissipated. After quite a while, they began to discuss gathering through literature. Ning Yi looked at the poems on the table, and Li Pin also handed over the one in his hand. "A good poem, Liheng, take a look." He turned and bowed to Chen Jiwen.

Ning Yi finished reading with a smile, nodded, and said, "Yes, a good poem." He also gave a bow. Only then did Chen Jiwen's expression relax, returning the bow without much more to say.

"This one is also a good poem," Ning Yi said shortly after, taking out the poem written by Su Wending, examining it, and then handing it to Tang Jing. "Its value lies in its sincerity, Miss Tang; you should keep it safe."

The few poems on the table were mostly about beautiful women. Ning Yi, however, handed over what was arguably the worst one, and Tang Jing quickly nodded, "Yes," tucking the poem into her bosom.

With these few understated remarks, others, even if they wanted to say something, found themselves at a loss for words.

"...Its value lies in its sincerity?"

Gu Yanzhen had been observing the developments on the other side, listening as news filtered over. He had previously scoffed at the poem, yet now, from the other's mouth, it was declared a good poem, and Tang Jing had carefully placed it in her bosom, making him feel the situation was slightly absurd for a moment. He was also a proud man, confident in his own talent, and this scene felt truly complex to him. He recalled the two poetic works; initially, he thought he wasn't far behind, but after careful consideration, he realized he, too, would likely hesitate before putting pen to paper.

There was no longer any good show to watch from the other side. Chen Jiwen had suddenly lost his edge, and even if he was displeased, he had no superior work to offer as proof. Shen Miao smiled, "Dexin is here too. Shall we go say hello?"

Gu Yanzhen shook his head. "No need. Miaomiao's performance is about to begin. Let's go down first, and we can greet him later... Today's events were certainly interesting."

How the news of Li Pin and Ning Yi's appearance at Wenmo Tower, causing Chen Jiwen to hesitate from writing, would spread by tomorrow was hard to say. For Ning Yi, it might just be a minor incident; his thoughts weren't on it at the moment. But for Tang Jing, Su Wending, and others, it was a significant event, especially for Tang Jing. Her reputation was still minimal, and seeing Li Pin and Ning Yi, who even praised her dancing, filled her with indescribable emotions.

Everyone chatted upstairs for a while. When Xiao Chan brought some snacks, Ning Yi saw Song Xian's figure appear downstairs, leisurely strolling with a few soldiers, then disappearing to the other side of his vision. He frowned, then stood up.

"I have to go down for a moment; I'll be back up soon."

"Huh?" Xiao Chan was just putting a small crystal bun into her mouth. She looked up, patting herself, intending to follow. Ning Yi, however, smiled and patted her shoulder. "No need to come with me. You stay up here and eat something. I'll be right back; we still have to watch the performance together later. Brother Li, gentlemen, if anything happens, don't wait for me."

After speaking, he turned and went downstairs.

Some things, he felt, always needed to be confirmed for peace of mind...

Meanwhile, in a crowd not far from Wenmo Tower, Gu Yanzhen had detached himself from his group, somewhat perplexed, and was following a young man in a black robe who was a short distance ahead. That young man in black robes was tall and slender, holding a folding fan and wearing a scholar's headscarf. From a distance, he appeared quite refined, the type of handsome young man likely to attract women's attention. At that moment, he was walking, looking left and right, seemingly keeping an eye out for someone...