CHAPTER 433: 338, NONE WILL_2

Anything related to salt is a big business.

At this moment, Qi Zhenzhuo secretly glanced at Chen Ji: "Master, speaking of talent and appearance, I have a younger sister named Qi Zhaoning, who from a young age is skilled in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, excelling both in looks and talent, though her temperament is a bit unruly... But her nature isn’t bad and she’ll definitely moderate herself after marriage."

Chen Ji made a sound of acknowledgment but said nothing.

Qi Zhenzhuo lowered his voice: "Master, you’re also at the age for marriage. Do you fancy any lady?"

Chen Ji paused in his steps: "No."

Qi Zhenzhuo laughed heartily and enthusiastically pulled Chen Ji through layers of courtyards.

...

...

The Qi family residence also has a poetic name, Koi Garden.

This Literary Meeting takes place right in the center of Koi Garden. The Qi family has developed a large pond here, upon which stands the multi-storied Pellucid Tower.

The pavilion resembles a cabin and is shaped like a pleasure boat, brightly lit.

Qi Zhenzhuo dragged Chen Ji into the Pellucid Tower, and in the main hall, they saw dozens of people sitting on their knees, talking and laughing robustly, their laughter not particularly original, much like the hearty voices of all officials.

As the two stepped across the threshold, all conversations suddenly stopped, and everyone looked over at once.

They first looked at their clothes, then at their boots.

After inspecting the boots, they looked at the jade pendants at their waists, then at the hair crowns on their heads, and finally at their faces.

Once they had sized up the faces, everyone subtly withdrew their gazes.

Except for one girl wearing a white jade butterfly hairpin, sitting at a desk, openly scrutinizing Chen Ji, her gaze filled with curiosity and scrutiny.

Even as Chen Ji looked at her, she did not shy away from his gaze.

Qi Zhenzhuo led Chen Ji to kneel at the second and third seats from the left, while Xiao Man sat properly, holding the Little Black Cat behind Chen Ji to his right, serving tea and water, appearing more well-behaved than usual.

In the center of the Pellucid Tower’s main hall was a red Persian rug, on which sat a veiled young girl playing the pipa.

As Chen Ji entered, the girl playing the pipa only glanced up slightly, taking a quick look at him before lowering her head again, her face obscured by the veil.

Chen Ji kneeled behind the desk, his gaze sweeping over the main hall.

He noticed that the only familiar face, Lin Chaojing, was sitting across from him, boldly observing the side profile of the girl playing the pipa across the red carpet.

Behind him were two more rows of young talents unfamiliar to Chen Ji.

As the music paused and the girl playing the pipa was about to leave, the girl with the white jade butterfly hairpin spoke: "Zhenzhu, don’t be in such a hurry to leave. Sit aside and play some soft melodies. I remember your ’Jade Hairpin Record’ is particularly good, so let’s let everyone enjoy it."

Qi Zhenzhu, holding the pipa, was slightly startled, then softly responded.

She moved a rosewood chair to the door and began playing the pipa by herself.

Behind Chen Ji, Xiao Man whispered: "Second Sister said that the girl with the white jade butterfly hairpin is Qi Zhaoning. The pin is crafted by the craftsmen supervised by the Inner Official Supervision and bestowed by the Empress Dowager. It’s said the wings of the white jade butterfly seem to flutter in the sunlight. The girl next to her should be Qi Zhaoyun, and her gaze seems glued to the scholar to your right, while the one sitting at the red carpet’s end, in the host’s seat, should be..."

Xiao Man couldn’t recall, so she immediately looked down, pulling out a small slip of paper from her sleeve, densely filled with meticulous writing.

She searched the slip for a while before saying: "It should be Qi Zhenzhuo’s older brother, Qi Zhenwu, a Fourth-Rank Imperial Censor."

Chen Ji chuckled silently: "How come there’s even a cheat sheet?"

Xiao Man replied embarrassedly: "Second Sister knows my brain isn’t as sharp as hers."

At this time, Qi Zhenwu, sitting in the host’s seat, spoke: "Since my younger brother and his esteemed guest have arrived, shall we begin? The Imperial Examination is approaching, and you all must remember, gathering here is not just for drinking and revelry, but for scholars from the south and north to exchange their scholarly talents."

He gestured to the side.

Maids brought over three ivory dice on a tray.

Qi Zhenwu picked up one of the dice from the tray, smiling: "Today’s topic is..."

Qi Zhaoning interjected: "Brother, how about choosing ’Four Dreams of Bianliang’ as today’s topic? My sister and I went to the Imperial Music Bureau to see the Four Dreams of Bianliang a few days ago, and it made us cry."

Qi Zhenwu shook his head: "Many people haven’t yet seen the Four Dreams of Bianliang, so it’s not suitable. Let’s go with the theme of border town warfare today. With the recent great victory in Guyuan, it’s likely the Emperor might choose a topic related to border towns in this year’s palace examination. Best to start thinking early. Let’s now use the dice to decide the rhyme."

Qi Zhenwu rolled the first dice, which landed on three.

The second dice, which landed on five.

The third dice, which landed on two.

Chen Ji was puzzled, turning to Xiao Man and quietly asking: "What do these dice mean?"

Xiao Man looked down at her slip of paper, studying it for a while before explaining: "The first dice determines the tone based on odd or even numbers; the second sets the sequence number of the rhyme group; the third decides if adjacent rhymes can be used, with six allowing neighboring rhymes. So now it’s set to upper level tone, five micro rhyme, without neighboring rhymes."

Chen Ji found himself even more confused.

One could only say that as a time traveler, if all he knew were to recite a few poems and occasionally write one to make a name for himself, he could still get by, but participating in this Literary Meeting was bound to embarrass himself.

Literary and poetry meetings are far from just about composing poems.

Lin Chaojing then asked: "Brother Shen, would you go first?"

A graceful gentleman beside him smiled gently, not declining and immediately called for pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, writing: "I ascend the beacon watchtower to watch the fading sun, where the beacon smoke ends, everything is not as it seems. For ten years, I’ve not seen characters of letters from home, fearing one’s hometown accent calling me back."

Everyone in the hall clapped in applause. The poems at the Literary Meetings don’t necessarily need to be excellent; the key is who can think quickly and write fast while following the rules.

Qi Zhenwu clapped and laughed: "Brother Shen Ye, as expected of the scholarly champion of Huqiu Poetry Society. I originally intended for the servants to bring over timers, but it seems unnecessary now. It’s a pity that Brother Wenzong of the Chen family excused himself from this Literary Meeting under the pretext of revising; otherwise, he could have competed with you."

Lin Chaojing laughed heartily: "Though Brother Wenzong isn’t here, his younger brother is. Let him take Brother Wenzong’s place. This esteemed Brother Chen Ji came so late, keeping everyone waiting for an hour. He must be well-prepared."

Everyone turned their gaze to Chen Ji.

Chen Ji knew Lin Chaojing was making things difficult due to the long wait, so he immediately stood up, cupped his hands, and said: "Apologies, everyone. I was training at the Governor Mansion and got all sweaty. To show respect, since I didn’t want to appear in such a state at this important gathering, I decided not to participate."

Lin Chaojing smiled warmly: "Brother Chen Ji, you’re too humble. Surely you can, and if not, perhaps you could recite for us a simple text, like the Enlightenment of Sounds?"

Chen Ji was firm: "I honestly can’t."

Qi Zhenwu then offered: "Since you won’t attempt poetry, how about explaining some Classic of Rites? Brother Chen Ji, which subject have you been studying?"

Chen Ji responded: "Reporting to you, I have no real knowledge, as I’ve only been an apprentice at the Imperial Medical Hall for two years and have not studied the classics."

"A Medical Hall apprentice?"

Everyone was dumbfounded into silence. It was as if even the sound of the pipa had somehow fallen silent. The veiled girl lifted her head to gaze at Chen Ji, noticing that his expression remained unshaken.

Qi Zhaoning, kneeling, no longer looked at Chen Ji. Her gaze drifted elsewhere, and she commented lightly: "So hesitant... What, do you expect guests to perform a sword dance for your entertainment?"

Qi Zhenzhuo glared with round, angry eyes: "Qi Zhaoning, what nonsense are you saying? When is it ever proper for a guest to perform swordplay for you to watch?"