CHAPTER 466: 355, FOUR DREAMS OF BIANLIANG_2

Qi Zhaoning was stunned on the spot.

Qi Zhaoyun looked at her worriedly: "Perhaps Young Master Chen is a shy person, a bit embarrassed to sit on our side. Let me ask him if he wants to switch seats with me."

Qi Zhaoning did not reply.

Qi Zhaoyun slowly stood up, lifted her skirt, and walked across the red carpet to Chen Ji’s side: "Young Master Chen, would it be alright if you and I switched seats?"

Chen Ji politely replied: "Second Miss Qi, I’m quite fine sitting here."

While they spoke, Qi Zhenzhu returned with a pot of tea and poured for Qi Zhaoning.

Qi Zhaoning suddenly became furious: "Why did it take so long? The tea has gone cold again, go and change it!"

Qi Zhenzhu was at a loss, not knowing what had happened.

Qi Zhaoning glared at her: "Why are you standing there in a daze!"

Qi Zhaoyun noticed others looking over and hurried back to the table, saying sternly: "Zhaoning, don’t be capricious here, or people will laugh at us!"

Qi Zhaoning threw her handkerchief on the table and stood up to leave: "Go ahead and watch, I’ve seen these Four Dreams of Bianliang three times and I’m tired of them! That Li Changge is just a bastard, how can he enter the grand hall? The writer had no sense; he and the Commandery Princess will never be together!"

Qi Zhaoyun said calmly: "Then go ahead, I still want to watch it one more time."

After taking a few steps, Qi Zhaoning turned back to look at Qi Zhenzhu: "What are you still doing here? Come home with me!"

Qi Zhenzhu responded in a low voice: "Yes."

...

...

Chen Ji sat by the table and cupped his hands: "Brother Huang Que, Brother Shen Ye, long time no see."

Huang Que did not respond, his gaze fixed elsewhere.

Chen Ji followed his gaze and saw it was directed at Qi Zhaoyun’s direction.

He said somewhat awkwardly: "My apologies, my apologies, for interrupting your gathering."

Huang Que involuntarily leaned back, his face slightly flushed: "No, no, Young Master Chen, don’t tease me."

Chen Ji spoke directly: "I have something to ask, Brother Huang Que, does your family have dealings with salt merchants? I suppose there should be considerable interaction among salt merchants."

Huang Que first looked bewildered, then his expression gradually cooled: "Why does Young Master Chen always inquire about salt merchants from me? I have a scholar’s title now; what my family does has nothing to do with me."

Chen Ji earnestly said: "I just have a business proposition I’d like to discuss with Brother Huang Que."

Huang Que’s face grew colder: "Young Master Chen jokes. As the son of the Chen family from Fuyou Street, why would you concern yourself with crude merchant affairs? If you want to remind me of my salt merchant identity, that I shouldn’t show up in such refined places, just say it plainly. I’ve been in the Imperial Capital long enough to have heard plenty of scorn and ridicule. I can take it."

Chen Ji suddenly realized the numerous misunderstandings the other had faced since arriving in the Imperial Capital.

Seeing the two locked in standoff, Shen Ye quickly smiled to ease the tension: "Young Master Chen, did you know that I’ve recently become quite famous because of you?"

"Oh?" Chen Ji was puzzled: "What do you mean by that?"

Shen Ye laughed heartily, holding his sleeve with his left hand and pouring half a cup of tea for Chen Ji with his right hand: "The day you debated scripture with Bodhisattva Wuzhai, I recorded everything down on the spot. After you left, I went to Wenyuan Bookstore and polished it until midnight before finalizing the manuscript and having it printed overnight. Now all the major bookstores have my booklet, and storytellers mention me when recounting the second debate. With the Dao Court’s promotion, this debating scripture will spread across the north and south of the Yangtze River within three months. In a way, I’ve gained fame thanks to you, Chen Ji."

Chen Ji modestly said: "Brother Shen, you flatter me. The name of the scholarly champion of the Huqiu Poetry Society is already renowned worldwide."

Shen Ye quickly waved his hands: "The Huqiu Poetry Society is an old story, let’s not mention it. After your debating scripture was spread, literary meetings have decreased, and even when they are held, no one writes poems anymore, haha, fearing they’ll be mocked as vulgar and lacking authenticity."

Meanwhile, on the White Jade Platform, the bronze bells suddenly rang, and the human voices in the Danbi Grand Music Hall abruptly stopped.

Chen Ji turned to look, and saw a young Taoist staggering onto the stage with a huge brush, inscribing some crazy words on a makeshift door panel:

Yesterday’s Lu Ming Banquet, tonight the Iron Chain is cold.

What speaks of dragons and phoenixes? What speaks of grass roots’ difficulty?

Do you remember I debated scripture with Bodhisattva for whom, do you remember I held the reins for whom?

Yearning and yearning, yet it is not a good match.

Upon writing this, the Taoist suddenly threw down the brush and laughed towards the sky: "Who awakens from the grand dream? It’s just a lifelong mistake for the ages to watch!"

With that, the young Taoist staggered off stage.

Chen Ji stared blankly at the few half-understood lines on the broken door panel, unable to recover his senses for a moment.

Just at the beginning, there were already noblewomen holding handkerchiefs to their faces, standing up and crying in the direction of the young Taoist’s exit: "Li Changge!"

It turned out this Taoist was Li Changge.

Chen Ji was snapped back to reality by the woman’s crying, inwardly cursing the low tactics of the Dao Court for sneaking in personal agendas, having the character of Li Changge end up joining them as a Taoist!

This must have been written by Zhang Li. Only that old fellow would do something so annoying.

As the main play began, the actors—all types in full makeup—took the stage one after another, recounting the love and hatred between two poor family’s sons and high family’s sons, a story of love unfulfilled.

Chen Ji wasn’t absorbed in the play because aside from the debating scripture at Lu Hun Manor, none of the plot related to him. The dramas of this era aren’t as convoluted and melodramatic as in later times.

Most importantly, the people on stage weren’t the ones from his memories.

Instead, Huang Que mumbled, repeating the play’s lines: "Twenty years gnawing on an iron writing brush, yet not worth half a recommendation from the Qi family... It’s my foolishness, the red gate’s grace is always a dagger."

In the play, Li Changge wandered for over twenty years, ultimately unable to be with the Commandery Princess.

As the play concluded, Li Changge reappeared in Taoist attire, staggering onto the stage. He pulled the copper hairpin from his head and carved the word "chance" on the dilapidated wall of City God Temple, standing there forlornly.