Chapter 10: Fame Through Poetry, Father Hu Compels His Brother-in-Law to Offer a Humble Apology

"What a magnificent poem, 'Bamboo and Stone'!" Squire Zhang intoned, tapping his rhythm in admiration. "At first glance, the poem appears plain and unadorned, but upon careful contemplation, it embodies the unyielding spirit of Brother Fan!"

Fan Jin smiled faintly. "I was merely forced into it like a duck pushed onto a perch; you two gentlemen need not praise me so excessively."

While he did not consider this mere mutual flattery, he did not delude himself into believing another's masterpiece was the product of his own heaven-sent genius. Furthermore, plagiarism in the Ming Dynasty was a far more difficult endeavor than in the Tang or Song; the popular works of the Ming and Qing eras were far from as abundant as those of the earlier golden ages.

Admittedly, while the overall quality of Ming and Qing poetry was lacking, it did not fall behind in sheer volume. The Great Qing Dynasty, in particular, contributed a massive quantity of verse. One particular Qing emperor composed nearly fifty thousand poems in his lifetime—you didn't think that was a joke, did you? Although the vast majority of those fifty thousand were mere filler, it is a fact that they significantly padded the poetry archives of the Great Qing.

By the time of the Republic, the number of excellent poems dwindled even further. Ignoramuses who could barely recognize a single character were producing "earth-shattering" works. For example, there were "environmental" verses like: "Old Feng stationed in Xuzhou, the big trees are lush and green. Whoever chops my trees, I'll chop off their head." There were descriptive ones like "Touring Mount Tai": "Looking at Mount Tai from afar, it's dark and blurry; thin at the top and thick at the bottom. If you turned Mount Tai upside down, it would be thin at the bottom and thick at the top." Or the vivid "Daming Lake": "Daming Lake, the lake is big, there are lotus flowers in Daming Lake. On the lotus flowers are toads, one poke and they hop." There were even "pious prayers for rain": "The Jade Emperor also has the surname Zhang, why do you make things difficult for me, Zhang Zongchang? If it doesn't rain within three days, I'll first tear down the Dragon King Temple, then blast your mother with cannon fire!"

In the dynasties that followed, such foul and chaotic drivel became rarer, and people grew more self-aware. The various grass-roots heroes and literary youths who once loved writing poetry not only became too lazy to write, but even decent people stopped keeping diaries. As for the indecent ones, due to their limited ability, they could only resort to "writing by pressing the enter key to break lines," then praising each other in small circles, feeling quite pleased with themselves.

Squire Zhou remarked, "Brother Fan is too modest!"

Squire Zhang nodded in agreement, adding, "Brother Zhou speaks the truth."

In the imperial examination system, a *xiucai* scholar is tested on the Four Books and Five Classics. Since Fan Jin was ranked first by Examiner Zhou in the preliminary examinations, both squires knew they were far from his equal. The provincial examination focuses primarily on the Five Classics; candidates must delve into one specific classic and complete four essays based on it. Fan Jin had placed seventh in the Guangdong provincial examination, and even Examiner Zhou had lauded his essays as "the greatest prose under heaven." How could these two squires not hold him in awe? That was precisely why Squire Zhang was always eager to seek his counsel.

***

Fan Jin pursed his lips. Zhang Jingzhai, however, was beaming. "Brother Fan, I have a request—an imposition, perhaps—I wonder if I might speak it?"

Fan Jin took his hand warmly. "Brother Jingzhai, we are old friends of the same generation; there is no need for such formality."

"Brother, might you gift me this manuscript?" Squire Zhang asked, his eyes fixed intently on the sheet of rice paper upon the sandalwood table, where the characters for "Bamboo and Stone" were written in bold strokes.

Fan Jin breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled. "Is that all? If you like it, Brother Jingzhai, take it by all means!"

Squire Zhang, having achieved his desire, was overjoyed and offered repeated thanks.

***

The next morning.

After waking and being dressed and groomed by his servants, Fan Jin immediately learned of the stir that "Bamboo and Stone" had caused throughout the city.

The steward bowed slightly and said happily, "Master, ever since your poem spread, the scholars have been in awe. They are gathered outside the manor now, hoping to seek your guidance and hear your teachings in person!"

He did not know which scoundrel had previously spread the rumor that his master was unskilled in poetry and prose; it was the most vicious slander! Now, with just a small display of talent, his master had left all the refined scholars of the city speechless.

"The power of 'Bamboo and Stone' is truly that terrifying?" Fan Jin gasped. He didn't notice the steward's admiring gaze, or perhaps he simply didn't care.

Fan Jin waved his hand. "Forget it. Send someone to tell them that I have caught a slight cold and am not receiving guests."

The steward paused, then understood, saying, "Yes, sir." His master was a *juren* scholar; those gathered outside were at best *xiucai* scholars, and some weren't even qualified candidates. They claimed to be seeking academic advice, but in reality, they were just looking for an opportunity to cling to his master! No wonder his master was impatient.

Fan Jin, unaware of the elaborate mental narrative the steward had constructed, stuck to his plan. Since he had established the persona of "The Emperor values literature today, why bother with the Han and Tang," he had to maintain it firmly. Examiner Zhou was his greatest patron, and he had to be the "model student" his teacher loved, keeping his steps in perfect alignment with him. Since he had claimed to have a cold, he would naturally not be going out to visit anyone today.

***

No visitors meant time for intensive study. Although Fan Jin had inherited the talent of his predecessor, in the original story, Fan Jin had spent three years in mourning for his mother, closing his ears to the world outside and focusing solely on the classics. In terms of literary maturity, the original Fan Jin was certainly more profound than he was now.

Fan Jin sat in a rattan chair under the rose trellis, a steaming cup of tea sitting on the stone table beside him. Before long, a servant reported that Old Father Hu was leading his two brothers-in-law directly toward him.

Fan Jin frowned instinctively. Old Father Hu was one thing, but those two brothers-in-law were not easy to deal with! In his memories, every time the original Fan Jin had gone to his in-laws for help, those two brothers, who had long since divided the family property, treated him like a thief. That was not all—they had spared no effort in spreading rumors about Fan Jin and Hu Yingying, causing them no end of harm. Later, things became so strained that Hu Yingying had been too ashamed to return to her family home for over a decade.

Compared to Old Father Hu's "sharp tongue but kind heart," Fan Jin could find no redeeming qualities in those two brothers-in-law. If he remembered correctly, they hadn't even shown their faces when he passed the *xiucai* exam, nor when he passed the *juren* exam. At least when he became a *xiucai*, Old Father Hu had brought a portion of intestines—most of which ended up in his own stomach—and when he passed the *juren* exam, he had brought the finest pork belly and four or five thousand copper coins. While meager compared to the bribes others offered, for Old Father Hu, it was a grand gesture indeed! Those two brothers-in-law, however, hadn't even shown up to perform the bare minimum of courtesy.

Thinking of this, Fan Jin spat and cursed under his breath, "A pair of low-lifes!" If he hadn't been so busy with social obligations since passing the exam, he would have let a word slip; with his status, he could have ruined their businesses with a single breath. Now that they were here to beg for mercy, he was curious to see what tricks they would try to play.