Chapter 33: That Profiteer!

Lanterns were hung in the gazebo of the South Courtyard’s rear garden. A pot of tea was brewing on the stone table. Master Jiang glanced at An Xiaowei, who sat nearby, with a look of astonishment, though he asked no questions. Xu Zizhou also looked at An Xiaowei, yet he remained silent as well.

Experience truly breeds sagacity!

Liang Jingru felt she had been overlooked once again. She had discovered a recurring problem: whenever she was with An Xiaowei, everyone’s attention inevitably focused on An Xiaowei. Even if An Xiaowei sat there quietly, and even if she herself performed a sword dance that blossomed like a flower, those people would still only look at the serene An Xiaowei. If they glanced at her sword dance, it was merely a fleeting look.

She was nothing but a foil! It had been like that in the Imperial Capital, and it was the same here in Lin'an. Very well, if it could not be changed, she would simply accept it silently.

Just as Liang Jingru was thinking this, An Xiaowei parted her lips and spoke softly: "Jie'an, this tea... shall I brew it?"

"Very well."

An Xiaowei set about brewing the tea with great care. Chen Xiaofu cast his gaze toward Xu Zizhou and Master Jiang, offering a faint smile. "Is there any need to prove such things?"

"What I mean is, proving it to them is meaningless to me, and more importantly, it interferes with my reading time. Time is extremely precious. An inch of time is worth an inch of gold, yet an inch of gold cannot buy an inch of time! If I follow that calculation of time versus gold... if I were to go to Willow Pond tomorrow to write a poem and a lyric, and then compose a piece of rhythmic prose in the afternoon, how much time would that consume? And how much gold would that be worth?"

Liang Jingru’s eyes widened in disbelief. This was how he calculated things? What a thick-skinned fellow! His implication was that these two old men should pay silver to buy his time?

Master Jiang and his companion naturally grasped the implication. Just as Jiang Yuzheng began to frown and open his mouth to speak, Xu Zizhou laughed instead.

"Jie'an, are you short on silver?"

"Indeed. I am about to get married, and as an illegitimate son, I can hardly expect the Kaiyang Divine General’s Mansion to grant me a lump sum of silver, can I? Xiaowei did not marry into this life to suffer! I must ensure she can live here without a care. Tell me, am I not right?"

An Xiaowei bowed her head, her teeth biting her lip beneath her veil. She stole a look at Chen Xiaofu, her eyes filled with shyness. Liang Jingru was stunned. She knew Chen Xiaofu was shameless, but she hadn’t realized he could be *this* shameless!

The venerable scholar Xu stroked his long beard and nodded slightly. "You are right!"

"You had no need to prove yourself, and thus no obligation to participate in tomorrow’s exchange. But I have already given my word to the students, so I cannot retract it. How about this? For tomorrow morning’s poetry and the afternoon’s rhythmic prose, for every first-place finish you secure, I shall personally present you with one thousand taels of silver. How does that sound?"

A proper literary exchange had thus devolved into a transaction reeking of copper. An Xiaowei felt this was somewhat improper, as in her understanding, literature was something quite sacred. However, she did not intervene. This was Chen Xiaofu’s decision. A man’s decision should not be easily denied or questioned in front of others!

Liang Jingru had assumed that since the venerable Xu had come all this way in the evening to invite him and had even offered a thousand taels of silver, he would surely be satisfied and accept. Unexpectedly, Chen Xiaofu shook his head again.

"Elder Xu, this silver should not come from you. It is they who wish to challenge me; it is only reasonable that whoever makes the challenge pays the silver to seek the proof! How about this: once you return, you and the Master can inform those students that this is what I said. My time is precious, and my poetry and prose are even more so! I will attend the Willow Pond exchange tomorrow, but on the condition that those who enter Willow Pond must pay an admission fee."

Everyone was taken aback. Xu Zizhou widened his old eyes. "An admission fee?"

"Exactly. Ten taels of silver for each person entering!"

Master Jiang gasped. "Isn't that too expensive?"

Chen Xiaofu grinned. "As for the silver collected, I cannot keep it all to myself. Please have a word with the Head of the Academy and say... we shall split it equally! Actually, I have another idea that could earn the Academy even more silver."

Liang Jingru keenly sensed the cleverness in that statement. He was talking about earning more for the Academy! He was using the Academy as a front to profit himself! What a crafty merchant!

Master Jiang seemed interested now. "Oh? What sort of idea? Let us hear it."

"Early tomorrow morning, send students out to the streets and alleys of Lin'an to beat drums and shout that the illegitimate son of the Huaxi Villa is going to challenge every student of the Lin'an Academy and the twelve students from the State of Qi in poetry and prose. Once that is said, it will surely pique the interest of all the local residents in Lin'an. They will come to the Lin'an Academy to see for themselves. We shall collect the silver at the gate—ten taels per person, and the Academy’s students must pay as well. However, I know that few of the Academy’s students are wealthy; once we have earned the silver from the townspeople, we can return the students' fees in full, and as for the rest, the Academy and I shall split it fifty-fifty. How about that?"

"…!"

The four of them looked at Chen Xiaofu in utter shock. Even An Xiaowei was no exception. "Can one really do this? Is it not an insult to the refined arts?"

Chen Xiaofu grinned. "Knowledge only truly realizes its value when it is turned into silver. Isn't the purpose of studying to become an official? And isn't the purpose of becoming an official to accumulate wealth? In truth, all these are just ways of cashing in on knowledge; mine is simply more direct!"

A sudden silence fell. An Xiaowei poured tea, while Xu Zizhou and Master Jiang drank in deep contemplation. After finishing a cup, Master Jiang and Xu Zizhou exchanged glances, and he nodded in agreement. "In that case, Elder Xu and I will discuss this with Headmaster Li once we return to the Academy."

"Very well. I will arrive at the Academy early tomorrow and head to the library first."

Xu Zizhou set down his teacup and suddenly asked, "Is your grandmother at the villa?"

"No, she has gone to the Imperial Capital; she should be returning soon."

Xu Zizhou looked disappointed. "And your grandfather?"

A voice drifted from the corridor: "Xu Zizhou! You old rascal, how dare you come to my villa!"

Xu Zizhou turned to see Chen Linyuan walking toward them with a slightly unsteady gait. Chen Xiaofu quickly stood up and hurried over to support him. Chen Linyuan waved a hand. "It’s nothing... just a bit tipsy... just a bit, I can still drink another three catties!"

As he spoke, he pointed at Xu Zizhou and chuckled. "Zizhou, not only am I more handsome than you, but my tolerance for liquor is better than yours too!"

With Chen Xiaofu’s support, the two reached the gazebo. He sat down at the table and suddenly looked at Liang Jingru and the veiled An Xiaowei sitting opposite him. He opened his mouth in astonishment and turned to look at Chen Xiaofu.

"Well... you lad have talent! You actually brought your wives back! And two of them at that! Princess Liang, does your grandfather agree to this?"

"Never mind whether he agrees or not, this grandson of mine is excellent! Hahahaha... whoever dares to call you a fool again, I will tear their mouths open! Leave these two old things to your grandfather, you two..."

Chen Linyuan waved his hand. "A moment of a spring night is worth a thousand pieces of gold! Go to sleep!"