"...Thinking back, to the days of iron horses and golden spears, our spirits swallowed ten thousand miles like tigers."
"The Barbarian King was careless, sealing Langjuxu, only to win a panicked backward glance toward the north. Twenty-one years have passed, and in my gaze I still remember the beacon fires of the Shuzhou road. Looking back, I cannot forget the Poshushuo temples and a sea of banners in Black Armor. Who is there to ask: is old Xiao still able to eat his meals?"
Xiao Wuge finished reciting in a ringing voice, and the inexplicably boiling blood in his chest made his small face flush slightly.
Xiao Wuge hurriedly caught his breath, inwardly harboring a trace of anxiety, terrified that a poor performance would bring blame from Xiao Yuan and the others.
Yet at this moment, the courtyard was dead silent, and no one paid him any attention at all.
Beside him, old Sun, named Fu and styled Changming, had passed the imperial examinations and served as an official in his youth, formerly holding the post of Left Provincial Administrator at the Shu Provincial Administration.
Leaving aside his achievements as an official for the moment, he certainly possessed scholarly learning.
Therefore, upon hearing this poem, an irrepressible feeling of breathtaking wonder surged within him, and he blurted out:
"What a poem, what a fine poem! It yearns for the past and breeds soaring heroic spirit; every single word is just right. Old Xiao, I am afraid this birthday banquet of yours will make many old fellows green with envy."
Duke of Qianguo Zhang Xuan twitched the corner of his mouth slightly, thinking, Motherfucker, are you sure this wasn't written for me?
"It's a fine poem alright, but it suits me better."
Xiao Qiuyun at the side listened with eyes brimming with brilliant light.
However, the person most deeply moved of all was Old Marquis Xiao, Xiao Yuan.
He sat upright in his chair, ignoring the remarks of his two old friends, and kept murmuring the contents of this poetic composition, his mind inevitably conjuring scenes of the military campaigns spanning the past several decades.
Among them were times he repelled the massive barbarian army at Mengshui Pass, and times he led the Dingyuan Army on a southern expedition into the Poshushuo Kingdom, planting the Great Wei banners across every single city there.
There were also the remorse and vexation he felt when various sons and grandsons of the Xiao Family died on the battlefield.
His glory, his iron-blooded grit, his turbulent fervor, and his heroism were all still vivid before his eyes, as though they had happened only yesterday.
It could not help but redden his eye sockets, and he sighed in a sentimental tone: "It's been hard on Chen Yi, writing such a birthday ode for this old man. Ah."
Zhang Xuan's face was full of envy, "You just keep secretly grinning; if you don't want it, give it to me."
Even though everything the poem described was true, the heroic ambition portrayed in "Thinking back, to the days of iron horses and golden spears, our spirits swallowed ten thousand miles like tigers"-when applied to Old Xiao-just... just made him feel motherfucking regretful.
Xiao Yuan laughed out of anger, "Get lost."
Sun Fu, however, sighed and said, "Old Xiao, that grandson-in-law of yours has truly sent you a heavy gift this time."
"How so?"
"This poem is enough to be passed down through the ages; wouldn't you say that's a heavy gift?"
With Sun Fu's discernment, it was not hard to see the power of this poetic composition, which meant that an old fellow like Xiao Yuan who possessed not a shred of literary talent would be passed down through the ages right along with it.
"Passed down through the ages? Doesn't that mean this old man..."
"That's right, you're going to achieve eternal fame trailing after this poem."
Xiao Yuan was stunned; to say he wasn't happy would be a lie, for who wouldn't want to leave their name behind when living a lifetime?
Yet he somehow felt rather awkward, as if his entire life spent amid the clash of arms fell short of a single poem's enduring reach.
At this moment, Sun Fu came to his senses, looked at Old Marquis Xiao, examined him carefully from top to bottom and inside out, and abruptly broke into a mild smile:
"Old Xiao, it will be this old man's birthday before too long as well. Why don't we strike a bargain and transfer this poem as a gift to me?"
As he spoke, he even patted his chest in assurance: "Rest assured, I will certainly provide a generous brush fee."
Before Old Marquis Xiao could refuse, Sun Fu straightened up directly, his anger blowing his mustache and staring wide-eyed: "You shameless old thing, utterly lacking in skin-how dare you even entertain such a thought?"
Zhang Xuan cast a sideways glance at him: "Old Sun, this old man happens to be the reigning Duke of Qianguo."
"And I passed the imperial examinations in the thirty-second year of Yongping! No matter what you old fellow say, not a share of this poem belongs to you. You slaughtered the barbarians-hm... so what if you slaughtered a few? Have you ever been to the Poshushuo Kingdom?"
"Tomorrow this old man will lead the armies of Jiaozhou and Guangyue Prefecture to the border, and I am bound to plant my banners all over the place!"
"What about at Marquis Dingyuan's place?"
"This old man has decided to host a grand birthday banquet right here; is that permissible?"
"You-you are shameless! How can a peerless masterpiece of a century be treated so trivially, how can you treat it with such contempt?"
"A peerless masterpiece of a century?" Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment, then abruptly slapped his thigh, looked at Xiao Yuan, and said, "Old Xiao, a word is worth a thousand pieces of gold. How about it?"
"Get lost!" Xiao Yuan laughed and scolded: "You may be shameless, but this old man still wants his."
"If people found out that I resold the birthday ode written by my grandson-in-law, I'm afraid I'd leave behind a stench for ten thousand years."
Zhang Xuan smacked his lips, still somewhat unwilling to give up as he used his eyes to signal Xiao Qiuyun on the side to mediate.
He truly loved this poetic composition, especially the line, "The Barbarian King was careless, sealing Langjuxu, only to win a panicked backward glance toward the north." Such military exploits, once spread abroad, would be quite sufficient to demonstrate his martial valor and achievements.
One had to know that back when the Barbarian King led a massive army northward to breach the passes, he too had brought soldiers from Jiaozhou to provide reinforcements.
Although Xiao Yuan served as the commander-in-chief of the three armies, repelling the barbarian army also included a share of the credit belonging to him, Zhang Xuan.
Seeing this, Xiao Qiuyun thought for a moment and smiled: "Father, this poem is good indeed, but it was clearly written based on Big Uncle's life, and it may not necessarily suit you."
"In Qiuyun's view, whoever tied the bell must untie it; the person who wrote this poem is right here within the estate."
Zhang Xuan thought about it and smiled.
"That is indeed the logic of it. Old Xiao, I won't contend with you over this poem, but it's alright to borrow someone from you, isn't it?"
"Wu Ge's brother-in-law, is it? The brother-in-law?"
Zhang Xuan paused, his smile fading, and asked in surprise: "He is the second girl's husband, the concubine-born son of Chen Xuanji?"
Xiao Yuan nodded slightly, waving his hand to signal the servants to bring more food: "It was indeed written by Chen Yi. What, do you have thoughts of asking him to polish it?"
"Don't forget, you old fellow tore the Chen Family to pieces just a few days ago, cursing both brothers Chen Xuandu and Chen Xuanji to high heaven for relying on His Majesty's backing to turn Jiangnan Prefecture into a complete mess."
Zhang Xuan gave a resentful hum: "Circumstances alter cases. Chen Yi is now the Xiao Family son-in-law and has no connection to the Chen Family whatsoever. Asking him to compose a poem..."
Forget it.
He truly held no favorable impression of the Chen Family of Jiangnan, and the moment he thought of his birthday ode originating from the hands of a Chen Family member, he felt a deep sense of revulsion.
With that thought, he shifted the topic: "Old Sun, later on you must recommend a talented scholar skilled in poetry to me. I'll give you twenty percent of the brush fee."
Sun Fu laughed and scolded him for being a shameless old wretch, then, seeming to recall something, sighed and said: "It is a pity for the child Chen Yi."
Xiao Yuan straightened up slightly: "Oh? Tell me about it, where is the pity?"
Sun Fu looked at him with slight hesitation: "Old Xiao, if I say something unpleasant to the ear, don't take offense."
"Judging solely from this poem, one can see that this lad Chen Yi possesses extraordinary literary talent. Presumably the 'both loyal and filial, with outstanding talent' widely rumored in Jinling previously must be true."
"Yet he is now your Xiao Family son-in-law, unable to enter official service as an official. It will be very difficult for him to display all the learning he has acquired."
With a serious expression on his aged face, Sun Fu asked: "Isn't it a pity?"
Xiao Yuan paused and pondered: "It is indeed a pity."
Hearing this, Zhang Xuan looked at him suspiciously: "Old Xiao, back when Wan'er took in a son-in-law, how did you ever think of the Chen Family?"
"This," Xiao Yuan shook his head: "That matter is already in the past, and this old man does not wish to bring it up again."
Too many complications were entwined within it, making it rather difficult to explain clearly all at once.
Yet Zhang Xuan had no intention of letting him off and pursued the matter by asking: "This old man has heard that Chen Yi's days in the Chen Family were not pleasant at all, and that the First Madam of the Cui Family background has constantly been suppressing him. Was it she who orchestrated this match?"
"Considered so."
Then does Chen Xuanji know about this?
"He presumably does not. As you and I both know, Chen Xuanji was dispatched by His Majesty's decree on a mission to the Western Buddhist Kingdom, and he has yet to return."
"What about Chen Xuandu? He went to Northern Prefecture; does he know of this matter?"
Xiao Yuan hesitated for a moment and replied: "Perhaps he knows, perhaps he does not."
Seeing his unusual expression and refusal to say more, Zhang Xuan guessed that there must be hidden details within it, so he stopped asking, yet still could not help offering a reminder:
"Old Xiao, those Chen brothers are neither of them easy people to deal with. Watch yourself."
Xiao Yuan nodded in silence; he was well aware of all these things and naturally had no need for further words.
After a moment.
The excitement in Xiao Yuan's mood gradually dissipated, and he suddenly thought of the very last line of the poem, prompting a question in his heart: Could it be that I, Xiao Yuan, am so old I can no longer hold my bowl, and that my appetite has shrunk? Absolutely not!
With this thought, he gave instructions: "Go bring the food; today this old man will eat five bowls!"
Immediately the domestic servants approached carrying food and dishes, and Xiao Yuan greeted them: "Come, come, come. Chen Yi didn't know my appetite, which is why he wrote those words; I won't blame him, but the two of you have witnessed my appetite."
"Could it be you can still devour half an ox in a single sitting right now?"
"Why ever not..."
Without further ado, the three old fellows began to gorge on meat and drink from large bowls of wine, laughing and rejoicing as if they had returned to their youth once more.
Seeing this situation, Xiao Wuge said, "Grandfather, enjoy your meal. Grandson will take his leave."
Xiao Yuan swallowed a large chunk of pork: "Mn. Afterwards, pass a word to your brother-in-law, and tell him that this old man forgives him for his earlier elopement."
A look of joy appeared on Xiao Wuge's face, and after bowing in salutation, he prepared to go back and tell Chen Yi this good news.
At this moment, Xiao Qiuyun, who had been sitting at the side with a smile all along, spoke up: "Don't leave just yet, Wuge. Take Heng'er along to play in Chunhe Garden."
"Mother, I don't want to go find that runaway groom at all, he..."
"Mn?"
Before Zhang Xuan's son Zhang Heng could say more, Xiao Qiuyun glared at him to cut off his words, and said with a hint of severity:
"Once you go over there, you are not to behave impolitely. Do you understand?"
Zhang Heng gave a sullen grunt of assent.
Xiao Wuge was reluctant in his heart, but after glancing at Xiao Yuan and the others and seeing them buried in eating and drinking, he had no choice but to take Zhang Heng and leave together.
After the others had departed.
Xiao Yuan drank a mouthful of wine to wash down the meat, and remarked whether intentionally or not: "Don't blame Big Uncle for meddling, but Heng'er ought to be studying."
Xiao Qiuyun's expression shifted slightly, yet she dared not refute and gave an obedient assent.
Zhang Xuan glanced at her, smacked his lips, and said nothing.
Although there was an old saying that "the fault of the child lies in the failure of the father," there was another saying that "too much motherly love spoils the child."
Sun Fu paid no mind to their domestic affairs, eating all the while as he muttered: "What a fine poem, what a fine poem! If this old man could write such a masterpiece, I could close my eyes in death content."
"Since you like it so much, Old Sun, why don't you go take Chen Yi as your master?"
"That's feasible. But after you take my grandson-in-law as your master, remember to change how you address me."
"Change your grandpa's..."
"The old fellow is cursing out loud, how scandalous to refined manners..."
Before you continue