Daily Intelligence? Today's Gossip!

Xiao Jinghong was probably beautiful.

Although Xiao Die still kept her lips sealed and did not explain why. Her exact words were, "Xiao Die thinks Second Miss is very, very beautiful... truly, truly beautiful."

But from her stammering and darting eyes, Chen Yi had already seen her honesty—Lady Xiao Jinghong was a peerless beauty rarely seen in this world!

Still, perhaps her beauty was a little different from what people normally understood as beauty?

Chen Yi thought that as long as she was not a female Zhang Fei, he would willingly trade away a lifetime of power, fame, and fortune—anyway, a son-in-law of the Great Wei Dynasty could not sit for the imperial examinations or become a high official. Power and fame were useless to him.

Better to trade them for something practical.

Besides, Chen Yi did not want to become an official or fight for fame and profit.

Other than disliking the toil and scheming, he was even more unwilling to pile burdens onto himself.

In his previous life, he had been a workhorse; the moment he opened his eyes, there had been work and study. In this life, he only wanted to live more easily.

To borrow Old Tao's verse: "Picking chrysanthemums beneath the eastern hedge, leisurely I behold the southern mountains."

What Chen Yi wanted was precisely that tranquility and detachment.

Before he knew it, a month had passed in the blink of an eye.

Early spring had become mid-spring.

The flowers in Chunhe Garden had grown increasingly brilliant, while the grass was tender and green.

Especially that pond occupying a full ten mu of land, with green willow shade along its banks and pavilions and little waterside lodges—it was a delightful sight.

"Sitting there to fish, drinking tea, with a little breeze blowing... that would definitely feel nice."

Yet Chen Yi could only press himself against the window and stare longingly at that small pavilion, feeling rather like a prisoner weeping behind iron bars.

If only he could go outside.

Unfortunately, Lady Xiao Jinghong had insisted on having people "protect" him for one hundred days.

Chen Yi turned his head slightly toward the doorway and met the gazes of four eight-chi-tall, powerfully built Armored Soldiers. A friendly smile immediately appeared on his face.

"The sun is shining brightly today. Perfect weather for a spring outing, huh?"

When they continued to stare at him expressionlessly, Chen Yi found himself asking for trouble. He rose, removed the prop rod from the casement window, and shut it.

He had no idea what these Armored Soldiers ate growing up. Every one of them was around two meters tall, and so muscular besides.

Though Chen Yi was not short either, standing seven chi tall—about 1.8 meters—compared with them, he completely fit the image of a frail scholar.

"Son-in-law, I've counted them."

At that moment, Xiao Die came over carrying a stack of Yunsong Paper.

Chen Yi casually asked, "How many?"

"Eight hundred in total," Xiao Die said admiringly. "Son-in-law, you've written a full six hundred pieces this past month. That averages twenty pieces and two thousand characters a day."

Two hundred pieces remained.

Chen Yi thought that if he had a fountain pen or pencil, writing a hundred pieces a day would not be a problem.

Unfortunately, he had to use a brush, and he also had to account for his calligraphic attainment. His speed truly could not increase much.

But that still did not stop him from feeling smug. "Your son-in-law is impressive, right?"

This time, Xiao Die did not refute him. She praised him sincerely, "Impressive."

"If you know I'm impressive, then hurry and take them to Eldest Miss." Chen Yi rubbed his stomach. "I'm hungry. Remember to bring lunch back."

That damned Wei Qing Font emphasized heavy strokes and broad structure. It somewhat resembled the brush-script copybooks of the calligrapher Mi Fu from his previous life, and it consumed an enormous amount of stamina.

"Mhm, mhm, I'm going now. Sister Xiao Qin said the chef made roast duck for lunch. It won't taste good once it gets cold."

Xiao Die rushed out carrying the Yunsong Paper, yet still did not forget to remind the Armored Soldiers to keep watch over Chen Yi.

That girl.

Chen Yi smiled and shook his head, then leaned back in his recliner, his eyes flickering.

A phantom screen appeared:

Name: Chen Yi

Way of Calligraphy: Minor accomplishment (35/100)

Font: Wei Qing (Proficient · Full)

Fortune: 1

[Daily Intelligence · Yellow Grade High Rank: Rain will fall over Wushan during the hour of the Ox. Fang Lichun, the young lady of the Fang Family, will elope there with her lover Wang Boyuan, only to be caught by her family, who will forcibly tear the lovers apart. A tiny amount of Fortune may be obtained.]

[Comment: The person has not arrived, the sounds have not been heard, the scene has not been seen, yet Fortune falls from the heavens. To refuse it makes one a naturally indolent fellow.]

After reading it, Chen Yi thought to himself, The contents of this Daily Intelligence are getting stranger and stranger.

Over the past month.

The information refreshed by Daily Intelligence ranged from people quarreling within Xiao Manor to local tyrants forcibly occupying fertile fields in Shuzhou. It all made him feel that the Fortune granted by Daily Intelligence was rather peculiar.

Like today's affair of a wealthy young lady eloping with a poor scholar—the scene would probably be like this—

The Fang Family would ignore their young lady's wails and forcibly drag her away.

Meanwhile, her lover Wang Boyuan would struggle to grasp the hand of the woman he loved, only to be knocked unconscious with a club and collapse into the wind and rain.

The imagery was tremendously impactful, heart-rending and deeply regrettable.

When that time came, Chen Yi wondered whether he should crack sunflower seeds and watch the show, or be moved by their sincere love and lend them a hand.

"Daily Intelligence? I think Today's Gossip is more fitting."

If he had not been confined and forbidden from leaving, with Armored Soldiers guarding the door besides, he would definitely have gone to see what this Daily Intelligence was all about.

With that thought, Chen Yi added the Fortune to the Way of Calligraphy, focusing his mind on the "Calligraphy Font" entry.

"Eight hundred Family Rules essays, a full eighty thousand characters, and that raised the Wei Qing script to the peak of Proficient Level... not bad."

Although minor accomplishment in the Way of Calligraphy could not directly grant him calligraphy experience or give him the brush strength of someone who had written for decades.

When he wrote, however, it could improve his understanding of calligraphy. From the simplest strokes and character frameworks to the structure, blank space, and intent of every piece, it gave him clear guidance, greatly increasing the speed of his growth in the Way of Calligraphy.

Calligraphic attainment that others needed years, decades, or even several decades to achieve had taken him only a month and a half.

"Unfortunately, minor accomplishment in the Way of Calligraphy can only raise calligraphic attainment to the peak of Proficient Level. If I achieve another breakthrough, I'll at least become a renowned Wei Dynasty calligrapher."

Chen Yi thought this, then found a book and began reading.

Apart from copying the Family Rules these days, he spent his spare time reading. Most were history books, while a smaller portion consisted of storybooks, travel journals, and miscellaneous essays.

According to the records, two hundred and fifty years had passed since the Great Wei Dynasty overthrew the Ganyang Dynasty. The current Emperor Anhe was the thirteenth emperor of Great Wei.

For the first fifty years, the Wei Dynasty had fought year after year, opening territory and expanding its borders.

Afterward came two hundred years of peace. It successively experienced the Rongping Golden Age and the Huijing Reign, with ten thousand nations coming to pay homage and Great Wei's prestige reaching its peak.

Yet all things followed the cycle of flourishing to decline. In recent years, several neighboring nations had risen, leading to friction and warfare with the Wei Dynasty.

For instance, when the Southern Barbarians raised their armies and marched north twenty-five years ago, it had taken the Xiao Family of Marquis Dingyuan five years of bloody battle with their great army to drive them back.

That battle had been so brutal it could be described as "wounding a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of one's own." In every major town, county, and village throughout Shuzhou, nearly every household held funerals.

Only after that had Xiao Manor begun to decline.

Although no similar large-scale war had occurred in the last twenty years, the tribes of the Barbarian Tribe still came from time to time to raid for autumn plunder. Every so often, another member of the Xiao Family died gloriously.

No wonder even a woman like his wife, Xiao Jinghong, had chosen to don armor and take the field.

"Savage lands, foreign neighboring states—going back and forth like this is truly too passive."

"If they are not slaughtered and exterminated, how can there be lasting peace?"

Chen Yi had always believed one saying: those not of my race must harbor different hearts.

When dealing with the Barbarian Tribe or the Buddhist Kingdom in the Western Regions, only by treating them as Huo Qubing had treated the Northern Desert Xiongnu—killing until they trembled with fear—could one enjoy peace.

"Heh, I've thought too far ahead."

"I'm merely an Idle Son-in-Law. Living steadily is enough."

With that thought, Chen Yi put down his book and gazed eagerly toward the door.

Xiao Die, if you do not come back soon, your son-in-law is really going to starve to death.

Jiaxing Garden meant "when the family was harmonious, all affairs would prosper."

Twenty years ago, Old Marquis Xiao had grieved over how the family's members had died or been maimed, so he had sought out an enlightened master to inscribe its name and rename the place.

Separated from Chunhe Garden, where Chen Yi lived, by only one wall, it was now the residence of Eldest Miss Xiao Wan'er and Young Marquis Xiao Wuge.

Compared to Chunhe Garden, Jiaxing Garden was somewhat smaller.

There was a three-story Wooden Tower each to the east and west, trees before the houses and gardens behind them. Green shade surrounded the grounds, and at a glance, it was peaceful and pleasant.

At this moment, in the more distant West Wing.

Xiao Die gently placed the Yunsong Paper on the table and said with lowered eyes, "Miss, all the Family Rules the son-in-law copied today are here."

"Mhm." From the study room beyond a curtain came a question. "Xiao Die, has he shown any signs of wanting to run away lately?"

The voice was gentle and clear, like the endless drizzle of Jiangnan Water Town, though it carried some weakness from a lack of vigor.

Xiao Die shook her head. "No. Recently, the son-in-law has either been copying the Family Rules or reading books. He has not written poems like those from before."

After thinking for a moment, she added, "But... but Xiao Die can tell that he has been pent up for a long time. He often looks toward that pond."

A faint laugh came from the study room.

"That is only human nature. If it were me, staying in a room without going out for so long would make me feel stifled as well."

The voice gradually drew nearer.

Then the curtain was lifted, and a woman with a graceful figure walked out.

She was exceedingly beautiful. Her oval face held brows like distant mountains and eyes like starlight, as though she were an immortal fallen into the mortal world.

Yet even in this season approaching summer, she still wore a thick cloak.

Still, her icy skin and jade-like complexion revealed a trace of sickliness. She looked somewhat weary and faintly pale.

She was none other than Eldest Miss Xiao of the Xiao Family, Xiao Wan'er.

"Later, go relay a message to him. Tell him that once he finishes copying these one thousand Family Rules essays, he may move about within Chunhe Garden."

Xiao Die hesitated. "This..."

"Do not worry. I will write a letter to inform Jinghong. She will not blame you." As Xiao Wan'er spoke, she picked up the Yunsong Paper on the table and looked through the sheets one by one, her tone faintly reproachful.

"It has already been a month and a half since she married. Hiding like this forever is not a solution."

Xiao Die shrank her head. When it involved Second Miss, she did not dare speak carelessly.

"Go tell my brother-in-law as I said. As long as he remains peacefully in the manor, my Xiao Family will not neglect him."

"Yes, this servant will go right away."

After Xiao Die left.

Xiao Wan'er's gaze fell upon one of the Family Rules essays, and a trace of surprise appeared on her delicate face.

"His calligraphic attainment is truly extraordinary."

With Xiao Wan'er's knowledge, it was not difficult for her to see Chen Yi's brush strength.

Writing and painting were alike. Viewing calligraphy was like admiring an ink-wash painting; one had to appreciate the brushwork, brush strength, structure, and even blank space between the characters.

It could be said that from the first Family Rules essay Chen Yi had copied to this eight-hundredth one, a faint bearing had already emerged from his characters—just as Master Juyi of Jinling Academy had once assessed:

"Chen Qingzhou's writing possesses considerable spiritual charm, carrying the high spirits of a youth blessed with talent."

Though Xiao Wan'er could not see that "high spirit," she saw instead the freedom of taking things as they came and the composure of handling affairs calmly, bearing every sign of a master.

"If I had not seen it with my own eyes, it would be difficult to imagine these came from Chen Yi's hand."

With such calligraphy, one could glimpse some of his talent and learning from that poem, Shuzhou Chant · Marrying into the Xiao Family. It was not difficult to understand why he had chosen to flee the marriage back then...

She simply did not know whether Jinghong's impression of him would change after learning this.

After all, any woman would find it difficult to forgive her husband for fleeing their marriage on the day of their wedding.

Especially when he was a son-in-law who had married into the Xiao Family, and especially when she was someone as proud as Jinghong.

After some thought, Xiao Wan'er sat before the table, dipped her brush in ink, and wrote several lines of delicate small characters upon the paper:

"Dear Jinghong, upon seeing these words, it is as though we meet:

You have been inspecting the Three Towns of Shuzhou for over a month now. Everything at home is well.

Grandfather's condition has improved. Several old friends have visited recently, lifting the old man's spirits considerably...

Also, brother-in-law has shown signs of repentance. Please be informed—Xiao Wan'er."