What a Nerve

After some persuasion, Chen Yi still declined, so Li Huaigu had no choice but to leave Xiao Manor with Yunxiang, looking disgruntled.

The two sat in the carriage.

Yunxiang noticed Li Huaigu's distracted demeanor and asked softly, "Li Lang, are you worried about how to explain this to Mr. Yue Ming?"

Li Huaigu snapped back to reality and shook his head. "I was thinking about Brother Qingzhou."

"Him?" Yunxiang thought for a moment. "He seems different from anyone I've met... very easygoing."

Li Huaigu sighed at her words. "Yes, Brother Qingzhou is indeed unique—easygoing and carefree, content with no worldly strife, indifferent to fame and fortune."

In his view, only a great scholar like his teacher possessed such a temperament.

After all, most people were trapped by fame and gain; the more talented one was, the more they clung to such things, toiling away their entire lives.

Yet Chen Yi showed none of that mindset.

Clearly, he was young and accomplished, with extraordinary talent.

"Then, Li Lang, what do you plan to do?"

"First, I'll go to Guiyun Academy to report to my teacher. I hope he won't be too angry."

At Guiyun Academy.

"He truly refuses to come?"

In the spacious study, Mr. Yue Ming sat upright at his desk, a faint anger coloring his expression as he spoke with displeasure.

"The status of a marquis's live-in son-in-law is indeed unfit for refined gatherings, but since I invited him to the Poetry Gathering, I would naturally protect him."

"Moreover, I have exchanged many letters with Master Juyi. How could I put his student in an awkward position?"

Standing below, Li Huaigu shook his head. "Teacher, I tried my best to persuade him, but... but Brother Qingzhou was resolute."

"He also said that at the Poetry Gathering, the matter of this year's imperial examinations would inevitably come up, and since his elder brother Yun Fan is the Zhuangyuan, people would surely compare the two brothers."

Mr. Yue Ming paused at this, his expression softening as he stroked his beard. "In that case, I was inconsiderate."

Seeing his teacher's demeanor, Li Huaigu thought for a moment and asked, "Teacher, there's one thing I don't understand. Why are you so insistent on inviting Brother Qingzhou?"

As if worried Mr. Yue Ming might misunderstand, he continued, "If it's about the earlier incident of 'Forcibly Seizing Yunniang,' I've already clarified it at the government office. That matter had nothing to do with Brother Qingzhou; he acted out of goodwill."

"Goodwill?" Recalling that incident of "Forcibly Seizing a Woman," Mr. Yue Ming's aged face grew stern.

"Fanggui, do you truly believe that?"

"A marriage should follow the parents' command and the matchmaker's words. Even if your mother's methods were extreme, she had your best interests at heart."

"Don't think that just because you and Yunniang are deeply in love now, the days ahead will be smooth sailing."

Li Huaigu smiled bitterly and nodded in agreement.

He understood all the reasoning, but he was unwilling—and would never—abandon Yunniang.

Just as Chen Yi had written on the note he gave him, some things, if done, might bring regret in the future, but if left undone, he would regret them for life.

If he followed his mother's arrangement and married a woman of equal status or wealth, he would never be happy.

Mr. Yue Ming saw through his thoughts, waved his hand to dismiss such romantic matters, and turned to say, "The reason I sought out Chen Yi is mainly for a calligraphy copybook."

"What copybook could be so important to you, Teacher?"

Li Huaigu knew that besides his deep study of scholarship, his teacher was especially skilled in the Way of Calligraphy and often appraised calligraphy works with several other masters at the academy.

For his teacher to value it so much that he personally extended an invitation, Brother Qingzhou must surely possess a copybook by a renowned master.

Mr. Yue Ming said wistfully, "I don't know where Chen Yi found it, but it was written by a great calligrapher. The characters bloom with brilliance."

Li Huaigu's spirits lifted. "An Artistic Conception that reveals itself? There aren't many masters in the Great Wei Dynasty capable of such calligraphy."

Recalling that fleeting glimpse of the copybook, a flicker of eagerness appeared in Mr. Yue Ming's clouded eyes.

"This is no ordinary calligraphy—it's a completely new style, distinctly different from the Wei Qing Style."

Li Huaigu was stunned. "A new style? A copybook in a new style with a self-revealing Artistic Conception?"

No wonder he was shocked—if this were true, it would shake the entire Great Wei Dynasty.

He knew that in the two hundred years since the dynasty's founding, people had tried to innovate and create new script styles, but none had ever matched the maturity of the Wei Qing script.

Let alone a new style with a self-revealing Artistic Conception; even copybooks that could catch the eye of renowned calligraphers were rare.

Mr. Yue Ming was well aware of this too and sighed. "Yet such a treasure is in Chen Yi's hands—a sheer waste."

"What vexes me most is that his maidservant argued with me, claiming the calligraphy was Chen Yi's own work."

"Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!"

Li Huaigu couldn't help but laugh, never expecting his usually stern teacher to bicker with a maidservant. It showed how much he cherished that copybook.

Yet at the same time, a doubt arose in his mind.

Though he had little contact with Chen Yi, he could tell Chen Yi was not the type to speak without basis.

Suddenly, Li Huaigu thought of something and quickly reached into an inner pocket of his robe, pulling out an object. He opened it and took a look.

The longer he looked, the stranger his expression became, until even his hands began to tremble slightly.

Mr. Yue Ming noticed his peculiar state. "Fanggui, is something wrong?"

"Yes, Master, no... that's not it."

Li Huaigu couldn't explain clearly in the moment, and disregarding the formalities of teacher-student decorum, he stepped forward and placed the paper in his hands before him.

"Master, please look at this calligraphy."

Mr. Yue Ming glanced at the palm-sized sheet of Yunsong Paper with torn edges, furrowing his brow.

But out of trust in Li Huaigu, he held back his irritation, took the paper, and examined it closely, muttering under his breath:

"When flowers bloom, you ought to pluck them; don't wait until there are no flowers to..."

Before he could finish, Mr. Yue Ming shot to his feet, staring at the characters on the paper with a mix of surprise and delight, his eyes darting up and down, left and right, clearly tracing each stroke as he read the copybook character by character.

Silent for a while.

Mr. Yue Ming smacked his lips, letting out a sigh of pure satisfaction.

"Excellent calligraphy. It must be from the same hand as the copybook I saw earlier."

With that, he looked at Li Huaigu and asked, "Fanggui, whose calligraphy is this?"

Li Huaigu confirmed his suspicions and could barely contain his excitement. "Master, this was written by Brother Qingzhou!"

"Truly?"

"I would not dare deceive my master."

Mr. Yue Ming stared at him for a long moment before withdrawing his gaze, slowly sitting back down, his eyes fixed on the handwriting in his hands.

"I was wrong before. I misjudged that maidservant."

"And Chen Yi... thinking back, it was that old fellow Ju Yi who had the sharpest eye, declaring from the start that his calligraphy had spirit."

Li Huaigu tried to console him. "Master, there's no need to dwell on it. After all, Brother Qingzhou only recently arrived in Shuzhou, and his actions don't follow convention, so..."

Mr. Yue Ming raised a hand to cut him off. "Wrong is wrong. Whether it was my preconceptions or my stubborn adherence to propriety, in the end, the fault is mine."

Li Huaigu pressed his lips together and dared not argue further.

Silent for a while.

Li Huaigu tentatively spoke. "Master, how about I go ask Brother Qingzhou for a calligraphy copybook?"

"You?"

Mr. Yue Ming shook his head. "Forget it. Since this matter began with me, I'll handle it myself."

"And this poetry gathering..."

"It will proceed as planned. Consider it my welcome banquet for you."

"Thank you for your trouble, Master."

Not long after, Li Huaigu left Guiyun Academy and spotted Yunxiang waiting under a tree not far away. He couldn't help but let out a long breath.

Yunxiang was startled. "Li Lang, did Mr. Yue Ming reprimand you?"

Li Huaigu shook his head. "Not my master. It's Brother Qingzhou."

"Did the master blame him?"

"Blame? No, from now on, not only will my master not blame him, he might even personally come to his door to seek him out..."

Chen Yi had no idea just how "shameless" the "old shameless one" he spoke of truly was.

After declining the poetry gathering at Guiyun Academy, he carried on as usual.

Aside from holing up in his study, never stepping past the main gate or the second gate, he occasionally took Xiao Die along to wander around and catch some of the lively commotion within the manor, seeking out fortune.

At other times, if something came up, Xiao Die or Su Zhenyue would come find him on their own.

If nothing came up... best if nothing ever came up.

With the two young ladies of the Xiao Manor back home, Xiao Wuge had moved back to Jiaxing Garden, Zhang Heng was dead set on never coming again, and Chunhe Garden was noisier than ever.

These past few days, Chen Yi had followed Lady Xiao Jinghong to meet so many people, exchanging pleasantries and maintaining a demeanor of warmth, humility, and courtesy, that his very bones felt stiff.

The military generals were fine at least; at worst, they looked down on him and muttered "frail and weak" to his face before moving on.

But the young ladies and young masters from aristocratic families spoke in such roundabout, twisting ways that it made one thoroughly uncomfortable.

Thankfully, Xiao Jinghong handled it all with calm composure.

"Let the capable do more. Best to let my wife deal with them."

Chen Yi lay back in his recliner, flipping through the Four Diagnostic Records while cross-referencing it with the Medical Canon in his mind.

Just then, Xiao Die pushed open the door to the main hall and led Liu Si'er inside.

"Fourth Brother, the son-in-law is inside."

Liu Si'er clasped his fists in salute, then stepped into the study. "Son-in-law."

Chen Yi set down his medical book at the sound, gave him a once-over, and asked with a smile, "Fourth Brother, is something the matter?"

It had been some time since he'd last seen Liu Si'er; presumably, with Xiao Jinghong back at the residence, this "Hidden Guard" dared not approach Chunhe Garden.

As for the "entrusted to another person" mentioned in the secret letter, Chen Yi had recently observed nothing conclusive and could only hold off for now.

"Someone just handed a name card for the son-in-law at the gatehouse, so I brought it over on my way."

Liu Si'er set the red-lacquered stiff paper on the table with a natural expression, then bowed and said, "Son-in-law, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

Chen Yi hummed in acknowledgment, watching him walk away before picking up the name card to read.

[Qingzhou, my younger brother, months have passed, and your elder brother misses you dearly.

Every time I think of you traveling thousands of li to marry into the Xiao Family, my heart aches, fearing you might not eat or sleep well there.

By chance, I have now attained the title of Zhuangyuan and, by His Majesty's decree, serve in the Shu Provincial Administration. Tomorrow morning, on the official road north of the city, I hope to speak with you—Chen Yunfan.]

After reading, Chen Yi raised an eyebrow. "Elder Brother? Chen Yunfan?"

He wants me to go greet him tomorrow, hah, what a high opinion he has of himself.