A Single Move Reverses the Tide, Cleansing Stigma and Gathering Popular Support

"Qiu Yan is gone?"

As expected, Song Yuan and Zhao Bingcheng's expressions were not good upon hearing the news.

"What exactly happened? Has something else gotten into trouble?" Song Yuan asked, his gaze falling on Geluolan.

"Reporting to the Grand Protector," Geluolan said smoothly, "I came here with the intention of making peace, but due to our different statuses, I couldn't very well take the initiative to speak with Qiu Yan. Who would have thought he would suddenly leave?"

As a prince of the Marshfolk tribe, he was proud of his status and unwilling to lower himself to make overtures. Song Yuan understood this and appreciated Geluolan's tactful response.

At this moment, Zhao Bingcheng asked, "I have met Qiu Yan before. He is a man of principle. He would not leave halfway without a reason. There must be a reason. Someone, please tell me everything that happened today."

Noticing the implicit appreciation and protection of Qiu Yan in Zhao Bingcheng's words, all the scholars felt a chill. Gu Yanzhi seemed to be deep in thought, while Fang Ziyan stepped forward, about to speak.

However, before he could speak, someone else beat him to it.

"Reporting to Mr. Zhao, I know a little about this matter."

It was Qi Xin who spoke.

"You are General Qi's son," Zhao Bingcheng looked in the direction of the voice, nodded, and said, "Tell me the Original Edition story."

"Yes." Qi Xin nodded and respectfully recounted what had happened.

Seeing Fang Ziyan, Fang Ziyan had no choice but to give up. But as he listened, he noticed something amiss. "Why does Qi Xin seem to be deliberately protecting Qiu Yan? He appears to be narrating, but in reality, he's saying good things about Qiu Yan at every turn!"

Qi Xin spoke plainly, recounting everything that had happened since Qiu Yan entered. He first mentioned that Qiu Yan had solved sixty riddles in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, making everyone feel ashamed. Then he said that Qiu Yan had transcribed poems for others, and the characters he wrote already possessed a certain charm.

At first, Zhao Bingcheng was merely surprised to hear that Qiu Yan had solved sixty problems in a row. But when Qi Xin praised Qiu Yan's calligraphy, saying it was full of charm, Zhao Bingcheng couldn't help but interrupt, "You say his calligraphy has a divine charm? Do you know what kind of praise that is?"

Qi Xin calmly replied, "Sir, I visited the Imperial City with my father a few years ago and met Mr. Wu Gan once, where I admired his calligraphy from afar."

"You've met Wu Gan?" Zhao Bingcheng asked, slightly surprised.

Gu Yanzhi also stepped forward and said, "Qiu Yan's calligraphy is indeed amazing; it has already reached a high level and far surpasses ours."

"Oh? Even you say so." Zhao Bingcheng knew about Gu Yanzhi's calligraphy; he was a student of Yan Wu and wrote beautiful characters. But he didn't expect that even he would admit that he was not as good as Gu Yanzhi.

Song Yuan suggested from the side, "Mr. Zhao, why don't you have someone take a look at Qiu Sheng's handwriting? That will tell you everything."

"Indeed, I've been confused." As soon as Zhao Bingcheng finished speaking, Yang Dingyuan walked to the side with a stack of papers in his hands and presented them to him.

Zhao Bingcheng took it and glanced at it; a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

"Beautiful calligraphy! Beautiful calligraphy!"

He praised her several times, causing Fang Ziyan and Geluolan's expressions to change; the former was annoyed, and the latter was surprised and suspicious.

Hearing Zhao Bingcheng's praise, Song Yuan also leaned over for a look, his eyes widened slightly, and his expression changed as well.

Song Yuan came from a poor background and had little knowledge of calligraphy, but he was accomplished in martial arts Life Cultivation, and could capture the spirit within characters when he looked at them.

"There's a real spirit in each and every character, Great Qi presence! Even someone like me who doesn't understand characters was moved by it!"

"This calligraphy is definitely not from Ma Yang's school. It's upright and Great Qi, and looking at the characters is like looking at the heart. To be able to write such a person... Hmm? This poem?" Zhao Bingcheng was praising the calligraphy when he suddenly noticed the five-character poem and narrowed his eyes.

"This poem is simple and unadorned, with a clear artistic conception, and it is clearly written from the heart. But how can a literary gathering like today, where people recite and compose poems, connect with an old farmer in the fields? Why would such a poem appear?"

Thinking of this, he looked at Qi Xin.

Qi Xin, understanding the meaning behind the words, recounted what had happened after Geluolan's arrival, as well as the accounts of the various Confucian scholars.

"I see," Zhao Bingcheng nodded and said to Song Yuan, "This matter cannot be blamed on Qiu Yan. Judging from what he said during the day, he is clearly not a frivolous person. He came to the literary gathering to give me face. It is only reasonable that he was indignant when he heard the words that insulted farmers and left in anger."

Song Yuan nodded, concealing his displeasure. "What you say is true, sir."

He and Zhao Bingcheng, one leading troops to Guarding the One and cultivate land to ensure the people's well-being, and the other, over fifty years old and knowledgeable, were unlike the young ladies and gentlemen in front of them who were ignorant of the hardships of ordinary people, nor were they bookish scholars who only talked about military strategy. Of course, they knew the importance of seemingly humble farmers to a country. Therefore, once they learned the whole story, their dissatisfaction with Qiu Yan turned into appreciation.

This change in emotion was reflected on their faces, which Fang Ziyan noticed, causing him to frown.

"What happened? The military governor and Mr. Zhao were still angry just now, but they calmed down after just one glance at the calligraphy? Even if Qiu Yan's calligraphy has reached a high level, it shouldn't be enough to make these two important figures put aside their anger. Gu Yanzhi's teacher, Yan Wu, is famous throughout the world for his calligraphy. When scholars mention him, they still give him the evaluation of being a plaything who has wasted his life."

Fang Ziyan's question was quickly answered when Zhao Bingcheng handed him a card.

"Take a look."

Fang Ziyan looked down and saw that it was a five-character poem. He thought that Zhao Bingcheng wanted to test him. He looked at it carefully, then shook his head and said, "This poem is not outstanding. The first line uses three oblique tones in a row. However, compared with ordinary poems, it is still acceptable."

Zhao Bingcheng shook his head, revealing a look of disappointment. "What I'm showing you isn't the technique of this poem, but the spirit it contains. If writing poetry is just about piling up fancy words, then the essence of writing is reversed!"

"This..." Upon hearing this, Fang Ziyan looked at the poem in his hand again, realized its meaning, and his feelings immediately changed.

The poem consists of four lines and is simple and easy to understand.

"I was wrong." Fang Ziyan quickly lowered his head, feigning shame. Although he hadn't said those words, they were because of him.

Several Confucian scholars squeezed through the crowd, and upon seeing the poem, their faces burned with embarrassment. Those who had been discussing farmers blushed, feeling that the poem was an insult to them. They wanted to argue, but dared not contradict Zhao Bingcheng.

Some guessed it was Qiu Yan's poem, saying, "Qiu Yan claimed he couldn't write poetry, yet he kept this a secret."

"You can only grasp the superficial meaning of this poem now; it will take you more than ten years to truly understand it," Zhao Bingcheng said. He glanced at Geluolan and the others, then, recalling Qi Xin's earlier words, shook his head inwardly. "Just as Qiu Yan said, they do not engage in production, only know how to plunder. They are not ashamed but proud of it. This may appease them for a time, but they will eventually rebel again."

After saying this, he seemed somewhat dispirited. He left a few words, took Qiu Yan's poem, and departed.

Song Yuan shook his head, gave his daughter some instructions, and then left Literary Star Tower.

As the two left, the atmosphere at the literary gathering became somber. Song Qian seemed absent-minded, lost in thought, and answered only half-heartedly.

Meanwhile, the daughters of officials pursued the scholars, asking them questions about Qiu Yan, making the scholars quite embarrassed. However, no one brought up the matter of fainting again.

Today, they were first overshadowed by Qiu Yan's riddles, then stunned by his handwriting, and finally made ashamed by a poem. What face do they have left to criticize Qiu Yan?

Fang Ziyan, who was valued by Zhao Bingcheng, was reprimanded and looked gloomy.

"Four lines of poetry that don't conform to the rules of prosody, with a simple meaning, yet he claims it will take more than ten years to understand them. This Zhao Bingcheng is probably senile! Today, Qiu Yan suddenly appeared out of nowhere, using me as a stepping stone. He's just an unknown nobody, while I'm a renowned scholar in Jiannan. How can I tolerate this?"

On the other side, the sons of military officers were vying for a stack of papers left behind by Qiu Yan, not for the poems on the paper, but for the calligraphy. The more military the officer, the more they liked to adorn their home with poetry and books.

Seeing this scene before him, Qi Xin sighed.

Yang Dingyuan asked, puzzled, "Brother, what's wrong with you? Why are you actually speaking up for Qiu Yan?"

Looking at his brother, Qi Xin said in a low voice, "Qiu Yan is no simple man. He probably has all these things under his control and calculation. He has turned the tide in one fell swoop, not only clearing his name but also establishing prestige and connections. Moreover, once this poem spreads, it will gather public support and soon make him famous in Wuxin City and Jiannan Circuit. You and I might as well befriend him."

"No matter how capable he is, he's still just a Xiucai." Although Yang Dingyuan knew Qiu Yan was extraordinary, he still couldn't let go of his pride.

"Xiucai?" Qi Xin smiled. "The way scholars rise through the ranks is different from ours. They might be living in a humble abode today and holding a high position in the imperial court tomorrow."

After leaving Literary Star Tower, Qiu Yan walked straight ahead without the slightest hesitation.

"This literary gathering is nothing more than a bunch of presumptuous men and women getting together to flatter each other. They're just trying to turn their reputations around this time. If it's not necessary, there's no need to attend such gatherings in the future; it's a waste of energy and time."

He walked along, lost in thought.

"Although befriending Song Qian would give me a better chance to find out the true nature of the Mountain-Passing Great King, I have no intention of marrying the governor's daughter since I came to Wuxin City. There's no need for me to be hypocritical and play with emotions, hmm?"

As he was thinking, a thought suddenly struck him.

"Several believers of the Kitchen God have come to the city."

As he sensed it, he returned to the post station and encountered several Confucian scholars upon entering.

These Confucian scholars continued to point and whisper, their words laced with mockery.

"I wonder what expressions these people will have when we meet again tomorrow." Qiu Yan glanced at them and then ignored them, going straight into his room, turning on the light, and seeing the wriggling Ginseng Babies on his desk.

When he was packing his luggage at the Liu Household family's old house, he also brought the Ginseng Baby with him. These days, the Ginseng Baby accompanied him while he read and wrote. However, during the three days he was in a coma, the Ginseng Baby became more and more active for some reason, wriggling and climbing everywhere.

Qiu Yan was about to tidy up the table when his expression suddenly changed.

"Huh? One of the believers has entered the Military Governor's Residence. What a pleasant surprise!"

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

P. S.: Thank you to "White-Clad Scholar", "Legendary Evil Man", "Volcano 1889", "My Favorite Hatsune Miku", and "Amazing Life" for their generous donations!

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