Soul Returns in the Forest

"Sister Song is joking, that's not what I meant," Xu Ran quickly shook her head.

Song Qian smiled slightly, seemingly unconcerned. After exchanging a few words, the two parted ways. Xu Ran left, while Song Qian asked the innkeeper a few questions before going upstairs to a room and raising her hand to knock on the door.

However, before her hand could even touch the door, it slammed open with a "bang."

Song Qian was stunned for a moment, then pushed open the door and entered. The first thing she saw was a dashing figure sitting at the table, none other than Pang Qianru.

"Qianmei, you've come at the right time." Pang Qianru smiled sincerely when she saw Song Qian. She stood up and walked over to take Song Qian's hand, but the latter dodged it without making a sound.

Pang Qianru smiled, not pressing the matter further. Instead, she turned and sat down, crossing her legs, her entire demeanor changing drastically. "Tell me, what brings you here? Father has already begun preparations for your great-aunt's matter, so you don't need to worry about that. Besides that..."

Upon hearing the question, Song Qian did not answer, but instead asked, "Sister, have you really taken a liking to Wen Zhizhen? Are you willing to turn against Sister Xu?"

"Wen Zhizhen Peerless in Calligraphy and Painting, and is considered a talent alongside He Shuchang. I've even heard that he and two others are poised to become one of the Four Great Talents. My father should be perfectly satisfied with such a man as a husband."

As Pang Qianru spoke, her face beaming with joy. "Moreover, this Wen Zhizhen can be described as exceptionally intelligent. He saw our family's and Xu Clan's convoys on the road, asked a few questions, and guessed that Xu Ran and I were both among them. He then displayed his talent."

She stretched out her finger and tapped it lightly on the table.

"Xu Ran is young, at the age when she admires talented men, and she was easily captivated. Now her heart is completely devoted to Wen Zhizhen. If she participates in the Imperial Examinations alone, she won't return empty-handed. By then, I will be the wife of an official, which is much better than being the daughter of a military officer."

Upon hearing this, Song Qian looked surprised. "Could it be that you, sister, are deliberately acting like this to put an end to Xu Ran's thoughts?"

"Wen Zhizhen is not bad either. A smart person like her should be easier to communicate with," Pang Qianru said, then changed the subject. "Anyway, I know what I'm talking about, so you don't need to ask anymore. Tell me, what is it you came to see me about this time? You actually had something to say when you were at home?"

Hearing this, Song Qian stopped arguing and sat down at the table, saying, "Actually, I wanted to ask you to help me find someone."

"Oh?" Pang Qianru frowned slightly. "Man or woman?"

Song Qian glared at the other person. "Of course it's a man. Do you remember those few pieces of writing I showed you?"

"Oh? Was it the person who wrote those words? Or the person who composed the poem? I was wondering why you treasured those few pieces of calligraphy; I guessed it might be your lover." Pang Qianru spoke casually, but her eyes were fixed on Song Qian's flawless face.

Noticing the slight change in Song Qian's expression, a cold glint flashed in Pang Qianru's eyes, but her smile remained unchanged.

Across from her, Song Qian said, "Sister, don't tease me. The person I asked you to find is the one who writes calligraphy; he should also be coming to take the imperial Metropolitan Examination. It's an old friend from afar, so I want to catch up."

"The person who writes?" Pang Qianru smiled, her eyes narrowing. "This person's handwriting is not bad, but it's slightly lacking. If they dedicate themselves to studying it for a few years, they might have a chance to grasp its essence."

Song Qian, who was talking to Pang Qianru here, was the daughter of Song Yuan, the military governor of Wuxin Commandery. She had met Qiu Yan before, but at that time Qiu Yan had not yet grasped the Flesh-and-Blood Vitality Path. Although his calligraphy was outstanding, he could not clearly express the spirit of the calligraphy.

Pang Qianru lived in the capital, and her father held a high position. Her family was frequented by people of great power and influence. Having seen many School of Names calligraphers, even if her own calligraphy skills were not high, her eyesight had long been exceptional, which is why she made such a comment on those few pieces of calligraphy.

Those words were written by Qiu Yan when he was recording poems for others at the literary gathering in Wuxin City. Afterwards, Song Qian collected some of them and kept them with her.

Hearing Pang Qianru's evaluation, Song Qian did not argue, but smiled faintly and said, "After that person memorized these words, his calligraphy skills improved by leaps and bounds in no time. Now he has even gained some fame, and people in Central Passes know him."

"Oh?" Pang Qianru raised an eyebrow. "Judging from what you're saying, this person should be from Jiannan Circuit, yet he's already famous in Central Passes? Impressive! What's his name?"

Song Qian took a deep breath and uttered two words--

"Qiu Yan."

"Qiu Yan?" Pang Qianru's face showed surprise. "So it was him!"

"Sister, do you know Qiu Yan?" Song Qian looked a little surprised, then asked.

Pang Qianru immediately frowned, a deep frown appearing on her smooth forehead, and said in a deep voice, "This Qiu Yan, his reputation has indeed spread to Central Passes recently, but that's not why I know him."

"Why is that?" Song Qian asked curiously.

"It's because of Void Master's grandson, Qi Jiulian." Pang Qianru shook her head. "This kid went to Jiannan, and his personality has changed since he came back. He often mentions the name 'Qiu Yan'."

"Qi Jiulian?" Song Qian looked surprised. "The famous young calligraphy master? I heard he's the beloved grandson of Void Master, and is considered the most likely person in the last ten years to master the essence of calligraphy. Why would he mention Qiu Yan?"

"You should ask him about this, not me. Seeing how concerned you are, could it really be because of a romantic relationship?" Pang Qianru stood up, took off her cloak, and sat down by the edge of the manor. "However, if you want me to mobilize people to help you find this person, you should at least offer some kind of reward."

Upon seeing this, Song Qian sighed helplessly, "Sister, you're joking again. I ran into Mr. Luo when I arrived. He's been looking for you everywhere. I need to go over and explain things to him so he won't complain again."

"I didn't expect even you to have learned to devise a counter-strategy." Pang Qianru chuckled.

After exchanging a few more words, Song Qian took her leave.

Meanwhile, at the House Xu, two women also mentioned Qiu Yan's name.

The two women were Xu Ran, who possessed a graceful and gentle demeanor, and a tall, slender woman dressed in Confucian robes, giving her a unique beauty.

"Sister Ji, according to you, Qiu Yan is a man of his word. He promised to take you into the forest, but then broke his promise. If it weren't for that He Shuchang, you wouldn't have been able to enter the forest at all."

Xu Ran is complaining.

The woman in Confucian robes shook her head and said, "No, it's not that. I wanted to repay a debt of gratitude, and on that basis, Young Master Qiu didn't make any promises. So it can't be considered breaking his word."

Xu Ran frowned. "Sister, you're still speaking up for this kind of person? Have you been fooled by his sweet talk?"

The woman in Confucian robes shook her head again and said softly, "You don't need to overthink it. I came here this time to ask you for help in finding this person."

"Still looking for him?" Xu Ran's brows furrowed deeper, revealing her worry.

The woman in Confucian robes laughed, "Sister, don't worry. I asked you to find him not out of personal affection, but because I have something to remind him of."

"I hope so." Xu Ran looked unconvinced.

The woman in Confucian robes didn't expose her true feelings, but instead said, "I'm very happy that you care about me so much, but since you know that romantic feelings shouldn't override reason, you should be more careful and not be deceived."

Upon hearing this, Xu Ran's face showed a slightly unnatural expression, and she began to act coquettishly.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. The two women straightened up, and then they heard the voice coming in—

"Miss Ji, my master has returned. He originally wanted to see you, but two officials from the Ministry of Rites have suddenly come to visit and have some business with him. We'll have to keep you waiting a little longer."

"It's alright." The woman in Confucian robes nodded and answered calmly, but her mind was racing.

"An official from the Ministry of Rites? The entire Ministry of Rites Metropolitan Examinations. Could their sudden visit to the House Xu be related to the Imperial Examinations?"

"Prime Minister Xu, you must intervene in this matter, otherwise how can the Imperial Examinations continue?"

"The Talent Selection Ceremony is being watched by countless eyes throughout the land. How can we change the order so easily? Cen Bo and Zhang Hou, relying on the Emperor's decree, are trying to disrupt the preparation for the exam, even interfering with the exam questions and test papers. If this continues, the Imperial Examinations should simply be canceled."

In the main hall of the House Xu, Xu Jin sat upright, listening to the complaints of two officials from the Ministry of Rites in front of him.

Despite their submissive demeanor towards Xu Jin, the two women held high positions of power and influence outside the home. As vice Vice Ministers of the Ministry of Rites, they would have been high-ranking officials equivalent to deputy ministers in Qiu Yan's previous life.

"Cen Bo, Zhang Hou?" Xu Jin frowned, stroked his long beard, and exuded an air of authority without anger. "Have you asked Elder Ma and Elder Zhang?"

The two immediately replied, "We have already visited the two old ministers; they were the ones who guided us here."

Xu Jin frowned even more, knowing that someone was trying to drag him into this mess. But since the Ministry of Ministry of Rites had come looking for him, he couldn't pretend he hadn't seen them. He could only say, "Since there is an imperial edict, I can't say anything. We can only discuss this further when I see the Emperor tomorrow."

Having said that, the two officials knew when to stop and soon got up to take their leave.

"These are truly turbulent times. The Market Exchange Law hasn't even been promulgated yet, but the whole city is already in turmoil. Talent Selection Ceremony going to turn into a battlefield? It really seems like a storm is brewing."

After seeing the two off, Xu Jin straight back to his study. He pondered for a long time, sighed, and summoned a servant, instructing him, "Is Ji Zheng still waiting? Tell her to come over; it's a good opportunity to ask about the Ji Clan's attitude."

Meanwhile, in the many academies of this Great Rui region, a great upheaval was taking place, with the souls of Confucian scholars who had entered the Scholar Forest returning one after another.

Prosperity Capital, Literary Hall, Inner Chamber.

With a whoosh, the door was pulled open, and Bai Zhaoyuan, dressed in white, calmly walked out. (To be continued...)

P. S.: Thanks to "Wan Xia Xia La" for the donation!