Zhang Zongshi quietly sipped his tea, with only a few friends he had known for years beside him. From time to time, someone glanced his way, making no effort to hide the envy in their eyes.
Just then, someone at the next table asked loudly, "Brother Zhang, why aren't you going to the shores of Dongting Lake to look for Zhang Longxiang?"
Zhang Zongshi smiled faintly, set down his porcelain cup, and asked, "Do you want the truth or a lie?"
The restaurant's first floor immediately fell silent. Here in Seeking Friends Lodge, Zhang Zongshi held neither the highest Literary Rank nor the greatest power, but he unquestionably had the brightest prospects and drew the most attention.
The man said, "What would the lie be?"
"Zhang Mingzhou is an extraordinary man whose movements are shrouded in mystery. If he wishes to appear, we need only stand beneath Yueyang Tower to see him. If he does not, we could search all of Dongting Lake without finding him. Rather than labor in vain, we might as well stay here, drink tea, and chat while waiting for the Yueyang Tower Literary Gathering to begin," Zhang Zongshi said with a smile.
"And what would the truth be?" the man continued.
"Zhang Mingzhou's defeat was assured the moment he came to Xiang Prefecture. We had better not disturb his state of mind, or scholars everywhere will surely say Void Sage Fang won without honor," Zhang Zongshi said with a smile.
Many people laughed along with him. As people of the Jing Kingdom, as people of Xiang Prefecture, and as people who stood with Fang Yun, they ought indeed to have such confidence.
"Exactly! Void Sage Fang will surely win an overwhelming victory in this literary contest! Come, let's all raise a cup to Void Sage