Everyone froze. Hu Xiaotian blinked. Could this Miss Huo be a dog? Strange things happened everywhere, but this place had more than its share. Haha! All these people had gathered for a literary salon, and the guest of honor they were waiting for was actually a dog.
The somewhat noisy hall suddenly fell silent as a young woman in a long white dress walked slowly toward them. Her dress was spotless, and her glossy black hair had been casually gathered into a bun, secured with a simple twig hairpin. A thin veil covered her lovely face, making it impossible to see all her features. Her graceful brows were lightly drawn, and her beautiful eyes were clear and deep. With just one fleeting glance, she made everyone in the hall feel she was looking at them, setting their hearts pounding involuntarily.
Hu Xiaotian fixed his eyes on the woman in white, silently admiring her. I don't know what this chick really looks like, but her poise and charm are impeccable. From her every gesture, he could tell she had definitely studied male psychology. Like a beauty holding a lute to half conceal her face, that tantalizing concealment was lethally sexy to these literary men who considered themselves romantic but never vulgar. Had a girl in a bikini actually walked over, thrusting out her chest and swaying her hips, nine out of ten of these pretentious bastards would have condemned her for corrupting public morals. Hu Xiaotian glanced at Wu Jingshan, the Minister of Rites, and found the old bastard watching the approaching woman in white with a faint smile, looking much friendlier than before.
Hu Xiaotian cursed inwardly. Old bastard, you may look like a paragon of propriety, but who knows what filthy thoughts of thieves and whores are running through your head? Seeing this chick in white covered up so thoroughly, you probably wish you could turn your eyes into X-rays and see straight through her clothes. Hu Xiaotian did not know why he disliked Wu Jingshan so much. It was probably because Wu Jingshan was his father's political rival. Although Hu Xiaotian was not happy with his father either, they were family, after all, and when it mattered, he still sided with his old man.
With his status to uphold, Wu Jingshan managed to remain seated, but the other cultured gentlemen grew visibly restless. Su Qingkun, the Deputy Censor-in-Chief, actually rose to greet her, smiling as he said, "Miss Huo has arrived!"
The woman in white was Huo Xiaoru, Great Kang's celebrated performer. Not only was she an exceptional singer and dancer, she was also brimming with talent, a renowned woman of letters in Great Kang. She was accomplished in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and generally wrote both the lyrics and music for her own repertoire. During festivals and celebrations, Great Kang's princes and nobles often considered it an honor to secure a performance by Huo Xiaoru. She had come to the Kang Capital at the invitation of the Ministry of Rites to compose the celebratory songs and dances for the emperor's sixtieth birthday, and had already spent over four months in the Capital City.
Ever since Huo Xiaoru entered the Misty Waters Pavilion, Xu Zhengying had been staring at her incessantly. If Hu Xiaotian had not nudged him with an elbow, the fellow would practically have forgotten Hu Xiaotian was beside him. Xu Zhengying quietly explained Huo Xiaoru's background, and Hu Xiaotian understood at once. Huo Xiaoru was the equivalent of a female celebrity from his former life, taking the intellectual route and cultivating an artistic air. Such stars shared one trait: putting on an act. But provided they struck just the right pose, their appeal to men was almost lethal. These middle-aged and elderly literary enthusiasts, who fancied themselves romantic souls, were especially infatuated with that sort of thing.
Judging by Huo Xiaoru's entrance, merely showing half her face had already sent these literary gentlemen's hearts and minds scampering like monkeys and horses.
Every gaze was focused on Huo Xiaoru. Even Wu Jingshan's aura as the star of the gathering had dimmed considerably, and nobody paid any attention to the person behind her. A maid in blue followed her, a girl of thirteen or fourteen who had yet to finish growing. She was short, with a round little face that still carried some baby fat, and held a pure white spitz in her arms. No one had been watching her, but the little dog seemed determined to make its presence felt. It wriggled free of her arms, jumped down, and trotted beside Huo Xiaoru, barking twice. "Woof! Woof!"
Everyone's gaze involuntarily shifted toward it.
Wu Jingshan, the Minister of Rites, looked at the little white dog and gently twirled the sparse strands of beard beneath his chin. Smiling, he said, "Oh! Look, everyone. Is that a wolf or a dog?"
Everyone froze. That's obviously a puppy. How could Minister Wu not know the difference between a dog and a wolf? After a brief moment of bewilderment, however, they immediately understood the hidden meaning in Wu Jingshan's words. He was pointing at the mulberry tree to curse the locust tree. On the surface, he was asking whether it was a wolf or a dog, but through a play on similar sounds, he was actually saying that the vice minister was a dog. Of those present today, only Xu Zhengying held that rank, as Vice Minister of Revenue. Wu Jingshan had effectively cursed him to his face in public. Once they understood, laughter swept through the gathering. Some had initially restrained themselves, but hearing others laugh drew out their own amusement. The first to laugh was actually Su Qingkun, the Deputy Censor-in-Chief. Without his lead, the others would not have dared, but once he laughed, everyone joined in.
Xu Zhengying had understood Wu Jingshan's meaning immediately. Hearing the whole room roar with laughter, his aging face flushed crimson. Inwardly, he cursed Wu Jingshan, that old dog who was using his power to openly call him a dog. Although furious, Xu Zhengying feared Wu Jingshan's rank and did not dare lose his temper in front of him.
Wu Jingshan actually turned to Xu Zhengying with a beaming smile. "Lord Xu, you have broad experience and five cartloads of learning. In your opinion, is this creature a wolf or a dog?"
Xu Zhengying inwardly cursed eighteen generations of Wu Jingshan's ancestors, but lacked the courage to openly fall out with him. Suppressing his anger, he forced a smile. "Lord Wu, my talents are meager and my learning shallow. I truly cannot tell!"
Hu Xiaotian looked at Xu Zhengying with some contempt. This fellow has no backbone at all. Wu Jingshan has insulted him to his face, and he can still swallow it. Seeing Wu Jingshan's arrogance, then noticing Huo Xiaoru's beautiful eyes curve into crescents as though she, too, was struggling not to laugh, Hu Xiaotian felt a surge of solidarity against their common enemy. After all, he had come with Xu Zhengying; making a fool of Xu Zhengying meant making a fool of him as well. Without betraying his feelings, he said, "Actually, telling a dog from a wolf isn't difficult at all."
Everyone's attention had been on Wu Jingshan and Xu Zhengying, and no one dared interrupt at such a moment. By choosing that instant to speak, Hu Xiaotian immediately drew every eye.
Xu Zhengying groaned inwardly. This brat! Didn't he promise to play mute? Why is he opening his mouth again? Does he think I haven't been humiliated enough? He quietly shot Hu Xiaotian a meaningful glance, telling him not to meddle.
Hu Xiaotian ignored it. "There are two ways to distinguish a dog from a wolf. One is to look at its tail. Hanging down means a wolf; pointing up means a dog!"
The room fell utterly silent. Literary men had gathered here today, and none of them were fools. Everyone understood Hu Xiaotian's words. He had struck back at Wu Jingshan with the same kind of wordplay, plainly saying that the minister was a dog. Even as they silently admired his ingenious retort, they could not help feeling alarmed. Just who was this young fellow? How dared he publicly insult the Minister of Rites?
Xu Zhengying felt gloriously vindicated. Damn! He's got guts! Heroes truly have emerged from the young since ancient times. A heroic father begets a valiant son-Hu Buwei's boy really is extraordinary! The minister is a dog! Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant! Once his delight subsided, however, his head began to ache. Hu Xiaotian's reply was absolutely certain to offend Wu Jingshan, and ultimately the blame would fall on him. After all, he was the one who had brought the boy here. Offending Wu Jingshan was the lesser problem. If Hu Buwei learned that he had taken his son out to stir up trouble, his comfortable days at the Ministry of Revenue would probably be over. I really was asking for it. Why did I bring this brat to the literary salon?
Huo Xiaoru's beautiful eyes brightened as she watched this rather arrogant young man. Not only was he exceptionally clever, he also possessed remarkable courage. In truth, anyone who dared publicly insult Wu Jingshan, the Minister of Rites, was either outrageously bold or a fool.
The spitz actually ran toward Hu Xiaotian, and he picked it up from the floor.
Huo Xiaoru walked toward him. Hu Xiaotian stood and returned the spitz to her. Her slender hands were fair and delicate, smooth and flawless. Those orchid-like hands gently stroked the dog's snowy fur as she asked softly, "Young master, didn't you say there were two ways?" Clearly, this daring young man had piqued her interest.
Hu Xiaotian smiled. "The other way is to look at what it eats. A wolf eats nothing but meat. A dog eats meat when it finds meat, and shit when it finds shit!"
An unusual brilliance flashed in Huo Xiaoru's beautiful eyes, and her heart filled with silent admiration. This youth truly possessed extraordinary intelligence. His answer sounded impossibly crude, yet the gleam of wit shone through every part of it. He had plainly insulted Su Qingkun, the Deputy Censor-in-Chief. "Finds shit, eats shit" sounded like "the censor eats shit."
Beside him, Xu Zhengying burst out laughing. "Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant!" He had been holding it in for quite some time. Wu Jingshan, the Minister of Rites, outranked him, so he dared not offend him, but Su Qingkun, the Deputy Censor-in-Chief, was half a rank below him. When Wu Jingshan had first attacked him, calling him a dog in that roundabout fashion, that bastard Su Qingkun had led the mockery. Damn your ancestors! Now it's your turn! Xu Zhengying said, "What a fine line-'eats meat when it finds meat, and shit when it finds shit.' That is precisely a dog's nature." By now, he had thought it through completely. Offending people was unavoidable, so he might as well throw caution to the wind.
Huo Xiaoru could not help laughing. The skin visible beyond her white veil flushed slightly, making her particularly alluring. "My little dog hasn't offended any of you, yet you've given it a terrible scolding today," she said sweetly. She handed the spitz to the young maid behind her, swept her lovely eyes briefly across Hu Xiaotian's face, and asked gently, "Is anyone sitting in the empty seat beside you?"
With gentlemanly courtesy, Hu Xiaotian pulled out the chair for her and gave it a perfunctory sweep with his sleeve. "Please sit, Miss Huo!"
Wu Jingshan, the Minister of Rites, turned livid with anger. He had originally been determined to thoroughly humiliate Xu Zhengying in public, never expecting an unexpected challenger to charge into the fray. As the saying went, he had failed to steal the chicken and lost a handful of rice instead. In the end, he had only brought humiliation upon himself. Huo Xiaoru had originally been assigned a seat beside him, but she seemed disinclined to give the Minister of Rites any face, going straight to sit beside Hu Xiaotian instead.
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