Chapter 47: The Old Man Relives His Youthful Frenzy

The capital was divided into the Inner City and the Outer City, the two sharply demarcated.

Unlike the Inner City of the Qing Dynasty, which was reserved exclusively for the Eight Banners, the Inner City of the Great Ming Dynasty permitted commoners to reside within its walls, with only the innermost Imperial City belonging solely to the imperial relatives.

Since he had made the rare trip to the capital, Fan Jin naturally would not shut himself indoors to study in isolation; locking oneself away in a modest tower to achieve self-sufficiency had its proper season.

Ordinary people could not easily enter the Imperial City, but he wanted to sample the lively bustle of the Inner City first.

The Inner and Outer Cities of the capital were demarcated by the Dongzhimen Gate, the two connected by a long street.

Looking out into the distance, this street seemed almost endless, resembling a girdle that bound the entire capital together, fusing it into a seamless, natural whole.

The street had a nickname; the common folk of the capital called it the "Fuel Road," as over ninety percent of the firewood and charcoal consumed in the capital was transported through this street.

The thin morning mist had just begun to dissipate when the street was already bustling with activity.

Shops lined both sides of the road shoulder to shoulder, though the goods they sold were remarkably eclectic: oil vendors, salt merchants, vegetable sellers, mountain products... the variety was inexhaustible.

Before taking more than a few steps, one encountered various food stalls emitting mouth-watering aromas, with prices that could hardly be considered expensive.

The decor of this street was not as high-end as one might imagine, yet it enjoyed an exceptionally high volume of foot traffic and was filled with the vibrant warmth of ordinary human life.

Troupe performers engaging in acrobatics displayed all sorts of wondrous skills, drawing enthusiastic cheers of delight from the tourists!

Old Man Hu was so enthralled that he could hardly tear his steps away, and in the end, it took a mighty heave from Monk Hui to haul the Hu butcher out from the crowds packed three layers deep.

Fan Jin wore a gauze cap, a grayish-blue round-collared robe, a golden belt, and black leather boots as he strode through the Chongrenmen Gate. His two young servants followed closely a step behind, while Monk Hui and the Hu butcher trailed far in the rear.

Just as Fan Jin was looking for a place to dine, he was suddenly captivated by a lavishly decorated inn standing not far away, and he instinctively halted in his tracks.

He saw that hanging before the main entrance of the inn was a blue cloth banner, upon which were written several elegant and dashing large characters: "Meeting Friends through Literature."

Below the blue cloth banner stood a sign posted with detailed rules.

Before Fan Jin could speak, the quick-witted servant squeezed into the crowd and scanned the activity rules at a glance:

"This inn seeks to make friends through literature and has thoughtfully set forth six couplets. Those who match two couplets will enjoy completely free food and lodging at our establishment for three days; those who match three couplets will be rewarded with fifty taels of silver; those who match four couplets will be awarded one hundred taels of silver; those who match five couplets will be awarded two hundred taels of silver; and those who match all six couplets will receive a reward of five hundred taels of silver."

"There is no limit to the number of participants for any of the above."

Note: The final right of interpretation belongs exclusively to this establishment.
...

Looking at this striking blue cloth banner, Fan Jin's lips parted slightly, and he silently thought to himself that it was quite interesting.

This was a classic trope second only to marriage through martial arts competitions or capturing a son-in-law from the success list. Beneath the feet of the Son of Heaven, it truly lived up to its reputation as a place of literary refinement, and he had not expected to run into it himself.

He was not particularly interested in the silver rewards, but the prestige attached to winning first place was something he deeply yearned for.

Looking again at the scholars in opulent attire surrounding the inn three layers deep, most of them likely shared a similar thought, and quite a few were secretly rolling up their sleeves.

At a high-end establishment like this, a great personage might well be staying here incognito; if one won first place, one might just catch the favorable eye of some high-ranking imperial minister.

Compared to this, the silver rewards promised by the proprietor were rendered rather uninteresting.

Clearly, a great many people shared the exact same thought as Fan Jin. Literature has no first place, and martial arts have no second; who would not want to seize the opportunity to make a name for themselves and achieve eternal renown?

Numerous scholars from the south were even more eager to show off their skills and announce their arrival to the capital.

However, when Fan Jin squeezed through the crowd escorted by his servants, the entire scene instantly fell silent.

This was because the place was thronged mostly by refined men of letters and dashing young gentlemen of noble birth. For Fan Jin, a man of advanced age, to come and join in this lively affair was truly astonishing.

"Old sir, I am truly sorry, but our establishment does not receive outside guests today; you had best seek lodging elsewhere," the inn attendant said subconsciously, taking Fan Jin for an ordinary traveler seeking a room, with an apologetic smile.

"I am here to participate in this literary gathering," Fan Jin said, waving his hand.

"This..." The inn attendant twitched a lock of his hair as if struck by a bolt from the blue, and pressed on with a stiff scalp, "Old sir, you are not joking, are you?"

With that, he even gave Fan Jin a careful, earnest appraisal.

"What? Does this literary gathering of your inn practice age discrimination?" Fan Jin raised an eyebrow and said unceremoniously.

Right at that moment, the innkeeper heard the commotion at the front and walked out briskly. After understanding the situation, he deliberated slightly and offered an apology to Fan Jin: "When our master formulated the rules, he naturally did not set an age limit..."

That was what he said, but no one had anticipated such an unorthodox situation.

Fan Jin interrupted, "Since there is no age limit, why not step aside quickly? Today, this old man is indulging a momentary youthful fervor precisely to warn the talents of the world not to underestimate the people of the realm!"

Since he had already resolved to make a high-profile entrance and cultivate the persona of an eccentric scholar, Fan Jin did not mind pulling rank and acting his age.

Sure enough, as soon as these words were spoken, many wealthy young masters and dashing scholars glared at him angrily.

Fan Jin remained unconcerned, while Monk Hui directly dragged the innkeeper aside to clear a path.

Fan Jin strode up to the blue cloth banner, eyeing the two couplets written upon it. According to the rules, by correctly answering two of them, one would be invited into the inn to ponder the remaining four.

While he was deep in thought, the innkeeper who had been pulled aside instinctively twitched his mustache, secretly guessing: Could this old sir be some retired official from the provinces, or perhaps an instructor from a renowned academy whose fame filled the empire?

Otherwise, for this person to act in such a manner truly defied all logic.

Reflecting on this, the innkeeper refrained from obstructing him further and instead stood respectfully to the side with his hands hanging down.

Conversely, the remaining wealthy young gentlemen and refined scholars wore expressions brimming with anticipation for a good show.

If he managed to answer, so be it; but if he failed, this man would likely become the laughingstock of the entire capital within a single day.

Fan Jin had no need for the inn attendant to chant the first line; his gaze immediately locked onto the blue cloth banner—South Tongzhou, North Tongzhou, Southern and Northern Tongzhou connect South and North.

After pondering for a moment, Fan Jin silently thought to himself that it was no wonder so many people were scratching their heads and failing to come up with an answer.

This first line alone was enough to demonstrate the threshold of this "Meeting Friends through Literature" event.

After about half a quarter of an hour, the inn attendant gave a light snort and said with a rather arrogant demeanor, "Has the old sir figured out the answer?"

Having said that, he glanced toward the innkeeper as if expecting praise, never imagining he would receive a death stare in return.

Fan Jin, however, maintained a relaxed expression and laughed heartily. "What is difficult about this? Fetch me brush and ink!"

Brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were promptly presented by the establishment. The innkeeper even stepped forward personally to grind the ink for him, thoroughly convinced he had guessed Fan Jin's identity, and his attitude became exceedingly warm.

Fan Jin rolled up his sleeves, grasped the writing brush, and dashed off characters with wild abandon. Before long, the matching second line leaped onto the paper, eliciting gasps of astonishment all around.