Chapter 55: Celebration Garden

Pan Qingyun assumed a haughty expression. "Do you know who I am, young master?"

The court advisor paused for a moment, then shook his head. "You look unfamiliar, Young Master, so I am afraid I do not know you. However..."

He suddenly smiled.

"Young Master, whether I know you or not, this drum cannot be struck at random!"

Pan Qingyun dropped the drumsticks, threw his hands behind his back, and puffed out his chest. "I am here to see Magistrate Ge Zijian. Lead the way!"

A jolt of surprise ran through the advisor's heart, and he inwardly marvelled at how the Prefect had predicted this with divine accuracy.

He cupped his fists in a salute. "Well... I am terribly sorry, but Magistrate Ge has gone down to the countryside to observe the populace and understand their hardships."

"Do you happen to be acquainted with Magistrate Ge, Young Master?"

"Would you care to come inside for a cup of tea?"

Pan Qingyun was taken aback. "...When will he return?"

The advisor offered an apologetic smile. "As for that... we have not seen a single drop of rain since the onset of summer this year, and Magistrate Ge is deeply worried the crops will wither from the drought."

"Lin'an covers a vast jurisdiction, and since Magistrate Ge holds the welfare of the people as dearly as his own children, it is impossible to say when he might return."

At this, Pan Qingyun was dumbfounded.

He had come here to lodge a formal complaint!

According to the laws of the Great Zhou, intentional assault warranted a prison sentence of at least half a month.

He firmly believed that bearing the illustrious name of his grandfather, the Left Chancellor, would surely land Chen Xiaofu in the deep cells!

After that, it would all depend on whether the Flowing Brook Cottage truly had any backing.

If the old matron of Flowing Brook Cottage wielded enough influence in Lin'an, that scoundrel might escape physical torment in prison, but at the very least, he would no longer be able to spend time with An Xiaowei.

If his grandfather's prestige held sway over this Prefect... eager to curry favor with his grandfather, the man would undoubtedly sentence Chen Xiaofu to thirty heavy bamboo strikes!

He might even ask to oversee the punishment himself.

After thirty heavy bamboo strikes, Chen Xiaofu would either be dead or stripped of a layer of skin!

Yet now, the Prefect was inexplicably absent...

"When he returns, tell him that someone from the Pan household of the Imperial Capital came looking for him."

"I shall be staying at the Lake-Viewing Inn in Green Fish Lane. Once he returns, tell him to come to the Lake-Viewing Inn to see me!"

The advisor pondered for three breaths, then bowed deeply. "Understood!"

Pan Qingyun led his two companions back onto the carriage and departed.

Only then did the advisor let out a long breath, raising a hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

Watching the carriage vanish into the crowd, he hurried off in the direction of Qing Garden.

***

Qing Garden.

It was situated on the southwestern shore of West Lake.

Built right against the water.

Covering a considerable expanse, the courtyard was lush with numerous flowers, plants, and towering trees.

Yet there were only three structures within.

One was a two-story wooden pavilion, which served as Qian Shilin’s living quarters.

Another was a small veranda.

That was where Qian Shilin received guests, played chess, read books, and sipped tea.

And the final structure stood right by the edge of the lake.

It was a pavilion.

Positioned by the water and shaded by weeping willows, the pavilion was aptly named the Lake Willow Pavilion.

At this very moment, Ge Zijian, the Prefect of Lin'an City, was seated inside the Lake Willow Pavilion!

He had never gone to the countryside to observe any hardships of the people; instead, he was busy brewing a pot of tea.

Seated across from him was an elderly man with snow-white hair and beard, whose complexion bore a faint, ash-like pallor—none other than Qian Shilin, the Senior Grand Secretary!

Old Master Qian was currently gazing at a sheet of paper laid out before him.

Inscribed upon this paper was a ci poetry piece titled *Partridge Sky: Autumn Thoughts*.

He set this paper aside, revealing a second sheet featuring a pair of couplets.

After studying them from top to bottom, he picked up this sheet as well and placed it to the side.

On the third sheet were two poems.

One was titled *Spring Boudoir*, and the other *Mutual Yearning*.

After lingering over them for several breaths, he removed that paper too, only to find yet another ci poem underneath.

This piece was titled *Ugly Slave: A Youth Knows Not the Taste of Sorrow*.

In truth, these were all transcribed pieces that he had already perused countless times.

Prefect Ge Zijian, clad in a loose hemp robe, poured the freshly brewed tea into a cup, rose to his feet, performed a junior's bow, and respectfully presented the teacup with both hands:

"Elder Qian... Though these couplets and poems by Chen Xiaofu are indeed exceptional, surely they do not warrant you reading them with such unflagging devotion, refusing to put them down?"

"I have been staying here with you for over ten days now, and you look at them every single day!"

"Are they truly that marvelous?"

Old Master Qian accepted the teacup, his gaze drifting back down to the sheets of paper.

"You, ah... If you possessed even half your father's literary talent, you would never utter such words."

Ge Zijian’s chubby face broke into a broad smile.

"Your words are most true, Elder. What this junior fears most in this world is reading books!"

"If not for your kindness back then, sparing a thought for my grandfather and father to help me secure such a fine post, I would likely still be begging for scraps somewhere out there!"

Qian Shilin raised his head and smiled faintly. "You rascal are exceedingly shrewd. The way you have governed Lin'an over the years... has been rather commendable. You have hardly brought shame upon this old man's face."

"Let me put it this way..."

Qian Shilin took a sip of tea, set the cup down, and picked up those sheets of paper once more.

"This old man has always believed that there is no such thing as a person accomplished in every single field under heaven, and poetry and prose are no exception."

"Take the five great Confucian scholars of our Great Zhou, for instance. Their literary attainments each lie in different domains."

"An Jingwei, Chancellor of the Hall of Literary Profundity, excels in miscellaneous notes; Tai Zhenghong of the Wenchang Academy excels in rhapsodies; Qin Wenqi of the Qin family excels in song lyrics; Kang Binghui of the Imperial Academy excels in ci poetry; and Grand Tutor Zhang excels in parallel prose."

"It is not that they are incapable in other literary forms, but relatively speaking, they have achieved greater depths in their respective fields."

"Yet this fellow, Jian'an, seems somewhat different..."

Ge Zijian stretched out his short neck and asked with intense curiosity, "How is he different?"

"Take this second line... Achieving fame is never an easy task; family matters, state affairs, all affairs under heaven, every single one demands our concern!"

"This second line is not only meticulously matched in tonality and structure, but the profound significance it embodies is extraordinary!"

"And look at these two palindrome poems. Even if *Spring Boudoir* was crafted by An Xiaowei, the sheer height of achievement in *Mutual Yearning* is such that even Zou Jiuzhang would likely look upon it and sigh in inferiority."

"Then there are these two ci poems... *Partridge Sky: Autumn Thoughts* has already attained the absolute pinnacle of frontier poetry and prose!"

"During the Chen Dynasty, particularly in the Changle era, the empire was beset by troubles both internal and external, causing frontier poetry to flourish as never before in history."

"This old man has perused countless frontier poems, yet not a single one can compare to Jian'an's piece!"

"And as for *Ugly Slave: A Youth Knows Not the Taste of Sorrow*, from the desolation and bold heroism of the frontier winds, to the youthful sentiment of ascending the high tower and feigning melancholy to compose new verse... Such a transition is utterly unexpected and hard to fathom!"

"Why must poetry and prose be divided into schools and factions?"

"It is precisely because their emotional undertones differ, their modes of expression vary, and the philosophies of the poets diverge."

"Very few are capable of uniting the strengths of all schools within a single person, yet Jian'an has accomplished it!"

"That couplet—matchless! That palindrome poem—matchless, and these two ci poems... likewise matchless!"

Hearing three consecutive declarations of "matchless" fall from the lips of this venerable statesman, Ge Zijian was struck dumb—

Qian Shilin had risen to the pinnacle of officialdom as the Senior Grand Secretary. Devoted heart and soul to the Emperor of Changle, he had once smashed his head against the ground in a desperate bid to follow his sovereign into death!

Yet Her Majesty the Empress had not only spared his life but had even pardoned the sensational *Proclamation Denouncing Zhou Mei* he had once authored, and now wished to install him as Chancellor once more...

His literary talent was naturally transcendent!

Though not officially titled a Great Confucian, he possessed abilities that fell nothing short of one!

It was simply that he had devoted his entire life to the Chen Dynasty, leaving few poems and essays circulating in the world.

Yet at this moment, he was heaping such praise upon a former fool...

"Elder Qian, is he truly that formidable? Does that not mean he is on the verge of rivaling the Great Confucian masters?"

"No, his literary talent might even surpass that of the Great Confucian masters!"

Qian Shilin’s small eyes suddenly widened to the size of saucers!

Surpassing the Great Confucian masters... that would make him a Saint of Literature!

Looking across the entire realm, three hundred years had passed, and not a single Saint of Literature had been born!

"This..."

Qian Shilin put down the paper in his hand, lifted his gaze to Ge Zijian, and smiled.

"Take this old man's biased opinion as mere food for thought."

"By the way, how much longer do you intend to stay here at my place?"

Ge Zijian offered an awkward smile. "I must wait until that Young Master Pan departs from Lin'an."

"Are you not afraid that Pan Bufu will hold a grudge against you?"

Ge Zijian replied, "This junior has no intention of seeking further promotion in this lifetime anyway. Besides, that Young Master Pan has no idea I am hiding here with you."

"Furthermore... isn't Right Chancellor Li a disciple of yours, Elder?"

"With just a word from you, Chancellor Li can likely make use of this matter to stir up some trouble, and Pan Bufu surely lacks the ability to blot out the sky with a single hand."

Just at that moment, a pageboy approached.

He stood before Qian Shilin, bowed deeply, and said in a low voice, "Master, Young Master Chen has arrived!"