Chapter 40: Night of the Fish and Dragon Dance (Part 5)

Easterlies of the night call to bloom blossoms of a thousand trees.

In the second floor hall of Old Rain Tower, Li Pin's clear voice reached everyone's ears as at the nearby low table, Ning Yi's brush flew swish swish swish. Just this first line made many faces change—some focused solemnly, carefully awaiting the next line, while others frowned, bad feelings rising in their hearts.

Among those present, Su Chonghua was more inclined to believe Ning Yi only had minor talent—he naturally didn't believe the story about Water Melody Prelude being written by some Taoist priest, but being at Yushan Academy, he understood Ning Yi's daily methods quite well. His teaching approach was so vernacular it was childish. He might have read the basic classics, histories, and philosophies, but as for real talent and learning, Su Chonghua found it hard to believe. Even though Song Mao had personally said Ning Yi had a knack for teaching, in Su Chonghua's view, this was just clever tricks—might work briefly, but over time would become improper.

Actually, he had no opinion about how Ning Yi muddled through his days, having understood Old Master Su's intentions from the beginning. As someone who'd experienced officialdom, he could handle all sorts of messy situations just fine. Buying a poem to gain a reputation as a talented scholar? If he could have done that back in the day, he wouldn't have been polite about it either. So he never commented on Ning Yi's teaching. But Song Mao's praise was different. When Old Master Su talked to him about teaching on New Year's Day, what he felt was a thick sense of threat.

Ning Yi had always kept a low profile, not associating with many people—unassailable, and as a Su family member, after Old Master Su spoke, trying to undermine him within the family was completely impossible. But tonight was truly a good opportunity. He'd wandered here by accident—really couldn't refuse. He just thought briefly and immediately decided, telling Puyang Yu to call him up. Once he came up, as an elder, if he asked him to compose a poem, he couldn't refuse at all. Plus Xue Jin was here stirring things up, along with all these scholars around. As the saying goes, scholars despise each other—you overshadowed everyone with one poem at Mid-Autumn then went silent. Who would truly respect you?

His calculation was actually similar to Su Wenxing and others' thinking when Song Mao visited the Su mansion—let others expose his true colors—and Su Chonghua was ready to ruin Ning Yi's reputation tonight. Everything that followed went as he'd planned. Amid everyone's whispers, they indeed wouldn't let him leave. Xue Jin's performance was exaggerated but perfectly appropriate here. And his own words were like the last straw breaking the camel's back, falling perfectly into place.

But if Ning Yi's subsequent glance surprised him, the other's decisive brush strokes made Su Chonghua's heart thump, realizing his calculation was wrong, and when this first line appeared, he already understood—at his most triumphant moment of scheming, he'd been outmaneuvered.

Too decisive.

Though their perspectives might differ, he and Xue Jin both felt this—Ning Yi's composed attitude could only prove he had no problems in this area. When the first line appeared, others hadn't had time to truly ponder it. Of course, a single line could at most be called flawless, neither good nor bad. But when Li Pin read out "As if blowing adrift, stars that drizzle like rain" moments later, the poem's initial outline appeared before everyone—a grand and magnificent atmosphere spreading out as the verses took shape.

Swish swish swish.

"Precious horses and lavish carriages... go by leaving a scented trail."

"Phoenix flutes music perform..."

"as the timekeeper witnesses the turning of hours..."

"Throughout the night—lanterns in the shape of fish and dragons dance and gyrate—"

The first stanza complete, Su Chonghua sat there, sighed slightly, raised his wine cup and took a sip, closed his eyes, knowing tonight's plans had all become bubbles—this feeling was like failing to scheme against someone in officialdom, a complete miscalculation, not pleasant at all. He really couldn't see through this youngster now. On the other side, Xue Jin's mouth hung slightly open, expression astonished, blinking without words. The entire hall was silent. Someone was rereading the poem. Outside noises drifted in.

If the Mid-Autumn Water Melody Prelude progressed gradually, starting plainly and using supremely skillful techniques that didn't feel abrupt to unfold its entire refined and timeless grand atmosphere, then this current poem was unambiguously bold and sweeping from the start—like splashed ink landscape painting or wild cursive script, using the most magnificent brushwork to unfold its atmosphere from the beginning. "Easterlies of the night call to bloom blossoms of a thousand trees. As if blowing adrift stars that drizzle like rain. Precious horses and lavish carriages go by leaving a scented trail. Phoenix flutes music perform as the timekeeper witnesses the turning of hours, throughout the night lanterns in the shape of fish and dragons dance and gyrate." Just this one stanza, with its continuously rising metaphors, had already described the entire Lantern Festival scene vividly, as if concentrating this excitement dozens of times then replaying it before everyone.

The atmosphere in the hall became somewhat solemn, and Ning Yi paused, looked back, ostensibly checking everyone's reaction, but actually still watching that moving green-clothed maid. While writing the poem, he'd also been glancing at this woman's movements. She'd only looked this way once puzzled, then focused on moving around, pouring wine and such. Now she stood slightly sideways by a pillar, gaze slanting toward the corridor outside the window. In the entire hall, besides Ning Yi, probably no one would notice her.

Ning Yi turned back, swirled his brush in the inkstone, murmured: "Golden are the willowy tassels of her butterfly hairpin..." Li Pin didn't hear clearly: "Hmm?" Seeing Ning Yi's brush descend, he then understood.

"Golden are the willowy tassels of her butterfly hairpin..."

Still writing, from the corner of Ning Yi's vision, that green-clothed maid turned again, pouring wine for someone, her gaze shifting subtly to the other side as on the corridor, two blue-shirted men had also turned over, looking inside. Puyang Yu seemed to notice this. Someone probably with status went to inquire and negotiate, speaking quietly at the door. Others were focused on the poem, naturally no one paid attention.

Ning Yi wrote the next line: "Among giggles and chatters her scent is fading away."

The two blue-shirted soldiers ultimately didn't dare disturb so many scholars' gathering, keeping their voices low over there before finally turning toward the corridor's end. On the way they still looked in through the windows. Ning Yi paused after writing this line. The two disappeared from the window. The green-clothed woman also followed the circular path, carrying the wine pot toward the door, pouring wine at tables near the entrance, waiting a bit—probably calculating the time for those two to go up to the third floor.

"In the crowd I look for her presence everywhere time and again..."

In Li Pin's voice, Ning Yi watched that woman's movements from the corner of his eye as she finally walked outside without drawing attention. She glanced toward the corridor's end—perhaps the blue-shirted men were already gone. She was about to step forward when the next line "Suddenly I turn around" just rang out. The woman seemed to notice something, her form pausing, glancing this way once, seeming to frown slightly. A fleeting glimpse—Ning Yi withdrew his gaze without reaction, focused on writing the poem's last line.

After the final stroke, Li Pin beside him also sighed, gaze sweeping around: "Suddenly I turn around... and I see her there, where lights are dim and faint."

This line finished, someone sighed in the quiet: "Wonderful..."—Lady Qilan in the hall had long been listening with shimmering eyes. Hearing this "In the crowd I look for her presence everywhere time and again, suddenly I turn around, and I see her there, where lights are dim and faint," she couldn't help standing up, wanting to say something or walk over, then realized this was inappropriate. She gently bit her lower lip, hands twisting her handkerchief, turning to look aside. More people were still savoring the second stanza's meaning. Ning Yi put down his brush. Li Pin carefully picked up the paper and waved it, looked again, then handed it to Puyang Yu beside him. Looking at Ning Yi, he sighed with an indescribable gaze, then stepped back and bowed.

The first stanza exhausted prosperity, using admirable brushwork to depict the Lantern Festival's grandeur. Even just this half would already be an amazing poem. But in the second stanza, it actually extracted a transcendent mood from this most prosperous depiction. The first stanza worldly, the second ethereal—corresponding to each other, the massive impact was indescribable. Among those present, some were still pondering, some understood and could only sigh faintly with complex gazes. This mood placed here, after all, had its implications.

Of course some immediately noticed others' reactions, like Xue Jin, who first noticed Lady Qilan standing up over there. He'd just said those words, now directly made a laughingstock by one poem. Of course no one had the mind to pay attention to him now, but he still felt somewhat indignant—after all, it had been him confronting Ning Yi earlier. After a moment, he couldn't help saying: "Then... then why did you tell family elders that Water Melody Prelude was written by some Taoist priest?"

Ning Yi put down his brush, calculating the time since the green-clothed maid disappeared outside the window. He'd never had any feelings about people like Xue Jin. Hearing him speak now, he smiled and glanced at him: "Where did Brother Xue hear this?"

Xue Jin was stunned: "Though it's hearsay, it was quite vivid. Did you... did you actually say it?"

Ning Yi looked at him for several seconds, blinked, and smiled: "I said it. But rumors stop with the wise. Brother Xue perhaps missed half a sentence."

In their dialogue, Xue Jin's tone was slightly raised, but Ning Yi spoke calmly, his voice probably not carrying as far as Li Pin's. But with these words, Su Chonghua over there also widened his eyes, obviously not expecting him to say this. Xue Jin looked dumbfounded. Before he could speak, Ning Yi bowed to everyone around: "I truly do have urgent business, absolutely no deception. I'll take my leave now. Farewell."

This time no one dared stop him. Some even bowed back, saying: "Brother Ning, please go quickly if you have business" or "No problem, no problem."

Xue Jin widened his eyes: "You..." Just as he spoke, Ning Yi patted his shoulder, looking like he wanted to say something. Li Pin, Wu Qihao, Puyang Yu and others all focused to listen. Two seconds later, "That Taoist priest that day..." they heard Ning Yi say: "...chanted two poems."

He didn't really lower his voice. Ning Yi said it with a straight face, nodded, turned and left. Xue Jin's face flushed red, speechless. Xiao Chan had been memorizing the poem behind others. Now she quickly smiled and followed out. The two left one after another, disappearing into the corridor.

The scene went quiet for a moment. Others temporarily couldn't find topics. Li Pin looked at the poem and smiled: "With this poem out, Lantern Festival poems probably won't be easy to write anymore."

Puyang Yu nodded, flicking the paper, sighing: "Good poem..." Then passed it around for others to read. Over there, Qilan turned to watch the window where Ning Yi and Xiao Chan had disappeared, sitting down somewhat wistfully. Moments later, she smiled again, talking normally with those around her, livening the atmosphere. Waiting for the poem to come over—she'd have to perform it.

Half an hour later, this "Green Jadeite Bowl" spread throughout Jiangning...

(End of Chapter)