One second to memorize 【Complete Book God Station】Mobile users, please enter the address:

According to Ning Yi's previous plan, he originally intended to go directly to Yushan Academy after running around outside. It was already early August in the lunar calendar. Feeling uncomfortable after being soaked and walking home, and it didn't seem like his physical fitness improved much; he'd probably catch a cold tomorrow. Fortunately, he didn't walk far before encountering someone he knew—the concubine of old Master Qin, whom he'd met a few times.

When Ning Yi went out for exercise, he naturally wouldn't choose the direction leading to the bustling city. The area he was most familiar with was this street where he often came to play chess with old Master Qin. Old Master Qin's concubine was named Yun Niang, in her thirties. She was a woman of the demimonde in her early years, but she didn't have the seductive charm of such women. Ning Yi had seen her a few times delivering lunch to old Master Qin. Her manner was dignified and generous, and she could even discuss poetry with old Master Qin during their conversations. At this time, she was dressed as a simple country woman, wearing a plain dress and a thorn hairpin, carrying a wicker basket in her hand filled with fresh vegetables and fruits she had just picked from the nearby fields. When she saw Ning Yi, she looked surprised.

After a brief greeting, Yun Niang asked what had happened. Ning Yi pointed to the Qinhuai River not far away: "Fell into the river." Yun Niang smiled slightly and didn't ask any further questions. She simply asked Ning Yi to follow her to a nearby residence: "The autumn wind is strong. If you walk back like this, young master, you're afraid you'll catch a cold tomorrow. Since you are a friend of my master, Master Ning, please don't be polite. My master is also at home at the moment... Oh, he was just mentioning yesterday that you haven't been to play chess for the past few days."

Ning Yi played chess with old Master Qin in the nearby streets, only knowing that he lived in this area, but he had never been to his house before. At this time, he followed Yun Niang into the house and saw the old man in the living room looking at an ancient scroll. His expression was serious and earnest, even faintly revealing an authority-like majesty, which was quite different from his demeanor when he set up a chess stall by the river. Seeing someone come in, he looked up and squinted for a few seconds before realizing who it was. He seemed to chuckle to himself. Yun Niang walked over with a smile. Before she could speak, he nodded. After all, it was clear what needed to be done at the moment.

"Let Xiao Hong prepare hot water. Yun Niang, go and get a set of Da Lang's clothes... Haha, little friend Li Heng, what happened to you?"

After arranging the important matters, the old man laughed heartily. There was a hint of schadenfreude in his laughter, as if he had made a brilliant move while playing chess. In fact, they had become quite familiar with each other during these days of playing chess. Usually, the old man would impolitely call him "Li Heng, kid." It was probably because he saw him in such a disheveled state that he smiled and called him "little friend," his expression quite happy. Ning Yi also smiled wryly and shrugged his shoulders. After all, with the other's concubine present, he couldn't just say, "You old man are gloating."

Compared to the vast Su family compound in Jiangning City, the Qin family's residence wasn't large, and its wealth was naturally not comparable either. However, it could still be considered a decent, wealthy household. The place was well-managed and orderly, giving people a sense of fulfillment, a house filled with scholarly atmosphere and everyday life, with an underlying foundation that made people feel grounded. Although Yun Niang had personally gone out to pick vegetables and fruits this morning, there were actually several maids and servants in the house. A family that could afford to keep several servants was generally doing well financially.

Old Master Qin's first wife was a very amiable and kind woman. She used to be a peasant woman, but she didn't have the petty or mean characteristics of ordinary peasant women. Now in her fifties, she managed the household on a daily basis, tending to some melons and fruits. The abandoned garden that Ning Yi had seen Yun Niang picking fruits from had been personally cultivated by Madam Qin and her family. Old Master Qin himself had probably also helped. Perhaps it was because of this disposition that she was able to manage the household so well. Madam Qin and Yun Niang had a good relationship. Such a family of three could probably be considered a model family under the one-husband-multiple-wives system.

After Ning Yi had taken a hot bath and changed into new clothes, Madam Qin looked him up and down, very pleased: "Master, young Master Ning looks somewhat similar to Da Lang when he wears these clothes." Ning Yi looked at the clothes. They were indeed in the style of a young man, and the fabric was new. He assumed they were the clothes of old Master Qin's son. The old man had two sons, both of whom were away. Hearing his wife say this, old Master Qin nodded, and then asked Ning Yi why he had fallen into the river. Ning Yi told him about the unfortunate events that had happened earlier, and the old man laughed again.

"You kid, you're besmirching someone's reputation, it's really hateful."

"That's really hitting me with the blame..."

"Haha... But... hitting you with the blame? Does this phrase have any origin?"

"... "It's not good to talk to knowledgeable people; they ask about origins at every turn. Ning Yi would have explained it with a smile when playing chess, but at this time, he only said: "It's a long story." After a while, Madam Qin prepared breakfast and, together with Yun Niang, invited old Master Qin and Ning Yi over. During the meal, they talked about Ning Yi's initial impressions of the courses at Yushan Academy. In old Master Qin's opinion, Ning Yi was a complete newbie when it came to teaching, so he couldn't help but laugh and scold Ning Yi for misleading people. Then, they talked about the Mid-Autumn Festival.

"The Puyuan Poetry Gathering... Puyuan's six connected boats are quite interesting, but most of the people who go there probably don't have much poetic talent. If you're talking about something that attracts many talented scholars, it's still the Pan family's Zhishui Poetry Gathering..."

"Oh, talented scholars... the very talented kind?"

"Haha, it's hard to say exactly how to define great talent and small talent. There's always some poetic talent. Every year at the Mid-Autumn Poetry Gathering, the Zhishui Academy always produces a few good poems and lyrics. The Pan family has been a Hanlin family for three generations. If someone has talent and wants to make a name for themselves, they're always willing to explore that avenue..."

During the Mid-Autumn Festival on the Qinhuai River, talented scholars competed in writing and beautiful women competed in singing. There were many poetry gatherings, large and small. Often, there were some hidden competitions between the various poetry gatherings. If a good poem came out of one poetry gathering, and another poetry gathering produced an even better one, it would often be widely publicized and talked about on this night, and become a beautiful story for months or even years to come. Of course, there was also the behind-the-scenes promotion of various merchants and even the government, but in any case, the reputation of the Qinhuai River was built up in this atmosphere.

The Puyuan Poetry Gathering and the Zhishui Poetry Gathering were among the most influential poetry gatherings on this night. Although the Puyuan Poetry Gathering was called Puyuan, it was actually made up of six large boats connected together, drifting on the Qinhuai River all night long, drinking wine, composing poetry, and watching the fireworks and the lights on both sides of the river. There were also various performances on the boats.

The Pu family was originally wealthy merchants, but the status of merchants was low. After having money, they wanted to lean towards the literati class, but this was not something that could be done in a few years or decades. His family was very large, and in recent years, a few talented literati had emerged, slightly better than the Su family, but in the eyes of the world, they were still not considered a scholarly family. The Puyuan Poetry Gathering was known on the Qinhuai River for its grandeur, luxury, and liveliness, but most of those who attended were people with similar merchant backgrounds or connections to the Pu family, such as Xue Jin and Su Tan'er, to join in the fun. If there were self-proclaimed literati who composed poems, the other half was used to build relationships and discuss business. The quality of the poems varied. It was the most luxurious poetry gathering, but it couldn't compare to the top poetry gatherings in terms of literary atmosphere.

The Zhishui Poetry Gathering was a true gathering of top talents in the Qinhuai area. The Pan family, who organized the poetry gathering, was a true scholarly family, with three generations of Hanlin scholars. Pan Mingchen of this generation was a Hanlin academician and also served as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. His poetry gathering had always been sought after by many students who wanted to achieve fame and success. Of course, if you really wanted to get the qualification to participate in the poetry gathering, you had to have a certain amount of talent or a sufficient background. In addition to some early famous talents who could get invitations, before the Mid-Autumn Festival every year, many talents also sent their name cards to the Pan mansion, sending their poems in order to gain favor. In addition to this, many famous courtesans were proud to be invited to participate in the Zhishui Poetry Gathering, which was completely different from the Puyuan Poetry Gathering's annual investment of heavy money to invite people.

"Since you're preparing to participate, little friend Li Heng, have you prepared any poems? There are also a few chess friends on the Pan family's side. If you're interested, you can ask for an invitation."

After old Master Qin finished speaking, he looked at Ning Yi across the table. Ning Yi smiled and shook his head: "I don't understand poetry, I'm just going to Puyuan to watch the fun."

He refused lightly, and old Master Qin didn't say anything else. After finishing breakfast, the sun was high outside, and Ning Yi had to say goodbye and go to Yushan Academy. After seeing him off to the door and watching him go far away, Yun Niang smiled and asked old Master Qin, "Master, does this young Master Ning really not understand poetry?"

"What do you say, Xiao Yun'er?"

Yun Niang blinked her eyes: "Lying?"

"Hehe, I don't really understand whether he can or not. If you had said this when I first met him, I would have believed it. But now, it's hard to say." Old Master Qin shook his head and smiled, "I have seen many people in my life. I have also seen young people who are either seeking fame or have real talent. Some are peaceful, upright, humble, and polite according to the way of Confucius and Mencius, or there are madmen who take a different approach, acting flamboyantly and uninhibited, but they do have real talent and often amaze people. But no matter what, these are all just a matter of course, but only this Ning family kid really makes it hard to understand his thoughts."

"When I first played chess with him, I felt that he was taking a different approach, often making aggressive moves, but he could always lead people to think. I only thought he was a young man with a flamboyant personality and quick thinking. He didn't talk too much. But after playing for a long time, I realized that his chess path could be orthodox or unorthodox, and he was completely unconstrained by rules. After chatting for a while, I also felt that although this Ning family kid spoke casually, he was peaceful and indifferent at heart. Occasionally, he made thought-provoking statements, which sounded novel, but were actually not far from the truth."

"I remember a few days ago when he mentioned that he was going to teach in school, he casually mentioned a few words. Teaching is not teaching people how to do things, it should be teaching people why to do them. The most important thing for the ancient sages and sages to write books and speak their minds is just to say the ultimate truth of human relationships, worldly affairs, and the operation of heaven and earth. After understanding these things and then knowing how to do them, that is a true scholar. He said it casually at the time. If a shallow person heard it, he would probably label him as a madman, but... the truth is indeed the truth. Seeing a mountain is a mountain, seeing water is water, seeing a mountain is not a mountain, seeing water is not water, and then being able to return to seeing a mountain is a mountain and seeing water is water, that is truly understanding the book. Well, don't spread his words too much, otherwise, it may cause him some trouble."

"I know, Master."

"The time we've known each other is still short, and it's too early to draw too high a conclusion, but he also said a few appropriate verses when playing chess. Those verses were very good, and I had never heard of them before. If you only talk about poetry, to say that he doesn't understand it, ha, I don't believe it."

Old Master Qin turned around and walked back, and Yun Niang followed: "Then why does young Master Ning always want to keep a low profile? No matter what..."

"Therefore, I don't understand. But there is one thing I understand." Speaking of this, old Master Qin frowned slightly, then shook his head and sighed softly, "Like what you said, Xiao Yun, some young people, even if they have talent, can either keep a low profile or deliberately hide their clumsiness, and can endure loneliness and resist temptation. This is also hoping to have more achievements in the future, and one day leap through the dragon gate and become famous. But ah, none of these kinds of people would choose to marry into a merchant's family as a son-in-law before they become famous and established a career. Throughout history, how many people who were sons-in-law were able to make achievements? Alas, if he really has great talent, it would be a pity..."

Mentioning this, old Master Qin still felt a little regretful. It is normal for men to have thoughts of fame and fortune, or to say have ambition. From the contact these days, even if this Ning Yi had a little ambition, he wouldn't marry into a merchant's family. At this time, people's minds were not open, and the difference between people who had not received education and scholars who had received education was very easy to see. Not to mention whether he really has talent, just to say that a person with this kind of conversation and demeanor wouldn't starve to death no matter what he did, so why bother to go and marry into a family?

**********

New book, I hope everyone can vote for support and remember to bookmark, thank you everyone ^_^

Support (Complete Book God Station) Share this site with those little partners who need it! If you can't find a book, please leave a message!