Chapitre 40: Chapter 40: Something Feels Off.
"Fifth Brother, it's time for us to leave. Fifth Brother!"
In the evening, Xu Pangda came to Xiaochun Courtyard to fetch Xu Ming.
"Coming," Xu Ming replied. After informing his mother, he stepped out of the courtyard.
Outside the Xu residence, a carriage had already been prepared to take them.
Inside the carriage, Xu Pangda sat with a copy of the Analects of Confucius in his hands, looking visibly tense.
"Third Brother, there's no need to be so nervous," Xu Ming said. "With so little time, there's not much you can read anyway."
Xu Pangda scratched his head. "You're not wrong, but I just feel that if I can read a little more, I might make up for the gap between us and them."
Xu Ming shook his head. "Reading now will only throw you off balance. Trust yourself, Third Brother—just do your best."
"Alright," Xu Pangda nodded, always quick to heed Xu Ming's advice.
But after a moment, Xu Pangda glanced at Xu Ming and couldn't help but ask, "Fifth Brother, what do you think someone born with a literary aura is like? Could they really be the reincarnation of a star of literature?"
"Who knows?" Xu Ming replied with a shrug.
He was also curious to see what this so-called "innate literary aura" would look like.
Before long, the carriage came to a halt, and under the guidance of attendants, Xu Pangda and Xu Ming entered the Sifang Pavilion.
The evening banquet was not a formal seated meal but one where everyone sat on the floor with a small table placed in front of each guest.
According to custom, the host had to arrive at the Sifang Pavilion first and then formally invite the guests to join them.
When Xu Ming and Xu Pangda arrived, the Wu delegation was already gathered. The attendants were sent to invite the Qi Kingdom delegation to join them.
Within half an incense stick's time, the Qi delegation, already prepared, began to take their seats one by one.
Dishes were brought out by maids and placed before each guest.
As a study attendant, Xu Ming was not qualified to sit at the table. Instead, he sat at Xu Pangda's side.
Looking at the sumptuous spread before him, Xu Pangda couldn't help but salivate. However, knowing that Xu Ming couldn't eat, Xu Pangda felt it inappropriate to start eating either, so he refrained.
During the banquet, the adults conversed about poetry, literary anecdotes, and praised one another's essays while eating.
As the meal progressed, dancers took the stage to liven the atmosphere.
The dancers were indeed mesmerizing. Xu Ming couldn't help but think they were far better than the online short videos of dance performances he had seen in his previous life.
After the performance, the conversation turned to future collaborations between Wu and Qi Kingdoms. They discussed sending Wu students to study in Qi, fostering exchange programs between academies, and other ideas for academic and cultural cooperation.
When the conversation began to dry up, a scholar from Qi Kingdom suggested playing the Flower Linking Game.
The rules of the game were simple yet refined: a starting line of poetry would be selected, containing a specific word or phrase. Each participant, in turn, would recite a line of poetry containing that word or phrase. The line could be part of a longer poem or a standalone verse.
The game continued until someone could no longer come up with a suitable line. The person unable to provide a response would lose and be penalized by drinking a cup of wine.
Though it was a mere game, elegant and intellectual, everyone present represented their country's honor and naturally did not want to lose.
As the game began, Xu Ming noticed that, aside from Xiao Mochi, the Wu scholars were quickly losing ground. One by one, they were forced to drink cup after cup of wine, their faces growing red—not just from the alcohol but also from anger and embarrassment.
The most infuriating moment came when a scholar from Qi Kingdom, upon his turn, remarked, "I seem to be a bit thirsty. I'll first drink a cup as self-punishment," before downing the wine in one go and then calmly reciting his line of poetry. His mockery left the Wu scholars utterly humiliated.
But the scholars of Wu Kingdom couldn't afford to lose their temper. Showing anger would only worsen their humiliation.
On the Qi delegation's side, the atmosphere was lighthearted and filled with laughter, while on Wu's side, everyone seemed on the verge of boiling over.
Xu Ming felt as though he could hear an alarm blaring in his head: "Warning. Warning."
Seated at the head of the Qi delegation, the elderly Fang Jingchun sipped his wine with a calm demeanor. Yet, he felt something was amiss, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Glancing at Xiao Mochi beside him, Fang Jingchun found the latter meeting his gaze with a faint smile and a small nod, as if to reassure him.
Fang Jingchun then looked over at the Wu scholars. Many of them, either consciously or subconsciously, were directing their attention toward a particular spot.
In that direction sat a slightly chubby young man, Xu Pangda, the top-ranked student in the most recent child scholars' exam in the Wu capital.
Beside him sat a bookboy.
But who would bother paying attention to a bookboy?
---
Meanwhile, in the Yangxin Palace, Grand Eunuch Wei hurriedly entered, kneeling beside Emperor Wu.
Consort Hua, dressed in a sheer nightgown, was delicately brewing tea for the emperor.
"How is the banquet proceeding?" Emperor Wu asked calmly. He had been awaiting updates ever since the evening banquet began.
"Your Majesty, the Qi delegation seems to be engaging with our representatives quite happily. However…" Eunuch Wei hesitated, his expression troubled.
"Spare me the suspense," the emperor said, lifting his teacup and taking a sip.
"Your Majesty, this is a report from the Tingfeng Pavilion," Eunuch Wei replied, quickly presenting the document.
The emperor unfolded the report and began reading. It detailed the events of the banquet thus far.
The deeper he read, the tighter his brows furrowed.
Noticing the shift in the emperor's mood, Consort Hua grew visibly anxious, afraid she might inadvertently become a target of his displeasure.
When he finished reading, Emperor Wu let out a faint chuckle. "Among the Qi delegation, aside from Fang Jingchun and those two prodigies, the rest are relatively obscure figures. None of the truly elite young scholars from Qi's literary circles have come.
"And yet, the young talents Xiao Mochi brought—each among the most renowned of Wu's rising generation—are being humiliated to the point of drinking themselves under the table.
"Wei Xun, you served under the late emperor and have been by my side for ten years. What do you make of this?"
Grand Eunuch Wei, sweating profusely, carefully formulated his response: "Your Majesty, something… something doesn't seem quite right. Even if Wu Kingdom's literary scene cannot match Qi's upper echelons, against this group, our scholars should not be faring so poorly."
"It's more than just 'not quite right,'" Emperor Wu said, rubbing his temples. "What exactly is Xiao Mochi playing at behind my back?"
Suddenly, as if a thought struck him, the emperor's gaze sharpened.
"Wei Xun, at tonight's banquet, Xu Pangda and the son of the Minister of Rites both brought bookboys, didn't they?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," Wei Xun replied, his eyes lighting up as he caught on to the emperor's implication. "I will immediately verify whether Xu Ming was present at the banquet!"
Wei Xun scrambled out of the Yangxin Palace, practically tripping over himself in his haste.
As the doors swung shut, Emperor Wu sat in silence for a long moment before finally letting out a low chuckle.
"Xiao Mochi… Xiao Mochi... you sly fox!"
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone