Chapter 25
Chapter 25
When Scholar An Xiong read those four characters aloud, a wave of laughter erupted from the crowd. The situation was so absurd that even Jin Mulan couldn't help but crack a small smile, and for a moment, it was as if flowers had bloomed all around her. The only person whose face soured was An Xiong's teacher, Zhang Baiyan. It was only after reading the entire phrase that An Xiong realized he had been made a fool of, but the words, once spoken, could not be taken back. Overcome with rage at the ridiculous turn of events, he trembled and pointed a finger at Shen Lang.
"You, you..."
"That's right, 'I am an idiot!' Brother An, how have you known yourself so well since you were a child?"
At this, An Xiong could no longer contain himself and looked ready to lunge forward, on the verge of exploding. Just then, his teacher, the former Lord of Xuanwu City, Zhang Baiyan, spoke in a cold voice.
"Step back. Haven't you been embarrassed enough?"
Scholar An Xiong trembled with anger as he retreated. It felt as though every single person here was mocking him. If there was a hole, he wanted to crawl into it and hide. The nickname "I am an idiot" would likely follow him for the rest of his life, a recurring anecdote that would surely affect his future career as an official. In a furious voice, An Xiong said:
"My Lord Count, are you not concerned that your son-in-law, Shen Lang, has insulted a scholar in your own estate? His actions will surely tarnish the reputation of the Jin Clan."
The Count of Xuanwu simply chuckled and said nothing. He would not deign to speak. An Xiong was not even qualified to be in this main hall in the first place. The only reason he had been tolerated thus far was out of consideration for his teacher, Master Zhang. If the Count of Xuanwu were to personally respond to the words of a mere scholar, it would only diminish the prestige of his own house.
Shen Lang smiled and said, "An Xiong, how can you say that I insulted you? You were the one who spoke those four characters; I didn't utter a single one. And you need not worry about tarnishing the reputation of the Jin Clan of Xuanwu City. Do you truly believe our family's name could be so easily damaged or diminished by such a trivial matter? The reputation of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate comes from the people, and the prestige of the Jin Clan has been built upon the trust of the people. Do you think the honor earned by generations of Counts of Xuanwu, who have cherished the populace and remained loyal to the King, can be swayed by the words of shameless scholars like yourselves?"
Hearing this, the Count of Xuanwu was slightly taken aback. It was as if Shen Lang had read his very thoughts. When he had first met Shen Lang, and when the young man had expressed his desire to marry Jin Mulan, his opinion of him had been entirely negative. But now, Shen Lang appeared more righteous than any young man he knew, a thoughtful child who seemed to understand and act upon the Count's own heart.
The Count of Xuanwu's love for his people was genuine. His reputation for being magnanimous and broad-minded was not because he lived solely for his own honor. What great flaw was it for his son-in-law to utter a few insults? As long as it didn't violate etiquette or the law, what was the problem?
Xu Qianqian, who had been watching the situation unfold, couldn't hide her surprise at Shen Lang's words. The Shen Lang she knew had never been so articulate. No, the man she remembered was such a fool that he couldn't even finish a simple sentence. Had he changed so much after being cast out of the Xu Clan?
"Shameless!"
Zhang Jin muttered under his breath, unable to hold back. How long had it been since the wedding, and already he was speaking of "our Jin Clan"? To Zhang Jin, it was utterly infuriating.
But Shen Lang's words had not only insulted An Xiong; they had also provoked a man of great stature. The former Lord of Xuanwu City, Zhang Baiyan, was not just An Xiong's teacher but also a quintessential scholar. He had initially dismissed Shen Lang's insult to An Xiong as mere youthful antics. But when Shen Lang pointedly referred to "shameless scholars," he had bruised his ego as well.
"Scholar Shen, you seem to be well-versed in obscure characters?" Zhang Baiyan asked.
"I wouldn't say well-versed, but I know a little," Shen Lang replied.
"I came across a character recently, but my students, lacking in scholarly aptitude, were all unable to recognize it. Perhaps Scholar Shen would be so kind as to resolve their confusion?"
At these words, everyone in the room sobered instantly. The teacher was stepping in after his student had lost face. And who was Zhang Baiyan? A man of noble birth, the former Lord of Xuanwu City, with a passion for learning so great that he had read all manner of books and even went on expeditions to examine historical artifacts himself. After retiring from his post, he opened an academy, and talents flocked to him like clouds, begging to become his disciples. There was no one who did not know the depth and breadth of his scholarship.
Some saw in the former Lord's actions the surfacing of the long-standing conflict between the Lord of Xuanwu City and the Count's Estate. The relationship between the two was fraught with complex political tensions, all stemming from the Great Yan Dynasty's policy of granting its vassals independent autonomy.
Originally, the Count's Estate, as the master of all of Xuanwu City, had appointed the City Lord from within its own family for generations. However, due to the reform policies initiated by the State of Yue over a decade ago, the Count of Xuanwu's Estate had to compromise with the King, who wished to limit the fiefs and power of the nobility. As a result, the position of City Lord was no longer appointed by the Count but directly by the King.
From that point on, the Lord of Xuanwu City and the Count of Xuanwu's Estate became political rivals, secretly vying for power. Perhaps for this reason, neither the Count nor Jin Mulan made any move to stop Shen Lang.
Shen Lang smiled and said, "Since Master Zhang wishes to test me, I will gladly accept the challenge."
Seeing his revered teacher step forward on his behalf, Scholar An Xiong was overjoyed. He immediately moved to grind the ink for his master, spread out a sheet of red paper, and respectfully handed him a brush. Zhang Baiyan took it and wrote a single character on the paper.
"What fine brushwork!"
"A truly outstanding and profound stroke. One could never write like this without decades of practice."
As soon as Zhang Baiyan completed the character, the crowd erupted in cheers. The former City Lord's calligraphy was indeed superb, the power of his brush so immense that it seemed to bleed through to the back of the paper. And the character he had written was one that nobody at the wedding could recognize.
"Master Zhang's character is magnificent. Every stroke is captivating."
"Indeed. One could not write so masterfully without decades of dedication."
"But what character is it?"
"I do not know!"
"I have no idea!"
Everyone shook their heads; not a single person could identify the character. Whether scholar or dignitary, not even Jin Mulan or the Count of Xuanwu knew what it was.
"Master Zhang loves to excavate and study artifacts, so this must be from an ancient stele he found somewhere. It's an exceedingly rare character, one I've never seen in any book. That must be why no one recognizes it."
Hearing the crowd's comments, Zhang Baiyan seemed pleased. The character was indeed one he had copied from an ancient stele during an excavation. Even he had only understood its meaning by examining the surrounding text. It was a character that could not be found in any book available to the public. Therefore, unless one had read that specific stele, no one could possibly know it.
Shen Lang stepped forward to examine it. The character was in Small Seal Script. It was very simple: the character for "sheep" (羊) with one stroke missing. Written in simplified characters, it was "￥". Every modern Chinese person knew this character well. It was the symbol for the renminbi, and today, it is read as "yuan." However, in ancient times, the character did not mean "yuan" (as in the currency unit), and no one knew its precise meaning or pronunciation.
In the Great Yan Dynasty, apart from the very few who excavated artifacts and studied Small Seal Script, no one could possibly know this character. This world did not use Small Seal Script as a writing system; it was merely a hobby for a select few. Thus, the difficulty of this challenge was immense.
Had Shen Lang been an ordinary person, he would never have recognized this character and would have suffered a crushing defeat. But fused with his brain was a laptop computer. Shen Lang needed only to glance at the character to find the answer. Beside him, the Count of Xuanwu spoke.
"Shen Lang, this is an extremely difficult character. Unless one has specifically studied ancient steles, it would be impossible to know. It is fine if you do not recognize it. On another matter, I personally invited your parents, but they declined to attend the wedding. Why don't you and Mulan go and pay them a visit now?"
The Count of Xuanwu was giving Shen Lang an opportunity to escape the predicament. Zhang Baiyan, the former Lord of Xuanwu City, was not the kind of man to stage such a scene merely to defeat someone like Shen Lang. His true purpose was undoubtedly to embarrass the Count's Estate. Knowing this, the Count spoke to Shen Lang in a gentle, reassuring tone.
Shen Lang said, "Master Zhang, if I'm not mistaken, you don't know how to read this character either, do you? I believe you only inferred its meaning from the context of the stele's inscription. So you wouldn't know its pronunciation."
"That is correct. Indeed, it is so. But is knowing the meaning not more important than knowing the pronunciation?" Zhang Baiyan replied.
"What a coincidence," Shen Lang said. "I just figured out how to read this character."
Scholar An Xiong interjected, "Nonsense! My master just said he only knew the character's meaning from the context of the inscription. Therefore, no one in this world knows how to read it."
"If I know how to read this character, and also know its meaning, will you slap yourself across the face?" Shen Lang asked.
An Xiong retorted, "And what if you don't know? Or what if you're wrong?"
"Then I will slap myself."
"Fine, it's a deal. Everyone here is a witness."
Zhang Baiyan did not stop An Xiong. While his rivalry with the Count's Estate was political, he now felt Shen Lang's arrogance was so excessive that he needed to be taught that there was always a higher heaven.
Shen Lang said, "This character is pronounced 'rěn,' the same as the character for 'endure' (忍)."
"Haha! Just because you say it's 'rěn,' does that make it true? Who can prove you're correct?" An Xiong scoffed.
"As for its meaning," Shen Lang continued, "it is likely synonymous with 'to stab' (刺)."
Hearing this, the former Lord of Xuanwu City's expression changed in an instant, his face a mask of utter disbelief.
'This... this is impossible! Have I seen a ghost? How could Shen Lang possibly know such an obscure character? And he even knows how it's pronounced?'