Chapter 562
Chapter 562
After his anger subsided, King Ning Yuanxian felt a deep sense of regret.
‘What am I to do if I can’t borrow the money from the Hidden Yuan Society? The eighty-thousand-strong army has already been assembled, and time waits for no one.’
“Ye Jun, go and ask Shen Lang if what he told me before—that he could earn three million gold coins in half a month—is true.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Ye Jun was about to leave immediately to find Shen Lang, but just as he reached the door, Ning Yuanxian stopped him.
‘Never mind. I should think of a way myself. I can’t keep bothering and troubling Shen Lang every time something comes up.’
“Let us go. Take the palanquin to the Zhu Clan’s Grand Chancellor’s estate! Today, for Jin Mucong’s sake, I must set aside my pride and formally go to the Zhu estate to propose marriage!”
* * *
During the recent power struggle between the Crown Prince and the Third Prince, the Zhu Clan’s attitude was both very normal and not so normal. The Zhu Clan neither supported nor opposed the Crown Prince. If anyone else had acted this way, it would have seemed inscrutable, but for the Zhu Clan, it was relatively normal. This was because the Zhu Clan had never been one to dictate terms to a young monarch.
Even as the Crown Prince’s greatest backers, they had never once presumed to teach or instruct him on what he should or should not do. Just as Zhu Hongzhu had never done so with Ning Yuanxian in the past, he did not do so with Crown Prince Ning Yi today. However, at critical moments, the Zhu Clan would support the Crown Prince to the very end. Over twenty years ago, when Ning Yuanxian faced grave danger due to the fall of Jiangli, the Zhu Clan did not hesitate to step forward and help him overcome the crisis. For that reason alone, Ning Yuanxian had been grateful to Zhu Hongzhu his entire life.
* * *
In the study, Zhu Hongzhu was supervising his two grandchildren as they practiced their calligraphy. One was Zhu Hongbing, and the other was Zhu Ying. They were his most cherished grandson and granddaughter. Zhu Hongbing had an arrogant personality, but his calligraphy was remarkably orderly, not a style with wild, untamed strokes. He had practiced a single school of calligraphy consistently since the age of five without ever switching, and as a result, his skill grew more refined and his mastery deepened.
In contrast, Zhu Ying appeared calm and gentle on the surface, but the style of her calligraphy was as unpredictable as scattered leaves. She would write in one style now and another a moment later, never focusing on a single form. She rarely left the estate, leading a secluded life, so very few people had ever truly met her. Outside, her reputation was that of the capital’s greatest female scholar, not its greatest beauty.
So, was she beautiful? Of course, she was. She had eyebrows curved like bows, eyes shaped like the crescent moon, a delicate nose, and finely sculpted lips that turned up slightly at the corners. She was clearly a beauty with lovely features. But her true essence was not her beauty; it was her even more striking intelligence. Her eyes seemed to speak, and every expression she made was at once serene and lively.
After the two finished their writing, they presented it to Zhu Hongzhu for his appraisal.
“Excellent, excellent. My grandson’s calligraphy shows ever-deepening mastery. Good, good. My granddaughter’s calligraphy is becoming more and more dynamic.”
This was Zhu Hongzhu. Praise came easily from his lips, and he rarely rebuked anyone. After the compliments, he looked closely at Zhu Ying’s calligraphy.
“My dear, you will be twenty after the Spring Festival.”
Zhu Ying pretended not to hear, continuing to scrutinize the book in her hands. Zhu Hongzhu continued.
“It’s time to find a partner. You may not be in a hurry, but your grandfather is.”
Zhu Ying still paid him no mind. Zhu Hongbing frowned and said.
“Grandfather is speaking to you.”
“Grandfather, I am trying.”
“Then tell your grandfather. What kind of partner are you looking for?”
Zhu Ying shook her head.
‘What does that mean? That she cannot say, or that she does not know what kind of partner she should look for?’
Then, Zhu Hongzhu’s gaze turned to Zhu Hongbing.
“You have also turned eighteen, so wouldn’t it be good to find a partner next year?”
“I will do as you wish, Grandfather.”
Zhu Hongbing was always sensible and obedient. He always wanted to be his grandfather’s greatest source of pride.
“My dear, what book are you reading?”
In response to Zhu Hongzhu’s question, Zhu Ying showed him the cover of the book. Most people would not even be able to identify the script written on it. It was not Chinese characters. If Shen Lang had been there, he would have recognized it as a book written in Hebrew. In this world, not only Chinese texts but also records from other ancient civilizations had been unearthed. The book in Zhu Ying’s hand was an ancient text that the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion had spent over a decade deciphering. The fact that Zhu Ying had been able to borrow it showed just how extraordinary the Zhu Clan’s status and position were.
In the State of Yue, no more than five people could read that book. She was truly well-read across many fields. She had read every book she could get her hands on and had learned various languages and scripts. She had read books on science, philosophy, mathematics, art, aesthetics, and theology, finding every one of them fascinating. However, she had no one to truly converse with. Besides her, no one else read such books, nor did they enjoy them.
Countless talented young men had come to court her, only to flee less than two hours into their conversation. This was because they could find no sense of masculine dignity in her presence. Men always liked to preserve their pride and wanted women to worship them. But the young men who had just passed the imperial examinations, upon meeting Zhu Ying, could not resist showing off their erudition, posturing as if they had read more than five cartloads of books. However, when she spoke, there was no field of knowledge, from astronomy to geography, that she did not know. What her suitor knew, she knew; what he did not know, she also knew.
The newly-minted scholars who passed the imperial examinations would have spent a long time mastering the national curriculum. But even when discussing the national curriculum subjects of poetry, history, and prose, they could not compare to Zhu Ying. Because Zhu Ying had read so many books, her perspective was incredibly broad, and she could quote and use various classics and famous poems from ancient and recent times at will.
The poems she composed herself were filled with her unpredictable imagination and knowledge, brimming with genius, and the scholars felt so inferior in her presence that they could not bear it. When a man feels inferior in front of a woman, he naturally gives up on her. As this repeated over time, Zhu Ying became the capital's greatest female scholar, one whom no man could take as his wife.
Zhu Hongbing was very dissatisfied with her method of reading. He believed that one should read deeply in a single field, carefully selecting one’s books. If one read several books a day like Zhu Ying, how could one’s scholarship ever become profound? Perhaps for that reason, whenever Zhu Hongzhu tested their scholarship, Zhu Hongbing usually fell short of Zhu Ying in general tests but excelled at writing policy essays, a field where he alone could best her. Zhu Ying disliked policy essays, finding them too restrictive.
“Master, His Majesty has arrived!”
Just then, an old servant outside called out, followed by the sound of Ning Yuanxian’s voice.
“I told you not to announce me, yet you’ve gone and done it anyway?”
The King chided the Zhu Clan’s old servant. He had originally intended to enter directly so that Zhu Hongzhu would not have to come out to greet him. The frank and magnanimous-looking Ning Yuanxian soon stepped through the door. Zhu Hongzhu came forward, bowing at the waist to pay his respects.
“This old subject greets Your Majesty.”
Zhu Hongbing dutifully knelt and kowtowed.
“This student greets Your Majesty.”
In contrast, Zhu Ying simply bowed her waist in greeting. But would Ning Yuanxian let Zhu Hongzhu kneel and greet him? Before he could, he stepped forward and helped him up.
“Ning Yuanxian pays his respects to the Grand Tutor.”
Every time Zhu Hongzhu heard the words “Grand Tutor” from Ning Yuanxian’s lips, his eyelids twitched slightly. Sigh! The King was not only his sovereign but also his son-in-law and his student. He had watched Ning Yuanxian grow from a child to a man, so he knew him all too well. Whenever he called him “Grand Tutor,” it never boded well.
Unaware of these thoughts, Ning Yuanxian enthusiastically examined the calligraphy of Zhu Hongbing and Zhu Ying, showering them with praise. At that moment, Grand Chancellor Zhu Hongzhu was screaming inwardly.
‘Don’t talk about calligraphy, please, don’t talk about calligraphy.’
He was terrified that Ning Yuanxian would bring up the subject. The King’s calligraphy was decent enough, but that was all. His skill was ordinary; one could force a compliment and call it quite good, but it was far from reaching a significant level of mastery. Unfortunately, His Majesty was under the delusion that he wrote exceptionally well, so he would comment on calligraphy wherever he went. And once he commented, wouldn’t they eventually have to mount and hang the piece he gifted? They had hung so many pieces of calligraphy gifted by Ning Yuanxian that there was no more space left in the house.
As if Zhu Hongzhu’s silent prayers had been answered, King Ning Yuanxian did not mention gifting any of his own calligraphy. Seeing this, he suspected the King had something quite important to discuss. In fact, Ning Yuanxian was feeling rather sad at that moment. From this day on, he would never mention calligraphy again. Because his hand trembled, and it would show in his handwriting. He absolutely could not give anyone a clue that he was ill, nor could he let them discover his condition.
‘What a pity. My calligraphy is so outstanding, yet because of this illness, how many masterpieces will the world be deprived of?’
Zhu Hongbing and Zhu Ying soon excused themselves so that Ning Yuanxian and Zhu Hongzhu could discuss important matters.
* * *
Zhu Hongzhu spoke first.
“I have heard that Your Majesty’s attempt to borrow funds from the Hidden Yuan Society has not gone smoothly.”
If anyone else had said this, the King would have flared up, demanding, “What do you mean by that? Are you mocking me?” But coming from the Grand Tutor, he did not rebuke him and instead shook his head.
“Shu Baidu told me to send Ning Yi to negotiate. Grand Tutor, do you know what this means?”
Zhu Hongzhu frowned. In a way, this was an act of sowing discord between the king and his son. Ning Yuanxian waved his hand a few times, signaling that he didn’t want to discuss the unpleasant matter any further.
“I came to see you today for another reason, Grand Tutor.”
“Please speak.”
After that, Zhu Hongzhu quietly brewed some tea, and the study was instantly filled with a warm aroma. After the water boiled, Ning Yuanxian personally took the initiative to warm the cups and pour the tea. He first poured a cup for Zhu Hongzhu before pouring one for himself. Zhu Hongzhu did not refuse and received the tea offered by the King with a slight bow.
Ning Yuanxian found it truly difficult to begin.
‘Sigh! Shen Lang, you scoundrel. Do you have any idea how much trouble I’m going through because of you? You should have just kept your mouth shut, but once you speak, must you ask for something more difficult than reaching the heavens? Still, I too possess the talent for spitting in my own face and waiting for it to dry. What’s a little embarrassment!’