Chapter 344: Luck

A smattering of knowledge on the Analects;A smattering of knowledge on the Doctrine of the Mean.All of it just a smattering.

Qi Zhenwu, seated in a prominent position, advised, "Brother Chen, there's no need to be overly modest. Today, we're simply gathering for some fun; there's no need to compete. How about this: we'll allow you to borrow rhymes, even if they aren't perfect. If you truly lose, you'll just have to drink three cups of wine. You won't need to recite 'Sound and Rhyme Enlightenment'."

Elder Qi had invited Chen Ji today with a deeper purpose. Indeed, Qi Zhenwu didn't want Chen Ji to lose face here, so he lowered the requirements.

But he never imagined that Chen Ji didn't even understand what "Wuwei rhymes" were.

Even if he could write, Chen Ji couldn't write anymore. In fact, he could have written a masterpiece that would astound all ages, stunning everyone, and then declared, "My poetry is as heavy as a thousand pounds; it's not meant for such childish games." As long as the piece he recited was good enough, what he said would be true.

However, in Luocheng, he had publicly stated that "Po Zhen Zi" was written by Prince Jing, and that he himself could not write poetry.

Chen Ji cupped his hands to Qi Zhenwu and said, "Thank you, Master Qi, for your consideration. But when I was an apprentice, I used to fetch water and sweep the floor in the early morning, and cut and weigh herbs during the day. At night, my senior brothers' snoring shook the heavens, and my master was so stingy that sometimes he wouldn't even let us light oil lamps... Indeed, I had no leisure to read scriptures at the medical hall."

Chen Ji spoke these words without any sign of shame, seemingly not considering his time as a medical apprentice to be disgraceful, concealing nothing.

The girl playing the pipa suddenly looked up, scrutinized him carefully once more, then lowered her head again and began playing a "Po Zhen Qu."

Seeing Chen Ji's resolute stance, everyone was at a loss for words.

Qi Zhaoning, bored, sighed, "How dull! We waited an hour for nothing. I'd rather go back to the entertainment district and watch 'Four Dreams of Bianliang' again."

At this moment, Shen Ye said gently, "I heard that Young Master Chen from the Chen family has given up scholarly pursuits for military ones, suggesting he has ambitions to expand the territory. Whether one pursues civil or military paths, both serve the court; there's no significant difference. Since he is unwilling to participate, we shouldn't force him... Perhaps we should just give up on the poetry."

As he spoke, Shen Ye smiled, nodded slightly at Chen Ji, and was very polite.

Lin Chaojing, however, persisted, "Brother Shen, today is a literary gathering. Even you, the literary champion of the Huqiu Poetry Society, are here. What's the point if we don't compare poetry and songs? Since Chen Ji doesn't want to write, how about I write a poem?"

He then propped his right sleeve with his left hand, picked up a brush, and wrote on the table: "Night snow seals the mountains, hunters' horses are stout; in a lonely village, fires extinguished, dog barks faint. Morning report at the camp gate, chieftain captured; a grey-haired head, blood-stained, brought back."

This time, the hall fell silent; no one dared to applaud.

Before Chen Ji could react, Qi Zhenzhuo, furious, slammed the table and stood up, shouting, "What the hell do you mean? Qi Duo, bring me my sword!"

Qi Zhenwu also said angrily, "Qi Zhenzhuo, what are you doing?"

Qi Zhenzhuo pointed two fingers at Lin Chaojing like a sword, angrily saying, "Brother, this fellow is slandering our border soldiers for killing innocent people and claiming false merits!"

The poem "Fires extinguished in a lonely village, a grey-haired head brought back" depicted border soldiers slaughtering villagers and using the white hair of old men to fake military achievements. Every line pointed directly to the Ganyuan border army's practice of killing innocents to claim false merits.

Lin Chaojing slowly put down his brush. "Brother Qi, why are you so angry? Let me ask you, you accompanied the Crown Prince to Ganyuan to investigate cases of killing innocents for false merits. Have you found anything?"

Qi Zhenzhuo's face turned ashen, and he remained silent.

Lin Chaojing then asked, "Let me ask you again. Rumor has it that Chen Ji alone beheaded over a hundred Heavenly Policy Army soldiers. Even a Grand Official in the Dao-Seeking Realm might not be able to do that. How could he do it? Does this not prove that he fabricated his military achievements?"

Qi Zhenzhuo angrily retorted, "What nonsense are you spouting?"

Lin Chaojing calmly said, "Then tell me how he killed them."

Qi Zhenzhuo's expression froze. At the time, he was cowering on the rooftop, trembling; how could he know how Chen Ji had killed so many Heavenly Policy Army soldiers?

His hesitation, in everyone's eyes, perfectly confirmed Lin Chaojing's sarcasm.

Qi Zhenzhuo stopped arguing with him and instead angrily rebuked, "Overstepping your bounds! Did your eunuch faction brother not teach you how to be a guest in someone else's house? Or perhaps, all eunuch faction members are so brazen and ignorant of propriety?"

Lin Chaojing's expression changed. "Qi Zhenzhuo, I long ago severed ties with that eunuch faction member, Lin Chaoqing, and the literary world knows this!"

Qi Zhenzhuo raised an eyebrow. "Your Lin family originally came from a humble clerical background. If you truly severed ties with that eunuch faction, how could you be living such a luxurious life now?"

Everyone looked at Lin Chaojing. He was wearing a white robe with a diagonal collar and a wide front, its collar embroidered with a 'wan' symbol wave pattern in gold thread. On his head, he wore a three-beamed crown adorned with gold threads and amber, exuding extraordinary nobility.

Lin Chaojing was usually quite generous with his spending, which was also why he could gather many scholars around him.

Before anyone could ponder further, Qi Zhenwu, seated at the head, slammed the table and stood up. "Qi Zhenzhuo, how many times have I warned you not to judge people by their background! Quickly, apologize to Brother Lin!"

Qi Zhenzhuo turned his face away. "He slandered me first."

Lin Chaojing smiled, then turned and cupped his hands to Qi Zhenwu, saying, "Master Qi, please don't mind; Qi Zhenzhuo and I were just joking."

Qi Zhenwu slowly said, "Alright, young people are hot-blooded; it's common for an argument to break out over a disagreement. Which close friends haven't quarreled? However, after passing the imperial examination, you are all new Jinshi scholars. With such temperaments, how will you become pillars of my Ning Dynasty in the future? Let's continue with the poetry. Bring out the poetry clock. If the clock rings and you haven't finished your poem, you'll be penalized with drinks... Brother Chen Ji, you don't need to participate."

Chen Ji turned his head and quietly asked Qi Zhenzhuo, "Where are the Yulin Army brothers?"

Qi Zhenzhuo explained, "My brother-in-law is leading them in drinking in the East Courtyard. We'll go over there once we're done here. Ha, it's really awkward being with these scholars!"

Chen Ji hummed in acknowledgement. "Where is the salt merchant's son named Huang Que sitting?"

Qi Zhenzhuo pointed. "Right to your right."

Chen Ji turned to observe the southern scholar beside him. The man looked to be twenty-eight or twenty-nine, with a few strands of silver already at his temples. He wasn't looking at anyone else, his gaze fixed on Qi Zhaoyun across from him, who was also looking at him.

Interrupting their amorous gazes, Chen Ji politely asked, "Brother Huang Que?"

Huang Que snapped back to attention and asked curiously, "How does my virtuous brother know my name?"

Chen Ji smiled faintly. "I have long heard of Brother Huang Que's talent. By the way, I hear your family is in the salt merchant business. May I ask you a few questions?"

Huang Que's expression became somewhat unnatural. "Merchants are merely opportunistic, low-ranking people; there's nothing worth mentioning."

Chen Ji said seriously, "Brother Huang Que, your words are mistaken. Merchants transport grain to places lacking it and cloth to places without it. This is vital for the national economy and people's livelihood. How can you call it low-ranking?"

Huang Que was taken aback.

At this moment, a maid served wine and dishes. Chen Ji didn't touch his chopsticks; he casually passed a dish to Xiaoman behind him and continued to ask, "Brother Huang Que, how is the salt merchant business?"

Huang Que sighed, "Times are tough."

Chen Ji smiled and said, "Brother Huang Que, you must be joking. Everyone says that one-third of the world's wealth is in the hands of salt merchants, and there are over two hundred salt merchant gardens in Suzhou and Yangzhou, more luxurious than even those of the capital's nobility. How is it that for you, times are tough?"

"My virtuous brother is referring to the big salt merchants. Small households like mine can only barely survive," Huang Que explained. "Firstly, the salt merchants of our dynasty are hereditary under a roster system. Only these forty-six registered major salt merchants can purchase salt permits from the Ministry of Revenue. Small households like ours can only buy high-priced salt permits from the big salt merchants, essentially living at their mercy. They buy salt permits from the Ministry of Revenue for only four 'qian' of silver per permit, but then they sell them to us for four 'liang' of silver per permit, a tenfold increase."

Chen Ji nodded. A salt permit was essentially a business license. Major salt merchants bought these permits from the court and then used them to "exchange for salt" at government-run salt fields. One permit was for three hundred 'jin' (pounds) of salt.

The forty-six major salt merchants approved by the court operated under a quota system, creating a natural monopoly. Even if they didn't sell salt, they could reap enormous profits just by selling the salt permits.

Chen Ji asked curiously, "Is there a way to become a registered salt merchant?"

Huang Que continued, "That's the second difficulty. To become a registered salt merchant, one needs to spend 500,000 'liang' of silver to purchase a 'woben' (initial capital document) from the Ministry of Revenue. Furthermore, buying salt permits from the court starts at 'ten thousand permits.' Such enormous sums of money are prohibitive."

Chen Ji nodded again. The threshold was too high, keeping all small households out.

He casually handed the freshly served pastries from the Qi family maid to Xiaoman, and then asked, "If small households have salt permits, can they then open a business?"

Huang Que shook his head. "That's the third difficulty. Our dynasty's government-run salt fields produce about 1.2 million permits' worth of salt annually, but the court issues 2.4 million permits each year. Nowadays, if you don't have connections, even if you take a salt permit to the salt fields, you won't be able to exchange it for salt. Small households wanting to obtain salt are already queued up for fifteen years from now."

Chen Ji asked doubtfully, "If salt can't be obtained from the salt fields, why do salt merchants still buy salt permits from the court?"

Huang Que suddenly sat upright and fell silent. When Chen Ji pressed further, he excused himself, saying he needed to change clothes, and hurried out of Mingse Tower.

Chen Ji watched Huang Que's retreating figure, his eyes bright and piercing.

He guessed that Huang Que was afraid to say the phrase "privately sourced salt disguised as official." Both large and small salt merchants were mixing privately sourced salt with official salt and selling it.

It didn't matter if official salt fields couldn't provide salt; with a salt permit, small salt merchants would find privately sourced salt and, in an instant, dare to sell it as official salt.

Xiaoman worried, "Young Master, please don't get any ideas about privately sourced salt. You'll be executed if caught."

Chen Ji smiled. "Don't worry, I don't engage in illegal business."

Xiaoman was puzzled. "Then what business do you plan to do, Young Master?"

Chen Ji said softly, "Naturally, I'll do whatever business the court wants me to do. Xiaoman, some businesses can earn money, but others can gain power. Earning money is the inferior strategy; gaining power is the superior one, because power can seize money."

Xiaoman didn't understand. "You should eat something quickly. The Qi family's dishes are quite delicious."

Chen Ji chuckled, then lowered his head to pick up food.

At the literary gathering, while others' tables saw sheet after sheet of Xuan paper being replaced, his table saw dish after dish of food being replaced. No one paid him any attention anymore, as if the light shining down in Mingse Tower had deliberately left a corner dark around him.

Qi Zhaoning, who was originally focused on reading poetry across the table, gradually noticed Chen Ji's out-of-place behavior.

When she saw Chen Ji openly giving pastries to Xiaoman, she immediately frowned and said to Qi Zhaoyun beside her, "Who openly gives snacks to their maid during a banquet? It's utterly uncivilized!"

Qi Zhaoyun smiled slightly. "He was previously a concubine's son of the Chen family and was sent by his legitimate mother to be an apprentice at a medical hall. It's only natural for him to lack proper etiquette. People always change; after he stays in the capital for a while, he will naturally learn the rules."

The more Qi Zhaoning watched, the angrier she became. "Grandfather even discussed with Father about me marrying him. How is that possible! Later, when Grandfather returns from the palace, I'll go and explain this to him. Let Qi Zhenzhu marry this Chen Ji. A concubine's daughter for a concubine's son—it's a perfect match."

Qi Zhaoyun consoled her, "He's a military general. Military generals can indeed be a bit uncouth, but they also have their advantages; they can handle difficult situations."

Qi Zhaoning was exasperated, tearing at her handkerchief under the table with both hands. "I was truly impressed when I heard he had beheaded over a hundred enemy generals. I even saw him the day they entered the capital and felt he had a certain heroic spirit, which is why I came back for this literary gathering today, even skipping the plays. But you just heard what Lin Chaojing said; that military achievement was clearly fabricated. The Chen family must have made false reports for him—how despicable."

Qi Zhaoyun covered her mouth and chuckled, "What if it's true?"

Qi Zhaoning threw her handkerchief to the ground. "Anyway, I look down on him. If I'm to marry, I'll marry a heroic man like Li Changge from 'Four Dreams of Bianliang'—one who excels in both poetry and martial arts, possesses the ambition to serve the country, and is a pillar of talent!"

Qi Zhaoyun sighed, "Zhaoning, everything in plays is fake."

Qi Zhaoning ignored Qi Zhaoyun, waved her hand, and instructed a maid, "Go tell them not to serve any more pastries or dishes to Chen Ji. How can he and his maid eat so much? Are they coming to my Qi family's estate to freeload?"

Qi Zhaoyun panicked. "No, you can't! He's a guest personally invited by Grandfather."

Qi Zhaoning glared at the maid. "Go on, what are you waiting for?"

Just then, a young attendant scurried into the main hall of Mingse Tower and announced loudly, "Young Master, the Buddhist Son Wuzhai has arrived. He has also brought the reincarnated Buddhist Son from Yunzhou, Luo Zhui Saja."

Qi Zhenwu abruptly stood up. "Quickly, show them in! I thought the Buddhist Son wouldn't come."

Shen Ye quietly asked, "Luo Zhui Saja... is that the Yunzhou Buddhist Son with 'mind-reading ability'?"

Lin Chaojing replied with a smile, "It's him. He is currently cultivating at Yuanjue Temple."

All the guests in the hall rose in unison, looking towards the outside of the hall.

Chen Ji remained seated behind his table, showing no intention of getting up. He simply turned and gave more pastries from the table to Xiaoman.

He suspected that the cultivation method of the Tantric Mandala Taotie path involved eating. Xiaoman was like a bottomless pit; no matter how many pastries he gave her, she never seemed full... but their current financial situation didn't allow Xiaoman to eat as much as she wanted.

The next moment, the Buddhist Son Wuzhai, clad in a moon-white kasaya, seemed to carry a beam of moonlight into Mingse Tower. Even the candlelight in the main hall brightened slightly.

The phrase "candlelight brightened slightly" was not an exaggeration; it genuinely did.

Behind the Buddhist Son Wuzhai's head, there seemed to be a faint halo of Buddha's light. Even the wide pond outside was illuminated, allowing one to clearly see koi carp swimming at the bottom.

All the plump koi swam towards Mingse Tower, gathering at the shore, like ten thousand carp performing a pilgrimage.

This miraculous scene astonished the guests, who marveled repeatedly.

The Buddhist Son Wuzhai stepped into the hall, clasped his hands together, and said gently, "Forgive me, benefactors, for my late arrival."

Qi Zhenwu heartily laughed and walked around the table to greet him.

He walked to the hall entrance, extended his arms, and supported Wuzhai's arm. "No matter, no matter. It's wonderful that Buddhist Son Wuzhai could come; my Qi family's Mingse Tower is truly honored. And this Yunzhou Buddhist Son, I've long heard of your marvelous 'mind-reading ability.' Could you perhaps show us today?"

But Wuzhai did not speak. His gaze suddenly went over Qi Zhenwu's shoulder and fixed on Chen Ji, who was holding half a pastry behind a table, remaining silent for a long time.

Everyone followed Wuzhai's gaze but couldn't understand why Wuzhai was staring at Chen Ji so intently.

Qi Zhenzhuo nudged Chen Ji with his arm. "Master, stop eating."

Qi Zhenwu asked, puzzled, "What's wrong, Buddhist Son?"

Wuzhai smiled, clasped his hands, and bowed slightly to Chen Ji. "Patron Chen Ji, I hope you have been well."

Everyone was stunned.

Chen Ji looked up, not at Wuzhai, but at the small monk behind Wuzhai, who was excitedly waving at him. But the moment their eyes met, the small monk's smile slowly faded, replaced by a compassion that belied his age.

At this point, Wuzhai, despite being ignored, showed no anger. He continued to smile and said, "Patron Chen Ji, we left in a hurry last time. This time, I presume we will have plenty of time to catch up."

Qi Zhenwu looked at Chen Ji, then at Wuzhai. "Buddhist Son, you know Brother Chen from the Chen family?"

Wuzhai calmly replied, "Of course I know him. At the literary gathering at Luhun Mountain Villa last winter, it was Patron Chen Ji who, on the topic of 'selflessness and selfhood,' debated and defeated this humble monk."

Qi Zhaoning exclaimed in astonishment, "Literary gathering? The Luhun Mountain Villa literary gathering?"

Qi Zhaoyun explained, "Previously, storytellers in the capital would recount that literary debate several times a day. The debate scene between Li Changge and the Buddhist Son in 'Four Dreams of Bianliang' was borrowed from that debate. Even the part where Li Changge led the Princess by the reins through 'Yixiantian' (One Line Sky) came from that story."

Qi Zhaoning instinctively gasped, then abruptly turned to look at Chen Ji.

Qi Zhenwu, filled with doubt and surprise, asked Chen Ji, "Was it you who debated and defeated Buddhist Son Wuzhai at Luhun Mountain Villa?"

Seeing everyone's gaze turn to him, Chen Ji grinned and said, "Pure luck, pure luck."