Chapter 844 - 846: The Talented Man of Jiangnan, The Bully of Jiangnan_1
Everyone disembarked as excitedly as if they had been released from prison. Even Bai Ruozhu noticed that his calm second brother’s eyes were shining, and as soon as they reached the shore, he stretched his arms and legs.
People from the North were not accustomed to long boat journeys, and now they had reached the Jiangnan Region, a place that scholars and aspiring talents dreamed of visiting. Thus, the students from the Beiyu Study Palace were somewhat thrilled, even Dang Youshen, who had been there twice before, became excited—the prospect of seeing a doctor about his throat condition was on his mind.
Dang Youshen’s throat had worsened by the day; eventually, he could hardly speak. The head of the academy had become worried and was about to ask Bai Ruozhu for help, but seeing that Dang Youshen had no other ailments except for a raspy throat, he could only advise him to relax and not to fixate on matters unrelated to the competition.
"Wow, this is Jiangnan, isn’t it? The air is indeed fresher, and the women on the streets are all so delicate and exquisite!" Tu Ying, accompanying Bai Ruozhu, commented with a touch of emotion.
"It’s said that Jiuzi City produces beauties. You better keep an eye on your brother, don’t let him be enchanted by a beauty like Du Xueru was; you won’t be able to explain that to your parents when you get back," joked Bai Ruozhu with a smile to Tu Ying.
With a snort, Tu Ying replied, "I’m not worried about that. My brother hasn’t got a clue when it comes to the opposite sex."
"That’s just because fate hasn’t struck yet; who knows about the future."
Chatting and laughing, they followed the group from the pier to a restaurant in the city, where they had lunch before continuing their journey by horse carriage.
To this, Dang Youshen expressed his objections because he needed to find time to see the doctor. The head of the academy, aware of his intention, mentioned it to Jiang Yichun, who had no objections and assigned two men to accompany Dang Youshen for his safety.
By the time Dang Youshen returned, everyone had already had a round of drinks—partly to celebrate their safe arrival in Jiangnan, and partly because Bai Ruozhu mentioned that the area was humid, and drinking less would be beneficial for their health.
During the meal, Jiangnan maidens with pipas asked the guests if they wished to request a tune. Because they still had a journey ahead, they did not request a song. Nearby, other customers did, and as a girl sang, it turned out to be a beautiful poem. The members of the delegation listened enraptured, and someone marveled, "Jiangnan truly has many talents; this poem is excellent."
The head of the academy nodded. After the girl had finished her song, he called her over and asked, "Miss, the poem you just sang, who is the author?"
The young girl’s face blushed slightly, and with a bit of shyness, she said, "All of you must be from out of town, so you’re not familiar with this poem. It was composed by Master Tang, the foremost of the Jiangnan Four Talents. It’s his new piece from this year’s lotus viewing festival, and it was immediately sung and shared enthusiastically by everyone."
When the young girl mentioned "Master Tang," her face reflected admiration and yearning, clearly resembling a superfan from ancient times.
Bai Ruozhu grew curious about the "Master Tang" mentioned by the young girl; hearing about the Jiangnan Four Talents, he immediately thought of Tang Bohu, and indeed, since the man in question shared the surname Tang, his curiosity about the Jiangnan Four Talents grew even stronger.
The head of the academy gave the young girl some tip money and told her to return to her work, but feeling somewhat guilty about accepting the money without further service, she played a short tune on the pipa. It was a brief scene-setting poem, so vivid that it made one feel as if they were witnessing the beauty of Jiangnan beside a little bridge.
"Was this poem also composed by Master Tang?" someone eagerly inquired.
The young girl nodded. "Yes, respected guest, please continue to enjoy your food and drinks; this servant will take her leave now."
"Jiangnan is indeed a land of outstanding people. That Master Tang is named Tang Feng, only eighteen this year. He was hailed as a prodigy at the age of twelve because of a poem, but he did not participate in the Imperial Examination to become a Scholar prematurely. It was only last year that he went to take the Exam and joined the Jiangnan Academy to pursue his studies," Mr. Zhang, who was with the delegation, explained.
The Academy Director stroked his beard beneath his chin, which conveyed a sense of profound mystery, "The Jiangnan Academy isn’t just about Tang Feng; there are three other great talents there as well. You could say it’s the academy with the highest expectation to take the crown in this competition, so you all need to step up your game."
Young people tend to have a spirit that refuses to admit defeat. Although they greatly admired Tang Feng’s poetry, it also ignited a zeal in them to compete with Tang Feng for supremacy.
There was a loud snap that startled everyone. Dengdeng’s pouting lips nearly burst into tears, and Bai Ruozhu, fearing the child might be frightened, quickly soothed him with a gentle voice.
"You damned woman, I warned you not to sing Tang Feng’s songs, are you itching for a beating?" an aggressive and fierce man yelled at the little girl kneeling on the ground, who was crying her eyes out as she picked up her broken lute.
Seeing that the little girl did not respond, the burly man became enraged and kicked out at her. With a pitiful scream, the girl was knocked to the floor, the lute she had just picked up falling from her hands and breaking even more.
Bai Ruozhu frowned, unable to help feeling that bullies existed everywhere, and even though the people of Jiangnan were not as rough as those from the Northwest, there was no lack of bullies there.
The little girl, having been kicked to the point of almost losing her breath, began to sob while clutching her stomach. The strong man walked over and looked down at her, asking, "Can’t you hear me talking to you?"
"I sing whatever the guests request, please spare me this once, big brother, I’m just trying to make a little money to get by," the girl said in a pained voice, her face white with agony.
The bully glared towards the customers and demanded, "Who requested Tang Feng’s poem? Stand up now!"
He was naturally big and fierce, and with seven or eight followers behind him, not even the restaurant’s shopkeeper dared to speak up, let alone the customers who did not want to provoke him. Thus, no one dared to respond.
He bent down, grabbed the girl by her hair, and pulled her up, smirking as he said, "No one requested Tang Feng’s poem, you dare to deceive even me, I’ll see if I don’t beat you to death!"
As she was yanked by her hair, the girl screamed repeatedly in pain, her tears flowing even more violently, "Please, big brother, I beg you to let me go. I won’t dare to do it again."
"Let her go!"
"Let her go!"
Bai Ruozhu and Tu Ying shouted out at the same time, and upon seeing each other, they couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
"I was the one who requested the piece. I come from out of town and wasn’t aware of the rules. What taboo have I broken by requesting a poem from Tang Feng, the number one talent of Jiangnan? Please, big brother, enlighten me," Bai Ruozhu said courteously, tugging at Tu Ying’s sleeve.
The burly man looked at Bai Ruozhu and, seeing that they had a sizable group, did not act as violently towards the girl as before, but his tone remained arrogant, "Bullshit number one talent of Jiangnan. You outsiders shouldn’t be fooled by such rumors. Tang Feng is nothing but a sanctimonious villain. That’s why on my turf, no one’s allowed to sing his poems. Anyone who dares will have their legs broken by me!"
Wow, such arrogance, just because he dislikes something, nobody else is allowed to enjoy it—such a simple and clear rule.
Tu Ying could no longer hold back. She slammed the table as she stood up and said, "If you’re so upset with Tang Feng, why don’t you go and break his legs? What kind of skill is it to bully a girl who couldn’t even hurt a chicken?"