53. Famous in a Single Battle

If we talk about who has been the most prominent figure in the literary world over the past few years, the undisputed number one must be Xia Lin, also known as Xia Daosheng. First came the gentle and yearning Butterfly Loves Flowers, followed by the neat and magnificent Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng, and then the emotional and ripples-stirring Later Ode to the Red Cliff. This fellow's works are chanted everywhere, from the inner imperial palace down to the brothels. Nowadays, if a singing girl cannot play a tune of Qingping Diao and sing a stanza of "Interpreting the boundless hatred of the spring breeze, leaning against the balustrade north of the Pavilion of Cinnamon Blossom," she would be too ashamed to collect money from her patrons.

"Hoo..."

The romantic scenery of Jinling is naturally a place of peerless elegance. Amidst this chilly moment, on the Tianyi Painted Boat, a gorgeous woman was reading a piece of poetry and rhapsody. Holding a bronze-sparrow hand warmer, she leaned against the bedside, quietly watching the drifting snow over the river and the solitary fishing in the cold waters.

A soft sigh startled the maid dozing beside her. The maid raised her head and asked, "My lady, what is the matter? Why are your brows furrowed in sorrow?"

Though addressed as a young lady, she was actually the daughter of a high-ranking official. A few years ago, when she was only fourteen, her family fell victim to the persecution of Prime Minister Gao. Her father and brothers were all exiled to the Lingnan region, their lives and deaths remaining unknown to this day, while she was sentenced to become a courtesan in a court-established painted boat. However, the manager had once received favors from her father and brothers, and coupled with Miss Ling's natural beauty and extensive reading, she was groomed into the top courtesan of the Tianyi Painted Boat, holding the professional name Yu Tingyun, and was known alongside Feng Lingyue of the neighboring Peony Tower as the Two Peerless Beauties of the Qinhuai River.

Countless literati and scholars flocked to these two women. Fully aware that such a woman's value would plummet like a cliff if she were defiled, the manager deliberately crafted a persona for her: one who only discussed poetry and romance, never selling her body. Coupled with her talent for writing mournful and enchanting ci poetry, she truly lured a crowd of romantic vagrants into sparing no expense just to share a single cup of wine with her.

At the end of last year, someone even offered ten thousand taels of gold just for the fortune of a single glance at her fair face. Once spread abroad, this event became a romantic tale of that man, scarcely inferior to the ancient legend of buying a fine horse's bones with thousands of gold.

Now that the spring holiday break had passed, their off-season had arrived. According to custom, someone of her status enjoyed a one-month break during the year, which in truth was still meant to reinforce her aloof persona—after all, ordinary courtesans had to entertain guests even on their period.

"Alas... Alas..."

Following two consecutive sighs, this Miss Tingyun wore a melancholic expression, her heart feeling lost and hollow. She merely clutched the poetry scroll to her chest, her gaze complex and hazy as she looked into the distance.

After a long while, she finally recovered her senses, turned her head, and looked at her maid, saying, "Yesterday, I took out Butterfly Loves Flowers and read it a few times over. And that Qingping Diao as well... Alas..."

"My lady, you read it, so why sigh?"

"I sigh for the beauty behind the courtyard walls who cannot manage a smile; I sigh for the inability to meet by the moon-lit jade terrace..." She lowered her eyes, a heavy sorrow filling them: "If only I could meet the poet, and let him write a piece for me, just one piece... I know not how to vent my emotions; the congestion in my heart is severe."

The maid hurriedly comforted her, "My lady, don't you have a month's holiday? Since the poet won't come to us, why don't we go find him? You seek him out, offer some silver, and have him write a piece for you—wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"Speak no nonsense! If such art were defiled by money, it would be mocking both him and myself." Miss Tingyun propped her chin on her hand, adding, "Besides, I am merely of humble slave registry and courtesan status; it would only invite people to look down upon me."

"Then... let's go take a look instead, and see what kind of person he really is. I have heard some things, though I wonder if his reputation matches reality."

"Oh?" Miss Tingyun's eyes lit up instantly. She leaned closer to her maid out of curiosity and urged, "Quickly, quickly, tell me all about it."

The maid reminisced slightly before speaking, "I heard from the sisters on the boat, whose patrons came from that region, that the man who writes those poems is actually a youth. Only eighteen or nineteen years old, with red lips, white teeth, and clear eyebrows, he is extremely handsome and overflowing with talent. Not only did he stun everyone present at the Pavilion of Prince Teng, but this year he also stirred up quite a commotion."

"Oh? What kind of commotion?" Miss Tingyun blinked rapidly, looking extremely expectant.

The maid recounted the event of the second day of the first lunar month—where he crashed a literary gathering—just like a storyteller. Having traveled a thousand miles, the tale had long since distorted. What was actually a rather ordinary match of wits over there had, through people's emotionally charged retellings, transformed into a spectacle nearly as grand as "The Great Sage Stealing Pills from the Heavenly Palace and the Gods Trying to Capture the Monster."

Miss Tingyun had lived in a large mansion since childhood, and as soon as she was old enough to understand, she had been locked within the high stories of this painted boat, forbidden from having too much contact with the outside world. Thus, her life was utterly barren. How could she have ever experienced such thrilling excitement? Hearing this, she became utterly immersed, her breathing even falling into sync with the rhythm of the story, speeding up and slowing down.

When she heard about Zhang Zhongchun composing words like pearls to construct the Epang Palace, Miss Tingyun's nerves tightened to the utmost. The power of the Rhapsody on the Epang Palace was truly formidable; she had already been blessed to read it, but she had never expected it to be born under such dramatic circumstances.

Yet soon, upon hearing how Xia Daosheng cleverly countered with the Ode to the Red Cliff, a smile blossomed on her face, and her emotions instantly eased. She had also read the Ode to the Red Cliff. To be able to write something of that caliber under such immense pressure—truly, if heaven had not birthed Xia Daosheng, the eternal literary world would be like a long night.

However, after finishing the story, Miss Tingyun's mood became even harder to calm. She had essentially become a hardcore fan; although she could easily just eat eggs in peace, she stubbornly wanted to catch a glimpse of the chicken that laid them.

Of course, the deeper reason behind this was that Miss Tingyun still possessed a core of pride. She believed she was truly worthy of having Xia Daosheng write an exclusive piece for her.

And what he wrote for her could not be mediocre; it had to start at the level of the Rhapsody on the Goddess of the Luo River.

The Rhapsody on the Goddess of the Luo River! Do you understand? Xia Daosheng, you had better know what's good for you—start at the level of the Goddess of the Luo River!

"My lady, should we have a word with the manager and take a boat sailing west along the river? It won't take long to arrive—around ten days or so."

Just as they were speaking, a commotion suddenly arose outside. Then, a bonded servant hurried in, breathless and panting, and cried out, "Terrible news! The young master of the Duke of Qin's estate is here to make trouble again!"

"The young master of the Duke of Qin's estate? Li Jiancheng?"

Miss Tingyun frowned at the mention of this name. This young master of the Duke of Qin's estate was truly, utterly annoying. Every time he got drunk, he would come over to raise a ruckus. It was fine if she didn't see him, but whenever she did, she narrowly escaped being molested by him several times.

Yet the power of the Li family, the Dukes of Qin, was immense. Even as a government-run pleasure boat, the Tianyi Painted Boat could not afford to provoke such a figure. Whenever he came to cause trouble, they had swallowed their pride time and time again, but who knew when his luck might succeed.

At this moment, the manager of the Tianyi Painted Boat walked in briskly. His face was as dark as water and his expression grave: "Tingyun, pack your things. Take advantage of your holiday to leave Jinling quickly. That young master lost his temper just now and went back to muster his men. It would be fine if he doesn't see you, but if he does, you won't be able to escape this time."

Hearing this news, Tingyun panicked as well: "What should we do then?"

"This young master has come this time to prepare birthday felicitations for His Majesty. Once the celebrations of the third day of the third month conclude, he will naturally return to the Qin territories. You can suffer a bit of grievance outside and return to Jinling after the third month. I have already had a boat prepared for you; wherever you wish to go, just tell them to take you there."

This... this... wasn't this like dozing off and immediately being handed a pillow? She had just been worrying about how to broach the subject of letting the manager release her, only for the dog-son of Duke Li Yuan of Qin to lend a helping hand. If she ever got the chance in the future, she would surely write a letter thanking the eighteenth generation of this young master's ancestors.

Hastily gathering some clothes and taking silver, Miss Tingyun and her maid hurriedly left the painted boat, quickly took a carriage to the docks, and boarded a vessel heading west.

Meanwhile, Xia Lin had just been summoned to Hongdu Prefecture by an official decree, likely for a proper military command assignment. This news made Xia Lin so happy he bounced with joy.

Do not underestimate these five hundred local militia soldiers. Though the mosquito is small, it is still military power. Once he had military power, the first thing that would open up to him was salt and iron. Why hadn't Xia Lin bothered with iron tools before? Because salt and iron were the foundations of the state, and unauthorized tampering was treated as treason. Now, acquiring five hundred militia soldiers also represented a certain degree of casting rights—he could forge weapons and armor.

Another point was that obtaining five hundred militia soldiers meant that Xinping Village would possess a degree of self-governance. Currently, due to the involvement of noble clans in politics, the imperial court's control over the lower regions was not that strict. As long as major chaos was avoided, regions generally maintained self-governance; provided the annual taxes were paid in full, people could do whatever they pleased. It bore some resemblance to the feudal system during the Zhou Dynasty, though the royal power of the imperial court was somewhat stronger by comparison.

However, this didn't really affect Xia Lin. What he needed at this stage was not just five hundred soldiers, but the authority to cast iron, stockpile salt, and farm land. Though the troop count was small, once this authority was granted, ordinary county magistrates would have to walk bow-backed in his presence.

That was the difference between having soldiers and having none.

Therefore, Xia Lin happily set off for Hongdu Prefecture to claim his reward.

Because the water currents were steady at this time and they could sail directly into Poyang Lake, Xia Lin reached Nanchang County in less than four days, and then arrived at Hongdu Prefecture in another day.

Yet what awaited him was not sweet praise, but a thorough, head-to-toe scolding.

"Xia Daosheng, oh Xia Daosheng, you are truly asking for death! You're courting death!" Old Guo pointed right at his nose upon seeing him and cursed, "What on earth is going through that dog brain of yours?"

Xia Lin scratched his head and asked, "What's wrong?"

"What did you do? Did you give that movable-type printing technique to someone else?"

Oh... that matter. Xia Lin drew in a sharp breath. This truly was his own oversight; he hadn't yet found the time to inform Old Guo. And Old Guo was his immediate superior! If such a massive matter caused his superior to flip a gasket, he wouldn't be wronged even if he were dragged out and drowned in Poyang Lake.

"Lord Guo, calm down first and listen to me explain in detail."

Old Guo sat down angrily on a stool, pointed a finger at Xia Daosheng, and snapped, "If you cannot convince me today, just watch—if I don't skin you alive, I'll change my surname to Xia!"