Chapter 27: A Man of Action

"Princess, where is the teacher you promised to find for me?"

Qin Hao arrived before his voice even settled. Li Qingyao felt like exploding; she glared at him. *Shouldn't you pay your respects when you see me? I haven't even spoken yet, and you're already questioning me.*

"Qin Hao, you are becoming increasingly insolent. You don't even offer a bow when you see me." Li Qingyao immediately glanced at her father. Seeing that the Emperor’s expression remained unchanged, she cleared her throat and introduced the man beside her. "This person beside me is the teacher I have arranged for you."

"We're all on the same side, so let's skip the formalities," Qin Hao said, turning his gaze toward Emperor Xuande. He then performed a respectful student's bow to the Emperor: "Student Qin Hao pays his respects to his teacher."

Li Qingyao was stunned. What did Qin Hao mean by this? Not bowing to me, but bowing to my father? Had his identity been exposed?

As expected, Emperor Xuande, having already witnessed Qin Hao’s audacity, was not surprised. He asked calmly, "Qin Hao, a scholar must understand etiquette. Why do you not bow to the Eldest Princess, yet you bow to me?"

Qin Hao laughed. "Because you are my teacher, and the Princess is my friend. Has the master ever seen friends of the same generation exchange bows?"

Li Qingyao could no longer hold back. "Qin Hao, who says you are my friend?"

Qin Hao stared back, his mouth agape in disbelief. "I thought that once you knew who I was, we had reached an understanding. Doesn't that make us friends? Besides, when I came here, I was planning to teach you a new style of calligraphy. I only teach this style to friends."

Facing Qin Hao’s candid gaze, Li Qingyao found herself unable to remain stern. His boldness gave her a truly unique experience. Furthermore, given her status, she had been destined to have few friends since birth.

Emperor Xuande smiled and nodded. "Indeed, friends have no need for such formalities."

Li Qingyao sighed in relief.

Emperor Xuande continued, "Qin Hao, is this new script you speak of another original invention, just like the 'Slender Gold' style you created?"

The Emperor had actually been practicing the Slender Gold style the previous night. As a great enthusiast of calligraphy, he found Qin Hao’s work captivating.

Qin Hao nodded. "Teacher, you are familiar with my Slender Gold script?"

"Yes, it is a magnificent script capable of establishing its own school of thought. For most people, creating a single script in a lifetime is enough to be remembered in history. You claim to have created a second one; would you mind letting your teacher take a look?"

Qin Hao responded immediately, "Of course. I will be learning from you, so I hope for your guidance."

Emperor Xuande was pleased by Qin Hao’s respect for his role as a teacher. "Then, Princess, please have someone bring us brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone."

Li Qingyao agreed, though she felt a sense of disdain. *Father, you are just happy because Qin Hao respects you and ignores me, aren't you?* Then again, it was understandable. To find someone bold enough to disregard the Eldest Princess yet still hold such reverence for his teacher—anyone would be proud to be his mentor.

***

Once the writing materials were brought, Qin Hao pondered what to write. Both the Emperor and the Princess watched with curiosity, as Qin Hao’s previous performances had set high expectations.

Suddenly, Qin Hao recalled something. "Princess, do you have any wine?"

Li Qingyao glared at him, but seeing that her father said nothing, she ordered wine to be brought. Qin Hao popped the cork and downed two large gulps. Then, he began to splash ink across the page.

*Lamenting the Empty Cup.*

The three large characters in semi-cursive script leaped off the paper. At a single glance, both the Emperor and the Princess felt a jolt of excitement. *This script...*

Then they read the content:

"Do you not see the waters of the Capital River coming down from the sky, rushing to the sea, never to return?"
"Do you not see the bright mirror in the chamber lamenting the white hair, dark like a cloud in the morning, turning to snow by evening?"
"When life is at its peak, one must enjoy it to the fullest; do not let the golden cup stand empty before the moon."
"Heaven endowed my talent with greatness, and though the gold be spent, it shall return."
"..."
"Five-flowered horses, furs of a thousand gold—call for the boy to trade them for fine wine, that with you, I may dissolve the sorrows of ten thousand ages."

As the poem ended, Qin Hao took three more gulps of wine, his demeanor brimming with heroic spirit. However, forgetting his physical state, the third gulp made him choke, and he fell into a fit of coughing, instantly shattering his heroic image.

Emperor Xuande took a deep breath and praised him repeatedly: "Good! Good! Good! What a wonderful line—'to dissolve the sorrows of ten thousand ages'! A magnificent poem!"

Li Qingyao had forgotten about Qin Hao’s audacity. Her mouth was slightly agape, her shock plain to see. *Lamenting the Empty Cup.* Another poem destined to be passed down through the ages. Yet, Qin Hao was truly arrogant. That line, "Heaven endowed my talent with greatness," perfectly captured his wild spirit.

Emperor Xuande asked, "What is this script called?"

"Semi-cursive script," Qin Hao replied.

"A marvelous semi-cursive script. It flows like clouds and water, with a perfect balance in structure and size. It is faster to write than ordinary scripts, yet it is detailed and easy to read. It is a script worthy of being spread throughout the world."

The Emperor felt a surge of appreciation for his talent. "Qin Hao, with your mastery of poetry and your gift for creating two new scripts, you are qualified to be my disciple. Why have you not yet performed the formal kowtow?"

Qin Hao was delighted. He had shown off his skills precisely because he feared a pedantic ancient scholar would be too haughty to accept him as a student. He immediately knelt and bowed. "Student pays his respects to his teacher."

Emperor Xuande pulled him up, satisfied. "Yes, the lad is teachable."

*What!?* Li Qingyao watched, stunned. *Father, you are actually going through with this? This is a formal apprenticeship ceremony!* From now on, Qin Hao would be a disciple of the Emperor himself—not just a nominal one like the top scorers of the imperial examinations, but a student directly taken under the Emperor's wing. If word of this got out, the civil officials would be terrified.

*Wait,* Li Qingyao suddenly thought, looking at the semi-cursive script. She realized what her father was after. With a student who had created two new scripts and possessed such immense literary talent, no one would ever dare to mock the Emperor’s lack of literary depth again. A sense of disdain filled her heart.

Suddenly, Emperor Xuande spoke again. "Qin Hao, the line 'Heaven endowed my talent with greatness' is excellent, but it is too arrogant and will draw attacks from scholars across the land. You must know that in literature, no one is ever truly first."

Qin Hao did not argue. He immediately took a fresh sheet of paper and wrote a new version: "Heaven creates my talent for a purpose; though the gold be spent, it shall return."

Emperor Xuande pondered it and was even more pleased. This revision was perfect for promotion and inspiration. However, as an Emperor, he preferred the original version—it was bold enough. But the poetic talent Qin Hao had displayed was not all the Emperor wanted to see.

"Qin Hao," he said, "I have heard from the Princess that you possess practical ability. Let me test you with the problem the Princess encountered today."

Qin Hao bowed respectfully. "Teacher, please present the problem."

Emperor Xuande signaled his daughter to speak. Li Qingyao took a deep breath, her frustration returning as she recalled being unable to refute the Minister of Revenue, Count Kaiyang, in court today. It was a very realistic and difficult problem. She wondered if Qin Hao had a solution. If he could solve this, it wouldn't be a coincidence that he had solved the previous puzzle—he truly possessed practical talent.