Chapter 88: Killing with Flattery

Xu You paused for a moment, a flurry of thoughts flashing through his mind. He supported Zhan Wenjun's waist with both hands, placed her gently on the floor beside him, rolled away to a distant corner, and exhaled a heavy sigh.

He could feel that if he had given in to his impulses just then, he very likely would have taken Zhan Wenjun's virginity. But he carried too many burdens on his shoulders, especially regarding matters of romance, where he could never afford such indulgence. A single misstep could lead to total ruin!

To achieve great things, one must learn patience!

After an unknown length of time, Zhan Wenjun forced her delicate body to stand up from the floor. With her head lowered, she tidied her disheveled dress, then closed her eyes for a moment to let her pounding heart gradually calm down. The flush on her cheeks slowly faded, yet the moisture in her eyes still seemed on the verge of spilling over. Biting her lip, she glanced sideways at Xu You and murmured softly, "Thank you, My Lord, for sparing me..."

Provoked by her alluring demeanor, Xu You felt himself on the verge of reacting once again. He gave a wry smile and said, "It is I who should thank you, Madam, for sparing me..."

"Little Master, Master He is outside, waiting to see you... Uh, Little Master, what is wrong with you?"

Lü Shuang pushed open the door and took in the expressions of the two figures. A faint ripple passed through her heart, but she kept her composure and said, "Little Master, Master He requests an audience!"

Xu You laughed heartily and said, "Qiyi is here? Let him come in. Madam still has important matters to attend to later. Lü Shuang, please escort Madam out on my behalf."

"Understood! Madam, please!"

Zhan Wenjun nodded, trying her best to keep her steps steady. Not daring to look at Xu You again, she turned and left.

He Ru walked in with a furrowed brow and said, "Why has Zhan Wenjun been acting so strange today?"

Fearing that He Ru might spot a flaw, Xu You said, "What is so strange about her? Come, come, take a look at this piece of mine, *The Unofficial Biography of Yuanyang Jinglu*."

"Something is wrong!" He Ru looked suspiciously at Xu You and said, "You are strange too. In the past, whenever I brought up matters concerning Zhan Wenjun, you would invariably press for details. Why are you intentionally changing the subject today?"

Knowing that this fellow was as shrewd as they come and difficult to deceive, Xu You simply ignored him and said, "The writings about Yuanyang Jinglu must be spread as quickly as possible. You and Qianqin should discuss this with the shipwrights at the boat pavilion to get it done. Also, what has been the reception of *After the Rain at Qiantang Lake*?"

Once business was brought up, He Ru had to temporarily set aside his gossip. "I came precisely to speak with you about this... Have you ever had any dealings with Zhang Mo of Zhuji?"

Zhang Mo...

Though not a distant memory, the name appeared in his mind like the tolling of a bell from that fateful night. Xu You smiled and asked, "Why do you ask?"

"Zhang Mo of Zhuji, styled Buyi, is known as the Five-Colored Dragon and Luan. Aside from three or five individuals in Jiangdong, his literary fame among the younger generation is unparalleled. Had he not hailed from a collateral branch of the Zhang clan and become entangled in their internal feuds, his reputation would likely have resonated throughout the empire long ago, making him the preeminent figure of his era."

He Ru rarely praised anyone, yet his evaluation of Zhang Mo was unexpectedly high. "It is precisely this man who has spent the past few days everywhere praising that poem of yours, *After the Rain at Qiantang Lake*, and has gathered numerous scholars to discuss renaming Qiantang Lake to West Lake. Seventh Young Master, from ancient times to the present, you are the very first person to cause a lake to be renamed on account of a single poem!"

Could it be that Zhang Mo had guessed the origin of the poem and therefore spared no effort in widely proclaiming it? Recalling how they had narrowly missed each other in Wuxian, Xu You reflected that Zhang Mo possessed a charming demeanor and ought to be a man worth befriending. If fate allowed in the future, he would certainly have to thank him.

Xu You glanced sideways at He Ru and said, "I seem to recall someone swearing up and down that Qiantang Lake could hardly be considered a famous lake in Jiangdong? Now you've changed your tune and are calling it a lake of century-old renown? Qiyi, one should not be a weather vane in life, swaying in every direction!"

He Ru let out a cold snort and said, "I knew you would dig up old accounts! Fine, I admit it, I lost this wager!"

"Well, losing is losing. What do you mean by 'count as lost'?" Xu You let out a chuckle and said, "It seems you are unhappy about losing... No matter, Qiantang Lake only has a small reputation for now and cannot yet rank among the famous lakes of Jiangdong. Once we pull Du Jingzhi down from the throne of Grand Libation, we can settle the bet then."

He Ru carefully read through the essay on the desk, then immediately said with displeasure, "Once this piece of yours on Yuanyang Jinglu is published, who throughout these Three Wu regions will not know the great name of Qiantang Lake? Speaking of which, you certainly have a lot of nerve. You actually fabricated Laozi manifesting his true form on Tianyun Mountain, and as if that weren't enough, you even established the Yuanyang Jinglu right beside Qiantang Lake... You must know that those Daoist priests love nothing more than debating with people. Even when they are in the wrong, they can argue for three days and three nights, let alone your wild fabrications. This is no laughing matter..."

Xu You retorted, "Who says I fabricated it? The Thirty-Six Jinglu of Daoism all have names, surnames, origins, and histories; they are not conjured out of thin air. Yuanyang Lu is the main altar of Daoism, so it naturally had to be established personally by Laozi. On this point, even if Sun Guan were here, I could argue him into complete speechlessness."

He Ru found it hard to believe and said, "I have perused historical records extensively; where have I ever seen mention of the Thirty-Six Jinglu?"

"Is that so? Have you read the *Scripture of Laozi's Sounds, Recitations, and Precepts*? Have you read the *Abbreviated Protocols of the Daoist Gate*? Have you read the *Supreme Secret Essentials*?"

He Ru was instantly dumbfounded. Half-doubting, he asked, "Are there really such Daoist scriptures?"

These Daoist scriptures did indeed exist, but in this chaotic time and space, it was uncertain whether Kou Jingzhi had become the preceptor of the state for Northern Wei, or whether Lu Xiujing was still compiling the first comprehensive catalog of Daoist scriptures on Mount Lu. As for the *Supreme Secret Essentials*, it was a scripture that only appeared during the Northern Zhou dynasty. Xu You included it purely to take advantage of the fact that He Ru had been born a century early.

Xu You smiled without answering, saying, "Of course. You know what I'm like—I detest trouble the most. To prevent Sun Guan from truly shedding his dignity to debate with me, you and Qianqin must orally transmit this *Unofficial Biography of Yuanyang Jinglu* to the people below. Remember, absolute secrecy must be maintained. No matter what methods are used, you must eliminate any possibility of tracing its source."

He Ru sneered and said, "After all that talk, it's still just playing god and deceiving ghosts."

The concept of the Thirty-Six Jinglu originated from the treatises of Du Guanting in the Tang Dynasty, which essentially belonged to personal imaginative creation rather than originating from Laozi or Zhang Ling. According to textual research by many later scholars, during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the embryonic form of the Thirty-Six Jinglu should have already existed within the Celestial Masters' Dao, but the numbers varied, the quality was uneven, and it had not yet been truly finalized as a basic doctrine of Daoism.

"Did you commit it to memory?"

He Ru nodded and said, "I have a photographic memory. Whether it is scripture, commentary, or anything else, at most three readings and I can recite it." Xu You had long since grown accustomed to his various extraordinary traits and was not surprised. He smiled and said, "To possess vast learning and a strong memory, yet act contrary to the royal system—the gentleman disdains it. That you are disdained by gentlemen is certain, so there is nothing to be proud of."

These were the words of Xunzi, meaning that even if you possess vast learning and a strong memory, if your actions run counter to the sovereign's will, you will still be despised by the gentlemen of the world. He Ru's stated mission was to overthrow the An dynasty, and both his thoughts and actions ran counter to the royal system, which was why Xu You used it to tease him.

He Ru chuckled heartily, feeling no shame but rather taking pride in it. "Fortunately, Seventh Young Master is not a gentleman, and that is quite enough!"

Xu You laughed aloud and said, "Before a gentleman, I am a gentleman; before a petty person, I am a petty person. Before Qiyi, I am a pig with wings that can fly!"

Lü Shuang had been standing to the side all along, listening to the two of them banter and joke without tactfully interrupting. Hearing Xu You call himself a flying pig just now, she burst into a giggle and said, "Little Master, if you put it that way, what are we maidservants to do? Wouldn't that make us even worse than pigs?"

Thinking of the most widely circulated joke about being "worse than beasts" from the internet era, Xu You pointed at Lü Shuang with amusement and said, "You possess the talent for witty banter like Yu Faxu; one day you might become a female Baiju..."

He Ru looked at the delicate Lü Shuang, shook his head, and said, "You must never let Yu Faxu hear you say that..."

Xu You asked in surprise, "Why?"

"Although Yu Faxu is fond of witty banter, he utterly detests the current open atmosphere of our dynasty, where women can read, write, discuss poetry, paint, travel in groups just like men, and even serve as officials in the inner court. He has once advocated using the *Precepts for Women* as the foundation, demanding that the women of the world return to their inner chambers, never step outside, remain entirely illiterate, and focus solely on serving their husbands and raising children."

Ever since his rebirth, Xu You had lost count of how many times he had heard the great name of Yu Faxu, the White Colt of the Empty Valley. He truly never expected that this brilliant talent who loved telling jokes was actually a steadfast practitioner of chauvinism.

Truly, one cannot judge a book by its cover, just as the sea cannot be measured with a pint cup!

Lü Shuang also restrained her smile, standing quietly to the side as she cautiously said, "Master He speaks the absolute truth!"

Xu You waved his hand dismissively and said, "We were merely joking among ourselves; what does it matter to him? Lü Shuang, go fetch some water."

Lü Shuang acknowledged the command and left. He Ru sighed and said, "Seventh Young Master, you truly are wasting heavenly treasures!"

Perplexed, Xu You asked, "How am I wasting heavenly treasures?"

"With Lü Shuang's aptitude, she would make an exceptional furnace vessel for practicing the Arts of Harmonious Breath, yet you've stubbornly trained her into a wooden dummy."

"Ha, you're talking about that... A wooden dummy is fine; it saves me trouble!"

Xu You did not necessarily hold a deep trust in Lü Shuang, but he knew that here in Qiantang—or rather, at this particular time—she had no way to pull off any little tricks. The only condition was that she had to put away the ways of the Qingyue Pavilion. Aside from that, she could think about doing whatever she pleased, and he would not impose restrictions on her.

"To my surprise, Qiyi, you even understand the Arts of Harmonious Breath of the Celestial Masters' Dao?"

He Ru looked with astonishment at Xu You, who wore a salacious expression, and said, "The Celestial Masters' Dao interacts with powerful clans and entangles itself with the imperial court; eighty percent of that relies on the Arts of Harmonious Breath. Across the entire realm, there is no telling how many people know a thing or two about it. Why are you wearing that expression?"

Xu You gave a dry cough, not knowing what to say. Just then, Lü Shuang brought in a basin of clear water, allowing him to escape his embarrassment. He picked up a piece of paper and submerged it into the basin, watching the ink bleed and dissolve into a chaotic mess where the writing could no longer be made out. Suddenly raising his head, he asked, "You mentioned Zhang Mo earlier—how exactly did he praise me?"

"He said that *After the Rain at Qiantang Lake* is like famous chapters and lingering phrases, emerging everywhere with brilliant, novel sounds that converge in a continuous stream. He also said its heptasyllabic verses are like lotus blossoms newly emerging from the water, naturally endearing. In the beauty of its poetry and prose, the Jiangzuo region cannot match it!"

Xu You blushed upon hearing this, but circumstances compelled him; plagiarism had to be done when needs must. Copying poems was better than hanging by a thread between life and death. Besides, these evaluations were not excessive for Su Shi. Outwardly, however, he remained modest. "Zhang Buyi flatters me too much," he said.

"This is not flattery..." He Ru turned serious and said, "He also said that your heptasyllabic poem makes you the single greatest poet among all poets of the past thousand years!"

"What?" Xu You trembled in shock, his gaze instantly turning sharp. "Did he truly say that?"