In the deep residence of the Xie family in the east of Jiangning City, there was a quiet courtyard. The crabapple flowers in the courtyard had been scattered by last night's rain, leaving only a few faded red petals clinging to the bluestone slabs, exuding a sense of desolation.
Inside the room, although the underfloor heating had been extinguished, soothing agarwood incense still burned in the gilded Boshan censer.
However, no matter how soothing the fragrance was, it could not suppress the intermittent sobbing.
Boohoo... It is too tragic... How could it be so tragic...
Xie Yunzhu was sprawled across the round mahogany table, her shoulders heaving.
She had just reached her coming-of-age hairpin ceremony this year. Usually pampered and spoiled, right now her hair was disheveled and her almond-shaped eyes were swollen from crying.
She clutched a soaked handkerchief in her hand, which had been rubbed out of shape, covered in tears and snot, making her look quite pitiful.
On the desk in front of her, there was no sign of her usual rouge, powder, or jeweled hairpins.
There was only a book with a sapphire blue brocade cover.
The book looked thick, with no patterns on the cover except for a few butterflies embroidered with gold thread, which looked lifelike in the light.
Brother Liang... why were you so silly...
Xie Yunzhu sobbed while reaching out a finger to carefully stroke the spine of the book.
Just then, the mahogany door was pushed open violently.
With a creak.
The noise was loud, carrying the anger of the person pushing the door, which startled Xie Yunzhu into a shiver, and she instinctively tried to hide the book in her arms.
Crying like this in broad daylight, what a disgrace!
A stern male voice followed.
The young man who entered was around twenty years old, with a tall and straight posture. He wore the blue-collared scholar's robe of the Imperial College, a square hat on his head, and a piece of black jade hanging from his waist.
He had a handsome face, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, though his brows were tightly furrowed at the moment.
This person was none other than Xie Yunzhu's biological older brother, a top student at the Imperial College, Xie Yunzhou.
Xie Yunzhou was holding two scrolls of classics in his hand. He had just been passing by his sister's courtyard but heard heaven-shaking cries from inside, thinking some blind servant had bullied their master.
B... Big brother...
Xie Yunzhu hiccuped in fright and hurriedly stood up to bow, but because she had been kneeling for too long, her legs were numb, and she swayed, almost falling.
Stand straight!
Xie Yunzhou shouted sternly, his sharp gaze sweeping across the room.
There were no punished maids, nor any broken porcelain.
Finally, his eyes nailed onto the blue-covered book that Xie Yunzhu was desperately trying to hide.
What is that?
Xie Yunzhou took two steps forward with an imposing aura, forcing Xie Yunzhu to shrink back.
N... nothing, just an idle book...
Xie Yunzhu's eyes darted away, hiding her hands behind her back. Doesn't big brother need to review his studies today? How do you have time to come here...
An idle book?
Xie Yunzhou sneered, carrying a scholar's aloofness and disdain.
Jiangning City has been foul lately; any random dog or cat dares to write books and establish theories. Hand it over!
He held out a hand, palm up, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
Xie Yunzhu's eyes grew redder. She bit her lower lip hard and refused to move.
I told you to hand it over!
Xie Yunzhou was truly angry now. He took a step forward, forcefully grabbed Xie Yunzhu's wrist, and snatched the book away.
No! Big brother, give it back! I waited in line all morning to...
Xie Yunzhu shouted anxiously, trying to snatch it back, but Xie Yunzhou easily blocked her with his other hand.
Waited in line all morning?
Xie Yunzhou's frown deepened as he looked down at the evidence in his hand.
It felt slightly cool to the touch, made of premium silk. The material of this book cover was actually a bit more exquisite than the books of the sages he usually read.
Looking again at the words on the cover: Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai.
Those characters were not the usual Guange style, but a font he had never seen before. The strokes were vigorous and powerful, revealing a wild and sorrowful essence.
Hmph, as expected, it is this kind of obscene and frivolous tale about scholars and beauties.
A flash of disgust crossed Xie Yunzhou's eyes.
He casually flipped open the title page, and a very thin object fluttered down lightly from the pages with his movement.
The object spun in the air, and a ray of sunlight happened to shine through the window lattice onto it.
Instantly, the thin flake refracted the colors of the rainbow, looking incredibly beautiful.
Xie Yunzhou instinctively reached out and caught it.
The feeling in his hand was very subtle, crisp and smooth, with clearly visible veins and some sparkling powder clinging to it.
It was a butterfly wing.
It was a real butterfly wing specimen treated with a special process so it would never decay.
This...
Xie Yunzhou was stunned for a moment. As a scholar, he prided himself on being knowledgeable, yet he had never seen any bookstore possess such clever means as to place a real butterfly wing inside a book.
A delicate fragrance reached his nose.
It was not the smell of cheap powder, but a cold fragrance mixing the scent of ink and secluded orchids, which cleared the mind when smelled.
Just this momentary daze made a trace of vigilance rise in Xie Yunzhou's heart.
What a trick!
The person who made this book was practically using the mindset of creating a work of art to package this dross!
Gold and jade on the outside, rot on the inside!
Xie Yunzhou snapped back to reality, the disgust in his heart deepening.
He heavily closed the pages with a smack, casually tucking the butterfly wing back inside.
This is the thing that makes you cry half to death?
Xie Yunzhou waved the book in his hand, looking at his sister with cold eyes.
Look at yourself now! Crying so much over this absurd story fabricated by the market that you have lost all your manners? If word gets out, aren't you afraid people will laugh their heads off!
It is not an absurd story!
Perhaps the action of trapping the butterfly wing stung Xie Yunzhu; she, who was usually submissive, actually stiffened her neck and yelled back.
Young Master Xu said this is an article written with blood and tears! Big brother, you haven't read it, on what grounds do you call it dross!
Young Master Xu?
Xie Yunzhou sharply caught the name, the contempt in his eyes deepening.
Is that the destitute scholar who postures in the Hundred Flowers Pavilion and is causing an uproar all over the city right now? Can something written by a disgrace to scholars be called an article?
He took a deep breath, feeling that the air in this room had been polluted by this poisonous book.
Starting today, you are grounded for half a month! This bewitching book is confiscated!
Xie Yunzhou stuffed the book into his sleeve and turned to leave, giving Xie Yunzhu no chance to argue.
If I see you dabbling in these unrefined things again, I will have Mother stop your monthly allowance!
Big brother! Give it back to me! That cost five taels of silver!
Watching her brother's heartless back, Xie Yunzhu finally couldn't help but cry out loud.
Boohoo... Brother Liang... My Brother Liang has been taken away by the great demon...
Xie Yunzhou's footsteps paused for a moment, his face turning ashen.
Great demon?
Fine, after reading a few trashy books, she even dared to badmouth her own brother!
It seems this Hundred Flowers Pavilion of the Xu family is truly a cancerous tumor that must be eradicated!
Listening Rain Pavilion.
This was the most tranquil study in the Xie residence, where usually only Xie Yunzhou spent time alone.
The furnishings inside were very simple: a desk, a chair, a couch, and the four walls were entirely piled high with classics, histories, philosophies, and literary collections.
Xie Yunzhou returned to his study with a dark face, casually tossing the copy of Butterfly Lovers he had confiscated from his younger sister onto the corner of his desk.
Thud.
The book landed on the hardwood desk with a dull sound.
Without sparing it another glance, he walked straight to the incense burner, took out a precious stick of Hainan agarwood, lit it, and set it in place.
Wisps of blue smoke rose, carrying a calming, woody fragrance.
Xie Yunzhou smoothed out a sheet of Xuan paper and ground the ink himself.
The ink was pine soot from Huizhou, and the paper was Chengxintang paper from Xuancheng.
He picked up his brush, dipped it heavily in the dark ink, and prepared to write a policy essay in this quiet afternoon as usual, in preparation for the upcoming spring imperial examination.
"The conduct of a gentleman is to cultivate moral character through tranquility..."
The tip of the brush met the paper, his strokes flowing smoothly and naturally.
However, by the time he reached the third line, his brush abruptly paused.
Xie Yunzhou's gaze drifted uncontrollably toward the corner of the desk.
There lay the blue brocade-bound book in absolute silence.
The afternoon sunlight filtered through the window screens, falling perfectly on the butterflies embroidered in gold thread on the cover.
The gold threads seemed to glow, shimmering faintly.
"Five taels of silver..."
Xie Yunzhou frowned, a wave of irritation rising in his chest.
Five taels of silver for a single book—it was utterly absurd.
After all, a proper set of the Four Books and Five Classics cost no more than ten taels.
"I would like to see just what kind of bewitching nonsense is written in this trash worth five taels of silver."
Xie Yunzhou found himself the perfect excuse.
As the saying goes, know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles with no danger of defeat.
If he wanted to thoroughly criticize this unhealthy trend and pull his sister back from the wrong path, he first had to understand the enemy's methods so he could hit the mark with his reprimands.
Yes, exactly.
I am only reading it so that I can criticize it.
