Meanwhile, in the Xie manor's library.
The windows here were kept shut all year round, permeating the air with the mixed scent of aged paper and rue. When Xie Yunwan pushed open the door, she did not bother to lighten her footsteps.
She was the most prideful figure of the Xie family's current generation. She could read at three, compose poetry at five, and at twelve, her Treatise on Jiangzuo had even the head scholar of the Hanlin Academy slamming the table in sheer admiration.
In her world, there were no what ifs, only musts.
It was dark inside the building, with only a single oil lamp lit in the corner.
Her eldest brother, Xie Yunzhou, was hunched over the desk. Gripping a frayed brush, he repeatedly traced something on a piece of Xuan paper.
Xie Yunwan took two steps closer and made out the characters on the paper: Butterfly.
The word was written crookedly, completely devoid of the Xie family's ancestral elegance, and instead exuded a desperate frenzy.
Beside it lay the open pages of The Butterfly Lovers, the tale that had driven the entire city of Jiangning into a frenzy.
Xie Yunwan reached out, tapping her fingertip against the character for butterfly. The red polish on her nails was somewhat glaring.
"Brother, is this the Dao you have cultivated at the Imperial Academy?"
Xie Yunzhou's hand trembled, causing the ink to bleed into a dark blotch on the paper.
He looked up, the dark circles under his eyes making him look utterly defeated. Seeing that it was his younger sister, he lost his usual commanding presence and instead instinctively tried to cover the paper.
"When did you get back?"
Xie Yunzhou's voice was hoarse.
"Just now."
Xie Yunwan withdrew her hand, took a handkerchief from her robes, and slowly wiped her fingertips, as if they had been tainted by something filthy.
She casually tossed the handkerchief aside, letting it cover the ink blotch.
"A fabricated tale from the streets, a piece of trash not even worth five copper coins, has actually managed to steal the soul of the Xie family's eldest grandson?"
"You do not understand."
Xie Yunzhou took a deep breath and carefully closed The Butterfly Lovers, his movements exceedingly tender.
"There is a great truth in here. It contains the flesh and blood that those of us who sit high in the clouds would never see in a lifetime."
"The clouds?"
Xie Yunwan chuckled softly. She walked over to the bookshelf, casually pulled out a copy of the Book of Odes, flipped through two pages, and shoved it back.
"Brother, only those who cannot stand firmly feel the coldness of the clouds. This world is inherently stratified. The pigs and dogs in the mud are meant to roll in the mud. All we have to do is watch and make sure they do not splash their mud onto us."
"As for flesh and blood."
She turned around and stared coldly at Xie Yunzhou.
"That is merely an excuse for the weak. That woman, Xu Qinghuan, only managed to seize upon this shred of your weakness; that is the only reason she dares to stir up trouble in Jiangning City."
Xie Yunzhou stood up abruptly, his chair scraping harshly against the floor.
"Yunwan! Do not underestimate your enemy!"
He took a step forward, staring at his sister's arrogant face.
"Xu Qinghuan is unfathomable. For her to calculate the human heart to such a degree, she is no ordinary merchant. Now that you have returned, whatever you do, do not provoke her."
"Unfathomable?"
The corners of Xie Yunwan's mouth twitched, but there was no smile on her face.
"A woman who amasses wealth by running a brothel and grabs attention by writing erotic romance novels is worthy of that word?"
"Brother, you have stayed in your study for far too long. You have even forgotten what true methods are."
"At the Brocade Banquet in three days, I will show you what a true scholar is, and what constitutes an insurmountable rule."
With that said, she did not spare Xie Yunzhou another glance and turned to walk out of the library.
The wooden door closed again behind her, shutting away the decaying smell of the room.
...
Three days later.
The nights in Jiangning City were always more bustling than the days.
The Yulouchun Restaurant by the Qinhuai River was brilliantly illuminated tonight.
For this Brocade Banquet, the Zhao family had spared no expense.
Not only had they booked the most expensive restaurant in all of Jiangning, but they had also invited the top scholars from the Four Great Academies to preside over the event.
The news had been released early on: this was a move to purify the social climate, using the books of the sages to suppress the limelight of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
The river was crowded with moored painted pleasure boats. The sound of string and bamboo instruments rippled across the water, and the air was thick with the cloying, sweet scent of cosmetics and wine.
Various carriages blocked the entrance to Yulouchun.
Those stepping down were all young noblemen in brocade and fine clothes, waving folding fans in their hands, determined to maintain their elegant demeanor even in the cold winds of early winter.
The young ladies and madams were even more competitive in their beauty, the pearls and jade on their heads so heavy they could barely keep their necks straight, while the brocades they wore shimmered dizzyingly under the lights.
Amidst this intoxicating luxury, a small blue-cloth sedan chair stopped at the side door.
The sedan curtain was lifted, and a hand reached out. The wrist wore no bracelets; it was completely unadorned.
Xie Yunwan stepped down.
Tonight, she did not wear the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix dress that the Xie family had prepared for her. Instead, she wore a long blue-cloth gown that had been washed to a soft finish.
The fabric was the most ordinary cotton and linen, not even silk.
Her hair was simply pinned up in a bun with a single wooden hairpin. Her face was completely devoid of makeup; she had not even applied lip rouge.
Surrounded by a hall full of jewels and finery, her attire seemed entirely out of place.
It was extremely abrupt and exceedingly glaring.
But this was exactly the effect she wanted.
"Is that... the eldest miss of the Xie family?"
Someone recognized her, their voice laced with disbelief.
"Heavens, this aura... this is what a true, pure noble looks like."
"Compared to her, all this gold and jade on our bodies is simply too tacky to look at."
Whispers of discussion quickly spread around.
The noble ladies, who had just been comparing their jewelry, now awkwardly covered their gold bracelets, suddenly feeling quite tacky.
Xie Yunwan's expression remained placid. Looking neither left nor right, she walked through the crowd and went straight to the seat of honor on the second floor.
The area was already full. Aside from the patriarchs of several major aristocratic families, the rest were great scholars invited from the academies.
Sitting at the head was Peng Ze of Yuelu Academy. Known as the First Brush of Jiangnan, he was usually incredibly arrogant and looked down on everyone.
Yet upon seeing Xie Yunwan, he immediately stood up and respectfully offered a greeting between peers.
"Junior Sister Yunwan, it has been a long time. Your grace surpasses even the past."
Looking at Xie Yunwan's plain attire, Peng Ze made no effort to hide the admiration in his eyes.
"In this filthy, mundane world, Junior Sister's green dress truly cleanses the soul."
Xie Yunwan gave a slight nod in return, then naturally took her seat at the place of honor.
"Senior Brother Peng flatters me. I simply found those ornaments too cumbersome and wanted to dress more comfortably."
She said this lightly, but it made all the elaborately dressed guests present lose face.
The banquet began.
After a few rounds of wine, the topic naturally shifted to poetry and literature.
This was the traditional staple of the aristocratic families, and the arena where they displayed their cultural dominance.
A youth from the Zhao family dressed in purple stood up. Opening his folding fan with a hint of smugness, he recited a poem about snow he had just composed.
"Jade pavilions locked in cold mist, ten thousand flying flowers fall by the pillow. One might think Chang'e lost her makeup, scattering it across the mortal realm for a prosperous year."
As soon as the poem was finished, a chorus of cheers erupted around him.
"Great poem! Beautiful imagery and gorgeous rhetoric."
"Worthy of Brother Zhao. The words 'lost her makeup' are used brilliantly."
The Zhao youth's face glowed red. He cupped his hands to acknowledge the crowd, his eyes deliberately darting toward Xie Yunwan, waiting for her praise.
Xie Yunwan held a cup of clear tea in her hands, gently blowing on the floating foam.
The hall quieted down; everyone was waiting for her to speak.
"The tonal patterns are acceptable."
Xie Yunwan took a sip of tea. Her voice was not loud, cold and clear, yet it reached every corner.
"However, the imagery is far too petty."
The smile on the Zhao youth's face froze.
"This... I ask the Eldest Miss for your guidance."
Xie Yunwan set down her teacup, tapping her fingertips against the tabletop.
"Snow is the essence of heaven and earth, descending to the mortal realm to nourish all living things. Yet all you can see are those flying flowers by a pillow, and all you can associate it with is a woman's makeup."
She lifted her eyelids, her gaze piercing straight into the Zhao youth.
"Your perspective is too narrow. If all you can do is spin around in piles of rouge and powder, you had better go back and read the sages' books for a few more years. Stop making a fool of yourself here."
The entire hall fell dead silent.
The Zhao youth's face turned the color of pig liver, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Peng Ze clapped his hands and laughed aloud from the side.
"Satisfying! Junior Sister's critique hits the nail on the head! The scholars of today lack this very strength of character; they moan without being ill all day long. They truly deserve to be scolded!"
With this incident, the atmosphere that followed completely changed.
This was no longer a banquet; it had clearly become Xie Yunwan's personal critique session.
Of everyone who went up to present a poem, not a single one came down unscathed.
They were either criticized to pieces or had their incorrect use of allusions pointed out. A few with weaker constitutions were even reduced to tears on the spot.
Xie Yunwan simply sat there in her green dress, holding that cup of tea.
She didn't need to speak loudly, nor did she even need to stand up.
She only needed to sweep her cold eyes around to make this group of scholars, who usually prided themselves on their elegance, bow their heads.
This was the profound heritage of the Xie family.
This was Xie Yunwan's absolute dominance.
"This Brocade Banquet tonight is quite boring."
Xie Yunwan stood up, her interest waning, and walked to the railing of the second floor, looking down at the crowd below from her high vantage point.
"They said it gathered the young talents of Jiangnan, but looking around, it is nothing more than a bunch of mediocrities."
Peng Ze followed behind her and also sighed.
"Indeed. In today's world, people's hearts are restless, led astray by unorthodox paths."
Just then, a sudden clamor arose from outside the main doors of the Jade Pavilion.
The noise was loud, drowning out the string and bamboo music from the river and shattering the dullness inside the building.
Immediately following it was a blinding flash of golden light.
That wasn't a metaphor; it was actual golden light.
Xu Qinghuan, surrounded by a group of servants, swaggered in grandly.
Today, she wore a bright red silk skirt heavily embroidered with gold thread. The hem was adorned with pearls that clattered as she walked.
Eight gold hairpins adorned her head, and a large red ruby necklace hung around her neck.
Her entire person was draped in gold, silver, and jewels.
As if terrified that others wouldn't know she was rich.
Behind her, Li Sheng directed the workers to carry in two large chests, setting them down with a heavy thud right in the center of the hall.
"Oh my, isn't it lively in here?"
Xu Qinghuan fanned herself with a gold-inlaid circular fan, her voice crisp and laced with a casual arrogance.
"I heard there was some gathering of scholars here tonight, so this County Princess came to join the fun. Inside these two chests are one hundred thousand taels of silver. Tonight, whoever can compose a poem that satisfies me, this money is theirs!"
The entire hall burst into an uproar.
The scholars who had just been scolded into complete disgrace by Xie Yunwan suddenly stared with wide, unblinking eyes.
One hundred thousand taels!
That was more money than they could earn in several lifetimes!
By the second-floor railing.
Xie Yunwan looked down at the glittering figure below, a flash of undisguised disgust in her eyes.
She turned to Peng Ze beside her and spoke in a voice that was soft, yet just loud enough for everyone around them to hear.
"The manners of a brothel."
"Utterly vulgar."
