As the guests gradually filed in, the literary gathering was about to begin.
The secretary who had handed Qiuyun the invitation that day stood on the stone steps of the pavilion and delivered the opening remarks, while everyone slowly gathered around.
"Distinguished guests, good afternoon. The Orchid Pavilion gathering is long gone, and the Zize estate has turned to rubble; but the spirit of brush and ink has only grown more timeless with the passing of years. Today, we have gathered so many learned minds, young and old alike. We seek no joy of clinking cups and feasting, but rather to convey our sentiments through calligraphy and make friends through literature, in this small space we share..."
After the opening remarks wrapped up, the secretary invited a highly respected senior to perform the opening brush ceremony, writing the theme of the day on a scroll — Innovation and Upholding Tradition: A Look at Cultural Heritage Through the Revival of Stele School Calligraphy.
The scroll was then hung on one side of the pavilion.
It was Pei Cizhou's first time attending such an insider industry event. "They're not going to make us write academic papers with a brush, are they? That's no different from sitting the imperial civil service exam."
Qiuyun replied, "At least the imperial exams never leaked the questions ahead of time."
Unexpectedly, the old grand master set down his brush and said, "There are ink, brushes, paper, and inkstones in the wing rooms on both sides. All of you may put forth your insights on paper."
"..."
Turns out it really was a closed-book, assigned topic essay test.
Qiuyun caught on right away.
If that's the case, doesn't that mean the actual content of what you write doesn't matter, but which side you're taking a stand on is the real priority?
The crowd scattered a little. Some who were eager to snatch the top prize hurried to the side wing rooms to start writing. Neither Qiuyun nor Pei Cizhou had any desire to rush to be first. They had planned to head to the second floor to admire the calligraphy and paintings, but they were stopped by the very person they had just seen.
"Pei, you said you were Old Yang's closed-door disciple, right? Why don't you show off a little? If it's good, I'll buy it from you."
Pei Cizhou's gaze was cold and dismissive. "Sorry, my calligraphy is priceless and not for sale."
Qiuyun glanced at him.
What a thick skin.
The man sneered, "Not for sale, or too scared to show it?"
As he spoke, he called out to the crowd, "Everyone, let me tell you a piece of news that'll blow your minds. My uncle knows Old Yang's son, and he asked him specifically. Old Yang doesn't have any young student surnamed Pei around him! Let alone the absurd claim of being his closed-door disciple! Today, I'm going to expose his fake identity right in front of all of you!"
Qiuyun froze for a second, but over there Pei Cizhou had already started putting on an act, speaking in a flustered tone as if trying to defend himself. "What proof do you have! Don't spout nonsense here without evidence!"
The man grew all the more certain that this Pei was a fraud who stole reputations undeservedly, and he smirked smugly. "Of course I have proof! What are you going to do once I show it?"
"I don't believe you. Show me the proof first!"
Just as the argument was about to blow up, someone on the scene who knew Pei Cizhou stepped in to smooth things over. "Come on, young Tian, you can't go around saying things without solid grounds. I've seen the Ode to the Autumn Sound that Young Pei wrote, and it really does carry a hint of Old Yang's brush style."
Emboldened by the backup, Pei Cizhou immediately cut in, "Exactly!"
"Hmph, one piece of calligraphy doesn't mean anything, it could have been written by someone he paid to do it for him. And earlier, I asked him to write something on the spot, and he didn't dare!" Tian Yuan pulled out his phone, a wild, arrogant grin on his face. "Never thought of this, did you? I have Old Yang's phone number. Let's call him right now and confirm!"
— Ring, ring...
The little performance was over, and Pei Cizhou let out a soft sigh, whispering to Qiuyun. "That's why I said I never took his provocations seriously. Ever since we were kids, he's pulled this kind of trick that only ends up backfiring on him, and he never learns his lesson every single time."
Qiuyun was left speechless for a moment, then looked over at Tian Yuan with a look of clear pity.
What a poor guy.
He's been tricked and taken advantage of by that Little Devil since they were little.
The call connected, and Tian Yuan spoke eagerly right away. "Hello, Old Yang, how are you? I'm Zhang Li's nephew, do you remember Zhang Li?"
Old Yang sounded like he was in the middle of something, his voice muffled. "What is it? Spit it out quickly."
As a world-renowned contemporary calligraphy master, Tian Yuan kept his tone respectful. "It's nothing major. I just wanted to ask you, do you have a disciple named Pei Cizhou?"
Old Yang answered without the slightest hesitation. "No!"
The second those words left his mouth, everyone on the scene had a huge change in expression.
No one expected someone would actually pull a scam like this!
In this modern era where information spreads so easily, it's such a trivial thing to expose a lie like this, yet someone would actually go so far as to make it all up just to feed their vanity! And that someone is supposed to be the son of a high-ranking official, the mayor's son no less!
Tian Yuan's face lit up with delight. "Thank you so much for confirming, I won't take up any more of your time, goodbye."
After hanging up, he even unconsciously straightened his back, his tone taking on a judge-like air. "Pei, what do you have to say for yourself now? Who really wrote that calligraphy piece you showed off? Why did you lie and deceive everyone here?"
Compared to the rest of the crowd, who were looking at Pei Cizhou with seriousness, disdain, or just plain curiosity for the drama, Pei Cizhou remained completely calm.
Tian Yuan, who'd had his fair share of messy stumbles in the past, grew suspicious. "Pei, don't try to weasel out of this by saying the person on the phone wasn't Old Yang. The seniors here all know what Old Yang sounds like, they can confirm I'm not lying, and that I didn't get some random person to pretend to be him!"
An elderly woman with white hair nodded. "That's right, it's Old Yang's voice."
At that moment, Pei Cizhou took out his own phone. "I never said it wasn't him. Just wait a second, I'm making a call too."
It didn't take long for the call to connect. "Hello?"
Everyone could hear that the voice on the other end was a woman's!
Pei Cizhou said directly, "Master's wife, my master's hiding in the attic drinking wine again."
A roar came through the phone. "What! That old rascal! Drinking, drinking, drinking! His liver's this close to cirrhosis and he still won't stop! I'm going to give him a good scolding today!"
Right after that, everyone heard the sound of rapid footsteps thudding up the wooden stairs.
Then came Old Yang's startled yelp. "Ah! You scared the life out of me!"
His wife snapped at him. "Didn't you say you were going out to buy rice paper? What are you doing hiding up here drinking? Are you trying to drink yourself to death?"
It looked like a full-on domestic war was about to break out on the other end of the line, so Qiuyun tugged at the hem of Pei Cizhou's shirt, her eyes darting around the room to signal to him: There are so many people listening, aren't you worried about making Old Yang lose face?
Pei Cizhou raised his eyebrows to signal back: Didn't you hear they said his liver's almost cirrhotic? A little public embarrassment is nothing, if we don't call him out on it he'll just keep sneaking drinks behind everyone's backs.
"..."
Qiuyun gave him a thumbs up.
You really are the most filial apprentice ever.
Over on the other line, Old Yang was huffing. "Stop it! Ouch, easy easy, that hurts, hey? Why's your phone screen still on? Who are you talking to?"
Pei Cizhou spoke up at just the right moment. "Master, it's me."
Old Yang was so angry his nose was almost crooked, and his ear was still stinging from being pulled. "Hey you little rascal! So you're the one snitching on me! Do you have eyes that can see a thousand li or ears that can hear through walls? How did you even know I was up in the attic?"
His wife chided him. "Xiao Ci is doing this for your own good! That terrible body of yours, if you keep drinking for two more years you'll be dead before you know it! You never know how to control yourself."
Pei Cizhou smoothly explained, "It's not that I have supernatural hearing. The person who just called you had his phone on speaker, and I was right here so I heard the whole thing."
Old Yang went silent for a second, then yelled out in sharp criticism. "That reckless brat has ruined everything for me!"
Pei Cizhou gave a small cough. "I have my phone on speaker too, right now."
There was a moment of dead silence on the other end, before Old Yang's voice came through, gritted with his teeth. "You little ungrateful rascal! Is this how you repay me for pouring my heart and soul into teaching you? How dare you trick your own master like this?"
"If you don't cut back on drinking soon, in a couple of years you really will be coughing up blood from straining your heart and soul."
