Under One Person: Starting from the Inheritance of Gods

Chapter 392 Poetry Makes Fan Xian Famous, Cultivating Reputation [Begging for subscriptions, monthly tickets, and recommendations!]

After parting ways at Zuixianju, Chen Pingping began to make arrangements according to Meng Fan's instructions, with Teng Zijing as her starting point.

The next morning, Fan Xian, holding the waist token of the Supervisory Bureau, went straight into the Supervisory Bureau to retrieve the relevant files.

At the same time, he also recognized Wang Qinian.

After receiving the fake document from Wang Qinian, Fan Xian returned to the Fan residence without stopping.

But unbeknownst to them, after Fan Xian left, Chen Pingping was pushed in by a shadow from the shadows.

"Dean!"

Wang Qinian bowed cautiously to Chen Pingping, then asked with a puzzled look, "Since you know that Young Master Fan and Teng Zijing have no grudges or entanglements, why did you still give them that fake dossier...?"

Chen Pingping glanced at Wang Qinian with an extremely cold look.

Wang Qinian immediately slapped himself lightly on the slap and said with a forced smile, "It was Qinian who spoke out of turn. The Dean's actions are always far-sighted and meticulous; how could we possibly presume to fathom them?"

Chen Pingping snorted, startling Wang Qinian into immediately lowering his head. Then, Chen Pingping looked on with interest as he gazed in the direction Fan Xian had left.

“Giving him the fake case file is to teach him a lesson so he won’t trust others too easily. He was fooled by you once before, and now he’s fallen for it a second time. In the end, he’s still a bit naive.”

Wang Qinian, sweating profusely, quickly took off his shoes and pulled out a ten-tael silver note from the insole, not caring about his smelly feet, and respectfully held it in his hands.

"Dean, I really never intended to deceive Young Master Fan. Here is the money; please pass it on!"

"too much!"

Wang Qinian thought Chen Pingping had refused, after all, the dean wouldn't care about such a small amount of money, and was about to put it in his pocket with a smile.

Unexpectedly, Chen Pingping raised his head, signaling Shadow to put it away, and said with a forced smile, "You've made quite a bit of money dealing with the Red Chamber. From now on, you should set aside some money each month and put it into the account to buy some meat for the brothers!"

Wang Qinian nodded with a wry smile, feeling extremely distressed. This wasn't treating his brothers to a meal; it was practically slaughtering him with a knife!

He's always been the one squeezing money out of others; who can take money from him?
That is, the dean...

Life is tough. With income so low, how is he going to explain this to his wife?

As expected, after Fan Xian brought back the fake dossier, Teng Zijing became very emotional and wanted to take revenge on Guo Baokun.

Despite Fan Xian pointing out the inconsistencies, he still couldn't convince Teng Zijing. After much deliberation and learning more about Guo Baokun, he ultimately chose the same path as in the original story.

They interrogated Guo Baokun, who had just returned home, on Niulan Street.

However, in the original story, he asked Si Lili to help cover it up, but now he has a better option.

Meng Fan!

With a grandmaster providing an alibi for him, his status must be high enough!
Nighttime, along the Liujing River, at Zuixianju.

Fan Xian thought meeting Meng Fan would be easy, but who knew that arriving at Zuixianju would invite ridicule from many people.

"Have you met the Immortal of Poetry?"

"You too?"

"That's a grandmaster, a gem of literature in our Qing Kingdom. How can you expect to see him just because you say so?"

The man pointed at the crowd and sneered, "See that? Imperial Academy Doctors, Chancellors of the Imperial Academy, Hanlin Academicians—everyone here is a learned scholar, yet even these esteemed officials have been begging for days without being able to meet the Immortal of Poetry. And you, a mere brat?"

"hehe!"

Fan Xian's face darkened, and he muttered, "So what if you can write lyrics? Does that make you so great?"

The man seemed to have heard what Fan Xian said and nodded in affirmation, "Yes, that's how amazing he is. What's more, he's a Grandmaster. A Grandmaster is one of the few in the world, a true figure who can protect the nation!"

The man was speaking.

Si Lili suddenly appeared on the second floor and said in a sweet voice, "Mr. Meng invites Young Master Fan Xian to come upstairs for a chat!"

"Fan Xian, who is that?"

"never heard of that!"

Just then, Fan Xian raised his hand and shouted, "Me! Me! Me! It's me!"

Amidst the envious and jealous gazes of the crowd, who wished they could take his place, Fan Xian gave the man from before a defiant look, then leisurely walked up to the third floor.

-----

Meng Fan sized up Fan Xian, who had shamelessly come to him for help, and laughed, "You want me to be your witness?"

Fan Xian nodded and said, "That's right. I came to your territory, Grandmaster, openly and honestly. Many people saw it."

Meng Fan poured himself a glass of wine and asked, "Everything needs a just cause. Aren't you afraid that coming here will affect your arranged marriage?"

"Don't forget, this is a brothel!"

Fan Xian, with the air of a righteous gentleman, said in a righteous and solemn manner: "I came here simply because I admire the Grandmaster's talent and want to make friends through literature."

"Besides, if you can create a persona similar to Liu Sanbian for yourself, why can't I?"

Meng Fan smiled and then ordered, "As you wish, bring me paper and pen!"

Before long, Si Lili came over carrying freshly ground ink, fine paper, and brushes.

Upon seeing Si Lili's appearance, Fan Xian's eyes lit up, and he said, "This must be the famous Si Lili, the legendary figure who can make even a Grandmaster linger. Indeed, she has a beautiful appearance and elegant demeanor."

Si Lili ignored Fan Xian, and after laying out the brush, ink, paper and inkstone, she stood respectfully behind Meng Fan, looking like a well-behaved and sensible little woman.

At this moment, Meng Fan deliberately spoke up to remind her, "According to blood relations, you should call her cousin!"

"What, her?"

Fan Xian pointed at Si Lili, somewhat incredulous.

After all, Fan Xian now knows exactly who his biological father is. If he were to refer to her as his cousin, wouldn't that imply that she is also of royal blood?
Si Lili was equally surprised.

"Come, let me introduce you. Si Lili, whose real name is Li Lisi, is a descendant of the royal family of Qing Kingdom. Fan Xian is ostensibly the illegitimate son of Fan Jian, the Marquis of Sinan, but in reality, he is the son of Emperor Qing. According to your relationship, shouldn't you address each other as cousins?"

"Most people don't know your identities, so there's no need to investigate too much."

Upon hearing this, Fan Xian immediately straightened up, stood up, and bowed to Si Lili, saying, "Greetings, cousin."

Si Lili bowed slightly in return, but she never expected that the young man in front of her would be the son of Emperor Qing. She had never heard of him before!
"You go first!" Meng Fan called out to Si Lili.

After Si Lili left, Fan Xian asked curiously, "How did my cousin become the owner of this Drunken Immortal Inn... um!"

Fan Xian hesitated to utter the words "cougar queen," unsure if it would be disrespectful. Meng Fan sighed and said, "In the struggle for the throne, the victor is king and the loser is villain. It has always been this way. Emperor Qing has won, so naturally there must be those who fall. Li Li is one of the descendants of this declining royal family."

Fan Xian's expression was also complicated after hearing this.

He then changed the subject, looking at the pen and paper and asking, "What do you want me to do?"

Meng Fan tapped the paper and smiled, "Didn't you say you wanted to make friends through literature? Of course, you have to leave some calligraphy behind!"

Fan Xian smiled awkwardly: "My handwriting is really terrible, could you do it for me?"

Meng Fan shook his head with a half-smile: "No way!"

Left with no other choice, Fan Xian picked up the brush with his claw-like hands, hesitated for a moment, and then quickly composed a poem titled "Ascending the Heights".

"Du Fu's 'Ascending the Heights' is hailed as the crown of seven-character regulated verse. Do you want to keep this poem?" Meng Fan looked at him meaningfully.

Fan Xian looked bewildered: "Is something wrong?"

Meng Fan shook his head and said, "There's nothing wrong with it, it's just a bit too mature, not something someone your age could write."

Fan Xian waved his hand dismissively and said, "What's there to fuss about? I left this poem simply to give an explanation, not to make a name for myself."

"is it?"

Meng Fan put away Fan Xian's dog-paddle-like handwriting and then said, "Now that you've left your calligraphy, you should go and take care of your business. I won't keep you any longer."

"Okay, I'm going then!"

After saying that, Fan Xian looked out the back window. The Liujing River was right next to the back window. Seeing that no one was paying attention, he jumped down and lightly touched the water a few times before heading straight to the shore.

With the help of the gecko wall-climbing technique recorded in the Nine Yang Divine Skill, Fan Xian became even more adept at using his lightness skill to borrow strength.

Shortly after, Si Lili came in.

Meng Fan spread out the paper, dipped it in thick ink, and wrote "Ugly Slave" in an instant. The characters were still as strong and sharp as iron hooks and silver strokes, as if bending gold and breaking iron.

"In youth, one knows not the taste of sorrow, and loves to climb high towers. Loves to climb high towers, and feigns sorrow to compose new verses."

"Now I know the full taste of sorrow, yet I cannot speak of it. I cannot speak of it. Instead, I say, 'How pleasant is this cool autumn day.'"

Afterwards, Meng Fan handed his masterpiece and Fan Xian's "Ascending to the Heights" to Si Lili and instructed her, "Read them to those literati on the first floor, and while you're at it, spread the fame of our future poet immortal!"

Since Meng Fan, the "Poet Immortal," became famous, the first and second floors of Zuixianju have been packed every night, all for the sake of obtaining a single word from the "Poet Immortal" and listening to his masterpieces.

Among them were many talented scholars who were fond of refined pursuits, as well as scholars who served in prestigious government offices in the Qing Kingdom, and many masters of calligraphy and painting, who often gathered here.

At this time, Zuixianju had essentially encompassed half of the literary world in the Qing Kingdom.

Guo Baokun and his companions also frequently came here, just to catch a glimpse of the "Poet Immortal".

After all, Meng Fan was not only good at writing poetry and calligraphy, but also had extremely high martial arts skills, which made everyone else pale in comparison. There was even a rumor that a white-robed eighth-rank martial artist comprehended an unparalleled sword technique after observing the words of the "Poet Immortal" and broke through to the ninth rank in one fell swoop.

This undoubtedly has great appeal to everyone.

Once Fan Xian's poem is published here, it will surely become famous, and it will be difficult for him not to become famous.

Holding two ink scrolls, Si Lili gracefully walked to the high platform on the first floor of Zuixianju. The guests, who had been talking loudly, fell silent upon seeing the courtesan appear.

She parted her lips slightly and said, "Today, I am honored by Mr. Meng's gift of new lyrics, and Young Master Fan's poetry gathering. I humbly offer my recitation for you all."

When the poem "Ascending the Heights" was first recited, the moment the line "The wind is fierce, the sky is high, and the monkeys howl mournfully" was heard, a scholar in a blue robe dropped his wine cup with a clatter. When the line "Ten thousand miles away, I am often a guest in the sorrow of autumn" was uttered, an old scholar with white hair in the corner wiped away tears with his sleeve.

After the entire poem was recited, the entire hall erupted in cheers.

"This poem is somber and poignant, truly a masterpiece of the seven-character regulated verse!" Liu, the Imperial Academy Chancellor, slammed his fist on the table and stood up. "In my sixty years of life, I have never seen such a desolate and powerful work!"

When the poem "Ugly Slave" reached the line "But he said the weather was cool and the autumn was fine," all the young men in the room stopped holding their folding fans.

The son of a salt merchant from the south blurted out, "This forced attempt to express sorrow is like a slap in the face to us!"

As the two pieces of calligraphy were passed around, everyone praised Meng Fan's powerful and elegant handwriting.

"This word may seem plain, but every word carries immense weight!"

"The opening lines of the first stanza succinctly capture the fragility of life; the closing lines of the second stanza are even more profound, conveying boundless meaning beyond words," commented a scholar from the Imperial Academy.

"Mr. Meng's words are like an old monk discussing Zen; they seem ordinary at first, but upon closer examination, they reveal profound wisdom. Only someone who has experienced the vicissitudes of life could utter such words, and only someone with a broad and profound understanding could reach such a state of mind," a certain scholar said with a smile, stroking his beard.

"His calligraphy is so powerful and vigorous, it seems to penetrate the paper! Looking at his characters, one can almost see dragons and snakes racing. His strokes are strong and forceful, like cutting through gold and jade, and elegant and graceful, like flowing clouds and water. He truly has the style of a master!" This is what a famous calligrapher and painter praised.

When they saw Fan Xian's handwriting, the whole room burst into laughter, which was quite ridiculous.

Ren Fanxian never expected that Meng Fan would publish it so openly and pass it around to everyone. If Fanxian were here, he would probably feel so embarrassed that he would have to dig out a three-bedroom apartment with his toes.

"It's a good poem, but alas..." A scholar who wished to remain anonymous shook his head and sighed, regretting his words and refusing to say more.

Imperial Academy scholar Zheng Wenxuan stroked his beard and shook his head, unable to suppress a laugh, saying, "This calligraphy, cough cough, reminds me of the paw prints left by the neighbor's yellow dog in the snow when I was a child, just like earthworms crawling in the sand. If it weren't for the amazing poetic talent, I would have thought it was the playful work of some naughty child."

Someone nearby immediately chimed in, "The poem is absolutely excellent, but the handwriting looks like a child's scribbles. How truly strange!"

This is equivalent to a woman having excellent facial features and a stunning appearance, but her figure is bland and uninteresting, as thin as a stick, or even deformed, making her uninteresting to people.

As everyone was puzzled and discussing the strange discrepancy between the poems and calligraphy, Si Lili covered her mouth and chuckled, "Young Master Fan said that his calligraphy was not yet perfect, and he specifically instructed everyone to appreciate the poems instead."

Finally, everyone gave their evaluation.

Meng Fan's poem is transcendent in its artistic conception, with every word a gem, and his calligraphy is exquisite, making him a master of both poetry and calligraphy. In contrast, Fan Xian's poem "Ascending the Heights" is brilliant in its poetic talent, but his handwriting is clumsy. Although people admire his poem, they cannot hide their disappointment with his calligraphy.

Moreover, Fan Xian, a young boy, spoke of the sorrows of life at such a young age, and was taught a lesson by the poet. The difference in their perspectives, which were based on the poets themselves, was immediately apparent.

However, this does not mean that Fan Xian's "Ascending the Heights" is bad.

At this moment, the beaded curtain on the third floor swayed slightly. Meng Fan leaned on the railing and looked down at the farce, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

Amidst the commotion downstairs, no one noticed that the old scholar, whose critiques were the most scathing, was secretly slipping the manuscript of his poem "Ascending the Heights" into his sleeve.

Then, when it gets discovered, it will inevitably become another farce.

Ignoring all that, Si Lili gracefully walked up to the third floor and said with a smile, "After tonight, Young Master Fan Xian will probably become famous throughout the capital."

"I just don't understand why you're helping him like this, sir?"

Meng Fan sat by the railing and said with a smile, "Cultivating prestige!"

(End of this chapter)