Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 205 Arrangements are made
After dinner, Chen Xuan and his friends also ran to join in the fun. As a result, they couldn’t even get into the Wenxiang Pavilion. The place had been surrounded by people. They could only watch from half a street away, which was considered a chance to show their faces and have a sense of participation.

Although there is no reason to chase away customers when Wenxiang Pavilion opens for business, there are too many people here and there is no room at all. It seems like the Wenxiang Pavilion is about to be packed to the brim.

In desperation, Wenxiang Pavilion could only set a threshold. You either had to pay a high price to buy the entry qualification, or produce a decent poem. Otherwise, what right do you have to discuss poetry with the great talent Wu?

It's not that they are purely after money. Wenxiang Pavilion treats this opportunity as a grand event and is trying to steal the limelight.

Of course, the so-called threshold is only for ordinary people. Would he dare to stop someone with real status and strength?

It’s a pity that the talented Ning Guiliang did not come to join in the fun, otherwise it would have been a real grand event.

Almost all of them came for Wu Junyao and the incomplete poem, but 90% of them couldn't get in, which caused many people to complain, but they could do nothing about it.

Wenxiang Pavilion was also a place that knew how to handle things. How could they possibly let Wu Junyao escape? Keeping him here was like a cash cow, with delicious food and drinks provided, and his every wish granted.

Of course, with so many people flocking here, Wu Junyao would not be able to leave at all if he did not give a good follow-up. Countless eyes were staring at him, but he himself was addicted to the limelight and did not want to leave.

But what left everyone, including Wu Junyao himself, speechless was that he just got stuck there, and after that telepathic connection, there was no further progress.

Although Xiao Wu didn't have much knowledge, he was aware of the quality of the previous sentences. How could he easily open his mouth and ruin such a masterpiece that he had accidentally created while drunk?

Anyway, it's stuck there, and it's making everyone uncomfortable.

There was no follow-up for a while, and while those knowledgeable people were waiting for Wu Junyao himself to continue, they were also thinking and discussing with each other, wanting to continue it before Wu Junyao. If it didn't work out, it didn't matter, everyone could just take it as a joke, but if it did, it would be a big deal.

But things went against our wishes. With the previous work, everyone's sequel was excellent, but it always lacked that little bit of interest.

Wu Junyao was in both pain and happiness. While he was enjoying the attention of the crowd, he really couldn't go on. Then an idea flashed in his mind. He realized that he had done it unconsciously after being drunk. So he continued drinking. After getting drunk, he might just connect it inexplicably!
The others thought the same thing, so Wenxiang Pavilion generously offered them enough fine wine.

Then Wu Junyao got drunk and never woke up again. He even stayed at the Wenxiang Pavilion, which was exactly what people wanted...

Chen Xuan and his friends showed up once, but couldn't squeeze in, so they didn't force it. On their way back home, they met Lu Xiang, Gui Zhenlin and Qi Changmo who had come to join in the fun after hearing the news. They also couldn't squeeze in, so they decided to find a place to get together.

Qi Changmo will not be the host this time. His family is a scholarly family with a strong financial background and is not short of money, but they will not be extravagant, so they will arrange the party in an ordinary small restaurant.

Well, actually it’s not that I don’t want to go to Yipinxian, but because of the popularity of Wenxiang Pavilion across the street, it was also packed and there was no room at all. It was like Xiao Wu alone made the whole street popular, and I don’t know how long this popularity will last.

During the small gathering, while eating and drinking, the topic inevitably turned to Wu Junyao's poem. Several people racked their brains to improve the follow-up, but due to their limited talents, they really couldn't come up with anything that could match the previous few lines. It was harmless to just have a laugh.

During this time, Xiao Gao would occasionally look at Chen Xuan with subtle resentment, which made him laugh and cry. It was as if he was saying, "Ah Xuan, look at what you have done. I don't know how many people have suffered."

If the 'original author' Wu Junyao fails to come up with a corresponding follow-up, completing this poem may become a trend for a long time to come.

Chen Xuan didn't feel any psychological burden about this. What does what Wu Junyao did have to do with me?
From Chen Xuan's own perspective, besides helping Xiao Gao solve Wu Junyao's problem, he actually did a great thing. Didn't you see that the businesses on that street were making a lot of money? Even the residents around them benefited from it.

For example, the noodle stall where Chen Xuan had breakfast that day probably earned more in one day than he usually does in a month. His whole family, young and old, came to help, and they were very busy, with a smile on their faces all the time.

This lively scene is great, so good. I hope it will continue like this, so that we can make a lot of money and buy more clothes for our children and grandchildren.

The biggest beneficiary is of course Wenxiang Pavilion. With good business, the value of the young ladies should also be increased.

Especially Miss Honglei herself, someone even offered 80,000 taels of silver just to meet her and discuss poetry. It was simply exaggerated, several times more than what Wu Junyao paid for buying her virginity!
As for whether they really just want to discuss poetry, who knows.

However, even with such a high price, no one succeeded. It was not because Miss Honglei was arrogant and did not want to earn that money, but because Wu Junyao was still there, so of course he had to accompany him all the time, and the others had to queue up behind him.

Although it was heartbreaking to see so much money slip away before her eyes, Miss Honglei did not suffer any loss, because she got the incomplete calligraphy of Wu Junyao's original poem. Although it was only a fragment of a poem, with the current influence of this poem, she could make a living by selling it in the future. Many people would pay for such a thing that was not even worth wiping their butts with.

Well, art is priceless, especially a work of calligraphy with such great influence.

Chen Xuan knew clearly that there was a master behind the scenes fanning the flames. Of course, that person was not himself. The performance was over, so he didn't care about the aftermath.

As for the people who fanned the flames behind the scenes, the biggest beneficiaries will be Wenxiang Pavilion itself. After this incident, if the operation goes well, Wenxiang Pavilion will probably become the most famous brothel in Huizhou in the next period of time.

'Traffic' means money, so shouldn't people try their best to build momentum?

Good boy, Wenxiang Pavilion has invisibly helped Chen Xuan again, adding fuel to his conspiracy. Xiao Wu can only wish him good luck, because he can't get off the back of this tiger...

Xiao Wu lived directly in Wenxiang Pavilion. He was drunk all day long and dreamed of having a flash of inspiration like that day to complete the poem.

This matter was lively for a day or two at first, then gradually cooled down a bit, but many people still flocked to it.

Xiao Wu even forgot that classes had started at the academy and had been dreaming in the Wenxiang Pavilion. The academy didn't care. As long as you didn't do anything harmful, it was your own business whether to study or not. Just don't look too bad during the test. We are all adults now, and who would force you to study with a ruler? People should learn to be responsible for themselves.

Anyway, Xiao Wu's glory continues, and Chen Xuan and others' lives have returned to normal. With Xiao Wu's popularity, the influence of Xiao Gao's painting has long been buried in the corner, and only those who are particularly concerned about this matter still remember it.

Different circles have different focuses. In Mocheng, Wu Junyao's incomplete poem has had the greatest influence recently, but that's all. It cannot affect the normal operation of the world.

Emperor Shang Xuan's birthday had already passed, and news had begun to trickle in from the capital. While people relished the rare treasures presented to Emperor Shang Xuan that day, two matters were particularly noteworthy, and their careful consideration could send a chill down one's spine.

First, on the day of Emperor Shang Xuan’s birthday, Prince Jiang, who had been staying well in his fiefdom, suddenly came to Beijing to celebrate his father’s birthday without any summons!

Such an action is a dangerous signal in the eyes of anyone, but it is impossible to refute it when people do it in the name of filial piety.

Prince Jiang is the third oldest of all the living sons of the current Emperor Shang Xuan. He is older than the Crown Prince and Prince Qing, and is generally known for his virtue. It is rumored among the people that he loves the people in his fiefdom like his own children and never acts recklessly.

It is hard not to think of some terrifying situation when he came to Beijing to celebrate the birthday without any imperial edict.

Anyway, after he came to the capital, he refused to leave in the name of filial piety, which was against the etiquette and law. However, there were people in the court who spoke for him, and Emperor Shang Xuan couldn't just drive away his filial eldest son.

The second is the Crown Prince. On the 70th birthday of Emperor Shang Xuan, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince made a special trip to Taixuan Gate and begged for several months to obtain a longevity pill for Emperor Shang Xuan. He presented the pill in public on Emperor Shang Xuan’s birthday, which became a beautiful story.

Taixuan Sect is one of the five major righteous sects in the martial arts world of Jingguo. It is the authentic Taoist sect. The name of the sect was given by the founding emperor of Jingguo himself, which shows its transcendent status. Every one of its leaders has served in the court, and all major sacrifices are presided over by Taixuan Sect.

The main reason for such a transcendent status is the Taixuan Sect itself. This sect is really hardworking and has always produced powerful masters. Today, there is still a ninety-year-old master in charge.

The Grandmaster lives for three centuries. A Grandmaster who is ninety years old, if nothing unexpected happens, is considered young in this realm, in the prime of life.

It is said that the longevity elixir that the prince asked for from Taixuan Sect was personally made by the master, which shows his filial piety.

However, what ordinary people don’t know is that although Emperor Shang Xuan was happy to receive the prince’s filial piety in front of him, he secretly threw it aside and didn’t eat it at all.

Why would you need that thing when you already have the pine and crane longevity picture? Don’t you think death is not fast enough?
It is undeniable that the longevity pill is definitely effective. All the old masters in the palace have seen it, but Emperor Shang Xuan still didn't take it.

He knew his situation. Pills were good for the body and could indeed restore some vitality to the body, but what about the spirit? The spirit was already old, and physical vitality would only increase mental exhaustion!
If it were 10 or 20 years ago, Emperor Shang Xuan would naturally be delighted to get this elixir, as that would truly prolong his life. But now, he even began to suspect that the prince had ulterior motives.

In addition to these two major events that were talked about with great relish, there was actually a small matter. That was that Wei Ziyan and Jiang Hechuan, who were celebrating Emperor Shang Xuan’s birthday in person, actually saw Gao Jingming’s painting next to Emperor Shang Xuan!

Although Emperor Shang Xuan himself did not mention the picture, they still took note of it.

In this situation, the advice they gave to Wu Junyao before leaving the academy was no longer appropriate to continue.

It's still flattery. Once the news gets out that Gao Jingming's painting is valued so much by Emperor Shang Xuan, it will clearly be icing on the cake to help Gao Jingming become famous.

Perhaps because of their relationship in the academy for a few years, they sent someone to quickly notify Wu Junyao to prevent that brainless guy from making things worse.

It can be regarded as the most benevolent and righteous.

When Wu Junyao received their instructions, it was already a few days after Emperor Shang Xuan's birthday.

At that time, he was still drunk and dreaming in the gentle embrace of Wenxiang Pavilion.

He was drunken and grumbled a few words with disdain after receiving the news, saying that Gao Jingming was not worthy of his attention now. He was not even worthy of licking his shoes!
Anyway, Xiao Wu has become completely arrogant and no longer takes Gao Jingming seriously.

The days became peaceful. Wu Junyao was too busy to take care of himself and indulged in his own sweet dreams. Xiao Gao didn't have to worry about dealing with those little tricks and could study with peace of mind.

As for Chen Xuan, he also had to start doing his own things.

He did not forget that he still owed Wu Sanniang three thousand taels of silver. This was a huge sum of money and had to be settled as soon as possible.

Chen Xuan doesn't want to use crooked means and plans to start with legitimate means.

After much thought, I decided to make some pills just to practice. I hope there will be someone who knows their value. If that doesn't work, I'll think of another way. With all my skills, how can I really let a living person die from holding his urine?

But if I want to make some pills to play with, I need a place. I can't just start somewhere. Both the academy and Mocheng are not suitable, so I have to find another place. Making pills also requires some equipment, even simple pills don't require too many things.

So he would go to Mo City whenever he had nothing to do, as it was convenient for him to go back and forth without anyone noticing.

After searching for a few days without success, he remembered the haunted house and planned to take some time to take a look and buy it if it was suitable.

On the day when he was planning to go and find out, a saying suddenly became popular in the academy, which left Chen Xuan shocked.

How does the saying go, things may change over time, don’t look down on the young and poor!

When I asked about the source, wow, it turned out to be from the third volume of the novel Lingyunji, which was just released a few days ago.

Chen Xuan's heart sank when he learned about this. Did Master Tingfeng really arrange it?

And it seems that the main selling point of the third volume of Lingyun Ji is that sentence.

……

(End of this chapter)