Film and Television World Life Record

Ning Yi, the author of "Shuidiao Getou", was actually the son-in-law of the Su family. It is said that he went to the Puyuan Poetry Gathering with Su Tan'er, the young lady of the Su family. He was bored and wanted to leave halfway through, but several young men persuaded him to show off his talent.

Helpless, Ning Yi picked up his brush and wrote this poem, "Prelude to Water Melody," before throwing down his pen and leaving.

These words immediately ignited the atmosphere, sparking heated discussions among the crowd. No one could have imagined that someone with such talent would be a son-in-law of the Su family. Just how charming was Miss Su Tan'er?

At this time, more news came in, and everyone heard that Ning Yi personally admitted that the poem was not written by him, but by a Taoist priest named Dongpo, and that he had only heard about it from others.

Just as everyone was about to breathe a sigh of relief, thinking that this made sense.

But then more detailed information came in. Ning Yi did say that he heard it from a Taoist named Dongpo, but he did hear it in a dream.

Everyone was stunned. They had only heard it in their dreams... to hear such beautiful lines in a dream.

In an instant, everyone started discussing it. Some believed that Ning Yi wrote it, while others thought that a son-in-law couldn't write such good lyrics, and that it might really be something he dreamed about.

Qin Siyuan and Kang Xian didn't join in either. They looked at each other and smiled without saying a word.

……

Also in the backyard of the Pan residence, the women who participated in the performance were putting on makeup or resting in their rooms, with the Zhishui Poetry Gathering just a wall away from them.

Those who can perform here are mostly well-known officials or courtesans in Qinhuai, each with their own unique talents. In an ordinary poetry gathering, one of them could carry the show, but here it is a poetry gathering that attracts talented men and beautiful women like moths to a flame.

The two most famous people here today are Yuan Jin'er from Jin Feng Lou and Lu Caicai from Yin Chun Ge.

Inside the room, Yuan Jin'er was applying makeup in front of the bronze mirror when her maid Kou'er teased her, "Miss, you don't know, during your performance just now, that young master Cao kept staring at you, he didn't even blink."

Yuan Jin'er glared at her: "Enough talk! If I act well, they'll naturally want to watch me. What's so strange about that? You seem quite concerned about Young Master Cao!"

Kou'er's face flushed slightly: "Miss!" she drawled.

After a moment, feeling bored, she spoke again: "Miss, whose poem do you think is the best tonight?"

Yuan Jin'er smiled and said, "There is no first place in literature, nor is there a second place in martial arts, and there is no fixed standard. However, Young Master Li and Young Master Cao's poems are indeed quite good. It's a pity that I haven't seen any other good poems."

After chatting for a few minutes, Kou'er went out to see what was going on, and a moment later she ran back: "Miss, Miss, there are more good poems! I heard they are even better than those of Young Master Li and Young Master Cao."

Yuan Jin'er immediately showed curiosity: "It's even better than what Young Master Li and Young Master Cao wrote. This is rare. Do you know who wrote it?"

Kou'er said, "I heard it was Ning Yi from the Su family, who came from the Puyuan Poetry Gathering."

Yuan Jin'er asked in confusion, "The Su residence?"

A woman chimed in, "The Puyuan Poetry Gathering was organized by the Pu family, which is mostly run by merchants. I'm afraid it's not the Su family that owns the cloth shop."

Someone else said, "But this person's surname is Ning, not Su. Could he be a tutor hired by the Su family?"

"I've never heard of this person before!"

The crowd looked at each other in bewilderment, discussing amongst themselves, completely baffled by the name.

Finally, someone brought out a piece of paper with the poem "Shuidiao Getou" copied on it. Everyone gathered around and read the whole poem once, then again. They looked at each other, feeling that they hadn't had enough.

"People experience sorrow and joy, separation and reunion; the moon waxes and wanes, and nothing in this world is ever perfect..."

"These words... are so well written," someone exclaimed.

After everyone had examined it several times, more information came in, and to everyone's surprise, Ning Yi was actually the son-in-law of the Su family.

While surprised, they didn't look down on him like others did, for having such talent and actually becoming a live-in son-in-law.

They envied Su Tan'er, the young lady of the Su family, who had such talent yet was willing to give up fame and fortune to become a live-in son-in-law. Her life was perfect.

They could only lament that they never met someone like that.

……

Here, Li Mu and his group disembarked. Although Su Tan'er and a few maids realized that Li Mu's poem was good and seemed to have impressed everyone, they only thought it was good, but did not know how good it was.

After a few casual words, and with Li Mu's guidance, the matter was dropped. At this time, the Confucius Temple area was still bustling with activity. The group strolled around looking at the lanterns and played for a while. When they passed a crowd, they suddenly heard someone reciting "Shuidiao Getou".

The group was surprised for a moment, but they were quite happy. They had been listening to other people's works all the way, and finally hearing their son-in-law's work meant that his lyrics were quite good among all the talented people tonight.

However, everything seemed to change next.

As they strolled along, wherever there was a crowd sharing the poems of the talented scholars of the evening, they were almost all reciting the son-in-law's "Prelude to Water Melody".

As I walked and listened, I became more and more surprised and shocked.

Fortunately, no one recognized Li Mu, otherwise he would have been surrounded by onlookers.

Seeing that it was getting late, at Li Mu's suggestion, the group boarded the carriage and returned to the Su residence.

On the way, Su Tan'er looked at her husband in front of her and still felt it was unbelievable. Even she found what happened tonight strange.

She knew her husband was talented, but she didn't expect him to be this talented.

As the daughter of a merchant, she also fantasized about a talented man and a beautiful woman, hoping that her future husband would be a man of great talent.

But she knew it was unlikely; how could such a talented man marry a merchant's daughter?

She had also attended several poetry gatherings and witnessed the eloquent and talented men of Jiangning, which she found truly captivating.

But she only dreamed about it and never imagined that her husband might actually be a great talent.

The carriage traveled quickly, returning to the Su family home and their courtyard.

Before going upstairs, Su Tan'er suddenly called out, "Husband?"

"Hmm." Li Mu turned his head to look over.

Su Tan'er said, "My husband is so talented. Do you feel wronged to marry me?"

Li Mu laughed and said, "With such a gentle and virtuous wife as Tan'er, how could I feel wronged? Would Tan'er ever mistreat her husband in the future?"

Su Tan'er blushed slightly: "Tan'er will certainly not mistreat her husband. With such talent and learning, Tan'er is afraid that her husband's ambitions will not be realized, and she will feel wronged!"

Li Mu laughed and said, "It's fine as it is now. I'm leisurely and carefree every day. If my wife feels that her husband is being wronged, then I'll make it up to her."

Su Tan'er asked curiously, "Compensation? How will we compensate?"

Li Mu whispered something in her ear, and Su Tan'er's face instantly turned red with embarrassment.

After a long pause, she whispered, "Husband...husband, please give Tan'er some time, Tan'er..."

Li Mu looked at her and smiled, "Alright, I'll listen to my wife."

Su Tan'er blushed even more, rolled her eyes at Li Mu, and led the two little maids back to the small building.

……

The next day, Li Mu did what he always did: spent the morning drinking tea and reading books at home, and the afternoon he took Xiao Chan out shopping.

After a night of fermentation, the events of last night finally spread, and many people who left early or did not hear about it now know more or less.

In addition, his identity as the son-in-law of the Su family further amplified the level of public attention he received.

Li Mu led Xiao Chan for a stroll on the street, and every now and then they could hear people talking about him or that poem.

I was curious why someone with such talent would marry into a merchant family.

Some people are also debating who wrote this poem. Did a Taoist priest named Dongpo write it? Or did he hear it in a dream? Or was this son-in-law of the Su family truly so talented?

Some people were also discussing just how beautiful Su Tan'er of the Su family was that Ning Yi fell in love with her at first sight and was willing to marry into her family so that they could stay together forever.

People were discussing it, and their opinions varied.

Li Mu, taking advantage of the fact that no one recognized him, would sometimes huddle up to listen in and occasionally chime in with his opinions. He'd say things like, "Ning Yi looks like a lecherous man who lusts after the Su family's daughter, and he's a gigolo." Or, "Ning Yi definitely doesn't have any talent, and this poem must have been written by that Taoist named Su Dongpo."

Although everyone had a negative impression of Ning Yi's status as a son-in-law, and scholars have always been prone to belittling each other, they were also eager to say a few words of criticism. However, hearing Ning Yi, who had written such beautiful poems, being belittled by a stranger made them equally uncomfortable. Several scholars immediately turned their guns on him and began to argue, loudly defending Ning Yi.

There was a scholar who seemed to really like this poem, and he almost got into a fight with Li Mu.

Xiao Chan grabbed Li Mu and ran away quickly. Hearing Li Mu's hearty laughter, Xiao Chan blushed and looked confused.

I really don't understand why my son-in-law would say such a thing. Instead of stopping others from speaking ill of him, he added fuel to the fire, portraying himself as a talentless and lecherous man. This even made the scholars who wanted to belittle my son-in-law unable to stand it anymore, and they almost started a fight.

Luckily, no one recognized the son-in-law, otherwise... the scene would have been unspeakable.

After strolling around for a while, we passed by the chess stall again, where Qin Siyuan and Kang Xian were still playing chess.

Upon seeing Li Mu, Qin Siyuan smiled and said from afar, "Young friend Ning, you are indeed a man of great talent! You made a stunning debut last night!"

Li Mu said helplessly, "Please don't flatter me, I'm not a great talent at all. I just heard it in my dream."

Kang Xian laughed heartily and said, "Young friend, there's no need for such modesty."

"But since young friend Ning has brought it up, let's not dwell on it. Let's play chess and see how this new move I've learned goes."

Li Mu also joined in, and after wandering around for a while, he sat down to rest.

Chapter 589 Teacher

After strolling around the streets for half a day, Li Mu led Xiao Chan back to the Su family home, where everyone was exceptionally welcoming. The Su family's servants and managers, who would usually only offer a perfunctory greeting, now called him "Young Master" from afar, their faces beaming with smiles.

Previously, when Su Tan'er's cousins ​​encountered each other, only some of them would greet her, while the others would pretend not to see her.

This time, they were noticeably more enthusiastic, and several people even came over specifically to greet and chat with him.

What's with all this talk about "Ning Yi"? I never imagined you were so talented!

Or perhaps he'd be called "brother-in-law"—the old man's judgment was indeed excellent.

Even after he returned to the small building, many maids and servants gathered in front of the courtyard, pointing and whispering about his residence with curious expressions.

Li Mu knew that what happened last night had spread far and wide after half a day.