Wheel axles creaked, and the carriage silently traversed the streets and alleys. Sometimes the sounds and lights of people would filter in, and other times the alleys were dark, plunging the surroundings into silence. Xi Junyu sat in the carriage, occasionally furrowing his brow and glancing at Geng, the bodyguard, who sat silently across from him.

"At this hour... just what exactly are we going to do?"

He had already indirectly asked similar questions several times, but each answer was essentially the same.

"Shopkeeper Xi will know when the time comes."

Originally, he had been pondering what methods Su Tan'er might have to turn the tables this night, but gradually, he felt that it was unlikely to be that kind of situation. The Imperial Merchant matter had shown signs of trouble four months ago, and with the links in the chain leading to this point, the Clan Assembly tonight was destined to see the Second and Third branches lash out at Su Tan'er. If this matter couldn't be resolved, and Su Tan'er were stripped of her power, the so-called future would vanish like a bubble. What else could be done at a time like this?

He hated situations where he couldn't see the big picture. Su Tan'er was essentially a student who had emerged from under his guidance, yet in this situation, he couldn't figure her out at all. However, he still had confidence in the degree to which he was trusted. He would just have to see what she planned to do...

He sat in the carriage, calculating its current location, occasionally peering through the curtains to note the landmarks outside. The carriage seemed to be heading out of the city, and it was a bit strange. It wasn't Su Manor's carriage, and along the way, the carriage had circled around several times, perhaps to avoid being followed. Xi Junyu felt increasingly puzzled. He knew very well who Su Family was facing. Who exactly, and what was going on, that required such measures?

The carriage left Jiangning City and finally stopped in front of a courtyard outside the city. Xi Junyu looked around at the surroundings. The area was relatively secluded, but not far away was a small place that was usually quite busy and a mix of all sorts of people, called Shibu Gang (Ten-Pace Ridge). There were a few shops and fish stalls, and people from nearby villages would come to buy things. Occasionally, there would be fights, killings, and territory grabs.

Xi Junyu walked into the courtyard gate.

The next moment, he stood there, hardly believing it, but a certain understanding welled up in his heart. He vaguely understood some things.

A sharp knife was pressed against his waist, and figures began to appear near the door.

"Brother Geng, what... what's going on?"

"Let's go inside first, Shopkeeper Xi. We'll wait here for a while. Someone will come to tell you what you want to know. If it turns out there's been a mistake, I'll apologize to you."

*****************

At Moon Fragrance Pavilion, the sound of the zither was clear and beautiful, and the singing voice was gentle and lovely. Luo Miaomiao plucked the strings of the zither, singing gracefully under the gaze of the crowd. Xue Yan, Xue Jin, and others also sang along, lost in the melody. After the song ended, they smiled and raised their glasses in praise.

They were waiting here for the results from the Su family, and they had been waiting for quite some time. During that time, they had been drinking and having fun, with Luo Miaomiao accompanying them, so they weren't bored. After a while, Xue Jin looked in the direction of the Su family: "Speaking of which, the Su family should have a result by now."

"It's a pity we couldn't go to the Su family to see for ourselves. I imagine the infighting between the Su family's Second and Third branches must be quite exciting." Someone beside him said with a smile.

"Today, with Miaomiao accompanying us, we only need to wait for the results. You actually want to go and see those intrigues, which is truly like boiling a crane and burning a zither, utterly vulgar! Where would that leave Miss Miaomiao? A penalty drink!"

After a burst of laughter, they couldn't help but sigh about how the Su family was so divided, and were grateful that their Xue family didn't have such a situation of multiple branches vying for property. Amidst the joking, someone lifted the curtain and entered. This person was a member of the Lu family, who had arrived from the beginning but had left to handle some matters and was now returning. Xue Yan laughed: "Brother Lu, we've been waiting for you for so long, you've finally returned. You don't know, you missed Miss Miaomiao's performance when you left just now, what a great regret..."

The young man surnamed Lu also smiled and apologized a few times, then sat down and said with a smile: "I took a walk outside just now and heard some rather lively things. Oh, by the way, has the result from the Su family come out yet?"

"It hasn't been sent over yet. Is Brother Lu anxious? Haha, I was just saying, the Lu family has put in a lot of effort this time, you were even a little cold to Miss Miaomiao just now, this deserves a penalty."

"Heh, Brother Xue is joking. Who doesn't know that the Xue family has made the most thorough preparations for this matter? Once the Su family starts to have problems, the one who will benefit the most will be the Xue family's business. As for our Lu family, we're just picking up leftovers and muddling through. Brother Xue is definitely framing me. Miss Miaomiao, don't believe him. He must be concerned about the results of the Su family, so he's teasing others."

Luo Miaomiao glanced at them: "None of you people say anything believable. Miaomiao really doesn't know who to trust. I'm afraid I'll be sold by you and still count the money for you, and I wouldn't even get a good price..." The woman laughed: "The Su family is really pitiful, becoming your opponents."

The group laughed heartily. Xue Yan shook his head and said, "Let's not talk about this matter. The Su family's matter is already a foregone conclusion, why worry? Enjoyment is paramount today, and everything else is secondary. Brother Lu said there were some lively things just now, what were they exactly?"

"Oh, there's a lot of excitement at Changyun Pavilion. I heard that Liu Qingdi fought against the heroes of poetry, haha, it's almost gotten to the point of physical confrontation."

Puyang Yi set up a banquet at Changyun Pavilion today, and Liu Qingdi, Cao Guan, and others were all present. It can be considered a relatively important gathering in Jiangning City today. Xue Yan and others naturally couldn't participate in those poets' gatherings. Even if Xue Jin and others had some literary skills, they were only capable of writing limericks. During the previous banquet, everyone had talked about the poetry gathering over there. Now, hearing that the situation was intense, Luo Miaomiao asked with concern: "Is Sister Qilan alright?"

"Hehe, of course she's fine, it's just a way of speaking. With Puyang Yi there, it's impossible for them to really fight. It's just that both sides are getting heated. But..." He paused, and looked at Xue Yan and Xue Jin, "Su Family's Ning Yi is involved in this matter."

Xue Jin was stunned: "Impossible, how could Ning Yi be at Changyun Pavilion at this time?"

"It's not that he's there in person, hehe, but someone at Changyun Pavilion brought out a new poem by Ning Yi. The story is quite interesting. Speaking of Liu Qingdi..."

This person described the situation in Changyun Pavilion, from Liu Qingdi arguing with others, to him using his poetic skills to overwhelm the scholars, to the outburst of Layman Kongshan. He also took out two pieces of rice paper from his bosom, on which were copied some of the best works from the Changyun Pavilion gathering.

"...The last one is a new poem written by Ning Yi. It is said that he is now teaching at the Yushan Academy at home, and he wrote it casually a few days ago when he was explaining poetry to a nine-year-old child. He didn't publicize it, but Su Chonghua saw it, and later told Chen Lu Chen Kongshan. This poem is actually called Ding Feng Bo, and it's really a good poem. I'm afraid Ning Yi's talent will rise to another level after today... It's just that thinking about the Su family's affairs now is really a bit ironic..."

Amidst the joking, everyone took the poems. Today's competition at Changyun Pavilion was of a high standard, and every poem was good. However, when they looked at the last one, everyone's expressions became a little complicated. Luo Miaomiao took it and looked at each poem one by one, quite slowly, with a gleam in her eyes, but when she saw the last one, she hesitated for a long time before reciting the lines.

"Ding Feng Bo... Do not heed the sound of the leaves rustling in the trees, why not chant and walk slowly? With bamboo staff and straw sandals, one can walk lighter than a horse. Who's afraid? Let me live my life in misty rain... The sharp spring breeze awakens me from my drunken stupor, slightly cold, the slanting sun on the mountain top greets me. Looking back at the bleak place I've come from, returning... there is neither wind nor rain, nor sunshine... This poem..."

Among those present, many had already read this poem. After Luo Miaomiao finished reading it, it became a bit cold for a moment. Xue Yan looked around and then smiled.

"Ding Feng Bo, Ding Feng Bo... Haha, Ning Yi's talent in poetry is undeniable, but with all the recent events, why write Ding Feng Bo? Is he feeling depressed and wants to comfort himself?"

As he said this, the others echoed with laughter: "No wonder he only showed it to a nine-year-old child. He probably felt it was too self-deceptive, so he could only write it for a nine-year-old child to seek comfort."

"I think it's better than the poem *Drinking Alone with Pei Di* that he wrote to Wu Chenghou in grief that night. At least that one was just plagiarism and wouldn't be laughed at, hahahaha..."

"We are all rough people and don't know how to distinguish between good and bad poems, but Miss Miaomiao's talent is far superior to ours. I wonder what Miss Miaomiao thinks of this poem?"

Luo Miaomiao looked at everyone's expressions, then at the poem in her hand, and said with a soft smile: "The poem is... not bad." With her giving the poem a "not bad" rating, everyone laughed even more happily. Luo Miaomiao glanced at the lines again, and then smiled and passed it on to others, silently reciting it in her heart.

Afterwards, there was another round of talk and laughter, repeating the efforts of the Su family two months ago and the final magnificent failure, Ning Yi tragically writing *Drinking Alone with Pei Di* in front of the Wu family, and all the events that followed. However, this atmosphere also changed imperceptibly. Sometimes someone would discuss the several excellent poems written by Liu Qingdi, looking at the manuscript, but inevitably their eyes would linger on *Ding Feng Bo* for a moment before looking away.

This sudden *Ding Feng Bo* was like a small thorn, invisibly lying across this space.

However, no one said it out loud. It wasn't a big deal in the first place. As long as the results from the Su family came over, this subtle thorn would disappear. Xue Yan occasionally looked downstairs inadvertently. At one moment, he finally smiled.

"The results are here."

A servant ran up from downstairs. Everyone was already laughing. The window where Xue Yan was standing was right next to the door. He opened the door and walked out under the sidelong glances of everyone. The servant also came up from downstairs. Everyone could see Xue Yan's waiting back.

"Come on, drink, drink." Xue Jin made a show of not caring and greeted everyone. Everyone smiled and responded to him, waiting for Xue Yan to come in and tell them the news.

The Su family's matter had long been settled, and it would only take a word or two to announce it. Even if there were any twists and turns, there probably wasn't much to say. Everyone waited for Xue Yan to turn around with a smile and repeat the results to them. However, the servant was saying something mysterious in Xue Yan's ear, and they waited like that for a long time.

"What are you saying..."

"How... is that possible..."

"Who are you talking about?"

After a long while, faint, fragmented voices came in, not very clear, but some people sitting relatively close to the door still heard them. Xue Yan was asking and repeating there. The people who had been laughing and exchanging toasts finally quieted down, exchanging puzzled glances, not knowing what had happened or what the twist was. However, it was also possible that something unexpected had happened to the Xue family. Participants such as the Chen family and the Lu family were not too worried. Finally, Xue Jin stood up. He thought for a moment, and then walked towards the door.

He wanted to ask: "Brother, what's wrong?" However, he didn't say the words out loud. Xue Yan had already turned around. His expression was complicated, and his mind didn't seem to be here. He just looked at his brother, stepped in, looked at everyone in the room, opened his mouth to say something, but didn't say it. He just went back to his seat under everyone's gaze, shook his head, and felt that some things were simply incomprehensible.

"Brother Xue, what's wrong?" The person from the Lu family asked.

"Heh." Xue Yan smiled. After a moment, he said in a low voice, "The results from the Su family are out."

"How are they?"

"How..." Xue Yan repeated, blinked his eyes, and after a moment, pressed his forehead hard and closed his eyes tightly. The Xue family had made the most arrangements for the Su family's matter. At this time, everyone realized that the results were probably not as satisfactory as they had hoped—or rather, very unsatisfactory. Xue Yan opened his eyes, swept the bowls and chopsticks in front of him forcefully with one hand, and then saw the two manuscript poems next to him. He tapped them with two fingers, pulled out the bottom one with a swish, and held it in front of his eyes. After a while, he recited it, as if reading it to everyone.

"Heh... Do not heed the sound of the leaves rustling in the trees, why not chant and walk slowly? With bamboo staff and straw sandals, one can walk lighter than a horse. Who's afraid? Let me live my life in misty rain..." He recited the entire *Ding Feng Bo* at this time. Listening to it in everyone's ears, it was almost a completely different attitude. Then, looking at everyone again, "Looking back at the bleak place I've come from... If I said that we were all wrong, that everyone was calculated, calculated cleanly, what would you say?"

No one answered.

"Four months..." Xue Yan looked out the window and murmured, "Heh, the Wu family was probably the most miserably calculated, and so were the Su family's incompetent Second and Third branches..."

"Brother Xue... Specifically, what exactly happened?"

"It's like this." Xue Yan slammed the poem on the table, "They're laughing at us. The result... is the best result for Su Tan'er... Internal and external troubles are all cleared at once. That cloth... that cloth actually..." His emotions seemed to be a little out of control, rubbing his forehead, "Thinking about it now... it's simply... every ten steps is a calculation..."

"...Ning Liheng."

This exclamation, with the name at the end, resounded in the hall, and everyone was stunned. But they still didn't understand the whole thing. Xue Yan took a deep breath and finally raised his head, smiled,

"Sorry, everyone, four months of planning... no, more than two months of planning, all went down the drain, I'm a little out of sorts, please bear with me. The results from the Su family are out, I'll tell everyone, and you'll understand..."

Time returned to not long ago, night, the Su family's Clan Assembly Hall.

A debate had finally reached its end...

*************

Five in the morning, the strong wind actually blew down the power pole. Fortunately, the laptop had power, and afterwards, I ran back and forth n times to publish the chapter... tragic... (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please log in, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)