Dragon and Phoenix Are Reversed (Part One)
Yin JiYao could not suppress a faint sigh.
It was the rare Lantern Festival outing, but it ended up being ruined.
Ning ChengZhi’s gaze was fixed on Yu Fu from the very beginning, and just as Yu Fu was about to speak, Gu ShuBai urgently stepped forward and saluted, “This subject greets Your Majesty.”
Only now did everyone manage to react, following his lead. They saluted and paid their respects, putting away their frantic expressions.
Ning ChengZhi appeared very happy and seemed to not have noticed that he was not welcome, “There’s no need to be overly courteous. We came out today for a stroll incognito and wanted to go and see the lanterns with you. Yu Fu, you wouldn’t refuse to allow Us to accompany you to see the lanterns, right?”
Gu Yi grimaced. He knew that Ning ChengZhi had some sort of underhanded plan. Put plainly, he still wanted to make Yu Fu the empress.
Gu ShuBai furrowed his brow and was about to speak, but this time, Yu Fu rushed to speak up before him, “Of course, I won’t; however, since Your Majesty came out incognito, I fear that it would be inconvenient for all of us to travel in such a large group. Why don’t we separate into smaller groups?”
Ning ChengZhi was all too eager to be alone with Yu Fu. Hearing her say this, he was naturally happy to agree, “That’s good. We shall go along with your plan!”
Gu ShuBai smiled and said: “This subject and third brother will come along with Your Majesty. This will be able to guarantee Your Majesty’s and Yu Fu’s safety.”
Ning ChengZhi did not want to walk with him. With him present, would Yu Fu be able to see him? But hearing the word safety, he hesitated for a moment. In the end, he nodded, “Very well, you are proficient in martial arts. We trust you.”
Gu ShuBai looked back at Gu JiuGe and said: “Young miss Yin is a guest. Let’s leave her to go with second brother. Fourth brother, fifth brother, and sixth brother, don’t go too far.”
He quickly made arrangements for everyone, and Yu Fu looked at him gratefully. She knew that he understood her intentions.
First, Gu JiuGe and the others did not want to be with Ning ChengZhi. It would be absolutely impossible to enjoy looking at the lanterns with the imperial procession, and that would ruin everyone’s joy. Second, if something happened while everyone from Marquis Gu’s Manor was present, they would find it hard to avoid criticism.
Gu ShuBai took advantage of the situation to create an opportunity for Gu JiuGe and Yin JiYao. He also had the steady and understanding Gu WenQing take care of Gu Xiang and Gu Yi to keep them from causing trouble.
Everyone went their separate ways, and they slowly got lost in the sea of lanterns.
Since his days as a prince, Ning ChengZhi spent all of his time proclaiming his nobility, and he had never experienced walking through a crowd of commoners. He found it novel and interesting.
“It’s no wonder you guys like walking to look at the lanterns. When you walk, you can see more clearly, and it’s not just the lanterns. Even the joyful atmosphere and cheerful smiles of the citizens are clearer.”
As the ruler, he did not love his people; however, he subconsciously viewed their happiness as a result of his efforts…
Yu Fu followed along at their side and thought back to when they had gone out to see the lanterns during last year’s Lantern Festival. At that time, they had also run into Ning ChengZhi, who was watching from the window of a tall restaurant on the side of the road.
No matter how good the view was from there, the scenery would look like a mirage, and it would be hard to get a clear view. It could not compare with walking around on ground level, where they could reach out and touch the lanterns that hung from both sides of the street.
Thinking like this, she could not help but reach out and touch a lantern shaped like a gold ingot. The fine tassels brushed against her fingertips.
Ning ChengZhi saw this and thought that she liked this lantern, thus he gave Eunuch Chi a look, and Eunuch Chi immediately stepped forward, “This servant will retrieve the lantern for princess.”
Yu Fu was stunned. The lanterns hanging on the side of the street were the ones placed by the government, not ones that were being sold by various merchants. How could they be removed so casually?
She hastily waved her hand to stop him, “No, I don’t want this lantern. I just wanted to reach out and touch it. This is a lantern placed by the government, and it should not be removed.”
There were already some passersby looking in their direction, and Ning ChengZhi acted as if he did not notice, “What’s the problem with one placed by the government? Everything under the heavens belongs to Us. Could it be that We cannot take a single lantern?”
Yu Fu was beyond regretful. Initially, Ning ChengZhi was just trying to win her favor, but now, he was insistent on taking this lantern for the sake of exercising his imperial might.
She patiently said, “Naturally, Eastern Ling belongs to Your Majesty, but Your Majesty, take a look. There is a lantern hanging every two feet. If one is removed, there will be an empty spot. Would it not ruin its beauty?”
Ning ChengZhi looked along the long street. Sure enough, there were lanterns hanging on both sides at set intervals. They added to their radiance and became the foundation of this sleepless city.
“Forget it. Since you said it, We won’t take it.”
The group continued forward until they reached a stall that sold lanterns. Yu Fu suddenly remembered that lantern that Gu ShuBai had bought her before with the small white dog that resembled Pang Jiu.
Who knew if there would be a small white dog design this year. Would it still be made by the same old man as last year?
“Your Majesty, take a look. This stall has some riddles to solve. If all five riddles are solved, they give a lantern as a prize.”
Eunuch Chi stepped forward first to take a look and returned after inquiring about the situation. Ning ChengZhi found this very interesting, “Yu Fu, with how smart you are, you would surely be able to guess the riddles. Why don’t we go and have a try?”
Yu Fu just nodded in agreement and then turned to glance at Gu ShuBai. She thought to herself that there was absolutely no need for her to participate in this sort of game. Gu ShuBai would surely be able to answer all of the riddles correctly and leave her with nothing to do.
Thinking of this, she could not help but laugh.
Ning ChengZhi took notice of where she was looking and frowned even more. He was very unhappy, and Eunuch Chi opened up a path through the crowd, “Master, this way.”
The people that were pushed aside were quite displeased, angrily muttering: “What’s going on? Do they not understand the idea of first come first served? We were in the middle of guessing, yet they pushed us aside!”
Another person tried to persuade them: “Keep it down. Look at how they’re dressed. Going by the way that they are dressed, they do not look like they are from normal families. They look like they come from nobility!”
The person who had complained earlier unhappily said: “So what if they’re noble? Brother Wen made this stall to attract intellectuals. Would it bow down to nobility? He made such a beautiful lantern. Not to mention selling it for five cents, but it would be worth it if it was sold for five taels of silver!”
These words caused everyone to become interested, as Yu Fu stood on tiptoe to try and take a look. Suddenly, she was pulled into the crowd by a pair of large hands. Turning around, she saw that it was Ning ChengZhi, and she immediately took a couple of steps back.
The crowd was too packed. No matter how she tried to retreat, she remained at Ning ChengZhi’s side.
Gu HanMo frowned and desperately wanted to draw his sword to chop off Ning ChengZhi’s hand, but he was stopped by Gu ShuBai. He quietly whispered to him: “That is His Majesty.”
Gu HanMo pushed his sword back into the sheath, “Eldest brother, stop pretending. I know that you want to do it even more than I do.”
Gu ShuBai did not respond.
Of course, he did not want to see another man do something to Yu Fu in front of him, but no matter how much they did not want that, Ning ChengZhi was the emperor.
He fell silent for a moment before speaking at a volume that only he and Gu HanMo could hear: “If you can’t endure small trifles, you will disrupt the bigger picture.”
Bigger picture?
Gu HanMo’s eyes suddenly lit up.
Yu Fu looked at the lantern at the stall. It was different from the other lanterns. The lanterns here were all square and did not have any strange designs.
The most intricate part of the lantern was the white band at the bottom. There was a beautiful landscape painting on it and a variety of inscriptions. Regardless of whether it was the painting or the literature, it was an absolute masterpiece.
Looking more closely at the contents of the poem, it was even more shocking.
A young man wearing a square scarf stepped forward. His face was pale and without facial hair. He had a scholarly aura.
He cupped his hands toward the group, “These lanterns were made by this untalented one. The words and paintings on it also came from my brush. Today, there are riddles on the lanterns, and you can make a guess for five cents. If you guess correctly, you can receive one of this lowly one’s lanterns, but…”
He smiled slyly, “As for which lantern, it will be decided by this talentless one. I will see the truth of your character and will choose the lantern that suits you best.”
The onlookers laughed, “That sounds good, but won’t it just be that the one who looks more talented will be given the better one, and the ones who look shabbier will be given the shabbier ones?”
It was initially meant as a joke, but the scholar actually took it seriously and nodded, “That’s right. That’s indeed the case.”
His honesty provoked another round of laughter.
Ning ChengZhi gave Eunuch Chi a look, and the latter brought out a silver ingot and placed it on the stall. He spoke in a rather arrogant tone, “This is ten taels of silver. It should be enough to guess all of the riddles at your stall.”
Some people frowned and wondered to themselves where did such arrogant nobles come from. Did they not know that this scholar absolutely despised those that used wealth and power to bully others?
Who knew that the scholar who had set up the stall would continue smiling, “Very well, go ahead and make your guess.”
Eunuch Chi picked up a riddle from the stall. After opening it up, he handed it to Ning ChengZhi. He then looked at it for a while, “One point of Zhuge Liang’s loyalty, three battles between Lu Bu and Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, rumors say that there is no evidence of Sima Yi, nor that there were ten great contributions made by General Zhao Yun. Pick a word.”
The onlookers heard him recite the riddle and started to discuss it, “This is quite difficult. There were so many historical figures being named!”
Ning ChengZhi had been wanting to show off in front of Yu Fu, but who knew that he would come against such a difficult question. He had no choice but to give the riddle to Yu Fu and the others, “Would you guys be able to guess it?”
Either way, he was unable to guess the answer.
Yu Fu received the riddle and handed it to Gu ShuBai and Gu HanMo. The three siblings came together and discussed it in a harmonious fashion.
Ning ChengZhi suddenly felt as if he was the odd one out. Thinking back to the cheerful scene outside of Marquis Gu’s Manor, he finally realized that he was the one who had disrupted the cheerful atmosphere.
This did not make him feel guilty. On the contrary, it made him angry. He was angry that Gu ShuBai had Yu Fu, and he was angry that they lived together under one roof as brother and sister. It was natural that they would end up closer.
He wanted to think of an idea to create some distance between the two.
“Your Majesty, we have found the answer.”
Gu ShuBai quietly said this and quickly handed the riddle to him. He then spoke in a loud voice: “It’s the word strategy.”
“Strategy?”
Before Ning ChengZhi could react to this answer, he heard the scholar loudly applaud, “This young sir’s answer is correct! It is indeed the word strategy!”
“Brother Wen, where did this answer come from?”
Some people from the crowd were also puzzled, and Gu ShuBai looked at Yu Fu with a smile. Yu Fu said: “Actually, in this riddle, Zhuge Liang and the other names are just there to mislead you. The truly important matters are the first few words of each line. One point, three, and rumors form the side of the character, while ten is the main character. All of that put together forms the word strategy.”*
“So it was like that!”
The crowd had been enlightened, “This young sir and young miss really are smart. They were able to find out the answer so quickly!”
Gu ShuBai and Yu Fu smiled at the crowd. In the crowd’s eyes, these two were a match made in heaven. In Ning ChengZhi’s eyes, however, they were just annoying.
The people who had been pushed aside by Eunuch Chi happened to be watching this from the side, “Some people with power and influence are trash. If you don’t have the ability to figure out the riddle, what did you come here for? You’re just making a laughingstock out of yourself!”
These words drew laughter from the crowd, and Ning ChengZhi’s face turned bright red. Eunuch Chi shouted, “Impudence!”
“Forget it. There’s no need to lecture them.”
Ning ChengZhi was all too eager to reveal his identity to frighten these commoners, but it was not safe, and he was worried that rumors would spread that he was lacking in intellect. In that case, it would be better to not reveal his identity.
He lowered his voice and spoke to Yu Fu and the others: “Yu Shan Building is just ahead. We will go there to wait for you. Come quickly.”
Yu Fu did not seem affected, “Very well, please enjoy the desserts, Your Majesty. You must be tired after walking for so long.”
Ning ChengZhi slinked off with Eunuch Chi, as the one called brother Wen brought out two lanterns that he had made himself. He handed one to Gu ShuBai and one to Yu Fu, “This one has been very fortunate to have been able to see such capable and virtuous people. Your character… too noble to say, too noble to say!”
Gu ShuBai smiled and received the lantern, “Then the young sir that just left, are you unable to see his identity?”
To say that their identity was too noble to say, who could be nobler than the emperor?
The scholar surnamed Wen disdainfully said: “Though he is noble, he is exceedingly vulgar. There’s no need to talk about him. Please take a look at the lanterns that you were given. Do you like them?”
Gu ShuBai looked down and looked carefully. He saw that the lanterns that he and Yu Fu had received were different. His lantern had a phoenix bathing in flames with a brilliant piece of literature written on it:
Wings could be seen on the edge of the golden basket, as the wutong tree’s branches lay barren in winter.
The sons of the five greats covet literary greatness, with paintings and beautiful women embroidered on their clothes.
Drinking and eating at the top of the mountain, descend down through the smoke to the forbidden city.
Once floating through the skies like a cloud, now the golden feather is a key to the tower of the divine.
Gu ShuBai contemplated the meaning of this poem. This poem spoke of the return of the phoenix. It conveyed a sadness that created a strange feeling in his chest.
For a while, he could not figure it out, thus he looked at Yu Fu’s lantern. It was even more elegant and intricate than his own.
It had a painting of a golden dragon coming out of the clouds and soaring through the highest heavens. The inscription read:
Candlelight illuminates the secluded capital, as a young phoenix writes up a document in the Southern Palace. The western capital sits on the river bank, while the eastern capital is present on a river map.
The dragon’s flame changes the path of the stars, as the clouds are elevated above Dinghu. Hopes of encountering a saint on the trip, as morning dawns on the palace.
“What a good poem!”
Gu ShuBai could not help but proclaim his praise. The poetry was magnificent, and it left people daydreaming about the greatness of the Qin and Han dynasties, but…
His lantern had a phoenix, while Yu Fu’s lantern had a dragon. Were they meant to be the other way around?
The scholar with the surname Wen laughed cheerfully, “All of my life has been devoted to these two poems, and I have been waiting for you two in particular. Today, I have finally met you two.”
After saying this, he adjusted his clothes and bowed three times to them. This left the two of them feeling rather puzzled.
The spectators laughed and provided them with an explanation, “There’s no need for you two to worry about it. Brother Wen has always been mystical. There’s no need for you two to take it heart. He doesn’t have any ill intent, so don’t worry!”
“That’s right, that’s right. He once said that he descended from the heavens. Who would believe him?”
Yu Fu looked down at their lanterns, “I feel that he had a point. He wasn’t trying to deliberately make things unclear.”
After bowing to them, the scholar surnamed Wen ignored them and started to put things away. An onlooker shouted, “Brother Wen, we still haven’t guessed yet. Why are you putting things away?”
“I am in high spirits from meeting such noble people tonight and wish to go and have a few drinks. Will everyone accompany me?”
“Let’s go, let’s go!”
Some of the younger people in the crowd helped him tidy up his stall, while Gu ShuBai and his group headed in the direction of Yu Shan Building. Before they could even take two steps, someone shouted from behind: “Please wait!”
The three turned around and saw the scholar come over with another lantern, placing it in Gu HanMo’s hands. He delightedly said: “This lowly one was overly emotional just a moment ago and forgot about young sir. I’ve been rude, apologies!”
Gu HanMo faintly raised an eyebrow, “We only answered one riddle, yet you gave us three lanterns. What is the meaning of this?”
The scholar jutted out his chin, turned around, and walked away, “This is something that can’t be bought for thousands of gold. I am happy to do it!”
*TN: The character for strategy is: 計. The left side of the character is comprised of a dot, the character for three (三), and the characters for rumor (口文). On the right side is the character for ten (十)
TN: The two poems are likely to be very poorly translated. Apologies if they end up being incorrect.
The poem on Gu ShuBai’s lantern is a poem titled “Miscellaneous Song of a Phoenix in the Clouds” by Teng Qian, a poet from the Tang Dynasty.
The poem on Yu Fu’s lantern is a poem titled “Dragon” by Li Qiao, a poet from the Zhou and Tang Dynasties.
Dragon and Phoenix Are Reversed (Part One)
Yin JiYao could not suppress a faint sigh.
It was the rare Lantern Festival outing, but it ended up being ruined.
Ning ChengZhi’s gaze was fixed on Yu Fu from the very beginning, and just as Yu Fu was about to speak, Gu ShuBai urgently stepped forward and saluted, “This subject greets Your Majesty.”
Only now did everyone manage to react, following his lead. They saluted and paid their respects, putting away their frantic expressions.
Ning ChengZhi appeared very happy and seemed to not have noticed that he was not welcome, “There’s no need to be overly courteous. We came out today for a stroll incognito and wanted to go and see the lanterns with you. Yu Fu, you wouldn’t refuse to allow Us to accompany you to see the lanterns, right?”
Gu Yi grimaced. He knew that Ning ChengZhi had some sort of underhanded plan. Put plainly, he still wanted to make Yu Fu the empress.
Gu ShuBai furrowed his brow and was about to speak, but this time, Yu Fu rushed to speak up before him, “Of course, I won’t; however, since Your Majesty came out incognito, I fear that it would be inconvenient for all of us to travel in such a large group. Why don’t we separate into smaller groups?”
Ning ChengZhi was all too eager to be alone with Yu Fu. Hearing her say this, he was naturally happy to agree, “That’s good. We shall go along with your plan!”
Gu ShuBai smiled and said: “This subject and third brother will come along with Your Majesty. This will be able to guarantee Your Majesty’s and Yu Fu’s safety.”
Ning ChengZhi did not want to walk with him. With him present, would Yu Fu be able to see him? But hearing the word safety, he hesitated for a moment. In the end, he nodded, “Very well, you are proficient in martial arts. We trust you.”
Gu ShuBai looked back at Gu JiuGe and said: “Young miss Yin is a guest. Let’s leave her to go with second brother. Fourth brother, fifth brother, and sixth brother, don’t go too far.”
He quickly made arrangements for everyone, and Yu Fu looked at him gratefully. She knew that he understood her intentions.
First, Gu JiuGe and the others did not want to be with Ning ChengZhi. It would be absolutely impossible to enjoy looking at the lanterns with the imperial procession, and that would ruin everyone’s joy. Second, if something happened while everyone from Marquis Gu’s Manor was present, they would find it hard to avoid criticism.
Gu ShuBai took advantage of the situation to create an opportunity for Gu JiuGe and Yin JiYao. He also had the steady and understanding Gu WenQing take care of Gu Xiang and Gu Yi to keep them from causing trouble.
Everyone went their separate ways, and they slowly got lost in the sea of lanterns.
Since his days as a prince, Ning ChengZhi spent all of his time proclaiming his nobility, and he had never experienced walking through a crowd of commoners. He found it novel and interesting.
“It’s no wonder you guys like walking to look at the lanterns. When you walk, you can see more clearly, and it’s not just the lanterns. Even the joyful atmosphere and cheerful smiles of the citizens are clearer.”
As the ruler, he did not love his people; however, he subconsciously viewed their happiness as a result of his efforts…
Yu Fu followed along at their side and thought back to when they had gone out to see the lanterns during last year’s Lantern Festival. At that time, they had also run into Ning ChengZhi, who was watching from the window of a tall restaurant on the side of the road.
No matter how good the view was from there, the scenery would look like a mirage, and it would be hard to get a clear view. It could not compare with walking around on ground level, where they could reach out and touch the lanterns that hung from both sides of the street.
Thinking like this, she could not help but reach out and touch a lantern shaped like a gold ingot. The fine tassels brushed against her fingertips.
Ning ChengZhi saw this and thought that she liked this lantern, thus he gave Eunuch Chi a look, and Eunuch Chi immediately stepped forward, “This servant will retrieve the lantern for princess.”
Yu Fu was stunned. The lanterns hanging on the side of the street were the ones placed by the government, not ones that were being sold by various merchants. How could they be removed so casually?
She hastily waved her hand to stop him, “No, I don’t want this lantern. I just wanted to reach out and touch it. This is a lantern placed by the government, and it should not be removed.”
There were already some passersby looking in their direction, and Ning ChengZhi acted as if he did not notice, “What’s the problem with one placed by the government? Everything under the heavens belongs to Us. Could it be that We cannot take a single lantern?”
Yu Fu was beyond regretful. Initially, Ning ChengZhi was just trying to win her favor, but now, he was insistent on taking this lantern for the sake of exercising his imperial might.
She patiently said, “Naturally, Eastern Ling belongs to Your Majesty, but Your Majesty, take a look. There is a lantern hanging every two feet. If one is removed, there will be an empty spot. Would it not ruin its beauty?”
Ning ChengZhi looked along the long street. Sure enough, there were lanterns hanging on both sides at set intervals. They added to their radiance and became the foundation of this sleepless city.
“Forget it. Since you said it, We won’t take it.”
The group continued forward until they reached a stall that sold lanterns. Yu Fu suddenly remembered that lantern that Gu ShuBai had bought her before with the small white dog that resembled Pang Jiu.
Who knew if there would be a small white dog design this year. Would it still be made by the same old man as last year?
“Your Majesty, take a look. This stall has some riddles to solve. If all five riddles are solved, they give a lantern as a prize.”
Eunuch Chi stepped forward first to take a look and returned after inquiring about the situation. Ning ChengZhi found this very interesting, “Yu Fu, with how smart you are, you would surely be able to guess the riddles. Why don’t we go and have a try?”
Yu Fu just nodded in agreement and then turned to glance at Gu ShuBai. She thought to herself that there was absolutely no need for her to participate in this sort of game. Gu ShuBai would surely be able to answer all of the riddles correctly and leave her with nothing to do.
Thinking of this, she could not help but laugh.
Ning ChengZhi took notice of where she was looking and frowned even more. He was very unhappy, and Eunuch Chi opened up a path through the crowd, “Master, this way.”
The people that were pushed aside were quite displeased, angrily muttering: “What’s going on? Do they not understand the idea of first come first served? We were in the middle of guessing, yet they pushed us aside!”
Another person tried to persuade them: “Keep it down. Look at how they’re dressed. Going by the way that they are dressed, they do not look like they are from normal families. They look like they come from nobility!”
The person who had complained earlier unhappily said: “So what if they’re noble? Brother Wen made this stall to attract intellectuals. Would it bow down to nobility? He made such a beautiful lantern. Not to mention selling it for five cents, but it would be worth it if it was sold for five taels of silver!”
These words caused everyone to become interested, as Yu Fu stood on tiptoe to try and take a look. Suddenly, she was pulled into the crowd by a pair of large hands. Turning around, she saw that it was Ning ChengZhi, and she immediately took a couple of steps back.
The crowd was too packed. No matter how she tried to retreat, she remained at Ning ChengZhi’s side.
Gu HanMo frowned and desperately wanted to draw his sword to chop off Ning ChengZhi’s hand, but he was stopped by Gu ShuBai. He quietly whispered to him: “That is His Majesty.”
Gu HanMo pushed his sword back into the sheath, “Eldest brother, stop pretending. I know that you want to do it even more than I do.”
Gu ShuBai did not respond.
Of course, he did not want to see another man do something to Yu Fu in front of him, but no matter how much they did not want that, Ning ChengZhi was the emperor.
He fell silent for a moment before speaking at a volume that only he and Gu HanMo could hear: “If you can’t endure small trifles, you will disrupt the bigger picture.”
Bigger picture?
Gu HanMo’s eyes suddenly lit up.
Yu Fu looked at the lantern at the stall. It was different from the other lanterns. The lanterns here were all square and did not have any strange designs.
The most intricate part of the lantern was the white band at the bottom. There was a beautiful landscape painting on it and a variety of inscriptions. Regardless of whether it was the painting or the literature, it was an absolute masterpiece.
Looking more closely at the contents of the poem, it was even more shocking.
A young man wearing a square scarf stepped forward. His face was pale and without facial hair. He had a scholarly aura.
He cupped his hands toward the group, “These lanterns were made by this untalented one. The words and paintings on it also came from my brush. Today, there are riddles on the lanterns, and you can make a guess for five cents. If you guess correctly, you can receive one of this lowly one’s lanterns, but…”
He smiled slyly, “As for which lantern, it will be decided by this talentless one. I will see the truth of your character and will choose the lantern that suits you best.”
The onlookers laughed, “That sounds good, but won’t it just be that the one who looks more talented will be given the better one, and the ones who look shabbier will be given the shabbier ones?”
It was initially meant as a joke, but the scholar actually took it seriously and nodded, “That’s right. That’s indeed the case.”
His honesty provoked another round of laughter.
Ning ChengZhi gave Eunuch Chi a look, and the latter brought out a silver ingot and placed it on the stall. He spoke in a rather arrogant tone, “This is ten taels of silver. It should be enough to guess all of the riddles at your stall.”
Some people frowned and wondered to themselves where did such arrogant nobles come from. Did they not know that this scholar absolutely despised those that used wealth and power to bully others?
Who knew that the scholar who had set up the stall would continue smiling, “Very well, go ahead and make your guess.”
Eunuch Chi picked up a riddle from the stall. After opening it up, he handed it to Ning ChengZhi. He then looked at it for a while, “One point of Zhuge Liang’s loyalty, three battles between Lu Bu and Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, rumors say that there is no evidence of Sima Yi, nor that there were ten great contributions made by General Zhao Yun. Pick a word.”
The onlookers heard him recite the riddle and started to discuss it, “This is quite difficult. There were so many historical figures being named!”
Ning ChengZhi had been wanting to show off in front of Yu Fu, but who knew that he would come against such a difficult question. He had no choice but to give the riddle to Yu Fu and the others, “Would you guys be able to guess it?”
Either way, he was unable to guess the answer.
Yu Fu received the riddle and handed it to Gu ShuBai and Gu HanMo. The three siblings came together and discussed it in a harmonious fashion.
Ning ChengZhi suddenly felt as if he was the odd one out. Thinking back to the cheerful scene outside of Marquis Gu’s Manor, he finally realized that he was the one who had disrupted the cheerful atmosphere.
This did not make him feel guilty. On the contrary, it made him angry. He was angry that Gu ShuBai had Yu Fu, and he was angry that they lived together under one roof as brother and sister. It was natural that they would end up closer.
He wanted to think of an idea to create some distance between the two.
“Your Majesty, we have found the answer.”
Gu ShuBai quietly said this and quickly handed the riddle to him. He then spoke in a loud voice: “It’s the word strategy.”
“Strategy?”
Before Ning ChengZhi could react to this answer, he heard the scholar loudly applaud, “This young sir’s answer is correct! It is indeed the word strategy!”
“Brother Wen, where did this answer come from?”
Some people from the crowd were also puzzled, and Gu ShuBai looked at Yu Fu with a smile. Yu Fu said: “Actually, in this riddle, Zhuge Liang and the other names are just there to mislead you. The truly important matters are the first few words of each line. One point, three, and rumors form the side of the character, while ten is the main character. All of that put together forms the word strategy.”*
“So it was like that!”
The crowd had been enlightened, “This young sir and young miss really are smart. They were able to find out the answer so quickly!”
Gu ShuBai and Yu Fu smiled at the crowd. In the crowd’s eyes, these two were a match made in heaven. In Ning ChengZhi’s eyes, however, they were just annoying.
The people who had been pushed aside by Eunuch Chi happened to be watching this from the side, “Some people with power and influence are trash. If you don’t have the ability to figure out the riddle, what did you come here for? You’re just making a laughingstock out of yourself!”
These words drew laughter from the crowd, and Ning ChengZhi’s face turned bright red. Eunuch Chi shouted, “Impudence!”
“Forget it. There’s no need to lecture them.”
Ning ChengZhi was all too eager to reveal his identity to frighten these commoners, but it was not safe, and he was worried that rumors would spread that he was lacking in intellect. In that case, it would be better to not reveal his identity.
He lowered his voice and spoke to Yu Fu and the others: “Yu Shan Building is just ahead. We will go there to wait for you. Come quickly.”
Yu Fu did not seem affected, “Very well, please enjoy the desserts, Your Majesty. You must be tired after walking for so long.”
Ning ChengZhi slinked off with Eunuch Chi, as the one called brother Wen brought out two lanterns that he had made himself. He handed one to Gu ShuBai and one to Yu Fu, “This one has been very fortunate to have been able to see such capable and virtuous people. Your character… too noble to say, too noble to say!”
Gu ShuBai smiled and received the lantern, “Then the young sir that just left, are you unable to see his identity?”
To say that their identity was too noble to say, who could be nobler than the emperor?
The scholar surnamed Wen disdainfully said: “Though he is noble, he is exceedingly vulgar. There’s no need to talk about him. Please take a look at the lanterns that you were given. Do you like them?”
Gu ShuBai looked down and looked carefully. He saw that the lanterns that he and Yu Fu had received were different. His lantern had a phoenix bathing in flames with a brilliant piece of literature written on it:
Wings could be seen on the edge of the golden basket, as the wutong tree’s branches lay barren in winter.
The sons of the five greats covet literary greatness, with paintings and beautiful women embroidered on their clothes.
Drinking and eating at the top of the mountain, descend down through the smoke to the forbidden city.
Once floating through the skies like a cloud, now the golden feather is a key to the tower of the divine.
Gu ShuBai contemplated the meaning of this poem. This poem spoke of the return of the phoenix. It conveyed a sadness that created a strange feeling in his chest.
For a while, he could not figure it out, thus he looked at Yu Fu’s lantern. It was even more elegant and intricate than his own.
It had a painting of a golden dragon coming out of the clouds and soaring through the highest heavens. The inscription read:
Candlelight illuminates the secluded capital, as a young phoenix writes up a document in the Southern Palace. The western capital sits on the river bank, while the eastern capital is present on a river map.
The dragon’s flame changes the path of the stars, as the clouds are elevated above Dinghu. Hopes of encountering a saint on the trip, as morning dawns on the palace.
“What a good poem!”
Gu ShuBai could not help but proclaim his praise. The poetry was magnificent, and it left people daydreaming about the greatness of the Qin and Han dynasties, but…
His lantern had a phoenix, while Yu Fu’s lantern had a dragon. Were they meant to be the other way around?
The scholar with the surname Wen laughed cheerfully, “All of my life has been devoted to these two poems, and I have been waiting for you two in particular. Today, I have finally met you two.”
After saying this, he adjusted his clothes and bowed three times to them. This left the two of them feeling rather puzzled.
The spectators laughed and provided them with an explanation, “There’s no need for you two to worry about it. Brother Wen has always been mystical. There’s no need for you two to take it heart. He doesn’t have any ill intent, so don’t worry!”
“That’s right, that’s right. He once said that he descended from the heavens. Who would believe him?”
Yu Fu looked down at their lanterns, “I feel that he had a point. He wasn’t trying to deliberately make things unclear.”
After bowing to them, the scholar surnamed Wen ignored them and started to put things away. An onlooker shouted, “Brother Wen, we still haven’t guessed yet. Why are you putting things away?”
“I am in high spirits from meeting such noble people tonight and wish to go and have a few drinks. Will everyone accompany me?”
“Let’s go, let’s go!”
Some of the younger people in the crowd helped him tidy up his stall, while Gu ShuBai and his group headed in the direction of Yu Shan Building. Before they could even take two steps, someone shouted from behind: “Please wait!”
The three turned around and saw the scholar come over with another lantern, placing it in Gu HanMo’s hands. He delightedly said: “This lowly one was overly emotional just a moment ago and forgot about young sir. I’ve been rude, apologies!”
Gu HanMo faintly raised an eyebrow, “We only answered one riddle, yet you gave us three lanterns. What is the meaning of this?”
The scholar jutted out his chin, turned around, and walked away, “This is something that can’t be bought for thousands of gold. I am happy to do it!”
*TN: The character for strategy is: 計. The left side of the character is comprised of a dot, the character for three (三), and the characters for rumor (口文). On the right side is the character for ten (十)
TN: The two poems are likely to be very poorly translated. Apologies if they end up being incorrect.
The poem on Gu ShuBai’s lantern is a poem titled “Miscellaneous Song of a Phoenix in the Clouds” by Teng Qian, a poet from the Tang Dynasty.
The poem on Yu Fu’s lantern is a poem titled “Dragon” by Li Qiao, a poet from the Zhou and Tang Dynasties.
