Chapter 117: Chapter 103 The Exquisite Taoist Nun and the Purple-Robed Confucian Scholar
Yesterday, a curious incident occurred, which the citizens of Liangjing have enjoyed discussing to no end.
It spread through the neighborhoods.
Especially within the literary and scholarly circles of the city, it caused quite a stir.
According to the version circulating among these circles,
the incident took place yesterday on Cen Mountain, ten miles outside the city.
This was a famous historical site of Liangjing.
Since the founding of Great Wei, many poets and literati have left their poems and essays there.
Just yesterday, a group of scholars and literati held an elegant gathering on the mountain of Cen Mountain.
Among them were not a few with considerable renown in the literary circles of Liangjing.
The company ascended the heights to compose writings, chant poetry, and discuss scholarly matters, all in good cheer.
However, what was ant to be a refined event was disrupted midway through.
A male and a female tourist, viewing the scenery and reveling in each other’s company, wrapped in each other’s arms.
In the literary circles of Liangjing, fraternizing with courtesans was quite popular.
But to have such a vulgar display alongside the creation of poetry and the discussion of scholarly matters, with an atmosphere that was relatively serious, was indeed incongruous.
The man and woman were a young man in a purple Confucian robe, and a beautiful young Daoist nun.
Especially the latter, who was said to have drawn covetous glances from nearly all the literati there, except for a few upstanding gentlen who sat with their backs straight.
People said that the stunning Daoist nun had a proud and aloof deanor, an ethereal beauty, yet she had a pair of seductive, narrow fox-like eyes.
Snuggled into soone’s embrace, she was the picture of a doting bird.
A perfectly good elegant gathering, and then this kind of “demon” shows up on the side.
It was enough to drive a man to an early grave.
How could the gathering continue, when everyone’s heart wasn’t in it, and they were fed sothing called “dog food”?
Thus, so disgruntled scholars stood up and, with morally upright words, advised the man in the purple robe.
Many fellow scholars nodded in agreent and joined the crusade, giving him a “sermon.”
They spoke earnestly and wholesoly to him.
But the man in the purple robe paid them no mind, carried on as he pleased, holding the small hand of the beauty in his arms, whispering sweet nothings, and the two indulged in their own world of love and sentint.
Therefore, a few scholars beca even more inflad in their rhetoric, despising the man in the Confucian robe for daring to be indecent with a Daoist nun in public, utterly failing to honor the Saintly Books.
Following these words,
there and then,
the young man in the purple Confucian robe suddenly stopped what he was doing, pursed his lips, and stood up.
The beautiful Daoist nun reached out to pull him back, but he gently pushed her hand away and affectionately tickled her delicate nose, causing her to shyly lower her head.
The man in purple silently walked over to the table, glanced casually at the poems and essays composed by the literati at the gathering, then rolled up his sleeves, picked up a brush, and began splashing ink across the paper.
The crowd exchanged looks of confusion.
It wasn’t long before they reacted.
So looked on with curiosity, so shook their heads with a light laugh, so continued to sneak peeks at the stunning Daoist nun standing still and focused…
But in less than ten breaths,
everyone’s attention was drawn to a certain spot.
Their eyes widened.
There,
the man in purple put down the brush without any hesitation, turned around, and strode away.
The crowd fell silent for a mont, not yet managing to ponder further.
The beautiful Daoist nun went forward, reached out her hand to delicately fold the “Ascending” poem, showing no hesitation as she turned and went to follow her beloved.
But just before she left, she tilted her chin up slightly, her expression cold, her tone haughty as she left behind a sentence.
“He is my husband… Lin Wenruo.”
————
A grand and dignified horse-drawn carriage slowly made its way through the street.
A group of imperial guards in yellow robes ard with swords escorted the carriage, solemnly led by a head guard and a eunuch in a python robe.
As the carriage moved down the central avenue, the citizens on the street respectfully made way.
Because,
these were the Imperial Palace’s guards and eunuchs, and the person they escorted inside the carriage must be a noble, judging by the direction of the carriage, likely heading towards the Imperial Palace.
On the outside, the citizens who stopped to watch made quite a spectacle.
anwhile, inside.
At this mont, there were two people.
Whispering conspiratorially.
“Zhao Rong, do I look the part?”
“Not bad, you have the air of Su Huxian, but…”
“Hmm, but what?”
“But, can you not stand so close to ?”
“No! Didn’t you say that you are ‘Lin Wenruo’ and I am ‘Lan Yuqing’? According to the script, they are already a married couple, so they must be affectionate, otherwise it’s too fake. Zhao Rong, you have to believe in my acting skills! Being more affectionate makes it more believable.”
“Ahem, alright then.”
Zhao Rong helplessly looked at Su Xiaoxiao, who was sitting very close to him, her little face serious.
At this ti, she was dressed in a luxurious and dignified yellow and purple Daoist robe, which made her small fra seem even more delicate, her hair was pinned up in a Daoist nun’s style, and a purple veil hung from the side of her ears, undisturbed.
As for him, he was in an indigo Confucian robe of an unknown material, with the Spirit Jade given to him by Lin Wenruo hanging from his waist.
“Zhao Rong, how did the emperor of Great Wei find out about us so quickly?”
“We are in the Imperial City, right beneath their nose; every little movent here can be detected. The actions we took yesterday seed to have worked, as the Emperor has already found out about my arrival. Hmm, that Lin Wenruo from Lanxi Lin’s family has arrived.”
Zhao Rong laughed softly, glancing out the window.
This ti, he was disguised as Lin Wenruo, and Su Xiaoxiao was playing the part of Lan Yuqing, all to create a gap in information.
Now, the mountain was blocked by Punishnt Mansion, ssage transmission was clogged, and updates were painfully slow.
Once, before he had reached Zhongnan Country, he had bought a copy of the Residence Report from the mountains which ntioned that Lin Wenruo had returned from the academy, ready to marry Lan Yuqing. At the ti, he didn’t think much of it.
But soon after, upon his arrival in Zhongnan Country, he realized that Lin Wenruo had actually long since attacked Chongxu Temple and the wedding had been disrupted.
The debate on Confucianism in Zhongnan Country was also isolated due to the ferry berthing, which slowed the spread of news, and not many cultivators from outside of Zhongnan Country had co to join the fuss.
The outco of the Confucian debate was probably only known by him and Su Xiaoxiao within the territory of Great Wei since they had been continuously on the road, and no one should have been ahead of them.
And not long ago, during the ti when Su Xiaoxiao had been upset, he and Liu Sanbian had visited a mountain market where he read another Residence Report. The latest news from Zhongnan Country still hadn’t been updated.
This gave him and Su Xiaoxiao an opportunity.
Zhao Rong closed his eyes and ticulously went over his plan three tis, concluding that its feasibility was within an acceptable range.
It was a bit risky, but worth a try.
Before leaving Zhongnan Country, Lin Wenruo learned that Liu Sanbian was going to Great Wei. He had ntioned that the current emperor admired Confucianism and had once invited him to Liangjing’s Imperial Palace to discuss the governance. Since he was occupied with the Confucian debate, he did not go.
Zhao Rong smiled.
This was probably why the Emperor of Great Wei, upon hearing of his arrival in Liangjing, can swiftly find him.
He likely thought that he was coming to keep the appointnt.
Zhao Rong glanced again at the Heavenly Immortal Cave Clothes Su Xiaoxiao was wearing.
The National Master Robe was a thousand-year legacy of Zhongnan Country; previously, he heard from Qingjingzi that the Array had nurous restrictions and could shield the wearer’s cultivation. He had thought it was an exaggeration.
But it turned out to be quite useful, capable of concealing both Su Xiaoxiao’s demon energy and cultivation.
As for the purple garnt on his own body…
Well, it was transford from the “Purity” Purple Energy and had the sa effect.
Zhao Rong’s mouth curled into a smirk.
From this mont on, he was the Family Head of the Lin family from Lanxi, Lin Wenruo.
And Su Xiaoxiao, well, the cool Su Huxian was now Lan Yuqing, poised to take the position of the National Master of Zhongnan Country!
The little fox demon blushed as she saw Zhao Rong staring at her with a smile.
“Zhao Rong, do I… do I look pretty?”
Zhao Rong snapped out of his trance, clearing his throat.
“Beautiful, but rember to wear the veil later.”
“Okay.”
Su Xiaoxiao smiled sweetly, obediently acknowledging.
Not long after.
The carriage slowed to a stop.
Zhao Rong was the first to get out, glancing at the majestic and imposing Imperial Palace, then turned his head to smile at the eunuch in a python robe standing beside him, his attitude respectful.
Suddenly.
A Jade Hand reached out.
It slipped into Zhao Rong’s palm.
He instinctively squeezed it.
The little hand was very soft.
The two of them held hands.
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