Chapter 32: Already Married
Cui Jingkong glanced up at him. He knew this person’s identity and was prepared. He stood up and replied, “That is I.”
The scholar holding the fan cupped his hands in a salute, his manner steady, a smile on his face. “I have long admired your name. I am Liu Fenghui from Taihe County.”
What a coincidence. He was one of the two geniuses Zhong Jide had mentioned to him before.
The two of them exchanged a few pleasantries. The crowd that had been surrounding Liu Fenghui naturally followed, their eyes fixed on the two of them. They couldn’t figure out who this tall, thin man was, and wondered what his background was, to have the highly respected Liu Fenghui of Fengzhou take the initiative to get to know him.
It wasn’t until they heard Cui Jingkong’s name that whispers began to spread through the crowd. Someone blurted out that this unassuming, poor scholar was the top scholar who had emerged from nowhere in Qianshan County last year.
Logically, although top scholars were rare, in terms of difficulty, they couldn’t compare to the autumn and spring provincial examinations. A single young top scholar was naturally not enough to attract the extra attention of the many students from near and far.
Qianshan was a remote area, and it was rare for a scholar or two to emerge. According to the rumors, Cui Jingkong had still been an illiterate, crude villager at the age of fourteen. In just three years since learning to read, he had taken the top rank, which was truly astonishing. His intelligence was in no way inferior to the likes of Liu Fenghui.
A dozen pairs of eyes were on him. If the two of them became friends, Cui Jingkong would have one foot on the Liu family’s boat. Perhaps in the future, if he caught their eye, he could even get some help from the Liu family.
However, the envied Cui Jingkong did not show much joy. On the contrary, his face was cold, and one could even sense a subtle impatience, as if he didn’t think it was anything special.
—Compared to fawning over the son of a moderately prominent family in Fengzhou, Cui Jingkong’s stomach was empty, and he wanted to eat more.
Liu Fenghui didn’t mind, but his expression angered another person. “Putting on such airs—do you think you’re already a guaranteed top scholar?”
This sarcastic remark was directed at Cui Jingkong. The person who spoke and approached was thin, like a piece of white paper floating in the air. He looked to be in his early twenties. This was Fang Yuan from Wu’an Prefecture.
This was his second time taking the autumn provincial examination. Three years ago, he had had bad luck and had been assigned to a smelly cell. He couldn’t hold on halfway through the examination and had been carried out with his eyes rolled back. This time, he had finally managed to persevere and finish the examination.
His expression was arrogant. He had been raised in luxury since he was a child, and he had two servants following behind him. “Just a top scholar from a small place. What’s there to be so proud of? As if no one has ever passed before.”
He walked to the table, intending to take Cui Jingkong down a peg. However, the other person acted as if he hadn’t seen him at all and bent down to sit. Just then, the waiter also brought the food to the table. Cui Jingkong picked up his chopsticks and didn’t even look at him.
Fang Yuan’s face became extremely embarrassed for a moment. Scholars valued their face. Even losing a debate was better than being ignored so contemptuously.
Liu Fenghui was a kind person and quickly tried to smooth things over. “It is a rare fate to meet. Although the full moon of the fifteenth of the eighth month has passed, the poetic charm still remains. I have set up a banquet at Feiyun Xuan this time, and I hope Brother Cui will grace us with your presence tonight.”
Only then did Cui Jingkong look up and reply to him, but he still treated Fang Yuan as a wooden post standing on the side, ignoring him.
After all, he had always been pampered and held in high regard by those around him. He had never been treated with such disrespect in Fengzhou. Fang Yuan’s face was ashen, and he flicked his sleeves and left.
Cui Jingkong had just arrived in Lingdu. He did not know that although the name “Feiyun Xuan” was elegant and had a heroic air, and those who didn’t know would think it was some teahouse or restaurant, when people mentioned it, they would always be evasive, and would follow up with a knowing laugh.
He arrived at Feiyun Xuan on time in the evening. As soon as he entered, the room was filled with the colors of spring. A woman with her arms wrapped in a layer of soft gauze saw that the newcomer was so handsome and greeted him with a charming smile, trying to take his arm.
Cui Jingkong dodged her, his expression indifferent. He only mentioned that Liu Fenghui had invited him. Only then did the woman retract her flirtatious gaze and lead him upstairs to be seated.
The eight people, including Liu Fenghui and Fang Yuan, were all young students who had come to take the examination this time. Their clothes and conversation were all elegant and proper, and they came from wealthy families. When they saw him arrive, Liu Fenghui stood up to greet him and announced his identity. Under the various gazes of the crowd, Cui Jingkong sat down calmly.
Everyone at the table sat upright. First, they discussed a few lines of poetry. After a while, when they were drunk, their arrogant scholarly nature took over, and they couldn’t help but talk animatedly. Their conversation was nothing more than criticizing current affairs, mostly involving the treacherous court struggles and the new policies that would be implemented next year.
Cui Jingkong found it boring and spoke little, unlike Fang Yuan, who was eloquent.
But his face was calm, and his words were well-spoken and always to the point. He would always hit the nail on the head. Even Fang Yuan, who disliked him, couldn’t help but nod in agreement. After the meal, a few of the red-faced scholars were so impassioned that they wanted to make him their bosom friend on the spot.
When they were full, Liu Fenghui suddenly clapped his hands and gave a knowing smile. “A talented scholar deserves a beautiful woman. Please enjoy, gentlemen.”
As soon as his voice fell, a few graceful and charming women entered in a line and sat beside each person. The others were all more or less older than Cui Jingkong, and most of them were already married or had concubines, so they accepted with a knowing look.
“Don’t come near me.”
Cui Jingkong was already sitting near the door. One of the women had already spotted his cold, jade-like face. Although she had been spoken to lightly, her heart itched even more.
She thought he was like the others she had met before, just pretending to refuse. She said coquettishly, “Why must you be so coy, my lord!”
So she pouted her red lips and reached out to pounce on him—she didn’t succeed. Something was suddenly pressed against her forehead, and she couldn’t move forward.
It was Cui Jingkong, who had been quick-witted. He had grabbed Liu Fenghui’s fan with one hand and had mercilessly poked her forehead with the sharp edge of the folded fan.
He was still pressing down without mercy, until the other cried out and leaned back. Only then did she realize that the skin had been broken and was bleeding slightly.
He still had a faint smile on his face, but his tone was extremely cold, his eyes filled with a dark gloom. “Can’t you understand human language?”
Everyone was stunned by his unexpected move. The woman cried, afraid that her face was ruined, and turned and ran out. To avoid the atmosphere from getting cold, Liu Fenghui immediately tried to smooth things over. He said jokingly, “Brother Cui is so resistant. You must not have had any experience yet, have you?”
Hearing this, the others also started to laugh and tease him. As experienced people, many of them had already started to give him advice, and even hinted that this matter was the most beautiful thing in the world.
The most beautiful thing in the world?
Just this kind of thing, two people touching each other, wrapping around each other, just like in the erotic art book.
That erotic art book had been boring at first, until one day, he had replaced the two faces on it with his and another person’s—Cui Jingkong was suddenly in a daze for a moment, remembering that night filled with the intoxicating scent of bitter orange.
He had lain on his widowed sister-in-law’s bed, his body tense, his ears filled with the woman’s soft whispers. Under the cover of the night, his movements had been clumsy, and the surging tide of passion had been like a flood, devouring his reason.
Cui Jingkong’s thoughts uncontrollably drifted back to the brick house dozens of li away. He didn’t hear a word these people were saying. For the past few days, the pain that clung to him like a gangrene had taken the opportunity to grow stronger and fight back. He frequently missed Feng Yuzhen’s weak hands, her delicate and gentle expression when she gently pressed his temples.
It was like making an alcoholic who drank every day suddenly stop drinking. For Cui Jingkong to be able to sit here so straight was a testament to his strong will.
When he came back to his senses, he thought that at this time in the past, he would be alone with Feng Yuzhen under the oil lamp. He was too lazy to feign civility with them anymore. He just cupped his hands in a perfunctory salute. “Please forgive me, gentlemen. I am already married. I will not be able to accompany you.”
He stood up and left the table. Seeing the flat, round moon, he knew that it would soon be the twenty-third, the waning crescent moon. He felt a trace of annoyance in his heart and wanted to go back as soon as possible. But he would have to wait at least another ten days for the results to be announced. In addition, Zhong Changxun had been looking sickly these past two days, so it was uncertain how long they would be delayed on the road.
Cui Jingkong’s mind turned, and he went to a hotel to rent a horse. He rode back to the inn, went into his room, and first called for water. He washed himself thoroughly before taking out the clothes Feng Yuzhen had made for him and changing into them.
Feng Yuzhen was very thoughtful. She had considered that her brother-in-law was still growing in these past few years and had deliberately made the clothes loose to leave some room. But the measurements were probably still accurate. The fabric was smooth and cool, very comfortable to wear in the summer.
He was dressed neatly and had packed his luggage. He tied the pitifully small bundle to the back of the horse, knocked on the door, and after a quick word with the butler next door, he quickly mounted the horse and left.
“Aren’t you going to wait for the results?”
“No, I have an urgent matter at home. I’ll be leaving first.”
“What’s so urgent…?”
Before the butler could react, the young man on the horse had quickly disappeared into the distance. He stood there in a daze, and all that answered him was the dust kicked up by the horse’s hooves.