Chu Jiubian could sense the omnipresent gazes before he even disembarked the carriage.

In a daze, he even felt as if he had returned to the modern era and was about to get out of a car and walk the red carpet.

As if he would be greeted by excited cheers from his fans outside, as well as blinding flashes from the media.

He lowered his eyes slightly, face devoid of any extraneous expression, and his demeanor became even more distant and aloof.

He hadn’t forgotten his persona – he had to be proud and indifferent.

The carriage slowly came to a stop, and Qin Chaoyang’s voice sounded from outside: “Young Master, we have arrived at the Treasure Pavilion.”

Chu Jiubian stood up, and Qin Chaoyang lifted the curtain at just the right moment.

The people all around no longer hid their gazes, and stared straight at him.

The black and gold curtain lifted, and a slender, pale hand reached out to rest lightly against the door. Then came the hem of a robe trimmed with crimson clouds, along with a black boot.

Long, silver-white hair slid down his shoulders as the young man bent down and stepped out of the carriage.

Once he stood in place, everyone noticed how tall the slender man was, even taller than Qin Chaoyang standing next to him.

Of course, the most eye-catching aspects were his strange head of hair and that face.

Lu Jinfeng crossed his arms and looked him over twice, then turned toward Xiao Yao beside him and asked: “How does this Jiu-gongzi’s appearance compare to that of the Xiao family daughters?”

“Each has their own merits.” Xiao Yao’s eyes gleamed brightly. “However, this Jiu-gongzi’s merits go far beyond just his appearance.”

Having said this, he paced toward Chu Jiubian.

Lu Jinfeng naturally followed suit, unwilling to be left behind.

Everyone had initially thought that Qin Xiao would come along to keep a close eye on Chu Jiubian in order to keep others from taking advantage of the situation.

Therefore, many people, including Xiao Yao, had wracked their brains to come up with a way to strike up a conversation with Chu Jiubian.

Unexpectedly, Qin Xiao had released this person so openly. Was he really that confident that Chu Jiubian wouldn’t be recruited by other forces, or had he made other preparations?

As for Qin Chaoyang accompanying Chu Jiubian, no one saw him as anything other than a servant.

When masters were talking, servants were not allowed to voice their thoughts; their presence or absence made no difference.

Chu Jiubian cast a cool gaze over the crowd. From their positions and expressions, he could pretty much determine who held higher status and who was just there to be part of the fun.

He looked unflinchingly at the people walking toward him.

The newcomers were a slender, effeminate man and a well-muscled man with a cold face. They were both dressed in top-quality fabrics, and the jade pendants hanging at their waists were obviously the best money could buy.

And the moment they arrived, others who were trying to get closer stopped in their tracks. Most of them chose to go into the Treasure Pavilion first, leaving only a handful of people standing outside.

If anyone could read Chu Jiubian’s thoughts, they would be surprised to find that everyone remaining outside the Treasure Pavilion were those he had previously determined to be of high status.

In a private room on the second floor facing the street, Wang Huanzhi, the head of the Langya Wang family, stood at the window. Dressed in white, his figure was as straight as bamboo as he looked down at the people below, gently fanning himself with the folding fan in his hand.

“Has Jiu-gongzi finally arrived?” An elderly man sitting at the table took a sip of tea, no trace of impatience to be seen.

Wang Huanzhi asked: “Does Xiansheng know who else is left downstairs?”

The old man named Wang Zhang – who was also Wang Huanzhi’s strategist – said indifferently: “Just some of the most powerful people in the capital.”

“Three ministers, five deputy ministers, two generals…..” Wang Huanzhi chuckled. “They all arrived rather quickly.”

“Is the patriarch not going down to meet that person?”

“He’s just a charlatan.” Wang Huanzhi turned and sat back down at the table. “My Wang family has been a family of upright officials for generations. To associate ourselves with such a person would surely make all the great scholars and Confucianists of the world laugh their heads off.”

The Langya Wang family was renowned for their literary pursuits, producing many great scholars and Confucianists. They had been at the center of power since the previous dynasty, with a prime minister for several terms, and holding more than a dozen minister and deputy minister positions. Their pupils and former officials were spread all throughout the Great Ning Dynasty, and they were the most well-regarded amongst the four great families.

Whenever members of the Wang family came up in conversation, even the most ignorant people offered them a little more respect.

Therefore, the Wang family was equivalent to the largest public opinion group in the Great Ning Dynasty. If they wanted to promote someone, they could even promote a pig.

Correspondingly, if they wanted to ruin someone, they could drown that person in their spittle.

So-called verbal and written attacks were the foundation of the Wang family’s existence.

Naturally, the Wang family was very concerned about their reputation. They always maintained a proper demeanor, exuding an air of superiority as if they were looking down on everyone around them.

The current head of the Wang family, Wang Huanzhi, was no exception.

Wang Zhang poured him a cup of tea and said in a warm tone: “Has the family head forgotten those two poems?”

Wang Huanzhi paused.

“That Jiu-gongzi is indeed a pretentious charlatan, but the poets behind him, Li Bai and Li Qingzhao, are two great talents.” Wang Zhang patiently persuaded him, “No one, including my Langya Wang clan, would ever accept such a person.”

Wang Huanzhi lightly stroked the rim of his teacup with his fingertips. After a moment of contemplation, he said: “Rest assured, Xiansheng. My Wang family would never stoop to the level of sycophants, but my good-for-nothing eldest son is someone who loves to go along with the crowd.”

He himself was unwilling to stoop to the level of befriending Chu Jiubian, but his eldest son was.

Since that child had already gone astray and embarrassed the Wang family more than once, what harm was there in losing face a few more times?

Seeing his reaction, Wang Zhang could only sigh. He didn’t attempt to persuade him any further.

That young master had long since lost his loyalty to Wang Huanzhi, the family head. Even if he did actually form a relationship with Chu Jiubian, it wasn’t certain that such a relationship would transfer over to Wang Huanzhi.

But Wang Huanzhi was used to this, and never took that child seriously.

Wang Zhang naturally didn’t believe that the young master would amount to much; he was only able to maintain his place in the family due to the old lady’s favor.

But the old lady was getting on in age, and once she passed away, the young master would have no one to rely on in this family and could have no influence on Wang Huanzhi.

At the thought of this, Wang Zhang relaxed. Since Wang Huanzhi was unwilling to befriend Chu Jiubian, they would first observe the outcome of the other powerful figures’ actions.

Downstairs, Qin Chaoyang whispered to Chu Jiubian: “Those two are Xiao Yao, the head of the Xiao family, and Lu Jinfeng, the head of the Lu family.”

So they were the heads of two of the four great families. No wonder the others wisely left first.

Chu Jiubian gazed indifferently at the two people who had approached him, as if he were truly an emotionless god looking down upon all living beings from on high.

Lu Jinfeng’s brow was furrowed, having formed a deep “川” shape over the years. His sharp eyes swept across Chu Jiubian’s face with an immense sense of pressure.

Xiao Yao, however, gave him a warm, genial smile and bowed to Chu Jiubian, saying: “You must be Jiu-gongzi, Chu Jiubian? I am Xiao Yao, or Xiao Zimei, the current head of the Lin’an Xiao family. I have long admired you, Young Master, and it is a pleasure to finally meet you today.”

Lu Jinfeng then cupped his hands in turn and said in a deep voice: “I am Lu Jinfeng, the current head of the Wuwei Lu family, courtesy name Liaoyuan. I have long admired you.”

Chu Jiubian nodded to the two of them in acknowledgement of their greetings.

He was a god, and had only been down on earth for a few days, so he naturally couldn’t act too much like a human.

But if necessary, he would learn such etiquette so that he wouldn’t feel too awkward or embarrassed when attending the morning court sessions.

His attitude just about threw the two people in front of him off balance.

Lu Jinfeng’s frown deepened, while Xiao Yao, after a moment of surprise, smiled again and said: “The auction must be about to begin. Young Master, please.”

Chu Jiubian smoothly stepped forward and walked ahead of the two.

Xiao Yao followed a step behind, then walked beside Chu Jiubian.

Lu Jinfeng didn’t follow, but instead remained where he was. Minister of Revenue Su Sheng, Minister of War Lu Youwei, and Deputy Minister of Works Xiao Wendao were watching, among others. They had originally intended to find an opportunity to speak with Chu Jiubian, but seeing that the other party hadn’t even given face to two family heads, they decided not to make fools of themselves.

“Gentlemen, how about we stop standing here like idiots?” Xiao Wendao gestured around the group.

“Please, Minister Xiao.” The others were courteous to each other as they entered the Treasure Pavilion.

They didn’t linger on the first floor, but ascended to the second.

Chu Jiubian was also led by Qin Chaoyang to the private box the hosts had prepared for Qin Xiao.

Xiao Yao’s private box was right next door. He smiled and said: “If the Young Master gets bored, he can come and find me at any time.”

Chu Jiubian nodded, and his expression seemed to soften considerably.

Xiao Yao’s smile deepened, and he only turned to leave after Chu Jiubian’s door closed.

“Young Master, the view from here is quite good. You can see all of the items up for auction onstage.” Qin Chaoyang wiped off the chair for him.

Chu Jiubian walked over and found that what was called a private box was actually just a railing half a person high facing the other stands.

It didn’t obstruct the view, but it also offered no privacy. Let alone talking, if one even flicked their hair in the private box, the people in other private boxes could see it clearly.

A pair of large mahogany chairs had been placed in front of the railing facing the stands. There was a small table between them, upon which were tea, snacks, and fruit.

Chu Jiubian took a seat on the left and looked at the private box directly opposite him.

Two people sat there: a middle-aged man in flowing white robes and an old, white-bearded man who looked more like a deity than Chu Jiubian did.

“Those two are Wang Huanzhi, the head of the Langya Wang family, and Wang Zhang, an elder and strategist of the clan,” Qin Chaoyang introduced in a low voice.

Chu Jiubian nodded, then looked over at the other private boxes.

The various nobles, officials, and ministers were almost all men, except for two adjacent rooms where women were seated.

A dozen or so ladies and young women were dressed in fine clothes, with thin veils covering the lower halves of their faces.

“Those are the young ladies and wives of various families, who came out with the lords and young masters to have fun.”

Confucianism flourished in the Great Ning Dynasty, and the concepts of the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Virtues, as well as male superiority, had long been deeply-engrained in the minds of the people.

In addition, with books such as <<Female Conduct>> and <<Admonitions for Women>> becoming mainstream, these young ladies and wives kept to themselves and their families, rarely venturing out. They would only attend flower-appreciation banquets or similar events organized by women, and seldom showed their faces in public.

They could only go out with the men in their families on occasions such as auctions and the Qixi Festival, and even then, they had to wear a veil.

Chu Jiubian didn’t look at the women for long, but he had a good eye and was adept at reading people.

Thus, with a quick glance, he remembered their features and figures, and could basically guess their personalities from the liveliness or gentleness of their eyes.

“When will Qin Xiao arrive?” Chu Jiubian asked.

“In an hour.”

This one hour was the chance Qin Xiao was giving others, including Chu Jiubian, to see whether he could be won over by someone else.

If Chu Jiubian truly was persuaded to someone’s side, Qin Xiao wouldn’t move against him tonight – but that may not be the case in the future.

After all, nobody understood Chu Jiubian’s abilities better than Qin Xiao. If such a person couldn’t be used by him, then he must not be allowed to remain.

Chu Jiubian was also very clear on this matter.

With most everyone present, the auction officially commenced.

This was not Chu Jiubian’s first time participating in an auction. In order to excel in the role of an auctioneer, he had even gone to learn how to do it and had observed dozens of auctions in person.

Watching this process that was nearly identical to modern procedures, he wasn’t interested at all.

Of course, this was also because the items up for auction were either paintings by some master, beautiful and exquisite jewelry, and a few so-called martial arts manuals or precious swords that could cut through iron like mud…..

Very few people participated in the bidding, and the selling prices were not very high. In two quarters of an hour, just little over twenty items had been auctioned off.

This was partly because of Chu Jiubian. Most people present today were here for him rather than to bid on anything, so they naturally had no interest in joining the crowd.

However, these people were biding their time, and aside from the two family heads at the beginning, no one came to strike up a conversation with him.

Chu Jiubian’s enthusiasm was waning. Since no one was coming to him, he might as well out to try his luck.

“I’m going out for a walk,” he said to Qin Chaoyang as he stood up. “No need for you to follow me.”

“Yes.” Qin Chaoyang obediently stayed in the private box.

The fact that no one was following him openly didn’t mean that they weren’t doing so in secret.

Chu Jiubian knew very well that even if Qin Chaoyang wasn’t with him, Qin Xiao’s secret guards were still around, so he would still be safe even if someone attacked him.

However, once Qin Chaoyang stopped following him, his goal of being alone became particularly clear.

The first person to spot him was Xiao Yao, who had been keeping an eye on the situation next door.

Chu Jiubian had only taken a few steps out of the private box when Xiao Yao followed him out and said with a look of pleasant surprise: “What a coincidence. Is the Young Master feeling bored too?”

“En,” Chu Jiubian replied.

Xiao Yao came up to his side and smiled: “The Young Master hasn’t been upstairs yet. Many scholars and gentlemen are there, as well as courtesans putting on performances. Would you like to go and have a look?”

It seemed the head of the Xiao family was making his move.

Chu Jiubian readily agreed: “Let’s go.”

Xiao Yao’s smile became more genuine as he led him up to the third floor.

The moment they stepped inside, they were greeted by the sound of string and woodwind instruments. Different from the two floors below, there were more private rooms with closed doors, from which zither music and lively conversations drifted out.

“I wonder if you have heard of Gongjin-xiansheng?” Xiao Yao asked.

“Is his surname Zhou?” Chu Jiubian asked subconsciously.

Xiao Yao shook his head: “His surname is Bai.”

Chu Jiubian had automatically thought of Zhou Gongjin from the Three Kingdoms period, but when he ran through the original text again in his mind, he couldn’t find mention of him. “Never heard of him,” he said.

Xiao Yao gave him a sideways glance, seemingly surprised that a dignified young master like Chu Jiubian would speak so bluntly.

However, taking into consideration that he might be from some reclusive family or power base, and was someone who rarely engaged in worldly affairs, it carried a sense of rustic charm.

In fact, Chu Jiubian was simply unaccustomed to how ancient people spoke, and would habitually use some more modern expressions.

However, his chosen identity was not from this world, so he simply declined to change his speaking patterns and spoke however he pleased.

Xiao Yao led him forward to the largest and most central private room: “This Gongjin-xiansheng came from Jiangnan two years ago. He was not yet twenty years old, but his literary talent was outstanding. Rumor has it that he could compose poetry at the age of three, debate the classics with great Confucian scholars by five, and was recommended for officialdom at ten. But he found the vicissitudes of officialdom restrictive, and resigned to wander freely.”

“He has been in the capital for two years now, and runs the Treasure Pavilion. When it comes to poetry, none of the so-called scholars and literary giants in the capital are a match for him; everyone says that he is the most valuable item in this Treasure Pavilion.”

Chu Jiubian nodded and said: “That is indeed impressive.”

He knew what Xiao Yao intended to do.

He wanted to know for himself whether this “immortal” had investment potential, and whether he was really backed by the so-called “Immortal Poet” and “Li Qingzhao.”

His other miracles were difficult to verify, but this one could be determined quickly and with little effort.

Xiao Yao was likely not the only one with this idea in mind. Other powerful figures had been observing without taking action, presumably waiting to see the results of this test.

All of these people were exceptionally shrewd.

However, could their knowledge of poetry compare to his?

Chu Jiubian’s gaze was deep and unfathomable.

Since it was like this, he was definitely about to reap another wave of Faith Points.

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Chapter 16 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 18