Chapter 41 - ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 41
In another nearby estate, there were two flowering crabapple trees planted in the courtyard, and at this moment, they were in full bloom, displaying vibrant colors of deep red and light pink. They looked as if they were adorned in rich makeup, and it seemed that the blossoms would not last much longer. The sun cast shadows on the stone steps, and the breeze caused the leaves to rustle, creating a charming play of tree shadows.
A group of young gentlemen sat in the main hall, some reclining, some sitting upright, snacking on melon seeds and sipping tea. None of them had a proper posture. One of them, with his legs propped up on a grand chair, was even playing with grasshoppers. He asked, “Pei, my friend, you’ve made us travel all the way from the capital, do you have a plan in mind?”
Someone who knew about the plan quickly chimed in, “Yes, yes, tell us about it.”
Others who were not aware asked, “What plan? What is Pei trying to do? Why aren’t we informed?”
“This is a long story,” someone explained with a chuckle. “Pei has set his sights on a young lady and wants to get close to her. Every evening, he sneaks off to the entrance of the Summer Palace, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. But it seems he hasn’t exchanged a single word with the lady, despite all his efforts.”
The person was surprised and asked, “Wow, who is this young lady? Pei seems to be quite unfortunate.”
“She’s from the Li family, the cousin of Li Xingzhi. What’s her name again? Zhizi or Zhizhi? Anyway, Pei has been coveting her for a long time. A few days ago, when he saw Li Xingzhi asking around about the North Screen Villa, he found out that his cousin was coming to this mountain area for a visit. So, he hurried over here, hoping for a chance encounter with the lady.”
The one playing with grasshoppers teased, “Pei, you’re in quite a predicament, aren’t you?”
The others laughed and joked, “Pei, it seems like you’re not doing so well.”
“Enough, everyone shut up,” seeing that the conversation was going off track, Pei Yanchuan scolded impatiently, “Who’s talking about dogs and snapping turtles? Who’s the dog, and who’s the snapping turtle? Are any of you?”
“Alright, alright,” someone interjected, trying to diffuse the situation, “Don’t provoke Brother Pei. Tomorrow he might unleash his dogs on you.”
The group burst into laughter and banter, creating a lively atmosphere in the hall, until the topic was eventually brought back to the main issue by the person who mentioned “snapping turtles”: “Brother Pei invited us here today to seek advice on how to have a chance encounter with that beautiful lady and win her heart. Zhang Shao, you always brag about having countless female admirers; you must have some skills. Can you offer some advice to Brother Pei?”
Zhang, the young gentleman, pondered for a moment and said, “Give her money?”
Instantly, there was a chorus of disapproval, and someone jokingly scolded, “That’s a method for dealing with courtesans. She’s a proper young lady. Unless you want to bring the national treasury, that won’t work.”
Another person suggested, “Then why not have a matchmaker arrange a marriage proposal? It’s straightforward and saves time.”
Everyone shook their heads in disagreement, saying, “That lacks romantic appeal. What if the lady refuses? Then Brother Pei will have no future chances.”
After much discussion, various ideas were proposed and rejected, each person holding their own views. They nearly started arguing right then and there. Pei Yanchuan listened and felt deeply disappointed. He had never done anything like this before and had thought that these young gentlemen, who boasted so much, were experts in such matters. However, he now realized that they were all talk.
As the saying goes, “Three shoemakers can surpass a Zhuge Liang.” Suddenly, someone suggested, “How about writing a poem? Those delicate young ladies often enjoy composing and reciting poetry. Let Brother Pei compose a poem and present it to that lady. Express his intentions through poetry, and who knows, it might catch the lady’s eye?”
As soon as everyone heard this, they all felt it made sense. Pei Yanchuan had been listening for a while and thought that this idea seemed more reasonable. However, a problem arose when the gentleman who had suggested the idea of cricket fighting asked, “Brother Pei, can you compose poetry?”
The moment this question was asked, the air fell silent. Someone slowly replied, “Compose a playful poem?”
This immediately led to a burst of laughter, leaving Pei Yanchuan speechless. His family had a long history of martial traditions, with his great-grandfather having been a military general who had earned great achievements in battles. This had earned him the title of a marquis. His father and older brother had also pursued military careers. Pei Yanchuan had grown up learning martial arts and had no interest in scholarly pursuits. Even when his mother chased after him with a chicken feather duster while scolding him, it was of no use.
Forcing him to compose poetry was as futile as giving him a beating.
Just then, the bamboo curtain at the door was suddenly lifted from the outside, and a young man with a handsome and jade-like appearance appeared at the entrance. He was dressed in dark blue formal attire, sitting on a carriage, his phoenix-like eyes filled with a smile. The sandalwood prayer beads on his wrist reflected a faint glimmer of daylight. He looked at the crowd and said, “It seems quite lively here. It appears I’ve arrived a bit late.”
The bamboo curtain continued to sway gently, but the room fell into an eerie silence. The smiles on the faces of the young gentlemen gradually froze, yet no one dared to speak. The gentleman who had suggested the cricket fighting idea continued to glare at Pei Yanchuan, as if he wanted to grab him by the neck and shake him while demanding answers.
Weren’t they just here for themselves? Why had the Crown Prince unexpectedly arrived?
Pei Yanchuan was also somewhat bewildered, but he saw Xu Tingfeng pushing Xiao Yan into the room and quickly stepped forward to pay his respects, saying, “Greetings, Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”
Xiao Yan casually waved his hand and said, “I had some free time today, so I dropped by. I overheard your lively conversation outside, and it seemed quite exciting. What’s going on?”
The group of people looked at each other, and among them were some who had been hanging out with Pei Yanchuan for a long time and had shared a few drinks with the Crown Prince. One of them gathered the courage to speak, “Brother Pei has found someone he’s interested in, and he’s seeking our advice.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow and looked at Pei Yanchuan. “Who is this charming lady?”
Since matters had come to this point, Pei Yanchuan had no reason to hide anything. He decided to be straightforward, saying, “Your Highness has probably met her before. She is the young lady from the Li family, the one who has a close relationship with the Seventh Princess and the Crown Princess.”
“Li Zhizhi?” Xiao Yan was genuinely surprised this time. He asked, “Why do you like her?”
Pei Yanchuan blushed suddenly and touched his nose, speaking hesitantly, “At the Spring Festival banquet, the moment I laid eyes on her… I thought she was beautiful.”
He remembered that day, under the weeping willow tree, with flowers falling like snowflakes. The young girl had delicate and beautiful features, and when she looked up, her long, butterfly-like eyelashes trembled gently, creating an indescribable charm.
“I see,” Xiao Yan nodded slightly. As he thought about Li Zhizhi, her face was indeed very beautiful, especially her clear, innocent eyes that seemed capable of enchanting anyone. It was only normal for Pei Yanchuan to be attracted to her, if not for…
When he finally snapped out of his daze, he heard that Pei Yanchuan’s friends were already discussing how to compose poetry. Pei Yanchuan picked up his pen, contemplated deeply, and finally wrote a line. The people around him immediately commented, “This line is too straightforward; it might offend the young lady.”
Pei Yanchuan had no choice but to cross it out and rewrite another line. Someone said, “This one is too subtle; what does the beauty of begonias have to do with the lady you admire?”
Dou Qiuqiu, a friend, argued, “This is using an object to represent a person, praising that girl as more delicate than the flower. What do you understand? You, someone who consistently gets third-rate grades in literature, understand how to write poetry?”
The person, feeling embarrassed and angry, retorted, “You make it sound like you’ve never received a third-rate grade.”
“I’ve received third-rate grades, but not as many as you.”
“You—”
“Enough!” Pei Yanchuan was getting exasperated with the bickering and crumpled the paper. He sighed and said, not very kindly, “If you want to fight, go outside. His Royal Highness is present, and this is really a disgrace to culture.”
Xiao Yan remained silent, just smiling. Suddenly, Pei Yanchuan asked him, “Your Highness, do you have any good ideas?”
With this question, everyone fell silent, eagerly waiting for Xiao Yan’s response. Xiao Yan was genuinely taken aback and didn’t immediately answer. Pei Yanchuan sighed in disappointment and said, “It seems Your Highness hasn’t had a particular person in mind. Well, I suppose you haven’t had any opportunities to consider such matters.”
He then picked up his pen again and continued to ponder those two lines of crooked poetry. It was true, as he had mentioned. Xiao Yan had grown to this age without giving much thought to matters of love, and no woman had piqued his interest, except for Li Zhizhi from earlier.
However, people are inherently competitive, even the Crown Prince is no exception. Have you ever heard the expression “never seen a pig run” or “never tasted pork” before? A dignified man of seven feet, how can he be underestimated in such matters, especially by someone like Pei Yanchuan, who is so inexperienced?
Xiao Yan slightly squinted his phoenix eyes and said, “I believe that the matter of showing affection, fundamentally, is nothing more than a game.”
Hearing this, Pei Yanchuan was truly taken aback and asked, “What do you mean by a game? Please elaborate.”
Everyone in the room pricked up their ears, held their breath, and eagerly awaited the Crown Prince’s insights into matters of love. You never know when you might need them in the future.
Under the watchful gaze of so many pairs of eyes, Xiao Yan remained calm and composed. He lightly tapped the armrest of his chair with his fingertips and said, “It’s just like when two armies are at war. Capturing a city is the lower level of warfare, and capturing hearts is the higher level. Conventional battles are at the lower level, while battles of the heart are at the higher level.”
Although Pei Yanchuan had never been fond of studying since childhood, he had read his fair share of military books. His face showed a pensive expression, which some people found puzzling, and he humbly asked, “May I ask, Your Highness, what is meant by capturing a city and capturing a heart?”
Everyone suddenly had a moment of realization, and Xiao Yan continued to impart his wisdom, “Capturing a city involves offering wealth or power to force the other party into submission. This is the lower level of warfare.”
Everyone nodded in understanding, and Xiao Yan continued to guide them, “Capturing a heart requires patience and careful planning. It’s about taking small steps and gradually working towards it until the other party willingly lets down their guard and opens their heart. When that happens, it can be considered a complete victory.”
Although everyone listened with varying degrees of comprehension, Pei Yanchuan scratched his nose and cautiously asked, “So, Your Highness, what should I do now? Do I still need to…write poetry?”
Xiao Yan, with a hint of a smile in his phoenix eyes, guided him further, “What is the fourth strategy in Sun Tzu’s ‘The Art of War’?”
Pei Yanchuan answered without hesitation, “To wait at one’s ease while the enemy is hard-pressed.”
Xiao Yan then said, “Poetry is still necessary, but you can follow my advice.”
With that said, Pei Yanchuan folded the prepared letter and couldn’t help but hesitate, “Will this really work?”
Xiao Yan confidently said, “There’s at least a ninety percent chance of success.”
Pei Yanchuan couldn’t help but smile, but then a new problem arose. He hesitated and asked, “Who should we entrust with delivering this letter?”
He looked around, and his friends and acquaintances all took a step back, clearly unwilling to take on this task. One of them explained, “Don’t look at me, Brother Pei. I’ve never met your Miss Li.”
Another one waved his hand, saying, “I’m no good either, Brother Pei. I start stuttering as soon as I see a girl, and I can’t even speak properly. I’d rather not embarrass you.”
The playful man named Dou Quqiu grinned and said, “I’m blessed with good looks, a handsome appearance, and a charismatic charm. If Miss Li happens to notice me, it wouldn’t be fair to you, Brother Pei.”
Someone even came up with a quirky idea, “Why not tie the letter to an arrow, and you can shoot it in front of the young lady, Brother Pei? That would be a brilliant idea.”
Finally, Pei Yanchuan’s gaze fell on Xiao Yan. The implication was clear, and after some thought, Xiao Yan extended his hand and said, “I’ll take it to her for you.”
Pei Yanchuan was overjoyed and promptly handed over the letter, saying, “Thank you very much, Your Highness.”