Chapter 29: The Thunder and Rain are All Imperial Favors (Middle)

  "Hum! You still ask me what I mean, you still have the nerve to ask me what I mean, you almost killed me. Today, you actually brought up Xue Daohe's poem again." Xiao Shouren saw Chen Chuan's puzzled expression and got angry. Are you kidding me? This is a matter of beheading! Does this girl really not know or is she intentionally trying to get herself killed?!

  "Huh? Xiao Shouren's words have made me even more confused, how could I harm Brother Xiao? These past few days, I've been actively spreading Brother Xiao's poems among the scholars, letting everyone know of Brother Xiao's great talent, and opening up more paths for his future career." Chen Chuan said with some resentment.

  Seeing Chen Chuan's attitude towards his little daughter, Xiao Shouren knew that Chen Chuan probably really didn't know that the poem she recited earlier was by Xue Daohe, nor did he know how Xue Daohe died or why. It seemed that he had overthought things.

  Chen Chuan felt really wronged at this moment, for so many years, he had never met someone who made him willing to put down his pride and make friends with him. He even helped spread the word about his talent in the group of scholars, but unexpectedly, he said Chen Chuan was going to be the death of him. Isn't that like a dog biting Lu Dongbin? What did he want from him anyway?

  "Tell me honestly, who told you that poem just now? Why did he tell you Xue Daoheng's poem and even let you recite it to me?" asked Xiao Shouren.

  "Huh? How did you know I didn't do it myself?" Chen Chuan's slight grievance dissipated in an instant, and his burning curiosity and inquisitive heart were immediately aroused, asking Xiao Shouren with great suspicion.

  "Nonsense, this is Xue Daohe's most famous poem in his life, I know it personally, and you still bring it up to deceive me, I really don't know what you're thinking." Xiao Shouren replied disdainfully.

  "Oh? Really? My brother told me this at noon, and I was thinking of a way to get you to recite more good poems. Coincidentally, my brother bumped into me and asked me, so I answered him. Then he taught me a trick called 'throwing a brick to attract jade' and told me about this poem, which just happens to be useful now. What's the problem?" Chen Chuan asked with a curious expression.

  "I see, I see, no problem, go back and thank your brother for me." Xiaoshouren understood as soon as he heard it, it seemed that these days he had become a celebrity in Shangcheng, many eyes were paying attention to him. Chen Chuan's brother must have also heard his poem, deliberately using Xue Dahu's poem to remind him to keep a low profile, or else he would end up like Xue Dahu.

  "Huh? Why are you thanking him? You haven't even said anything, what kind of riddle are you guys playing? Chen Chuan couldn't help but feel that the whole world understood what was going on, except for himself. And to make matters worse, he was the one who was supposed to convey this poem, yet his own brother and Xiao Shouren understood it, while he himself was left in the dark. This feeling was really unbearable."

  Xiao Shouren, however, did not respond to Chen Chuan's question. At this time, the little brother of Yunlai Inn had already brought up the dishes one after another. Xiao Shouren was eating and drinking by himself on the side, treating Chen Chuan as if he were air, without saying a word to him.

  Chen Chuandu was almost suffocated, Xiao Shouren didn't speak to him, and he kept eating and drinking, making Chen Chuandu gnash his teeth in hatred. However, there was nothing he could do, as the mouth belonged to someone else's face, and he couldn't ask anything.

  Finally, Chen Chuan saw that he couldn't ask anything more and stopped asking. He picked up his chopsticks to eat, thinking of ways to get Xiao Shouren to speak while eating. After a moment, an idea struck him.

  "Xiao brother, I won't hide it from you either. There are still a few geniuses around me. Since you're not willing to tell me the secrets behind it, I won't force it either. And I don't want you to compose poems for me anymore. I'll go back and ask our family's old scholars to write a few pieces. Tomorrow, I'll say in front of the group of scholars that they were written by Xiao brother. What do you think of this idea?" Chen Chuan asked with an innocent look on his face, and after asking, he took another sip of wine, looking relaxed and content.

  Xiao Shouren never thought that Chen Chuan would have such a move, it's really high-profile, now what he fears most is that his own reputation is too high, what he wants now is to keep a low profile.

  "Alright, alright, I admire you, Chen brother, this move is indeed wonderful. It seems that if I don't explain it clearly to you, I'll have a hard time getting away from you. So, let me analyze and explain it to you, and after listening, you must forget about it and not ask me for any poem lines again, okay?" Xiao Shouren thought for a moment, this matter doesn't have any bad consequences, as long as he explains the serious relationship behind it to her, she will definitely behave herself and stop causing trouble.

  "It depends on how Elder Xiao explains it. If it's truly reasonable, then I'll definitely follow Elder Xiao." Chen Chuan said with a laugh.

  How could Xiao Shouren not understand the meaning of this? It means that if what you say is unreasonable and cannot convince me, I will still come. However, Xiao Shouren knew that once he explained it, this little girl would definitely not ask him for any more poem lines again.

  "Hmm, alright, let's just say it's settled then. I wonder if Brother Chen knows anything about Xue Dao Heng?" asked Xiao Shou Ren.

  "Hmm, I knew a bit. Didn't you just say that the poem I recited was written by Xue Daoheng? What's going on? Is there some connection between him and...?" Chen Chuan asked in confusion.

  "This is a long story, you know Xue Dao Heng, do you know how Xue Dao Heng died?" asked Xiao Shou Ren tirelessly.

  "I knew it, I knew a bit, it seemed like he had committed some kind of crime and was beheaded by Your Majesty, what happened?"

  "What did he do? Hehe, it all started with his talent. He once wrote a poem called "Flying Soul and Night Crow", which was widely spread among the people. Later, he relied on his talent to be arrogant and offended Emperor Yang of Sui by speaking out for Gao Yun. As a result, he was sentenced to death by the emperor. You can say he was stupid, but indeed he was quite stupid. Originally, during the power struggle between Emperor Yang and Crown Prince Yang Yong, he and Gao Yun were on the side of Crown Prince Yang Yong. Now that Emperor Yang has taken the throne and forgiven everyone, he still dared to plead for Gao Yun, which naturally made Emperor Yang unhappy. However, after Emperor Yang sentenced Xue Daoheng to death, he happily said, 'Can Xue Daoheng still write "Empty Beam Falling Swallow Mud"?' What do you think he died of?"

  Xiao Shouren asked Chen Chuan Xiaolü about the story Yu Shenan had just told him. "Xue Daoheng, who was killed because of his writing talent, is not the first one in our dynasty. Wang Jiong, a court official, was another example. When Emperor Yang wrote a poem called 'Yan Ge Xing' and was very pleased with it, he asked his officials to respond with their own poems. Everyone else wrote ordinary poems, but Wang Jiong responded with the line 'Courtyard grass grows green without anyone's intention'. The crowd cheered, but this angered Emperor Yang. Not long after, Wang Jiong was beheaded, and Emperor Yang asked him face-to-face, 'Can you still write "Courtyard grass grows green without anyone's intention"?' That's why I said earlier that Emperor Yang is proud of his poem 'Yan Ge Xing', and Wang Jiong wrote 'Courtyard grass grows green without anyone's intention'. Now, Brother Chen plagiarized Xue Daoheng's sentence. Are you not afraid of meeting the same fate as Xue Daoheng in the future?"

  "Ah! How could this be?! This...this...my brother never told me about this!" Chen Chuan was also stunned. Anyone would understand Xiao Shouren's meaning now. Xue Daohe was killed because of his talent, and yet he had been helping Xiao Shouren spread his talent all along. Wasn't that harming him?

  "Haha, now you know, right? Your big brother deliberately called you to tell me this poem, the meaning is very clear, it's telling me not to be so high-profile, and at the same time, using my mouth to tell you not to be so high-profile, or else you'll lose your head." Xiao Shouren picked up the small wine cup in front of him, poured a cup of wine and slowly drank it, smiling slyly as he looked at Chen Chuan's constantly changing facial expression.

  After drinking three cups, Chen Chuan finally came to himself and realized what he had done. He was filled with regret, but there was nothing he could do about it now. What's done is done, so be it.

  "I'm really sorry, I had no idea there were so many things involved. If I had known, I definitely wouldn't have done it that way. I promise, I'll never come to ask you for poem lines again."

  Now that the conversation has started, it's easy to handle. Xiao Shouren and Chen Chuan chatted about some miscellaneous things, but they absolutely didn't mention anything about poetry or that sort of thing. After finishing dinner, when Xiao Shouren thought he had taken advantage of Chen Chuan, he realized his calculations were wrong. The shopkeeper hadn't asked them to pay the bill, and Chen Chuan didn't show any intention of paying either. Xiao Shouren could only sigh, preparing to take out his wallet himself, but when he handed the money over to the shopkeeper, the shopkeeper refused to accept it no matter what.

  "Xiao Shuai, no need to decline anymore. This Yunlai Inn is a family business of mine. Can't I even treat you to a meal without making you pay?" Chen Chuan said behind Xiao Shuai's back.

  It turns out that Xiao Shouren has finally figured it out, the owner of this Yunlai Inn is actually the master next to him. Of course, he doesn't need to pay for meals at his own home, no wonder Chen Chuan didn't plan to pay. However, this also indirectly explains a problem, that is, Chen Chuan's disguise technique really needs to be strengthened, and there is still much room for improvement. Even a small shopkeeper can recognize him as the young master.

  In the following days, Pei Chen didn't come to bother Xiao Shouren, and even Yang Guang wasn't disturbed by him. It was only when Xiao Shouren sent someone to investigate that he found out that the old man had returned to the Goguryeo camp to discuss terms with Gao Yuan.

  However, Xiao Shouren did not think so. He felt that the old man was intentionally dragging his feet, testing his patience.

  After all, the Sui Dynasty's army is known as a two-million-strong army. Even if it's not two million, there are still over one hundred million. Now, the grain and grass that fall in one day are unknown in quantity. No wonder someone said that fighting is just about capital.