Luna de Luzhou

Capítulo 43

Wu put down her own paper and took only Su Chen's. She looked at it again and again, and said with a smile, "It's really beautiful, but it's a pity that you're not very skilled at it yet. I guess you haven't practiced enough. Or maybe you just started writing this style not long ago. Oh well, practice more. It's very beautiful handwriting."

Su Chen blushed. This calligraphy style should be called Zhao style, or more precisely, Qi Gong Zhao style. Her real grandmother had loved calligraphy since childhood, and was repeatedly praised by her private tutor during her school days. Later, she practiced for several hours every day. She said that her favorite calligraphy style was that of Master Qi Gong, and that writing was like writing about a person; you could tell what kind of person someone was just by looking at their handwriting. After practicing calligraphy for fifty or sixty years, she had developed her own unique style. In her old age, while taking care of her granddaughter, she didn't care about anything else, but calligraphy was a must for her.

He Suchen practiced calligraphy for several years and eventually developed a certain level of skill. However, after going away to study, he stopped practicing and gradually lost his ability to write properly.

Now that I think about it, if my grandmother had preferred someone else's calligraphy instead of Qi Gong's, would I be able to recognize more traditional Chinese characters now?

She quickly gathered her scattered thoughts and was about to say something when suddenly the maid named Xiaoxian rushed in. As soon as she entered, she hurriedly bowed and said breathlessly, "Madam, the gatekeeper received a person who said he was here to deliver a letter. The letter was specifically addressed to you, Madam. The guard at the gate wanted to send him away, but the person took out Master Ye's personal jade pendant and said it was for you, Madam. The gatekeeper didn't dare to make the decision, so he sent someone to the inner room to tell him."

The slightly tense atmosphere in the room was quickly dispelled. Wu Shi, her face expressionless, asked, "Where is that letter?" Xiao Xian took out the letter, which Wu Shi glanced at, then closed again, saying, "Let that fellow sit in the side hall." Xiao Xian accepted the order and left.

Madam Wu turned to look at Su Chen, "Guazi has been here for half a day, he must be tired. Go back and rest first, and I will talk to you tonight."

Su Chen went downstairs suspiciously. The maid's eyes were flustered; she definitely knew something. Although she herself was curious and gossipy, this was clearly not a good thing, and she didn't want the household to encounter trouble right after she arrived.

Not long after he went downstairs, Su Shi came over, saying that He Ziyuan had something come up on the way and had been sent back. He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Do you know that Madam Wu has an older brother named Wu Xiye?"

"I've only heard of him once or twice. I've heard he's a bit careless and doesn't care much about his career, which is a waste of the name his father gave him." But why is he being brought up all of a sudden?

Su Shi seemed to see her confusion and said with a wry smile, "He's been detained. You came from the Wu family, so you should know that someone sent her a letter, right?"

"Kidnapping?! What could possibly be worth kidnapping?!" Su Chen was truly shocked this time. When he heard at the city gate that Zhenzhu Ji and Xiangmin Gong's son had been kidnapped, he merely lamented how unstable the capital was. But now, his own family was involved! Wasn't He Ziyuan's name supposed to have some deterrent effect? How come it's lost its power so quickly?!

Although Wu Xiye was not a famous or powerful figure and did not hold much influence in the capital, thanks to his father's influence and his brother-in-law's reputation, generally speaking, no one would make things difficult for him.

"It's said to be gambling debts. A few months ago, he went to Yangzhou with friends and was supposedly lured into losing over 200,000 taels of silver. The casino sold everything he owned, but they still couldn't pay it back. They made him write a letter home and bring it to the capital, saying that he needed money sent over, or else he'd rather die than give up his money." He Su said with a serious face. "What's strange now is that although he enjoys pleasures, he has always looked down on gambling. How come he's gambling so heavily now? Moreover, the letter asking for money wasn't sent to his home, but to his sister's residence instead."

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There are side stories about Su Shi in the work, which feature his father. Those who are interested can take a look.

Chapter Seven, Recitation

<><A><>The promotional function is now open! What are you waiting for? Join now!!!</A><> However, Wu only had one brother, and the number of people coming and going at the mansion quickly increased. He Ziyuan had no choice but to take Wu to the palace several times, and they also went to Prince Cheng's residence. Fortunately, a letter arrived from Suzhou soon. Suzhou is closer to Yangzhou, and Tang's mother had received the letter long ago and had already sent someone to handle the matter. Two days later, Emperor Huizong issued an edict to rectify the security of the capital, thoroughly investigate the two cases of the disappearance of Prince Cheng's son and the daughter of Duke Xiangmin, and sent people to investigate the recent cases of many ministers' relatives being detained in casinos, brothels, antique shops, auction houses, etc. Not long after the edict was issued, a concubine in the palace was so frightened by her brother's detention that she gave birth prematurely to a son. Fortunately, both mother and child were safe. Emperor Huizong had few children, and he was overjoyed to have a son at this time. He set a grand banquet in the court a month later.

To make matters worse, all four members of He Ziyuan's family were required to attend—which made Wu's heart, which had just been at ease after learning that her brother was safe, start to pound again.

She had originally expected to have about three months to prepare for the winter poetry gathering. She knew her daughter had fallen into the water for some reason and didn't remember much of what had happened. However, she hadn't expected her to forget everything she had learned so completely. Although the banquet was mostly about watching performances, she wasn't sure if they would suddenly feel like composing or singing poems. He Su Shi and He Su Chen were He Zi Yuan's children. If they attended the banquet, they would definitely be urged to go on stage if the topic of composing or singing poems came up.

Because of this mishap, Su Chen's task became much heavier. She absolutely had to master at least the basics of poetry before the grand banquet, and at the very least, not make a mess of it. The problem was that Shen Qintian had been sent to Yangzhou and wouldn't be back for a while, so Madam Wu had to personally teach him.

This was nothing short of a disaster for Su Chen!

Shen Qintian typically teaches one class every ten days, and the workload isn't too heavy. His teaching mainly consists of storytelling, occasionally interspersed with his own understanding of the books and his insights into court politics. Overall, it's quite interesting.

However, this was under the premise of no pressure. Now that Madam Wu has taken the lead, everything is done quickly. According to her, dealing with this grand banquet should be done urgently, and careful and steady preparation is the most important thing.

Mr. Wu firmly believed that if one could memorize three hundred Tang poems, even if one couldn't compose poetry, one could still recite it. By the same token, he believed the same applied to writing lyrics. So he selected more than two thousand of his favorite short poems and lyrics, and had his students memorize them within five days, after which he would check their work.

Su Chen was in tears... After trying for two days, she finally decided to fight at night!

I used to hear people say that in ancient times, literature was the foundation of one's life; now, she believes that poetry is the foundation of her life.

These things weren't necessary for daily life, but for a woman from a noble family, poetry was an essential skill. At gatherings of unmarried women, the competition wasn't about needlework, cooking, or household management; it was about talent and poetry… Although she struggled with memorization, she understood her situation. If there was anything she understood most deeply in the past six months, it was her own predicament. She wanted to live comfortably, and she also harbored the infatuated thought of using modern ideas and knowledge to thrive, attract attention, and be universally loved.

But it's not that simple! She didn't know about other dynasties, but transmigrating to the Song Dynasty was painful! She could only roughly understand the Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Kaifeng dialects of that time, but she couldn't understand many of the customs and expressions at all. She also had to adapt to many etiquette, culture, and ethical norms, which made her want to cry.

Looking back on those first few months, she heard countless unfamiliar words every day. She didn't dare to ask anyone easily, and she would keep guessing what those words meant when she went to sleep at night. She was terrified when she saw other people looking at her strangely, and she was worried that there might be something wrong with what she said or did. There was no one she could confide in, no one she could believe. The oppressive feeling of having nowhere to talk, no way to express herself, and no way to think almost crushed her.

I remember once seeing a very young girl in Tang's mother's room. She instinctively greeted her as "Sister," only to be met with astonishment from everyone in the room. She was confused and bewildered. How could she possibly know, without being told, that this "girl" was already married and even had children? She couldn't identify her by her hair, hairstyle, or clothes; she was completely unaware!

At her worst, she even went insane and wanted to shout at the top of her lungs, "I'm from another time! You all go about your business! I want to see Emperor Huizong of Song! Have him send me back!"

Therefore, when He Su Shi appeared, she almost looked at him as a god. He saved her; otherwise, after living like this for several years, she didn't know whether she would have exploded or perished.

Humans are highly adaptable, but there are limits. The journey, the unfamiliar, the chaos, the setbacks, and countless negative feelings of inferiority and collapse had brought her to the brink of collapse.

Thankfully, Su Chen sighed, thankfully she had made it through. She turned her attention to the "Dongpo Cilin" in her hands, trying to convince herself that treating it like a novel or TV series would improve her memorization skills. After spending a whole day on this book, she felt nauseous from memorizing it.

Just as she was pondering the line "Only tears flowed in thousands of lines," the candlelight before her was obscured by a shadow; it was He Su Shi who had come over. He had gone on a trip to the capital with He Zi Yuan two days ago, leaving early and returning late, and the two siblings had not seen each other for three days.

He Su Shi hadn't been to this room for several days, and when he came in today, he was startled by the tall stack of books on the table. He stood with one foot inside the door and the other outside, refusing to go in. "What are you doing?"

“As you can see,” Su Chen said irritably, “a beautiful woman adds fragrance to the night while I read.” She spoke each word sharply, completely ruining the sensual feeling of that famous poem.

He Su Shi couldn't help but laugh. He stepped in, pulled up a chair, sat down, picked up two books, flipped through them, and said, "You want to read them all?"

“I have to memorize them all…” she corrected painfully.

He Su Shi looked reluctant to see it happen. “Actually, you don’t have to be so miserable. We can try to guess what kind of questions he will ask at the banquet next month. It would be best if you don’t have to write poems. If you do have to write poems, write a few dozen in advance, memorize them, and then we can get through this one first.”

"It's something you always have to learn; it's something you have to know no matter what. I guess I'll just have to cram before the exam," she sighed.

He Su Shi also sighed a little. He deliberately changed the subject and talked about the Tokyo street scenes he had seen outside in the past two days and some little stories. His choice of words and sentences was very vivid. Then he suddenly said, "I heard that there will be celebrations at the big banquet next month. It is said that there will be songs and dances."

"What's so strange about that? It would be strange if there were no songs or dances at the banquet." She didn't seem to care.

However, He Sushi suppressed a laugh and said, "It is said that the songs and dances were personally choreographed and directed by Emperor Huizong of Song."

? ! !

Is she sick, or has Emperor Huizong gone mad?! Does he intend to have the courtesan imitate the time-traveling heroine and sing "Red Dust"?! Su Chen broke out in a cold sweat, "Are you kidding me?!"

Chapter 8, Attending the Banquet

<><A><>The promotional function is now open! What are you waiting for? Join us now!!!</A><> In late summer, the heat in the air has not yet dissipated, and the crimson sunset on the horizon is gradually dimming, giving people an inexplicable feeling of restlessness and irritability.

Granny Sun helped Su Chen change into layers of dresses, while Dong Kui styled her hair according to the prescribed pattern, adding headdresses, accessories, brooches, and earrings. Su Chen put on the jade bracelet given to her by Madam Cui with her right hand and slipped on soft shoes. Granny Sun took two steps back, examined her for a while, and said with satisfaction, "That's about right. I always said that although our young lady hasn't fully blossomed yet, she is still very elegant, far surpassing ordinary daughters of officials." Dong Kui was adjusting the hem of her skirt when she heard Granny Sun say this and couldn't help but smile.