Chapter 003: Renown

Wang and Pan immediately showed embarrassment and fell silent.

Zhang Zixiang laughed heartily and called over the waiter, instructing him to prepare the carriage for An Keluo

It is not surprising that the young man of the Wang family is impolite; he then smiled and said: "So it is Brother Qin. Brother Qin's reputation for talent is well-known throughout the two Zhejiang provinces; seeing you today, it is indeed as the rumors say"

Taking a slight breath, she glanced at the man sitting beside her, curious to see what kind of man could possess such courage to utter such words

Her name is Guo Shuyun. She said to Zhang Zixiang: "I truly apologize for disturbing you today, Manager Zhang. I still wish to take the girl to explore elsewhere, so I will take my leave now"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zixiang composed himself and said with a serious expression: "Master Chu treats Miss An as if she were his own daughter; how could he bear to let her perform on stage for a living..."

Zhang Zixiang rubbed his palms together and said with a smile, "Miss An, you are truly too polite. Today, I have not been a good host, and I will certainly make it up to you next time we have the opportunity."

Zhang Zixiang glanced over and said to the waiter, "Go and bring another plate of scallion rabbit and chopped chili beef for Young Master Qin."

Zhang Zixiang did not understand the meaning of her words and remained silent, at a loss for words

Soon someone asked: "If that is the case, does the shopkeeper know why Miss An is at the Tianyin Building but never takes the stage? I imagine that with Miss An's talent and beauty, if she were to take the stage, she would surely astonish the world."

As soon as her head tilted away, her gaze met a pair of slender yet distinctly black-and-white eyes. She shifted her gaze slightly and saw the two slanted eyebrows that pierced through the hair above those eyes, along with the tightly pressed thin lips below.

As soon as Zhang Zixiang finished speaking, someone next to him immediately replied: "Manager Zhang, you have been in the capital for too long. Little did you know that in the past two years, the reputation of Miss An from Tianyin Tower has already spread beyond the capital. For those of us living in counties and states a bit closer to the capital, we often hear tales about Miss An."

The man speaking appeared somewhat excited, and then said: "Setting aside other matters for now, let us speak solely of last year's unprecedented drought that occurred once in several decades. Migrants from outside disregarded all obstacles and surged into the capital, coinciding with the court's military actions in the northwest, leaving the national treasury depleted. His Majesty issued an edict commanding all merchants in the capital to raise funds for grain and establish porridge shelters. Once the drought passed, all merchants would be exempt from taxes for two years. Who would have expected that those merchants would only delay, while Tianyin Tower unexpectedly took the initiative to fund the first disaster relief porridge shelter, leaving those wealthy merchants in a difficult position, forcing them to comply with the edict to raise grain. It was later revealed that Chu Muling of Tianyin Tower agreed to do so because she had listened to Miss An's suggestion.

Ankelo smiled slightly, bending down to pick up a piece of broken porcelain. She brought it to her eyes and examined it carefully, seemingly muttering to herself: "If this item were not broken, it should fetch a good price if sold outside, right?"

Zhang Zixiang smiled and waved his hand to let the waiter go down, then said to Qin Xudao: "Yuexian Tower has all kinds of dishes, if Young Master Qin wants to eat something, you can tell the staff below."

Zhang Zixiang nodded and smiled, saying: "This young master is indeed well-informed. However, there are outsiders who are unaware that after the grain collection at Tianyin Tower, Miss An personally visited each major merchant, urging them to set aside their personal interests and prioritize the welfare of the people. Just think about it, who could resist Miss An's persuasion? The major merchants must have immediately gathered funds for grain collection."

Anke Luo originally intended to let Shuyun taste the renowned osmanthus cake from the Yuexian Building, so she brought Shuyun here early. They entered the private room and sat down before the scholars had even come out of their rooms for lunch. However, to her surprise, the noise outside grew increasingly loud, and they even started fighting, disturbing the tranquility of her and Shuyun.

Originally unwilling to engage, An Keluo could not help but respond with sarcasm after hearing the cold tone of the man outside. She truly wanted to pour a bucket of cold water on these young masters whose noses had been raised to the sky.

A cold voice suddenly rang out: "The candidates for the Jinshi degree often become high-ranking officials, all of whom are extremely prominent." Everyone abruptly came to their senses and turned to look in the direction of the voice, seeing that the speaker was the man sitting at the table by the screen.

Zhang Zixiang stroked the beard on his chin, a look of pride on his face, and said: "I won't hide it from you, young masters. Back when Chu Mu Lian was the top courtesan at Tianyin Tower, her favorite treat was the osmanthus cake from Yuexian Tower. Therefore, Miss An often accompanied Master Chu to my Yuexian Tower since she was little, and I can say that I have watched her grow up."

Suddenly, someone beside interjected: "What is there to fabricate about this matter? Is it that you, my friend, have read the verses composed by Miss An and feel that you could never produce such unparalleled poetry, thus feeling ashamed of yourself?"

Upon hearing Zhang Zixiang's words, everyone instinctively turned their gaze towards the already parted screen, only to discover a young woman seated in the elegant room behind it, accompanied by a young maid.

Zhang Zixiang appeared slightly surprised and said, "Does this young master also know Miss An?"

Ankelo looked at him, smiled sweetly, and said: "In that case, I shall not be polite any longer, and I must trouble Manager Zhang."

Once again, someone hurriedly said: "I have heard that Miss An is exceptionally talented, particularly skilled in poetry and prose. Most of the lyrics and melodies sung by the young ladies on stage at Tianyin Tower are composed by her. I wonder if this is true or not"

Oh? Zhang Zixiang became interested and casually dragged over a black wooden chair beside him, sitting down next to their table

Anke Luo sighed inwardly; the man's appearance was surprisingly well-matched with his clear and crisp tone, prompting her to steal a few more glances at him

The waiter hurriedly ran upstairs with the dishes that Qin Xu had requested, placing them on Qin Xu's table, and said with a smile: "Young Master, the dishes you ordered have arrived"

Qin Xu sat alone at one side, not having spoken a word from beginning to end, merely listening quietly to the discussions of these men. Suddenly, the image of An Ke Luo smiling with pursed lips flashed in his mind, and he couldn't help but softly murmur: "Indeed, a touch of peach blossom on crimson lips"

Qin Xuruo gazed thoughtfully as An Keluo slowly descended the stairs, walked out of the Yuexian Building, and only turned his head after she was no longer in sight. He then heard someone ask, "Zhang Zhanggui, was that young lady An Keluo from Tianyin Building?"

Ankelo smiled slightly to the side, knowing that Zhang Zixiang had developed feelings of admiration. Although Qin Xu is currently impoverished, once he succeeds in the future, he could become a pillar of support for the Yuexian Tower.

The man raised his gaze slightly and calmly said, "I am Qin Xu, with the courtesy name Zizi Chi."

Qin Xu cast a sidelong glance, nodded slightly, and said: "It is indeed I."

The crowd quieted down for a moment, and then someone sighed: "Tomorrow is the day when His Majesty returns from the western expedition with the officials to review the three armies. It is a pity that we, mere commoners, have no way to witness General Wei Chi's gallant demeanor. It is truly a shame..."

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd that had been watching the commotion was taken aback. The young man with the surname Wang quickly stepped forward and anxiously asked, "Are you the esteemed Qin Xu, the top scholar of Liangzhe, Qin Zichi?"

The young woman behind the screen stood up and slowly walked out. Upon seeing her, Zhang Zixiang's expression lightened slightly, and he let out a heavy sigh, saying helplessly: "It's all shattered now, and there's nothing that can be done. Fortunately, Miss An was not hurt; otherwise, everyone in Tianyin Tower would surely hate me to death."

Zhang Zixiang, seeing this from the side, approached with a smile and asked the man, "May I ask how this young gentleman is addressed?"

Qin Xu's expression froze for a moment, but he quickly understood Zhang Zixiang's meaning and smiled slightly, saying: "Manager Zhang, I am from the south, and I am not accustomed to spicy food"

At her glance, the man was also drawn to look at her, his gaze fixed and unwavering. This unabashed stare immediately caused her to blush, and she hurriedly averted her eyes

Qin Xu listened, letting out a light laugh, as a faint glimmer passed through his slender eyes

Anke Luo smiled as he turned his gaze towards the two individuals who had been arguing earlier, and said: "Gentlemen, are you aware of how many people in this celestial dynasty struggle to have enough to eat? You both come from distinguished families, yet you squander your resources even when you are angry. I wonder, during last year's severe drought when the people were wandering in distress, did either of you extend a helping hand?"

These words were laden with sarcasm, causing the expressions of Wang and Pan to change abruptly. One of them strode directly towards the man, ready to erupt, when suddenly a crisp female voice interjected: "This ancestral blue and white porcelain has shattered just like that; Master Zhang must be heartbroken."

The atmosphere suddenly became unusually quiet. Wang and Pan, who had been arguing earlier, also stared intently at the woman, their lips slightly parted, forgetting even to speak.

The previous speaker, blushing deeply, argued: "I naturally have no such thoughts. I have only heard that Miss An never performs on stage at the Tianyin Building, and her actions are extremely low-key, making it rare for outsiders to catch a glimpse of her true appearance. However, anyone who has seen Miss An cannot help but be amazed by her beauty. I never expected to have the fortune of seeing her lovely face here at Master Zhang's..."

This person's remarks immediately provoked uproarious laughter throughout the hall

The man cast a faint glance over the crowd and continued, "But if everyone is like this, how do you expect to serve as the pillars of the court and the nation in the future!"