Chapter 37
Book 4 Chap 3 – Debating Heroes
When Xiang Shaolong arrived at Ji Yanran’s little house by the lake, there were already 10 odd elaborate horse carriages outside the door, the attendance a lot larger than this afternoon’s.
After he gave his name to the guard, he saw one of the maids he met this morning coming out to welcome him and led him past the building which he met Ji Yanran this afternoon. She was carrying a lantern as she led the way and went through a small path in the woods. His eyes suddenly brightened, in large building with a lot of colorful lanterns hanging on it appeared in front, and he seems to hear people talking in it.
Xiang Shaolong can’t help but ask the pretty maid, "Which other guests are here tonight?"
The pretty maid replied nonchalantly, "The guests tonight are all specially invited by Miss, besides Master Han Fei, Zou Yan and Xiao Weimou whom Mister Xiang has seen today, there’s also Lord Longyang, Philosopher Xu Jie and General Bai Gui."
Xiang Shaolong sucked in his breath, this Ji Yanran is really something. Bai Gui is the person that Lady Pingyuan is remarrying, so naturally he’s someone great while Lord Longyang is a favorite of the King of Wei and yet they all came for the event. Obviously her position in Wei is extremely elevated as well. Although he doesn’t know who that Xu Jie is, he most be someone famous as well.
He was perplexed as well, Lord Longyang should not be interested in women, so if he’s not here because of Ji Yanran’s beauty, what else can he be here for? Could it be to humiliate him to appease his anger?
When it comes to learning, he won’t be able to catch up with these scholars even if he’s chasing them on a horse, so to ask him to speak is akin to embarra.s.sing him on the spot. Therefore, he can’t help but feel uneasy.
When he stepped into the hall, he saw the table laid out and all the others the maid talked about were already here, all sitting back on the soft rugs and sitting comfortably around the table.
Another 2 pretty maids came forward and helped him remove his outer cloak and shoes. Luckily it is winter now and he’s wearing a thick cotton outfit so unless one reaches out to touch him, they won’t realize his equipment hidden in his clothes.
Stoves were lit in the room, making it as warm as spring.
Lord Longyang is still behaving ‘languidly’ and even proactively introduced him to the others.
That Bai Gui is the oldest, at least 50 years old but very robust with gleaming eyes, giving others an impression that he is very smart. And he behaved haughtily towards Xiang Shaolong, only giving him a cold acknowledgement before turning towards Philosopher Xu Jie who looks like a typical scholar and spoke quietly to each other privately.
Xiang Shaolong was seated between Hai Fei and Zou Yan, the seat beside Han Fei is still empty, obviously it’s Ji Yanran’s main seat, followed by Lord Longyang, Bai Gui, Xu Jie and Xiao Weimou.
Xiang Shaolong saw that he need not sit opposite Xiao Weimou and face him so he felt a little more comfortable.
Zou Yan behaved quite coldly towards Xiang Shaolong and only gave a brief greeting before talking to Xiao Weimou, who is from Qi like him, totally ignoring Xiang Shaolong.
Instead it was Han Fei who took a liking to Xiang Shaolong because of his help this afternoon and although he is not a very good talker, it still gave Xiang Shaolong a little warmth in this ‘icy atmosphere’.
Ji Yanran only appeared now, wearing a white brocade robe and absolutely glowing, immediately capturing the attention of everyone. Even that Lord Longyang was no exception, he looked dumbfounded and Xiao Weimou was almost drooling while Han Fei blushed. Although their reactions were all different, they were all attracted by her.
Ji Yanran looked at everyone with a smile, her clear and languid eyes flitted around and even Xiang Shaolong felt as if his soul had been enchanted. Her body emitted a fragrance after her bath, giving rise to other thoughts.
She had just sat down when she said with a smile, "Mister Xiang will have to be punished with a drink first, how can you leave before the end of the meeting this afternoon?"
Everyone immediately followed her wishes and agreed.
Naturally at this point in time there’ll be pretty maids pouring wine and serving delicious food.
After Xiang Shaolong gladly exchanged a toast with her, Ji Yanran’s enchanting eyes flitted around the dining table and chatted cleverly, making everyone at the feast feel at home. However, she seems to be more interested in Han Fei, Zou Yan and Philosopher Xu Jie, talking and smiling to them more, and not paying much attention to the rivals Xiang Shaolong and Xiao Weimou.
The truth is Xiang Shaolong has absolutely no clue about their conversation regarding poetries and song, and there’s no way he can interrupt to show off even if he wanted to.
After they’ve eaten and drank, and with the urging of everyone, Ji Yanran ordered her flute to be brought out and played a tune for all.
Xiang Shaolong doesn’t know the tune she played but he does know that her skills with the flute is flawless and at the peak and can’t help but be drawn into the music like the rest of them, totally intoxicated by the melody.
After Ji Yanran finished her tune and everyone sincerely complimented her, she smiled and asked Xiao Weimou, "Mister Xiao please forgive Yanran for being rude, but I would like to boldly ask you a question."
Maybe Xiao Weimou has been affected by the atmosphere, or maybe he’s trying to get into Ji Yanran’s good books and fain her affection so his speech is a lot more refined and said gently, "As long as it’s Miss who asks it, I will be most glad to answer any question of yours."
Ji Yanran smiled enchantingly and said, "The difference between humans and beasts is whether they have a sense of shame, what does Mister think?"
Everyone knows that the show is about to begin and stopped eating and drinking, quietly listening to their conversation.
Before Xiang Shaolong came he thought that Ji Yanran had changed her mind about him but now that he saw she is treating him so coldly, he was about to find an excuse to slip back and steal the ‘Secret Manual’ so that Lady Ya and the 8 maids can make a copy. Therefore he was not really concentrating on their conversation.
Obviously Xiao Weimou came well prepared and said with a smile, "I’m afraid Miss has misunderstood my meaning. I do not mean there’s no difference between man and beasts at all, it’s just that some innate nature, like the desire to live and procreate, is the same! That’s why there are many things worth learning from animals, for example animals will not lie, they’re more honest than us. Man should be true to their own nature before they can really enjoy life." He continued with a cold snort towards Xiang Shaolong, "What insight does Brother Xiang has about my theory?"
Xiang Shaolong was thinking about Chu Mohism’s Fu Du at that time so when he heard