Chapter 67 Poetry Gathering (Part 1)
Gu Yu, who had successfully stolen a kiss, felt very satisfied. Even though his little wife glared at him fiercely, Gu Yu felt as sweet as if a honey jar had tipped over. The sweetness seemed to pour out and spread a sweet fragrance all around. After helping Mengyao Gu make preparations for tomorrow, she immediately ran to her younger brother to show off. After receiving Gu Qingheng’s amazement, her excitement from cross-dressing had just begun to subside. Now, all that was left was to wait for tomorrow! After another night of eating and sleeping, on the morning of the next day, Gu Yu was woken up by the excited Gu Mengyao and her brother. Looking at the sky outside the door, which was not yet fully lit, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. “Fine, I’ll get up too!” Unlike the excited Gu Mengyao and her brother, Gu Yu had no other thoughts about the poetry gathering. Even though he had never been, he had a general idea of what it was like. This was thanks to modern television dramas and novels, which had depicted many scenes of scholars gathering. Even the imperial decree bestowed by the Emperor didn’t excite Gu Yu, let alone a gathering with a group of scholars… Gu Yu, before even arriving, was already secretly looking forward to the poetry gathering ending quickly and not taking up too much time. That way, Gu Yu could take Gu Mengyao and her brother around, which would be much better than being bored at the poetry gathering drinking tea. The poetry gathering was held at Magistrate Bai’s house. That’s right, it was in the backyard of the yamen. Although it wasn’t a poetic place, the courtyard was quite spacious. A few tables were set up with tea and a few plates of fruits and pastries, allowing the talented scholars attending the poetry gathering to chat to their heart’s content. When the Gu family of three arrived, seeing the scene, Gu Yu secretly thought… Magistrate Bai was really stingy! He wouldn’t even bring out anything good, really wanting to sit and chat all day with just one table and one cup of tea! His plan to freeload fell through, so Gu Yu had no choice but to sit with his wife and brother-in-law, cracking melon seeds and watching the people around him already chatting enthusiastically, experiencing what a gathering of ancient scholars was like. Mengyao Gu’s disguise as a man was very successful, at least when she entered the magistrate’s backyard, she wasn’t stopped. However, the bailiffs guarding the door were quite curious and asked why Gu Yu’s servant was so handsome and didn’t look like a servant at all. But then, Gu Yu simply retorted, “Ugly people make me want to vomit with just one glance, how can they study properly?” which completely choked them speechless, and they could only obediently let the three of them pass. Those highly educated scholar-officials all had some peculiar habits that were not for outsiders to know. Even if they liked handsome young boys, it was nothing. It was just that Gu Yu looked shorter than a servant, and it was unknown whether he was on top or bottom when… Gu Yu, completely unaware that others were misinterpreting him, was tired of listening to a group of people praising each other with flowery language! Can’t they use different words to praise people! Or, it’s also acceptable to pretend modesty first and then turn the tables at the end. A scene of mutual flattery like this, without even composing a single poem, what was the point of calling it a poetry gathering! “Brother-in-law, this is a bit different from the poetry gathering I imagined.” “Exactly! I heard my little sisters say that poetry gatherings require composing poems, why haven’t they started yet!” It wasn’t just Gu Yu who was tired of listening; even the originally excited Gu Mengyao and her brother were the same. Gu Qingheng’s little face showed annoyance, and he was on the verge of covering his ears. Even the old women chatting at the village entrance were more interesting than these people, and they were lively and engaging! Mengyao Gu also sat beside Gu Yu with a bit of a lack of interest. She looked up and saw the people with excited expressions on their faces, and she didn’t understand why the poetry gathering was so boring. She had originally thought she would see someone composing poems, but she didn’t expect… they were just changing places to chat idly. Actually, the Gu family of three had misunderstood. The poetry gathering hadn’t started yet, and even the magistrate presiding over it hadn’t arrived. It was just that the attendees were gradually arriving. The current liveliness was due to the honor of being invited by the magistrate, which filled these scholars with joy, thinking if they could use this opportunity to get to know their peers, which would be beneficial for their future imperial examinations and official careers. The attendees of this poetry gathering were not just people from Qingshan Academy. After all, Qingshan Academy had too few people, and it wouldn’t be good if the large courtyard was deserted. Therefore, the magistrate screened out some young talents from all over the town and sent out invitations one by one, inviting them to participate in this poetry gathering. The people who had arrived so far were only those invited by the magistrate, but the people from Qingshan Academy had not appeared yet. “Gu Yu, why are you here!” Just as Gu Yu was about to answer the Gu Mengyao siblings, that he also didn’t know why the poetry gathering was so boring, a surprised voice suddenly rang out. Gu Yu couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows upon hearing it, thinking that the poetry gathering was no longer boring. The person who arrived was none other than Shun Yang from the old Yang family. Gu Yu and the Gu Mengyao siblings had come early because they were more excited, while Shun Yang appeared at the normal time. After he arrived at the poetry gathering with pride and joy at being invited by the magistrate, his eyes suddenly landed on Gu Yu and his group, and he was extremely surprised. He was appreciated by the magistrate at such a young age because he had passed the Tong Sheng exam, but what was going on with Gu Yu and Gu Qingheng? These two probably didn’t even know how to write a single word, yet they were appearing at this poetry gathering? Were they perhaps sneaking in, wanting to freeload food and drinks! It had to be said that Shun Yang’s suspicion was very accurate. Gu Yu did intend to sneak in and freeload food and drinks, and then leave the venue with a flick of his buttocks after the poetry gathering ended, taking Gu Mengyao and her brother around to play. However, Shun Yang had guessed one thing wrong… Gu Yu wasn’t sneaking in; he walked in through the courtyard gate openly. This was because Gu Yu was also one of the invited members. In fact, he had initially felt that the poetry gathering was too troublesome and wondered if he could skip it… but because the invitations were sent by the magistrate, he couldn’t refuse the favor, so he finally came. Then, Gu Yu discovered that the magistrate was extremely stingy, not even willing to set out any good food. Hmph! He shouldn’t have come. “Are you the only one allowed to come! This isn’t your house, the magistrate’s house, why do you care if I’m here or not!” Just as Shun Yang came over to cause trouble, Gu Yu’s expression didn’t change at all. He was still lazily sitting on the stool, and as he spoke, the words that came out of his mouth made Shun Yang’s face turn cold. This Gu Yu was truly ungrateful. Although Gu Yu was admired by a prominent figure in town, this grand poetry gathering was not a place he should appear. Was he here to embarrass himself by not even knowing a single word? “Hmph, I advise you to leave quickly, otherwise if you’re thrown out, it will be interesting.” “I say, why do you start trouble as soon as you arrive! I was having a good chat with Ah… Brother Gu here, and you suddenly ran over to say pointless things, what do you want?” “What else can I do? Look for trouble!” Before Gu Yu could speak, Mengyao Gu, disguised as a man, couldn’t stand it anymore. Coupled with Gu Qingheng, they also chimed in, strongly disliking Shun Yang’s sudden attempt to assert himself. Originally, Mengyao Gu had advised Gu Yu not to make a move against Shun Yang, to avoid any accidents at the poetry gathering… but now, Shun Yang was running over to show off, truly seeking death! Who gave him the courage! Let alone Shun Yang being no match for Gu Yu’s little finger, even if he were stronger than Gu Yu, Mengyao Gu would directly beat him so hard he’d know to be tactful. It was too detestable that he suddenly ran over to be an eyesore. “Brother, you may not know, but this Gu Yu is from the same village as me. He doesn’t know a single character. How did he get in here! I think it’s best to throw him out as soon as possible to avoid ruining the atmosphere of the poetry gathering.” Mengyao Gu’s disguise as a man was very convincing, and she deliberately lowered her voice when speaking, making Shun Yang unable to detect anything. He just thought it was someone Gu Yu met at the poetry gathering who was now speaking up for him. And then, as Shun Yang spoke, he deliberately raised his voice, causing everyone sitting around to turn their heads and look this way, their curious gazes falling on Gu Yu and Shun Yang, wondering what was happening. There was no shortage of people who loved excitement, even those who only knew how to read all day long were no exception. When Mengyao Gu heard Shun Yang’s words, her eyebrows immediately shot up in anger, thinking how shameless this Shun Yang fellow was, why did he love to stir up trouble so much! Seeing this, Gu Yu couldn’t help but sneer, knowing that after Mengyao Gu spoke up for him, Shun Yang had changed his strategy, wanting to use the help of others at the poetry gathering to throw him out. He was truly bored to death! What business did it have of Shun Yang’s that he was here? Originally, Gu Yu didn’t want to bother with this Shun Yang fellow, but now that he had delivered himself to his doorstep, it wasn’t Gu Yu’s character not to retaliate. “Throw me out?” As he spoke, Gu Yu no longer had his previous lazy demeanor. He straightened his body and looked at Shun Yang with a smile. It was as if he had heard a joke, and Gu Yu shook his head, the contempt in his eyes clearly visible. Seeing Gu Yu’s blatant disdain, Shun Yang became even more angry, wishing he could immediately find a bailiff outside and throw Gu Yu out. As a Tong Sheng, there was no comparison between him and a rough person like Gu Yu. Gu Yu should recognize the current situation and quickly leave the poetry gathering, lest he be shamefully thrown out later and become a laughingstock of Yang Family Village. Originally, the matter of the Yang family’s separation had made Shun Yang very unhappy. The news of him finally attending the poetry gathering made him a little happier, but he didn’t expect to encounter Gu Yu here. Thinking of how everyone in the village now spoke highly of the Gu family… it made Shun Yang think that it would be better to humiliate Gu Yu at this time, so that the villagers would know… Gu Yu was like mud that couldn’t be plastered on a wall, and he couldn’t compare to a proud son of heaven like himself. “Although I don’t know why you want to throw me out so badly, but… if your brain isn’t malfunctioning, you should be able to see that the name written on this invitation is not fake!” Gu Yu chuckled, then took out the invitation sent by the magistrate from his arms and unfolded it in front of Shun Yang.
