Chapter 94
Chapter 94
The Su family had inherited the blessings of a hundred generations, its tradition of integrity and unbending pride passed down without interruption. Its only wish was to chase the wind and follow the sun, serving an enlightened ruler and thereby proving its principles.
During the wars of old, the Founding Emperor of the Jian’an Dynasty emerged as a dark horse and defeated the rival warlords. His benevolent rule – that his forces never massacred a conquered city, plundered it, or entered its homes – won the Su family’s approval. The clan then wagered its accumulated reputation on him and used the hearts of the realm as pieces upon its board, helping him rightfully don the imperial robes, ascend the throne, and found the Jian’an Dynasty.
It was also the Su clan that protected tens of thousands of books and precious manuscripts through the turmoil of dynasty after dynasty, sparing them the ravages of war. In this way, the flame of learning passed from hand to hand, allowing the nation’s cultural lifeblood to flow without cease.
With the Su clan’s prestige and illustrious history, even the emperor and Crown Prince treated its members with a measure of deference. How dared a profligate Second Prince whose brain had rotted through treat a member of the Su family this way?!
Su Haichao had never been subjected to such discourtesy. His expression instantly chilled, and he looked at Xie Chengze with displeasure. Reproach colored his voice. “Your Highness is a scion of the imperial house. Given your unexceptional gifts, you ought to pay even greater attention to your words and conduct. Do not voice meaningless words or let false praise hang upon your lips.”
Su Wenhao gave a soft scoff as well, every word steeped in lofty arrogance. “Why waste your breath, Elder Brother? As the saying goes, teaching the Way to a dullard is like feeding grass to an ox. Even if it chews slowly and carefully, even if the lesson is forced down its throat, it will inevitably bring it back up to chew again. In such cases, it is best to follow the creature’s nature. Force instruction upon it, and all one gains is wasted effort.”
Several others at the table exchanged knowing smiles, their gazes toward Xie Chengze faintly colored by contempt and dislike.
Su Zhongyue coughed softly, signaling that Su Wenhao should not go too far.
Xie Chengze arched a brow.
Rumination, also known as chewing the cud, was the act of bringing swallowed food back up into the mouth and chewing it again. It was a normal biological process found in even-toed ungulates such as cattle and sheep.
In other words, Su Wenhao had just compared him to a cud-chewing beast, scorning him as an utter fool who would spit knowledge back up even if someone chewed it apart and fed it to him.
Very well, then. He would play along and show them exactly what it meant to play a lute to a cow!
A wicked smile flickered across his lips. Xie Chengze rocked idly in his chair, his face the very picture of innocence. First he turned right and asked Su Qinghe, “This fellow must be your Third Brother, right? What is he yammering on about?”
Without waiting for an answer, he immediately swiveled his little head to the left and asked Su Zhongyue, “Academician Su, what did your son just say? Explain it to me. You know I have no great talent. They speak in all these fancy phrases, going on about cattle eating grass and chewing cud. I truly cannot understand them!”
Su Zhongyue: …
Su Haichao: …
Su Wenhao: …
For scholars like them, nothing was more stifling than quoting the classics to insult someone only for that person to fail to understand. Not only did he fail to understand, he innocently escalated the confrontation right to their faces by asking their own father what they had said.
Their father was sure to be furious.
Sure enough, Su Zhongyue’s face turned black. He had no idea whether Xie Chengze truly failed to understand or was merely pretending. If Su Zhongyue glossed over the main point and twisted the meaning, he would be guilty of deceiving a member of the imperial family. But if he told the truth… No matter how little he thought of the Second Prince, as an elder and the family patriarch, he could not openly scorn imperial authority and invite Emperor Jian’s displeasure.
The younger generation was different. Young people naturally stumbled into quarrels. Even if they showed the Second Prince some disrespect, it could be blamed on youthful hotheadedness and would not be pursued too harshly.
Su Zhongyue discreetly wiped away a bead of sweat, then glared at Su Wenhao, signaling that he should resolve the matter himself.
Reluctantly, Su Wenhao lowered his gaze. “It meant nothing in particular. I only said that Your Highness possesses shallow learning.”
“Oh?” Xie Chengze nodded. “I completely agree. My learning truly is shallow. The heavens are probably too fair. They granted me the greatest beauty under heaven, so naturally they had to take away my gift for learning. Look at you. Though you possess remarkable talent for scholarship, your looks are truly nothing to write home about.”
Su Wenhao: ???
How had this turned into a personal attack?!
“One’s body, hair, and skin are gifts from one’s parents!” Su Wenhao shot to his feet and roared. “What does appearance have to do with a gift for learning?!”
“Mm-hmm. Exactly. That means all of you are ugly.” Xie Chengze seized only the words that suited him and nodded in agreement. “Only your Second Young Master possesses beauty enough to topple cities and an air of incomparable elegance. He is the crowning glory of the Su Residence, single-handedly elevating the entire Su clan’s appearance to a whole new level.”
Su Qinghe lowered his head, unable to stop the corners of his lips from curving upward. Even the irritation of a sleepless night vanished at that moment.
The Second Prince truly knew how to strike right at someone’s sore spot while leaving them unable to argue.
Utterly unconvinced, Su Wenhao glanced at Su Qinghe beside him and snorted. An idea occurred to him. “By Your Highness’s reasoning, then, if someone possesses both beauty and talent, the fairness of the heavens means they must die young?”
The smile on Su Qinghe’s lips abruptly froze. He raised his eyes and stared at Su Wenhao in disbelief.
Su Zhongyue and Su Haichao both frowned slightly. “Wenhao.”
“What? The Second Prince said it himself!” Su Wenhao protested. “Your Highness, was that not exactly what you meant?”
Xie Chengze’s face darkened as well. He narrowed his eyes and studied Su Wenhao with an unreadable expression. After a long moment, he suddenly laughed.
“It seems the Su Residence’s celebrated talents amount to nothing more than this. Anyone could tell that my earlier words would not withstand serious scrutiny. I merely traded a few barbs to save face. Yet Third Young Master Su insists on questioning me and even invokes someone who died young to refute my words. Such disrespect for the dead has truly opened my eyes. It makes me wonder whether your residence’s past reputation was built on nothing but hollow posturing!”
“I – this official did not – ” Xie Chengze had turned Su Wenhao’s words against him and escalated them into an attack on the Su family’s reputation. Su Wenhao panicked and hastily protested, “That was not what this official meant!”
“Not what you meant? Then what did you mean? Or were you, too, so desperate to save face and win an argument against me that you began speaking without restraint?” Xie Chengze pressed him step by step.
Scholars prized their dignity above all else. How could Su Wenhao possibly admit that he had misspoken simply to save face?
He was not Xie Chengze, whose skin was thick enough to be unrivaled beneath the heavens. All Su Wenhao could do was stew in frantic agitation and cast Su Haichao a pleading look.
Su Haichao slowly closed his eyes and released a measured breath through his nose before saying solemnly, “Third Brother is still young and hungers for knowledge. Inevitably, he sometimes indulges in childish verbal sparring. I ask that Your Highness show magnanimity and forgive him.”
Xie Chengze remained unconcerned. “A man may hunger for knowledge, but he must not forget to cultivate his character. He should remember that among any three people, there is always one who can teach him.”
He lightly raised his jade cup and took a small sip, every movement displaying the elegant composure of imperial blood. Then he said calmly, “The angle from which a person views a matter reveals the hidden contours of his heart and offers a glimpse of his true nature. From an ox chewing cud, your Third Brother sees only poor digestion and an idiot who cannot be taught. Yet I say an ox has four stomachs and can consume ten thousand measures of grain.”