Chapter 38: The Most Shameless Husband in History

Chapter 38: The Most Shameless... Husband in History

Speaking of the bizarre disappearance of that birthday poem, the master of the framing shop was filled with a torrent of grievances, yet he knew not to whom he could complain.

Initially, he had intended to seek out a master of calligraphy to forge a copy, but though he approached four or five destitute yet renowned masters of the brush within the city of Shuzhou, none could capture even a tenth of the original’s lingering grace.

In the end, refusing to surrender to fate, the shopkeeper spent a small fortune to secure the artistry of Master Yue Ming, a celebrated calligrapher from the Guiyun Academy, and only then did the copy achieve half the splendor of the original script.

Yet he dared not utter such a truth aloud, terrified that Master Yue Ming would perceive it as a slight; thus, he could only dally for several more days with the scroll in hand before finally delivering it to Xiaodie.

What the master of the framing shop remained blissfully unaware of, however, was that the very moment the script touched Chen Yi’s hands, he discerned that his birthday poem had been switched.

Moreover, they had offered him a utterly clumsy imitation to settle the account, as though they were completely unafraid of his discovery.

"Does someone truly possess the audacity to stamp my name as the son-in-law beneath such script?"

"What? This is not your handwriting, Master?"

After Chen Yi offered a brief explanation, the truth dawned upon Xiaodie, and her brows instantly knit together in fury.

Without waiting for another word from Chen Yi, she snatched the scroll and rushed out the door in a tempestuous blur.

"Master, I shall go demand an answer from him!"

Chen Yi watched her retreating figure, shaking his head with a faint smile, and paid the matter no further heed.

Yet when Xiaodie returned, her countenance was thoroughly dejected as she murmured, "Master, that script cannot be recovered."

"Oh?"

"The master of the framing shop claimed the original calligraphy vanished that very night, and the framed piece he provided was actually written by Master Yue Ming of the Guiyun Academy."

Chen Yi let out a soft murmur of assent, not letting the matter weigh heavily upon his heart.

Perhaps some devotee of the brush had taken a fancy to his calligraphy and, in a moment of reckless folly, stolen it away.

"Where is the scroll now?"

"Still at the framing shop," Xiaodie muttered with righteous indignation. "That shopkeeper is truly abominable. To hide the theft and find someone to forge it instead—he is simply too wicked."

Chen Yi cast a glance at her, asking with a hint of hesitation, "You did not say anything else, did you?"

Xiaodie pondered for a moment. "I said quite a lot, I know not which sentence you refer to, Master."

"Something along the lines of that imitation being inadequate, or terribly clumsy."

"Ah, that... it seems almost everything I said was of that nature."

"..."

Chen Yi let out a soft sigh and bade her grind the ink at his side.

Sensing the shift in his demeanor, Xiaodie ground the ink stone while inquiring, "Master, did Xiaodie misspeak?"

"Not exactly, it is just that..."

That Master Yue Ming happened to be the revered mentor of Li Huaigu, the third-ranked scholar.

If such criticisms were to reach his ears, it would likely invite unsolicited resentment.

After a brief contemplation, Chen Yi chose not to pursue the thought further, sparing Xiaodie from needless worry, as he lifted his wolf-hair brush and unfurled a fresh sheet of Yunsong paper.

Steadying his mind, a grand composition coalesced within his thoughts; he dipped the brush into the dark ink, turned his wrist, and began once more to write the lines of "Ode to the Celebration of Marquis Xiao."

This time, he forewent the Weiqing script, choosing instead the running script which he had now mastered to a degree of profound proficiency.

As each stroke flowed with a newfound casual grace, aligning perfectly with his inner state, threads of inner qi quietly emerged within his body, drawing upon the spiritual essence of the surrounding heaven and earth to converge at the tip of the wolf-hair brush.

With every character that fell upon the page, it seemed to burst into its own natural, pristine splendor, while a faint, ethereal white luminescence shimmered faintly across the ink.

Xiaodie leaned her head closer from the side to watch, and upon catching sight of those shimmering white gleams, she nearly believed her eyes were playing tricks on her.

Yet when she rubbed her eyes and looked again, the luminescence had indeed faded from the completed characters, only for a fresh layer of light to manifest upon the newly written words.

Xiaodie’s mouth parted slightly in astonishment as she looked from the earnestly focused Chen Yi to the characters flowing from beneath his brush.

After stealing a few more glances, she hastily covered her mouth, daring not to utter a sound for fear of disrupting the master's artistic trance.

Though she could neither comprehend nor grasp the meaning behind such wonders, she knew that at this very moment, her master seemed to radiate a brilliant light, rendering her immobile with awe.

A short moment later.

Chen Yi brought his work to a close, inscribing the title of the melody, signing his name, and pressing his seal before finally setting down the wolf-hair brush with a long, exhaled breath.

Nevertheless, a visible weariness lingered upon his countenance; he rubbed the space between his brows and leaned heavily back into his chair.

"Bring me something to eat." Returning to her senses, Xiaodie hurried to fetch some pastries and water, then took her place behind Chen Yi, her fingers gently massaging his temples.

"Master, the way you looked just now was so... so incredible."

Chen Yi shifted to sit slightly straighter, closing his eyes to savor the gentle pressure of her fingers as his mind and body began to unwind.

"Tell me then, in what way was it incredible?"

"It was, well, those characters—they were all glowing with light, beautiful beyond words."

"Is that so?"

Chen Yi understood; Xiaodie was referring to the artistic conception left upon the characters after his inner qi had stirred the spiritual essence of heaven and earth.

This was a phenomenon he had known since he began his journey in the martial arts, and as his cultivation deepened, his execution grew increasingly seamless, moving entirely in accord with his will.

Should his mastery over the path of calligraphy break through once more, his brushwork would advance to an even higher realm, and the spiritual resonance embedded within his scrolls would possess an even profounder charm.

Only, by that time, his current cultivation at the Ninth Realm would clearly prove insufficient.

After a brief respite.

Chen Yi instructed Xiaodie to take the calligraphy back to the framing shop. "Remember to bring a few armored guards along to watch over it, lest it be stolen away a second time."

"Understood, Master! This time, Xiaodie will definitely not allow it to be lost!"

It would be best if that were the case; otherwise, by the time this birthday poem was framed, the old Marquis's birthday celebration would have already passed.

...

The following day.

The first faint glimmers of light emerged from the east, casting a touch of purple aura upon the scattered clouds.

Along the official highway outside the city of Shuzhou, a carriage adorned with carvings of clouds and flood-dragons stood parked by the wayside; Shen Huatang, clad in a pristine white dress, stood expressionless beside the carriage frame, cradling her long sword.

Though her features were not strikingly beautiful, possessing only a delicate clarity, her aloof and chilling aura still compelled the passing carriages to steal a few extra glances.

Shen Huatang remained entirely oblivious, her gaze fixed intently upon the far end of the highway.

After about an hour had passed, she spotted a carriage bearing the crimson banner of the Xiao family approaching from afar, whereupon she tapped gently against the carriage wall:

"Eldest Miss, the Second Miss's carriage has arrived."

"Thank you for your trouble."

Xiao Wan'er lifted the curtain and stepped down from the carriage with Shen Huatang’s assistance, pulling her heavy cloak tightly around herself so that the soft fur of the collar nestled against her neck.

Watching the approaching carriage in the distance, she raised her hand slightly above her shoulder and gave a gentle wave.

"Second Sister, over here."

Though her voice was soft, the occupant within the distant carriage had already heard it, and subsequently, a cold, clear voice drifted through the air:

"Lady Lao Fu, please wait here."

As her words faded, the carriage came galloping to a halt before Xiao Wan Er.

Next, Xiao Jing Hong—clad in light traveler’s garb—leapt down from the carriage, her high ponytail swaying in the wind. Still wearing that silver half-mask, her jawline and lips gleamed like porcelain.

Xiao Wan Er stepped forward and took her hand, a delicate smile ghosting across her pallid face. "No trouble at all. I merely arrived a bit early."

Xiao Jing Hong curved a smile and nodded. "Sister, the horses are cold out there."

Thereupon, she took Xiao Wan Er’s hand and settled into the carriage beside her.

Once they were seated, Shen Hua Tuan sprang onto the carriage, brandishing his long whip to strike the horse’s flank. "Yih!"

Clack-clack…

The horses’ hooves struck the official road, bypassing the endless procession of travelers en route to the city, slipping through the deserted gate.

"Er Mei, this inspection of three towns has been arduous. Don’t rush to depart later—rest awhile longer at home."

"Understood."

Xiao Jing Hong nodded, about to speak, when her ears twitched. The murmurs of Shu Zhou City’s environs seeped into her hearing.

Xiao Fu Chen Yi, Chen Qian Zhou—boldly snatching a woman in broad daylight, even sauntering through the kiln?

The most shameless son-in-law in history!

Xiao Jing Hong slightly parted her lips, her gaze sharpening.

I deem him the most shameless husband in history… my lord!

(End of chapter)