58: General

Qin Chuan turned around and saw Wang Zhongshu in his dark brocade robe.

At this moment, seeing Qin Chuan not reply, he asked curiously,

“Which courtesan has caught my disciple’s eye? Which young man isn’t a bit of a romantic? Your master is quite open-minded in this regard. Even if you’re worried about your parents, I can step in to mediate; taking her as a concubine is perfectly fine.”

Seeing Wang Zhongshu getting more serious, Qin Chuan quickly stepped forward to dissuade him.

“No, no, no, Teacher, you’ve misunderstood! I never go to places like brothels and entertainment houses!”

Wang Zhongshu saw that he didn't seem to be faking it and asked, “Really?”

“It’s as real as it gets!”

Qin Chuan was just short of patting his chest to swear.

—Although Wang Zhongshu was just talking, Qin Chuan was truly afraid that with a single word, he would summon all the courtesans of Chang'an to his residence for him to choose from.

Whether he would do it was one thing, but he truly had that kind of power!

Qin Chuan did not want the reputation of being a philanderer who picked courtesans to spread as soon as he stepped into the capital.

Wang Zhongshu looked at Qin Chuan, laughed heartily, and did not continue to tease his Little Master.

He nodded and said, “Let’s go! Come in with me.”

Qin Chuan felt a sense of relief when he saw that he no longer mentioned anything about ‘courtesans’.

As he walked, he asked, “Teacher, how did you know I arrived?”

—He didn’t think it was a coincidence that he ran into Wang Zhongshu just as he arrived at the gate; there couldn’t be so many coincidences in the world.

Wang Zhongshu didn't turn his head and said, “Few things in the capital can escape my ears and eyes. At least, scholars cannot escape!”

“Oh.”

Qin Chuan understood vaguely. Was this a special sensing mechanism, or an intelligence network?

Seeing Wang Zhongshu instructing the gatekeeper ahead, he stopped pondering the matter.

By the time Qin Chuan approached, he saw the gatekeeper smiling.

“Greetings, Little Master.”

Qin Chuan: (°Д°) Startled!

He immediately turned to look at Wang Zhongshu.

Wang Zhongshu also looked at him and said casually, “If you are my disciple, what else could you be but the Little Master of the Wang Residence?”

Qin Chuan thought about it carefully, and it actually made a little bit of sense... What the heck!

Didn't Wang Zhongshu have other disciples?

But even if he had no other students, what about his descendants?

“Teacher, your sons and daughters—”

At this moment, the gatekeeper interjected, “The master has remained unmarried his entire life, Little Master, so there is no need to worry about such matters.”

Qin Chuan: ...

“Unmarried his entire life… really?”

Wang Xuan's figure suddenly flashed through his mind.

Finally, he sighed and shook his head.

Wang Zhongshu thought he was pondering something and smiled, saying,

“Calling you Little Master doesn’t mean you’ll inherit everything from me; it’s just for convenience in the future.”

“Understood.”

Simply put, was it the treatment of a lineage successor?

Qin Chuan shook his head, not wanting to think about it. Wang Zhongshu also didn't seem to intend to dwell on this issue for long.

The two entered the residence, and Qin Chuan's living quarters were arranged in the east wing.

After he was settled, there were no customary lunch or dinner arrangements.

“You may stay here and diligently pursue your studies. When you have free time, you can also take a stroll in Chang'an to relax. I might not be able to attend to you much in the coming days. Once I find some leisure, after the apprenticeship ceremony, I will properly broaden your horizons. If you need anything, you can tell the butler.”

“Understood, Teacher, you should get back to your work.”

Wang Zhongshu had returned during a break and now had to go back to handle affairs. Having finished with Qin Chuan's matters, he needed to return quickly.

From now until the Imperial Examination in early February, Qin Chuan would need to stay in this Wang Residence.

“Young Master, an invitation.”

Qing Mo placed a heavy invitation on Qin Chuan's desk.

Qin Chuan frowned as he took it, asking casually,

“Didn’t I tell you to decline all those invitations? Whose is this one?”

Qing Mo tucked her small hands into her sleeves and said softly,

“This… Lord Wang asked the butler to send it. He said it’s not good for you to stay indoors studying all the time; you should go out and see things.”

Qin Chuan: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯?

Since it was from Wang Zhongshu, then it was fine...

The content of the invitation was simple, and the wording wasn't particularly elegant; it was a straightforward invitation for Qin Chuan to gather at General's Terrace.

This was not what he had initially expected.

He had originally thought that if it were a gathering of scholars, it would either be flattery or veiled sarcasm.

But this...

Qin Chuan raised an eyebrow: “Sons of generals? What do they want with me?”

Shaking his head, he could only turn to Qing Mo and say,

“Go reply that I understand.”

After Qing Mo left, Qin Chuan continued to ponder Wang Zhongshu's intention behind this move.

Was Wang Zhongshu, the foremost figure in the literary world, whose reputation among scholars was already widespread, planning a roundabout strategy?

But Qin Chuan hadn't seen any such intention from him at all.

Or, was he paving the way for Qin Chuan's future?

But paving the way should be with those high officials, not by associating with these sons of generals.

Thus, the remaining possibilities were very few...

General's Terrace was not a theater stage, but a restaurant.

The restaurant was located near the west side of Chang'an City, and those who frequented the area were either rich or noble.

However, many people chose to bypass this particular restaurant.

—The young masters inside had explosive tempers and couldn't be provoked, so what else could one do but stay far away?

The censors in the imperial court often used this as material to attack the arrogance of the military generals.

Unfortunately, those commoners didn't reason with them.

In the end, General's Terrace remained.

At this moment, a carriage bearing the ‘Wang Residence’ emblem stopped below General's Terrace, instantly drawing the astonished gazes of everyone around.

Wang Zhongshu, and those commoners?

How did these two get mixed up together?

However, no matter what these people thought, they saw Qin Chuan, dressed in a green robe, step out of the carriage.

He had just looked up to examine the gatehouse when someone from upstairs had already received the news and came out to greet him.

“Chen Jie Yuan, what an honor to have you grace us with your presence, hahahahaha...”

Qin Chuan looked at the two people who had come out to greet him. The one speaking was Li Sheng, whom he had met once before, while the other person was somewhat unfamiliar.

Li Sheng introduced him: “This is the youngest son of Duke of Lu, Cheng Lu.”

Qin Chuan clasped his hands: “So it’s the Little Duke, a pleasure to meet you!”

He thought to himself: This one must be the host today.

He just didn't know what kind of nonsense he was spouting.

Cheng Lu: “Hahahaha, once you’re here, we’re brothers! I’ve long heard of Chen the Immortal’s great name, and seeing him today… How does that saying go? Three days of good fortune!”

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the three walked into the building together.

Once they entered and were seated upstairs, they began to introduce the people in the room to Qin Chuan.

“This is the son of the Earl of Zhongqin—”

“This is the nephew of the Duke of Pi—”

“He, ah, is a relative of the Duke of Xing’s family. If you have any difficult matters that need resolving, let him know, and you won’t go wrong.”

After a round of introductions, Qin Chuan quietly familiarized himself with the sons of generals around him.

Although he showed no expression on his face, he was constantly pondering in his heart.

—What were these people doing, inviting him to their gathering?

And, it seemed Wang Zhongshu even supported it?

This doubt did not last long.

After three rounds of wine and five courses of tea.

Finally, Cheng Lu stood up and said directly,

“I heard… when Brother Chen was in Qiao City, his Sage’s Four Words broke evil spirits. Could you tell us brothers about it in detail?”

Indeed!

Qin Chuan thought to himself, a plan forming in his mind.