Volume Two: Continuing the Legacy, Brocade in Blood Chapter 144: Paragon of the Four Arts

Tang Nuo was evidently rather surprised that the dignified heir of the Brocade-Clad Marquis knew nothing of the existence of the Qionglin Academy, though she said nothing further.

Yang Ning, however, felt a bit puzzled and asked, "Lady Tang, you seem to know a great deal about the Qionglin Academy. Is that Master Zhuo named Zhuo Qingyang?"

Tang Nuo gently nodded her exquisite head and replied, "He is a master of Confucianism of his generation. As far as I know, the Qionglin Academy was established entirely by his own efforts, and he remains the sole director of the academy to this day." Looking thoughtful, she continued softly, "In the past, he traveled extensively across the realm. Not only at the Qionglin Academy, but in many other places as well, he has countless disciples."

"I see. It seems this Master Zhuo is truly an extraordinary man," Yang Ning said with a smile. "He must be quite advanced in years by now, shouldn't he?"

"If I remember correctly, he must be nearly seventy," Tang Nuo said. "It appears Master Zhuo is still in good health, as he is still traveling and toiling for the academy."

"You have met him?" Seeing that Tang Nuo was so well-informed about Zhuo Qingyang, Yang Ning could not help asking.

"I have not met him," Tang Nuo replied. Pausing for a moment, she added softly, "My mother met him and received his personal teachings."

"Oh?" Yang Ning said in astonishment. "So your family also has ties with Zhuo Qingyang."

"When Master Zhuo was traveling across the land in his youth, he gave my mother instruction in calligraphy," Tang Nuo explained. "The zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting are known as the four supreme arts of the realm, and Master Zhuo's calligraphy is one of them. Together with the other three masters, they are hailed as the Four Supreme Artists of the Arts!"

"The Four Supreme Artists of the Arts?" Yang Ning was slightly taken aback. He had not expected Tang Nuo to be not only accomplished in the arts but also thoroughly versed in such matters. Realizing that the young woman possessed a wealth of true knowledge beneath her youthful exterior, he asked for enlightenment, "Lady Tang, who are these remarkable figures known as the Four Supreme Artists?"

Tang Nuo paused to reflect before saying, "Master Zhuo is revered as the Saint of Calligraphy. His penmanship is peerless, which goes without saying. Then there is the Master of Painting, who also resides within the borders of Southern Chu—you surely cannot be unaware of Marquis Simen!"

Yang Ning raised his teacup, took a sip, set the cup down, and said with an awkward smile, "Lady Tang, if I were to tell you that I do not know Marquis Simen and have never even heard of him, would..... would you believe me?"

Tang Nuo replied with absolute directness, "No!"

That was bloody awkward!

"Yet..... yet I truly do not know him." Yang Ning even felt his old face burning slightly. "Lady Tang, who on earth is Marquis Simen?"

Tang Nuo looked Yang Ning up and down with surprise, then suddenly asked, "Are you truly the heir of the Brocade-Clad Marquis?"

Thinking that the girl might have seen through his disguise, Yang Ning felt a momentary jolt of panic, but he maintained his composure and replied, "If I were not the heir of the Brocade-Clad Marquis, how could I possibly be sitting here eating?"

"If you were not sitting here eating, I would never believe you were the heir of the Brocade-Clad Marquis," Tang Nuo said quite bluntly. "You live in the capital, and you are the heir to the Brocade-Clad Marquis of Chu. It is impossible that you have never heard the name of Marquis Simen. Marquis Simen is none other than Simen Wuhen, and Simen Wuhen is the leader of the Divine Marquis Manor."

"The Divine Marquis Manor?" Yang Ning vaguely felt as though he had heard the name before, but he could not recall what kind of place this Divine Marquis Manor actually was.

"Aside from Zhuo Qingyang, the Saint of Calligraphy, and Simen Wuhen, whose mastery of painting is peerless, Marquis Changling of Northern Han, Beitang Qing, is also among the Four Supreme Artists. His mastery of the zither is extraordinary; many years ago, almost no one could rival Beitang Qing's skill on the zither," Tang Nuo said slowly. "Years have passed, and his zither playing must have advanced even further, but there has been no news of Beitang Qing for many a year."

Yang Ning straightened his posture, smoothed his brows, and smiled. "I do know Beitang Qing. He is the Marquis of Changling in Northern Han. I've heard he is quite adept at warfare and commands a... well, a blood... what army was it called? A formidable force that once fought a bloody battle to the death against our Chu's Black-Scaled Battalion." He was quite familiar with the name of Marquis Changling Beitang Qing, as Duan Canghai had once mentioned him.

"The Blood Orchid Army!" Tang Nuo said. "The Black-Scaled Battalion was an army personally forged by your Brocade-Clad Marquis, yet it was completely annihilated, having fallen to the Blood Orchid Army."

Yang Ning waved a hand and said, "One cannot simply call it a defeat. The Black-Scaled Battalion was ambushed by the Blood Orchid Army, resulting in mutual heavy losses."

"Yet as far as I know, the Black-Scaled Battalion no longer exists, whereas the Northern Han Blood Orchid Army still does," Tang Nuo stated. "'Drawing the blade brings bloodshed; sheathing it brings the strum of the zither'—that is the saying used to describe Beitang Qing."

"And what of the last one?" Yang Ning asked. "The final one of the Four Supreme Artists is naturally skilled in the art of chess. Who might that be?"

"Beitang Huanye!"

"Beitang Huanye?" Yang Ning started slightly, frowning as he said, "That name sounds like that of a Northern Han person as well."

"He is the Marquis of Muyun of Northern Han."

"Oh, so speaking thus, he is a brother to Beitang Qing?"

Tang Nuo shook her head and replied, "No. Both the Marquis of Changling and the Marquis of Muyun belong to the Northern Han imperial family, but the two of them are uncle and nephew."

"Uncle and nephew?"

"The Marquis of Changling is the blood brother of the current Northern Han emperor, while the Marquis of Muyun is the reigning Northern Han imperial uncle." Tang Nuo spoke of the prominent figures of both nations as if counting treasures in her own palm. "Everyone in the world knows of the Marquis of Changling, yet very few know of the Marquis of Muyun. The Marquis of Muyun keeps a low profile. It is said that even high-ranking officials and senior ministers of Northern Han rarely catch a glimpse of the Marquis of Muyun from year to year. In recent years, there have even been rumors that the Marquis of Muyun has already passed away, and that the Northern Han imperial household is simply keeping it a secret from the outside world."

"Why would that be?"

Tang Nuo glanced sideways at Yang Ning and asked, "Do you know of the Nine Heavens Tower?"

"Naturally, I do," Yang Ning smiled. "The Nine Heavens Tower is an institution used by Northern Han to harbor talented and unusual individuals, with the objective of gathering intelligence. Here in Chu, there are quite a few spies from the Nine Heavens Tower."

He was naturally quite familiar with the Nine Heavens Tower; the Wood Divine Lord of the Nine Heavens Tower had intimate dealings with him, and he could not forget it even if he wanted to.

Tang Nuo said, "The master of the Nine Heavens Tower is none other than the Marquis of Muyun. The world knows his name, but none have seen his face."

"It seems the Northern Han imperial house is quite prolific in producing talented individuals. One Beitang Qing is extraordinary at the zither, and this Marquis of Muyun, Beitang Huanye, is extraordinary at chess," Yang Ning sighed. "The members of the Northern Han imperial family seem rather refined and elegant, don't they?"

At that very moment, a crisp sound was heard as Gu Qinghan pushed the door open and entered. Seeing the two of them engaged in such pleasant conversation, her face instantly broke into a full smile. Swaying her waist as she walked over, she chided, "Why are you two only talking? Hurry up and eat." Then, turning to Tang Nuo, she said, "Lady Tang, I have already sent someone to the Yong'an Hall to send word ahead. You may go over whenever you wish."

Tang Nuo replied, "Many thanks for the arrangement, Madam. If possible, I shall go over tomorrow to take a look."

"Tomorrow?" Gu Qinghan said. "There is no need to be in such haste. Rest for a few days first. Ning'er has returned, so I will have him accompany you around the capital."

Tang Nuo shook her head and said, "I came to the capital to treat difficult and obscure ailments, not to sightsee."

"Oh, in that case, I will have Ning'er escort you tomorrow." Gu Qinghan's smile remained as gentle as the breeze as she looked toward Yang Ning. "Ning'er, you shall accompany Lady Tang tomorrow."

Tang Nuo, however, had already stood up and said, "Madam, I have finished eating. Since I am going to the Yong'an Hall tomorrow, I will go back and prepare my things."

"You've hardly eaten a few bites," Yang Ning said. "Please have a little more."

Tang Nuo merely shook her head slightly, offered no further words, and turned to leave.

Once Tang Nuo had departed, Gu Qinghan lowered her voice and said, "Ning'er, you two seemed to be chatting so happily. Was it wrong of me to come in?"

"Third Aunt, what did Master Zhuo come here for?" Yang Ning deflected the question and changed the subject directly. "What silver was he coming to ask for?"

Gu Qinghan explained, "Master Zhuo has deep ties with our Marquis's estate. When your father and your third uncle were young, the old Marquis personally invited Master Zhuo to the estate to impart teachings. The two of them studied poetry and literature under Master Zhuo for three years. Later, when Master Zhuo wished to establish the Qionglin Academy, the old Marquis gave his utmost support."

"So he taught my father and third uncle," Yang Ning said with surprise. "I heard that the Qionglin Academy is exclusively for young women to study. Whatever possessed Master Zhuo to found an academy for females?"

"Not to mention you, when the academy was first founded, it caused an absolute sensation. There were all sorts of scandalous rumors and gossip," Gu Qinghan laughed. "In the very beginning, not a single young woman entered the academy. Do you know who the very first person to step foot inside was?"

"Who?"

"Your mother!" Gu Qinghan said. "Your mother was the first young woman to enter the academy, and later.......!"

Ever since Yang Ning had entered the Marquis's estate, almost no one had ever mentioned the mother of the heir of the Brocade-Clad Marquis; it seemed to be a taboo subject. Previously, Gu Qinghan had never brought it up either. Hearing her suddenly mention it now, Yang Ning pricked up his ears, wishing to learn more. Yet Gu Qinghan, having uttered only that single sentence, seemed to realize that the topic was inappropriate to dwell upon. With a faint smile, she pivoted, "Later on, princes and nobles successively sent the young women of their households there, and the numbers grew increasingly large. At its peak, the Qionglin Academy had over a hundred students."

"My... my mother studied at the Qionglin Academy? Does that mean Master Zhuo was also my mother's teacher?" Yang Ning asked.

Gu Qinghan pondered briefly before replying, "I heard she studied at the Qionglin Academy for a few years, and her literary talent was exceptional...... Very well, let us speak no more of this." Pausing for a moment, she continued, "Studying at the academy does not cost a single coin. As long as Master Zhuo deems one's natural talent acceptable, one may enter the academy. Aside from Master Zhuo, there are several other teachers in the academy. The imperial court issued an edict declaring the Qionglin Academy independent. Without Master Zhuo's consent, no one—not even the Crown Prince—is permitted to enter uninvited. The annual expenses of the academy are considerable, funded primarily by subsidies from several noble estates. When the old Marquis was alive, he established a rule that the Brocade-Clad Marquis's estate would subsidize the academy with five hundred taels of silver every year without fail. Furthermore, the Marquis of Zhongyi's estate also contributes five hundred taels annually, alongside several other families in varying amounts. This has become an established custom, allowing the academy to receive several thousand taels each year."

Yang Ning thought to himself that several thousand taels was by no means a small sum. For an academy, thousands of taels a year was more than enough for food, lodging, and even paying the salaries of the other teachers.

"Do not think that it is an extravagant sum," Gu Qinghan seemed to read Yang Ning's thoughts. "The Qionglin Academy holds various events every year, which are quite costly. Additionally, they select the most outstanding poetry and prose from the academy to be compiled and published into volumes, which also requires a significant amount of silver. Originally, we should have delivered the academy's silver long ago, but due to the General's passing, the matter was delayed, and I nearly forgot about it entirely."

"Has the silver been given yet?" Yang Ning asked.

Gu Qinghan shook her head. "Master Zhuo came in person, claiming he only wished to pay his respects to the Grand Dowager. Naturally, he could not state his purpose bluntly. If I were to send the silver over right now, wouldn't it imply that Master Zhuo came specifically begging for money? Master Zhuo is a man of lofty character, and doing so would only offend him. We must wait a few days before sending the silver over."

Yang Ning thought that Gu Qinghan handled matters with thorough consideration, and smiled, saying, "I think I shall deliver it in person in a couple of days. It will also serve as a way to express my apologies to Master Zhuo."