Chapter 92

The noblewoman thought for a moment and said, "Just tell them that our eighteen pleasure boats are about to be completed, and they will surely look at you with new respect."

"Mother, every household is building private pleasure boats now, it's not rare anymore! Besides, eighteen boats are already outdated. Even twenty-four boats are not impressive; now they are all double-decked boats with thirty-two seats."

The noblewoman was stunned for a moment and said, "It cost more than a thousand strings of cash just for eighteen boats. For thirty or so double-decked boats, it would cost several thousand or even tens of thousands of strings of cash!"

"Mother! Just because we don't have money doesn't mean others don't. Now, all the major officials are competing in building mansions and private pleasure boats. They spend dozens of strings of cash a day on food and drink. Our family is too outdated and will be looked down upon."

The young man grumbled, only getting a few dozen taels of silver, and turned to leave with a gloomy expression.

A few more noblewomen sat down opposite and began to boast and compare with each other. Chen Qing couldn't bear to listen and got up to leave.

As soon as he walked out of the tent, he heard someone calling him. He turned around and saw Huyan Zhengyan, Huyan Tong's third uncle.

Chen Qing felt a bit embarrassed to see him. He had originally invested in a tavern with him but later withdrew the money. Chen Qing had to force himself to greet him, "Third Uncle Huyan, it's been a long time."

"Ah! Last time I invited you to my house, but you refused, which disappointed the old master a lot."

"Third Uncle, you know I couldn't make it with my martial arts training."

"The old master doesn't accept that excuse. Next time, you must come even if you have to take a leave."

"Next time, I will definitely come."

At that moment, someone called Huyan Zhengyan. Huyan Zhengyan pulled Chen Qing and said, "There are a few friends gathered over there. I'll introduce you to them. There are also many young people, and you can make some friends."

Chen Qing was bored and followed him.

In a large hall, more than thirty people were gathered, mostly families together. The women were chatting, and seven or eight middle-aged men were sitting in the upper seats drinking tea. Beside them, a dozen young men and women were playing a game of arrow throwing for prizes.

"Huyan, where have you been?" A few men waved to Huyan Zhengyan.

Huyan Zhengyan pulled Chen Qing forward and smiled, "I met a young friend. Let me introduce him to you. This is Chen Qing, the commander of the Western Army, the double champion of the New Soldier and New General Competition, and a rising star in the Song military."

Chen Qing hurriedly bowed, "Greetings, seniors!"

One of the middle-aged men, who was black and fat, his eyes lit up and asked, "Commander Chen, did the emperor grant you a mansion?"

"That's right."

"Good! Good! I heard it's in Sanqiao, a great location!"

Now, the officials were most concerned about housing. Official residences were severely lacking, and land prices were soaring. Many officials had to rent houses. Hearing that Chen Qing had been granted a mansion, everyone's eyes showed envy.

Chen Qing had already sold the mansion to Zheng Ping's father. He didn't want to get entangled in the house issue, so he got up and went to the young people's side. As he walked a few steps, he heard someone whisper, "I heard Li Qingzhao is here. If you have feelings for her, you should seize the opportunity!"

Chen Qing's heart stirred. He turned to look. The two speaking were middle-aged men, and the black and fat one who asked about the mansion was called Ruzhou.

If he guessed correctly, this Ruzhou should be Zhang Ruzhou, the villain who Li Qingzhao would soon mistakenly marry.

At this moment, Chen Qing suddenly became very interested. Li Qingzhao was here, and he wondered where she was.

With this thought, Chen Qing waved to Huyan Zhengyan. Huyan Zhengyan smiled and walked over, "Nephew, is there something?"

Chen Qing whispered, "Third Uncle, I admire Li Qingzhao's poetry very much. I heard she is here. Could you introduce me to her?"

Huyan Zhengyan chuckled, "That's easy. I'll find out where she is. You go play for a while, and I'll find you later."

......

Lu Yihao's birthday banquet had another purpose: matchmaking. The guests who attended the banquet were all well-matched, and alliances through marriage were an important means of political and aristocratic connections.

The women gathered to talk about clothes, makeup, and their children's marriages. Someone spread the news that Chen Qing had been granted a mansion, and several official wives began to pay attention to him.

Having a three-acre mansion in Lin'an was one of the biggest assets in the marriage market.

A group of ladies watched Chen Qing from a distance, whispering, "He looks good, a fine man, but he's a military officer. It would be better if he were a civil official."

"Being a military officer is fine. He commands thousands of men, and there's a lot of profit. The key is that he has a mansion. My old Han has been an official for a lifetime and probably can't afford a mansion in Lin'an."

Three ladies were interested and got up to talk to their husbands.

Chen Qing was unaware of this. He held three small copper arrows and, standing two zhang (about 6.6 meters) away from a narrow-necked copper pot, threw the arrows backward. The arrows flew in a parabolic arc and 'thud!' landed precisely in the pot.

A group of young men and women immediately burst into exclamations of amazement. They could hardly hit the pot from five feet away, let alone from two zhang and with a backward throw. It was simply incredible.

Chen Qing hit all three arrows, and a round of enthusiastic applause broke out. Several young girls looked at him with admiration, their eyes shining brightly.

Chen Qing smiled and waved, "Just a bit of luck. Please continue!"

The skill gap was too large, and he felt a bit embarrassed to continue playing.

At this moment, a steward came forward and handed Chen Qing several silver ingots, "This is the ten taels of silver prize. The champion of the arrow-throwing game is none other than you, General."

Chen Qing's eyes lit up. He could earn money from arrow throwing?

He happily took the silver. The steward whispered to him, "General, with such skills, you can try your luck at Fengle Tower. The bets there are in the hundreds of taels. If you have good luck, you can make a fortune."

Chen Qing was a bit tempted. Although he had given all his wealth to Zheng Ping to take away, it didn't mean he didn't need money. In fact, he almost drank with his classmates every night, and he was generous, usually paying the bill. For this birthday gift, he had borrowed fifty strings of cash from Huyan Tong and didn't know how to pay it back.

At this moment, Huyan Zhengyan patted Chen Qing's shoulder, "Come with me!"

Huyan Zhengyan was a bit unhappy. Just now, three officials had asked him to act as a matchmaker, wanting to marry their daughters to Chen Qing. Chen Qing was the old master's chosen grandson-in-law, but unfortunately, Gong Sun Wuniang refused to agree. She liked literati who could write poetry, which infuriated the old master.

"Do you have any interest in the young lady in the purple dress?"

Chen Qing remembered her. She was a very lively girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old, who was very enthusiastic toward him. She had given him the copper arrows for the game.

However, she was average-looking, with slightly dark skin. Chen Qing had no interest in her. He didn't like girls with dark skin, and that was also why he didn't like Huyan Wuniang.

"What's the matter?"

"Her father, Wu Zhan, is a powerful official in the Ministry of Revenue. Both Wu Zhan and his wife have taken a liking to you and want to marry their daughter to you."

"Are you kidding?"

"I'm not kidding. You were granted a mansion. Do you know how many people want to marry their daughters to you?"

Chen Qing shook his head, "I've already sold the mansion."

Huyan Zhengyan was surprised, "Why?"

"My subordinates died in battle and didn't receive any compensation. I couldn't shirk the responsibility."

Huyan Zhengyan frowned, "This matter should be handled by the court. How could you pay out of your own pocket?"

Chen Qing smiled bitterly, "The court has already allocated the compensation, but there were too many people and not enough money. The funds were diverted elsewhere, and the court won't allocate the money again. I had to find a way myself."

"Was the three thousand taels of silver you invested in the tavern also for this reason?"

Chen Qing nodded.

Huyan Zhengyan sighed, "The old master likes you very much and hopes you can become his grandson-in-law."

Chen Qing apologized, "Wuniang is a good girl, but we don't have any chemistry. I've already told Huyan Tong this."

Huyan Zhengyan was speechless. Huyan Wuniang didn't like Chen Qing, and Chen Qing didn't like her. They truly had no chemistry. Today, Wuniang came with him, but he didn't know where she had gone.

"I understand. Since you've sold the mansion, they probably won't be interested in you anymore."

Huyan Zhengyan pointed to a small pavilion ahead, "In that pavilion, there's a lady reading a book. She's the Li Qingzhao you're looking for. She is very proud and doesn't acknowledge anyone. You need to be prepared."

"Thank you, Third Uncle!"

Huyan Zhengyan left, and Chen Qing quickly went to the pavilion. Inside, five or six guests were sitting together chatting. In another corner of the pavilion, a middle-aged woman in a white dress was sitting, holding a book.

Chen Qing entered the pavilion. He didn't dare to be impolite and sat down first, quietly observing the middle-aged woman. She was wearing a fine linen white dress, the only guest not in silk.

Her hair was styled in a falling horse bun, with a copper hairpin slanted in it. She had a few wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, but her face was still delicate, with a noble and elegant aura. She was truly reading, not just pretending to be refined.

Chen Qing sighed. This was the famous Li Qingzhao. From her clothing and accessories, it was clear that she was not in a good situation.

But how should he start a conversation with her?

Chen Qing pondered for a moment and slowly recited, "Live as a hero, die as a mighty spirit. Thinking of Xiang Yu even now, he refused to cross the River East."

The middle-aged woman suddenly turned around, looking at Chen Qing in surprise.

"Sir, you... how do you know?"