Chapter 1

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In the third month of spring during the sixteenth year of the Chongzhen era, the Qinhuai River, stretching from the East Water Gate to the West Water Gate, was at its most picturesque. Green willows gently caressed the golden-powdered pavilions, and the ten-mile-long pearl curtains swayed in the spring breeze, with the sound of music and the sight of painted boats never ceasing day or night.

From a distance, the spring water filled the moat, and half the city was covered in flowers. Inside and outside the city, the splendid palaces and temples, with their green tiles and red ridges, numbered more than four thousand eight hundred, far exceeding the four hundred eighty temples of the Six Dynasties. The city had large and small streets, with a total of six or seven hundred wine shops and over a thousand tea houses. No matter how remote the alley, there were always places with lanterns hanging, selling tea, adorned with fresh flowers, and using the finest rainwater for brewing. The tea houses were always filled with people enjoying their tea.

On the upper floor of the Meixiang Building by the river, the carved windows and Xiang curtains were half-drawn. Qin Mu, who had just returned from failing the imperial examination, had no interest in the spring scenery outside. He was drinking cup after cup to drown his sorrows.

In front of him, the famous Qinhuai courtesan Li Xiangjun gently played the zither, her delicate fingers producing a refined melody that sounded like a lover's whisper.

She wore a white silk robe with wide sleeves and a pattern of orchids, a purple Hangzhou silk skirt, and had a petite and graceful figure. Her eyes sparkled with autumn waves, and her small lips were slightly upturned, giving her a playful and charming appearance.

Beside Qin Mu was a book box, and he still had the appearance of a traveler. He had not returned home after failing the examination but had come directly to the Meixiang Building to drink away his sorrows.

The zither music gradually faded, and Li Xiangjun walked over to Qin Mu, holding the wine pot in her white hands. She poured two cups of wine and said gently, "Young Master Qin, you are just twenty, full of knowledge and talent. Even if you did not pass this time, why should you be so troubled?"

"Why should I be so troubled?" Qin Mu, with a hint of drunkenness, said indignantly, "The country is on the verge of collapse, and monsters are sure to appear..."

"Be careful, Young Master Qin!" Li Xiangjun was startled and quickly tried to dissuade him.

"Be careful? The state of the Ming dynasty is well known to you, Li Xiangjun. Liaodong has been lost, and the Tartars frequently invade, coming and going as they please, burning and looting all the way to Shandong. The court can only watch helplessly. Li Zicheng has a million troops and has declared himself king in Xiangyang, ready to attack the capital at any moment. The Central Plains have been ravaged by war, with rebels burning and looting, and the imperial army plundering. White bones lie exposed in the fields, and for a thousand miles, there is no sound of a rooster. It is truly a sight of utter desolation. Even as the country is on the brink of collapse, the officials in the capital still engage in mutual intrigue and seek personal gain. When the eunuch faction is in power, the Donglin scholars are either demoted or killed. When the Donglin scholars are in power, they do the same to the eunuch faction. They fight each other endlessly, and those of us who are not involved can only dream of passing the imperial examination and serving the country, but it is a futile hope."

"Your words are somewhat biased, Young Master Qin. The Donglin scholars are not as bad as you say," Li Xiangjun said. Her father was a military official and a member of the Donglin faction, and she had fallen into the life of a courtesan after he was killed by the eunuch faction. She naturally disagreed with Qin Mu's criticism of both the eunuch faction and the Donglin scholars.

Qin Mu had studied for ten years, all his hopes resting on the imperial examination. Failing for the third time filled him with indignation: "In the fourth year of the Chongzhen era, the leader of the Fusha party, Zhang Pu, and Wu Weiyi both took part in the Ministry of Rites examination. Wu Weiyi's examination paper should have been written by the chief examiner, but it was actually written by Zhang Pu, who was also a candidate. This made Zhang Pu Wu Weiyi's teacher. Why? Why? Simply because he is the leader of the Fusha party. In other words, the Fusha party has already surpassed the court. The imperial examination, a matter of national importance, is being manipulated by certain people. Donglin! Fusha! Hahaha..."

Li Xiangjun was momentarily speechless. Although she leaned towards the Donglin and Fusha factions, Qin Mu's example was too concrete for her to refute.

"Heaven is unjust." Qin Mu took a big gulp of wine and then sang aloud: "On the golden list, I lost the top place. In the Ming dynasty, talent is temporarily overlooked... In the alleys of the city, the painted screens are faintly visible. Fortunately, there is someone in my heart, whom I can seek out..."

This "Heaven's Flight" was written by Liu Yong of the Song dynasty, and Qin Mu's recitation had a sense of shared suffering.

"Fortunately, there is someone in my heart, whom I can seek out..." Li Xiangjun pondered this line in her heart. Qin Mu had come to her twice after failing the examination, and it was clear who his "someone in his heart" was. Li Xiangjun's face turned a faint red.

Qin Mu might be a good person, but Li Xiangjun already had someone in her heart.

She glanced at Qin Mu. He was a legendary figure in Nanjing, his father having been a seventh-rank county magistrate. Unfortunately, Qin Mu was born just a few days before his father died. A high-ranking monk passing by the Qin family said that Qin Mu's八字 (bazi, or birth chart) was too strong, and he would harm his parents. The only way to resolve this was to raise him in a temple.

Qin Mu's mother, Lady Qin, had just lost her husband and had only a baby to care for. How could she bear to part with him? She ignored the advice of others and, after using up all their savings, supported herself by sewing and mending, eventually raising Qin Mu.

Qin Mu was exceptionally intelligent from a young age. He could recite the Analects at five and write poetry at seven, earning him the title of a prodigy. He passed the provincial examination at thirteen, making him famous in the Jiangnan region.

However, just three days after passing the provincial examination, his mother, Lady Qin, died from years of hard work and illness. People recalled the rumors that he would harm his parents, and the city was filled with gossip. Many people kept their distance from Qin Mu.

Some, however, did not believe these rumors and saw Qin Mu as a promising young talent. The former Nanjing Minister of Revenue, now the Deputy Minister, Qian Shun, was the first to act. He offered his daughter to Qin Mu in marriage. The monk had said Qin Mu would harm his parents, but not his wife, right?

However, in the tenth year of the Chongzhen era, Qin Mu failed his first imperial examination.

Three years later, he took the examination again and failed once more.

Li Xiangjun first met Qin Mu three years ago, after he failed the examination. Overwhelmed with sorrow, he had come to the Meixiang Building to listen to her play the zither. She had a good impression of him.

After that, Qin Mu stayed at home to study and did not visit the Meixiang Building again. Li Xiangjun's impression of him gradually faded, as he was just a one-time visitor.

Three years later, he returned, once again having failed the examination, and seemed more disillusioned with the world. How could this not evoke a sense of melancholy?

Qin Mu expressed his feelings through poetry, and Li Xiangjun could only pretend not to understand. She poured more wine and asked, "Young Master Qin, you are a talented young man. Surely you have other aspirations besides following in the footsteps of Liu Yong and lingering among the flowers?"

Qin Mu replied with a desolate look, "I have already registered with the Ministry of Personnel."

Li Xiangjun's fingers trembled, and the red wine in the jade cup almost spilled. She could not understand why a young man of twenty would give up on the imperial examination.

According to Ming regulations, a provincial examination candidate who failed three times could register with the Ministry of Personnel to wait for a "great selection." Once registered, they could no longer take the imperial examination.

The "great selection" was a process where, when there were not enough imperial scholars to fill official positions, the Ministry of Personnel would select some of the provincial candidates. The selection criteria, however, were based on appearance. Candidates were lined up in groups of dozens, and the officials would choose those with good looks. Those who were unattractive would be sent back, to avoid disgracing the Ming dynasty.

In this sense, China's beauty pageants have a long and rich history. You might say that being unattractive is not your fault, but it is your fault. Why didn't you eat some cucumbers and apply some powder before coming?

Li Xiangjun glanced at Qin Mu. He had a face like a jade crown, was tall and handsome, and should easily be selected in the great selection.

However, in the official world, background mattered. A provincial candidate could only hope to become a county magistrate or a clerk, and even then, it was a stroke of luck. Unless they were sent to a remote and harsh region, they would not become a county magistrate.

After being appointed, promotion was extremely difficult, and most officials from the provincial examination never rose above the seventh rank.

Li Xiangjun smoothed her hair, and for once, she was at a loss for words. For a scholar, giving up on the imperial examination was a difficult decision.

She smiled and was about to offer some comfort when a commotion came from downstairs. Tables were overturned, girls were screaming, and the sound of swords clashing could be heard. A loud voice shouted, "The Eastern Depot is arresting rebels. Unrelated people, step aside! Otherwise, you will be considered rebels!"

"Xing'er, go see what's happening!" Li Xiangjun hastily instructed the young servant girl.

The servant girl was about to open the door when it was kicked down with a "bang." A bloodied, muscular man wielding a table leg rushed in, followed by a group of Eastern Depot agents in brown clothes and small sashes, each wielding a steel sword and relentlessly pursuing the man.

The man, with disheveled hair, fought while retreating, his table leg creating a fierce wind with each swing. The Eastern Depot agents, with their swords like silk, surrounded him, and a single mistake could result in his dismemberment.

Li Xiangjun was pale with shock, unsure of what to do. The table leg was about to hit her, and Qin Mu, with a sudden burst of courage, shouted, "Xiangjun!" and lunged forward. The table leg struck him on the back of the head, and he fell to the wall with Li Xiangjun.

The fighting continued, and Li Xiangjun, holding Qin Mu, cried out, "Young Master Qin, Young Master Qin, wake up, wake up..."

Unfortunately, Qin Mu, with blood streaming from his head, was unconscious.

At that moment, a red light shot into the room from the open window. Everyone instinctively looked outside, seeing a fireball with a long tail streaking westward like a meteor.

The street was in chaos, with many people looking up. In an instant, the fireball crashed into the city's western gate, Three Hills Gate.

A deafening explosion echoed, and smoke and dust rose hundreds of feet into the air. The ground trembled, and the Meixiang Building swayed, making it hard to stand.

Near the Qinhuai River, two or three dozen houses collapsed with a loud crash. People fled in all directions, dropping their loads and overturning their stalls, creating a chaotic scene of screams and cries.

This sudden phenomenon made the Eastern Depot agents forget their pursuit, and the man took the opportunity to leap out the window and into the Qinhuai River...

When Qin Mu woke up again, he felt a splitting headache and was too weak to open his eyes. He heard a clear voice.

"Miss, I just heard from Ma San that a large black rock fell outside Three Hills Gate, creating a pit several feet deep and wide. People are discussing it, saying that in the seventh year of the Tianqi era, a large rock also fell in the Yan Mountains, and soon after, Emperor Xizong died..."

"Xing'er, don't talk nonsense!" a gentle voice called out urgently, "Xing'er, remember, don't say such taboo things, or you will bring trouble upon yourself."

"Miss, don't worry. I only told you, and I won't say it outside. I heard that the Minister of War, Shi, went out to investigate and ordered the pit to be covered and the people to stop spreading rumors, or they would be arrested."

Another woman sighed deeply, seemingly uninterested in the falling rock.

"Miss, what if Young Master Qin doesn't wake up? Should we inform his family?"

"No, no, Young Master Qin will be fine. Doctor Li is the best doctor in the city. He said Young Master Qin will wake up, so he will..."

"Miss, Doctor Li only said he might wake up, not that he will. Should we take Young Master Qin home?"

"How can we do that? Young Master Qin was injured saving me. I can't just ignore him now."

"What should we do? Ah! Young Master Qin's finger moved, he's waking up, he's waking up!"

Qin Mu was indeed waking up, but his eyes were blank, and he could not understand why he was here after drinking heavily with his friends in a bar.

"Young Master Qin, you're finally awake. Thank heaven, thank heaven..."

No matter what Li Xiangjun said, Qin Mu's eyes remained blank, and he did not speak. The owner of the Meixiang Building, Lady Li, was so worried that she called the doctor again, who prescribed medicine. Qin Mu still did not speak, only muttering, "Why? How is this possible? How did I end up here?"

In his state of confusion, Qin Mu's mind was a whirlwind, and he did not even notice that Li Xiangjun had stayed to care for him.

It was not until the next day, when a servant from the Qin family brought a letter, that Qin Mu's blank eyes were suddenly pierced with pain...

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