Chapter 57

Outside the school, people were gathered in a throng, not just the students from various academies who were attending the poetry gathering, but also other scholars who had gathered in Luoyang City, as well as the city residents who had come to watch the spectacle. They all crowded around the school, and many of the school attendants were at the entrance, letting people in and out in batches. Although those outside were eager to get in and watch, they did not dare to act rashly, for there were many constables from the government offices standing there. If they acted rashly and were charged with causing a disturbance, they would end up spending a few days in jail, which would not be worth it.

Xia Hongsheng had not expected so many people to come. He had thought that only the students attending the poetry gathering would be sitting in the courtyard behind the school, with a few people around to watch. He had not anticipated that so many people would come to see the spectacle. It was just a poetry gathering, after all. If it were the flower contest in a few days, wouldn't the streets be empty?

"Sir? Aren't you participating in the poetry gathering?" Xia Hongsheng was standing at the back, craning his neck to look at the entrance when he heard a voice behind him. He turned around and saw it was the attendant who had led them to the inn when they first arrived.

"Brother, it's you!" Xia Hongsheng greeted him warmly. "I just came out with my fellow students to broaden my horizons, so I didn't participate. Unfortunately, I overslept this morning and wasn't taken in with them. Brother, you must be very busy these days with the poetry gathering!"

The attendant nodded and sighed, "Yes! I haven't slept since yesterday afternoon! Just now, the people from Mingxiangju sent over a lot of tea, and they even sent maids to pour water and serve tea. I was ordered to wait here and guide them in! I don't know why Mingxiangju is making such a big effort and not asking for any money. This is just burning money!"

"That's even better, isn't it? If someone is there to serve tea and water, it saves you a lot of trouble. Ha ha!" Xia Hongsheng was surprised. This was a determined effort to promote the new method of brewing tea. They had sent roasted tea leaves and were worried that the students and scholars wouldn't know how to drink it, so they even sent people to teach them this new method. The shopkeeper was indeed thorough!

The attendant was pleased that Xia Hongsheng, a scholar, was not only very polite to him but also chatted with him so freely. He was even more delighted because Xia Hongsheng had been very courteous to him when they first arrived, making him feel respected. So, he patted his chest and said, "Sir, come, I'll take you in! Those blind ones don't know that you are a young talent from the academy. The maids will probably take a while, and right now, they are still performing songs. The poetry hasn't started yet. If you go in now, you'll still be in time!"

"Would that be too much trouble for you, Brother?" Xia Hongsheng asked, concerned for him.

"Don't worry, Sir!" The attendant, seeing Xia Hongsheng's concern, patted his chest even more confidently.

Xia Hongsheng didn't refuse and smiled happily, "Thank you very much, Brother!"

The attendant led Xia Hongsheng around the crowd to the side door of the school. He knocked on the door and called out his name, and a servant came out.

"Sir, go in!" The attendant called out to Xia Hongsheng. Xia Hongsheng quickly walked over and bowed gratefully to the attendant and the servant, which startled the servant, who quickly stepped aside.

The attendant said goodbye and left. Xia Hongsheng then said to the servant, "Thank you, little brother. If it weren't for your help, I wouldn't know when I could get in!"

"Sir, you are too kind!" The servant, seeing Xia Hongsheng's good attitude, was very uncomfortable. Other scholars, though they never bullied him or treated him badly, had never been so polite to him. So, he hurriedly bowed and said, "Sir, I'll take you over!"

Xia Hongsheng followed the servant to the back courtyard of the school. Before they had walked far, they heard the sounds of music and singing. When they turned into the back courtyard, they saw that the large courtyard was already full, with tables set up around the pond. The students and invited scholars and guests were seated on both sides of the pond, and there was a stage in front where performers were entertaining.

"The headmaster just finished his speech, and now it's the performance. Later, the masters from other academies will present and evaluate new poems. The actual poetry competition will start in the afternoon," the servant explained to Xia Hongsheng and then hurriedly returned to the side door.

Hearing the title "master," Xia Hongsheng smiled. It sounded even worse than "principal." Ha ha! In ancient times, the leaders of academies were not called principals or deans like in later times. The head of the highest academic institution, the National University, was called a "sacrificial wine," and the head of the official school was called a "headmaster" or "dean." The heads of private academies had many titles, such as "mountain master" or "master," and some were simply called "teacher." None of these sounded as good as "principal."

Behind the tables, many people were standing and watching. Xia Hongsheng glanced at the stage a few times but found it uninteresting. However, the audience, whether standing or sitting, was captivated, often clapping and cheering. Xia Hongsheng looked around but didn't see Xu Qixian and the others. Instead, he noticed that each table had a folding fan, but they seemed blank, with no inscriptions or paintings. Each fan also had a dark blue tassel, making them look very unique. Xia Hongsheng thought to himself that the shopkeeper was indeed reliable. In just two days, he had managed to pull this off. The shopkeeper was very capable, and any new business should be entrusted to him.

Since there was no poetry in the morning, there was nothing much to see. Xia Hongsheng couldn't get into the performance on the stage or the lectures of the scholars. However, he was curious to see how the maids from Mingxiangju would handle the new method of brewing tea and whether it would be a success.

Xia Hongsheng squeezed out of the crowd, looked around, and jumped into the garden behind. He found a green stone in the shade of a wall and sat down.

"Hey, isn't that Brother Xia?" As he leaned against the tree, he heard a voice from the side of the garden. Xia Hongsheng turned his head and saw a young man in white, who seemed familiar but whom he couldn't quite place. The young man in white asked, "Brother Xia, aren't you participating in the poetry gathering?"

As he spoke, the young man in white also jumped into the garden and walked up to Xia Hongsheng.

Xia Hongsheng stood up and scratched his head, "Uh... Brother..."

"Oh, did Brother Xia forget from last night? At Yixiangju..." the young man in white smiled.

With that, Xia Hongsheng suddenly remembered and exclaimed, "It's you! Yesterday at Yixiangju, you stood up to the Turks, which was truly admirable!"

The young man in white was the one who had cursed the Turks at Yixiangju the previous day. He had been wearing a brocade robe then, but today he was in a simple white robe, which was why Xia Hongsheng hadn't recognized him at first.

The young man in white smiled and bowed, "Not at all, Brother Xia's poem drove away the Turks, which I truly admire. After the Turks were scared away, I wanted to meet Brother Xia, but you were already drunk. From Brother Xu, I learned that Brother Xia is only thirteen. Truly, heroes emerge from the young, and Brother Xia is a remarkable person!"

"Brother, you flatter me. I am Xia Hongsheng, styled Jingshi. May I ask your name?" Xia Hongsheng bowed and asked.

"I am... surnamed Wang, styled Zike. Brother Xia can call me Zike," the young man in white smiled.

"Brother Zike, why aren't you watching the poetry gathering?" Xia Hongsheng asked.

The young man in white laughed, "Ha ha, I'm not much older than Brother Xia. You can just call me Zike. I came to watch the students' poetry, but I didn't want to wait until the afternoon. I've never been to this Luoyang school, so I thought I'd walk around and look around."

As they were talking, the performance on the stage ended, and the performers left. Then, someone walked up and announced, "Tea is served!"

As he spoke, the red door in front of the stage opened, and two rows of maids in white appeared, each carrying a water pot. They entered in a line and stood in front of each table, leaving one maid at each table. Xia Hongsheng was surprised by the grand display and wondered where the shopkeeper had found so many people.

Then, the person on the stage announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, the tea served at this poetry gathering is specially prepared by Mingxiangju in Luoyang City. It is made without ginger, scallions, salt, or pepper, and without boiling. It is brewed to restore the true flavor of tea. I have tasted it, and it is truly wonderful. Please enjoy it with a calm mind."

As he spoke, the maids at each table began to brew the tea, using the "three nods of the phoenix" method, which was explained by the person on the stage.

Xia Hongsheng smiled and secretly gave a thumbs up. The shopkeeper was truly talented and capable!