Joy of Life - Volume 2 - Chapter 68

Chapter 68
Ye Ling'er was the only daughter of Ye Zhong, the head of the city garrison – unfortunately, due to her family's martial pursuits, she did not possess a gentle and refined temperament . Ye Liuyun, one of the Four Great Grandmasters, was her great uncle . The Ye family held a special position in the Kingdom of Qing, but the young woman was not a tyrannical, unreasonable sort . She simply cared deeply for Miss Lin, who was confined every day to her sickbed, forced to marry a boy she had never seen . So Ye Ling'er appeared very concerned .


Over the past few days, news had gone around a number of the great houses of the capital that the palace was preparing to marry off Miss Lin to the baseborn son of the Fan family from far-off Danzhou . When the news arrived, Miss Lin was mortified . She caught a chill during the night, coughing up blood and worsening her already poor health . Ye Ling'er was residing with her brother in Dingzhou; when she heard the news, she rushed back to the capital, and that was where Fan Xian saw her, outside the city gates .
A few days later, a rumor spread through the capital that the baseborn son of the Fan family had already arrived in the capital, and that he was just like Fan Sizhe – an arrogant and aggressive playboy . The news filled Ye Ling'er with rage . The day before, she had gone to see Miss Lin and found her to be rather bashful . She asked her some questions, and although she never got an answer, she guessed that Miss Lin had fallen in love with someone .
She could not bear to see the young woman so broken-hearted, so she went to find her father and ask if he could intercede at the palace and convince them to break off the engagement . She had not expected the question to make her father quite so angry . With no other options, she invited Fan Ruoruo to visit her at the family manor, hoping to see whether there was any way the engagement could be called off . She had always known that the chances were slim, but it was still worth trying, using up all of the sisterly goodwill that they shared .
Ye Ling'er looked at the mild-mannered Rou Jia, then at Fan Ruoruo's seemingly tranquil expression . She had finally realized that Miss Ruoruo, always so indifferent to her good reputation, had quite some backbone to her . When Fan Ruoruo suggested to her that she introduce Miss Lin to a skilled physician, Ye Ling’er muttered weakly, "It's no use . "
Fan Ruoruo was not willing to drop the matter . She smiled . "If you truly feel so deeply for her, what harm would it do to let a famous doctor see her?"


"The imperial physicians have had no luck treating her . This famous doctor you speak of . . . " Ye Ling'er held herself back . She did want to appear disdainful in front of the princess . "The doctor is a student of Master Gui," Fan Ruoruo explained politely .
Ye Ling'er made sound of approval . Her eyes shone, and she pulled Fan Ruoruo's hand toward her . "I shall ask her if it is possible . "
Finishing their chat, the three girls went back inside the pavilion . When the other girls saw the calm expressions on those two, they assumed that the matter had been dealt with, and breathed a sigh of relief . By their sides stood servant-girls attending to them and a maidservant who copied the poems they had written before taking them to the other side of the lake .
Some time later, copies of the poems the scholars had written on the other side of the lake came over to them . The ladies glanced through them, occasionally exclaiming in admiration . Fan Ruoruo held her chin in her hands and gazed at the other side of the lake, wondering what they might be thinking . Ye Ling'er curiously accepted the poetry scrolls, and read through from start to finish, but did not see an inscription reading "Fan" . "What about young master Fan's poem?" she asked, astonished .
Since they had sent the young man here to make a name for himself, she thought there was no reason for him to hide himself away . The maidservant explained respectfully that Master Fan had not written a poem . Rou Jia glanced at Fan Ruoruo by the side of the railings, and a look of bewilderment passed across her innocent face . She was examining the scene in detail . The girls in the pavilion realized that the battle of words on the other side of the lake was just as pointed as it had been on this side .
Rou Jia smiled sweetly . "Ruoruo, won't you come and see this scholar's poem?"

The women began to chat among themselves . Ruoruo heard that her brother had been humiliated . She turned her head away from the railing, hiding a trace of anger in her tranquil eyes . "Can these people even write poetry?" she said coolly .
Although the women knew that Miss Fan was a skilled poetess, hearing her talk this way was somewhat unexpected . Fan Ruoruo returned, took up her ink-stone and slender brush, and waved her wrist above the paper, writing a few words . After she had finished, she passed it to a maidservant . "Take these verses over there," she instructed her .
The maidservant did as she was told .
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Meanwhile, on the other side of the lake, an uneasy silence had due to Guo Baokun's maligning Fan Xian's status .
Anger flashed in Crown Prince Jing's eyes . This was no way for people to act in the presence of a prince . He clenched his fist gently, wondering whether to teach this fellow a lesson, but when he looked at Fan Xian, he felt that he had the right response, and that it was best not to use his fists .
Count Sinan had made Fan Xian attend the poetry contest for a simple reason – to make himself known and gather some renown so that he could gain the "affections" of the eldest princess . But Fan Xian seemed completely unworried . People around him wondered what on earth he might be thinking . Not long after they had sent their verses to the pavilion, a maidservant came with a response, giving the poem that Miss Fan had wrote to the Crown Prince .
Glancing at it, the Crown Prince's eyes lit up . "Very good!" he exclaimed .
The aide by his side looked it over and nodded his head . "Not bad at all, but . . . " He felt that this poem, written by a woman, had a slightly abnormal approach . But after considering the relationship between the crown prince's family and the Fan family, he kept silent .
The people around him were curious . They gathered together to see the words, written in small, elegant characters: "In August the lake waters are calm, the vapors and horizon mix together . The steam travels across the Pond of Clouded Dreams, the waves shaking the walls of Danzhou . I wish to cross, but have neither boat nor oar; o wise one, it would be a shame for me to settle down . Sitting, I see an angler, his followers jealous of his fish . "
"A fine poem . Miss Fan has truly proven herself . " He Zongwei was among the people who crowded around, and the sound of his praise was especially loud, as if he wanted it to reach the other side of the lake . "She writes in such awe of the lake scenery . It is a wonderful comment on nature . "
Guo Baokun frowned . "The lake's so small . You can't say that there's steam . What's more, the Pond of Clouded Dreams is in the south, and Danzhou is by the sea . Miss Fan only writes pretty words, but they are quite lacking . "
Crown Prince Jing had taken a different meaning from the verse . Wanting to cross with neither boat nor oar, a shame to settle down, sitting and seeing an angler whose followers were jealous of his fish . . . Though it was vague, it showed the author was not resigned to secrecy, and wanted to take action . It was the pattern of a poem in which the writer wished to offer their services . He turned his head to look at Fan Xian, who sat calmly in a far-off area . He wondered . . . Perhaps he had written it?
But it was a fine poem, so the people around him all praised it; no one else agreed with Guo Baokun . As the prince pondered, some people had already sent their comments to the other side of the lake, and Miss Fan's explanation had already come back .
"A lake is a body of water, as is the sea . Clouded Dreams reminds one of the East Sea . My brother grew up in Danzhou . His heart is in the rivers and the ocean, so why not use it as one pleases? This poem was written by my brother when he was ten . I have copied it out today for everyone's enjoyment . "
They paid no attention to the first part, but they finally understood that this poem was not written by Miss Fan . . . but by the taciturn Fan Xian!
At that point, the scholars in the garden stopped looking at Fan Xian with contempt and confusion, but were filled with awe . For Fan Xian to write such a poem at ten years old – was he a genius?