Volume One, Chapter 38: He Seems Different from the Others

Zhao Defu hurried downstairs, greeting them with a smile: "Scholar Liu, young masters, welcome! It is an honor to have you here."

In Zhiyuan County, the Liu family held far more influence than Master Zhao, and with Liu Wenyan now achieving the status of a promoted scholar (Juren), the family’s prominence was at its peak. Liu Wenyan had arrived with such a large entourage today that Zhao dared not offend him.

"Master Zhao," Liu Wenyan said with a polite but stiff bow. "We are not here to dine today. We are here to see Fan Xiu, the promoted scholar." He spat out the word "scholar" with palpable resentment.

Zhao Defu asked in surprise, "What do you want with him?"

Before Liu Wenyan could speak, another young man stepped forward, his face flushed with anger. "We are here to hold him accountable! As a man of his standing, he has abandoned his studies to engage in trade—the lowest of professions. He has brought nothing but shame upon us scholars!"

Another added, "Exactly! And he dares to sell this so-called 'Top Scholar’s Fragrant Tea and Tea Eggs'? Does he even have the qualifications to use such a name?"

It was the peak of the lunch hour. Zhiweixuan was packed, and the line of customers waiting to buy the "Top Scholar" delicacies stretched far out the door. Seeing Liu Wenyan and his group causing a scene, the patrons turned to watch, intrigued. It was rare to witness a confrontation between scholars, especially one involving two of the most notable figures in Zhiyuan County.

Zhao Defu’s heart sank as he looked at the furious group. Disaster. They were targeting Fan Xiu. He had known that Fan Xiu’s decision to abandon his scholarly pursuits for business would draw some criticism, but he had never imagined Liu Wenyan would lead a mob to storm the establishment. His business had only just begun to thrive, thanks to Fan Xiu’s reputation and his unique dishes. If something happened to Fan Xiu, how would he continue?

"I apologize," Zhao Defu said with a forced smile. "Young masters, Fan Xiu is not in today. Please, allow me to host you for a meal on the second floor instead."

"There is no need!" Liu Wenyan replied, his face expressionless. "I have already stated that we are not here for food! Fan Xiu bears the title of a promoted scholar, yet he shows no concern for the prosperity of the imperial court. If he insists on turning his back on scholarship for commerce, he must formally renounce his title!"

Just then, a cold voice rang out from the second floor. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

Fan Xiu strode down the stairs, pointing a finger at Liu Wenyan. "Liu Wenyan, you think you can just tell me to renounce my title? Even the magistrate doesn't have the authority to manage my life as broadly as you do!"

He was not going to stand by while being bullied. As fellow scholars in Zhiyuan County, Liu Wenyan had always held a grudge against him. Even back in their study days, Liu Wenyan had picked fights with him at every turn. When they had met in Xuzhou for the examinations, Liu Wenyan hadn't even offered a polite greeting, merely glaring at him before walking away. If he didn't fight back now, this man would never let it rest.

"You!" Liu Wenyan pointed back. "Fan Xiu! You are a scholar, yet you are so crude! You are a disgrace to our profession! Have you forgotten everything our mentors taught us?"

Fan Xiu rolled his eyes. "So what if I'm a scholar? Does a scholar not need to eat? Are scholars superior to everyone else? You’ve read a few books and now you’ve lost your mind? I’ve chosen to go into business—what business is it of yours?"

"You are wallowing in degradation!" Liu Wenyan shouted. "The sages have declared merchants to be the lowest of the low! You use your scholarly title to engage in such base activities. Today, you must renounce your status and cease the sale of your 'Top Scholar' products! You are tarnishing our reputation!"

"Oh," Fan Xiu replied with a long, drawn-out tone. "I thought you were truly concerned about the honor of scholars. It turns out you’re just jealous that Zhiweixuan is doing well and you want to ruin our business. You have the nerve to call yourself a scholar? Your mind is filled with nothing but schemes and greed—you are the peak of hypocrisy! It is a disgrace to be considered a fellow scholar alongside you."

At the top of the stairs, Ying watched Fan Xiu with curiosity. She realized that his worldview was entirely different from everyone else’s. The hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants had been the consensus for thousands of years; even if merchants made money, people spoke of them with disdain while priding themselves on being scholars. But Fan Xiu seemed to lack this prejudice entirely. When he spoke of merchants, there was no contempt; when he spoke of scholars, there was no sense of superiority.

Ying traced back every interaction she had had with Fan Xiu since they met. He seemed to hold no distinction between scholars and merchants, men and women, or the high and the low. He treated everyone with the same level of respect, even a lowly constable. Who exactly was this man? Her curiosity deepened; she truly wanted to crack open his head and see what was inside.

Down in the lobby, Liu Wenyan was red-faced with rage. "You lie! I never said any such thing!"

"Brother Fan Xiu," Zhao Yufei said, clutching his arm and glaring at Liu Wenyan. "Liu Wenyan, I think you’re just targeting him because your literary talent is inferior to his!"

"Absurd!" Liu Wenyan barked. "He only passed the examination by sheer luck! That is why he is abandoning his studies—he’s afraid to take the imperial examination again!"

Fan Xiu chuckled. "Strange, considering I placed in the second tier, while you barely scraped into the third. And at the very bottom of that list, no less!"

Liu Wenyan nearly coughed up blood. Back when they were students, Fan Xiu had consistently outperformed him and was the favorite of their instructors, who had praised him as having the potential of a top-scoring candidate. This had always infuriated Liu Wenyan. As a young master of the Liu family, he possessed noble status, yet he couldn't surpass Fan Xiu. He had hoped the provincial exams would be his chance to finally crush him, but despite his desperate efforts and bribes, he had only managed to crawl into the bottom of the third tier, while Fan Xiu had placed in the second tier without spending a single copper. It made his blood boil.

He had hoped that upon returning to Zhiyuan County, he could use his family’s influence to prevent Fan Xiu from joining the local government. Instead, Fan Xiu hadn't even bothered with the government; he had simply started selling cold noodles!

"Do you dare to compete with me, then?" Liu Wenyan challenged. "Let us take the metropolitan examination next year and see who earns the title of Jinshi!"

Fan Xiu sneered with disdain. "Can't you see I'm busy with business? If you pass, congratulations. If you don't, that’s your problem. Now, get out!"

"Are you afraid?" Liu Wenyan goaded. "Forget the examination. Let us compose a poem right here, right now. Do you dare?"

Ying, watching from above, folded her arms and squinted. A poetry contest? Interesting. She recalled Fan Xiu saying that he wasn't good at poetry, which was why he had turned to business. If he refused in front of all these people, his reputation as a scholar would surely become the laughingstock of the entire county.