Chapter 687: Tall or Short

Chapter 687: Chapter 687: Tall or Short

At this moment, Qin Siyuan had already begun to speak.

"Allow me to speak on behalf of Young Master Nantang about why the writings of Wu and Chu differ so greatly.

It is indeed as Mr. Songshan has said: the difference in writings is vast because the customs and habits of Wu and Chu differ enormously. The fine details are hard to enumerate one by one, so let me take something everyone has in common—that is, taking a new bride."

The crowd could not help but burst into loud laughter, the place instantly in an uproar.

Princess Fuyun also could not help but laugh. "I didn’t expect Young Master Nantang to be so playful."

Prince Qi laughed and said, "I wonder if he is married?"

Princess Fuyun thought for a moment and said, "Who could possibly bear to let such a handsome and talented son‑in‑law slip away before their very eyes?"

"Yet his aspirations are not in rank or wealth," Prince Qi sighed. "I fear the vulgar world could not tolerate him."

Princess Fuyun was unconcerned. "Now that his name shakes the Capital City, in time it will surely shake the whole world. Would a man of such astonishing talent really lack fame and fortune? Even if he does not enter court as an official and thus holds no power, he can at least live in peace."

Prince Qi said mildly, "It seems I should never have conceived the idea of recruiting him."

Princess Fuyun’s lids drooped lightly, veiling the dimming autumnal glint in her eyes.

Indeed, for the two of them, if they did not stake everything, there would be no way to live; Young Master Nantang and the others truly should not be dragged into this. Yet to say as much would be far too cruel to her elder brother.

Princess Fuyun forced a smile. "He is Mr. Songshan’s close friend, and he is on such intimate terms with the Dingbei Marquis Mansion. I’ve heard that the master of the Book Sea Pavilion exhausted every method of coercion and temptation and still could not obtain even one audience with him. There is bound to be some entanglement."

As for how far that entanglement would reach, that depended on the breadth of the ruling power’s mind.

Thus...

They could only succeed.

If they did not succeed, they would die for it.

The scholars below the stage, having laughed, now held their breath, waiting for the continuation from this famed talent of Jiangnan.

Even Wang Zichuan, who prided himself on his wide experience, pricked up his ears.

Onstage, Qin Siyuan went on slowly, "It is often said that meeting an old friend in a foreign land, the wedding night in the bridal chamber, and placing first in the imperial examinations are life’s three great joys. Naturally, the people of Wu and Chu mostly have their bridal chambers too, but their standards for a new bride are entirely different."

The crowd roared with laughter. "Quick, tell us in detail how they differ!"

A faint flush rose on Qin Siyuan’s face, yet he continued, "The people of Wudi favor tall women, for they are pleasing to the eye. The people of Chu Land favor short women, for they are capable.

Thus, a tall woman is welcome in Wudi, but once she reaches Chu Land, she is despised.

Wu and Chu share the same vein of land, yet their customs are so different.

On closer examination, I believe it is because Wudi is extravagant while Chu Land is frugal. Therefore, Wudi values graceful appearance, while Chu Land values utility.

This is made manifest just as clearly in their literary styles. What does everyone think?"

Everyone laughed and said, "That is very reasonable. Henceforth, to tell whether someone is from Wu or Chu, we need only look at whether his wife is tall or short."

"Why go to such trouble, just listening to a few words will do," someone retorted. "The accents of Wu people and Chu people differ so greatly that there can be no mistaking them. Why would you need to look at the height of another man’s wife?"

"You really don’t understand human feelings—aren’t we just following Young Master Nantang’s words to joke along?" another could not help saying.

That man said solemnly, "Scholarship is scholarship; how can it be turned into a joke? Young Master Nantang speaks wittily, but every sentence can be verified. You lot are merely playing around, with no reasoning at all; it cannot stand."

Seeing him esteem Young Master Nantang so highly, the others could not say more, and only said, "You must be from Jiangxi."

The man exclaimed, "I am indeed. How did you know?"

The other only smiled and said nothing.

The man still wished to press the question when he heard Qin Siyuan say again, "I once heard that someone composed a ’Marriage Poem’ to satirize this matter. Allow me to recite it for everyone."

The crowd fell quiet once more, washing their ears clean and listening respectfully, afraid to miss a single word.

Qin Siyuan tilted his head and listened as Qin Yuan chanted, then repeated, "How noisily the Chu man weds his wife, ten days of banquets laid in the great hall. Kinsfolk turn back, the younger aunt rises, spreading the word that the newcomer is short, and they rejoice. With low small waist and body, she is skilled at feeding children, pounding grain, and carrying water without fatigue.

In the west lives an old man long dwelling in Wu’s frontier; Wu people love tall brides. Veiled and robed, she is led before the gauze curtain and helped through the door; the taller the newcomer, the more the matchmaker is esteemed. Golden hairpin jangling eastward, step‑shaker swaying; like spring water rippling, like flower branches trembling.

Poor thing, that Wu and Chu differ in their lands, so that a bride’s height is her doom or her glory. Should a woman born for Wu fall instead in Chu, how bitter her lifelong ugliness and disgrace. Thus we know that tallness and shortness, too, have their lot in fate, not tied to the body at birth but to the soil where one is born."

Everyone laughed and said, "How vivid, how biting in its satire. One and the same person is considered beautiful in Wudi, yet is despised in Chu Land."

Wang Zichuan knit his brows, lost in thought.

The man beside him sighed, "Isn’t that just it? In the eyes of others, we lot are nothing but rascals and hoodlums; yet here among us... we’re all solid, real heroes—shout our names and there’s not a soul in the Jianghu who doesn’t know us."

Wang Zichuan said nothing.

Someone objected, "The customs of one place can differ greatly from another; even within a single city, the city folk and the villagers are worlds apart. Take one city alone and its customs already vary in a thousand ways—might Young Master Nantang be somewhat guilty of generalizing from the particular?"

Qin Yuan leaned close and murmured a few words to Qin Siyuan.

Qin Siyuan then said, "Allow me to explain in more detail, taking Jinling as an example. In Jinling City, the East City is where the Great Palace, the hundreds of departments, and the vassal mansions cluster together; it is mostly officials migrated from other regions. Their dress is exquisite, their lives affluent. Though the locals tend to be frugal, under their influence their eyes have grown lofty, and they love to put on official airs."

Wang Zichuan frowned. "Could this person be a native of Jinling?"

The man beside him said, "His official speech carries a bit of southern lilt; perhaps he is from Jinling."

Up above, Qin Siyuan continued, "Within the city center, there are many visiting merchants and few locals; urban magnates and brokers gather there in crowds. Most delight in comparison and competition, and are restless and quarrelsome."

The scholars from Jinling bobbed their heads vigorously.

Qin Siyuan went on, "The descendants of noble lineages and official families live in concentration in the south of the city. Roaming knights, wealthy travelers, and courtesans from the six quarters all assemble there, so the residents are mostly given to wantonness and indolence.

Meanwhile, the northern‑central districts are where military officers, eunuchs, and imperial students live together. They do not have much silver or grain on hand, but most care greatly about saving face.

Farther north, life grows still harder. Seven out of ten households there are military households; their lives are frugal, their food and clothing coarse.

Have I spoken correctly?"

The scholars of Jinling all said, "Perfectly said. People say the East City is for officials, the city center for merchants, the south for extravagance, and the north for poverty and simplicity. Is that not exactly so? Young Master Nantang’s account is even more detailed."

Qin Siyuan smiled and said, "That is well then. Though the south, north, east, and central districts of the city each differ, when it comes to Jinling’s overall style, who does not at once mention the lingering airs of the Six Dynasties—that clear, lofty spirit, heavier in literary grace than elsewhere, that blend of the mist‑like waters of the Six Dynasties and the aura of officialdom?"

The scholars of Jinling all nodded their agreement.

"Haha, indeed. In the East City, their lofty pride carries the backbone of the scholars; the south is languid and sensual, all because of the pleasures along the Qinhuai; in the city center, they pursue profit yet do not entirely lose their refinement; in the north, beneath the rough plainness lies a gentle warmth."

Qin Siyuan said, "Thus, the customs and human character of Chu and Wu can also be broadly outlined, can they not?"

The scholar who had argued earlier also nodded, yet remained unconvinced. "It is no exaggeration to say that in Jinling even the hawkers, porters, and waiters can toss out a few literary phrases, so to say the city is thick with literary air is not wrong.

But are there not, among these people, those who cannot recognize even a single character? Is there truly no one in Wudi who loves short women? Is there truly no one in Chu Land who loves tall women?"