Chapter Ten: Raising a Father Is Like Raising a Pig in a Pen

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“Father, the essence of the Eight-Legged Essay lies in breaking down the prompt. The classics and histories amount to just a few words you’ve long mastered by heart. Over the years, the examiners have exhausted all the standard questions, which is why they devised the Eight-Legged Essay.”
While organizing books, Ye Xiu asked, “Our Great Qian Dynasty has stood for over two centuries, and each examiner seems more cunning than the last. Today, I found a book titled *One Thousand Eight-Legged Essay Prompts* in the study and discovered a rather strange prompt: the first two characters are ‘Use’ and ‘Abandon,’ and the last two are ‘Conduct’ and ‘Hide.’ What do you think this prompt means?”
Ye Wuji picked up a pen and wrote the four characters on paper. After pondering for a long while, his eyes suddenly brightened. “Son, could it be: ‘Use means to act, abandon means to hide; only you and I have our times?’”
“Exactly! I knew Father’s talent was extraordinary! Those examiners have already begun hiding characters; each one is more twisted than the last.”
Ye Xiu gave his father a thumbs-up. The fact that Ye Wuji could solve the prompt so quickly was testament to his undeniable talent.
“Indeed, these examiners are all despicable,” Ye Wuji said meaningfully. “Typical sons without an ounce of backbone!”
“That’s why, Father, what you need now is to practice more questions. I’ll gather all the good prompts I find in the study and pass them on to you.”
According to Ye Xiu’s plan, the previous Ming Dynasty specialized in the Eight-Legged Essay, with each question more devious than the last.
Ye Wuji’s success in becoming a scholar at the county level proved his foundation was solid. With enough practice on these topics, even a blind cat could catch a dead mouse.
This is the so-called—predicting the questions!
Treating his father like a pig in a pen, feeding him in a cramming style.
If he failed once, then twice; twice no good, then thrice.
Ye Wuji unfolded the top scholar’s exam paper and fell into deep thought.
He picked up a pen and began dissecting the text in the Eight-Legged Essay style, breaking the phrases and sentences.
Ye Xiu smiled faintly upon seeing this.
He began planning the four-box gift for Wang Yuanhui.
The “four-box gift” was a customary gift when visiting relatives: tobacco, wine, sugar, and tea.
In this era without tobacco, only salt remained.
Ye Xiu planned to gift Wang Yuanhui refined salt, high-proof liquor, and white sugar.
The fourth item was more personal—Wang Yuanhui was fond of outings.
But his outings were different, akin to wild parties in the previous life.
His lifelong dream was to have someone paint a “Spring Outing Companions” portrait.
He had searched many painters but remained unsatisfied.

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Gift-giving must cater to the recipient’s tastes.
But the problem arose when Ye Xiu checked their savings—it was unrealistic to give all four gifts.
Distillation, sugar refining, and salt processing all required equipment beyond their budget.
With this in mind, Ye Xiu decided to gift a secret erotic painting and distilled liquor instead.
But before that, he intended to visit the Beixin Bridge Market to check the prices of distilled liquor and its future prospects.
Outside Wulong Alley, a luxurious carriage was parked.
The window slid open, and someone looked toward Ye Xiu and his father’s residence.
“They’re living quite comfortably,” Shen Wanshan sighed helplessly. “Old Master, we cannot delay any longer.”
“I know,” Xie Dashen frowned, his face darkening. “But the longer we wait, the more it benefits them. Yet I cannot grasp their intentions—what exactly do those two want?”
“I don’t think it’s money,” Shen Wanshan pondered. “I had someone investigate. Ye Wuji is indeed aiming for the provincial exam, but for certain reasons, the Jinling Academy hasn’t reinstated his exam registration.”
“Was that you?” Xie Dashen’s eyes filled with disdain. “I despise those who sabotage behind the scenes. If you want to reclaim the red admission ticket, do it honorably. Otherwise, where is your credibility? Where is my good name?”
“Old Master, you misunderstand. This matter truly has nothing to do with me,” Shen Wanshan hurried to explain. “If I could sabotage, I would have withdrawn from this marriage long ago. But my position… alas, it’s my daughter who suffers!”
“Your daughter is only fourteen; a few more years won’t hurt. But my daughter is twenty-five…” Xie Dashen’s face twisted with bitter sorrow. “Do you think I came to Jinling for no reason? Someone in the capital is already prodding my ribs. If I push further, I’ll become a laughingstock. I’m more anxious than anyone. But if my daughter marries into that family... wouldn’t she be living a miserable life?”
“Old Master, we must find a plan,” Shen Wanshan’s eyes were full of urgency. “If it’s money they want, we can pay. If it’s property, we’ll provide that. If all else fails, I’ll find a matchmaker to arrange marriages for the two of them—I’ll spend money to get them both spouses.”
“That kind of crooked idea only you could come up with,” Xie Dashen glared fiercely at Shen Wanshan. “You should find a sneaky little thief to secretly scout their house at night.”
“Old Master, do you mean to steal the red admission tickets?”
“You’re incorrigible! Can the red tickets be stolen? You shameless scoundrel—I still have my dignity.”
“Fine, I’ll arrange someone.”
Shen Wanshan felt a heavy weight in his chest but soon looked at Xie Dashen with a complicated expression. “Old Master, but what if... I mean, what if Ye Wuji passes the exam? Will we still call off the marriage?”
“That... I haven’t thought about that.” Xie Dashen stroked his beard. “What do you think we should do?”
“...” Shen Wanshan: How the hell would I know?
“There he is. Let’s go too.”

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Xie Dashen tapped the carriage window, and the driver set off.
Ye Xiu paid little attention to the carriage at the alley’s entrance and headed straight to Beixin Bridge Market.
In the Great Qian Dynasty, wine culture thrived.
Jinling had elevated the art of wine to new heights.
There were intricate customs about drinking: aged wine was supreme, the older the better.
The talented in Jiangnan excelled in wine games, with a dazzling array of drinking challenges.
From famed scholars to humble townsfolk, drinking was elevated to a refined art—appreciating quality, revering vessels, playing drinking games, and understanding the ways of drinking.
Aside from the common taverns, Jinling boasted numerous wine shops and small distilleries.
The varieties were diverse: Shaoxing’s Huadiao, Xiaozhen’s Bamboo Leaf Green, Hutang’s Ye Wanyuan and Tian Derun, and Wuzhen’s Three Whites... no fewer than dozens of kinds.
Ye Xiu certainly wouldn’t visit the grand wine halls. After some inquiries, he arrived at the Jinling Wine Shop near Confucius Temple.
This establishment boldly bore the city’s name and was rumored to be government-run.
Local gossip claimed that if Jinling Wine Shop didn’t have the wine you sought, it simply didn’t exist.
Inside, the variety was indeed vast, with at least fifty kinds displayed on the shelves, covering all flavors.
Ye Xiu even spotted five or six types of grape wine.
The waiter greeted the customer with a fluent, clear recitation:
“Once upon a time, the ancestor Du Kang brewed fine wine; Liu Ling drank for three years straight. Qu Yuan drank and lamented the world’s drunkenness while he alone remained sober. Master Ji Gong passed wine and meat through his intestines, yet left his heart pure; the Eight Immortals got drunk on Penglai, causing chaos in the Dragon Palace; Cao Cao boiled plums with wine to discuss heroes; Guan Yu warmed his wine to behead Hua Xiong; Su Dongpo raised his cup to the sky; Lu Zhishen drunkenly fought the temple gates, uprooted willows; Wu Erlang punched tigers and caused a ruckus in Happy Forest...”
Ye Xiu felt as if he were listening to a lively comedic performance and couldn’t help applauding the waiter.
The waiter, emboldened, proudly began listing wines:
“Sir, we have Moutai from Guizhou, Fenjiu from Shanxi, Xifeng from Shaanxi, Zhuangyuan Red from Henan, and Erguotou from the capital; Wuliangye, Baisha Ye, Shuangyang Daqu, Wuliang Daqu, Gujing Daqu, and foreign grape wines; also Pear Blossom White, Autumn Deer White, Longzhang Clear Wine, Eighteen Immortals... If you’re feeling weak, we have ginseng wine, deer antler wine, ganoderma wine, and tiger bone wine for rheumatism. Sir, which would you prefer?”
“May I taste some first?” Ye Xiu asked instinctively, unfamiliar with the market.
“...” The waiter immediately looked annoyed: After all that effort, you just want to sample for free?