Chapter 93

 Unrivaled Under Heaven – Striking Iron Flowers

"When did you take on this student?" Prefect Tu asked without thinking. "This guy—surely he didn't just find someone on a whim to spite me, did he?"

Prefect Yan snorted. "Not everyone is as childish as you, you know. Lizhi, come, meet Prefect Tu."

Lu Lizhi was about to step forward when Tu Huanwen beside him couldn't help blurting out, "Lu Lizhi?"

"Lu Lizhi!" The group of fellow academy students standing further behind also exchanged glances in astonishment.

And Prefect Tu himself had long heard of this name. Setting aside more distant matters, during this recent epidemic, he had performed remarkably.

The treatment methods he pioneered had been adopted and recorded by the imperial court—not only successfully suppressing the plague disaster in Xuanhe Prefecture but also providing a great assistance to the distant northwestern border garrisons.

Otherwise, if the frontier had been struck by plague and fallen, no one could say what troubles or dangers might have ensued!

Even Prefect Yan's achievements owed a share of credit to him.

Everything was excellent, but unfortunately, he was a person afflicted with a disability.

"Student Lu Lizhi greets Prefect Tu." The sudden address nearly startled Prefect Tu, and caused the entire gathering to gasp in shock.

"He—he can speak?"

"You—you weren't supposed to be mute..." Prefect Tu pointed at him, almost uttering a disrespectful term before barely managing to stop himself, though the shock in his eyes betrayed his thoughts.

Lu Lizhi didn't feel offended at all—even he himself hadn't imagined that muteness could be cured, let alone these people who had no psychological preparation.

Prefect Yan watched their incredulous expressions and grew even more pleased internally. "Oh my, Brother Tu, why do you look so surprised? It's just Lizhi's accomplishment—he even managed to invite the renowned Divine Physician Pang Da all the way from the capital to cure his ailment."

Lu Lizhi silently added in his heart: it was Jiang Yuye who was impressive, though he himself was also impressive, otherwise how could he have set his sights on such an outstanding man?

Prefect Yan wasn't entirely blowing smoke either.

Prefect Tu was about to make a snide remark when he realized something was off. "But didn't he just take the prefectural exams last year? Although he's a 'Little Triple Crown' winner, and his splendid essays have even become all the rage in our prefecture, don't ruin this promising young man just to compete with me by making him take the provincial exams this year!"

"Prefect Tu misunderstands—taking this year's provincial exams is entirely Lizhi's own wish!" Lu Lizhi cupped his hands, his tone modest.

Yet his bearing was neither humble nor overbearing, his elegance and demeanor surpassing every other scholar and gentleman present.

Tu Huanwen couldn't help speaking again. "With your talent, if you prepared for a longer time, you would surely achieve even better results!"

Rather than rushing into it so hastily—that was what most people on the scene believed. Nearly all of them had read Lu Lizhi's essays and benefited greatly from them, feeling a long-standing intellectual kinship with him. Seeing his demeanor now, their favorable impressions only grew.

They couldn't bear to think that he was being pitifully forced by Prefect Yan to take the exams too early. If he failed, what a terrible pity that would be.

The crowd's condemning gazes had all but cast Prefect Yan as the villain, giving him quite a headache.

But before he could say anything in his defense—

Lu Lizhi looked calmly at Tu Huanwen. "Perhaps Lizhi needs no more time than this."

Instantly, gasps rippled through the hall, and those who hadn't heard quickly followed suit after asking around.

"This gentle, refined-looking Little Triple Crown winner sure has a big mouth!"

"He talks about the provincial exams as if they were just a monthly quiz at the academy! Never mind how many prefectures and counties there are in the province—fellows like Huanwen, Fang Kaiyuan from Huaiyang, Chen Jian and Wu Yong from Xuanhe—they've prepared for ages and probably wouldn't dare say such a thing."

And indeed, Lu Lizhi was not one to make bold declarations. He only acted after careful planning, and was by nature a steady, conservative player. The only reason he'd shown such sharpness and pride was to prevent others from misunderstanding Prefect Yan.

Prefect Yan's reputation would in turn affect his own interests—and worse, might leave people with the impression that he was merely a puppet in Prefect Yan's hands.

Little did Prefect Yan know all the calculations running through his mind; he was genuinely touched that Lu Lizhi was defending him.

"I believe Lizhi's abilities are more than sufficient to handle the provincial exams. Let's not jump to conclusions—anything is possible!"

Possible, my foot—if he hadn't almost made even himself weep with frustration on exam day. And Lu Lizhi was still a young man who'd only prepared for a single year.

That year, his involvement in epidemic control and treatment had surely consumed no small amount of time and energy.

The more they thought about it, the more impossible it seemed. Tu Huanwen even wanted to persuade Lu Lizhi to reconsider—even if his mind was made up, there was no rush.

Unfortunately, once Lu Lizhi was set on something, he wouldn't easily change. Though he too felt the time was tight, if he gave up midway, he would not only disappoint those who had expectations of him but also let himself slacken.

To give up once makes it easier to give up a second time, a third...

Jiang Yuye was working so hard on his own business, achieving remarkable results, while Lu Lizhi was constrained by time, still merely a lowly xiucai (scholar).

How could he be the pillar to protect him?

Instead, he'd only hold him back.

The more Lu Lizhi thought about it, the more he realized that even if he was the one "on top" in their relationship, he couldn't afford to be inferior to him.

Between husbands, it was about equality and mutual support—going forward together.

Later, after Lu Lizhi left, many called his talk delusional, arrogant—even those who had goodwill toward him concluded he was a man who couldn't handle serious inquiry.

In the end, they left with a final remark: "In the end, it's a case of 'Shang Zhongyong'—what a waste of natural talent!"

Someone even composed a poem in the exquisitely adorned pavilion, as a warning to themselves and future generations to stay grounded.

That, however, is a later story.

The tavern's promotional activities were in full swing, and with some modern creative concepts thrown in, they were quite eye-catching. All twenty-odd private rooms across the three floors were fully booked, and not a single seat in the main hall was empty.

Word had spread that Elder Yi would be performing storytelling, and even the outer perimeter was packed with onlookers, the crowd surging.

Those with money had directly booked accommodations here, hoping tomorrow would be just as spectacular.

Just when they thought they'd seen all the highlights, a stout, short man in special attire led out a group dressed similarly, putting on a public culinary performance.

As flames leaped into the air, Pang Zhengfei wielded a wok in one hand and a ladle in the other, rapidly and powerfully stir-frying the meat and vegetables inside. His movements were skilled and fluid, the fragrant, rich broth splashing high and falling back into the wok without a single drop spilled.

He had something of the air of Luo San, the protagonist of Night Shocks Heaven—except that Luo San could pluck leaves and kill three men in three steps.

And Pang Zhengfei took everyday objects and elevated them to their极致, creating a visual feast that stirred the blood just as much!

Accompanying Pang Zhengfei's highly观赏able movements—

"Bravo!"

Cries of excitement rang out one after another.

Soon, the other chefs behind Pang Zhengfei also began their prepared performances, accompanied by rhythmic and stirring drumbeats that made the atmosphere even more heated and high-spirited—it was as thrilling as watching a grand lion or dragon dance.

This was the power of teamwork—the effect multiplied when many people performed together.

Though the crowd had seen all sorts of acrobatics, they had never witnessed a public cooking demonstration. Today was truly an eye-opener!

Yet the excitement was far from over. When the chefs plated their dishes and personally served them to the guests—

Everyone enjoyed the ultimate service, then savored the hot, fresh, and utterly unprecedented delicacies.

"Wow!" Someone let out an awestruck exclamation, unashamedly voicing what was probably everyone's sentiment.

After finishing the day's signature dish, other prepared courses were brought out successively during this time.

The timing was impeccably arranged—no long waits, yet not all at once, preserving the temperature and texture of each dish.

"Flowing Waters Tavern truly put their heart into this—I'm almost moved. It's not just filling my stomach, it's like feasting at an immortal banquet."

"Mm—so delicious I could swallow my own tongue..."

"I thought the best was at the beginning, but the real showstopper came later. These dishes—I'd call them unrivaled under heaven!"

Comments poured in from all sides, all praise.

The He family sat on the second floor, sharing a private room with Madam He, Jiang Dazhu, and the others, eating with equal satisfaction.

"That kid Yuye—just how many tricks does he have up his sleeve? How does he come up with so many delicious things?"

Madam He was equally perplexed—they ate with him every day, often with different dishes, yet today's menu was entirely new to them too.

On the third floor sat the various officials.

The ones who had been "courted" by Jiang Yuye before the flood-diversion canal construction all said, "I knew it, I knew there'd be a surprise!"

Their mouths talked fast, but their chopsticks never stopped moving.

At this moment, everyone was a genuine diner. No matter how much discussion or attention-grabbing events swirled around, none of it could make them put down their chopsticks—they concentrated wholly on enjoying the food.

In the hallway, Doctor Pang watched his youngest son, who was so thrilled and moved he was nearly in tears, and felt genuine pride.

"Fools have fortune—never thought that at his age, he'd still fulfill a childhood dream."

Down below, Pang Zhengfei couldn't help secretly wiping the corner of his eye, because he was just too happy—couldn't he see all these people nodding in approval, constantly ordering more dishes?

About half an hour later, when everyone had eaten their fill, Elder Yi finally took the stage—but this time, he wasn't a solo act; he had a straight man to play off of.

The two of them bantered back and forth, give and take. It was still storytelling, but with a fresh, different kind of charm that held everyone's gaze—even Prefect Tu forgot to bicker with Prefect Yan.

Still, afterward he did say, "Brother Yan, do you think we could put on a performance up there too?"

Prefect Yan snorted through his nose without even deigning a glance. All that fawning excitement now was useless—the provincial exams in just over a month would reveal everything!

Lu Lizhi, not one for such social niceties, stayed in his private room upstairs, watching Jiang Yuye bustle about below.

Due to time constraints, only the Flowing Waters Tavern and its immediate surroundings had been fully developed. When the sea of flowers bloomed next year and the whole agritainment project took shape, everyone would realize just how fun, beautiful, and enchanting this place could be.

As it was, over half of the guesthouses and inns around the summer retreat were already occupied tonight.

Some people had already grown attached and were reluctant to leave.

And so, they were fortunate to witness splendid fireworks that night. Jiang Yuye stripped to the waist and stepped out, using molten iron heated to over a thousand degrees to perform a display of "fire trees and silver flowers" for his beloved on this Qixi Festival evening.

Striking iron flowers.

As thousands upon thousands of sparks sprayed upward, flying high, tracing romantic arcs through the air, and then cascading down like waterfalls from the tall架子—

Delighted, excited screams instantly swept across the entire venue.

The blazing firelight illuminated that handsome, peerless face. A pair of dark, brilliant eyes looked upward, yet amidst the myriad of radiant iron blossoms, they fixed on only one person.

As if gazing at the deity of his faith.

Enraptured, spellbound.

Lu Lizhi's face flushed slightly, worried that those drops of molten-iron sparks falling onto his bare skin might burn him.

All around, urgent questions arose—

"Who is that? Such a valiant, handsome man!"

"To have a man so perfectly to my taste appear on Qixi—is this a sign from heaven?"