"Consider storytelling an art? I've never heard of such a thing." Xiu Zhu's words were sharp as a knife. "Besides, who can't tell stories? A three-year-old child, a ninety-year-old elder, anyone who can speak will tell stories."

  "So, that's a good story." Mozi said calmly. She was prepared and not afraid of anyone interrupting. "Wait until I finish speaking, if everyone present thinks it's not good, then I'll admit defeat."

  "Ordinary stories don't count, but good ones do. If the story you tell us is better than Xiu Zhu's singing, then you win." Wei Er was grasping at straws now. With great difficulty, Mo Zi said she would do the same, and he couldn't just let it go like that.

  Wei Er said this, and no one raised any objections.

  Mozi steady and composed, raised his voice and said, "Mozi obeys."

  Although Xiu Zhu was unhappy, she thought that Mo Zi's story would certainly be better than her own and she couldn't afford to offend the masters of the Wei family, so she fell silent, sat down slowly, and watched coldly.

  "In the past, there was a couple who had been together since their youth and were deeply in love. The man's surname was Zhao, and he came from a noble family. He had served as a high-ranking official and was also a famous poet, painter, and calligrapher. His wife, Madame Guan, also came from a prestigious family and was an accomplished woman who excelled in music, chess, literature, and painting, even earning the admiration of the emperor. After they got married, they lived in harmony, with the husband singing and the wife accompanying him on the zither, their life was very fulfilling."

  Weiyi, Weisan and others were all attention, even Weida put down the tea in his hand.

  "Miss Guan loved to paint bamboo, her bamboos were slender and tough. Mr. Zhao liked to add big bamboo leaves on his wife's bamboos. Thin bamboos with fat leaves, it was also a nice combination, elegant and harmonious. The feelings of the two people were like these bamboos and leaves, supporting each other, deeply in love."

  "After decades of marriage, Madame Guan's beautiful face gradually faded with age. The spring beauty was no longer there. Although Zhao Xue-shi and his wife still had a good relationship, they were like family members, but not as intimate as they used to be. As Zhao Xue-shi's reputation grew, more and more people admired his talent. One day, when he was visiting outside, he met a wealthy merchant who told him that he had a daughter in her early twenties who loved his poetry, calligraphy, and painting. If Zhao Xue-shi was willing, the merchant would be happy to marry his daughter off to him, even as a concubine."

  "What's next?"

  Mozi smiled and saw Wei Er and Wei San starting to become careless, then said, "Zhao Xue has a heart of his own. With a virtuous wife at home, he thinks that in ten years, a talented and beautiful woman can become his knowledgeable and beautiful companion, why not take pleasure in it?"

  The men nodded in agreement, while the women showed sadness and disappointment.

  "But Zhao Shifu was a gentleman after all, and he had been with Guan Shi for many years, still respecting her. After returning home from his guest trip, Zhao Shifu walked into Guan Shi's room, hesitated for half a day, but couldn't say it out in the end. With his exceptional talent, he picked up his brush and wrote down a short poem, then left. Guan Shi thought her husband was being strange and having difficulty speaking, and seeing him grinding ink and wanting paper, she knew he had written what he wanted to say on paper. She took a look——"

  Telling a story should be suspenseful and timely, leaving the audience in anticipation, in order to have a good effect.

  "What did Zhao Xueshi write?" Wei Er and others asked without waiting.

  "No matter how he writes, it's inevitable that Guan will be heartbroken." Wei San shook his head.

  "Zhao Xueshi wrote: I am a scholar, you are a lady. Haven't you heard that Tao Xueshi had peach leaves and peach roots, Su Xueshi had morning clouds and evening rain? Why can't I marry a few Wu Jies and Zhao Nus? You're already over 40, just stay in the Jade Hall Spring." Mozi suddenly thought of this era without Su Shi, so she fabricated, "Su Xueshi was a former colleague of Zhao Xueshi's, also a famous talented scholar."

  "What a wonderful phrase to occupy the Jade Hall Spring." Wei San praised, "This Zhao scholar's feelings for his wife are still deep and unwavering. Otherwise, how could he jokingly mention taking a concubine? In fact, he doesn't want to hurt his wife's feelings."

  "The adults are right." Mozi bowed again, "Although Guan's heart is sour, thinking of the many years of love, her husband now wants to find a new lover. But she looked at the small order twice and found that her husband still cared about herself. The matter of taking a concubine is not certain yet. So Guan smiled."

  "I'm afraid she won't be smiling for long. Zhao Xiansheng has taken a concubine, and he asked his wife about it, so that's as far as his benevolence goes." Wei Da surprisingly also spoke up.

  "Master Wei, you've guessed wrong. In the end, Zhao didn't take a concubine after all. The two of them lived harmoniously until Madam Guan passed away due to illness in her old age. Zhao was extremely grieved and not only personally arranged the funeral but also wrote the epitaph for Madam Guan's tomb himself." Mozi started with the ending, piquing people's curiosity.

  "What's going on?" Wei Er indeed took the bait.

  "Thanks to the cleverness of Madame Guan, she returned a short poem to her husband, which changed Zhao Xue's mind. He devoted himself wholeheartedly to his wife and never married another woman again." Mo Zi smiled faintly.

  "What? What kind of small order can have such a wonderful use?" Wei San was an official and also a literary man.

  Not just Wei San, everyone became curious.

  "Word by word, you and I, our love is deep, like a fire that burns. Take a lump of clay and shape one into you, and another into me. Then smash us both to pieces, mix with water, and re-shape one into you, and another into me. In my clay there's you, in your clay there's me. We'll share the same quilt in life, and the same coffin in death."

  "What a clever and charming woman." Wei Da also understood some poetry, because this lock south branch is easy to understand, novel and clever, half surprised and half admired, "Indeed intelligent."

  "Wei San exclaimed repeatedly for five or six times, 'Born together, die together. Having obtained this woman, a great and dignified husband, what more could one regret?'"

  "It is indeed so. This little song by Guan, spans life and death, deeper than the ocean, higher than the sky. Zhao Xueshi only felt his own shallowness, while his wife responded with boundless tenderness, without a single word of complaint. From then on, Zhao Xueshi never mentioned taking a concubine again, and cherished Guan even more." Zhao Xueshi and Guan are actually the famous historical figures Zhao Mengfu and Guan Daosheng, and this "Lock South Branch" is also an immortal work of Ci poetry.

  "The story is over," said Mozi calmly. "Whether it's good or bad, whether I win or lose, I've done my best."

  "Just with this little poem, the young lady has won." Wei San gave a high evaluation.

  "Not bad, not bad. The two characters in this story are also quite something. Even I, an outsider, can hear the clever wordplay." Wei Er loudly agreed.

  These two have agreed, is there anyone who disagrees? One by one, they follow with praise.

  Xiuzhu was so absorbed in listening to the story that she admired Guan's talent and respected Zhao Xiansheng as a gentleman, but this was about Moziying, of course, she wouldn't admit defeat.

  "This phrase wasn't written by her, this story wasn't made up by her, why did she win over me?" She argued.

  "Xiu Zhu, this melody wasn't composed by you, and these lyrics weren't written by you. We both use the same mouth to produce sound, so why can't I win against you?" Mozi said, and then regretted it.

  Wei Er burst out laughing, "So you're not only not dumb, but also sharp-tongued."

  Deep purple sighed in her heart, this is what they forced out of him.

  "Fourth Master, gentlemen, someone just came to report that the horse carriage of the young masters and misses of the Wei Manor has arrived at Qingfu Alley." Er Ya entered from outside the building, with his hands hanging down and his head bowed in respect.

  "We arrived too early." Wei Da looked at the sky.

  "It's better you came early, my mother must have been worried sick." Qiu Si spoke and instructed Er Ya to prepare to open the middle gate to welcome the guests.

  Mozhī bù yóu qìng xìng, zhēn de lái dé zǎo, yòu shì lái dé qiǎo.

  Translation:

  Mo Zhi couldn't help but feel lucky, it's really come at the right time, and also at the right moment.

  －－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－

  New book on the chart, continue to seek various supports.

  Thank you.