Jing Shao had Duo Fu take him directly to the tea room in Listening Wind Pavilion, and helped his Wang Fei tidy up the things on the table before they went to Listening Wind Pavilion.
"This small official greets His Royal Highness Cheng Wang and Marquis Wen Yuan." In the tea room, Ma Zhuo had yet to sit down. He stood upright politely, and when he saw them coming, he immediately stepped forward to greet them.
"Official Ma, please rise. Why didn't you sit down?" Jing Shao had a good impression of this third rank scholar. After all, with his performance at the Qionglin banquet and being recruited directly for the Ministry of Rites by Jing Chen, they were all on the same side, and his attitude toward him was naturally friendly.
"Before Wang Ye and Marquis arrive, how can this humble servant sit down without permission?" Ma Zhuo had a pair of smiling eyes. Normally, even when he wasn't smiling, he still looked like he had 30% of a smile on his face; now, when he did smile, it was especially cheerful.
"Is something the matter that you have come to see us, Official Ma?" Mu Hanzhang urged him to sit down with a smile.
"Ah, this is what happened. Today, I met a hunter who set up a stall in the south of the city. In addition to selling some furs and livestock, he unexpectedly even put up a basket of grass for sale. I went to inquire, and learned that it was fresh tiger grass from the mountains. The hunter thought that because tigers often ate it, it was a herbal medicine he could sell, but who knew that after trying to sell it for a long time, he was only met with ridicule." Ma Zhuo's voice was clear and his tone undulated, just like a bard's. It didn't make people feel bored, and instead made them want to continue listening.
As Ma Zhuo spoke, he took out a weathered wicker basket full of lush green grass from behind the chair, clearly confirming what he said just now. Just then, Miao Xi came in with a kettle to refill the tea. Ma Zhuo seemed a little embarrassed. "It was this girl who poured tea for me earlier too; I was afraid she would laugh at me, so I hid the basket behind the chair."
Miao Xi couldn't help laughing. She wanted to say something in response, but then, taking into consideration the etiquette which Mu Hanzhang usually emphasized, she hurriedly refilled the tea before running out with a smile.
Jing Shao quietly observed Ma Zhuo's every move. As his Wang Fei said, he was very eloquent and smart. He took the basket that was handed to him and looked at it. "What's the use of tiger grass?"
"This subject grew up in the mountains when I was young. I know that other than meat, tigers eat a kind of grass. If they don't eat it for a long time, they will get sick," Ma Zhuo said slowly. "When I heard that there was a tiger being raised here, this subject decided it would be good to send this to Cheng Wang and the Marquis."
Mu Hanzhang picked up a blade of grass and looked at it. He had seen it in books before. He had thought it was just folklore, and didn't expect it to be true. It was just that Ma Zhuo already said that the hunter wasn't able to get much money in return when he was trying to sell it as herbal medicine. He estimated that it had been bought for a few wen. This gift wasn't very expensive, but its value lay in the thought behind it. Moreover, it was harmless to accept this kind of thing. It would be unreasonable for him not to accept it. This third rank scholar Ma was truly a man of integrity.
"Well, then I really thank you, Official Ma." Mu Hanzhang took the basket from Jing Shao's hands and put it aside.
"Marquis need not be so polite; His Royal Highness Rui Wang isn't in the capital, and this subject has given you a lot of trouble these few days. This is just a small trifle; how can it compare with Marquis's advice and guidance?" Ma Zhou said with a smile.
