Silence!
Utter silence filled the entire venue. It was so still, one could hear a pin drop.
Everyone remained immersed in the lingering resonance of the masterpiece.
“Wonderful! Brilliant!”
Suddenly, a scholar slapped the table and praised loudly.
“The clouds long to become her robe, the flowers envy her beauty. Like a peony moistened with dew under the spring breeze beside a sandalwood pavilion. If not seen atop the Immortal Jade Mountain, then surely encountered beneath the moon at the Jade Terrace.”
“This poem is a marvel! In all of the Grand Xia Empire’s 800-year history, no other verse praising a woman’s beauty compares!”
“This verse will reign supreme across the world and be passed down for generations!”
“Who would’ve thought the obscure Ninth Prince possessed such literary talent—it puts all of us to shame!”
…
For a time, the gathered scholars and talents couldn’t stop exclaiming in awe.
Though they had all received Xiao Ziwen’s instructions to humiliate Xiao Yang tonight, his poetic brilliance had won them over completely. They had no choice but to concede.
“The Ninth Prince’s poetic talent must be unmatched across the Four Provinces of the North!”
At that moment, Yan Ruyu walked up to Xiao Yang, wrapping her jade-like hand around his arm, pressing her soft curves tightly against him.
The charm in her eyes nearly spilled out, and her way of addressing him shifted from “Ninth Prince” to “Ninth Prince!”
The sight of warm jade in fragrant arms made everyone burn with envy.
“Damn it!”
Xiao Ziwen’s eyes turned bloodshot with jealousy, his frustration nearly exploding.
He had spent so much effort to organize this Orchid Pavilion Poetry Gathering, only for his Ninth Brother to steal the spotlight.
…
In the crowd.
“General, what female scholar? She’s clearly a shameless seductress! First playing the flute to flatter him, now throwing herself into his arms—clearly trying to seduce Xiao Yang!” Qingluan scolded in disgust.
But beside her, Ning Hongye remained silent.
Although born into a renowned military family, Ning Hongye had studied literature since young and was quite curious about the Orchid Pavilion Poetry Gathering. She had disguised herself with Qingluan as ordinary middle-aged men—plain-looking and easily overlooked.
She never expected to witness Xiao Yang composing a poem for Yan Ruyu with her own eyes…
She hadn’t thought her fiancé would turn out to be a scholar at heart.
Yet at this moment, a strange feeling rose in her chest—something sour and hard to describe, like tasting unripe plums.
Am I… actually jealous?
Meanwhile, Yan Ruyu was tightly clinging to Xiao Yang, her cheeks blooming like peach blossoms. She smiled sweetly, “Thank you, Ninth Prince, for composing such a beautiful poem for me.”
She wasn’t trying to be forward—it was just that she was overwhelmed with emotion.
Yan Ruyu’s dream had always been to be remembered for eternity, her name carved into the annals of history. Not just as the first female Confucian Scholar, but as the first female Sage.
But that path was unimaginably difficult.
Across centuries, among the countless scholars, only a handful had ever become Sages, their golden statues enshrined in the Wen Temple and honored for generations.
Now, a shortcut lay before her.
This unmatched poem, composed by Xiao Yang in her honor, was destined to be passed down through the ages. Even a thousand years from now, people would still remember her beauty.
How could she resist such eternal glory?
“Miss Yan, you’ve misunderstood. This poem wasn’t written for you.” Xiao Yang gently pushed her away and said coldly.
“What?!” Yan Ruyu was stunned and quickly asked, “Then… who was it written for?”
“My fiancée—Ning Hongye,” Xiao Yang said calmly.
The crowd erupted in an uproar.
“Are you kidding?!”
“Ning Hongye? That ruthless killing star? She slaughtered cities and murdered her own father. They say she drinks wine from the skulls of her enemies and eats three children per meal!”
“They also say she’s disfigured—so hideous she has to wear a mask!”
“Such a vile woman doesn’t deserve a masterpiece like this! It’s an insult to the literary world!”
Many scholars cried out, devastated as if they had been personally offended.
In the distance.
“General, they dare to slander you like this? I’ll go break their mouths!” Qingluan was furious and ready to act.
“Don’t bother,” Ning Hongye stopped her. “It’s not worth arguing with a bunch of petty scholars.”
…
At that moment, Yan Ruyu asked again, “Ninth Prince, it seems you care a lot about your fiancée?”
Before he could reply, Xiao Ziwen interrupted loudly, “Fairy Yan, you may not know. Not long ago, Ning Hongye injured her left eye. To please her, Ninth Brother even gave up his Spirit Eye…”
He thought this would make Yan Ruyu see Xiao Yang as a pathetic simp and lose interest.
Unexpectedly, Yan Ruyu looked at Xiao Yang with even deeper affection.
“Ninth Prince, I didn’t expect you to not only have such literary talent but also such deep devotion. I’m truly touched. I want to write a book about your story, to be admired by future generations!”
What the hell?!
Xiao Ziwen nearly cursed aloud. Get faster updates on g.com.
This wasn’t what he planned!
Something’s wrong! Fairy Yan is always so reserved, pure like a lotus atop a snowy peak. This can’t be her true intention!
It must be that damn Ninth Brother. He must’ve charmed her with some trick!
Today, I must rescue Fairy Yan!
“Ninth Brother! You’ve got some nerve! How dare you plagiarize my poem!!!”
Suddenly, Xiao Ziwen snapped, his eyes bloodshot as he roared in rage.
What the hell?
Why are you yelling like that?
Xiao Yang was startled, then asked back, “Second Brother, have you lost your mind? You accuse me of plagiarism without evidence—where’s your proof?”
“That poem was my creation! It’s written in the first volume of the ‘Ziwen Anthology’—many scholars here have seen it! Am I right?” Xiao Ziwen turned and asked loudly.
Pressured by his status, many nodded in agreement.
“Second Brother, you’re even more shameless than I imagined.” Xiao Yang shook his head.
“I believe you, Ninth Prince!” Yan Ruyu tightly grasped his hand, her eyes gleaming with an alluring light.
“Damn it!”
Xiao Ziwen grew even more furious at the sight and gritted his teeth, “Ninth Brother, if you want to prove your innocence, then compose another poem right here and now! And it must not be worse than the last one!”
He knew how rare such timeless verses were. Composing one was enough for a lifetime of pride.
To create a second one on the spot was nearly impossible.
“Hmph. Forget one—ten would be no problem,” Xiao Yang replied confidently.
You kidding?
He had a treasury of cultural classics from his past life. He could easily crush this world’s poetry scene!
“Wait!”
Xiao Ziwen still wasn’t confident. He quickly added, “To prevent you from plagiarizing again, I’ll set the theme. You must compose on the spot!”
“Fine.” Xiao Yang wasn’t afraid in the slightest.
“Since tonight the moon shines bright, let’s use ‘the moon’ as the theme,” Xiao Ziwen declared.
The moon?
Hearing this, Xiao Yang furrowed his brows.
Xiao Ziwen thought he’d finally stumped him. Little did he know, Xiao Yang was hesitating—because he had too many options and didn’t know which poem to pick!
“Bring wine! Ready the brush and ink!”
Xiao Yang said arrogantly, “Tonight, I’ll open your eyes!”