chapter 24

No one continued writing, and no one presented any more poems . After Young Master Gu’s poem, they all concluded that it surpassed theirs in all aspects .

It was a poem of deep love .

Behind the platform and the soft gauze sheet, the Painting Fairy sat, not sure what to say . The cool wind from the distant window traveled all the way to her withdrawn room .

But regardless, she never expected to hear such a poem here . She never expected that this young master, calmly staring out the window, would say winter is like spring . But still, such things are not necessarily good .

A talented scholar, yes, but getting involved with me would only dirty his name .

‘I do not mind that my clothes are getting looser . My lover is worthy of desire but no regret . ’

She’s never heard of such a direct love poem, and her cheeks were tinged with red .

But then her smile turned a bit wry .

The painful laughter he describes, it’s like drinking bitter wine .

This young master is a talent, it can make anyone turn to look . But for using this talent and love, it’s rather useless . As part of the Dongzhan Pavillion, the fate between the two can only be through evening ventures .

Just impossible .

Thinking of this, as the Painting Fairy looked up towards Young Master Gu, her eyes showed a clear sense of apology .

Young Master Gu was still sitting there, the wine cup halted to his lips . His expression though seemed depressed and anxious (in fact, he had a stupid expression) .

Perhaps he already understands .

After a long time, the charming voice spread itself over the hall once more .

“It is indeed a very beautiful poem . Today’s poetry will conclude here… Young Master Gu, this Painting Fairy will wait for you . ”

After saying those brief words, she departed .

…

The poetry opening concluded hastily, but no one felt disappointed .

A young scholar patted his knee and stood up with a sigh .

Although he may not have obtained the favor of the Painting Fairy, to witness the creation of a classic and wonderful poem, it was also a blessing .

It’s a pity though, that Young Master Gu and Painting Fairy .

The identities of the two doom them to be apart .

Looking a bit into the distance, the scholar saw that figure sitting still by the window .

The scholar sighed . Pity to the scholar, and pity to the beauty .

Shaking his head, he walked out of the door .

Most of the people who left the room also had similar thoughts . There were some that wanted to have a friendly chat with Gu Nan, but after thinking about it, silently left with sighs of pity .

No one noticed, however, that Gu Nan was truly shocked at the developments and still caught in a stupor .

She still couldn’t figure out what happened . Was she drunk?

It was clearly a poem for Zhao Yiren . How did it become her’s? Why was she picked by the Painting Fairy?

>

Visiting a brothel is already enough to have master break her legs .

If she doesn’t return to the manor quickly, getting beat to death isn’t out of the question!

Oi, Oi! It’s a mistake . Definitely!

Gu Nan could feel a cold sweat condensing on her forehead .

Her distressed face turned to Zhao Yiren with a smile on the verge of crying . “Brother Zhao, is this…”

But who would’ve guessed that he looked at her and only reached to pat her shoulder reassuringly .

“This brother can only do so much . Brother Gu, you disregarded your reputation and so vividly expressed your feelings to Miss Painting Fairy . Did you think of your position as a future scholar of Xianyang?”

After a long sigh, he slowly said, “You are a literary talent rarely found in the world . I am lucky to know you and am glad to have drunk with you . It’s a pity that this brother still doesn’t wield that much authority . If I did, I would surely arrange for a better fate with you and Painting Fairy . Alas, the present is much crueler . ”

???

Gu Nan’s eye was twitching . What are you talking about?

But Zhao Yiren didn’t elaborate . Picking up the wine jar in front of him, he began to drink in large quantities .

Looking at the emptied jar, he felt stunned .

‘I’d drown in wine as parting grief . One sings with wine in hand, but strained mirth brings no comfort . ’

So that’s what it means .

Smiling back at Gu Nan, he felt like getting to know such a wonderful person made this a very worthwhile trip .

“Brother Gu, this brother’s name is also Ying Yiren . If you ever need anything in the future, you can go to the Chengzhang Manor to find me . ”

“It’s not tha…” Gu Nan still wanted to say something, but that chance never came .

She was interrupted by him again . “Brother Gu, this is just the way of the world . Don’t get too distressed over it . ”

After that, he got up and smiled, walking away slowly .

Only Gu Nan was left behind . Her confusion still etched on her face .

What happened?…

However, Gu Nan actually ignored the most important words Yiren said .

Surprisingly, this name wasn’t too prominent among the Warring States period, but this name represents an extremely important identity .

He is officially Ying Yiren, later renamed Zichu, eventually King Zhuangxiang of Qin, and father of Qin Shihuang .

Of course, for her, all of this is unimportant right now, there are more pressing matters this evening .

————————————————

It was getting late, and the winter winds carried its chill through the open streets and houses .

In Wu’an Manor, Xiao Lu placed the last of the dishes on the table . Bai Qi and Wei Lan were sitting together . Although the bowls were placed before them, their chopsticks remained unmoving .

Bai Qi frowned and looked at Xiao Lu . “Where’s that girl, it’s so late and she’s hasn’t shown herself . Is she not eating?”

But before Xiao Lu could process the question, Wei Lan interjected with matters of her own .

“I heard from Xiao Lu that you want to bring Nan’er to Changping . Do you want Nan’er to die with you? How dangerous is Changping, surely you know?”

Bai Qi’s beard trembled somewhat angrily but quelled his thoughts . For a while, he didn’t dare say a word . But as he bowed his head, he mumbled, “What would a woman know?…”

Wei Lan glared at Bai Qi; but in a rare instance, she didn’t drag him out of the room by his ears .

She wasn’t a stupid woman . Naturally, she understands his thoughts and his stubbornness to his decisions .

Bai Qi normally relents quite a bit of authority to her, but when he makes up his mind, not even she can change it .

Wei Lan sat at the table and sighed again . She reached out and patted the back of Bai Qi’s hand . She knew just how much pressure he’s been going through the past couple of days .

Bai Qi didn’t dare look back, simply because he owed her too much . But still, he put his hand on top of her’s and said, “Thank you, Madam . ”

Wei Lan rolled her eyes . “I have been unlucky in my life, and you’re already so old . It’s unavoidable that we’d be implicated, but I already told you, Nan’er and Zhong’er are not to be involved . Or else, I’ll tear your ears off . ”

“For my duty . ” Bai Qi started to nod and said bitterly, “If one day the king wants to kill me, I will make sure you live . ”

“Protect what? Just keep your old face and Nan’er and Zhong’er . ” Don’t forget, if you’re dead, what’s the point of me staying?” Wei Lan snorted but continued to pat his hand .

“Madam and Lord are both good people, nothing will happen . ” Xiao Lu couldn’t understand what the old couple was saying, but hearing something about death, she started to panic .

“Good people . ” Bai Qi smiled and shook his head lightly .

Wei Lan remembered some business and turned to Xiao Lu . “Xiao Lu, is she still sleeping in her room today? Call her up, she’ll get hungry eventually . ”

Gu Nan often slept for long periods of time, and it wasn’t uncommon for her to forget to eat . Wei Lan habitually thought of this after Bai Qi mentioned it to her, but since it was quite common, she wasn’t too concerned .

Xiao Lu thought about it and shook her head . Somewhat hesitatingly, she said, “Madam, Miss isn’t in her room . I don’t know where Miss went, except she left in the afternoon . ”

“Left in the afternoon?”