Chapter 24

Liu Qianyu's eyes brightened slightly upon hearing this, but then she softly hummed and said nothing more.

After Xiao Huan finished combing her hair, Liu Qianyu casually picked up a scroll from the desk and handed it to Xiao Huan, saying, "Huan'er, hang this couplet outside!"

"Yes, Miss!" The obedient Xiao Huan took the scroll and turned to walk out of the boudoir with quick steps.

The first-floor living room was connected to a courtyard veranda, spacious and bright, with a touch of elegance. At this moment, more than ten people had gathered in the hall. Some were sitting on the side, drinking and enjoying themselves, while others were pacing back and forth, gently swaying their fans.

On the left side of the hall, there was a desk with the Four Treasures of the Study. On the walls, several calligraphy and paintings were hung, including a few depictions of graceful and varied ladies, which were vivid and lifelike.

However, these calligraphy and paintings did not attract the attention of the people in the hall, as they were all waiting for Liu Qianyu to appear. Among them, the most anxious was Lu Zheng, who had been waiting for a long time.

"Pan Xiong, with your help today, passing through the challenges will be no problem. Why do you insist on inviting that cripple?" Lu Zheng, surrounded by women, enjoyed the wine and food while complaining.

Pan Zhi, sitting on the side, was relatively calm. A few dancers had approached him, but he politely dismissed them.

At this moment, Pan Zhi said with a helpless look, "Lu Xiong, one should reassess a person after three days. When he arrives, you must not speak without restraint!"

"Hmph! A cripple is still a cripple! But this boy does have some skills. Pan Xiong, this is not good for your family! Don't you want to teach this cripple a lesson?"

Pan Zhi understood what Lu Zheng meant, which was the competition over the dyeing and fabric business between Ye Yu and his family. He took a sip of wine and said indifferently, "The business of the Pan family has nothing to do with me. Passing the imperial examination is my goal!"

"Ha ha ha!" Lu Zheng laughed loudly and then said, "You, you! You always talk about Confucianism and Mencius. Today, I invited you here to enjoy the wind and the moon, but you don't understand the mood! Well, well, I won't bother you. But whether we can see Qianyu today depends entirely on you, Pan Xiong!"

Pan Zhi, seeing Lu Zheng surrounded by women, shook his head and responded, "With the help of Ye Yu and me, even if Liu Qianyu's questions are tricky, they won't be a problem for you..."

"Him? Hehe! Pan Xiong, you're overestimating that boy!" Lu Zheng swallowed the delicacies offered by a beauty and said with disdain.

Seeing Lu Zheng's contempt for Ye Yu, Pan Zhi did not say anything more but turned his face to look outside. Just as he turned, Ye Yu appeared at the door of the hall. Pan Zhi, seeing this, was overjoyed and left his seat to greet him.

As soon as Ye Yu entered the hall, the first person he saw was Pan Zhi. It wasn't because his eyesight was good, but mainly because in this place of pleasure, only Pan Zhi had no women around him.

It was hard for Ye Yu to miss this unique phenomenon in such a place.

Seeing Pan Zhi coming towards him, Ye Yu signaled Guo Xiaotian to push him forward. He then greeted Pan Zhi with a bow, "Pan Xiong, you really know how to pick a place!"

"Brother, you're joking. Please!"

"Pan Xiong, why don't we start a new table? I also have something to discuss with you!"

Although Ye Yu was not a petty person, he didn't think it was necessary to sit at the same table as Lu Zheng. He didn't want to offend Lu Zheng, but he couldn't be sure that Lu Zheng wouldn't take the opportunity to make things difficult for him.

Pan Zhi glanced at Ye Yu and immediately understood his intention.

Moreover, from the conversation with Lu Zheng, Pan Zhi could see that Lu Zheng still had a deep grudge against Ye Yu. Separating the tables would be a good way to ease the tension.

So, Pan Zhi instructed the servant to find the madam and set up a new table not far from Lu Zheng. After Pan Zhi sat down, he sighed in relief, "Finally, some peace and quiet!"

Seeing Pan Zhi's restrained appearance, Ye Yu shook his head, thinking that the old man of the Pan family must have high expectations for his eldest grandson.

Now, in this place of pleasure, Pan Zhi was so restrained and unfamiliar. It must be because the old man of the Pan family had strict discipline and taught him only Confucianism and Mencius.

When following the rules became a habit, it naturally led to his current state.

"Pan Xiong, you're finally at ease, but you've made Ye Yu accompany you to this place of pleasure..." Ye Yu, seeing that Pan Zhi was more relaxed but still tense, decided to tease him.

Pan Zhi couldn't help but smile bitterly, "Brother, you know, I've never been to such a place. I'm used to following the rules. Here, I feel lonely and have no one to talk to, so I thought of inviting you to come and chat..."

Hearing this, Ye Yu thought to himself that he was being used as a companion.

Thinking about this, Ye Yu pointed to Lu Zheng's table and said sarcastically, "Pan Xiong, look at Lu Zheng, surrounded by women. Why can't you, a young and vigorous man, do the same? Since you disdain this, how could Lu Zheng force you to do it? Are you hiding something from me, Pan Xiong?"

Seeing that Ye Yu had read his mind, Pan Zhi coughed awkwardly and said, "To be honest, I also wanted to see the talent of the courtesan Liu Qianyu! For the past half year, there have been many rumors. Today, Lu Xiong invited me to help, so I came along."

"Since ancient times, talented men have been paired with beautiful women, but you, Pan Xiong, are just helping others. Well, I'm just here to chat with you. Let's not talk about this."

Pan Zhi was silent for a moment, then changed the topic and asked Ye Yu, "By the way, you said you had something to discuss. What is it?"

Ye Yu just smiled, shook his wine cup, and said sarcastically, "Pan Xiong, when you go back, tell the old man of the Pan family that the court has laws, the江湖 has rules, and we merchants should also have rules. If you want to compete, do it openly. Don't play tricks behind the scenes..."

"Is this true, Brother?" Pan Zhi, hearing this, looked at Ye Yu in shock.

"Whether it's true or not, you'll know when you go back!" Ye Yu smiled coldly, drank his wine, and said no more.

On that day, She Tongcheng brought a group of ruffians to the dyeing shop to cause trouble. Ye Yu had already sensed something strange. As Su Tai had explained, She Tongcheng bullied people in the county, but there were no reports of him driving people to despair.

On that day, She Tongcheng demanded 3,000 taels, which was clearly intentional. Ye Yu and She Tongcheng had no past grievances, so if She Tongcheng wasn't acting on someone's behalf, why would he be so persistent?

In the eyes of the public, She Tongcheng's intentional trouble was somehow related to Lu Zheng. But in Ye Yu's view, this was the cleverness of the person behind the scenes.

Everyone knew he had a conflict with Lu Zheng, and given the relationship between She Tongcheng and the Lu family, it was natural to suspect Lu Zheng if something happened.

Although Ye Yu had visited She Tongcheng three times, he never directly asked him. Finally, to show his loyalty, She Tongcheng revealed the person who had instructed him to cause trouble.

The result was as Ye Yu had expected: it was the Pan family behind the scenes. And the price offered to She Tongcheng was indeed high, with a reward of 5,000 taels!

Just as Pan Zhi was about to ask more, a maid slowly descended from the upper floor. This maid was Liu Qianyu's personal attendant, Xiao Huan.

As Xiao Huan gracefully walked into the first-floor hall, everyone crowded around her. Xiao Huan pursed her lips and then hung the scroll on the hook on the wall.

After scanning the crowd, Xiao Huan cleared her throat and announced in a soft voice, "Ladies and gentlemen, please listen. My lady meets friends through poetry. To meet her, you must pass three tests. Here is the upper part of a couplet. You must accurately provide the lower part, which must be reasonable, balanced, and rhyming. This is the first test!"

After saying this, Xiao Huan stood quietly on the side, waiting for the crowd to evaluate the lower part. Everyone's eyes immediately focused on the couplet on the wall:

The boudoir door is closed, hearing the noise of the gatekeeper, open the door and ask.

Those who didn't understand quickly shook their heads and walked away, while the literati and poets who were interested secretly drew in a breath. This upper part of the couplet seemed simple at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it was profound and tricky.

"The courtesan is indeed well-deserved. This upper part is extremely tricky!" Lu Zheng, leaving the beauty by his side, walked over and observed the upper part for a long time before sighing.

"Indeed, just the shape of the characters is enough to consume a lot of time..."

"The first test is so difficult. It seems we won't have the chance to meet the beauty today..."

"..."

The crowd gathered in a circle, discussing and evaluating the couplet. As time passed, they returned to their seats, dejected, and sought advice from their advisors.

However, in the hall, only Ye Yu and Pan Zhi's table did not rush to pass the test.

Ye Yu looked up at the couplet that had been hung high and glanced at Pan Zhi, then smiled, "The lady's handwriting is strong and elegant. It seems Liu Qianyu is not an ordinary person. Pan Xiong, do you have the lower part?"

Although Ye Yu's calligraphy was not good, it did not affect his appreciation of it. Just as a gourmet with a sensitive palate is not necessarily a chef.

However, from the eleven characters of the upper part, Ye Yu sensed a subtle strangeness. He couldn't quite put his finger on what was strange.

Pan Zhi turned his head to look at the upper part, frowned slightly, and then smiled confidently, taking a sip of wine, "This couplet is not easy, but it's not impossible!"

"Of course! With your quick wit, Pan Xiong, it will be easy for you!" Before Ye Yu could respond, Lu Zheng, holding a wine cup, came to the table.

Lu Zheng, with a smile, sat next to Pan Zhi, patted his shoulder, and said, "Pan Xiong, I'm counting on you! How should we provide the lower part?"

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