Chapter 74

In the small pavilion of the flower garden, the atmosphere was somewhat cold, and the women present were silent, leaving Feng Jueyu unsure whether to stay or leave.

Seeing that no one was speaking, one of the bolder women spoke up first, asking, "Sister Shangguan, you know Ling'er's mouth is loose. She's just like that, she didn't mean it. You won't blame her, will you?"

Shangguan Ruomeng, a seasoned businesswoman, was skilled in worldly affairs. Even though she felt a bit aggrieved, she concealed it well.

She smiled and said, "Of course not. Don't I know her? Everyone, don't stand there, please sit down. Feng'er, you go call Ling'er back. We're all busy with our own things usually, and rarely have the chance to chat. Don't waste this opportunity today."

Feng'er was relieved, and the other women relaxed as well. Sima Ruyu even took a deep breath in relief.

Shangguan Ruomeng saw everything in her eyes. She remained calm, but she remembered every expression of Sima Ruyu, and gave Feng Jueyu a fierce glare...

Feng Jueyu received it and thought to himself: Why are you glaring at me? What does it have to do with me?

At this moment, Feng'er sent someone to call Ling'er and also invited Feng Jueyu to sit down in a graceful manner.

In his past life, Young Master Feng was no novice. He had indulged in many pleasures, and with a face as thick as a city wall, he sat down shamelessly among the beauties...

Feng'er, seeing that the atmosphere was still not right, tried to start a conversation, "Young Master Feng, I heard that you were chased by the killers from the Gold and Silver Society that night, which was quite thrilling. Could you tell us what happened?"

Everyone looked at Feng Jueyu, quickly forgetting their previous discomfort.

Hearing this, Feng Jueyu did not refuse and vividly recounted the events of that night. It was mostly a story he had made up himself, and the point he wanted to convey was that he had been saved by someone.

This was quite normal. If Feng Jueyu had shamelessly claimed that he had single-handedly taken down five killers, he would have been laughed at. Besides, there was no need to embarrass himself.

The women listened with lingering fear, each patting their chests in discussion. Although it was early spring, the women, for the sake of beauty, were dressed lightly, and the two layers of thin gauze could not hide the vast expanse of cleavage, which made Young Master Feng dizzy and dazzled...

After the story, one of the women, frightened by the thrilling process, turned pale and said, "Oh, today is Mr. Zhang's birthday. Why bring up such a bloody matter? I think we should rather compose couplets or write poems."

The women laughed and praised each other: "Yes, yes, Sister Sima is the most talented woman in the world today. Why don't we let Sister Sima start?"

Compose couplets? Write poems? Girls, don't you have anything else to do?

Feng Jueyu was speechless. Indeed, in this era, there was no yoga or soap operas to entertain these noblewomen. What else could they do besides composing poems and writing couplets? Embroidery? Forget it, all the women present came from prestigious families and never did any work.

When it came to composing poems and writing couplets, no one could match Sima Ruyu. Everyone naturally looked at her, but today's Sima Ruyu was a bit shy and seemed to have no mood for poetry.

She sighed and said, "Tian Nan is a place of hidden dragons and tigers. How can I dare to claim the title of 'first'?"

"Who else but Sister Sima can claim the title of 'first'? Today, Tian Nan says that Sister Sima and Young Master Xi are the most talented couple, without a doubt."

Sima Ruyu smiled modestly and said, "Not at all. Haven't you heard that a nameless young master has appeared in Tian Nan?"

"Nameless young master?" Shangguan Ruomeng also became interested and nodded, "Now that you mention it, I remember that on the day of the Spring Talent Gathering, a nameless young master appeared on the 138th boat on West Lin Lake, who composed dozens of poems in an hour, each word a gem, each sentence exquisite. Is it true?"

Sima Ruyu smiled and stood up, reciting, "In March, the lake water is clear, the clouds and mountains echo the spring birds. The purple orchid reflects the west of Lin, and the boat passes through Dongting. Friends come to invite me, and we open the wine to relieve our hangovers. When the cup is in hand, the singing girls must not stop..."

After reciting the poem, the women were silent, each lost in the poem's imagery, unable to break free, and repeated it, feeling unsatisfied. They praised, "I've heard this poem before. It was the first poem to come from the 138th boat. I must say, the person who wrote this poem is a great talent, and it is undoubtedly the best line of the day's talent gathering."

The women clapped and nodded in agreement.

Sima Ruyu said, "Yes, the imagery of this poem is excellent, inviting friends to West Lin Lake for a pleasant journey, with a bold and unrestrained spirit that is not forced. It is worthy of the title 'best line.' That's why I said I don't deserve the title 'first'..."

"Cough, cough..."

Feng Jueyu had been sitting and drinking tea, but when the nameless young master was mentioned, he felt something was wrong. After Sima Ruyu finished her evaluation, Feng Jueyu was almost choked by his tea...

This poem was plagiarized by this young master, although he had changed a few lines, it was still not his own.

Shangguan Ruomeng glanced at Feng Jueyu and said, "Big Brother Feng, are you okay?" As she spoke, she even reached out to help Feng Jueyu catch his breath.

The women smiled and turned away, while Sima Ruyu's eyes flickered, and she suddenly asked, "Young Master Feng, what do you think of this poem?"

"Hmm?" Feng Jueyu looked up and met Sima Ruyu's beautiful eyes, and said, "Good, very good, excellent..."

Sima Ruyu smiled and said, "Young Master Feng also finds it excellent. I believe you are a man of great talent. Why don't you compose a poem today for everyone?"

Damn, this girl has trapped me.

Shangguan Ruomeng was very shrewd. As soon as she heard Sima Ruyu, she knew she had an ulterior motive and looked at Feng Jueyu with suspicion.

The women said, "Good, good, we haven't heard Young Master Feng's excellent words yet. Young Master, do you need ink and paper?"

"Ah? This..." Feng Jueyu stammered, thinking to himself, I don't know how to compose poems. Isn't this making things difficult for me? Thinking of this, he said with a thick face, "Miss Sima, you're too kind. Everyone in Tian Nan knows that I, Feng Jueyu, am a dunce in this field. How can I compose a poem?"

This was true. Young Master Feng was known in the noble circles of Tian Nan for being a dunce. Asking him to compose a poem was like asking a three-year-old to recite the Three-Character Classic.

The women smiled and stopped talking.

Feng'er, fearing that Feng Jueyu would be embarrassed, changed the topic, "Sister Ruyu, does the nameless young master have any other poems? Can you recite them for us to enjoy?"

Sima Ruyu looked at Feng Jueyu meaningfully and then said, "Sure..."

As she spoke, Sima Ruyu slowly recited...

Once she started, she couldn't stop. She recited "Liangzhou Ci," "Tixi Linbi," "Rural April," "Shuidiao Getou," "Wang Jiangnan," and all the poems that Feng Jueyu had plagiarized from Mu Qianjun for wine that day, word for word, even the imagery came alive with her distant and lively voice. Feng Jueyu couldn't help but suspect that in her past life, this girl was a professional reciter...

When she recited Li Bai's "Xiake Xing," the lines "Silver saddle shines on the white horse, swift as a shooting star. Ten steps to kill one, a thousand miles without a trace. After the deed, he leaves without a trace, deeply hiding his name and identity... Even in death, his heroic spirit remains, not ashamed of the world's heroes. Who can write the Great Mystery under the eaves, with a white head?" The entire pavilion fell silent...

"Good poem, good poem."

Just as everyone was immersed in the poem, an inappropriate voice broke the silence. Feng Jueyu and the others turned to see Xu Zixiong, Ma Yuanru, Shang Gongjin, and others approaching.

Walking side by side with Xu Zixiong was a handsome young man, about seven feet tall, similar to Feng Jueyu, dressed in a white robe, and exceptionally handsome.

"Miss Ruyu, greetings."

Xi Ruiyun, the man who had just arrived, was the first talent of the day, the top scholar.

Zhang Changling was a university scholar and a high-ranking official. Most of the guests at his birthday were literati. In a sense, since Xi Ruiyun had participated in the examination and achieved a high rank, he had become a disciple of Zhang Changling. Who would dare not attend his birthday?

Xi Ruiyun's appearance was not surprising, but what puzzled Feng Jueyu was why the top talent was hanging out with Xu Zixiong and the others? Wasn't that lowering his status? Didn't he know who Xu Zixiong was? Or was he just a hypocrite?

Regardless of how Feng Jueyu speculated about Xi Ruiyun's character, his appearance caused quite a stir. The noblewomen present were all infatuated with Xi Ruiyun, their eyes filled with admiration and longing, and if he were to raise his hand, they would probably throw themselves at him. Was this era so obsessed with talent? Feng Jueyu was skeptical...

The women greeted him one by one, and the young men pretended to return the greetings...

The scene...

So fake...

The one who had interrupted was Xu Zixiong. After exchanging greetings, Xu Zixiong recited a section of "Xiake Xing" and then said, "Miss Ruyu, this poem comes from the nameless young master on West Lin Lake. I have also heard of him. I didn't expect Tian Nan to have such a talented person, but unfortunately, no one has ever seen him..."

He was just making conversation. Who didn't know that? Feng Jueyu glanced at Xu Zixiong disdainfully.

The women smiled but said nothing, most of them having heard Xu Zixiong's insincere words.

Seeing this, Xu Zixiong's face turned red, and he was furious, but with so many people of high status present, he didn't dare say anything. Seeing that the women's attention was on Xi Ruiyun, he continued, "However, Tian Nan is full of talented people. This person has great talent but remains hidden, which is puzzling. In my view, he may be arrogant and conceited, and even the best poetry from his mouth loses its meaning. How can it compare to Young Master Xi, who is well-versed and ambitious, willing to serve the court and use his talents to benefit the people..."

This was clearly flattery, typical of belittling before praising, deliberately highlighting Xi Ruiyun...

What surprised Feng Jueyu was that Xi Ruiyun accepted it and even commented, "Brother Xu, you flatter me. I am a weak learner and cannot bear the responsibility of benefiting the people. However, I believe that learning should be put to use, and that is the true meaning of talent. Like the nameless young master, he has talent but cannot put it to use, which is truly disappointing..."

Feng Jueyu thought that a person who could recite poems and compose couplets at will was at least a diligent learner, and he generally respected such people. But he didn't expect that Xi Ruiyun, as a representative of such people, would be so arrogant. He had never met the nameless young master, didn't know his thoughts, and yet made such a judgment, even saying it was disappointing. What disappointment? What does it have to do with you if he doesn't come out?

Pretend, go ahead and pretend, pretend until you die...

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