"I'm sorry, Dean Fan, and everyone else, you probably won't be able to see this person again. He passed away many years ago."

Everyone was shocked. How could this be? This Fumanlou branch had only been open for a short time, and the poem had only just been introduced to the public. How could the person who wrote the poem have passed away?

No one believed Su Luo; they were sure this young lady was lying to them.

"Madam Su, please be careful with your words. We would appreciate it if you could introduce us to worship her."

When intellectuals become stubborn, they can be really difficult to deal with.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am very touched that you would come to Fumanlou to patronize our restaurant, but the person who wrote these poems has been dead for many years. These are just his works from his lifetime."

If such a poem had appeared many years ago, it would have been a sensation in the literary world; it wouldn't have only been discovered now.

"Madam Su, who brought this poem to this restaurant?"

If Fan Hongzhen knew who brought the poem, then she would have a certain connection with the poet.

"It was me! It was made by an old man I know."

Su Luo said this in hopes of gaining their trust. These people had been here since yesterday, staying up all night to wait.

Especially this Dean Fan, he's getting old, what if he suddenly...

Their branch hasn't even broken even yet, and things are already getting messy. They should probably send these people back home.

"Since he was someone Lady Su knew, even after his passing, he must have left behind many collections of poems. I wonder if I will ever have the opportunity to see them."

For some reason, Fan Hongzhen had a doubt: could this poem have been written by the woman in front of him?

The guard said before he left that he would have someone bring the poet over.

They had waited so long just to see this master, and then this Lady Su showed up.

They were also told that the poet had passed away. Since the two people from the same restaurant, Fu Man Lou, were saying different things, there must be something fishy going on.

"That senior has many more poems, but these are all the ones I can remember. So please go back and rest after you've finished reading them. Don't dwell on them anymore; rest is important."

Everyone was unwilling to accept this, but they were powerless to do anything about it.

"Old Fan, judging from this Madam Su's expression, she doesn't seem to be lying. Why don't we go back first?"

The speaker put the copy into his sleeve and helped Fan Hongzhen up.

Fan Hongzhen gently removed the hand that was supporting him and walked unsteadily to Su Luo.

Even a layer of white film covering his eyes couldn't stop the old man's endless spirit of learning.

He stared at Su Luo quietly, exuding an aura of profound cultural knowledge.

"Lady Su, since we can't see that master poet, why don't you compose one for us? It would be worth waiting here for a whole day and night."

Everyone was baffled by what Fan Hongzhen was saying. Asking a woman to write poetry was simply ridiculous.

Su Luo didn't understand what Fan Hongzhen meant either: "Old Fan, aren't you making things difficult for me? I'm just a woman, how could I possibly write poetry?"

Fan Hongzhen shook his head: "I can judge people by their appearance. If you can write a poem, I will personally inscribe it for you and hang it in this Fumanlou restaurant. With my reputation, it will only bring you more benefits."

From a profit perspective, Fumanlou does indeed need this kind of promotion right now.

"Miss Su, if you have any good poems, please recite them quickly. Old Master Fan was once a Grand Scholar, and his calligraphy is priceless."

Among these scholars, someone offered a reminder to Su Luo.

Even the prefect of Anchangzhou couldn't get a piece of calligraphy by Fan Hongzhen. If they had an opportunity like Su Luo's, they would definitely squeeze out a poem.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Fan. I appreciate it if you would write this down."

Su Luo asked the waiter to bring over the writing materials.

After thinking for a moment, Su Luo was about to speak.

“Madam Su, since I’m going to inscribe something for you free of charge, I’ll point to something and you can compose a poem about it.”

Fan Hongzhen could compose poems based on objects. If Su Luo could do the same, he would know who wrote them. It's understandable that Su Luo, being a woman, would keep it a secret.

"Mr. Fan, please..."

Su Luo invited Fan Hongzhen to sit down at the dining table. There weren't many items in the private room, so even if Su Luo couldn't make it herself, it would be acceptable for a country woman like her.

Fan Hongzhen glanced at the weather outside, then turned to look at the pot of autumn chrysanthemums in the corner, and said.

"Now that it's autumn, how about Madam Su composes a poem about chrysanthemums?"

Everyone, whether they were on the second or third floor, came down to Su Luo's private room.

I don't know why Master Fan insisted on making Su Luo write a poem. If he couldn't find a master, that would be fine, but there's no need to make things difficult for a woman.

However, everyone knows why Su Luo wanted Elder Fan to write the inscription.

With Mr. Fan's approval, all the scholars in Yongle County and the surrounding counties flocked there to eat, appreciate poetry, read calligraphy, and admire paintings.

But right now, the most important thing is to see Su Luo make a fool of herself. What a petty woman, daring to write poetry for the sake of profit.

Su Luo can't write poetry, but she can recite it from memory.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone who was eager for a good show, Su Luo slowly began to speak.

When autumn comes on the eighth day of the ninth month...

My flowers bloom, and all others wither...

The first two lines of the poem alone were enough to amaze everyone.

Such a poem actually came from the mouth of a female merchant.

"Hahahaha... Lady Su, what a fine poem!"

Fan Hongzhen finished writing and signed his name.

It was as if my doubts had been confirmed.

"Thank you, Mr. Fan, for writing the inscription on other people's poems."

Su Luo picked up the poem, blew on the characters, and handed it to the waiter to hang it up.

"Miss Su, so it's someone else's poem. I knew it!"

These scholars and officials preferred to hear Su Luo say that it was written by someone else.

If a woman could compose such a masterpiece, then all their years of hard study would be a disgrace.

"Alright everyone, let's not make things difficult for Madam Su anymore. Let's go back."

Fan Hongzhen smiled without any other doubts; in his mind, this was Su Luo's doing.

"Miss Su, I hope that when we come next time, you can hang a couple more poems on your wall."

Su Luo nodded: "Okay! Please visit Fu Man Lou next time."

Fan Hongzhen left, and the scholars, having lost their leader, could no longer stay.

"Xiao Fu, put up the sign that says 'Business is open as usual'."

"yes!"

Xiao Fu wiped the sweat from his forehead and came to Su Luo with a grin.

"Lady Su, you're really something. These scholars are so corrupt."

Su Luo turned to Xiao Fu and said, "Even if you spend a little, you're still a customer. Don't let me hear you say things like that again."

Xiao Fu lowered his head in fear: "Madam Su, I was wrong."

"Alright, you can go ahead and get busy."

Having arrived here, Su Luo decided to visit Nangong Qing at his villa, which had two courtyards, one in front and one in back, and was quite elegant.

Watching Du Xiuyuan take the pulse of the unconscious Nangong Qing, Su Luo asked, "Doctor Du, how is he?"

"Young master fainted due to exhaustion; he'll be fine after a rest."

Su Luo didn't understand why Nangong Qing would go to someone else's house to help with childbirth. Was he hiding something from her?