As soon as Xiao Xiuning finished speaking, a renowned scholar stepped forward and wrote the title on the flag with a brush.

Then the servant hung the written flag on the flagpole on the high platform behind him.

The flags fluttered in the wind, making them clearly visible to all the students on the pleasure boat.

At the bow of the painted boat, a robust woman dressed in palace attire struck a gong forcefully.

Clang! A gong sound echoed across the fields.

"The first round of poetry begins, titled 'Battlefield,' with a time limit of three incense sticks! Stop writing when the incense burns out!"

As the palace maid's voice faded, the once bustling pleasure boat instantly fell silent.

Tonight, all the students who came to the poetry gathering knew that this was a great opportunity for them to make a name for themselves.

If one's work is favored by a great Confucian scholar, one can avoid taking more than a decade of detours.

For a moment, the only sound on the painted boat was the sound of Sasa writing.

On the main ship, Xiao Xiuning was somewhat bored, so she took out the manuscript of "Shuidiao Getou" from her bosom and savored it again.

However, after looking at it several times, Xiao Xiuning found that the font looked somewhat familiar.

But for a moment I couldn't recall where I had seen it before.

Several renowned scholars nearby began to discuss who would win the poetry competition that evening.

At this moment, in the No. 1 room of the pleasure boat, Mu Zian was listening attentively to the music coming from inside the pleasure boat outside the window.

He even tapped his hands to the rhythm, looking quite content.

Ning Hongchen leaned against the window, watching the incense in the burner burn out little by little.

"Young master, are you not going to write?"

Mu Zian didn't even lift his eyelids.

"No rush, there's still plenty of time."

Liu Rushi handed a peeled grape to Mu Zian's lips.

"Pei Shaoji is no ordinary person. He is the top student of Gu Xizhi, the contemporary leader of the literary world in Beijing, and the number one contemporary writer of the Pei family in Qinghe. Everyone at today's poetry gathering on the painted boat says he can win the top prize."

Upon hearing this, Mu Zian laughed heartily and said confidently.

"With me here, he can't win first place."

As the first incense stick burned halfway down, a crisp sound rang out on the painted boat.

"Young Master Pei of Qinghe has submitted his manuscript!"

Then a handsome young servant boy carrying a manuscript walked briskly toward the central platform.

Upon seeing this, the students around stopped writing and stared intently.

"As expected of Young Master Pei, he has already written the poem in such a short time. Such talent is beyond our reach."

At this moment, dozens of students were gathered in the private room of the painted boat where Pei Shaoji was.

These people were all Pei Shaoji's supporters and old friends, among whom Lu Zhengping was prominently listed.

"Young Master Pei's poems are truly exquisite. To produce such a work in such a short time is beyond our reach."

"That's right. Who in the world can match Young Master Pei's talent? In my opinion, Young Master Pei will undoubtedly be the champion of today's poetry gathering on the painted boat."

The cheers and applause from those around him rose and fell, and Pei Shaoji clasped his hands and smiled.

"We writers should let our works speak for themselves, and I look forward to your great works at today's poetry gathering on the painted boat."

Although Pei Shaoji appeared humble, his arrogance was undisguised.

Pei Shaoji's gaze fell on Xiao Xiuning under the moonlight through the window, and the greedy longing in his eyes almost overflowed.

Xiao Xiuning's beauty was unparalleled, and in Pei Shaoji's eyes, no one but himself was worthy of her.

Just when Pei Shaoji thought his work would surely move Xiao Xiuning.

But he noticed that Xiao Xiuning's gaze was fixed on the poem in her hand, while his own work was left sitting alone to the side.

Seeing this, Pei Shaoji gripped the fan a little tighter, but still asked with a warm smile.

"Does anyone know who wrote the poem in Her Highness the Ninth Princess's hand?"

The people in the cubicle looked at each other and shook their heads. Seeing this, Lu Zhengping immediately stood up and said.

"Reporting to Young Master Pei, the draft in the Ninth Princess's possession was written by an unreasonable madman."

"A madman?"

Lu Zhengping immediately recounted the events that had occurred to everyone, embellishing the story.

"That 'Prelude to Water Melody' is a masterpiece that can never be written by a playboy."

"The profound meaning and the parallelism of tones in poetry can only be achieved by someone who has been immersed in the art of poetry for many years."

"But that man is no more than twenty years old, a dissolute and unruly playboy. How could he possibly have the talent to compose such poetry?"

"If I'm not mistaken, this person must have spent a lot of money to have someone write for him in order to become famous at the poetry gathering on the pleasure boat."

"It's a pity that everyone at today's poetry gathering was deceived by this person, which has caused me great distress."

As he spoke, Lu Zhengping bowed to Pei Shaoji and said.

"I am incompetent and unable to see through this person's hypocrisy, which led to even the Ninth Princess being deceived by him. I implore Young Master Pei to intervene and restore order to the cultural heritage of Dali!"

Seeing this, Pei Jianzhi, who was sitting to the side, immediately seized the opportunity to step forward and speak.

“Shao Ji, you are the leading figure among the younger generation of literary figures in the capital. How can we allow such a despicable person to act so presumptuously? We must let him know that these petty tricks are not respectable and that all tricks are futile in the face of absolute strength.”

Hearing this, everyone in the room was also angered and immediately clasped their fists in unison.

"I implore Young Master Pei to restore order and clarity to the literary world of the capital."

Pei Shaoji's gaze swept over Lu Zhengping, who lowered his head even further, feeling somewhat guilty.

Although he knew that Lu Zhengping's words must contain some deception, he had no choice but to take action now that this madman's poems had caught Xiao Xiuning's attention!

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!