The instant Chun Tao pulled out the dagger, Meng Yuxiu, who appeared motionless and full of openings, grabbed the Mengli sword from his lap. Using the force, he jerked the sword away, and the gleaming blade was positioned across the woman's delicate neck. If it were just an inch closer, the sharp Mengli sword would have made her bleed on the spot.

But after the crisp sound of the dagger falling to the ground, Meng Yuxiu's question remained unanswered.

Meng Yuxiu said calmly, "Let me ask you a different question. Who taught you to say those things before?"

Chun Tao was startled, and a forced smile appeared on her pale face. She said, "You're joking..."

"Who taught you that?" Meng Yuxiu moved the sword in his hand closer to her neck, the cold blade almost touching her skin.

“You’re unsure of my identity, and you’re unsure who I’m with, so you’re deliberately saying those things to test me.” Meng Yuxiu looked at the woman who stood frozen in place. “Did the person who taught you these things ever tell you what would happen to you if I found out? Or that he would be able to marry the beauty by the time you die?”

at the same time.

Chang Lili staggered downstairs.

She didn't completely believe Chun Tao's words. After all, some things get distorted as they are spread. Meng Yuxiu probably wasn't just lusting after a beautiful woman, but also had a confidante he didn't tell her.

She was genuinely curious about what kind of heavenly beauty that white tea was.

Downstairs were almost all scholars invited by the prefect, each one shaking their heads and rubbing their hands together, eager to show off their skills.

Chang Lili had frequented such scenes before, and now, dressed as a man, she was even more at ease, chatting with people as soon as she stood next to a table.

"What benefits did the governor give them? They're all acting like wolves, as if they're the ones who want to marry Miss Baicha."

"Don't you know? The prefect posted a notice a few days ago, saying that whoever wins against Miss White Tea at the poetry gathering will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold and become his retainer."

Upon hearing this, Chang Lili's lips trembled slightly.

This governor is richer than I thought.

Even a general like Meng Yuxiu, who was still in dire straits, might not be able to come up with 10,000 taels of gold from his annual salary and rewards.

You should know that sometimes when the Light Machinery Bureau submits a memorial requesting some money to buy materials, the Ministry of Revenue will delay for several days to check the national treasury surplus. Not to mention that Meng Yu was leading an army to fight, according to the Yun Kingdom's custom, his military pay and provisions must have been in arrears.

It's ironic that this governor of Duanzhou could afford to spend so much money just to marry a courtesan; it's truly a joke on the nation and its people.

Chang Lili looked at the middle of the second floor with a cold smile—that was where the prefect sat. Through the gauze curtain, she could vaguely see a man with a crown sitting inside, with a slender girl beside him, her long hair draped over her waist, her silhouette graceful and elegant.

It must be white tea that makes people spend a fortune, no, ten thousand gold pieces.

His demeanor certainly exuded a sense of aloofness and arrogance.

Soon, Bai Cha presented her first question, and Bai Cha herself peeked out from behind the gauze curtain.

The surroundings immediately became lively. Chang Lili, seeing the woman who had appeared, understood why everyone was so excited; it was truly...

Absolutely astonishing.

Chang Lili had never seen such a beautiful woman.

Princess Xiao Shu'er is also beautiful, but she is arrogant and ruthless, and her face always seems to make people uncomfortable. Lu Ming is too childish, and her delicate face lacks composure.

Bai Cha is different. She has the beautiful features of the princess and the fresh elegance of Lu Ming when she is silent. Her skin is as white as snow and her hair is as black as ink. Bai Cha, Bai Cha, truly lives up to her name.

And in those eyes that looked at everyone, there was a deep, dark glaze, yet also a captivating indifference.

Chang Lili secretly thought that if she were a man, she would definitely be moved by this woman, but Meng Yuxiu was different!

Chang Lili looked at the white tea on the second floor and secretly wondered how she should settle accounts with Meng Yuxiu if he had lied to her.

Bai Cha's fair and slender hands had already placed the question she had posed on the embroidered ball. With a gentle toss of her delicate wrist, people below scrambled to grab it, and soon someone shouted, "How can a lonely prisoner find peace?"

The topic is white tea.

It's a bit difficult.

You can tell by looking at the men around you who have been silent for a long time.

Chang Lili was watching the excitement and chatting happily with the people at the next table. She didn't care at all whether they could win the beauty. Instead, she was curious to know if anyone knew about the story of how General Meng had fallen out with the local governor over a beauty.

"Young man, why don't you give it a try?"

"I don't understand anything." Chang Lili's handwriting still looks like a dog's paddle. The books she usually reads are weapon manuals. How could she know anything about these things? She doesn't even understand the mystery in Bai Cha's poem.

Since no one could match it for a long time, I guessed that girl was quite skilled.

"Girl, why don't you give it a try?"

Upon hearing the voice, Chang Lili immediately turned around and saw that it was Xu Daoyuan.

How did you get here?

Although they only met once, and although Xu Daoyuan was a storyteller in a noisy and bustling place at the time, Chang Lili felt that a person with such an otherworldly and refined demeanor should stay at home and enjoy the blessings of the gods.

Xu Daoyuan, dressed in a blue robe and with ink-black hair, smiled gently and said, "I've also come to see what's going on."

Chang Lili briefly parted ways with her newly acquainted friends and stood with Xu Daoyuan to the side watching the scholars rack their brains to come up with couplets.

Chang Lili couldn't figure it out and asked, "Is this couplet difficult?"

Xu Yuandao seemed to be observing the people around him, his gaze finally settling on the silhouette behind the gauze curtain on the second floor. He said, "It's not difficult. What's difficult is matching the mood of the person who set the question." Xu Yuandao then briefly explained the couplet that Bai Cha had set for him. It consisted of seven characters, all of which were related to the word "person." It had to be well-structured and each person had to match it. It wasn't a difficult task.

Hearing Xu Daoyuan say this, Chang Lili said, "I don't want them to win. Bai Cha is quite beautiful, and we can't let that prefect get away with it."

Xu Yuandao smiled, quickly wrote a line of words with a pen and ink placed to the side, handed it to Chang Lili, and said, "Go and give it a try."

It might be because Meng Yuxiu had told her about Xu Daoyuan's family background, or it might be because of Xu Daoyuan's own temperament, that Chang Lili felt a strange fondness and respect for this young man who was telling stories in the streets far from the capital.

She took the note from Xu Daoyuan with anticipation, and opened it with a sense of admiration. The handwriting was indeed elegant and beautiful, with seven large characters: "A lonely widow guards her peace in vain."

Chang Lili glanced at Xu Yuandao. His handwriting was neat, but…

Even Chang Lili could tell that this was slightly impolite.