Chapter 9: Dark Night Attack Only a vague black shadow was seen. ...

The banquet ended at midnight, and everyone went to the Tianxianlou branch at the foot of the mountain to rest.

Min Shian's room was arranged at the innermost room on the second floor, and Song Tinglan was opposite her. Min Shian's eyebrows jumped for some reason, and she warned: "Tinglan, go to bed early and be careful."

Song Tinglan pushed open the door of the private room and replied, "I understand. Don't worry, Shi An, my brother has arranged secret guards around here."

Min Shian felt a little relieved and pushed the door open with Chuntao and the other two. Min Shian went to the inner room, while they stayed in the outer room to wait.

Because she was too tired during the day, she fell asleep quickly, but she felt something was wrong and was in a half-asleep state the whole time.

She recalled Queen Xie's words, "Things are not peaceful lately." She suddenly woke up, but did not open her eyes, and her breathing was still even, as if she had never woken up.

She originally thought it was just an excuse. There was a huge flow of people before and after the Wenqing talks, so some unrest was normal. But now she clearly heard the slight sound of clothes rubbing against each other outside!

Who is it?

She heard everything, so why didn't Chuntao and the others make any movement?

Then she smelled a faint floral fragrance, which was the special aphrodisiac incense supplied from the Western Regions!

However, Min Shian had been forced by Empress Xie to take various kinds of incense since he was a child, and he had long developed drug resistance, so he was not too afraid.

She pretended to turn over, and her fingers easily hooked the dagger under the pillow in her hand. She held her breath and listened carefully to the movement outside.

The person who could knock Chuntao and the others unconscious without making any noise and evade Song Sheng's secret guards must be a master. Sure enough, the moment her breathing stopped, the person also stopped moving.

In the silent night, any sound was amplified infinitely. She listened carefully, sweat beads oozing from her forehead, and had no time to think about anything.

…

After a slight sound, Min Shian quickly turned over and got out of bed. He looked out the window and saw only a vague black shadow.

She opened the window to let the smell out of the house, and then woke Chuntao and the others up.

"host……"

Min Shian frowned and raised his index finger in front of his lips, signaling them to be quiet.

Then she waved her hands and mouthed, "Nothing, this won't happen again. Go get some rest."

Whose person could it be?

Min Shian clenched the dagger, his eyes gloomy.

The next morning, she covered the dark circles under her eyes with powder, and went out with Chuntao as if nothing had happened. She walked to the halfway point of the mountain, chatting and laughing with Song Tinglan.

The two of them sat down one after another. Min Shian looked at the empty seat beside him and asked casually, "Why hasn't your brother arrived yet?"

Before Song Tinglan could answer, a muffled laugh came from behind her: "Your Highness, what is it that you want to see me about?"

Then Song Sheng sat beside Min Shian and looked at her with a smile.

"Nothing, it's just that I have always been a light sleeper. The bed in Tianxian Tower seems to have magical powers. I slept extraordinarily soundly last night. I'm afraid the Minister of the Court is also the same and has missed the time." Min Shi'an looked satisfied, as if what she said was true.

"Then after the talks are over, I will send someone to deliver it to Your Highness." Song Sheng responded calmly and in a gentle voice.

Min Shian curled the corners of his lips and said, "That's not necessary. Thank you for your kindness."

"Later on, there will be calligraphy, painting, and zither-playing competitions. I doubt you'll be interested." Song Tinglan continued softly, "In the afternoon, there will be hunting. To get a good start, most people will participate. Brother will be there too. What do you think, Shi'an?"

She thought of the dark shadow from yesterday. Changting Mountain was covered with pine and cypress trees and had a complex terrain, making it a perfect place for an assassination.

"Tinglan, what about you?"

"I can't go to the bathroom. I'll stay here with the teacher and watch over him."

Min Shian felt relieved and replied, "Okay, then I'll go catch some rabbits for you."

"Everyone, please be patient. We have prepared writing materials on your desks. Those who wish to discuss and exchange ideas in half an hour can place them on the central desk."

Zhang Taifu continued in a clear voice, "This time, as usual, the first-place winner can designate one person to challenge in tomorrow's impromptu lyric writing session!"

Min Shi'an had heard of this a long time ago. It has been widely circulated that impromptu lyrics are extremely challenging for a person's knowledge base and adaptability.

However, not everyone has the opportunity to compete. Only the first or top three in each round in the first two days are eligible.

This way, we can efficiently screen out capable people and avoid too many competitions tomorrow that would be difficult to conclude.

The most important thing is that the essays written by both sides of the competition can receive detailed comments from Master Zhang, which is an opportunity that thousands of students dream of. Therefore, everyone puts their full effort into every step of the discussion.

She didn't want to join in the fun, but when she caught a glimpse of Song Sheng's focused profile, she suddenly had an idea and wrote down four big words with a wave of her pen -

"Distant mountains and flowing water."

Seeing Min Shian's actions, Song Tinglan looked over curiously and said, "I thought you wouldn't be interested. Let me see, what beautiful calligraphy did Your Highness the Princess write so quickly?"

Upon hearing this, Song Sheng also turned his head to look at the paper in Min Shian's hand.

"I was free, so I wrote this for fun. If you want to read it, go ahead." Min Shian readily handed the paper in his hand to Song Sheng beside him.

In order to highlight their own abilities, ordinary people usually write long articles, but Min Shian never thinks so.

The charm of a character can often be seen when you start writing it.

"Distant mountains and flowing water..." Song Tinglan smiled and praised: "It's true that calligraphy is like a painting. Shi An's calligraphy is getting better and better."

"Your Highness's handwriting is better than mine." Song Sheng raised his eyebrows, with a smile in his eyes, and then put the cocoon paper back to its place.

Min Shian chuckled and said modestly, "It's all thanks to the teacher."

Unsurprisingly, Min Shian won the championship.

Zhang Taifu's brows were filled with pride. He laughed heartily and said, "Having these three disciples, I have no regrets in my life!"

Although everyone was envious, they were convinced after reading what Min Shian wrote.

Next it was time to paint, but Min Shian wasn't interested. She had seen countless famous paintings, and she often felt bored when she saw ordinary paintings.

Painting took a long time, so everyone went to Tianxian Tower to have lunch and rest for a while before continuing their creation.

Two hours later, the winning painting was announced. When it reached Min Shian, she took a glance at it and then passed it to Song Sheng.

She didn't sleep well the previous night, and felt overwhelmed by the upcoming piano competition. No matter how beautiful the celestial music was, it seemed like devilish sounds piercing her ears. So she found an excuse and went back to Tianxian Tower to catch up on her sleep.

Song Tinglan wanted to go back with her, but Min Shian waved his hand and said lazily, "Forget it, you've just recovered and can't stand the mountain wind. I'll go back by myself."

She managed to finish the mountain walk which usually took three quarters of an hour in just one quarter of an hour. After returning to the private room, she ordered Chuntao and the others to watch carefully, and then fell asleep.

When Chuntao woke her up, her head was still a little dizzy. She glanced at the window and immediately woke up. She asked in a hoarse voice, "What time is it?"

"My lord, it's one quarter past noon." Qiu Mang replied.

Min Shian rubbed his temples, intending to take a short nap, but unexpectedly slept until dawn the next day.

Chun Tao reminded in a low voice: "Master, breakfast is ready."

After Min Shian washed up and had a quick breakfast, she hurried to the mountainside. Seeing her arrival, Song Tinglan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Finally, you're here. If Your Highness hadn't come, I would have thought you had fainted in your room."

Song Sheng also felt relieved and asked softly, "Your Highness, have you had breakfast yet?"

"No problem, I've used it."

Maybe because he slept too much, Min Shian felt dizzy and had no strength to speak, and felt a little dizzy.

Song Tinglan quickly helped her sit down and said with concern: "Shi'an, I have made tea for you, drink it quickly."

She had no intention of tasting the tea. Only after she drank it in one gulp did she feel better and her vision became much clearer.

"I missed the hunt. I'll make up for it with those rabbits later. I hope Tinglan doesn't mind."

Song Tinglan was about to reply when Master Zhang spoke from above. She could only shake her head soothingly, indicating that she didn't need to worry about it.

"Everyone, today is the last day of the talks, and also the most important day. The impromptu lyrics session has officially begun!"

"First, let the champion of yesterday's poetry competition, Li from Suiyang, choose the person you want to compete with!"

After he finished speaking, a rather plump, white man at the table stood up, cupped his hands and said loudly, "I am Li of Suiyang, a humble man. I would like to have a competition with Princess Yongkang."

Everyone's eyes instantly focused on Min Shian. Fortunately, she was prepared and swallowed the tea in her mouth as soon as the man stood up to avoid being disrespectful.

She stood up slowly, also bowed, and said slowly, "No need to be so formal. I accept your challenge."

After saying that, the two of them set off at the same time and headed to the central desk, waiting for Master Zhang to speak.

"Alright! You two should write about the passage of life for half an hour!"

Hearing this, Li's eyes lit up and her joy was beyond words. Min Shian raised his eyebrows, wondering if he had guessed the question correctly?

The Wenqing Talks have been held for six sessions. Following the rules, this is indeed possible.

But Min Shian didn't care. What's the harm in betting on the right answer?

She thought for a moment before starting to write, and her writing flowed smoothly without stopping. On the contrary, Li scratched his head, paused several times, and made some corrections, seemingly dissatisfied.

"Knock, knock, knock."

As the drums sounded, the two men put down their pens at the same time, and the servant beside them presented the written article to Master Zhang.

After receiving it, Grand Tutor Zhang didn't open it. Instead, he handed it to the old man beside him, who also had a white beard, and said, "This is An'er's work. To avoid suspicion, I will not judge it. The winner will be decided by Elder Yang."

Old Master Yang is the dean of the academy, and he is from the same school as Grand Tutor Zhang, so naturally no one dared to have any objection.

Different from the kind and smiling Master Zhang, Master Yang had a stern face and was meticulous in every aspect, exuding the word "strict". Therefore, most of the students in the academy were afraid of him when they saw him.

After reading the two articles expressionlessly, Elder Yang handed them to Grand Tutor Zhang and said in a deep voice, "The Great Dream wins!"

Li's already fair face turned pale in an instant. He murmured in disbelief, "How could it be... How could it be possible?!"

Upon hearing this, Old Yang frowned and stared at him with his sharp, old eyes without saying a word.

Li looked up hurriedly, realizing she had said something wrong. She bowed deeply and then lowered her head again in despair.

After reading it word by word, Master Zhang first gave Li some advice, and finally encouraged him not to be discouraged, as he would surely achieve great things in the future.

“The world is a dream, and life is like a chilling autumn.[1]”

"An'er performed as steadily as ever. Wonderful! Wonderful!"

Min Shian was not surprised by this and said with a smile, "Teacher, you are too kind."

Then she looked at Li and said, "Thank you."

Li was inspired by Master Zhang's words and responded, "I am convinced!"

After saying this, he strode back to the table.

"An'er, you are the champion in calligraphy. Who do you want to challenge?" asked Taifu Zhang kindly.

Min Shian's fox eyes were full of cunning. She looked straight at Song Sheng and raised her eyebrows. "Song Pushe is my senior brother. I have admired him for a long time. I wonder if I would have the honor to spar with him?"