Stand up for her

As soon as these words came out, several people couldn't help but burst out laughing. Liu Chang looked at Pei Songsheng angrily: "You!"

Prince Pingyang smoothed his lips and said, "Alright, alright, let's not argue here today. Write your poem now. This time, the theme is 'romance'. As usual, I'll give a generous gift to the winner."

Someone immediately said, "If the poem focuses on romance, then why should we even compete? The winner must be Lord Pei. After all, he has a wife who is the most talented poet in the world. He has been influenced by her, so naturally he is no less talented."

Everyone burst into laughter, chiming in with their own words, and a steady stream of sarcastic remarks poured out. Liu Chang wasn't as eloquent as the others, but he felt he had pulled one back, and he looked at Pei Songsheng triumphantly.

Facing the overwhelming ridicule and sarcasm, Pei Songsheng simply pursed his lips and glanced at the crowd in front of him, "You are all jealous."

This sentence made everyone quiet down, and they looked at Pei Songsheng with puzzled eyes.

Pei Songsheng continued, "You all claim to be well-educated, but you have neither a name for talent nor any masterpieces that would dignify the literary world. You can only huddle together here to entertain yourselves. Naturally, you are jealous of the extraordinary talent of Pei's wife."

This remark touched a sore spot for everyone. Some people were so angry that they slammed the table. Prince Pingyang, in a good-natured tone, smoothed things over, "Moxing, we were just joking. Why are you mocking us like that?"

Before he could finish his words, Pei Songsheng retorted, "Your Highness, on the Crown Prince's birthday last month, you presented him with a collection of your own poems. He publicly criticized you for being full of flattery and devoid of any talent or integrity, and ordered you to retreat and reflect. The result of your reflection is to hold these nonsensical poetry gatherings again and listen to a bunch of like-minded people fawning over you?"

Prince Pingyang did not expect Pei Songsheng to suddenly target him. He sat there in a daze, not knowing how to respond.

Everyone present had not expected that Pei Songsheng would openly challenge the prince, and they were all stunned.

Pei Songsheng turned his gun around and looked at the person who had started the commotion. "Young Master Wang, you've published a lot of excellent works this year, but weren't they later revealed to be ghostwritten? So, now that the hype has died down, you dare to show off again?"

"Mr. Li, this is your fifth attempt at the Mingjing exam this year, right? Instead of studying hard at home and preparing for the exam, you're always thinking about the excitement outside. No wonder you keep failing."

"Master Zhang, you..."

All the participants of the Fenghe Poetry Conference were criticized by Pei Songsheng one by one, and they all blushed and felt ashamed and angry.

The last one was Liu Chang. Pei Songsheng looked at him coldly and said sarcastically, "As for Mr. Liu San, you can't even read a single word. What's the point of joining in the fun at this poetry gathering? Go home and let your father give you a few good beatings. Then you can start to behave like a human being."

He glanced at the crowd and said aloud, "If any of you here could have even one-tenth of my wife's talent, you wouldn't be stuck here writing bland, sour poems just to amuse others."

Pei Songsheng usually looked upright and honest, so no one expected him to be so ruthless in mocking Qi Renlai. They were all shocked. Someone was embarrassed and angry and said, "No matter how eloquent you are, a woman writing about such erotic things has no sense of shame!"

Pei Songsheng sneered and said, "Who among you hasn't praised Song Lingjun's talent, saying that her writing is as sharp as a knife, piercing the world like splitting bones? When 'The Story of the Red Tassel' was performed, who among you wasn't a guest at Fanle Tower? How could you turn against her and criticize her for being shameless the moment you learned she was a woman? You distort the facts based on your status, and you are unworthy of being called scholars."

Someone was so angry that he blurted out: "Your wife humiliated you, and you're upset, so you come to us to vent your anger. You don't deserve to be called a scholar!"

Pei Songsheng: "I consider her an honor, how can I not be happy? But if you really regret reading her book, I have a way to help you."

Everyone looked at him in confusion, only to see him pull out a short dagger from his sleeve and slam it on the table: "If you regret it, gouge out your eyes. My poems may not be passed down through the ages, but this upright character will be remembered in history."

When they saw him take out the sharp weapon, they were all shocked. They had never seen such a scene before. They thought Pei Songsheng might have gone crazy. Several people jumped up and their faces turned pale with fear.

Pei Songsheng coldly looked at the stunned faces of the crowd and sneered, "If you don't even have this much courage, then stop barking. Please spread the word about what happened today—if you have anything to say, just come to me. If anyone makes up stories or talks about my wife in private, don't blame me for being merciless."

After saying that, he turned away.

Everyone in the room was left speechless, unable to recover from the shock for a long time.

*

Jian Zhu slammed the spoon on the table and said excitedly, "If anyone regrets watching it, just gouge out their eyes!"

Lan Yue and Yi Xing opened their mouths wide and looked at each other in disbelief.

Jian Zhu was very pleased with their reactions, and he recounted the words Pei Songsheng had said before he left, describing vividly how he had been so imposing and majestic when debating with the scholars, how those people blushed and dared not speak when his names were called out one by one, and how they turned pale when Pei Songsheng left in a huff. The two little girls were stunned by what they heard, their tongues tied, and they were at a loss for words for a long time.

After a long while, Yixing finally said, "It turns out that I misunderstood you, sir. He went to the poetry gathering to support the young lady."

This afternoon, while the young lady was taking a nap, Lan Yue pulled her to a quiet spot and discussed the poetry gathering in detail. Only then did she realize how deeply her careless words had upset the young lady. Later, when she heard that her son-in-law had accepted the invitation and was attending the poetry gathering, she was even more indignant. She had only mentioned a few words, yet the son-in-law had already caused the young lady so much distress. And yet, her son-in-law had gone to the poetry gathering himself. How much more did this put the young lady in such a difficult position?

Fortunately, it was her petty misunderstanding. If the young lady knew, she would definitely be very happy.

After imitating Pei Songsheng's impassioned speech, Jian Zhu rubbed his head sheepishly. "I'm crude, not even a fraction of your grace. I've had selfish motives in telling these two young ladies. To be honest, before your master came back, he specifically told me not to tell the lady about this to avoid upsetting her. But I, Jian Zhu, am not that open-minded. Our master has done so much for the lady, yet he never makes it public. It really makes me feel suffocated."

Lan Yue frowned: "You mean you want us to be your messengers?"

Jian Zhu blushed slightly, "My Lord only told me not to tell Madam, but he didn't say I can't tell you."

He had always obeyed Pei Songsheng's words and had never done such a thing as lip service and disobeying him. He felt very ashamed, but when he thought about how his master was eloquent in public but was like a saw-mouthed gourd in front of his wife, if he didn't mediate, he could only watch the two of them separate in confusion.

Jian Zhu immediately felt a heavy responsibility on his shoulders and bowed solemnly to Lan Yue and Yi Xing. "My master's love for Madam is evident to all, but he doesn't like to publicize it. I can't bear to see his love go unnoticed, so I ask you two girls to tell Madam everything that happened today."

But how could they refuse something that only required a little effort? Besides, this matter had indeed shocked them quite a bit, so even if Jian Zhu didn't say anything, they would have mentioned it to Cheng Yayin.

Yixing was quick-witted and told Cheng Yayin about this matter excitedly as soon as he returned to the inner courtyard.

Cheng Yayin was originally trimming the messy branches growing next to a clump of roses in the garden. After Yixing finished talking, she held the scissors for a long time without moving, with no expression on her face. However, her heart was like the rose at hand, secretly sprouting.

She certainly didn't think, as Yixing did, that Pei Songsheng's attendance at the Fenghe Poetry Club was a tactic to retaliate against her. Although she wasn't sure of his intentions, she suspected they might be related to the case.

He actually went there to stand up for himself.

Although she had known Pei Songsheng for many years, she seemed to be only beginning to understand him now.

I feel a little melancholy and want to see him right now.

Pei Songsheng was not at home. Jian Zhu said that after he left the Fenghe Poetry Meeting, he received a letter from Xue Zhi and went to the Dali Temple.

Pei Songsheng has been busy all the time recently, and it's hard for him to find time to attend the Fenghe Poetry Festival even though he is too busy to do anything else.

Cheng Yayin waited in the mansion until dark. When she heard footsteps at the courtyard gate, she couldn't wait to push open the door.

Pei Songsheng had just stepped into the yard when he saw Cheng Yayin standing at the door looking at him. He was stunned for a moment and asked, "Why haven't you rested yet?"

His thoughts turned, and he looked a little worried: "But you are upset and can't sleep?"

Cheng Yayin shook her head, but he had already walked a few steps in front of her and looked at her nervously: "What happened?"

Seeing his fearful expression, as if he thought she was made of cotton and could not withstand the slightest disturbance, Cheng Yayin was a little amused and said comfortingly, "Nothing happened. I'm waiting for you."

"Wait for me?" Pei Songsheng said, "But what's the urgent matter?"

Cheng Yayin looked at him, and in an instant, a thousand words flashed through her mind, but the last words she said were: "Have you eaten yet?"

*

The sweet aroma of red bean dumplings wafted in the air. Cheng Yayin and Pei Songsheng each held a bowl and sat opposite each other to eat.

Cheng Yayin had already eaten dinner. After a few tangyuan, she put down her bowl and rested her chin on her hand, watching Pei Songsheng eat. Pei Songsheng was too busy to fill his stomach. After a few tangyuan, he felt hungry. But with Cheng Yayin watching him like this, he lost his appetite and gradually became distracted. He felt that they were now like a loving couple, sitting across from each other for a midnight snack, and a simple bowl of tangyuan could taste like a delicacy.

Cheng Yayin suddenly said, "I already know that you went to the Fenghe Poetry Club to speak up for me."

"You..." Pei Song choked, then thought about it and shook his head helplessly, "This Jian Zhu."

"Don't blame him." Cheng Yayin said, "I know everything. You even asked him not to tell me. If he hadn't taken the initiative, did you really intend to keep it a secret from me?"

Seeing Pei Songsheng's silence, Cheng Yayin was furious and said helplessly, "Pei Songsheng, Pei Songsheng, everyone says you're smart, and my father often tells me you're his best student. But why do I feel like you're the dumbest person I've ever met?"

Pei Songsheng smiled bitterly and said, "Maybe it's because I'm really stupid."

I don't know how to be nice to her, I don't know how to please her, I can only clumsily protect her in my own way, which makes her angry.

Cheng Yayin puffed up her cheeks and glared at him for a moment. Seeing that he looked like he was waiting to be lectured and didn't say a word to defend himself, she couldn't help but lose her strength and said almost to herself, "For the sake of a mysterious idea of ​​getting married, you are willing to sacrifice your own life. Even if we are a couple without feelings, you are willing to protect me time and time again, even offending your own father and those powerful children for me. Is it all worth it?"

Pei Songsheng smiled and looked down at the glutinous rice balls floating in the bowl. The steam rose on his face, and his eyes were filled with warmth. "Actually, I'm very glad that I'm the one who can do all this for you."

Cheng Yayin's heart skipped a beat and she stared at him blankly.

After Pei Songsheng said this, he stopped looking at her and continued to concentrate on eating the glutinous rice balls in the bowl. The hazy hot steam lingered between the two of them, and his handsome face seemed to be a little red from the heat.

Cheng Yayin felt that her heart was like a glutinous rice dumpling, which was gently bitten and uncontrollably oozed out sweet and warm syrup.

She savored the sweetness in her heart. After Pei Songsheng finished eating the glutinous rice balls, the two of them continued to sit opposite each other, neither of them saying to leave.

Pei Songsheng's eyes moved, and he remembered something, and said, "Oh right, you asked me to track down Boss Xia, and I've found her."