Seeing the two women getting along so warmly and praising each other from time to time, Jing Zhe wondered if he was being a bit superfluous.

He felt much better with these two women than he had imagined. Who says rivals have to be so hostile to each other?

Chu Xia shared the same feeling. At one point, Chu Xia even had the fatal three questions: "Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?" Wasn't today supposed to be a day to "confess"? How did I end up becoming friends with my love rival?

Standing there, Chu Xia was completely bewildered.

"This is…"

After praising Yu Xiangrong's calligraphy, Murong Xi carefully examined what she had written. After reading for a while, she could no longer hide the shock on her face and asked in surprise, "Is this really the Dream of the Red Chamber story in the entertainment section of the newspaper?"

Although Murong Xi had only read the latest issue of the newspaper, she was still captivated by the stories in Dream of the Red Chamber, especially the section about "Daiyu burying flowers" in that issue, which she found poignant.

She only read the middle part, but Murong Xi was thinking of finding all the other newspapers. The journey back to Yueyao Kingdom was long, and she could use this story to pass the time.

However, she asked Chu Xia to inquire about the previous newspapers, which had been out for too long and were in high demand in Jingzhou, making them difficult to collect. Seeing the draft in Yu Xiangrong's hand, she suddenly had a good idea.

Yu Xiangrong nodded: "Yes, it's the story of Dream of the Red Chamber. This is the latest issue, and also the last issue of the newspaper before the New Year, which will publish the story of Dream of the Red Chamber!"

"Xiangrong, you're amazing!"

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Murong Xi exclaimed, "Xiangrong is not only beautiful and has beautiful handwriting, but she can also write such a wonderful story about Dream of the Red Chamber. She is truly amazing!"

Murong Xi praised him again, her eyes full of sincerity.

Now, Yu Xiangrong was even more embarrassed by the praise, and waved her hand, saying, "Empress, please don't praise me. Actually... it's all thanks to the young master!"

"he?"

Murong Xi glanced at Jing Zhe sideways. "This story of Dream of the Red Chamber was written by Xiang Rong. What does it have to do with him? I know he founded a newspaper and invented newspapers, but that's a completely different matter!"

Yu Xiangrong shook her head and smiled, "Because the story of the Dream of the Red Chamber was originally conceived by you, young master!"

"He came up with that?"

"Yes, the whole story of Dream of the Red Chamber was conceived by the young master and then told to Xiangrong. This kind of story is probably too simple for the young master. He is too lazy to write it himself, so he asked Xiangrong to write it down and put it in the newspaper."

"..."

Murong Xi and Chu Xia both stared wide-eyed at Jing Zhe, their mouths agape and their eyes wide with disbelief.

It is said that no one is perfect. They had already witnessed Jing Zhe's strategies and martial arts skills, which were enough to amaze them. They never imagined that Jing Zhe could also come up with stories.

"Is this really the story you came up with?"

"Murong Xi asked."

"Heh, it was just something I came up with on a whim, nothing to brag about, nothing at all!"

Jing Zhe waved his hand and said modestly.

At this moment, Yu Xiangrong said again, "Empress, didn't you just praise my handwriting?"

Murong Xi nodded: "Although I am not a great calligrapher, I have lived in the palace since childhood and have seen many original works by various great calligraphers in Yueyao. Perhaps Xiangrong's brushwork is not as good as theirs, but Xiangrong's font is very novel. The handwriting is unrestrained and frank, and it is much more beautiful than the fonts I have seen before!"

Yu Xiangrong laughed after hearing this, then looked at Jing Zhe: "So, it's all thanks to you, Young Master! This font was created by you, and Xiangrong's calligraphy was also taught by you. It's just a pity that Xiangrong is too dull and only learned the basics. Your calligraphy is truly amazing!"

When praising her man, Yu Xiangrong is more confident than ever, her eyes brimming with pride.

"..."

Murong Xi and Chu Xia were shocked once again.

Because they had been in contact with Jing Zhe recently, they knew he was capable, but they didn't know he was *that* capable. After Yu Xiangrong mentioned it, they suddenly found it hard to accept.

"Is what Xiangrong said true?"

Jing Zhe said nonchalantly, "Hehe, these are all trivial skills, not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning!"

Jing Zhe remained "modest".

This time, Murong Xi and Chu Xia didn't think Jing Zhe was faking it like they did the first time, because he seemed to have the credentials.

"Your Majesty, did you meet Grand Tutor Bai when you went to court? Even he said, 'I am not as good as him,' after seeing your calligraphy. Isn't our young master amazing?"

Seeing the other women looking at their men with such adoration, Yu Xiangrong was even happier than when she herself was praised. After thinking for a moment, she added, "And what's more, our young master's greatest talent is poetry! In the whole world, no one's poetry can surpass his!"

"Really? There are plenty of capable people in the world, don't make empty boasts!"

Chu Xia pouted. She disliked all of Jing Zhe's women, except for Murong Xi.

"Of course it's true! The third prince of Southern Qi is renowned for his unparalleled talent in poetry and prose, and countless people have heard of him. Yet, when he came to Anguo, he too was defeated by our young master!"

At this point, Yu Xiangrong blushed slightly, but still boasted a little, "Young Master even wrote a poem for Xiangrong... 'Clouds remind me of her clothes, flowers of her face; spring breeze brushes the balustrade, dew is heavy...'"

"Clouds resemble her garments, flowers her face; the spring breeze caresses the balustrade, the dew is heavy... What a beautiful poem, truly a beautiful poem!"

Murong Xi sighed.

Seeing this, Yu Xiangrong said happily, "Isn't it amazing? Young Master has written more than just these poems and lyrics, there's also..."

A quarter of an hour later, Murong Xi and Chu Xia were still immersed in the shock brought by those poems, savoring the aftertaste.

"A tangled mess, impossible to unravel, is the sorrow of parting. A unique feeling stirs in my heart—what beautiful words!"

"Those we love are separated by mountains and seas, but mountains and seas can be leveled... This poem is really too bold and unrestrained!"

"How much sorrow can one have? It's like a river of spring water flowing eastward..." How could someone so young write lyrics with such sentiment?

"Your Majesty, I think the best one here is still that Mid-Autumn Festival poem, 'May we all live long and share the beauty of the moon, though we are thousands of miles apart.' There are many excellent Mid-Autumn Festival poems in the Moon Jade Kingdom, but it seems that none of them can surpass this one in terms of artistic conception, rhythm, or diction! With this poem, there is no more Mid-Autumn Festival poem to write!"

Chu Xia grew up in the palace with Murong Xi and had read many books. Although she might not be able to write any good poems, she was quite good at analyzing them.

After she finished speaking, Murong Xi nodded repeatedly, and when she looked at Jing Zhe again, her eyes were different!

The man I've set my sights on is really amazing!

————

(I've been getting a lot of censorship lately, so I'm revising as I write...)