Chapter 248 Being Make Things Difficult

“Ah, even if your status has changed, your talent will not. I believe that among everyone present, only you can match Xing Zhuo’s poem.” Prince Xin slowly waved his feather fan, his eyes full of affection, which made people speculate more among themselves.

So what if a noblewoman is demoted to a servant?

She remained beautiful and talented, and even in her simple servant's attire, she shone brightly in the crowd, making everyone else pale in comparison.

Even though many noble ladies were unconvinced, the king's blatant praise was undeniable.

A woman's value needs to be highlighted by a man's perspective and words. Even if she disagrees, she will only doubt herself and think she is not good enough to compare with others.

Zhou Zhining's value was highlighted in an instant.

A young nobleman, disregarding Zhou Zhining's status, handed her a calligraphy brush, his eyes full of admiration and delight: "I have long heard that Miss Zhou's calligraphy is also superb. I am fortunate to have the pleasure of seeing it."

They gave us plenty of face.

Even if her poem wasn't well-written, her calligraphy alone would leave people satisfied.

Zhou Zhining said a few more modest words before taking the brush and making the first stroke under Zhan Xingzhuo's poem.

"Wait a minute." At that moment, a dissenting voice suddenly rang out from the crowd.

A noblewoman dressed in pink looked at Yao Qingling: "Miss Zhou's calligraphy is not urgent, but I would like to see if Madam Yao can continue the poem."

Everyone was astonished, not expecting anyone to make such a suggestion at this time.

“Oh, Princess Yilan, you’re putting me in a difficult position. Madam Yao probably isn’t good at writing poetry.”

After all, Yao Qingling was never famous for her ability to compose poetry; she was most famous for her tantrums and how she made men feel embarrassed.

However, the relationship between Yao Qingling and Zhan Xingzhuo is also intriguing.

Wouldn't it be interesting if Yao Qingling could continue Zhan Xingzhuo's poem?

"Well, I think this suggestion is quite interesting," Prince Xin said with a smile.

Yao Qingling knew all too well what these people's purpose was.

It's simply to highlight Zhou Zhining's brilliance by making her look unattractive and talentless, and to give her a stepping stone.

Once her reputation as a talented woman is restored and she gains public support, people will defend her and remove her slave status, restoring her to her former status as a free person.

These influential people didn't care how talented Yao Qingling was. The garden landscapes she designed were the work of gardening servants. What they valued were literature, calligraphy, painting, music, chess, and chess.

These are the things that upper-class people can show off.

From this perspective, it seems that the servants are doing the work of the nobles, while the nobles are doing the work of the servants.

Yao Qingling was thoroughly humiliated, and some people had already shown their contemptuous expressions.

Princess Consort Chen's face darkened. She disliked Prince Xin's way of putting others down and loathed this person even more, who used Prince Chen's poetry gathering to promote Zhou Zhining.

Princess Consort Chen couldn't just say things like "You can't eat or read poetry" to gloss over the matter. The poetry gathering had been held by Prince Chen's residence for several years, and saying that would negate the event.

"Wow, so many people have come! I was just saying it would be quiet today because of the cold weather." A cheerful woman's voice rang out from outside the pavilion.

Lady Xincheng, lifting her skirt, walked slowly over.

Beside her was the Marquis of Xincheng, and behind her were the Heir Apparent of Xincheng and Lin Shiyuan.

"Your Highness," the Lady of the Marquis greeted first, then continued, "I thought there wouldn't be many people, so I dragged my Marquis and the Heir Apparent along. Oh, and Physician Lin too. We just ran into him on the way. He had nothing to do, so I brought him along as well."

After Lady Xincheng finished speaking, she raised her hand, and the maid behind her stepped forward carrying a food box from Xiangyuan.

"The chef at Xiangyuan has come up with several new dishes. I waited for an hour to get them. Your Highness, please don't blame me for being late."

It is common knowledge that Princess Consort Chen enjoys the dishes at Xiangyuan; it is also common knowledge that Prince Chen does not participate in court affairs.

The fact that Lady Xincheng and Princess Chen were vying for food was merely a friendly exchange between women, and no one would suspect that the two families were forming a faction for personal gain.

If Prince Chen's poetry club hadn't suddenly gained attention, these noble young men and women wouldn't have been so eager to show themselves.

However, the relationship between Lin Shiyuan and Marquis Xincheng was different.

Lin Shiyuan used to be completely ignored; even when he took on a major corruption case in the palace, no one took him seriously. When Zhan Xingzhuo wanted to investigate the head eunuch of the Imperial Pharmacy, someone even blocked his way.

At that time, Marquis Xincheng stepped forward to support Lin Shiyuan and successfully detained and supervised the chief eunuch.

It was at that time that, in everyone's eyes, Marquis Xincheng and Lin Shiyuan became people in the same boat.

The Marquis of Xincheng's residence was the Empress's maternal family.

Astute people could see that the emperor intended to promote people from humble backgrounds, and that the Marquis of Xincheng was trying to win over this potential "new elite."

The poetry gathering was interrupted by the appearance of the Lady of Xincheng, and a cold glint flashed in Prince Xin's eyes.

His cold gaze swept over Lin Shiyuan.

Lin Shiyuan, a "person from a humble background" and a former general who guarded the south, should have felt ashamed and extremely embarrassed in this place filled with the fragrance of ink.

But he remained calm and unhurried, simply glancing at the poems, already stained with dry ink, that were draped over the balustrade with his hands behind his back, as if admiring them.

“Madam Yao, don’t try to hide just because the Lady of the Marquis is here.” Princess Yilan persisted, demanding that Yao Qingling continue Zhan Xingzhuo’s poem.

She held the calligraphy brush and handed it to Yao Qingling.

The ink in the inkstone had dried up, and no one was grinding ink for her anymore.

Yao Qingling held the dry calligraphy brush, looking embarrassed.

She enjoyed reading travelogues, all sorts of interesting storybooks, and various poems, especially those describing the frontier, which were so magnificent and expansive, so full of heroic spirit.

But she never wrote any poetry... In fact, the poems she did write were criticized by Ma and deemed worthless.

Then Yao Qingling stopped writing, since she wasn't going to take the imperial examination to become the top scholar anyway.

That's what she thought back then, but little did she expect that years later, she would be forced to write it.

Lin Shiyuan pressed his lips together, his eyes filled with a deep coldness.

This wasn't the first time he'd seen Yao Qingling being harassed. But she always managed to handle it, and in doing so, she infuriated the people involved.

Some people say she's throwing a tantrum, but as long as she wins, it doesn't matter what methods she used.

But things are different now.

That was Zhan Xingzhuo's poem, and she couldn't finish it. In other people's eyes, it meant she wasn't good enough for Zhan Xingzhuo.

She was facing the eyes of the most influential people in the capital, princes and princesses, princesses, daughters of ministers, and sons of noble families.

If she loses face at this moment, she will be ridiculed forever and will never be able to hold her head up high.

If she insists on divorcing Zhan Xingzhuo, she will be branded as a woman without virtue or talent, a rude shrew, and a bully who oppresses the arrogant scholar.

The sordid affair between Zhan Xingzhuo and Zhou Zhining will be whitewashed into a romantic tale of a talented man and a beautiful woman who never abandon each other.

Lin Shiyuan's fingers clenched tightly together under his sleeves.

He had to remind himself that it wasn't the right time yet. His current relationship with Yao Qingling was one of ingratitude, of looking down on her because of her low status, and of distancing himself from her...

“Yao Qingling saw me at my most wretched and humiliated. She treated me like a servant, so I hate her…” Lin Shiyuan silently recited these words, making sure that there was no sympathy or pity for Yao Qingling in his eyes, no shared hatred, only the indifference of watching the show like those nobles.

He composed himself in an instant, stepped forward with a cold face, picked up the inkstone, dripped a few drops of water into the inkstone, and began grinding it expressionlessly.

At the same time, cold words came out of his mouth: "Madam Yao has always been competitive, and I would also like to see Madam Yao's masterpiece."

His actions were seen by others as an attempt to embarrass Yao Qingling and retaliate for the enslavement she had inflicted upon him.

Yao Qingling glanced at him, pursed her lips, and looked unpleasant.

"Sister Qingling." Zhan Xingxiang couldn't bear to watch any longer. She went to Qingling's side to help her, but when faced with those two lines of poetry, she bit her lip, frowned, and racked her brains but couldn't come up with an answer.

Zhan Xingzhuo glanced at Qing Ling indifferently, without saying a word.

He had no intention of helping her unless she asked him for help.

He would write it for her if she gave him just one look, out of respect for Zhao'er.

"Madam Yao, please write it. If you can't write it, just say so, and we won't have to suffer in the cold wind," Princess Yilan urged.

"Let me do it," Zhou Zhining said softly as she stepped forward. "Madam Yao, could you please move aside?"