Hongli instructed his servants to prepare writing brushes, ink, paper, and a desk for the front courtyard. The servants placed the desk at the other end of the stone table, with a lantern hanging beside it. The front courtyard, bathed in moonlight, seemed exceptionally beautiful, and Hongli couldn't help but exclaim, "White dew forms on the jade steps, soaking my silk stockings as the night deepens."

Hongzhou praised Hongli's poem from the side.

"The moon shines brighter on half the houses as the night deepens; the Big Dipper hangs low over the southern constellation." Mingyu, not to be outdone, added a line of poetry.

Xueying, sitting on the stone bench, also spoke, "The cool moon hangs like an eyebrow over the willow bay, and the mountain scenery of Yue is reflected in the mirror."

Although it doesn't fit the current situation, it was still done spontaneously.

Hongli had initially thought Xueying was just a spoiled and arrogant young lady, but today she truly impressed him. He hadn't expected her to have such literary talent, and he even remembered that the last time they had written a poem about lotus flowers was at Yingzhou Terrace in Yuanmingyuan, where he had been amazed by Xueying's literary skills.

Mingyu's heart tightened. She knew that Ulanara Xueying was very talented in poetry, while she herself was slightly inferior. Mingyu couldn't help but glance at Hongli, and sure enough, she saw admiration in his eyes, which made her somewhat unhappy.

"Alright, everything is ready. There's wine, meat, and beautiful women. There's no time limit. As long as you think of a good poem or line, you can write it down. I'll organize them and put them in the study later." Xueying was even more excited when she heard that their poems would be recorded and kept in the study.

She then turned to Hongzhou and said, "Hongzhou, we've all written poems, aren't you going to write one? I remember you were quite enthusiastic just now!"

Hongzhou felt wronged. He just didn't want to spoil the fun, but now he was being forced to write a poem, and he had no idea what to write. He could only look at Hongli with a pitiful expression and say, "You all can write poems, I'll just run errands and support you. Also, I'll take care of any leftover wine and meat."

Seeing Hongzhou's troubled expression, Hongli couldn't bear to tease him. He went to his desk and wrote a few more poems before returning to the stone table to drink a cup of wine.

Xueying drank a few cups of wine, and feeling inspired to write poetry, she went to her desk and started sketching something. Only Mingyu sat alone at the stone table, drinking sullenly. Mingyu wasn't a heavy drinker; she would get drunk after just a few cups. Now her face was flushed, and her speech was somewhat slurred.

Hongli sat to the side watching Mingyu; she wouldn't normally be so out of control.

"Mingyu, don't drink too much, you'll get drunk." Mingyu didn't know what was wrong with her. Normally, she would never drink this much. But today, seeing Xueying not only beautiful and charming but also a poet, she felt very sad and just wanted to keep pouring wine into her mouth.

Hongli tried to persuade her a few more times, but Mingyu stubbornly refused to listen. Just then, Hongzhou called out to her from the other side, so she went over.

"Look at the poem I wrote, what do you think?" Hongzhou asked excitedly, waiting for Hongli's evaluation.

"The moon shines brightly, yet seems not to be the moon; the sparse forest seems even more autumnal." Hongli looked at the poem written on the paper, then glanced in the direction of Ulanara Xueying. Xueying was also looking this way. Their gazes met in the air, and they both looked away at the same time.

Hongli knew that Hongzhou couldn't have written such a poem; it must have been written by Xueying. However, he didn't expose her, and instead praised Hongzhou's poem with a smile.

Hongzhou was overjoyed to receive Hongli's praise. Mingyu, watching the interaction between the three, felt her worries deepen, and picked up her wine cup to drink.