Zhou Shuqing was somewhat confident that Song Baoning would see her and be pleased with her.

Outside, most people who meet him praise him as handsome and dashing, a young talent. Many classmates have also inquired about his marital status, both openly and secretly. The implication is clear: they are interested in him and want to introduce their younger sisters to him.

Whenever he attended literary gatherings or book clubs, the singers and dancers would all cast flirtatious glances at him. Song Baoning was just a pampered young lady who rarely left her home, and she was at the age where she was in the throes of first love. Would she be an exception?

But why is Zhou Yuqing always following me? If Zhou Yuqing is always by my side...

Zhou Shuqing's heart sank for a moment. She had to admit that Zhou Yuqing had changed a lot in the past few years, and her appearance was even better than her own.

Especially that carefree and unrestrained temperament, which is something that ordinary people cannot imitate. Is this what a stress-free life is like?

Seeing Zhou Shuqing frequently glancing at him, Zhou Yuqing gradually became certain that Zhou Shuqing's visit today must have some ulterior motive, so he had to keep a close eye on him.

"Brother, aren't you going to see your cousin?"

"I'm an outsider, it's not appropriate."

“I thought my past was inappropriate.”

"She's with her girlfriends right now, you'll see them later."

Zhou Shuqing said no more. Judging from his elder brother's expression, it seemed that there was nothing between him and Song Baoning, so he was relieved.

Come to think of it, if there really was something going on, given the relationship between the stepmother and the Prince Cheng's mansion, they would have arranged the engagement long ago. Why wait until now?

He walked into the group of scholars laughing and joking with a smile. Before long, they started composing poems. Zhou Yuqing wondered to himself, could it be that Zhou Shuqing came here today just to promote his reputation?

"Who is this...?" Someone noticed Zhou Yuqing, who looked somewhat similar to Zhou Shuqing, so everyone looked at Zhou Shuqing with suspicion.

"This is my eldest brother. He is a disciple of Master Ye Xiangwen. He has been spending more time in Jiangnan lately, so it's normal that you don't recognize him."

"So it's Young Master Zhou. Young Master Zhou is a student of Master Ye Xiangwen, so you must be very talented in literature. Why don't you compose a poem yourself?"

Zhou Shuqing laughed and stopped him, saying, "Brother is just a painter who studied under Master Ye Xiangwen, not a poet. Why don't you two have a painting contest?"

Zhou Yuqing smiled faintly. Her words seemed to be helping him out of a tight spot, but they could easily ignite the competitive spirit of these young people. They would probably think, "What have I done to deserve being accepted as a disciple by my master?"

As expected, one of them objected, saying, "Everyone knows that Master Ye Xiangwen is not only outstanding in painting, but also once achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination. Given Master Ye's character, how could he only teach painting and not calligraphy, literature, and poetry after taking on disciples? Poetry and painting have always been integrated. If one does not have literary cultivation and is not well-versed in various books, how can one paint well?"

"Brother Liang is absolutely right."

"Young Master Zhou, please don't stop us. Are you afraid that you two brothers are too outstanding and make us pale in comparison?"

"Young Master Zhou, the few poems I just recited were merely to add to the festivities today. I hope you will offer your guidance so that we may witness the talent of Master Ye Xiangwen's disciple."

Zhou Yuqing thought that if she refused now, not only would her own reputation be ruined, but her master's reputation would also be affected.

He chuckled softly and said, "Bring me a pen."

Seeing how readily he agreed, the crowd grew even more excited, and more and more people gathered around.

Someone exclaimed excitedly, "Is Young Master Zhou going to paint and compose poetry at the same time?"

"I have never had the honor of appreciating Master Ye's paintings in person, but I am satisfied to be able to see the paintings of Master Ye's disciples today."

At this moment, Zhou Shuqing was also secretly excited. He didn't think Zhou Yuqing had any real skills. He guessed that Zhou Yuqing had indeed learned a bit of Master Ye's skills in painting and wanted to use painting to cover up his shortcomings in poetry.

But today everyone is judging poetry, so how can you convince everyone with your paintings?

More importantly, you are a student of Ye Xiangwen. If you only learn a little bit of painting skills, it will be even more despised.

It seems that coming today was the right decision. With Zhou Yuqing as a comparison, everyone can better recognize their own excellence. Moreover, with such a big commotion, it will definitely become known throughout the inner courtyard. At that time, Song Baoning will know about him and hear about his poems.

Indeed, Song Xia and Song Baoning already knew about this when the servants went to get paper and pens, but they weren't worried at all.

Outsiders wanted to see Zhou Yuqing make a fool of himself because Zhou Yuqing had never shown his talent to outsiders, but Song Xia and the others knew about it.

Ye Xiangwen originally took Zhou Yuqing as his apprentice only because he was impressed by his talent in painting. After spending half a year in Jiangnan, he discovered that Zhou Yuqing's literary talent was no less impressive. At that time, he wrote a letter to the capital to inquire, wondering if the young people in the capital were so talented that even someone like Zhou Yuqing could not be ranked.

After reading his son's poems and essays, Song Xia realized how much his son had progressed. Perhaps it really is true that environment changes character, and character changes destiny. In the past few years, Yuqing has become quite famous among the literary giants in Jiangnan, but it has not yet reached the ears of these young scholars in the capital.

Song Xia had actually been waiting for this day for a long time. She had been looking forward to the day when Yu Qing would make a name for herself and surpass Zhou Shuqing.

Unexpectedly, this opportunity was created by Zhou Shuqing himself. After Yuqing shows her talent and ability, Zhou Shuqing will probably regret it to death!

More and more people gathered in the front yard, and paper, pens, and inkstones were placed in front of Zhou Yuqing.

He smiled slightly: "Gentlemen, please excuse my poor performance."

Zhou Yuqing's expression was natural, and his brushstrokes were fluent. In just a few breaths, he captured the essence of the plum blossom with a few strokes.

The speed was so fast, and the skill in drawing was so outstanding, that it drew gasps of amazement from the crowd.

"As expected of Master Ye Xiangwen's disciple, his painting skills are far inferior to mine."

"I've seen Master Ye Xiangwen's plum blossom paintings before, but they're different from this style. It seems that Young Master Zhou has already developed his own style?"

Everyone praised her, but Zhou Yuqing remained unmoved and continued painting at her own pace. Meanwhile, Zhou Shuqing, seeing her smiling face, felt a surge of hatred in her heart.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Yuqing is quite capable. Even if he fails to compose poetry later, his reputation for painting can still overshadow it.

Zhou Yuqing is so lucky to have a relative like Ye Xiangwen to guide her. Despite her average talent, Ye Xiangwen is able to teach Chuse.

Unbeknownst to others, Song Xia, who was in the inner courtyard, guessed that Zhou Shuqing probably felt resentment the moment he saw Yuqing put pen to paper. Perhaps it was because he had always been better than Yuqing in every competition when they were young, so he never thought that Yuqing's current excellence was due to Yuqing's hard work or because Yuqing also had talent.

He was just jealous, jealous that Yuqing had everything while he had to struggle desperately, cursing fate for being so unfair!

After this competition, he will be even more resentful. He will find that his proud talent is no match for Yuqing.