Chapter 99 The Banquet is a Game

Su Yuan's eyes darkened, and without hesitation he raised his hand and wrote down the poem on the paper:

It is not of human origin, it came from the moon.

A little fragrance from Guanghan Palace blows the whole mountain into bloom.

After finishing writing, she paused for a moment, gently put down the brush, and waited for the servants to come and take it away.

Unexpectedly, as soon as I looked up, I saw that Ye Qingyu had also finished writing.

Su Yuan stared at her with narrowed eyes, then swept his gaze over the students around him.

Except for her and Ye Qingyu, everyone else at the scene was either thinking hard or hesitating to write. She copied it, but what about Ye Qingyu?

It got better so quickly, is it a natural talent, or is there another secret?

Thinking of this, Su Yuan raised his eyelids slightly, glanced coldly at the people at the top, then lowered his eyes and made no other movements.

An attendant came over and collected the papers with poems on them from each person's desk, then slowly walked up to the stage and presented them to Yin Zhenghong. The people at the top passed them around and discussed and commented on them privately.

Finally, Yin Zhenghong glanced at Su Yuan calmly, then moved his gaze to Ye Qingyu opposite him, stroked his sleeves, and said with a curled lip:

"In my opinion, among all the poems, only Ye Anshou's poem is the most outstanding. She is the best candidate for first place today. So the prize is given to..."

However, before Yin Zhenghong could finish his words, he was interrupted by Director Wen, who frowned slightly:

"Mr. Yin, I don't think so. Although Ye Anshou's poem is of high quality, it is not as good as Su Yuan's poem about osmanthus. Look, this is not a plant of the human world, but a plant that came from the moon..."

"The sentence is concise and clear, and fully explains the beauty and extraordinaryness of osmanthus. I think the first place should go to Su Anshou."

When Yin Zhenghong heard that Director Wen actually recited the poem in public, his face turned blue and purple, almost turning into a color palette.

She pursed her lips for a while, then glanced at the woman upstairs from the corner of her eye. She saw that she nodded slightly to her, obviously in agreement.

Yin Zhenghong glanced at Ye Qingyu's expectant gaze, closed his eyes helplessly, and announced:

"Well, after hearing what Director Wen said, I now think that Yonggui, who is the first in the Su case, is slightly better. So the first place today is Su Yuan."

She laughed, but there was no joy in her eyes. She called the servant and said calmly:

"Send all the prizes on the table to Mr. Su."

The attendant replied "Yes".

Then he picked up the painting of Autumn Scenery in Dongli, three jade pendants, and the ring, lowered his head and placed them on Su Yuan's desk, then bowed and retreated.

Su Yuan glanced at the items in front of him, slowly stood up, bowed, and thanked him with a smile:

"Thank you, Principal and all the teachers, for the gift. I would not refuse, so I will accept it."

Yin Zhenghong put on a fake smile and waved at Su Yuan:

"Don't be so polite, this is what you deserve, sit down quickly."

Su Yuan curled his lips and sat down.

After that, he listened to Yin Zhenghong's few polite words and invited people to have lunch, while he himself left the table first on the pretext of feeling unwell.

Su Yuan glanced at her departing back, then raised his eyes to look at Ye Qingyu opposite him, with a sarcastic smile on his lips.

She had been paying attention to Ye Qingyu and Yin Zhenghong just now, and the meaningful glances between the two did not escape her eyes.

And Yin Zhenghong's sudden change of words just now, as well as Yonggui's belittling of her, it seems that these two are not innocent!

But there was one thing she didn't understand. Why did Yin Zhenghong make so much fuss about a small banquet organized by an academy today?

This is not an imperial examination. It is common for scholars to compete in poetry and painting, and it is normal for some to win and some to lose.

How could the two of them care so much?

Su Yuan's mind was full of thoughts, and before he could think clearly, he noticed two vague and unfriendly gazes staring at him from the opposite side.

She glanced over and saw Ye Qingyu and Gu Ranran. The former had an expression of anger mixed with jealousy, while the latter had an expression of disdain and hatred.

See here.

Su Yuan deliberately raised his eyebrows at them.

The two people opposite were startled and looked away.

Seeing this, Su Yuan curled his lips in disdain and ignored the two cowards. He lowered his eyes to glance at the painting beside him, then turned his head to Meng Yunlan and said:

"I'll give you this painting of autumn scenery in Dongli. I'll accompany you to visit Jiayun Tower later. It can't be a wasted trip, right?"

Meng Yunlan's lips curved slightly and she nodded:

"Thank you, my wife."

Su Yuan shook his head, picked up a piece of food with chopsticks and put it in the bowl, motioning:

"Eat more food so you can have enough energy to go shopping later."

Meng Yunlan hummed softly and started to eat leisurely.

Upstairs, behind the screen.

King Nanyou withdrew his gaze calmly, took a sip of tea, and said thoughtfully:

"This Su Yuan is quite good."

Yin Zhenghong pursed his lips, his voice without any personal emotion, and nodded in agreement:

"Well, Su Yuan is really good."

After that, she changed the subject, a smile appeared on her face and said:

"However, if the prince were to choose a son-in-law, she would probably not qualify. I heard that Su Yuan already has two husbands, both of whom are her principal husbands. The man sitting next to her now is her second husband."

"If the young master marries him, not only will he be on equal footing with the sons of peasants and merchants, but he will also be ranked third. Given the young master's personality, he may not agree!"

King Nanyou frowned and asked in a long tone:

"Oh, so this is the case. I will have to think about it carefully."

After saying this, she glanced at Yin Zhenghong lightly, raised her eyebrows, and asked:

"I heard that Ye Qingyu, the first in the Luocheng case, is your niece. Is this true?"

Yin Zhenghong paused while pouring tea, then returned to normal in an instant. He glanced at Ye Qingyu who was sitting below him with admiration, and nodded:

“It is true. Although my niece’s family is a merchant, she is very intelligent and has been far more knowledgeable than her peers since she was a child. She is not fond of men and has no concubines except for two maids.

"She is also a very gentle person. She is a perfect match for the young master. If they were to get married, they would definitely be a loving couple."

Yin Zhenghong's compliments made King Nanyou frown. He glanced at her calmly, sighed, and said vaguely:

"Let's wait and see. It won't be decided in a short time. Moreover, it's useless just for me to be satisfied. That little rascal in the mansion ran away from home after a disagreement. We still need his consent."

Seeing that King Nanyou didn't respond, Yin Zhenghong pursed his lips and said in an embarrassed tone:

"Well, you really have to choose carefully."

Upon hearing this, King Nanyou raised his head slightly, looking vaguely towards the third floor. After a cold hum, he stood up slowly and said with a faint smile:

"Now that I have observed the students, I have a rough idea in my mind. Next time, I will invite the top three students from each town to the palace for a closer look. If you are free, come along."

Yin Zhenghong knew that King Nanyou was about to leave, so he stood up and nodded:

"Okay, then, take care, Your Majesty."

King Nanyou curled his lips into a smile, turned around without saying anything, and left Jiaying Tower with a group of royal attendants.