I've taken the blame for this (newly revised)
"Did you do this on purpose?" Han Yizhi asked, looking at the unconscious people on the ground.
Of course, she was unaware that after several reincarnations, Pei Jiangxi's martial arts skills were no longer as formidable as she remembered.
Pei Jiangxi examined the wound on Li Qian's chest and couldn't help but be surprised. The decline in his internal energy was far more severe than she had previously sensed.
“Of course,” Pei Jiangxi replied without hesitation, trying to appear calm. “If we don’t spare their lives to go back and report, how can the world know that you and I are in cahoots?”
“The wound you made isn’t even as deep as mine,” Han Yizhi said speechlessly. “What does that make me?”
Pei Jiangxi squatted on the ground, resting her chin on her hand as she looked up at Han Yizhi with an innocent and questioning expression: "The most heinous traitor in the history of the martial arts world?"
Upon hearing this, Han Yizhi rolled her eyes at her.
"Where to next?"
"We can't miss the poetry gathering at Wenqu Academy at dusk."
"Aren't we going to run?" Wang Boyu asked.
"Where are you going?" Pei Jiangxi retorted. "All land under heaven belongs to the king. Besides, isn't your master here to protect you? What are you afraid of?"
Pei Jiangxi patted Li Qian's face, stood up, and said to Wang Boyu, "Don't worry, they won't wake up so soon. Tonight's poetry gathering is the highlight."
That's right, tonight's main event is here. The female lead will also make an appearance and, by winning the poetry contest bet, will win over her first gigolo, Chen Changji, the young master of a prominent family in Wenqu City.
In the novel, Chen Changji is like a treasure trove, with an inexhaustible supply of money. Despite being only a wealthy region, he seems to possess boundless riches.
"This is what being rich is supposed to be like," Pei Jiangxi thought helplessly.
*
Upon entering Wenqu City, Pei Jiangxi led Han Yizhi straight to the academy.
Following Pei Jiangxi's instructions, Wang Boyu first went to a cloth shop in the east of the city to order two sets of elegant clothing. She also specifically instructed and distinguished the colors and textures of the two sets of clothing. Then she headed straight for the upper reaches of the Baiju River.
"Once we reach the upper reaches of the Baiju River, find a Xilai Inn," Pei Jiangxi instructed. "Right in front of the inn, there's a small boat moored with an orange lantern hanging on it and a hibiscus flower tied to the rope. Once you've found the model, go downstream and make an identical boat. Get your clothes and wait for us."
When Wang Boyu arrived at Xilai Inn, just as Pei Jiangxi had said, he saw a small boat with orange lanterns hanging on it.
On the other side, Pei Jiangxi and Han Yizhi changed into the clothes of academy maids and put on veils.
When the two entered the poetry gathering, the atmosphere inside was lively.
A large crowd of people formed a circle, and a girl with a strong voice said loudly:
"Young master, are you serious? If our young lady can match this last line of poetry, you will grant her one request without any conditions."
Pei Jiangxi tiptoed to look through the crowd and saw a burly, ruddy-faced girl who was speaking, quite like Mulan.
"Oh no!" Pei Jiangxi thought to herself, realizing she was too late. This energetic young woman was none other than the protagonist's maid from the original story. Now that they were already standing in front of Chen Changji, Pei Jiangxi had no further room to interfere.
Fortunately, Pei Jiangxi had a backup plan.
“Of course, a gentleman’s word is as good as his bond,” Chen Changji said loudly. “I’ve brought out all my most difficult problems.”
Chen Changji looked around, cupped his hands to the crowd, and said, "This poem was obtained by my father in his dream. He searched all the teachers in Wenqu City, but still could not find a satisfactory answer."
"Changji also knows that many families in Wenqu City have private schools, but if this young lady can respond with this poem today," Chen Changji paused intentionally before continuing, "then Changji believes that she can be called a woman who is not inferior to men."
Having said that, Chen Changji successfully stirred up the enthusiasm of the onlookers.
“This girl has already matched nine lines in a row,” a scholar said. “If she matches this last one, it will be perfect.”
“I think it’s difficult,” said another, taller, thinner scholar. “This last couplet is not as good as the previous ones.”
Pei Jiangxi darted and weaved at the back of the crowd, but couldn't find a single angle from which she could see the female lead.
All that could be heard was the servant reciting the poem in a resounding voice: "If Heaven had feelings, it too would grow old."
Everyone held their breath, lost in thought. Whispers occasionally drifted out. In the center of the crowd, a slender, elegant woman, her hair lightly brushed aside, frowned and paced back and forth in a small circle, deep in thought.
About fifteen minutes later, the girl's expression brightened. She held her round fan to her mouth and beckoned her maid to come closer to her ear. The maid listened intently, and the girl nodded, her expression shifting from worry to joy. Everyone knew the answer was obvious, and the crowd stirred.
Whether they were scholars attending the poetry gathering or servants accompanying them, everyone present was now focused on the master and servant duo. This girl who had attracted everyone's attention was none other than Xin Rui'en, the heroine of the novel.
The maid glanced smugly at the crowd and read aloud in a loud voice:
"If the moon had no regrets, it would always be full."
Pei Jiangxi and Han Yizhi read it out at the same time.
Han Yizhi was startled. She hadn't expected that Pei Jiangxi's internal strength had reached the same level as hers, and that she could hear Xin Ruien's whispers here.
What she didn't expect was that Pei Jiangxi, standing there, couldn't hear anything at all; she simply knew the answer beforehand.
Pei Jiangxi sighed inwardly, thinking that the author's cheat sheet for the female protagonist was too exaggerated. The answer that was supposed to be available two hundred years later was solved by the female protagonist in less than a quarter of an hour.
"Thank you, Mr. Changgu, thank you, Fairy Furong," she murmured to herself.
After a brief silence, an explosive cheer soared into the sky.
Some people started running wildly and howling in the hall, pulling off their hats. Pei Jiangxi's maid couldn't help but grab her hands and spin her around, jumping for joy. The two scholars, one fat and one thin, even embraced and wept.
Han Ye-ji was also affected by the atmosphere, and her cheeks flushed.
Amidst this boundless joy, only Xin Ruien and Chen Changji seemed frozen in time, staring directly at each other without any concealment. After a long while, Chen Changji finally let out a long sigh of regret.
Xin Ruien looked at the jubilant maid beside her and smiled gently.
The last rays of the setting sun flew into the courtyard, gently scattering across half of Xin Ruien's body.
Xin Ruien raised her round fan, and Chen Changji leaned close to listen.
Golden sunlight streamed through the round fan, illuminating Shin Ye-eun's bright eyes.
Chen Changji couldn't tell for a moment whether it was the sunlight shining on her, or whether she was naturally that radiant.
*
As dusk settled, Pei Jiangxi pulled Han Yizhi along as they ran on the rooftop.
"Have you looked at everything carefully?"
"What?"
"You'll be a maid in a moment, and I'm Xin Ruien."
"what are you up to?"
You'll find out in a moment.
In a few leaps and bounds, the two landed on the bow of a small boat moored on the Baiju River.
It was a small boat decorated with orange lanterns and hibiscus flowers.
"Master, you're back." Wang Boyu, dressed as a boatman, came up from the stern of the boat to greet them.
Before Han Yizhi could answer, Pei Jiangxi grabbed her and darted into the cabin. She pulled down the curtain and immediately stripped off her and Han Yizhi's clothes, changing into the garments that Wang Boyu had previously made for them.
Wang Boyu immediately turned his back.
“Watch closely, don’t let anyone peek,” Pei Jiangxi shouted to Wang Boyu, “It concerns your master’s chastity.”
"I know, keep your voice down," Wang Boyu replied. His somewhat dark face now showed a hint of other colors.
According to the plot, after winning the poetry competition, Shin Ye-eun invited Chan Chang-gil to a gathering on a small boat.
Lanterns and hibiscus flowers were used as secret codes.
However, Xin Ruien did not expect that Chen Changji had not actually heard what she said clearly.
In addition, Chen Changji was somewhat dazed at the time, and by the time he came to his senses and wanted to confirm further, Xin Ruien had already gracefully left.
Originally, in this part of the story, Chen Changji would have been exploring upstream along the downstream route.
As time passed, accompanied by anxiety and regret in his heart, and the gradual accumulation of physical fatigue, it was only when he reached the upper reaches and saw the small boat that Chen Changji felt a sense of relief, as if the clouds had parted to reveal the moon.
Today, this relationship is destined to be disrupted by Pei Jiangxi.
One way for the villain to survive in this world is to separate the protagonist from his best friend. Pei Jiangxi had already made up her mind.
Inside the cabin, Pei Jiangxi and the other person were dressed exactly the same as Xin Ruien and her maid at Wenqu Academy.
"How did you know that the two of them, mistress and servant, were wearing these clothes today?" Han Yizhi asked, examining the clothes she and Pei Jiangxi had just changed into.
Pei Jiangxi thought to herself, "I've been here several times already, how could I not know what they're wearing today? I also know that Chen Changji will be coming to me soon."
Pei Jiangxi took a sip of tea.
Swirling the teacup in her hand, Pei Jiangxi said leisurely, "Don't underestimate the intelligence network of the Glazed Palace."
"At Hai hour, Baiju River, orange lanterns, hibiscus." Chen Changji muttered to himself as he walked briskly along the banks of the Baiju River.
Before long, Chen Changji spotted a small boat with orange lanterns hanging on the shore.
Before Chen Changji could step forward, Han Yizhi, wearing a veil, poked her head out of the cabin and waved to him.
*
After a cup of tea.
"Ahem," Chen Changji cleared his throat and said, "Miss Pei, you are not quite what I imagined."
"Is it not as beautiful as I imagined?" Pei Jiangxi asked with a smile.
“Of course not,” Chen Changji said, covering his mouth somewhat awkwardly, “It’s even more remarkable than I imagined.”
Pei Jiangxi smiled and said, "This is the first time I've heard someone praise a young lady like Young Master Chen."
Chen Changji awkwardly changed the subject, saying, "What about the girl who was with you this afternoon?"
Pei Jiangxi poured Chen Changji a cup of tea and said, "I sent her home to fetch some things. She should be here soon."
Chen Changji nodded repeatedly. After taking a sip of tea, he said, "Miss's poetic talent is truly enviable."
"It's just standing on the shoulders of giants," Pei Jiangxi said dismissively.
"What does Miss Pei mean?"
“Well, what I mean is,” Pei Jiangxi thought for a moment, resting her chin on her hand, and said, “A gentleman is not born different, but he is good at making use of things.”
“I am puzzled,” Chen Changji said doubtfully, “could it be that these verses were not written by Miss?”
Pei Jiangxi thought to herself, "Could that be my work? Your father didn't write the first line of that couplet either. Every single line of classical poetry in this novel is written by someone else."
Pei Jiangxi smiled and quickly added, "Look, didn't your father also say that he obtained the poem in a dream?"
“Oh,” Chen Changji suddenly realized, and said, “Miss Pei, you mean that this poem was found from the unseen world.”
“Yes, yes,” Pei Jiangxi replied, “A good article is born of nature, and a skillful hand may occasionally produce it.”
Pei Jiangxi immediately covered her mouth after speaking.
Chen Changji laughed heartily and said, "Miss Pei is truly witty."
Chen Changji offered tea to Pei Jiangxi and said, "Then Miss Pei must be a talented person favored by the poet."
“Hey, young master, don’t flatter me.” Pei Jiangxi waved his hand and said, “You promised me one thing, young master, is that still true?”
“Of course,” Chen Changji replied firmly, “A man’s word is his bond.”
"This humble woman does indeed have a favor to ask of you, sir."
“Please speak freely,” Chen Changji continued. “To be honest, I also have a favor to ask of Miss Pei.”
"Oh?" Pei Jiangxi was surprised at first, then said, "I would like to ask Young Master Chen to help me build an inn on the official road."
“It’s no big deal. Just tell me the location, and I’ll send someone to take care of it as soon as I get home,” Chen Changji agreed without hesitation.
"Thank you, young master." Pei Jiangxi bowed.
"I wonder what favor you need from me, young master?"
Chen Changji cupped his hands and said, "I feel an instant connection with Miss Pei, and I would like to humbly request to become sworn siblings with you. I wonder what Miss Pei's opinion is?"
The small boat glided slowly and gently, creating ripples on the water, with the lights on both banks reflected in the river.
That day, the two talked all night. By the time they came to their senses, it was already broad daylight.
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