In late spring, the willow catkins drifted across the capital like a heavy snowfall. The "Jinyun Poetry Society" at the prime minister's residence was no longer the small-time institution it once was; it had become a refined gathering place for half of the city's noble ladies. Su Jinli's name, along with the society's fame, became a familiar figure in the literary world.
That day, the poetry society chose the "Tinghe Cottage" outside the city for an elegant gathering. The scenery of lakes and mountains, the sound of flowing wine, was a perfect time for reciting poems and composing couplets. Su Jinli wore a moon-white jacket, a lilac-colored silk sash tied around her waist, her hair loosely tied in a bun, pinned with a simple white jade hairpin, looking fresh and neat.
She was squatting by the water, watching her maid Lingge put peach petals into the running water, preparing to play the game of "Qushui Liushang", when suddenly a deliberately raised voice came from behind her.
"Hey, isn't this Sister Jinli from Prime Minister Su's residence? Why are you hiding here? Why don't you show off your skills out in the open?"
Without even turning her head, Su Jinli complained in a voice only she could hear: "So noisy."
The person who came was Lin Wanyue, the legitimate daughter of the Minister of Rites. Miss Lin was famous in the capital as a "talented woman," said to have been able to write poetry at the age of seven and prose at the age of ten. She usually carried herself with a cold and aloof air, looking down on everyone with a hint of disdain.
Su Jinli stood up, brushed off the dust on her skirt, turned around, and put on a typical fake smile: "Sister Lin is here. I'm stupid and I'm afraid of making a fool of myself in front of others and polluting everyone's eyes."
Lin Wanyue looked her up and down, a faint smile curling her lips. "Sister Jinli, you're too modest. I heard you've been producing a lot of new works lately, especially 'Preface to a Spring Night Banquet in Peach and Plum Garden,' which has spread throughout half of the capital."
Su Jinli's heart skipped a beat. She'd written that poem a few days ago, unable to sleep, inspired by an ancient text she'd read in her past life, with only minor tweaks to the mood and wording. She hadn't specifically publicized it, so how had it reached Lin Wanyue's ears?
"I was just bored, so I scribbled a few words. I'm sorry to bother you, sister." Su Jinli said calmly.
Lin Wanyue took a step forward, lowering her voice with a subtle hint of provocation. "Scribble? But I heard that poem has a very similar artistic conception to the one I wrote a while ago, 'Spring Night Feelings'."
Upon hearing this, the noble ladies around pricked up their ears and their eyes flickered between Su Jinli and Lin Wanyue, obviously smelling some gossip.
Su Jinli raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Is that true? Could you please let me read Sister Lin's "Spring Night Feelings"?"
A hint of pride flashed across Lin Wanyue's face. She had already prepared a backup plan. She clapped her hands, and the maid behind her immediately brought an exquisite brocade box with a piece of rice paper inside.
"Please look, sister." Lin Wanyue unfolded the rice paper and handed it to Su Jinli.
Su Jinli took it and looked at the paper. It read: "A quiet spring night, the moon like a hook, I lean on the railing alone, my thoughts still lingering. The wind blows, pear blossoms drifting all over the ground, I wonder if spring sorrow has fallen all over my head."
The handwriting was beautiful and neat, and the poem was a good one, but... Su Jinli couldn't help laughing after reading it.
"Sister Lin, this poem is well written." She handed the rice paper back, her tone relaxed. "But I wonder when did you write this poem?"
Lin Wanyue raised her chin slightly, looking confident. "Of course it was half a month ago. I even asked a few sisters I know to taste it." She paused, looking sharply at Su Jinli. "But your sister's 'Preface to a Spring Night Banquet in Peach and Plum Garden' seems to have only been circulating in the past few days, right?"
This statement was very clear. She was implying that Su Jinli had plagiarized her poem.
The noble ladies around immediately began to whisper to each other, and looked at Su Jinli with a bit more suspicion.
Su Jinli, however, was not in a hurry. She patted Lingge's hand and said softly, "Lingge, tell me, when did I write the poem 'Preface to a Spring Night Banquet in Peach and Plum Garden'?"
Lingge took a step forward, straightened her back, and spoke in a clear voice: "To answer the young lady, the poem was written on the night of the tenth day of the third lunar month. It rained a little that night, and the young lady said she couldn't sleep, so she wrote the poem in the study and asked me to grind the ink for half the night!"
The tenth day of March? Lin Wanyue's face changed slightly. Her "Spring Night's Feelings" was indeed written half a month ago, around the fifteenth day of March. So, Su Jinli's poem was actually written a few days earlier than hers?
"Who can believe the words of a maid like you?" Lin Wanyue forced herself to remain calm. "Maybe your mistress taught you to say that!"
"Oh? Really?" Su Jinli sneered, "Then I wonder if Sister Lin can produce evidence to prove that your poem was written on March 15th? Or, are any of your sisters who have tasted it here present now?"
Lin Wanyue choked at the question. Her so-called invitation to the sisters to taste the wine was nothing more than a few words to the maids in her own courtyard. How could there be any outsiders?
At this moment, a gentle voice came from behind the crowd: "Ms. Lin, do you have any real evidence to support your claim that Miss Su plagiarized? Isn't it too arbitrary to conclude that it's plagiarism based solely on a poem with a slightly similar artistic conception?"
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Jiang Yan, dressed in a moon-white brocade robe and waving a broken jade fan, walking slowly towards them. He was now the newly crowned top scholar, and although he had not yet been officially appointed to an official position, his future was limitless. He was also a famously handsome man, and his appearance immediately attracted everyone's attention.
Lin Wanyue's eyes lit up when she saw Jiang Yan, and she quickly said, "Jiang Zhuangyuan is here too. I'm not saying this without evidence, but I just feel that the two poems are too similar in meaning, which inevitably arouses suspicion."
Jiang Yan walked over to Su Jinli, shielding her behind him without leaving any trace. His eyes fell on Lin Wanyue with a hint of distance, "Miss Lin, you're wrong. In poetry, there are many poems with similar artistic conception. Li Bai has 'The moon shines brightly before my bed,' and Du Fu has 'The moon is brighter in my hometown.' Can you say Du Gongbu plagiarized Li Bai?"
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