In the main hall of Mingyue Tower, most of the people had already dispersed.
Zhu He and Su Zhiqi led the other officials from the second floor to the first floor. They first paid their respects to the young princess, and then exchanged pleasantries with the six examiners.
"Grandpa!" The little princess called out sweetly when she saw Su Zhi Qiu.
"Hey!" Su Zhi Qiu looked the little princess up and down. "The little princess has grown taller again! The last time I saw you was five years ago, you were only this tall!"
As she spoke, Su Zhi Qiu gestured with her hand.
The young princess chuckled, "Grandpa, I greet you on behalf of my parents."
He was about to kneel down as he spoke.
Su Zhi Qiu quickly helped her up, saying, "No, no, you mustn't."
Su Zhi Qiu asked with concern, "Where are you staying tonight? Are you going to stay at your maternal grandfather's house?"
The young princess said, "There's a place to stay, Grandpa, no need to worry. I'll definitely visit Grandma and Fifth Aunt tomorrow..."
"Speaking of which, you haven't even met your fifth aunt yet..."
Su Zhi Qiu and the young princess chatted as they walked, his tone friendly. The young princess also seemed to like her maternal grandfather quite a bit, and the two laughed and talked. When her fifth aunt was mentioned, a hint of longing appeared in the young princess's expression...
I really want to see what kind of charm this talented woman, famous throughout Jiangnan, has!
...
Inside the carriage, Qin Chuan was laughing hysterically.
Yuan'er and Juan'er also covered their mouths and laughed.
Su Ruxue and Xu Mu also boarded the carriage. Su Ruxue hadn't seen the scene of many girls surrounding Su Ruyan earlier, so she hurriedly asked Yuan'er and Juan'er why they were laughing.
Yuan'er recounted what had just happened, and Su Ruxue realized that the girls had mistaken Su Ruyan for a handsome man, which had caused the misunderstanding.
"My lord, which of these four poems that have been circulated is your work?" Su Ruxue suddenly asked Xu Mu.
Xu Mu scratched his head and told the truth: "Three of them were written by my fifth sister's husband, and one was written by my fifth sister."
"Third brother-in-law, you've got it wrong," Su Ruyan said.
"Did I make a mistake?" Xu Mu scratched his head again.
“That poem was also written by your fifth sister’s husband,” Su Ruyan corrected.
"Huh?" Xu Mu looked at Qin Chuan with utter surprise in his eyes. "So, all the poems that circulated tonight were written by my fifth brother-in-law alone?"
“That’s right.” Su Ruyan nodded.
Xu Mu couldn't help but give Qin Chuan a thumbs up: "Fifth brother-in-law! You're absolutely amazing!"
Qin Chuan waved his hand dismissively, completely unconcerned about these things. Zhang Chaozong had just deeply affected him, and he hadn't fully recovered from the emotions he had just experienced.
Su Ruyan squeezed his hand, as if she could see through his thoughts, "Husband, there's no point in thinking about the border matters too much. When the Empress summons you in the future, you can offer your advice and strategies..."
"Um."
After Su Ruyan's words of advice, Qin Chuan's mood immediately brightened.
"How about... we go to Zuixianglou to get something to eat?" Su Ruyan suggested.
She seemed to be in a very good mood!
The people inside the carriage cheered, and then the carriage drove into the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion...
Since tonight is the night of the poetry gathering, the entire Jiangzhou street is open for business, and everywhere is brightly lit, as bright as day. Many people from other places who came to participate in the poetry gathering also need to stop by for a meal and stay at hotels. All the taverns and inns are crowded with people.
On the carriage ride to Zuixianglou, Su Ruxue kept questioning Xu Mu, "You really haven't written a single poem?" Each time Xu Mu nodded, Su Ruxue's round face contorted in pain, and she repeatedly grabbed his ears, yelling, "How can you be so useless!" Qin Chuan and Su Ruyan suppressed their laughter the entire way…
After ordering a large table of food at Zuixianglou, including osmanthus wine, cooked beef, peanuts, beggar's chicken, salted duck, steamed fish, stir-fried pork kidneys, and various pastries, everyone enjoyed the meal.
Although Yuan'er and Juan'er were servants, they didn't have to be waited on this time. They sat at the table together, looking cool and stylish.
The customers at the next table were all discussing tonight's poetry recital.
"Have you heard? Tonight, four masterpieces have been created!"
"I know that. These four poems were written by two different people, one named Qin Chuan and the other named Yan Rusu..."
Hearing people talking about them, Qin Chuan and Su Ruyan quickly perked up their ears to listen carefully.
"This man named Qin Chuan is the prefect's fifth son-in-law. He wrote a poem called 'Ascending the Heights' and another called 'Man Jiang Hong'..."
"It is said that General Zhang Chaozong was very satisfied with this poem, 'Man Jiang Hong,' and said he would recommend Qin Chuan to Her Majesty the Empress!"
"There's a truly classic line in this poem, 'Man Jiang Hong'!"
"Which sentence are you referring to, brother?"
"The brave warriors feast on the flesh of the barbarians when hungry, and laughingly drink the blood of the Huns when thirsty!"
"That's right, that's truly satisfying! That's exactly how it should be! Those damned Huns! Eat their flesh and drink their blood!"
"That was so satisfying! Come on! Let's have a clink!"
On the other side, there was a table of women, dressed in traditional Chinese jackets and skirts, made up, some dignified, some charming, drinking wine from their bowls, creating a strange scene.
They were also discussing the poetry gathering that evening.
"Sisters, have you heard?"
"Tonight there's a young master named Yan Rusu. Wow, he's really handsome! A jade-faced scholar, so good-looking it's unbelievable. He's even produced two excellent poems!"
"Tell me quickly, tell me, which two songs are they?"
"One is called 'Yesterday the rain was sparse and the wind was strong,' and the other is 'Sitting Alone on Jingting Mountain.'"
"Hey... I know the song you mentioned, 'Yesterday the rain was sparse and the wind was strong.' I just passed by the brothel, and everyone's singing it now. I've even learned it. Listen to my rendition, is it right? Yesterday... the rain was sparse and the wind was strong... I slept soundly... but the lingering effects of the wine..."
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