The first thing Princess Changning did after returning to the capital was to inquire about Qu Jingyun.
She was naturally aware that her two children were hopeless and incompetent.
No matter how capable Qu Jingyun is, she still has children who are not presentable in public.
Princess Changning's gaze fell on the article in Shen Cong's hand.
Suddenly, he spoke up: "What is that Young Master Shen holding in his hand? Could it be an article you brought for Zhixuan to appreciate?"
It's a long-standing tradition to bring one's own articles to Tingzhixuan for everyone to appreciate.
However, few people would do this if they weren't confident enough.
After all, the people who came were all the best in the capital.
If you're not careful, you'll become the laughingstock of the entire capital.
Therefore, those who would bring their articles over were basically prominent figures in Beijing.
Shen Cong was indeed a prominent figure, but the kind of prominent figure with a bad reputation.
Upon hearing Princess Changning's words, Shen Cong quickly said, "This article is not correct."
"Miss Qu is so capable, her son must be just as talented. No wonder he dared to bring her own writing over." Princess Changning's words were like putting Shen Cong on the hot seat.
His expression turned anxious, and he looked at Qu Jingyun for help.
He was afraid of embarrassing Qu Jingyun.
The more he acted this way, the more excited Princess Changning became.
She reached out and took the article from him.
In a moment of panic, Shen Cong hurriedly said, "This is not the article I presented to everyone for evaluation. I showed it to my teacher, and he thought it was not good. I plan to go back and revise it."
"How about we wait until I finish revising it..."
Princess Changning did not give him a chance to continue.
He sneered and said, "I believe in Young Master Shen's abilities; he will definitely not let us down."
After saying this, she handed the article directly to a scholar next to her.
He whispered, "Quickly read out our Second Young Master Shen's masterpiece so that we can have a good look at it."
The more unpleasant Shen Cong's expression became, the more impatient Princess Changning became.
The scholar hesitated, then quickly glanced at Qu Jingyun.
He had always idolized Ting Zhixuan's master and didn't want to embarrass him at this moment.
Unexpectedly, Qu Jingyun simply nodded at him gently.
"You read it."
Upon hearing this, Shen Cong quickly said, "It's better not to read it."
"Read it," Qu Jingyun said again.
Seeing Qu Jingyun's resolute expression, the scholar had no choice but to pick up the article and begin reading it aloud.
But as they read on, everyone present realized something was wrong, and their expressions became increasingly serious.
In the end, even Princess Changning realized that something was wrong.
There's nothing wrong with this article; it's clearly a masterpiece.
Is this really something Shen Cong could write?
After reading it, the scholar became more respectful towards Shen Cong.
"I never expected that there would be such an interpretation. I have been troubled by these questions recently. Thank you, Second Young Master Shen, for clearing up my doubts."
Shen Cong looked stunned, as if he hadn't quite reacted yet.
Princess Changning retorted with dissatisfaction, "Was this article really written by Young Master Shen? Could it have been ghostwritten?"
She simply couldn't believe that Qu Jingyun's spoiled son could write such an article.
"This article was never intended to be presented to Tingzhixuan for people to appreciate. You insisted on having it read aloud, and now you're questioning whether it was written by my son. What exactly are you trying to do?"
Qu Jingyun questioned sharply, "I know you've never liked me, but you can't be this unreasonable, can you?"
Princess Changning's face turned pale and then red.
She glared fiercely at Shen Cong.
Unable to contain herself, she questioned, "Your writing is actually so good? And why were you putting on such an act just now? Were you playing games with me?"
When questioned like this, Shen Cong looked even more bewildered.
It was as if they hadn't understood what the other person was saying.
He said in a low voice, "My writing is really not very good. I just showed it to my teacher, and he scolded me, saying that I am not as good as my mother at all."
The blankness in his eyes was crystal clear, and it didn't seem fake at all.
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.
For a moment, I didn't know what to say.
If this kind of article can be considered bad, then what kind of articles are they writing?
"These are my teacher's comments. Everyone can see them. He really thinks my writing is very bad." Shen Cong gave a wry smile.
He felt he had tried his best, but he could never reach Dr. Chen's standards.
The scholar who had just read the comments eagerly took them over and was pleasantly surprised after reading them.
"That's brilliant!"
He handed the comments to the expectant person next to him, then bowed to Shen Cong.
Gong opened his mouth and said, "My name is Mao Hongyu. May I ask who Young Master Shen's master is? I really wish to meet him."
"I'm afraid that won't work." Shen Cong looked troubled.
He awkwardly began, "My teacher said that I am not allowed to tell anyone that I am his student until my writing satisfies him. He thinks it's shameful."
Chen Cong's voice grew fainter and fainter until it disappeared completely.
Hearing this, everyone became even more curious about what kind of person the teacher was who could produce such a student.
Princess Changning couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "Playing tricks."
"I actually came here today for another reason," Qu Jingyun said again.
Seeing that everyone was looking over, she continued, "As you all have probably noticed, the spices, tea sets, ornaments, writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones used at Tingzhixuan's banquet today, as well as this tea, what do you all think?"
Although puzzled by the sudden question, everyone offered their own interpretations.
“Very good. My father loves tea, and the tea he buys is all sent from the Jiangnan region, but it doesn’t taste much better than today’s tea.”
"I prefer this spice. It smells fresh and elegant, otherworldly, and refreshing. My headache, which had been bothering me for days, has improved a lot at this moment."
"And this ink, paper, and inkstone are truly handy for us students. Tingzhixuan's hosting of this banquet is quite extravagant."
Hearing the praise from the crowd, Qu Jingyun's smile was evident.
"Everything here has been carefully selected and transported from afar. If you are interested, you can come to the Qu family's shop to buy it. I am sure you will be satisfied."
"Moreover, those who are invited by Ting Zhixuan can get a discount."
Everyone immediately became interested and quickly expressed that they would definitely go and see it.
However, there will naturally be some negative voices.
"Is Miss Qu really in such dire straits that she has to come to a refined place like Tingzhixuan to sell her things? Even this scholarly place has been tainted by the stench of money."
Princess Changning seemed to have finally found a way to vent her frustrations and couldn't wait to speak.
Qu Jingyun sneered at this: "Money is a good thing. If the princess doesn't like it, she can give me some."
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