If people didn't know what Shen Yaxin looked like, even if they imagined her to be very beautiful, it wouldn't be as direct as seeing the beauty of Bai Mengying.
But now that I've seen Shen Yaxin's true face, things are different.
"I have long heard that Miss Shen is not only highly talented, but also exceptionally beautiful. Although I only caught a glimpse of her just now, it has left an unforgettable impression on me!"
"Miss Shen rarely goes out, and when she does, she always wears a veil. There were rumors before that Miss Shen's appearance was damaged, but now it seems that someone was just jealous of Miss Shen's beauty and deliberately spread rumors!"
"Miss Shen truly lives up to her reputation as the daughter of Scholar Shen; her humility and modesty make her a role model for women!"
"If I were to say, while Princess Chang Le's piece was quite good, her musical skill was not as good as Miss Shen's."
"I think Miss Shen's piece is also very good; she is undoubtedly the champion of this competition!"
…
Although the murmurs from the audience were soft, Bai Mengying could hear them clearly.
Shen Yaxin had dark spots on her face, how come they've disappeared now?
Could it be that the ointment Su Muxi prepared for him was used for only a few days and all the ailments were removed?
How is this possible?!
She could relinquish the title of champion in this competition, but she would not accept it if Shen Yaxin took it directly! She would never allow it!
"Princess Chang Le is exceptionally talented in both music and zither playing; Xin'er is completely outmatched."
Shen Yaxin spoke softly, her eyes filled with sincerity.
Before Bai Mengying could speak, Wei Yichen, who was sitting in the audience, spoke first: "The competition of musical skills is naturally about musical skills. In my opinion, Miss Shen is clearly superior in musical skills, so why should she be modest?!"
As for the melody composed by Miss Shen, it is even more beautiful to me. I am willing to offer one thousand taels of silver to buy the sheet music for Miss Shen's piece!
"I'm willing to offer 1,500 taels!"
"I am willing to offer two thousand taels!"
…
With Wei Yichen leading the way, the charity sale began before a winner was decided.
Su Muxi felt somewhat helpless, as if this wasn't about donating money to the poor, but rather about buying a smile from Shen Yaxin.
This scene was quite similar to the one she witnessed at Xunfanglou when she saw the bidding girl's first night.
Shen Yaxin appeared somewhat flustered on the stage, but inwardly she was extremely pleased with herself.
After applying the ointment prepared by Su Muxi, the spots on her face faded considerably. After applying a thick layer of lead powder, Lingding glanced at her and it was as if there were no spots at all.
She had only applied lead powder because she was afraid of something going wrong at the literary gathering, but she never expected it to have such an effect.
Looks like she made the right bet!
She glanced at Su Muxi out of the corner of her eye, and her determination was strengthened. She was determined to get Su Muxi to prepare the ointment for her no matter what.
Men are so superficial, and she originally had the qualities to make men superficial, but those blemishes held her back.
Bai Mengying secretly took a deep breath and revealed a polite smile.
"In terms of musical skill, Miss Shen is indeed superior to me. I knew before I went on stage that I was not as good as Miss Shen. The reason I went on stage was only because I did not want this piece to be buried and thought that I could do something for the poor people of Qi. So Miss Shen, there is no need to be modest. You deserve to be the champion of this competition."
As soon as these words were spoken, people began to praise Bai Mengying. After a bidding war, Bai Mengying's score was priced 500 taels of silver higher than Shen Yaxin's score.
Although Shen Yaxin ultimately won the competition, she lost to Bai Mengying in terms of price.
Wei Yichen watched with great interest from the audience, thinking that Bai Mengying's tactic of advancing by retreating was very clever. No wonder Qiao Ziming was completely fooled by Bai Mengying.
Oh!
interesting!
The third competition was on poetry.
Shen Yaxin once again shone brightly, her poems and lyrics were more artistic than those of many talented men, and she truly deserved to be called the number one talented woman in the capital.
However, it is still somewhat inferior to the poems and lyrics written by Pei Yuan and Qiao Zimo.
However, Shen Yaxin was quite satisfied with this. After bowing to Qiao Ziming and Pei Yuan, she gracefully stepped off the stage, a smug look flashing in her eyes.
Pei Yuan had only ever gone through the motions at literary gatherings in previous years, never caring about the outcome.
But when facing Qiao Ziming, his competitive spirit explodes!
It's unclear whether it's for Su Muxi, Bai Mengying, or because Qiao Ziming is Qiao Zixi's brother.
In short, whenever he saw Qiao Ziming's face, he felt a tightness in his chest.
If you can't physically teach the other party a lesson, then crush them with poetry!
Qiao Ziming was also holding back his anger.
He lost to Wei Yichen in the first match, and he absolutely cannot afford to lose this one!
Moreover, his opponent is Pei Yuan, a man who seduced and abandoned his sister and still has his eyes on Su Muxi. He can't let him go!
"Young Master Pei, we've already wasted a lot of time. How about we just start the next match directly?"
The next competition will be calligraphy.
Although Qiao Ziming was the champion of calligraphy competitions three years ago, it is still unknown who will win the championship after three years. Qiao Ziming's words are too arrogant.
Someone, unable to stand it, spoke up coldly: "What? Does the Heir Apparent of the Marquis of Anyang mean that the others don't need to compete?"
Qiao Ziming stepped forward, stood on the platform, and looked down at the man with great arrogance, saying, "If anyone is not convinced and thinks they can beat this young master, they may come up and have a match. But if they lose and end up losing face, then they can only be considered to have brought shame upon themselves!"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
