The old matriarch of the Liu family is truly shrewd in her calculations.
First, use the stunning beauty Liu Qingyou to whet everyone's appetite, then use this astonishing wealth to ignite everyone's greed and desire.
However, he never mentioned that the person he was really going to marry was Liu Qingrong, the eldest daughter of the Liu family who had been hidden in the backyard of the Liu family since she was disfigured ten years ago.
That poor soul who had a tragic past and needed to find a tough, unlucky person to bear the so-called evil spirit.
At this moment, the old steward of the Liu family stepped forward again, cleared his throat, and his loud voice resounded throughout the hall.
"The old lady said that only someone with both talent and beauty is a good match for the Liu family."
"The first test is a literary contest!"
"All young talents who aspire to become sons-in-law of the Liu family, please compose a poem or a short essay within half an incense stick's time, based on the beautiful scenery here or on the theme of celebrating the old lady's birthday. Our Liu family will have learned scholars to judge them."
As soon as the words were spoken, the maids quickly sprang into action, setting up several large mahogany tables under the long corridor on one side of the hall, complete with writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, exuding a faint fragrance of ink.
Many self-proclaimed literary talents immediately perked up, straightened their clothes, and stepped forward with confidence, ready to win the first round and leave a good impression on the Liu family.
Ye Chen was not to be outdone. He snorted and strode over to an empty desk.
He reached out and picked up a brush fully dipped in thick ink, but his posture appeared somewhat clumsy and stiff.
He is a god of war on the battlefield and the young master of the Dragon King Palace. He plays with fists and power. He is good at killing, but writing and painting are not his forte.
He frowned, staring at the snow-white Xuan paper for a long time, but only managed to write a few lines in a crooked and messy manner, with ink splattering everywhere and ruining the cleanliness of the paper.
After finishing writing, he didn't even look at it. He casually shoved the rather unattractive "masterpiece" into the hands of the steward standing beside him, and then casually shook his hand as if he had shaken off something dirty.
"Hmph, I am a martial artist, not a scholar. I'll make a fool of myself."
The arrogance and disdain in his tone made it seem as if being bad at writing was something to be proud of or boast about.
The butler respectfully took the paper, glanced at it, and his lips twitched almost imperceptibly, but his excellent professionalism kept him expressionless.
On the other hand, let's look at Qin Xiao's side.
He calmly walked to another empty desk and gracefully picked up a pen.
He did not immediately put pen to paper, but pondered for a moment, his gaze seemingly fixed on the old matriarch in the main seat, yet also seemingly piercing through the clamor before him.
Immediately, he flicked his wrist, and the brush moved with incredible speed and fluidity.
On the snow-white Xuan paper, lines of elegant and unrestrained calligraphy, with their natural charm, flowed out like clouds and water.
"May the clouds part and the sky be filled with longevity, may the sea be vast and spring last for ten thousand years."
"Crane dances on a thousand-year-old tree, and flowers bloom for a hundred days."
May your happiness be as vast as the Eastern Sea and your longevity as high as the Southern Mountain.
...
He wrote a birthday poem with beautiful and elegant words, perfect parallelism, and a broad and grand artistic conception. The poem was filled with the most sincere blessings for Old Madam Liu.
What's even more amazing is his calligraphy!
It still uses that unique font that blends the style of Wei stele with the charm of Tang and Song dynasty calligraphy. Each character seems to have its own independent life and soul. The strong parts are like knife cuts and axe carvings, towering mountain peaks, while the rounded parts are like flowing water, full of vitality.
The guests who were originally discussing among themselves were gradually drawn over and gathered around Qin Xiao's desk, watching him wield his brush and ink, and couldn't help but let out soft exclamations of admiration.
"Beautiful calligraphy! Truly beautiful calligraphy! It seems to have even more of a free and easy style than the calligraphy on the Hundred Longevity Characters painting!"
"This poem is excellent! 'Clouds part to reveal the heavens, signifying longevity; the sea stretches to the horizon, signifying eternal spring.' It is grand and majestic, with profound meaning and brilliant literary style!"
"Watching Young Master Qin write is truly a visual treat! His bearing, his style..."
Half an incense stick's time passed quickly.
The steward respectfully presented all the collected works to Old Madam Liu, who then had them reviewed by several venerable and highly respected scholars invited by the Liu family.
The result was almost entirely predictable.
A moment later, the old butler stepped forward again, holding Qin Xiao's work in his hands, and announced loudly: "The winner of this round of literary talent competition is—Qin Xiao, Young Master Qin!"
Clap clap clap!
A round of enthusiastic applause immediately filled the hall. Everyone looked at Qin Xiao with admiration and appreciation. This young master of the Qin family not only had a powerful background and extraordinary skills, but also possessed outstanding literary talent, which was truly amazing.
In stark contrast was Ye Chen's gloomy face, which looked as if it were about to drip water.
He lost again.
Moreover, he lost to Qin Xiao, whom he hated the most, in the very field he disdained the most.
This wouldn't have been a big deal, but he couldn't tolerate Qin Xiao overshadowing him again, especially in front of Liu Qingyou and so many guests! It was an absolute disgrace!
He stared intently at Qin Xiao, his eyes filled with venomous hatred, almost spitting fire. He lowered his voice and spoke through gritted teeth in a volume only the two of them could hear.
"Don't be so smug! What good is it to be able to write a few broken characters?"
"I'll take your dog's life in the arena later!"
Qin Xiao seemed not to have heard his threat at all, his face still bearing that gentle smile. He merely glanced at him indifferently, but his gaze inadvertently drifted towards the light gauze screen.
He keenly sensed that the hazy figure behind the screen seemed to have been... changed at some point.
Although it wasn't clear through the veil, the figure seemed... a bit fuller than Liu Qingyou from before? And there was a faint air of quietude, like someone who had lived in seclusion for a long time, and even a hint of gloomy melancholy.
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