In the back pavilion of the third floor on the west side, a lotus copper incense burner is dyed with black agarwood, and the refreshing and pleasant woody fragrance diffuses in the room along with wisps of green smoke.
A young woman in a palace satin snow silk dress, with a noble demeanor, was surrounded by a group of women and sat at the table.
She had a golden hairpin on her hair, a pair of red gold and pearl pendants on her ears, and a pair of extremely beautiful phoenix eyes. There were two poems on the table in front of her.
"Which of these two poems do you think is better, Princess Changle?" The woman who spoke was none other than Liu Miwu, the capital's number one poet and prostitute. She wore a flowered silk skirt, with gorgeous facial features, skin as white as snow, a waist as tight as a corset, and charming eyes.
She looked at the beautiful and graceful handwriting on another piece of paper, and her eyes were full of admiration. "I personally think that although the poem written by Master Xiao describes the prosperity and bustle of the building, it is too shallow. Compared with the artistic conception and mind of this poem, it is slightly inferior."
The woman called Princess Changle raised her head, gently brushed away the poem written by Xiao Yantai, pointed at the poem written by Yu Qizhe and asked, "Who wrote this?"
Hua Lan knelt slightly and said, "Reporting to the county lady, this young man looks unfamiliar. This is his first time visiting our Xingmou. I don't know his name yet. Accompanying him is Lu Jin, the captain of the Guard Division."
"He should be a candidate coming from the provincial capital for the imperial examination." Someone guessed.
"I think this man's poems are full of lofty sentiments, and he seems like a knight." A woman joked.
The women in this room are all talented young ladies from aristocratic families in Shengjing. They come from famous families and have been well-read since childhood. They are also the question setters of the three west pavilions of Xinglou. They often get together to select the best works in the building.
Xue Qingshang, the Princess of Changle County, pointed to the poem on the table, her eyes slightly raised, "Let's choose his poem today and ask about his background."
Hualan held the poem in her hands and said respectfully, "I will go and ask for it now."
She turned around and was about to go out when her maid Ruhua came in from outside, also holding a piece of paper covered with handwriting. Hualan saw that the handwriting was exactly the same as the poem in her hand, and she paused slightly.
"County Lady, someone has matched the couplet you proposed!" Ruhua was the maid who had been serving pen, ink and paper on the corridor of the flying bridge. She presented the paper filled with the answer to Xue Qingshang.
"There was actually someone who matched the couplet proposed by the county lady?" There was a hint of curiosity on Liu Miwu's face.
All the women in the room looked at the piece of paper in Xue Qingshang's hand.
"Why does this word look so familiar to me?" said Miss Song, who was wearing a double-breasted jacket with white butterflies on it.
Her grandfather is the current Minister of Rites, Song Ling, who has learned good calligraphy and is also a talented lady in the capital.
Liu Miwu waved to Hualan, who had not yet left, and said, "Bring the poem here."
Hualan came forward holding the poem, and when the two pieces of calligraphy were placed together, it was very obvious that they were written by the same person.
The young ladies looked at each other and lowered their heads to look for the second half of the couplet on the paper.
Xue Qingshang has already read it out loud, "The beauty is overwhelming, beside the Dragon Roaring Rock, the Tiger Sleeping Beach."
Liu Miwu took over the first line of Xue Qingshang's couplet, "Shadows of trees stretch across the river, fish swim on branches and crows roost on the waves."
He repeated the second couplet on the paper again and could not help but praise it, "What a beautiful painting of the reflection of the moon in the pool, a dragon swimming in the shallows, what a wonderful conception!"
Xue Qingshang's lips curled up, and she pursed her lips and smiled, "I also want to meet this person."
The first couplet written by Xue Qingshang had been hanging in Xinglou for half a year, stumping many well-read people in the capital. Even the old scholars who were full of knowledge secretly pondered for many days but could not come up with a match. They could only shake their heads and sigh that the couplet was so exquisite that it could be called perfect.
But I didn't expect that today an unknown scholar would be able to match it up, and the comparison is neat, the rhythm is harmonious, and the artistic conception is consistent.
"Once this couple gets out tomorrow, I'm afraid it will spark a lot of discussion in the capital. It deserves the title of famous couplet." Liu Miwu couldn't stop praising them. She said to Hua Lan, "Invite that young master to the Peach Room. I'll be there soon."
Taoshi is the room where Liu Miwu receives guests. This means that the young man can become Liu Miwu's lover.
Hua Lan responded and turned to leave.
Xue Qingshang frowned slightly after hearing what Liu Miwu said. It was rare for someone to match her couplet. Privately, she didn't want that person to have anything to do with prostitutes, even though Liu Miwu was a member of her Xue family.
But talented men are always romantic, and among all the men in the capital, who can resist Liu Miwu's favor?
Xue Qingshang did not say anything, but in her heart she hoped that this man would be different from other men and would be able to resist the temptation of beauty.
There were footsteps outside the door, and Shen Guan and Wang Xueyan walked in.
"Are all the sisters here?" She said with a smile, "I brought my cousin here to see the fun. Who won the first prize today?"
Shen Guan's father was Shen Daxueshi of the Hanlin Academy. Needless to say, he was very talented. Moreover, his old grandfather Shen was once the prince's tutor. He could be said to be from a true scholarly family.
She was also one of the talented women who often came and went in the back pavilion of Xinglou, but today, because she wanted to bring Wang Xueyan to Xinglou for a visit, she did not participate in the selection.
She and Wang Xueyan had dinner downstairs, but waited for a long time until the excellent works selected for today came out, so they went upstairs.
"It has been judged." Liu Miwu said with a smile, "Today this man matched the couplet of Changle County Lady. I just invited him to the Peach Room and was about to meet him."
"Oh? From what Mi Wu said, the person who won the first prize today is not from our capital city?" Chen Guan took Wang Xueyan to the table and sat down. He looked at the papers on the table and asked curiously, "Which poem here is his?"
The second daughter of the Song family pointed to one of the papers and said, "This poem." Seeing that the couplet was still held in the hand of Princess Changle, she whispered the second line to Chen Guan.
At this moment, Hualan came back with a complicated expression on her face, "I found out that the man's surname is Yu, and he came from Qingzhou. He is indeed a candidate for the imperial examination in Beijing this time..."
She paused, looked at Liu Miwu, and seemed to be hesitant to speak.
Chen Guan raised his head when he heard the familiar words, "You said this man is from Qingzhou? His last name is Yu? Is there a little girl with almond eyes following him?"
Hua Lan shook her head. "He was followed by General Lu Qian from the Guards Department. There was no girl."
She looked at Liu Miwu again, as if she didn't know how to speak.
Liu Miwu asked, "Have you invited Mr. Yu to the Peach Room?"
Hua Lan said in a dry voice, "Mr. Yu declined the invitation and only asked if he could waive the bill for the food and drinks, and then left."
As soon as these words were spoken, the room suddenly became quiet.
Liu Miwu's face was full of surprise, and not only her, but everyone else in the room had the same look on their face.
Only Changle County Lady Xue Qingshang was slightly startled, then a smile appeared in her phoenix eyes.
"This scholar named Yu is too... weird. He won the first prize in poetry writing and matched the county lord's couplet, but he did it just to avoid paying for a meal?" The second daughter of the Song family blurted out.
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