At that time, Yu Jiao had just arrived in Beijing, and Song Jingrong and the others had talked in the pavilion about a scholar named Yu from Xinglou who wrote couplets to avoid paying for drinks.
Yu Jiao didn't look at Yu Qizhe across from her, she just said, "I only found out about it later."
Wei Min secretly looked at Yu Jiao and Yu Qizhe from the side. They both looked very cold and it was hard to tell anything. If she had not heard with her own ears that Yu Jiao was in love with her brother named Yu, she would have thought that they had developed feelings for each other.
"Wanwan should have known it a long time ago, why didn't you tell us?" Cui Qiong glanced at Yu Qizhe's handsome and cold face, which was unusually a little more reserved than usual.
Chen Guan said calmly, "Since Master Yu doesn't want to be in the limelight in Xinglou, it shows that he is a low-key and humble person, so I won't say too much."
Yu Jiao listened to them discussing Yu Qizhe, and it was as if they all knew him suddenly.
She couldn't help but look up at Yu Qizhe. It was his turn to make a couplet. He pondered for a moment and said, "Ten people are thinking about their country, their families, and their country."
After he wrote the first couplet, there was a moment of silence in the pavilion, and then a young man said, "That's great. Ten hearts together form the word 'si'. I'm afraid it will be hard to find a matching couplet."
The man who spoke was the son of Meng, a scholar in the Hanlin Academy. He passed the imperial examination three years ago and would take part in the imperial examination this year.
All the young ladies from the noble families frowned and thought hard. If they could come up with this couplet in front of so many smart and handsome young men, it would obviously be very eye-catching.
After Yu Qizhe finished the first couplet, he sat with his eyes lowered, never looking at Yu Jiao.
Yu Jiao withdrew her gaze and found that Yu Fuling was not in the pavilion. It seemed that only Yu Qizhe came today.
"Miss Liu San, your two brothers are both very talented, and I think you are not bad either. Since it is your brother who suggested the couplet, why don't you give it a try?" The girl who spoke was wearing a scarlet jacket. She had a slender figure, her hair was tied up loosely, and two strands of hair hung by her ears, making her look quite charming.
Liu Yaoyu whispered in Yu Jiao's ear, "This is the third daughter of the Yang family, the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple."
Yu Jiao remembered that day, there was a lackey beside Prince Qin, who was the son of Yang Xu from the Dali Temple. Yang Congwen had one hand crippled by Gu Yun. With such a feud in mind, it was very interesting that Miss Yang San asked her to write a couplet to match Yu Qizhe's.
If she couldn't match the answer, it would seem that she, the daughter who had just been found by the Liu family, was a talentless person.
But the couplet that Yu Qizhe came up with was very difficult. Just now, Master Meng said that this couplet contained some clever ideas. And this Miss Yang San had already praised her and put her on the stage.
Before Yu Jiao could say anything, Liu Ziqi had already placed the teacup in his hand on the stone table. Although his expression was still gentle, anyone with a discerning eye could see a hint of displeasure. He said, "My third sister spends all her time on medical skills, and has no leisure time to focus on poetry. She cannot compare with Miss Yang, who has been studying under a famous teacher since she was a child. Miss Yang, please don't embarrass my third sister."
Liu Yaoyu felt very relieved after hearing this, and looked at Liu Ziqi with sparkling eyes. If the occasion was not inappropriate, she really wanted to cheer for Liu Ziqi. As expected, with her big brother around, she didn't have to say anything to protect Yu Jiao.
Song Jingrong also smiled and said, "This couplet is really difficult. Master Yu is well-read and he is also the champion of Qingzhou. How can a couplet written by a champion of Qingzhou be matched by girls like us?"
Song Jingrong has always been known as a talented woman. Even she said so. If Yang Yuran still keeps pestering Yu Jiao, it will inevitably make people present see that she has ulterior motives.
Song Jingrong's words "girls in the boudoir are very versatile" gave Yang Yuran a way out, and Yang Yuran took the opportunity, but still deliberately stabbed Yu Jiao.
She smiled and said, "I thought too simply. I thought that Miss Liu San would be able to get along with two talented brothers by spending time with them every day and being influenced by them."
Yu Jiao glanced at her calmly and was about to speak when Yu Qizhe, who was sitting opposite her, suddenly raised his head and looked at her. He said abruptly, "Miss Yang San's words make a lot of sense. Yu Jiao, you used to practice calligraphy and read books in my room every day. How could you not be able to match a couplet like this?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
