In Chen Jiannan's view, it was normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines.
Especially before marriage, what's wrong with seeking out women?
Writing lyrics and poems requires romance; if you're not romantic, how can you be romantic?
Besides, Yongzhou is very far from Jingzhou. If he doesn't say anything, who will know what he's doing in Yongzhou?
These were things that everyone knew but didn't say, but Lin Wenyao brought them up and questioned him in public, catching him off guard. After a moment of contemplation, he came up with an idea.
"My feelings for my cousin have never changed. I'm just here for a casual stroll. Who said I wanted to be Wan'er's lover?"
Chen Jiannan explained.
"hehe…"
Hearing this answer, Lin Wenyao sneered; he had achieved his goal. With these words in place, what did it matter if Miss Wan'er took a liking to Chen Jiannan's poem?
This contest is destined to have no winners!
Before long, the madam came out from behind the curtain.
He first bowed to the audience, then looked at Chen Jiannan and smiled, "Young Master Chen truly deserves to be called the number one talent in Yongzhou. He composes poems and lyrics with ease. Wan'er also said that the poem just now was excellent. Thank you, Young Master Chen!"
Chen Jiannan's face instantly fell.
On the surface, it's praising him, but isn't it actually implying that Miss Wan'er didn't appreciate his poetry?
This unexpected turn of events left Chen Jiannan feeling ashamed and his chest tight.
"That's it? The number one talent? Hah, nothing special!"
Lin Wenyao was the happiest of all, beaming with joy and even swearing profusely.
Chen Jiannan glared at him, his face full of gloom.
Does a courtesan really think highly of herself?
However, with so many people present, he couldn't make a scene, so he could only go along with it and say, "As I just said, I came here just for a stroll, and composing the poem was just a coincidence. Miss Wan'er, you don't need to be so polite!"
The hall was unusually quiet.
The scholars were quite surprised by the result. After all, Chen Jiannan was the leading figure in the poetry circle of Yongzhou. If even he couldn't do it—thinking about it this way, they felt much better...
...
The madam looked at the silent hall and sighed inwardly.
That's probably the end of today.
Fortunately, Lin Wenyao's three hundred taels of silver were saved, so tonight wasn't a loss!
She took a step forward and said with a smile, "Wan'er is not feeling well, and she is already tired after sitting for a while. If no one else wants to compose poems, let's stop here for today!"
Upon hearing this, the scholars immediately responded.
"Since Miss Wan'er is unwell, she should go back and rest!"
"Yes, we admire Miss Wan'er, but that's not something we need to do right now!"
"As for poetry, we can compose it later!"
"..."
He clearly couldn't write it, but he insisted on calling it selflessness. His shamelessness is truly admirable.
The public feud started strong but ended weakly, leaving Jing Zhe feeling disappointed.
He could easily stand up and plagiarize a poem to overwhelm everyone, showing off as he enters the room, but what was the result?
Perhaps he could win the favor of that Miss Wan'er, but Jing Zhe didn't expect it. He couldn't even hear her voice through the curtain. Who knew if she would be the next Grandma Qiao?
He couldn't do the "press F to enter the tank" thing.
Most importantly, showing off is a small matter. This Miss Wan'er is the dream girl of countless people. If she offends a lot of people because of this, wouldn't it be a loss?
This pretentious act is better left unpretentious!
Jing Zhe patted Hanhan's shoulder, preparing to end his first trip to a brothel.
"Wait!"
A familiar voice sounded from behind. Turning around, I saw that it was the same young man with fair skin who had stepped forward earlier.
Jing Zhe became interested. Could this fair-skinned, delicate-looking guy, who looked like a cross-dresser, really be a master of poetry?
So he pulled the simpleton to a good spot and they continued to watch the show.
All eyes turned to the handsome young man, and upon seeing his face clearly, they were filled with admiration.
"What a handsome young man!"
"He seems even more handsome than Young Master Chen!"
"..."
Chen Jiannan had always considered himself the most handsome man in Yongzhou City, but when he saw the fair-skinned young man, his face darkened.
The madam stood on the stage and said with a smile, "Young master, you are quite handsome! I wonder if you will also write a poem for Wan'er?"
"no."
The young man with fair skin shook his head, his face calm.
"no?"
The madam thought she had misheard, but after confirming, her face darkened.
"If you're not going to write a poem for Wan'er, why have you called us all here? Do you intend to make fun of us?"
The young man with fair skin laughed and said, "Young Master Chen has such great talent, yet his poems cannot win Miss Wan'er's favor. It seems that Miss Wan'er's standards are too high for us commoners to be impressed!"
As he spoke, he glanced around and said loudly, "Just because I can't write it doesn't mean that no one else here can't!"
The crowd stirred again.
"Is there anyone here more capable than Young Master Chen?"
Someone asked.
"Of course! This person's poetry is unparalleled, unmatched by anyone! Any poem he writes is better than any of yours!"
The sound was like thunder, exploding through the crowd.
"who is he?"
Chen Jiannan gritted his teeth, his face darkening even more.
Upon hearing the phrase "unparalleled in poetry and prose," Jing Zhe secretly called for Hanhan to slip away, while also sending his regards to the 18th generation ancestors of the pink-faced young master.
...
"That's him!"
"..."
Jing Zhe was still a step too slow.
He had just reached the door when he was spotted by the handsome young man standing on the stairs. As soon as he shouted, someone blocked the door, leaving him nowhere to slip away.
"hehe…"
Jing Zhe smiled awkwardly, silently cursing the young master's ancestors for eighteen generations.
He never dreamed that he, a mere bystander, would get hit on the head by a melon.
"That was just a joke, don't take it seriously, don't take it seriously!"
"joke?"
One pretty young man is fine, but why is there another one who's even more handsome than me?
Chen Jiannan, his temper flaring, snapped, "Don't you know your own limitations? Some jokes aren't for you to make! Aren't you afraid of making too many boastful remarks and getting yourself into trouble?"
Jing Zhe's reluctance to show off doesn't mean he lacks the ability to do so.
He was afraid of offending people, especially Lin Wenyao.
Because he was planning to do business in the city, if he offended the prefect's son, the prefect could easily trip him up and he could forget about making any money.
He couldn't make money, and he lost every bet he made with Lu Li.
If he loses the bet, he won't be able to escape Mangshan, enter Jingzhou, see his elder sister, or cling to her coattails; good days will be a long way off.
This is a chain reaction, which is why he is cautious.
But that doesn't mean he's afraid of offending Chen Jiannan!
Moreover, this guy's mouth is too nasty, and Jing Zhe, unable to bear it any longer, decided that he no longer needed to tolerate it.
With a quick thought, a brilliant idea emerged that would neither offend Lin Wenyao nor offend Chen Jiannan.
Hehe, don't blame me for being flamboyant!
This is just passive posturing!
————
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