6. Fighting for the top
The poetry reading began as usual. Yun Zhihe was as stable as ever, and the new poem he had just composed while appreciating the flowers drew applause from the whole room.
Madam Xiaoyun lowered her eyes and sat down. This poem was the one she had just carefully pondered.
She has few interests, just like an ordinary scholar who likes to recite poems and write couplets.
Madam Xiaoyun was born beautiful and ethereal, like a fairy in a painting. Moreover, she was famous for her talent and her family had no concubines. Many young men stood up and wrote poems to her, and their words were full of love between men and women. At the end, they even looked at her with affection in their eyes.
All shy.
Yun Zhihe froze. She was really not good at dealing with love between men and women, so she just quietly shifted her gaze and pretended not to see it.
Qin Zhi's face became even more sour.
How could those young men who were not as handsome as him and whose backgrounds were not as good as his have the nerve to look at Yun Zhihe?
When it was Cui Mingyu's turn, the whole room cheered. Although she was slightly inferior to Yun Zhihe, Madam Cui was also a celebrity in the capital.
She was quite talented when she was young. She used to fight cocks and raise dogs. She was frivolous and unrestrained. She was considered a bully in the capital. She also had some friendship with the second prince. Later, she married the fifth beautiful maid and finally settled down.
Today's poetry gathering was a real pleasure. In the midsummer, it was very relaxing to drink tea and recite poetry.
The Prime Minister's son was no longer angry, and was in the mood to recite poems and compose couplets. He also responded to the poem that Yun Zhihe had just written, with the same rhythm and wonderful effect.
Cui Mingyu could hear it, so he sipped his tea, raised his eyebrows and gave Yun Zhihe an ambiguous smile.
Yun Zhihe understood what was happening, but he turned his eyes away and pretended not to see it.
After Wen Yanhe finished writing the poem, he welcomed the cheers and lowered his eyes to look at the Second Prince who was sitting there with a sour face. His voice was somewhat provocative and he smiled.
"The Second Prince seems quite free, why don't you write a poem for him?"
It's nonsense to say that he has leisure time. Everyone saw that the second prince was unhappy and no one dared to ask him to write a poem. The air pressure around him was very low and his eyebrows were knitted.
When it comes to writing poetry, the Second Prince cannot compare to him. Everyone in the capital knows that the Second Prince dislikes such flowery things and especially likes hunting, riding and shooting. At this time, Wen Yanhe was naturally deliberately embarrassing him.
Yun Zhihe naturally knew the Second Prince's literary talent. When she first arrived at the palace as a child, the Second Prince thought she was easy to bully, so whenever the teacher assigned homework such as writing poems or essays, Qin Zhi would just throw it to her.
Qin Zhi used to bully her in this aspect when she was a child. Although she could barely get started in playing the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, she was really bad at writing poetry.
Her brows jumped, and she had already thought that if the Second Prince stood up and answered worse than Wen Yanhe, he would definitely feel insulted. Seeing that he was in a very bad mood at the moment, with his temper, it was natural that the two of them would have a hard time in the end.
Maybe they will start arguing again.
And then maybe... there would be a fight.
Yun Zhihe's heart tightened.
Moreover, Wen Yan and her slender body would definitely not be able to defeat Qin Zhi.
Since Qin Zhi wanted to attend the poetry meeting, he would definitely not be unprepared. Not only did he want to look and dress better than Wen Yanhe, he also spent a lot of time thinking about the poem.
He was just about to get up when he suddenly saw Yun Zhihe standing up with a calm and gentle expression on his face.
"Master Wen, Zhihe has suddenly been inspired and has a new poem that he wants to share with everyone. How about Zhihe come?"
Anyone with a discerning eye would naturally know that she was protecting Qin Zhi and didn't want the conflict between the two to escalate. She was also afraid that Wen Yanhe would be accused of being aggressive. At this time, everyone also responded to her words and began to help.
To be honest, they didn't want to see these two people competing against each other. A good poetry gathering was turned into a joke.
"you--"
Wen Yanhe looked at Yun Zhihe in disbelief with her peach blossom eyes, then sat down with red eyes and pursed lips.
Qin Zhi also paused, the tips of his ears suddenly turned red, he pursed his lips and stopped talking, turning his head away and not daring to look at her.
Her poems are naturally good, but they are always a little absent-minded.
The poetry reading is over.
Wen Yanhe walked out with his eyes downcast, not as lively and clear as before.
Yun Zhihe saw that Wen Yanhe was in a bad mood, and couldn't help but feel a little worried at this time.
They had known each other for so many years, but she had never seen him so depressed. Even when he was caught climbing a tree and made to kneel as punishment when he was a child, he smiled nonchalantly, showing his sharp teeth as he laughed at her.
In the past, he would sneak out through a dog hole and be caught and taken home. He would kneel in the ancestral hall and be hungry for a long time. When he saw her bringing him food, his eyes were red and he vowed that he would not be caught next time.
"I definitely won't be caught next time. This time it's because my mother came back early..."
She was eating pastries and her words were confused, but her slightly red eyes seemed to be as bright as stars.
I thought she was old enough to get married and become more mature, but I didn't expect her to still be the same.
He was also a child at heart. If he confronted the Second Prince in public, things would not end well and he would inevitably be known as an aggressive person.
For some reason, he had behaved like a typical lady in the past few years, dignified and elegant, but recently his true nature has suddenly been exposed, especially in his confrontation with the Second Prince. Many famous young men in the capital have been laughing at him behind his back.
The capital was already turbulent, and the prime minister was being watched by countless people.
Yun Zhihe certainly knew that his behavior just now had wronged Wen Yanhe.
Qin Zhi stopped Yun Zhihe, his eyes drooped slightly, his Adam's apple trembled several times but he couldn't utter a word. He spoke with his eyes closed.
"You...come with me to see the little black panther in a few days."
Seeing that Wen Yanhe was about to leave, Yun Zhihe didn't hear clearly, so he agreed casually and bowed to say goodbye.
Wen Yanhe was walking fast, but suddenly stopped. Without looking at her, he was playing with a folding fan with jade ribs in his hand, which made his fingers look slender and white.
"I'm sorry... I just..."
"That's not necessary."
The voice is like the knocking of jade, clear as the wind.
The folding fan in his hand suddenly opened, and the sound of the wind interrupted the next sentence Yun Zhihe was about to say.
She originally thought that he was wiping away tears out of grievance, but Wen Yanhe's expression was normal now, his face was as handsome as a jade, and the corners of his lips were slightly raised, but he could see a bit of indifference in his expression.
The Wen Yan in front of her looked unfamiliar to her.
Yun Zhihe couldn't help but feel a little flustered, "You..."
Wen Yanhe suddenly smiled, revealing the tips of his white teeth. His eyes were slightly curved, with the corners of his eyes slightly red.
In an instant, he was as bright and lively as usual, with a hint of smile lingering in the ending tone.
"Are you scared?"
"He is stupid, but I am not stupid."
He murmured his explanation, his eyes lowered in thought, and then took the opportunity to belittle Qin Zhi, "I naturally know your concerns."
"They're just worried that I'll ruin my reputation and become a laughing stock."
After all, he is the son of a wealthy family, and his every word and action is watched by people. He went to the hunting ground a few months ago for no apparent reason, offended the second prince for no apparent reason, and targeted the second prince like a shrew for no apparent reason.
If it were in the past, this would never happen in the capital. He would have to think carefully about even smiling, so how could he possibly compete with others like a shrew?
Wen Yanhe looked to the side, his eyelashes narrow and long, and his fox eyes showed a bit of indifference.
"Zhihe, do you know?"
"...I don't want to get married."
"My father has already started looking for a husband for me. My mother holds a high position, and I am the only son in the family, with no sisters."
"The imperial court is pressing hard. We need a family of good character. People come to propose marriage every day."
Wen Yanhe took back the folding fan that he had opened with his fingertips and gently stroked the fan bones. He lowered his eyes and looked at it, his broken hair casting a bit of darkness on his handsome face.
"...I don't want to get married."
He repeated it again, his voice trembling and a little hoarse.
"I don't want to get married."
He steadied his breathing and smiled at Yun Zhihe, his eyes slightly narrowed, with a rare nonchalance, "So I saw the Second Prince."
"Provoke him a little, and then spread some rumors, causing his reputation to be ruined."
"...Shouldn't we postpone the marriage?"
Yun Zhihe paused. She had never thought that the clear-headed and lively young man in front of her would have such a scheme.
Thinking about it carefully, she only saw the surface. She could see his willfulness but never saw the undercurrent surging inside. She smiled bitterly and said, "I didn't think about it. Sorry..."
But she never thought that he would act in front of her.
Wen Yanhe smiled, covering the corners of his lips with his folding fan. His voice lost its gloom and was tinged with a hint of coquettishness. His fox eyes narrowed slightly, "You just helped him out, but you hated me so much..."
He walked forward again, somewhat gritting his teeth.
"Are you really interested in him?"
"Even if I use him, I know he's a shrew."
"If you like him, you can just break up with me."
The little fox, who had been sullen just now, suddenly changed his temper. He looked at Yun Zhihe with displeasure and pressed on step by step.
"I just don't like him right now. If I can't get along with him, I'd rather have a fight."
"You fought for him, you rescued him. Were you still blaming me in your heart for hiding this from you?"
Wen Yanhe paused, restrained his expression, and said softly, "...whether it's writing a letter or playing around, I'm sincere to you."
“…I’m not acting for you.”
He looked a little downcast, and his fox ears seemed to droop a little. "If you don't believe me, forget it..."
She and he were childhood sweethearts, so she naturally knew his personality. His agility during competitions was indeed a manifestation of his boldness, but it was also part of his personality.
At this moment, it is inevitable to feel a little...heartbroken.
Yun Zhihe sighed, "You didn't think it through. I don't blame you. On the contrary, I'm happy that you can resist your fate."
But the second prince was inevitably innocent, no... not really, he could not suffer any loss, and no one dared to tarnish his reputation. Wen Yanhe did not expect it to be so smooth at the beginning, and the second prince almost chased him and bit him.
She seemed to see the fox ears on his head move, and the folding fan was raised to cover the blooming smile. Then she suddenly moved closer, close to Yun Zhihe's ear, and every word she spoke was particularly low.
"Zhihe, His Majesty wants to select a male official."
“That’s my chance.”
"and--"
His breath hit Yun Zhihe's ear, with a gritted threat.
"You are not allowed to like him, look at him, or show favoritism to him."
The grievance he just felt was real.
No matter who it was, he just couldn't bear to see Yun Zhihe rescue Qin Zhi.
The author has something to say:
The second prince is the dumbest among these men.
I just applied for a visa but was rejected. Can you guys give me some feedback? Is there anything wrong with the article or what needs to be improved?
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