Chapter 34 Power is the best passport in the world
"Sir... you look unfamiliar. Is this your first time here?" The maid was stunned for a moment, and asked while inviting him to sit down.
"I heard about it from a friend," Zhao Duan happily took a seat.
"Amway?" The maid was confused.
"Well, it's just a recommendation." Zhao Duan decided to give the people from the other world a little shock with an old joke.
“Oh…oh oh.”
Generally speaking, in such places, most first-time visitors are introduced by friends, but there are also individual visitors.
After everyone was surprised, they all looked away, and no one recognized his identity.
It was not surprising. Zhao Duan had risen to fame within a year, but there was no Internet in that era. Most people in the capital had only heard of the empress's lover but had never seen him in person.
"Thank you." Zhao Duan sat down and thanked the maid who handed him a fruit plate and wine.
The latter was immediately overjoyed, his cheeks flushed, and he leaned over and whispered:
"If my young lady doesn't want to entertain guests, I can serve them overnight... Yes, it's free."
After saying that, she walked away with her hips twisted.
Next to him, a fat, big-eared drunkard with pointed ears and bright eyes raised his hand to grab the maid's hand and said with a smile:
"Miss Zhu'er is actually entertaining guests? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
The maid pulled her hand back with a fake smile and bowed:
"Zhu'er doesn't understand what this young master is saying."
Drinker: ...
Zhao Duan: ...
Well, good-looking people always have some privileges.
For a moment, the piano music continued, and the guests at nearby tables looked at him with eyes full of jealousy.
Zhao Duan remained calm and drank by himself.
The current stage is probably the warm-up phase, and the drinkers are chatting with each other.
The person sitting next to him was also a solo traveler, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, dressed like a typical scholar, but his family background was probably average, and his demeanor seemed a little reserved and awkward.
Well, he must be a newbie in the entertainment industry.
Perhaps seeing that Zhao Duan was also a "newcomer", he felt a sense of familiarity and took the initiative to bow and say:
"I am a student from the capital, my last name is Dong. May I ask what your name is, sir?"
Zhao Duan raised his eyebrows and returned the greeting with a smile:
"Zhao."
Neither of them said their full names, maintaining just the right amount of decency.
Dong Shusheng enviously said:
"Brother Zhao is so elegant and graceful. He was offered his services by Zhu'er upon his first visit. This is truly admirable."
No... How can you boast about something like this so seriously... Scholars are really reserved... Zhao Duan was embarrassed:
"Thank you so much... Brother Dong, are you a regular here?"
Dong Shusheng shook his head:
"This is the second time. I'm not interested in women, but last time a classmate brought me here and said that Miss Xiaoya was the daughter of a former official in the Ministry of Personnel of the Qing Dynasty. She was well-read and a talented woman in the capital. I fell in love with her at first sight."
After a pause, he said with a hint of regret:
“It’s a pity that Miss Xiaoya only receives one person at a time, and she doesn’t care about appearance or money, she only likes talented men.
My foolish brother's poetry is not outstanding. Last time, I failed to meet him and spent the whole night discussing poetry. This time, I have regrouped and am ready to fight again."
Implications:
Although you are good-looking, this is a gathering for intellectuals. Having money and good looks is useless. What we are competing for is talent.
Good boy... What you said makes my blood boil... Zhao Duan said sincerely:
"Then I wish Brother Dong success."
Not to mention that his purpose tonight was not pure. Even if it was to obtain intelligence, he had never thought of working as hard as these scholars and following the so-called rules of the talent competition.
Although there were countless beautiful articles left by our ancestors in his mind, any one of Zhao Duan's copied ones would surpass the rest of the capital and be passed down through the ages.
But there is no need to waste such a good thing on such occasions.
"Even if my poems are to be used, they should be used to lick the Empress, or at the very least, to lick other important figures, so as not to waste them!"
Zhao Duan has his own backbone.
Seeing that he had no intention of competing, Dong Shusheng smiled and became even more amiable. The two of them clinked their glasses and said with a wry smile:
"However, it's not easy to win tonight. See the guy on the opposite side? He's a student at the Imperial College and is quite good at poetry. He usually associates with talented people like Han Zhou, Wang You, and Zhang Changshuo.
I didn't expect you to come here. I'm afraid it will be difficult for me tonight."
A talented person who knew Zhang Changshuo?
Zhao Duan raised his eyebrows and looked at the young man sitting opposite him. He looked dignified and was chatting with the person next to him with a confident look on his face.
Seeing Zhao Duan looking at him, he also looked over and nodded slightly at him, but there was a hint of arrogance in his eyes.
It seemed that he didn't feel that Zhao Duan posed any threat at all.
Quite confident... Zhao Duan smiled and thought to himself that he would let you know what the reality of the world is later.
At this time, the song ended, and a graceful figure walked out from behind the screen. She was indeed an outstanding beauty.
Her face is rosy and her cheeks are pink, her shoulders are half exposed, and a piece of gauze is faintly visible on her chest.
Especially the temperament of a lady from a noble family adds a touch of color.
At this moment, her beautiful eyes swept across the table. When she saw Zhao Duan's appearance, she was slightly stunned, but she quickly looked away.
Well, that's called professionalism.
As a host, you must treat all guests equally and not let them feel that you are favoring one over the other.
If you lose in a talent competition, you should accept it with a sincere heart and not feel resentful.
But if we treat them differently, the situation will not be able to continue.
At this time, Zhao Duan began to believe what Dong Shusheng said. On the surface, Xiaoya really didn't care about appearance and money.
At least, you can't show it and make the guests unhappy.
"Thank you all for your presence tonight and for coming to the Qinglian Cottage..."
Xiaoya opened the show with a smile, and then a series of small games began.
They played drinking games, competed in poetry and couplets, and drank wine while enjoying the scenery...occasionally there were jokes, singing and dancing.
It was clearly just a small place, but the atmosphere was quite good, and the ambiguous atmosphere was neither too strong nor too weak, just right.
Even the introverted and nervous Dong Shusheng was well taken care of.
He's a talented person... Zhao Duan commented silently, thinking that it was no wonder that Zhang Changji, the soldier, had been obsessed with him for half a year, he did have some skills.
Unfortunately, it's just a trick to please men.
What happened next was just as Dong Shusheng had said. The talented scholar from the Imperial College quickly stood out. He could recite poems and couplets fluently, and was proficient in jokes and drinking games, becoming the most popular person in the field.
Dong Shusheng tried to fight back several times, but was beaten badly each time and had to flee with his face covered.
The gap in strength is too big. It’s not that Xiao Dong didn’t work hard, but the enemy is just too strong!
As for Zhao Duan, he was low-key and inconspicuous throughout the whole process. Gradually, no one paid attention to him. Even Xiaoya's eyes were filled with disappointment when she looked at him.
Soon, the night was dark and it was time for the final stage.
Xiaoya left the room to take a bath, feeling tired. A maid named Zhu'er said:
"The final event will be titled 'Gate'. Please compose a poem. My young lady will review it and then invite one of you to stay the night."
Then, paper and pens were distributed to each person on the table.
Dong Shusheng looked depressed and held his pen listlessly. Except for the talented scholar, the other guests were also not interested.
"What's wrong with Brother Dong? You tried your best in one go, but failed in three attempts?" Zhao Duan asked.
Dong Shusheng smiled bitterly and shook his head, completely losing his fighting spirit:
"Brother Zhao, why are you mocking me? He's definitely the guest of honor tonight. You, me, and the rest of us are just supporting roles. Alas, we're not as talented as him. What can we do?"
Zhao Duan smiled:
"Since we're here, we have to give it a try. What if Brother Dong's poems touch Miss Xiaoya's heart?"
"That's right..." Although Dong Shusheng had no confidence, he still picked up his pen and thought hard since he was already there.
But he saw Zhao Duan next to him pick up a pen, quickly scribbled a few big words on the paper, and then folded the paper.
"Uh, what did Brother Zhao write? It's not poetry, is it?"
Dong Shusheng was stunned for a moment. The main reason was that Zhao Duan wrote too quickly. How could there be a poem with so few words?
"Just to make up the numbers." Zhao Duan smiled without explaining.
Dong Shusheng didn't think much about it. He had already seen that the man next to him was a good-looking but empty-bellied fool. He concentrated and thought hard for a long time before he started writing.
When the time was up, the maid began to collect the poems one by one and send them to the back house for Xiaoya to choose.
The others sat and waited. The students from the Imperial College looked confident of winning and had already started warming up, while a few who felt there was no hope had already stood up and left.
Dong Shusheng was still holding on, looking at Zhao Duan's calm demeanor, and couldn't help but be curious:
"Brother Zhao, aren't you going to leave first?"
"Why should I leave?" Zhao Duan smiled.
Dong Shusheng choked and thought to himself, no matter who wins, it's impossible for you to be the winner. You haven't even written any poems, you probably just wrote your name.
At this moment, there were hurried footsteps coming into the back house. The maid Zhu'er looked anxious. As soon as she entered the door, her eyes were fixed on Zhao Duan.
"Miss Zhu'er, is your young lady waiting in the back house? I will go there now..." The student from the Imperial College stood up with an imposing manner.
However, the next second, Zhu'er said apologetically:
"Wait a minute, Mr. Li. My young lady has invited someone else."
Mr. Li's smile froze in disbelief.
He didn't think that anyone in the field could write better poetry than himself.
The other guests were shocked and straightened their backs, not expecting such a pleasant surprise.
When Dong Shusheng saw Zhu'er walking straight towards him, his heart was beating like a drum. He was so excited that he could hardly control himself, thinking that he had been chosen.
Sure enough! Brother Zhao is right, what if?
However, the next second, Zhu'er passed by Dong Shusheng and walked in front of Zhao Duan, saying respectfully and humbly, even with fear:
"Mr. Zhao, please follow me to the backyard."
The whole audience was quiet for a moment.
Dong Shusheng was bewildered and looked at "Brother Zhao" beside him in shock, his mind full of question marks.
But he was very sure that Zhao Duan had never written any poetry at all.
Damn... Is this really still a world where looks matter?
But Miss Xiaoya has never cared about appearance... Dong Shusheng couldn't understand.
"Thank you," Zhao Duan stood up slowly after having a full meal and a drink. He glanced at Xiao Dong, then suddenly raised his hand and patted his shoulder comfortingly, saying:
"Xiaoya didn't choose me because of my looks."
Dong Shusheng was bewildered: "Why is that..."
Zhao Duan smiled with an ambiguous smile:
"The theme of the poem is 'door', so how do you lead to a closed door?"
Dong Shusheng looked eagerly: "How?"
Zhao Duan chuckled, turned around and left, leaving only a few words:
"Brother Dong, you must remember that power is the best passport in this world."
Haha, who wants to compete with you bunch of bookworms in talent?
Isn’t it simpler and more effective to use identity as a tool?
Just as Dong Shusheng guessed, he only wrote his name on the scroll.
Zhao Duan.
Three words are enough.
…
ps: Considering the continuity of the plot, today's two chapters are released together.
Thank you to Doctor Neigui for the 10,000-point reward! I'm promoted to the first guardian of this book.
(End of this chapter)
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