Chapter 77
The information revealed by the system included names of people, and it sounded quite reasonable and well-founded, so that those who had originally firmly believed that Ximen Jie was slandered could not help but listen to it.
Seems like something's wrong? Not sure? Listen again.
The system is very satisfied with the results it has created. It is a melon-eating system. The fact that it can motivate so many people who originally distrusted or even resisted it to eat melons shows that its business capabilities are strong!
After returning, it will definitely be individually commended by the overall system and become the most beautiful cub in the entire circle!
[Ximen Jie wasn't very good at writing articles or poems, but he had a very sharp eye. He could tell at a glance whether a piece of writing was good or bad, whether it could be revised and polished, and how to make it better.]
His father was wealthy and willing to give him money to spend, so he would spend money to buy poems and essays from poor scholars that were already quite outstanding, or that would shine even brighter after being revised and polished, waiting for the right opportunity to release them.
Although those works were originally other people's, he paid a lot for them, and they sold them willingly. He never pressured them to buy or sell, so it's hard to comment on this matter.
This behavior is somewhat similar to buying songs in modern times. After the song seller receives the money, he will not go around saying that a certain popular song was actually written by him, so the person who buys the song becomes the original creator.
System: [You can say he has no literary talent but is trying to act smart, but you can't accuse him of plagiarizing other people's work.]
After all, they also rely on their strength - money to pave the way, it is a matter of mutual consent.
Chu Hua: [Brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones are expensive. If you want to read, and read well, you have to spend a lot of money. Some people have sufficient literary talent but are financially strapped, so they sell their writings to make life easier for themselves and their families. This is understandable.]
Now everyone is not most concerned about the lantern riddles in the Oriental Tea House, but Ximen Jie's melons.
But some people agreed with Chu Huan's words, while others disagreed.
"My sister's family sold everything they had to support a scholar."
"If my brother-in-law had that kind of literary talent and sold a few poems, our family wouldn't have to be so tight on money."
"That's not true. The value of an article cannot be simply measured by money."
"Poetry and songs tainted with the stench of money are vulgar beyond endurance!"
Jia Yi Cai Gang's hearing was better than most people's. He could clearly hear the discussions of the people around him. He could hardly control his terrified expression: Oh no! This is going to go wrong!
The two hurried to see Chu Huan, and found that she and the system were completely focused on Shang Lu who had arrived, and seemed not to have heard it?
That’s right, they both have sensitive hearing and have received special training, while Chu Huan is just an ordinary person.
Besides, there were too many people around, and many people were talking at the same time, with loud voices, which drowned out the voices of others. It was difficult to distinguish what everyone was saying.
Jia Yi and Cai Gang: We can still save them!
Shang Lu had good hearing and heard what some people said, but those people did not mention any names, so it was not easy to directly match them.
Chu Hua politely said hello, "Sir, are you here to watch the fun too?"
The system disdains: [What's the sir? Call me beauty! Don't you call me beauty in private? ]
Chu Hua smiled: [Shut up!]
The system immediately responded: [Okay, I won’t disturb you guys enjoying the moonlight.]
Shang Lu felt that some people were right and that the system should indeed take more courses, otherwise it would always speak nonsense regardless of the occasion.
"I heard there was a grand lantern exhibition here, so I came to take a look."
As they were talking, Shang Lu had already walked over. Jia Yi and Cai Gang automatically made way for Shang Lu to come in, and then put them both into the protective circle.
Chu Huan glanced out of the corner of her eye and found that even though the crowd was so crowded, the distance between her and Shang Lu was still an arm's length, a distance that would not make anyone feel offended.
Shang Lu always seems to keep a certain distance from others, and is very measured in what he says and does. These measures unknowingly distance him from others, making it difficult for ordinary people to approach him.
Perhaps this is how the temperament of a flower on the mountain top and a cold and exiled immortal comes from?
No one knew what happened, but the crowd suddenly surged, and Shang Lu was bumped by someone, his body unstable, and he crashed into Chu Huan's arms.
The system was like a fan watching an idol drama where the male lead Chu Huan was about to have an intimate encounter, screaming out in a girlish voice: [I’m going to hug you! ]
When they heard the sound, everyone looked over.
Even if you can't find the source of the sound, can't you just look around to see if there are any men or women who are about to hug each other?
Chu Huan was getting a headache from the noise from the system, and she frowned as she helped Shang Lu.
Shang Lu's ears were clearly attacked by the high-decibel sound, but his expression remained calm, as if he hadn't heard anything. He simply used Chu Huan's arm to gain some leverage to quickly stabilize his body, then took a step back and continued to maintain an arm's length away.
"Thank you very much."
Chu Hua: "No need."
The two of them were as polite as they could be and were very frugal with their words. They were just short of having the word "unfamiliar" carved on their foreheads, making them even worse than strangers.
system:【? ? ? 】
system:【! ! ! 】
It finally realized something: [It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have yelled out, woooooo! ]
All I had to do was hold my breath, close my mouth, and observe secretly from a close distance.
After being roared at by it, no matter whether Chu Huan and Shang Lu had that intention or not, they definitely didn't want to take advantage of others in this situation!
Damn it! I miscalculated!
If I had known this would happen, I would have asked for a basic experience pack from the Love Strategy System before setting off, so that I wouldn't be unable to even do the most basic assist now!
Chu Huan had a headache: [Stop crying, eat some melon and cheer yourself up.]
The system complained: [Oh.]
Since the system didn't get to eat the sweet melon, it was in a bad mood and its movements of turning the melons were much slower. It took a long time for it to realize what it had just said.
[Others like to stockpile paper towels and rice, but Ximen Jie likes to stockpile articles and poems. Some are willing to sell, while others are naturally unwilling. Some arrogant people think selling poetry is not a good idea, so Ximen Jie just adds money.]
Once, he took a fancy to a piece written by someone who normally disliked him and went to buy it. The person mocked him, saying he had no literary talent and only had a few bucks to show off. Ximen Jie remained calm, adding more money to his account with each comment. The person's face gradually darkened, and he finally succumbed to the financial offer.
[I have to say, I quite like his way of doing things, spending money at the drop of a hat. So decisive and aggressive! The most amazing thing is that Ximen Jie counted out enough banknotes from his pocket, but in the end he didn't buy it, saying, "Your poems aren't worth the price." He really mocked the guy.]
Ximen Jie isn't stupid. His father's money didn't just come from the wind. He can add money to buy good poems. That's a necessary expense, a recognition of literary talent. But he can't add unlimited money. That would only satisfy the desires of some greedy people. So he doesn't buy all the works he likes.
He had his eye on many good articles, and he also needed to find someone to help him promote the reputation of the Four Heroes of the Capital. This was quite expensive, and the money his father gave him was not enough. When he heard that the first place winner would receive a 200 tael reward, he rushed to participate.
Everyone looked numb and their faces were swollen.
I thought that with Ximen Jie's family background and his style of doing things, he must not be short of money and would look down on the 200 taels reward for the first place. Who knew that he would do these tricks behind the scenes and make himself penniless?
Many people looked embarrassed and murmured: Don’t even mention whether I would have thought of it or not, even Ximen Jie’s father would not have thought of it!
The system continued: [People say Ximen Jie lacks literary talent, but in fact, his poems and songs are too mechanical and lack inspiration, making them difficult to impress. He has a good memory and a quick mind, and is good at editing and polishing. He is also not troubled by riddles or couplets.]
[Well, he's already answered seventy lanterns. You see, these are all riddles, couplets, and poem titles, all of which he's good at.]
Everyone looked up and saw, oh wow, it’s true!
Before the child said this, they didn't care, but now that he said this...
The couplets that Ximen Jie came up with did look very rigid and too neat, lacking some spirit and feeling. However, everyone's attention was on the number of lanterns and they didn't look too closely at the content.
There were some scholars at the scene who thought that some of Ximen Jie's couplets were not very good, but considering that so many answers were given in a short period of time, it was normal for the quality to be good and bad, so they didn't say much.
Given the fame of the Four Heroes of Beijing, if they really said that kind of words, they might be ridiculed by the crowd. Why bother saying one more word and getting into trouble?
Now it’s good, a child has told it, and many people are gloating.
They either don't have the same fame as Ximen Jie, or don't have a father as rich as Ximen Jie, and they are happy to see Ximen Jie fall from a high place and be smashed to pieces.
Chu Huan said something more objective: [In a competition like this where quantity is the key, everyone will choose the content they are best at. This is human nature.]
Unless one is a particularly talented person with a vast knowledge base and extremely flexible adaptability, it is impossible for every poem he writes to be popular.
System: [For example, Phytolacca? ]
Shang Lu slowly typed a question mark. He didn't even think his writing skills were good. Why did the system have such great confidence in him?
Chu Huan also didn’t think: [The Grand Master and Grand Tutor were like that.]
Whether a person has literary talent can be judged from his works. It is difficult for her to judge since she has not read Shang Lu's works, but Shang Lu does not have the elegance that comes from the bones of the old Tai Shi and the old Tai Fu, who are knowledgeable and talented people.
Shang Lu is more like a hermit who has seen through the world, has no attachment to the mundane world, and is determined to live in seclusion.
System: [Those two are so virtuous and respected, how could they possibly come to participate in such an event?]
Jia Yi and Cai Gang looked away silently, not daring to tell those two how much they wanted to rush over and get it done in one fell swoop when they learned that Chu Huan was coming to participate in the Lantern Festival, so as to avoid the trouble caused by the gathering of crowds.
Of course, they both suspected that the old Grand Tutor and the old Grand Preceptor wanted to take this opportunity to compete again.
Chu Hua: [This kind of event is meant to attract young people. Look, the prize for the winner is a glass lotus lantern. It was designed with young women's preferences in mind, so that the winner can give it to the young woman as a gift.]
The system sighed: [What a pity.]
Chu Huan:?
System: [If Lady Shanglu wins that glass lotus lantern and gives it to you, wouldn't that be a token of our love...]
Chu Hua predicted what it would say, "Shut up."
The system has almost said it all, so I don’t feel wronged about being forced to shut up. I just watch the show quietly.
Without it chirping and making trouble around, the atmosphere between Chu Huan and Shang Lu became much more normal.
"Sir, aren't you going to guess the lanterns?"
Phlox: "I'm not good at riddles."
Chu Huan was used to the ancients' roundabout way of speaking, and rarely encountered someone like Shang Lu who directly expressed his shortcomings. It made her more comfortable to get along with him.
"It's a rare opportunity, so let's join in the fun. There are seven lights in the sky, arranged like a spoon."
Shang Lu answered immediately: "The Big Dipper."
Chu Huan asked again: "Walking at night without a lamp."
Shang Lu still answered immediately: "Beichen."
Chu Huan originally wanted to say another one, but unfortunately she couldn't think of any difficult riddles in such a short time.
"As long as it's a riddle related to the stars, I'm afraid it won't be difficult for you."
Shang Lu smiled: "You can try."
He spoke quite modestly, but the confidence revealed in his words was enough to let people know that in the realm of stars, no one could surpass him.
Chu Huan laughed. Was she embarrassing her teacher because she didn't have enough homework, or because she went to bed too early? She wasn't stupid.
[Tong'er, I haven't eaten that Nangong Master's melon yet.]
The system thought to itself: You're looking for me now? What were you doing before?
However, eating melons is its main job, so no matter how unreliable the host is, it still has to work.
Everyone quietly pricked up their ears. It didn’t matter if they couldn’t find the source of the sound, as long as they could eat melons!
Even Ximen Jie and Nangong Gongzi, who were busy answering questions in the Oriental Teahouse, pricked up their ears.
Ximen Jie thought: That person knows me so well, Nangong’s gossip is probably true, he wants to listen carefully to what gossip there is about another one of the Four Heroes of Beijing.
Master Nangong was worried: That person wouldn’t really tell everything, right?
System: [Nangong Ling, one of the Four Heroes of the Capital, isn't a big deal.]
Upon hearing this, Ximen Jie and everyone else showed disappointment, while Master Nangong himself breathed a sigh of relief.
Chu Huan was quite surprised. Since she had bound the system to the system, she had rarely encountered the system saying that there was no big news.
[This is your first career setback.]
[How is this possible?!] The system's capabilities were questioned, and it instantly became agitated. [Just wait! I'll definitely find the melon!]
Young Master Nangong: “…”
These were ten difficult seconds for everyone.
Ten seconds later, the system returned, pinching her waist: [I was wondering how someone this big wouldn't have a big melon! Meahahaha!]
Chu Hua: [Just tell me, don't keep me in suspense.]
Everyone nodded repeatedly: That's right! It's immoral to keep people in suspense!
System: [This person uses the name Nangong Ling, claiming to be the Nangong family's third young master. However, the Nangong family only has two sons, so how can there be a third young master? That's the third young lady, Nangong Ling, the "Ling" in "clever"].
Chu Hua: ???
Everyone: ???
Um?
Ximen Jie's eyes widened, his pupils trembling. The person who had been listed alongside him for so long was actually a woman?!
Nangong Ling put down the pen in her hand. Her biggest secret had been exposed, and she could no longer participate in this activity.
System: [Nangong Ling has been exceptionally bright since she was young. Her father felt that his two previous sons weren't bright enough and was worried about what the Nangong family would do in the future. But when he saw how smart his daughter was, his worries turned into joy, and he ate three bowls of rice straight away.]
What's wrong with a daughter? After all, she's our own child. She's better than those two brats, right? Her father arranged everything for her according to the standards of his two sons. Whatever his sons learn, his daughter learns too.
[To ensure fairness and prevent negative comments, all children in the Nangong family were treated the same way. Nangong Ling single-handedly raised the academic standards of her peers, while also cutting short their childhood.]
Nangong Ling covered her face in embarrassment. She didn't mean it.
Chu Hua: [Ximen Jie's reputation as one of the Four Heroes of the Capital is highly exaggerated. Miss Nangong's reputation should be true, right?]
System: [Yes, Nangong Ling's talent is genuine. Her fame spread even earlier than Ximen Jie's.]
Ximen Jie, in order to elevate his own status and reputation, forcibly linked himself to the "Four Heroes of Beijing" group. This is an overstepping of the bounds.
Nangong Ling is truly more intelligent than many people. Her essays and poems are incredibly insightful. The old tutor even praised her poems after reading them. The only pity is that she's a girl and can't take the imperial examinations.
Everyone was silent.
Many of them were impressed by Nangong Ling's talent and were curious about why he didn't take the imperial examination. There were also rumors that Master Nangong was a man of high moral character and did not like to be an official. Who knew the real reason was: she was a woman.
Nangong Ling herself didn't think it was such a pity. Compared to other women, she was already doing very well.
Her father allowed her to study with her brothers, and taught them rites, music, archery, charioteering, and calligraphy, which were all unpopular among girls of the same age. They learned music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, as well as how to serve their husbands and parents-in-law and manage the backyard.
Compared to them, she is really good.
Nangong Ling smiled slightly, but she didn't know how forced that smile looked in the eyes of the maid beside her.
Chu Huan grasped the key point: [Did the Grand Tutor praise him?]
System: [Yes, the old master sent someone to the Nangong family to inquire about this. Nangong Ling's father brought out all of her works. After reading them, the old master praised the writing for its spirit, but said the handwriting lacked grandeur. He thought that after accepting her as a student, he would find some good calligraphy examples and teach her properly.]
Nangong Ling's father was so happy at the time that he even planned how many tables to set up and who to invite. However, the old tutor gave up after he found out that the author of the article was a girl.
Nangong Ling was full of surprise. She didn't even know such a thing had happened. Her father must have kept it a secret because he was afraid that she would be disappointed.
But there was nothing to be disappointed about, as she had become accustomed to the injustice of the world towards women.
At this moment, Chu Huan, Jia Yi, Cai Gang, and Shang Lu were all thinking about one question: If Chu Huan had not bound herself to the system, and had not demonstrated her abilities time and time again, and the many benefits she could have brought to Dasheng, she would probably be the second Nangong Ling.
What did it matter how much talent and spiritual energy she possessed? Simply because she was born a woman, the door to heaven had just opened a little before it was ruthlessly closed in her face.
Chu Huan's heart moved slightly. Just because the old tutor had not accepted Nangong Ling before, it didn't mean he wouldn't accept her now.
They've made an exception for her once, so how long will it take for them to make an exception for her a second time?
It's just to give the Fifth Prince another study companion. If this approach doesn't work, then go talk to the old Grand Tutor.
The old master also looked down on her in the past, but later, because the two big men had been fighting for most of their lives, the old master was moved when he saw that the old master wanted to take her in.
Just use the same trick again.
In order for the female compatriots of this era to live a more brilliant life, these big guys will cheat us once or twice.
Chu Huan revealed an extremely "kind" smile.
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