Chapter 342: Turns out to be my brother’s friend
"Hmph, how could a idiot like Lan Xiyue possibly defeat Master Lu?" There were many voices of contempt in the crowd, and some rich girls even had smiles on their faces as if they had foreseen Lan Xiyue's miserable defeat.
And those kind-hearted young men were secretly worried about Lan Xiyue, fearing that her beautiful face would be disfigured by her arrogance.
At this extremely tense moment, Lan Xiyue slowly spoke, her voice as clear as the sound of a spring: "Butterflies dance among the flowers, they are graceful and elegant, who doesn't know their unparalleled beauty? It's because the branches are full of lotus flowers!" As soon as these words came out, not only did they blow away the tense atmosphere on the scene, but they also made everyone's attention fixed on them.
Between the verses of the poem, the scene of butterflies dancing among flowers and graceful girls comes to life before our eyes, and their unparalleled beauty seems to be within reach, while the hibiscus flowers on the branches show the vitality and beauty of spring to the fullest.
Everyone present, even those young men who usually had little knowledge of poetry, could not help but be impressed by Lan Xiyue's talent, and cast glances at her with surprise and admiration.
Although Qian Duoduo didn't understand poetry, it didn't affect her support for Yueyue at all. She cheered loudly: "Yueyue, you are amazing!"
Lu Jingzhou's lips curled up into a faint smile, his eyes filled with admiration. He slowly bowed to Lan Xiyue and said, "I admit defeat. Miss Lan, you win."
At this time, the discussion started as if waking up from a dream, and many people whispered to each other, "Didn't they say Lan Xiyue was a fool? How could she write such a beautiful poem, and so neatly?" someone asked in confusion.
"Yeah, yeah, even Lu Jingzhou admitted defeat directly." Another person echoed.
However, there are always people who are unwilling to acknowledge the excellence of others. Wen Lingling glared at Lan Xiyue, her tone filled with bitterness and resentment: "Lan Xiyue, how can you write poetry? You must have cheated, right?"
Lan Xiyue's eyes instantly turned cold upon hearing this. She looked at Wen Lingling coldly, her tone tinged with a hint of teasing and disdain: "Why, you can't stand losing? Besides, the prize was given by the princess, what's it got to do with you? If you want to accuse me of cheating, do you have any evidence?" Then, she turned her gaze to Nalan Mei, a playful smile playing on her lips: "The princess can't stand losing either, right? Look, Master Lu has already admitted defeat."
Nalan Mei's expression changed slightly when he heard this.
Lu Jingzhou stepped forward at the right moment, clasped his fists towards Nalan Mei and said, "Princess, one cannot go back on one's word. Otherwise, what's the difference between you and a villain?"
Nalan Mei's face looked a little grim. She gave an order: "Come here, bring all the banknotes we collected today at Furong Garden."
Upon hearing this, the maid quickly responded and retreated in a hurry.
After a while, the maid returned with a thick stack of banknotes. Nalan Mei reached out to take it, gently stroking the papers with her fingertips, a hint of reluctance flashed in her eyes.
However, with so many people watching, she couldn't ruin her image, so she finally handed the banknote to Lan Xiyue who was standing beside her.
Lan Xiyue took a step forward, stretched out her hand, and was about to take the banknote, but found that Nalan Mei's hand did not let go, but instead tightly grasped a corner of the banknote.
Nalan Mei had mixed feelings. She had originally wanted to quietly withdraw some banknotes, but she had been short of money recently. Ever since the princess's mansion was bombed to pieces, even the warehouse in the ruins was not spared, and it was obviously looted by thieves.
Despite being a princess, she was treated like a invisible person in the Nalan Mansion, ignored. Her father was weak, and she was ostracized by the second and third wives in the mansion. Her grandmother treated her coldly and never gave her the care she deserved.
Because of her mother, her life in the mansion was even more difficult. After the bombing of the princess's mansion, she received no help from her mother. Instead, her mother's return intensified the quarrels and disputes in the mansion. Knowing that her mother was collecting money from opening Furong Garden, she had wanted to take some. Now, she hadn't received any banknotes and even lost to Lan Xiyue. If her mother knew, who knows how angry she would be!
Seeing this, Lan Xiyue curled up the corner of her mouth into a playful smile: "What? Princess, you can't bear to let it go?" There was a hint of sarcasm in her words.
Upon hearing this, Nalan Mei's heart tightened, but she forced herself to remain calm on her face: "Who, who can't bear to part with it?" She tried to let go of her hand, but found that her fingers unconsciously pulled the banknote even harder.
Lan Xiyue's eyes fell on the banknote she was holding tightly, and her tone was a little playful: "Then why don't you let go?"
Nalan Mei finally let go of her hand and snorted coldly, trying to hide her embarrassment: "A mere few thousand taels, would this princess care about it?" Although her words were tough, the expression on her face betrayed her true feelings.
Wen Lingling, standing by, couldn't help but snort coldly, "That's right, it's just a few thousand taels. Lan Xiyue, do you think everyone is like you, obsessed with money? How could the princess care about it?"
Nalan Mei glared at Wen Lingling, this annoying idiot. If it weren't for her, she wouldn't have lost thousands of taels.
Nalan Mei concealed the emotions in her eyes.
Wen Lingling said sarcastically, "Mr. Lu is a renowned talent in the capital, how could he lose so easily to Lan Xiyue? In the previous competition, you must have been giving in to her, right?"
He raised his head and immediately changed his expression. He looked at Lu Jingzhou who was standing not far away with gentle eyes and whispered softly:
Lu Jingzhou shook his head, his expression indifferent, a barely perceptible smile curling up his lips. "I'm not being modest. The poem Miss Lan just wrote is profound in its meaning and exquisite in its words. I really can't think of any verses that can compare to it to praise this garden full of hibiscus flowers."
He thought to himself that he didn't want to see her lose and ruin her looks, but he hadn't expected her to be so talented that she didn't need him to compromise at all. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a little favorable towards Lan Xiyue.
Yes, as Brother Ye's sister, how could she really know nothing? Those rumors about her seemed unreliable after all. It seemed that Brother Ye had not even told him about the rumors outside before, just waiting for his sister to make a splash.
Nalan Mei glared at Wen Lingling, then looked gently at Lu Jingzhou, who was standing not far away, and whispered softly, "Miss Wen, Master Lu is not a deceitful person. How dare you question Master Lu?"
Upon hearing this, Wen Lingling frowned slightly and pouted, seeming a little unwilling: "Well, since the princess said so, then she wins."
Nalan Mei looked at Lu Jingzhou expectantly, "I've heard that Master Lu is an exceptional zither player. I wonder if the princess would be lucky enough to hear him today?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Jingzhou clasped his fists lightly, his expression remaining calm: "I'm sorry, Princess. I came here today just to admire the magnificent sight of the hibiscus flowers in bloom, and I have no intention of caring about anything else." After he finished speaking, he walked straight towards Lan Xiyue, as if completely ignoring Nalan Mei's eyes that were a mixture of disappointment and jealousy.
"Miss Lan, how's your brother doing lately?" Lu Jingzhou's voice was gentle and concerned, leaving Lan Xiyue stunned. She had been watching the show from the sidelines, never expecting Lu Jingzhou to take the initiative to approach her and ask about her brother's condition.
Lan Xiyue quickly recovered and replied with a smile, "My brother is fine. Thank you, Master Lu, for your concern." She keenly caught Nalan Mei's jealous look and immediately understood that the princess had long admired Lu Jingzhou. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but glance at Lu Jingzhou a few more times. He was as gentle as jade, with an extraordinary temperament. No wonder he had captured the princess's heart.
Hearing this, Lu Jingzhou smiled with relief. "I was very concerned about Brother Ye's injured legs when I heard about them. I just returned to Beijing a few days ago and was planning to visit Brother Ye in his house in a few days. I wonder how his legs are recovering now?"
Lan Xiyue blinked. It turned out to be her brother's good friend. She smiled and said, "My brother's legs have healed and he can walk normally. If Mr. Lu is free, please choose a day to visit. My brother will be very happy."
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