Some highly privileged boudoir daughters liked to let down the beaded curtains while they sat inside. Although these couldn’t hide their face, it could give them some cover. But for young masters, or outgoing boudoir daughters, they didn’t mind such things. They opened the bead curtains directly, for them to have a clear view of the poetry competition taking place in the hall.
The poetry competition had already begun, and two scholars were trading blows in the center of the hall. The servant led them to an elegant private booth, whispering, "The poetry meeting has already begun, please feel free to ask me if you need anything."
Duan Lan nodded, "You can go first."
"Yes, about this bead curtain..."
Xin He smiled, "There’s no need to lower it, we should be able to see better this way." She did not care about such trivialities since she was not a pampered boudoir daughter.
Xin He sat down, casually raised the porcelain teacup, and took a sip. While was not quite adept with the art of tea, she could still discern this was high-grade tea.
Is this the place where the nobility convenes?
If so, I wonder if there’s a chance to find any clues here regarding the handkerchief.
Ji Xinhe fell into deep thought, holding her teacup with a somewhat absent-minded look, forgetting to pay attention to the outright exciting poetry duel going on between the two men in the hall.
Instead, it was the arrival of Duan Lan that caused a slight stir in the hall.
Behind a row of beaded curtains, several elegantly dressed girls carefully peeked through, "Isn’t that the third young master of the famous Duan family in the capital city? He’s returned from Jishan Academy? There was no rumor about this at all, no news."
"I just saw that there was a woman with him, her face unfamiliar, I wonder who she is."
"I’ve heard that the third young master of the Duan’s is engaged to Li Junyao. Li Junyao was quite proud of this the last time. It seems this marriage might not be as solid as we thought."
The chattering from the side didn’t disturb the scholars on the stage. Inside another beaded curtain, a beautiful woman sat quietly, shaking her fan. It was Chen Yining.
"Who just came in outside? I heard some discussions." Chen Yining asked.
Rui Xue hurriedly replied: "It’s the third young master of the Duan family."
A shadow crossed Chen Yining’s eyes, she had hoped it was him who had returned.
"Miss, don’t worry. Mr. Mu will return to the capital sooner or later."
Biting her lip, Chen Yining was somewhat unwilling, "But that woman..."
She knew very clearly why Marquis Mu had left the capital this time.
"What are you afraid of, Miss? That woman is just a small peasant girl from Lian’an Town. How can she compare to your honorable identity? This minor character is not worth mentioning."
Feeling frustrated, Chen Yining fumbled with the handkerchief in her hand, but she didn’t say anything more, "What’s happening outside?"
Rui Xue quickly replied: "There are only two people left dueling now. Once a winner is selected, Miss can challenge the winner and win the title of the number one talented woman in the capital, thus boosting her reputation."
Taking a deep breath, Chen Yining said, "Now that father has been marginalized and has no voice in the Imperial Court, those disdainful eyes in the capital look down upon me. The only way can get the upper hand over them is to make a reputation for myself."
If I can’t surpass them in my family background, I must surpass them in talent and fame!
While they were talking, an excited voice from outside followed, "Young master Man Liangcai is victorious!"
The servant paused for a moment, then continued: "The winner of today’s poetry competition is Mr. Man Liangcai Man from the Man family. If anyone disagrees, they are welcome to challenge him. If there are no objections, our Ruifu Building’s bespoke Peony lamp belongs to Mr. Man!"
While speaking, he brought out the Peony lamp. For a moment, it dazzled everyone, and the ladies’ eyes widened, "This lamp is so beautiful!"
Even Ji Xinhe couldn’t help but take a second glance. Indeed, Ruifu Building didn’t hesitate to splash out on things like this. It was a superbly carved lamp, as beautiful as the real thing. It was truly beautiful.
Duan Lan smiled, "Do you like this?"
Ji Xinhe gave a light laugh and nodded, "This lamp is made so delicately. It’s even more beautiful than the flower lamp we fought for on the street in Lian’an Town. It’s really amazing."
"Then, I will give it a try." finishing his words, Duan Lan stood up and walked towards the center of the hall.
Ji Xinhe was taken aback: "Huh?"
At the same time, Chen Yining also stepped forward: "I’ll give it a try."
Duan Lan greeted her with a smile and said, "Coincidentally, I also want to win this crown. Since Miss Chen wants to try, we can compete together."
Chen Yining’s expression slightly changed. She didn’t expect Duan Lan to participate. With his low-key personality, why would he involve himself in such a matter? Moreover, doesn’t he already possess a reputation as the capital’s number one scholar? Why is he insisting on competing with her now?
The wine house waiter excitedly announced, "If this is the case, let’s proceed with the competition. As per tradition, the competition won’t be decided by poetry alone, but by lots. The topic of this competition that I just drew is... playing the guqin (zither)!"
"Alright!" Duan Lan nodded in agreement without any objection.
Chen Yining also heaved a sigh of relief. If it came to playing the guqin, she should have the upper hand.
Soon after, the guqin was brought and set up. The three of them prepared themselves.
The waiter explained the rules with a smile, "Each of you will play the melody you’re best at. Whoever has their music taken away first loses. Whoever remains till the last wins!"
His words piqued the interest of many, even Ji Xinhe found it interesting and watched with amusement.
Upon the waiter’s command, the three players began simultaneously. Their melodious tunes lingered in the air, leaving everyone on pins and needles.
Compared to the rest, Man Liangcai’s guqin skills were mediocre— he had just bad luck, as this topic was the one he was the least well-versed in, which quickly led to his defeat.
Chen Yining’s guqin music was soft and plaintive.
However, Duan Lan’s guqin music was bold and impassioned, exuding a strong masculine aura.
Both of them were on par, making Ji Xinhe utterly engrossed. The entire hall was silent, except for the sound of two guqins playing, one could hardly hear anything else, as everyone was holding their breath and listening attentively.
After a long contest, the sound of Chen Yining’s guqin seemed to gradually erratic and her mood seemed to become more flustered. In her haste, she accidentally snapped a guqin string.
With a "ding" sound, the guqin string broke. Chen Yining sat there with a pale face, while Duan Lan brought his melody to an end.
For a moment, the hall fell into silence, and then burst into applause, "Master Duan Lan is indeed impressive! The reputation of the number one scholar in the capital is indeed not unjustified!"
Duan Lan responded modestly with a smile, "Miss Chen and Master Man were generous and gave me the chance."
Chen Yining, feeling very embarrassed, sat there stiffly, speechless. She could vaguely hear some people starting to ridicule her. She squeezed her hand hard inside her sleeve, but she had to bear it. Her father holds no power in the court, any small mistake made by her, Chen Yining, could become a laughing stock for those people.
Duan Lan didn’t pay much attention to her. He received the peony lamp from the waiter.
Then he strode towards Ji Xinhe.
"Here, I present this flower lantern to you, as compensation for the flower lantern you lost. What do you think?" Duan Lan smiled warmly, touching people’s hearts.
Ji Xinhe received the flower lantern from him and examined it carefully with a happy and radiant smile. She seemed as ecstatic as a child who had just received candy: "It’s nice!" She sincerely liked it.
Looking at her radiant smile, Duan Lan was momentarily entranced, almost as if he was bewitched.
However, seeing her smile was like a thorn in Mu Houchu’s eyes.
A month, it had been a month since he last saw her. Day and night, he was almost driven crazy by his longing for her. He hurried all the way here, arriving covered in dust, just to see her as soon as possible. But he did not expect that when he saw her again, it would be under such circumstances.
A chill surged through Mu Houchu’s body, and his imposing aura made people feel both intimidated and terrified. His eagle-like eyes were locked on her across the hall, who was now smiling radiantly, causing an aching feeling in his heart.
Ling Feng, who had always been calm, seemed somewhat troubled by this situation, "Master, shall we go in?"
Mu Houchu, with a face as cold as frost, continued to give an unsettling and intimidating look. Yet, he was already striding in.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
