After the minor incident, the poetry gathering began.
Princess Shang Changge is not someone to be trifled with, and General Xiao Ji is a killing machine.
With such a double dose of villainy, the Lakeside Pavilion is now no different from a battlefield or a hellish place.
Fortunately, Yun Luobai and Yun Xiangrong, the brother and sister, were both good at livening up the atmosphere, and the talented young men and women quickly became lively.
Since it was autumn, I wrote a poem on the theme of "autumn".
"The lake and the autumn moon are in perfect harmony; the surface of the pool is calm, like an unpolished mirror."
"Old trees display autumn colors, and the empty pond is bathed in moonlight."
"After a fresh rain in the empty mountains, the weather turns autumnal in the evening."
Although the poetry gathering had ulterior motives, everyone present was truly a cultured person.
Qingyan is a large country with many talented people in various fields.
"good!"
Shang Changge sat enjoying the evening breeze, occasionally applauding and cheering for the cultural figures composing poetry.
She had no intention of writing poetry; she wouldn't do something so mentally taxing and pointless.
Yes, she is such a realistic woman.
I just spoke up for Xiao Ji and those soldiers because I was moved by their sentiments and acted on a whim.
No, that's not the case.
That was to gain Xiao Ji's favor and get closer to him, so that he could win over this guy who had one-third of Qingyan's troops in the future.
Otherwise, why would she waste her breath? She has no interest in being a savior of anyone.
"Would the princess like to compose a poem?"
As expected of the Imperial Concubine's niece and the daughter of the Vice Minister of Revenue, Yun Xiangrong remained poised and dignified even in the face of two formidable figures.
Everyone be quiet and look over here.
Shang Changge put down her untouched wine glass and declined, "No, thank you."
Her beautiful eyes precisely located Wen Wanyi, her gaze filled with kindness and gentleness.
Despite Wen Wanyi trying to minimize her presence like a quail, she still went her own way and didn't care whether the young girl lived or died.
"I'm here tonight to personally present a gift to Sister Wanyi. Please continue; there's no need to feel constrained by my presence."
Yun Xiangrong's eyes flickered, and after smiling and agreeing, she invited Xiao Ji.
"Where is the General? Would he like to compose a poem?"
Shang Changge looked over; the lanterns in the pavilion in the middle of the lake were so bright that everyone's face could be clearly seen.
Since the two were sitting close together, they were able to get a good look at the general's face this time.
Xiao Ji has a deep-set face with hard, cold lines, and his eyes, by all accounts, should look at people with deep affection.
But to him, it became cold-heartedness and ruthlessness; he saw everything as if it were an inanimate object.
The bridge of the nose is high and straight, but it seems to be too high, adding an almost harsh and inhuman touch to the otherwise beautiful curve of the nose.
His thin lips, now pressed into a straight line, still looked quite approachable because he had been drinking.
Tsk.
Shang Changge curled the corners of her lips, amused by her own inexplicable thoughts, while silently adding to her mind:
They look very affectionate, but I bet the kiss would be cold and devoid of warmth.
Xiao Ji hadn't said a word since he sat down, and it was unclear whether he had noticed her scrutiny.
He rejected Yun Xiangrong decisively, and his reasons were quite sufficient.
"I usually read military books and can't write poetry."
Shang Changge raised an eyebrow, thinking to herself, "Look at what you're saying."
One came to give a gift, and the other couldn't compose poetry; it all sounded like a coordinated performance.
If she hadn't known that the original owner and this person had absolutely no connection, she would have suspected that they had planned to come and cause trouble together.
As expected,
Everyone's expressions were quite subtle, but no matter what they were thinking or pondering, the poetry gathering had to continue.
Time passed slowly, because Shang Changge and Xiao Ji had indeed only been sitting and watching without doing anything.
As everyone had a few drinks and became a little tipsy, they gradually relaxed and the initial tension dissipated.
that's all,
The poetry gathering didn't come to an end until 9 PM.
Shang Changge recognized every face and, based on the original owner's memories, briefly outlined the family background of each person.
He selected which of these officials' sons could be of use to him, and, being very considerate, suggested bringing to a close the poetry gathering that evening.
Everyone was both surprised and curious.
One by one, they eagerly awaited the princess's arrival of her so-called gifts.
"Gulp." "Gulp."
When the guards could see the corpses being carried off the carriage by the lamplight, people were already swallowing hard in shock.
"Peng—!"
When the strangely shaped corpses of Qinghe and Qingyu were thrown heavily into the center of the pavilion where Wen Wanyi was, the screams of the talented men and beautiful women who were in a panic retreated one after another.
"Ah—!" "Ah—! This, this, this—!"
The most composed and unflappable person in the entire room was probably Xiao Ji, who displayed complete indifference.
While everyone's attention was focused on Qinghe and Qingyu's corpses, Xiao Ji glanced to the side.
His gaze fell directly on Shang Changge, who was now laughing jokingly, as if in response to Shang Changge's earlier scrutiny.
Shang Changge didn't care about being stared at like that. She put her hands on the armrests of the chair and stood up from the main seat.
Her tall stature made it easy to spot Wen Wanyi even amidst the commotion of the crowd.
Fearing his voice would be drowned out by the commotion, he deliberately raised his voice.
"Sister Wanyi, do you like the gift I gave you?"
The daughters of officials who had been standing with Wen Wanyi immediately distanced themselves from her, and the people around them also stepped back.
Wen Wanyi stood alone in the spot, her figure standing out conspicuously against the night sky alongside the corpses of Qinghe and Qingyu.
Wen Wanyi gritted her teeth to keep herself from losing her composure, and looked up at Shang Changge, managing a weak smile:
"I dare not dislike the gift the princess gave me, but I do not understand why the princess would give me such a gift."
He has a pretty strong mental fortitude, if you ignore his deathly pale face.
"You understand, sister."
Having sat there for so long, Shang Changge was also getting tired. Not in a hurry to reveal what Wen Wanyi had done, he said slowly:
"Tonight's gift is just an appetizer. Sister, you don't need to be too touched by it. Tomorrow, I will give you a bigger gift."
Leaving behind these ambiguous words, Shang Changge led Qingyao and the others away from the lakeside pavilion.
Compared to killing someone outright, the mental torment of knowing you're going to die but being unable to save yourself is far more agonizing.
"Respectfully seeing off the princess."
Despite having a bellyful of questions and inner turmoil, and no matter how much lingering fear they felt, everyone still had to respectfully see Shang Changge off.
The night was alluring.
Before the long procession from the princess's residence was about to leave, Shang Changge lifted the carriage curtain and glanced at Xiao Ji in the crowd.
Unlike the others, Xiao Ji was not wearing a long robe, but rather the attire of a martial artist.
Coupled with his tall and imposing figure, he is particularly eye-catching.
"General Xiao, would you like to travel with me?"
Of course, she was just asking casually.
She invited us to sit together at the beginning, and now she's inviting us to leave together. That's the kind of person she is—always sticking to what she starts.
The main reason was that tonight was her first meeting with this general, and a simple, polite greeting was sufficient for a first meeting.
Going too far could backfire and make the other person suspect that she has ulterior motives, even though she does have ulterior motives.
"Princess, you go first."
Xiao Ji probably realized that she was just asking casually, so he gave a polite reply.
The princess's carriage gradually drove away, soon disappearing into the night and vanishing from everyone's sight.
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