Chapter 309: Reunion

When Ji Yuntang and Wang Sheng arrived at Qianqiu Tower, she truly understood what a sea of people felt like.

Looking out, there was a dense, dark mass of bobbing heads, thick and countless like waves.

Qianqiu Tower was divided into an inner area and an outer area. The inner area only allowed entry for judges, registered scholars, and those with special status.

The outer area, on the other hand, was entirely filled with commoners who had come to watch the fun.

For some aristocratic families, powerful officials, and prominent figures, Qingyun Hall had set up special seats for them to watch the competition.

Because Ji Yuntang held a participation notification letter, the guards ushered her into the inner area as soon as she arrived.

No sooner had she entered than she came face to face with Ji Zihang.

The young man was dressed in a sky-blue brocade robe embroidered with clouds and wild geese. His long eyebrows were as elegant as willow leaves, his features well-defined, and his jet-black hair was tied high with a jade crown. His sharp black eyes shone with a fierce edge, casting a faint, sinister look, and every move he made exuded nobility.

When he saw Ji Yuntang, Ji Zihang's expression instantly darkened.

He raised his chin a little, and his demeanor naturally exuded an air of arrogance and unruliness, an overbearing and domineering air.

He waited for Ji Yuntang to come over and strike up a conversation with him, but to his surprise, she walked straight past him and sat down in a seat across from him.

Ji Zihang's proud expression immediately started to falter.

Compared to the brothers Ji Huaiche and Ji Qingfeng, Ji Zihang had the least contact with Ji Yuntang.

He had always looked down on her.

Even when Ji Yuntang had originally returned to her home, he felt that the Marquis Yongning's mansion had kindly taken her in.

She should be grateful to their family, instead of causing them trouble after trouble.

But the recent string of incidents made Ji Zihang realize that this sister of his was not as simple as he had thought.

On the contrary, Ji Yuntang was very cunning and calculating.

Ji Zihang had always been a prominent figure in the Royal Academy, enjoying considerable fame.

Everywhere he went, he was fawned over by women, making him more arrogant.

Now, with Ji Yuntang completely ignoring him, how could Ji Zihang stand it?

He immediately called over a supervisor of Canglang Poetry Talk and asked him, "What's wrong with your Qingyun Hall? How can you let all kinds of riffraff into the inner area?"

When Ji Zihang said this, his tone carried a sharp edge, and his voice was not intentionally lowered.

Because of this, almost everyone turned to look at him as soon as he finished speaking.

The supervisor was a middle-aged man, mainly responsible for arranging seats and signing in for each scholar in the inner area.

Hearing Ji Zihang's words at that moment, he was completely baffled, yet he still stuck to his duty and replied.

"Third Young Master Ji must be mistaken. Our Qianqiu Tower doesn't have any cats or dogs."

Ji Zihang: "..."

He was momentarily at a loss for words, but inwardly he felt that communicating with a dull person was really draining.

In literary circles, the term "cats and dogs" never referred to actual cats and dogs; it was mostly a roundabout insult.

But this person couldn't even pick up on that, making him wonder how he had become a supervisor for Canglang Poetry Talk.

Ji Zihang took a deep breath and cast his gaze in the direction where Ji Yuntang was sitting.

"For a competition as formal as Canglang Poetry Talk, how can you let outsiders in?"

The middle-aged man looked at him, speechless. Now he finally understood who Ji Zihang's "cats and dogs" referred to!

As one of the supervisors for Canglang Poetry Talk, it was part of his duty to remember the identity and name of every scholar in the inner area.

In an instant, he recognized Ji Yuntang's identity.

The middle-aged man said mildly, "Third Young Master Ji may not be aware. Princess Ye is also one of the registered scholars for this competition. Her presence in the inner area is perfectly fine."

Ji Zihang: "..."

Ji Zihang: "!!!"

He had no idea Ji Yuntang had registered? When she hadn't even known?

Before Ji Zihang could recover, he heard Ji Yuntang give a cold laugh.

"Nice act, you're a good pretender. You have a talent for acting."

Ji Zihang looked at her with displeasure. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Ji Yuntang smirked. "Are you really saying you don't know what I mean?"

"Are you seriously claiming you don't know why I am here in the inner area?"

Ji Zihang's frown deepened. "What's that got to do with me? How would I know?"

These past three days, he had stayed home reading and never went out, so he was unaware of many things happening outside.

It was only when he left the mansion that Ji Zihang heard about Canglang Poetry Talk this year, and how Qingyun Hall had made an exception and opened three spots for women.

But he never imagined that Ji Yuntang would be among those three spots.

Just now, he hadn't even linked Ji Yuntang to the female competitors at all.

This caused Ji Zihang to embarrass himself even before the competition began.

Ji Yuntang's eyes flickered. She had just intentionally tested Ji Zihang, but his expression seemed genuine.

So that meant her registration had nothing to do with Ji Zihang, but with someone else.

Ji Yuntang gave a sarcastic smirk. Well, that was true. Although Ji Zihang was self-righteous, he still possessed the basic decency of a scholar.

He'd never stoop to something like that.

Just then, a few more figures entered the inner area.

Three men and two women, all richly dressed and appearing to be of noble status.

The middle-aged supervisor immediately hurried over respectfully, and Ji Yuntang guessed that these people must be a big deal.

One of the young men in white signed in and then walked straight up to Ji Yuntang, and gave her a warm greeting.

"Princess Ye, long time no see, I didn't expect to meet you here."

Ji Yuntang looked up and thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered.

"Are you Jiang Yunhang? Grandson of Grand Commandant Jiang?"

Jiang Yunhang smiled elegantly and said respectfully, "That's right. We met earlier at the palace banquet."

"The poem Princess Ye wrote was excellent. I copied down that poem 'Snow Plum' and shared it with my classmates. They all praised you, Princess, as a woman of great learning and talent."

"Now 'Snow Plum' is one of the must-read poems for every student at the Royal Academy. Even the head of the academy is reading your poem."

Ji Yuntang was a bit embarrassed, but more so flattered.

How on earth did she deserve this? Becoming famous at the Royal Academy for just one poem!

Besides, these were all works passed down from the ancestors—she was merely spreading them around a little.

Ji Yuntang gave an awkward smile and said, "Master Jiang, you are too kind. I just have a good memory."

Jiang Yunhang didn't catch her meaning; he simply thought she was being overly modest.

With gentle eyes and a courteous air, he said, "I've been thinking about when I might have the chance to see you again and learn from you."

"I didn't expect to see you so soon. Are you also a participant in the Canglang Poetry Contest?"

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