Chapter 310: Flipping the Bird

Chapter 310 Giving the Middle Finger

Ji Yuntang nodded. "Yes, I am also a contestant."

Jiang Yunhang's face lit up, and he then walked over to sit beside Ji Yuntang.

As luck would have it, this happened to be his seat.

He lowered his voice, covering his mouth with his hand, and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear:

"I think you, Princess, are sure to win the laureate of Canglang Poetry Talk."

Ji Yuntang: "..."

She looked at Jiang Yunhang, stunned. "Young Master Jiang, what makes you say that?"

Jiang Yunhang's eyes softened as he smiled at her. "I don't know, just a hunch."

After a moment, he added, "But my hunches are rarely wrong."

Ji Yuntang's expression showed shock for a moment, then she curled her lips indifferently.

"You overestimate me, Young Master Jiang. At such a time, everyone relies on their own skills; it comes down to who has the most knowledge."

Jiang Yunhang agreed.

"The Princess is right. Canglang Poetry Talk won't put anyone on a pedestal, but it won't let any scholar's talent go unrecognized."

"We'll find out soon enough who's got the goods."

As the two were talking, the hall slowly filled up.

Ji Yuntang looked around and saw over two hundred scholars had signed up.

Among them, fifty to sixty were poor scholars, sitting there with nervous expressions; many wore clothes faded from countless washings.

Another sixty to seventy were students from the Royal Academy. Unlike the poor scholars, each looked haughty and was dressed in flashy, fine clothes.

The rest were wandering scholars from elsewhere, ambitious but barred from taking the exams.

These literati were more reserved and less showy, sitting quietly.

The last dozen or so were high-born people from the capital, like Ji Yuntang.

They were neither students, nor officials, nor literary wanderers.

Well-versed in classics, they wanted to take this opportunity to showcase their talents.

Ji Yuntang also saw two women across from her.

One was just over eighteen, wearing a lily-ruyi long dress, with a jade hairpin inserted diagonally in her bun. She had no excessive adornments, yet she radiated a quiet dignity.

Her skin was smooth as cream, her radiance like spring blossoms, and a quiet, elegant smile hung on her lips. Calling her a bright moon would not be an exaggeration.

Ji Yuntang asked Jiang Yunhang, "Do you know who she is?"

Jiang Yunhang said, "She is Princess Shuyang, Song Weilan, the daughter of the Prince of Jingnan. She is also the granddaughter of Grand Tutor Su and the daughter of the Empress's elder sister."

"Princess Shuyang has studied the Four Books and Five Classics under Grand Tutor Su since childhood. She is a famous talented woman in our Dongchen Kingdom. Even our academy head once praised her, saying her temperament was like an orchid and her talent like that of an immortal."

Ji Yuntang touched her chin. So she was the Empress's niece; no wonder she looked somewhat familiar.

I have to say, Song Weilan's temperament was somewhat similar to the Empress's; both had the same dignified and graceful air.

After introducing Song Weilan, Jiang Yunhang then introduced Ji Yuntang to another woman standing beside Song Weilan.

"That woman wearing the purple floating-light brocade skirt is Murong Yue, the daughter of an imperial censor from the Censorate. She is also a student of our Royal Academy."

After he finished speaking, he paused for a moment, frowned, and then continued:

"After thinking it over, I feel there is something I must tell Princess Ye: Miss Murong likes Third Young Master Ji."

"She knows that Third Young Master Ji doesn't like you, so at the Royal Academy, she often incited her close friends to speak ill of you in private and ruin your reputation."

"Not only that, Miss Murong has also repeatedly denigrated Princess Ye's poem 'Snow Plum,' saying it is fabricated nonsense and unworthy of being called poetry."

Upon hearing this, Ji Yuntang was completely stunned.

"I haven't even met her, and she has such a grudge against me?"

Jiang Yunhang scratched his head, his voice, as clear as jade, rang out.

"This... I'm not clear on these details. I've told the princess everything I know. I just wanted to give you a heads-up, to make you watch out for Miss Murong."

Ji Yuntang cupped her hands toward Jiang Yunhang. "Thank you, Young Master Jiang. I will be careful."

She looked towards Murong Yue, and Murong Yue turned to look back at her.

As their eyes met, Murong Yue gave Ji Yuntang a fierce glare, and Ji Yuntang gave her the middle finger.

Murong Yue: "..."

She didn't understand what this meant.

But her instinct told her it wasn't a good gesture.

Jiang Yunhang, who was beside her, asked, "Princess Ye, what does this gesture mean?"

"Oh, this!" Ji Yuntang smiled meaningfully. "It's an international gesture of friendly communication."

Jiang Yunhang suddenly understood. "I see. The princess sure knows a lot."

After saying that, he, too, gave Murong Yue the middle finger.

Murong Yue: "..."

Ji Yuntang: "..."

She wanted to say, "This kid is too literal-minded!"

He shouldn't imitate everything like that!!!

When Ji Zihang looked over, Jiang Yunhang also gave him the middle finger and added in a gentle and polite tone,

"Brother Ji, it's been a while."

Ji Zihang frowned. Didn't they just meet at the Royal Academy three days ago?

That wasn't very long ago, was it?

"Also, what does this gesture mean?" Jiang Yunhang asked.

"Headmaster Cheng has arrived, Director Mei has arrived."

At that moment, a voice rang out, and all the students stood up.

Ji Yuntang turned around and saw two refined and scholarly middle-aged men walking toward her. One was tall and thin, while the other was shorter and stockier. The man in white was Cheng Rushan, headmaster of the Royal Academy. The man in the black brocade robe was Mei Zhuyu, director of Qingyun Hall.

When Jiang Yunhang saw the two, the middle finger he had lowered shot right back up in excitement.

Ji Yuntang's lips twitched, and she quickly grabbed his hand and pulled it down.

She whispered, "Young Master Jiang, this gesture shouldn't be used in front of outsiders—it's easy to get beaten up."

Jiang Yunhang was a little taken aback and asked in confusion, "Ah, why?"

Ji Yuntang: "..."

She couldn't exactly tell him it meant contempt and provocation, could she?

Jiang Yunhang was too honest; she was afraid that if he found out, it would affect his performance in the upcoming competition.

Ji Yuntang's eyes darted around, and she quickly thought of a reason.

"Think about it, Headmaster Cheng and Director Mei are both respected elders. At their age, they won't understand this gesture that we young people use, so it would be easy for them to misinterpret your meaning."

"You don't want them to misunderstand you, do you?"

Jiang Yunhang listened carefully. He thought about what Ji Yuntang said and thought she was absolutely right. Although Headmaster Cheng and Director Mei were knowledgeable, they probably don't get this gesture, and it would be a shame if it led to any unnecessary misunderstandings.

"Princess Ye, I understand. Thank you."

Ji Yuntang breathed a sigh of relief to hear that. She was just about to praise Jiang Yunhang when he said in all seriousness.

"From now on, I'll only flip off people my own age—it's all friendly communication!"

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