Chapter 349: Tacit Understanding

Xie Liuzheng said, gesturing a punching motion with his hand.

Luo Qingge pondered the feasibility of beating up Ji Qingqing.

After thinking for a moment, she decided it was doable.

There was no other reason—she simply hated Ji Qingqing's pretentious, innocent act too much!

She wondered how Luo Jingshen could even fancy someone like Ji Qingqing.

Wouldn't he find it disgusting to marry her?

Having made up her mind, Luo Qingge lowered her voice and said to Xie Liuzheng, "I'm in—count me in. You plan it out first, then tell me, and we'll figure out how to proceed."

"But remember, this stays between you and me—no one else can know."

Xie Liuzheng patted his chest, his smile brimming with confidence.

"Don't worry, I've got it covered."

So Luo Jingshen wanted to protect Ji Qingqing, did he?

Well then, he'd make a point of beating Ji Qingqing up to get some payback for Ji Yuntang.

The two exchanged a knowing smile, instantly on the same page.

Ji Yuntang had no idea that Xie Liuzheng and Luo Qingge had already teamed up, plotting to help her get even!

At that moment, she was on the competition stage, once again listening to the invigilator announce the results.

Unsurprisingly, Ji Yuntang took first place again in this calligraphy round.

Her essay was highly praised by Mei Zhuyu, who called it "brilliant writing with real literary flair."

After reading Ji Yuntang's "County Essay," everyone else's work seemed totally dull!

Mei Zhuyu felt that the other candidates' essays were, more or less, lacking something.

Either the emotion wasn't there, or they didn't really get the political angle—none of them lived up to what he expected.

Only Ji Yuntang hit the mark.

Thus, the fourth round of calligraphy eliminated six people in total.

Only four remained: Ji Yuntang, Jiang Yunhang, Song Weilan, and Zhao Qian.

Jiang Yunhang's face couldn't hide his excitement as he clasped his hands toward Ji Yuntang and said:

"Princess Ye, we've finally reached my most anticipated part—the poetry round. I've long wanted to go head-to-head with you!"

Ji Yuntang smiled back at him. "I'm ready whenever you are, but I won't go easy on you!"

"Princess, there's no need to hold back. In my eyes, nobody comes close to your poetic talent."

The moment Jiang Yunhang said those words, he realized he might have put his foot in his mouth!

He quickly turned to Song Weilan with a sheepish look.

"Princess Shuyang, I didn't mean to put you down. Hope you don't take it the wrong way."

Song Weilan was the foremost talented woman of the Dongchen Kingdom. Her poetry and prose had earned her quite a reputation in the capital since she was twelve.

You could say Song Weilan's poems were the gold standard among the capital's scholars.

However, she had always been low-key, rarely attending court banquets, so she had few opportunities to show off her skills.

So when Jiang Yunhang said Ji Yuntang's poetry was unmatched, some might take it as him dissing Song Weilan, saying she wasn't as good as Ji Yuntang.

Jiang Yunhang felt he had spoken too hastily and was kicking himself.

Song Weilan looked at him with a gentle smile, unfazed.

"Young Master Jiang, there's no need to apologize. This Princess also thinks Princess Ye's poetry is exceptional. I once had the chance to read her work—it was absolutely brilliant, way out of my league."

"Having someone as talented as Princess Ye in the Dongchen Kingdom is a point of pride and a blessing for all of us. We should all take a page from her book."

Song Weilan spoke humbly, with a cool, calm grace about her.

The crowd below overheard her words and began murmuring among themselves.

"If Princess Shuyang says that, does that mean our top talented woman is about to be replaced by Princess Ye?"

But right as someone said that, Luo Qianxue snapped back angrily.

"Replace her? She's not even worthy of that."

She walked over gracefully, oozing arrogance, and everyone bowed as she walked by.

Luo Qianxue rolled her eyes disdainfully. "Ji Yuntang is just lucky. Do you really think passing four rounds means she's all that?"

"With such awful behavior, in this Princess's eyes, Ji Yuntang isn't even worthy of licking Princess Shuyang's boots."

The crowd looked at each other nervously and lowered their heads, nobody dared to speak up for Ji Yuntang.

But just because the crowd didn't dare, that didn't mean nobody else would.

Xie Liuzheng appeared before Luo Qianxue all of a sudden.

He drawled lazily, dragging out his words on purpose.

"This Heir's sister is really something—she's better than you, and there's nothing you can do about it. If you were to get up there and compete, you'd probably fail the first round!"

Luo Qingge crossed her arms and added lazily, "Exactly. My third sister-in-law passing one round might be luck, but winning four in a row is pure skill. Luo Qianxue, you're just jealous."

Luo Qianxue was furious. Seeing Xie Liuzheng step closer, she instinctively took a few steps back, then hissed through her teeth, "You... you're all picking on this Princess!"

Xie Liuzheng scoffed coldly. "Who's bullying you? Just because you can't win an argument, you act like we're picking on you?"

"You're the one who said this Heir's sister isn't good enough to hold Princess Shuyang's shoes. Everyone here heard it. I've never seen anyone as thick-skinned as you!"

"Xie Liuzheng, who are you calling thick-skinned?" Luo Qianxue glared, her eyes shooting daggers.

"Whoever answers me is who I'm talking about."

"..."

The argument below was getting heated, and Song Weilan frowned, as it dawned on her that this might have all started because of her.

Xie Liuzheng believed that the title of the capital's top talented woman would surely belong to Ji Yuntang.

Luo Qianxue, on the contrary, thought Ji Yuntang wasn't worthy of it at all.

Song Weilan stepped forward to explain, "Heir Xie, Tenth Princess, please stop arguing!"

"That title has never truly been mine; it's just that everyone's been too generous in calling me that."

"Shuyang is well aware that I'm short on talent and learning, and I've never thought of hogging the title. In my view, Princess Ye is way more accomplished than I am—she's the one who truly deserves to be called the capital's top talented woman."

As soon as Song Weilan said this, Luo Qianxue went quiet instantly!

She hadn't expected that after all her arguing with Xie Liuzheng, the one to pull the rug out from under her would be Song Weilan.

What did this mean?

It meant that Song Weilan had never seen herself as the capital's top talented woman.

She was incredibly low-key and humble, never seeking these empty titles.

Luo Qianxue felt a tightness in her chest that wouldn't ease.

She shot an irritated glare at Xie Liuzheng and Luo Qingge, then stormed off without a backward glance!

Luo Qingge and Xie Liuzheng shared a knowing smile, both highly satisfied with the outcome.

It was as if they were saying that their round of confrontation with Luo Qianxue had ended in a complete victory.

Ji Yuntang watched the scene in utter amazement.

What surprised her was not the content of their conversation, but the fact that they'd somehow developed an unspoken rapport.

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