Chapter 82 Public Poetry Recital—Praise!

Chapter 82: Reciting Poetry Publicly, Flattery!

Xie Liuzheng, that big idiot—couldn’t he tell she liked him?

Who even talks like that?

Xie Liuzheng was handsome, the only son of Duke Rong’s mansion, and hadn’t married a wife as the heir yet. He had good looks and status, except for that mouth of his, which was just as annoying as Luo Qingge’s.

Still, she liked this kind of young master—conquering him would be a challenge.

Luo Qianxue thought to herself that one day, when Xie Liuzheng was hers, she’d train him well and make him obey her every word.

Emperor Jingyang’s gaze landed on Ji Yuntang, scrutinizing her. He narrowed his eyes and asked, “Ge’er and Xue’er don’t agree. Princess Ye, what do you think?”

Emperor Jingyang had always known that Luo Junhe had married the illegitimate daughter of the Marquis Yongning’s mansion. Privately, he thought she wasn’t fit for the spotlight and had never summoned Ji Yuntang to the palace.

But now, it seemed this woman was way more formidable than he’d imagined. No wonder the Empress had repeatedly praised her in his presence.

Ji Yuntang knew perfectly well that Emperor Jingyang was testing her.

Two princesses were arguing over her, and he’d tossed the question back to her to answer.

If Ji Yuntang couldn’t come up with a good solution, or if her suggestion seemed unfair, she’d offend one of the princesses, including the Empress and Consort Li, who were there.

On one side was her husband’s little sister, and on the other, a friend she’d just made. Everyone wanted to know how Ji Yuntang would choose.

Ji Yuntang thought for a moment, then smiled warmly. “Your Majesty, I have a solution. Everyone, please listen.”

“The disagreement between the two princesses is because my couplet wasn’t about plum blossoms. So, I’d like to compose a poem about plum blossoms right now for everyone to judge. What does Your Majesty think?”

A faint smile flickered across the Empress’s face. She said calmly, “Your Majesty, I think Princess Ye’s suggestion is excellent. Why not let her do as she says and compose a poem about plum blossoms in front of everyone?”

“The young masters and ladies here are all well-read in poetry and literature. They can judge whether her poem is good or not. If it’s good, she wins; if not, Second Miss Ji does. This method is the fairest. What does Your Majesty think?”

Emperor Jingyang took a sip of his tea. He had to admit, Ji Yuntang’s proposal was indeed the best one so far.

It wouldn’t offend anyone and kept things fair between her and Ji Qingqing. Quite clever.

“Then let it be as the Empress said. If Princess Ye can come up with a poem within half a stick of incense, she passes.”

Ji Yuntang gave a slight smile. “Thank you, Your Majesty, and thank you, Empress.”

Composing poetry was a piece of cake for someone from modern times.

If she’d memorized the Three Hundred Tang Poems in elementary school, she could easily crush Ji Qingqing.

Still, Ji Yuntang stalled a bit. She frowned in thought, looking up at the sky and then down at a book, making everyone think she was just bluffing and couldn’t actually come up with a poem.

Ji Huaiche thought the same. Looking at Ji Qingqing’s pale face, he lowered his voice to reassure her.

“Qing Qing, don’t worry. Don’t we know her true abilities better than anyone?”

“When the steward brought her back, she was all timid and couldn’t even write her name. Now she dares to show off in front of the Emperor and Empress. Let’s see how she gets out of this!”

“Big brother, but I feel like sister’s changed…” Ji Qingqing’s lips quivered. She wanted to say that Ji Yuntang didn’t seem like she was bluffing.

Instead, she looked confident.

That bitch was great at acting. From the moment she was brought back from the Marquis’s mansion, she’d been playing a role, fooling the whole family.

Now Ji Qingqing couldn’t tell if Ji Yuntang was for real or just faking it.

If she was faking, then she was terrifying—so terrifying that Ji Qingqing wanted to kill her right then and there.

As the half-stick of incense was about to burn out, the crowd shook their heads, clearly disdainful.

Luo Qingge was as anxious as a grasshopper on a hot skillet, but she didn’t dare urge Ji Yuntang.

What to do, what to do? Time was almost out. How come Third Sister-in-law still hadn’t started composing?

Was she really going to lose to that fake innocent, Ji Qingqing, today?

Everyone present had different expressions, except for Luo Sinian and Xie Liuzheng, who stayed totally calm.

As for Xie Liuzheng, he’d known since the medical competition that Ji Yuntang was something special. He didn’t think a poem could trip her up.

Luo Sinian, on the other hand, had a complicated look in his eyes. Even he couldn’t figure out his current view of Ji Yuntang.

This woman kept surprising him over and over.

Whenever Luo Sinian thought there was an impossible mountain in front of her, Ji Yuntang’s performance always amazed him.

Especially today! He noticed the dark spots on her face were gone, and she looked stunningly beautiful.

He couldn’t call her an ugly monster anymore.

Luo Sinian felt there was nothing Ji Yuntang couldn’t handle.

Ji Qingqing was no match for her; Ji Yuntang was sure to win.

Finally, just before the incense burned out, Ji Yuntang spoke up.

“Plum and snow vie for spring, neither willing to yield; poets put down their pens, struggling to judge. The plum must concede to the snow for three parts of whiteness, yet the snow loses to the plum for a hint of fragrance.”

—Excerpt from “Snow and Plum, Part One” by Lu Meipo, Song Dynasty

As her voice fell, a young man in white robes stood up and applauded her.

“Excellent! Excellent line—‘The plum must concede to the snow for three parts of whiteness, yet the snow loses to the plum for a hint of fragrance.’ Princess Ye, this poem is truly marvelous. How did you come up with it? Could you explain it to me, Jiang?”

Afraid Ji Yuntang wouldn’t recognize him, Luo Qingge whispered, “Third Sister-in-law, this is Jiang Yunhang, grandson of Grand Commandant Jiang. He studies at the Royal Academy. He’s a bookworm with simple limbs and a simple mind. His only pursuits are reading and poetry—he’s obsessed with books.”

Ji Yuntang: “…”

Was it really okay for Luo Qingge to talk about him like that?

And her voice was so loud that everyone present must have heard it.

Ji Yuntang expected Jiang Yunhang to be angry, but he smiled gracefully, cupped his hands, and said politely, “Princess Jiu’s critique of me is spot on. Thank you for your kind praise.”

Ji Yuntang: “…”

He admitted to being a bookworm?

It seemed he really was a simple-minded bookworm.

Still, Ji Yuntang caught a small detail in Luo Qingge’s words.

Jiang Yunhang studied at the Royal Academy. If she remembered correctly, the original owner’s third brother, Ji Zihang, was also there.

Perhaps they were even classmates.

Thinking this, Ji Yuntang smiled and said generously, “Young Master Jiang flatters me. It wasn’t that hard. I simply associated plum blossoms with snowflakes and compared the differences between the two.”

------------