Chapter 22: Little Brother, You’ve Narrowed Your Path
“This is Miss Luzhu!”
Even though many people didn’t recognize the maid, seeing her come out from the highest floor of the attic, they immediately guessed her identity.
Miss Luzhu was Xiao Qianqian’s personal maid and rarely appeared in public.
Only when exceptional talents came to the Spring Wind Pavilion, she might come out to deliver invitations.
Since the completion of the Spring Wind Pavilion, there were only a handful of talents recognized by Xiao Qianqian.
So, everyone took pride in receiving an invitation from Xiao Qianqian.
But now, this honor was given to someone else right in front of them.
“Who is Ye Ning?”
People looked at each other, their eyes full of jealousy.
If Xiao Qianqian had kept her doors tightly shut like before, they wouldn’t have said much, but now that she had opened her doors just for one person, it was hard for them not to feel jealous.
“Could it be Mister Ye, who wrote ‘Who in this world can escape death?’?”
Now that Ye Ning was not an unknown figure, someone immediately thought of him.
“He actually came to the Spring Wind Pavilion?”
“If he came in person, then I can accept it.”
“Yes, not only did he write ‘Who in this world can escape death?’ but also ‘Report to the emperor with gold and jade in hand, to assist the emperor till death,’ it’s normal for him to catch Miss Xiao’s eye.”
People whispered.
The majority had no objections.
Ye Ning was now renowned in the capital city and was considered one of the most principled scholars of his time. Losing to someone like him was not shameful.
But not everyone felt the same.
Some people, considering themselves extraordinary, liked to vie for superiority.
Like the man in white sitting in the first row.
“Ye Ning has great integrity, which I admire. But when it comes to talent, he might not be as high as you all praise,” the man in white said lightly.
“Both ‘assisting the emperor till death’ and ‘Who in this world can escape death?’ are not just about talent but also about the resolute spirit of facing death fearlessly.”
“Moreover, these two poems are only half complete, lacking some persuasiveness.”
“Although Miss Xiao sent an invitation, whether Mister Ye can stand out remains to be seen.”
As he spoke, the man in white exuded an air of arrogance.
Many people frowned, finding his words arrogant.
But upon recognizing his identity, they suddenly realized.
“So he’s the newly crowned Zhuangyuan!”
Cai Xianggao, the newly crowned Zhuangyuan.
Just passing the imperial examination, he was currently in his prime.
This person was extraordinarily talented from a young age, famous far and wide for his literary skills. At the age of sixteen, he displayed remarkable poetic talent.
Nowadays, he had composed no less than thirty poems, each a masterpiece.
He was known as the “Twin Master of Poetry and Prose.”
“No wonder he doesn’t accept it. If it’s Mister Cai, it’s normal.”
The crowd’s attitude changed again.
Those who could become Zhuangyuan were regarded as stars descended from the literary constellation, and their talents needed no further explanation.
Although Ye Ning was famous in the capital city, his ranking in the imperial examination was average, and his poems mainly focused on spiritual content rather than elaborate rhetoric.
Of course, the most important thing was that both of those poems were incomplete, making it difficult to judge his specific level.
“Ye Ning has great integrity and is a role model for scholars, but when it comes to poetry, perhaps Mister Cai is indeed superior,” said some elderly people present.
Some of them were even high-ranking officials in the court, wearing plain clothes to partake in refined activities at the Spring Wind Pavilion. At this moment, they stood up and commented on the two individuals.
“It’s hard to say who will win Miss Xiao’s favor in the end.”
Many people showed an eager expression to watch the show.
These two were both remarkable figures, and their confrontation was quite intriguing.
Although Xiao Qianqian had sent out invitations, it only granted Ye Ning the qualification to enter. If he couldn’t stand out, this qualification would naturally be taken by Cai Xianggao.
The reason why Cai Xianggao stood up to challenge was also for this qualification.
Xiao Qianqian was his dream goddess.
To become an honored guest of Xiao Qianqian had always been Cai Xianggao’s dream.
“An invitation?”
Ye Ning didn’t pay attention to the noise below.
He looked at the invitation brought by Luzhu, with elegant writing and a faint fragrance.
He didn’t know if it was the scent of powder or body fragrance.
“You’re so lucky, Brother Ye. Miss Xiao is interested in you,” toasted Liu Sanyuan.
“What a coincidence, I’m also interested in her,” Ye Ning said, not having many ulterior motives.
His thoughts were simple.
Xiao Qianqian had a strong background and was likely a woman kept by a big shot outside. Anyone who tried to make advances on her ended up in a miserable state.
So, why wait?
Why not quickly make a move and provoke the big shot behind her?
In finding death, Ye Ning was a professional!
The conversation between Ye Ning and Liu Sanyuan didn’t reach the outside.
In the hall, everyone’s thoughts were different.
The competition in literary talent began as usual.
As soon as they wrote the first line of poetry, a surge of orange talent immediately emerged.
Talent was the most genuine, unable to be manipulated. Whoever had the strongest talent would be the winner.
“You only write poetry, but there’s no specific topic?” Ye Ning looked out with interest.
“No specific topic, but this place is still a romantic venue. Generally, the poems written here tend to be gentle… Like the poems you wrote before, they would be somewhat out of place here,” Liu Sanyuan chuckled.
He didn’t actually expect Ye Ning’s work.
In terms of poetry alone, the young Cai Xianggao was almost at his peak among the younger generation.
It was normal not to be able to compete with him.
However, winning or losing was not important. According to the plan, if Ye Ning won, it would naturally be the best outcome. If he lost, Xiao Qianqian would still create an opportunity to meet him.
“Competing in poetry, huh?”
Ye Ning had already figured Xiao Qianqian out.
He glanced at Cai Xianggao and thought to himself.
“Little brother, competing in poetry with a transmigrator like me, you’ve narrowed your path…”