A Single Tie Of Long Hair Seals A Lifelong Commitment - Chapter 31.2

Xie Wenjun glanced sideways, seeing Xun Shuheng whisper something into Chen Liangyu’s ear. Chen Liangyu leaned in to listen, and the two occasionally exchanged glances.

The fingers hidden under Xie Wenjun’s wide sleeve curled in a barely noticeable manner.

The Old Princess Dowager passed the submitted poems to Xie Wenjun. Xie Wenjun was momentarily lost in thought, and it took two calls from the Old Princess Dowager for her to awaken as if from a dream.

After a quick scan, she simply said, “Good ci.”

The Old Princess Dowager chuckled, “In the Princess’s opinion, which piece is superior?”

Xie Wenjun briefly reviewed them again and pointed out the two pieces she thought were better among the four.

The servant hurried away, and soon the butler announced the winners. There was a murmur of disappointment below the stage.

The two challengers retreated sheepishly.

Those who could attend the East Residence’s banquet, even if their current rank was not high, were all genuine scholars who had excelled in the Imperial Examinations, and they were always regarded as the chosen ones. Losing to a woman was a serious loss of face.

The defeat of the two preceding gentlemen clearly ignited the fighting spirit of these literary talents. They eagerly stepped up to compete.

Xie Wenjun was disheartened, frequently turning her head sideways, pretending to look inadvertently. The Old Princess Dowager noticed the peculiarity.

“Princess, are you unhappy?” The Old Princess Dowager patted Xie Wenjun’s hand, her tone very kind.

Xie Wenjun returned a smile and shook her head.

Chen Liangyu’s thoughts were also wandering. Propping up her cheek, she began to ponder Xie Wenjun.

She roughly knew that it seemed to be related to the matter of the women’s academy, but she hadn’t figured out her strategy. It was like playing a game of chess with a master, but she couldn’t see where the opponent’s pieces were landing.

Her thoughts then jumped to Zhang Jialing. She thought if he were here today, he would dare to open a betting pool on the spot at this scene. The East Residence had sent an invitation to the Right Chancellor’s residence, but the Zhang family only sent a gift, with no one attending the banquet.

This was not Zhang Jialing’s style; he was usually keen on getting involved in other people’s weddings and funerals.

When Chen Liangyu arrived, she casually muttered a question outside the East Residence gate, and a busybody provided the answer.

A nameless but gossip-loving gentleman said, “He, ah, is insisting on marrying a merchant’s daughter. The Right Chancellor scolded him for lowering his family’s status. He spouted some nonsense about ‘all men are created equal,’ said the Right Chancellor was just a ‘carbon-based life form’ no different from a merchant, and insisted on marrying that merchant woman as his legitimate wife. The Chancellor was so angry he spat blood. Since he is old, he is now bedridden, and Zhang Jialing is currently attending to him.”

Chen Liangyu knew which merchant woman Zhang Jialing wanted to marry. It was said that after meeting Shen Yan, he truly changed his ways, dismissing all the other women around him, showing a strong intention to be with Shen Yan for life.

However, the difficulty lay in the fact that he couldn’t get past the Right Chancellor.

This was not only because of the low status of merchants but also because merchants were often perceived as having nimble minds and slick tongues, relying on speculation and deception to survive, and were therefore considered restless. As a result, most officials in the court disliked this type of person.

People on the stage came and went like a revolving lantern, one batch entering and another batch leaving with dusty faces. Towards the end, no one dared to step forward anymore, and they all turned their attention to the seating area of the students from Hanhong Academy.

In that seating area, led by Chen Luan, sat four or five students wearing the same pale moon-colored scholar robes.

Someone started a cheer, but Chen Luan shut them down with a single phrase, “My talent is shallow.”

The people from Hanhong Academy had already experienced Gu Xie’s literary talent while at the academy; one by one, they were thoroughly subdued and dared not show off any longer. To compete with her in ci, it would probably require Yao Jifeng himself or her elder brother, Gu Heng, to come forward.

Originally eager to show off their skills, they were all defeated and lost face. Many of them could no longer hide their embarrassment, looking around, trying to find a representative who could redeem their honor.

Finally, they spotted someone sitting in the corner.

One person said, “Yuan, you haven’t been on the stage yet.”

As soon as the name was spoken, everyone seemed to have found a lifeline. Ignoring the person named ‘Yuan’ who was waving his hand and trying to retreat, they all pushed him forward.

Hearing this name, Qin Sensen’s back stiffened noticeably, and the hand holding the brush trembled slightly.

Sheng Yuan, the son of the Minister of War, was known for his clarity and self-control, never engaging in romantic escapades, maintaining a righteous demeanor. His literary talent was outstanding, and he had once been personally praised by Emperor Xuanyuan.

Sheng Yuan was pushed forward. He seemed to sigh, straightened himself, and walked stiffly, bypassing Qin Sensen, who was closer to him, and sat opposite Gu Xie, separated by a gauze curtain.

Just as Yao Jifeng was about to present the topic, a gust of wind suddenly swept through, lifting the veil of Yao Jifeng’s bamboo hat.

“This…”

“He is…”

Everyone exchanged glances, falling silent. Some even turned their backs, looking at the sky or the ground, pretending not to look at the face on the stage.

They were all officials serving the court, and no one could guarantee that their head would always remain on their neck. Therefore, they all hoped that if they ever found themselves in such a predicament, they could also be lucky enough to escape, and their former colleagues would give them a break and spare their lives. Furthermore, since he appeared so openly at the East Residence’s birthday banquet, the Old Princess Dowager must have been aware of it. Since the prince’s residence was not speaking up, they also chose to mind their own business.

They were immensely relieved that Zhao Xingli, the stern-faced Censor-in-Chief, was not present.

The Old Princess Dowager smiled, rose, and was helped to the front courtyard. Everyone bowed and saluted, thus covering up the matter. After the bows, the Old Princess Dowager had someone bring paper and ink, and she quickly wrote two calligraphy pieces: “Yong Xue” (Ode to Snow) and “Yi Qun” (Outstanding). She presented them separately to Qin Sensen and Gu Xie.

“Talent for composing Odes to Snow” and “Outstanding Talent” are both meant to praise a person’s exceptional talent.

During the feast, Xie Wenjun appeared next to Chen Liangyu at some point and pulled her away.

The East Residence’s back garden had a rockery carved from natural stone. Since it was not the peak season for flowers, the flower beds lacked color.

“The academy can be prepared. As soon as possible,” Xie Wenjun said.

“Now? It doesn’t seem like a good time,” Chen Liangyu said.

“If you always wait for the perfect time, you’ll miss a lot,” Xie Wenjun walked beside her, full of confidence.

Chen Liangyu raised her hand to brush off a piece of lint from Xie Wenjun’s hair, the action so casual as if it were natural.

Xie Wenjun froze for a moment, then asked, “Are you and Xun Shuheng on very good terms?”

“Not bad. A-Heng is not at all like Chancellor Xun. That Chancellor Xun, tsk! A piece of rotten wood!” Afraid of causing a misunderstanding, Chen Liangyu added, “I’m talking about the temperaments of the father and daughter.”

“A-Heng?” Xie Wenjun said.

“Yes, A-Heng.” Chen Liangyu was a little puzzled, “Doesn’t the Princess know A-Heng’s name?”

Xie Wenjun lowered her eyes and said, “You have never called me that.”

“Calling the Princess by her given name is a great disrespect.”

“Never mind. Rotten wood.”

Xie Wenjun steered the conversation back to the main topic, “Regarding the academy, you need to know that the Emperor and my Imperial Brother will not approve, so we need to find the funds ourselves. Although I have some private money, it’s far from enough to build an academy.”

“I do,” Chen Liangyu said.

“You?” Xie Wenjun looked at her with suspicion.

Chen Liangyu: “Don’t believe me?”

Xie Wenjun: “Do you want to hear the truth?”

Chen Liangyu: “Tell me.”

Xie Wenjun: “I already did.”