Chapter 20: The Truth Revealed

  The entire hall fell silent, and Pei Yuange could feel that everyone's eyes were fixed on her. Especially one gaze from the front of the hall, which seemed calm but was actually cold and piercing, making her feel like she had been stabbed in the back. But now the most important thing was to resolve the current predicament. Pei Yuange bit her lip lightly and stared intently at the white silk cloth, continuing to write would be absolutely impossible; arguing with Pei Yuanrong would also be a bad idea, it would only make people laugh; should she write another one?

  Pei Yuansong shook his head and vetoed this idea.

  She had already written six words and was expected to come up with another poem on the spot, incorporating the border theme and making it impressive, which was too difficult... Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck, passing through the seventh word, and she continued writing the poem.

  The hall was filled with whispers, and An Zhuran's lips curled up: "It has already been said that this poem was written by Miss Pei San, and yet Miss Pei Si actually brought the original poem here, isn't that too shameless? Moreover, you even missed a word, turning a good seven-character quatrain into something unrecognizable. It's fortunate that Miss Pei Si can still write with such composure, this level of self-cultivation is truly admirable!"

  "Isn't An Shizi being a bit too hasty? Third sister wrote poetry, but I've written a ci poem." Pei Yuange glanced at him with the corner of her eye, and her elegant voice resonated warmly in the grand hall: "Yellow River far above, white clouds one piece, solitary city ten thousand zhang mountain, why need the qiang flute lament? Willow spring breeze, not passing through Jade Gate Pass!" This poem was originally a seven-character quatrain: Yellow River far above white clouds between, one piece solitary city ten thousand zhang mountain. Qiang flute why need lament willow, spring breeze not passing through Jade Gate Pass. She removed the word "between" from the first line, re-punctuated it, and surprisingly transformed this poem into a ci poem, flowing smoothly like floating clouds and running water, perfectly natural, with an atmosphere that didn't lose to the original poem.

  Even if this poem was originally written by Pei Yuanrong, Pei Yuansong's ability to improvise to such an extent shows his intelligence and quick wit, which is enough to make one sigh in admiration.

  The hall was filled with praise, and Pei Yuanrong's anger made her whole body tremble. She barely swallowed back the curses she wanted to spit out, and forced a smile: "I finally managed to recite this poem, but Fourth Sister only missed one word, and after making some slight changes, she passed it off as her own new composition to curry favor. Isn't that a bit too clever?" She reminded everyone that the poem was originally hers, and if not for her good poetry, how could Pei Yuan's lyrics be any good? The truly talented person was her, and the one who should receive all this praise was also her!

  Considering the prestige of the Pei Manor, Pei Yuansong did not expose her in public. Unexpectedly, Pei Yuanrong became unrelenting...

  Just as she was about to speak, a rich and mellow voice like fine wine came from the left front, making people feel dizzy with admiration: "Miss Pei said it well. Although Miss Fourth is clever and wise, after all, she is taking shortcuts. The original poem by Miss Third is really magnificent and majestic, desolate and tragic, truly worthy of praise."

  The sound seemed to be coming from the same direction as before, where she had felt like a thorn in her back. Pei Yuange's eyebrows furrowed, and she turned her head to look, suddenly stunned.

  The man wore a red robe, with black trim on the collar and cuffs, embroidered with gold thread to form intricate auspicious cloud patterns. Everyone else sat upright and dignified, but he leaned back in his chair, propping up his head with one hand, while playing with the smooth purple sandalwood armrest with the other. His posture was relaxed and languid, with a carefree and unrestrained air about him. His features were delicate and beautiful, surpassing those of women, yet without any hint of weakness or femininity, instead exuding an aura of uniqueness. The corners of his pale lips always seemed to hold a faint, enigmatic smile, as if smiling yet not quite smiling. His narrow, phoenix-like eyes would slightly raise, giving off an air of gentle focus, and a deep, affectionate gaze that made every woman who caught his eye blush and flutter in her heart, yet secretly feel delighted and thrilled, becoming lost in the depths of his eyes.

  The man's whole body was filled with a demonic and enchanting aura, which made Pei Yuansong's heartbeat pause even with his usual composure.

  The surrounding area was filled with the sound of women's sighs and jealous gazes, all shooting towards Pei Yuangong like arrows: The Ninth Prince hasn't spoken a word since entering the palace, no matter how hard others try to curry favor with him. And yet, as soon as he opens his mouth, it's to praise Pei Yuangong... Indeed, she's a fox-like seductress, born of a concubine and skilled in the art of enticing men. Even the Ninth Prince has fallen for her charms, how detestable!

  Bae Won-yong was so excited that he almost fainted: the ninth prince is praising me, and he alone looks at me with different eyes!

  All the women in the hall were infatuated with Yu Hongmo's elegance, only Pei Yuange remained sober. Only she could see the profound and mysterious depths hidden behind Yu Hongmo's gentle and affectionate eyes, just like a poisonous needle wrapped in cotton, seemingly gentle but capable of delivering a fatal blow when you least expect it.

  This man is absolutely not to be trifled with! Bae Won-song came to a silent conclusion and subconsciously took a step back.

  "Miss Pei's poem reminds me of a legend that has been passed down in the border regions. A long time ago, there was a loving couple in the border region - the woman's name was Yang Liu, and she was as beautiful as a flower; the man's name was Qiang Di, tall and strong. However, later on, Yang Liu married another person. On the eve of her wedding day, Qiang Di went to question her, and Yang Liu said that it wasn't that she didn't want to marry him, but rather that he should take a look at this desolate border region - not even a single flower would bloom here, and she was like the willow tree by the roadside, unable to survive. And so, the two of them parted ways.

  Yu Mo sighed softly, "Miss Yang Liu's words are not unreasonable, but if it weren't for Qiang Di and other generals guarding the border region and resisting foreign enemies, how would we have this peaceful and prosperous summer? Why should Qiang Di blame Yang Liu? The spring breeze does not pass through the Jade Gate Pass - these fourteen characters fully express the bitterness and helplessness of the border soldiers. Miss Pei must have heard this legend from General Pei, and was deeply moved by it, which is why she wrote such a poem. As a woman, she can still pay attention to the hardships of the border soldiers - this kind of breadth of vision is truly admirable."

  Pei Yuanyong smiled like a flower: "The ninth prince's eyes are as sharp as a torch, the young woman just heard about this from her father and was moved to compose this poem."

  But in her heart, she secretly thought it was a close call: Father doted on Pei Yuange and often told her stories of the border, so she must have heard this anecdote and written these two lines of poetry. If Pei Yuange were to ask herself about these two lines of poetry, she wouldn't be able to come up with an answer, and that would give away everything. Fortunately, it was the Ninth Prince who spoke first, and besides, the Ninth Prince had fought on the border before, so this would leave a good impression on him. This Ninth Prince's consort was absolutely in her pocket!

  Yu Hong's lips slightly curved, drawing a smile, her black eyes sparkling with color, and she said to Pei Yuange: "Miss Pei must also have been deeply moved by this allusion, so when she saw this border map, she couldn't help but think of the lines in this poem. I'm not wrong, am I?"

  This man is too cunning!

  Pei Yuange's expression became even more solemn, and he shook his head: "The young lady has never heard her father mention this matter."

  "Apparently, Miss Pei doesn't seem to be favored by General Pei either. Otherwise, how would the third miss know and you wouldn't? I should have known she was so out of favor, this marriage should have been called off long ago, and it wouldn't have dragged on until today."

  "Miss Pei Si doesn't know about this, that's right." Yu Hongmo smiled and opened his mouth, with a mocking glint in his black eyes. "Because there is no such legend on the border, it was just made up by me. But I'm very curious, how did Miss Pei San happen to predict my newly fabricated anecdote and use it in her poem? Or should I say, this poem... wasn't actually written by Miss Pei San?"

  His expression was still gentle, his voice still mellow, yet it made Pei Yuanrong feel like she had fallen into an icy cave, the grand hall filled with a cacophony of sounds...