strictlysupreme Chapter 117 Competition
Chapter 117 Competition
Upon hearing this, Fang Heng couldn't help but smile secretly, a smile creeping onto his face.
This Princess of Yulin is truly fascinating.
Just then, several of Fang Heng's friends arrived and overheard Fang Qiong and Zisu's last conversation. They couldn't help but laugh and teased Fang Heng, "Well, you little rascal, where did you meet this beauty?"
Fang Heng glared at them: "Stop talking nonsense! This is Princess Yulin. Hurry up and greet her!"
What?! Princess Yulin?! The famous Princess Yulin, Shangguan Zisu?!
Wow! It's a pleasure to meet you!
Everyone quickly bowed and said, "Greetings, Princess! Long live the Princess!"
Zisu couldn't help but laugh and waved her hand: "Why call me Princess? Just call me Miss Shangguan! Or, just call me Zisu. Please don't call me Thousand Years Old anymore, it gives me a headache!"
These words were immediately met with enthusiastic applause.
"Well done, Princess! You truly live up to your reputation. Generous, forthright, and decisive, you are an extraordinary woman!" A refined scholar praised. "Although I am a scholar, I am not a pedantic one. I am quite open-minded! Princess's personality is excellent, and I like it very much!"
"That's right, a princess like this is just too wonderful!" someone else exclaimed in approval.
"Well, we still have to call her 'Princess,' otherwise it would be too disrespectful. If the Princess doesn't like us calling her 'Your Highness,' then we won't! Hehe!" He then introduced himself: "Princess, my name is He Changsheng, greetings to the Princess!"
The speaker was a young man in his early twenties, who, like Fang Heng, appeared to be a young man with a strong sense of justice and a very sunny disposition.
Zisu smiled and nodded at him: "Greetings, Young Master He!"
He Changsheng then invited, "Today, I must thank the princess for saving Fang Heng. Since we are all so fortunate, why don't we go for a spring outing together!"
Zisu: "Okay, I already agreed to Fang Qiong's request!"
Fang Heng stood to one side, a bright smile always on his lips.
Zisu has such a wonderful personality. If Yunduo and Rufeng's mother had also had such a cheerful and lively personality, perhaps she wouldn't have died in childbirth. It seems the saying "character determines destiny" is true!
We chose to go on a spring outing on the back hill of Huangjue Temple, where there is a large peach orchard, and it was the peak season for peach blossoms. Pink peach blossoms danced in the wind, fluttering in the air for a while before settling on the lush green grass. The scene was exceptionally beautiful.
In front of the peach grove, there is a cheerful little stream with clear and sweet water, which adds a touch of liveliness and freshness to this beautiful scenery.
As Zisu strolled along the stream where wildflowers bloomed, a poem from a book of poetry she had read in a dream came to mind, and she couldn't help but softly recite it: "In the human world, the flowers of April have all faded, but in the mountain temple, the peach blossoms are just beginning to bloom. I long for spring's return, but cannot find it anywhere; little did I know it had turned and entered this place!"
It was late March, almost April. The peach blossoms outside the mountains had long since faded, but those here were just beginning to bloom. So, the poem was quite fitting for the season. She had only walked five or six steps along the stream when she composed a poem, leaving the assembled scholars utterly astonished.
Wow, Princess Yulin is not only very knowledgeable about farming and has excellent cooking skills, but she is also good at writing poetry!
He Changsheng couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "Princess, you are such a surprise! How many surprises do you have in store for everyone?"
Fang Heng's eyes couldn't help but shine.
This perilla was such a surprise! What a wonderful poem! It was practically a poem composed in five steps! To be honest, even he, a top scholar, couldn't compose such a poem in five steps!
Zisu blushed slightly and said modestly, "I didn't do it, I dreamt about it!"
A young man named Peng Mingyuan said, "Princess, you are too modest. We clearly saw you compose a poem in five steps, how can you say it wasn't you? You don't need to worry so much. You are already a princess and the daughter of the Protector General. Even if you are famous, it doesn't matter. By the way, if we're talking about fame, you've been famous for a long time! During the drought, the people of our Western Liang Kingdom survived thanks to sweet potatoes and potatoes!"
He Changsheng: "That's right, Princess. Being too modest is actually a form of pride! Today, all of us here can testify that you wrote this poem yourself! Anyway, we've never heard of it before. If it were really written by someone else, such a good poem would have spread throughout the entire Western Liang Dynasty long ago!"
Zisu sighed and didn't argue anymore.
Her appearance only strengthened everyone's belief that the poem was indeed written by her.
He Changsheng then suggested, "Wow, since the princess is so talented, how about we have a poetry gathering today? Let's use spring as the theme. Everyone is free to move around now, and we'll gather again in a quarter of an hour to recite our own poems! Princess, you can be an exception; you have to compose a poem too!"
Peng Donglai, still a bit childish, chimed in, "That's right! Even the princess can't be an exception. She must compete with us! If you defeat us scholars, I'll admire you wholeheartedly and be at your beck and call from now on!"
Zisu couldn't help but laugh: "Alright, let's give it a try. If you lose, you can't back out! You'll be my little brother, at my beck and call! If you back out, you're a little dog!"
"What?! Little brother?!" Peng Donglai had just taken a sip of water when he heard this, and he choked violently. After coughing for a while, he was finally able to speak: "Really? I look around, and here you're only a few years older than Fang Heng's sister. I'm eighteen years old, so I'm definitely several years older than you!"
Zisu: "Oh dear, the competition hasn't even started yet, and you're already backing out? Fine, I won't participate then!"
Peng Donglai panicked: "Fine, fine! If I lose to you, then I'll be your underling from now on, at your beck and call!"
Zisu: "Alright, everyone, you have to be my witnesses!"
Everyone responded loudly in unison, "Yes, we'll definitely be your witnesses!"
Fang Qiong cheerfully exclaimed, "Sister Zisu, I'll be your witness too!"
Zisu tugged at her little braid: "Okay, thank you, Qiong'er!"
Everyone scattered and went off to find inspiration.
Zisu strolled through the peach grove, with Fang Qiong following behind, racking her brains for poetry. Fang Heng also wandered nearby, appearing completely relaxed and confident.
Spring is a beautiful season, and any scholar with genuine talent can easily compose a good poem within a quarter of an hour. His only worry was Zisu; he wondered if she could produce another masterpiece in such a short time. After all, she grew up in the countryside and had never attended a girls' school, making her practically self-taught. Her ability to compose a poem in five steps might have been a coincidence, but it couldn't be ruled out that she was truly exceptionally talented, finding writing lyrics effortless.
However, he was still worried about her. He didn't know why, but he felt so concerned for this benefactor he had just met.
As for his younger sister Fang Qiong, he wasn't worried. After all, she was still young, and even if she couldn't compose poetry, it was understandable, and no one would say anything. But Zisu was, after all, the dignified Princess of Yulin, and he didn't want her reputation to be tarnished.
He had originally intended to stop her, but since Zisu had so readily agreed to the competition, he couldn't say anything more. After all, he wasn't familiar with her at all, and he was afraid she might misunderstand him.
In his worry, Fang Heng quickly composed a poem.
A quarter of an hour passed quickly.
Everyone returned to the gathering place and read out their masterpieces one by one. They consciously put Zisu and Peng Donglai last, probably wanting to give Zisu more time.
People generally hold the rumored Princess of Yulin in high regard and with goodwill. They all hope she can pass this test smoothly and avoid making a fool of herself.
Seeing that only he and Zisu were left, and considering that the poems written by the previous speakers were all quite good, especially Fang Heng's poem about spring, which won enthusiastic applause, Peng Donglai became anxious and quickly said, "Let me go first, let me go first."
He knew in his heart that his own poetry couldn't compare to Fang Heng's, but surely it couldn't be inferior to that of a young woman like Zisu? Subconsciously, he believed that Zisu's previous poem was just a coincidence, or perhaps something she had written on a regular basis. He privately thought it highly unlikely that Zisu, a woman who had never attended school, could produce another masterpiece within a quarter of an hour.
Zisu smiled slightly: "Okay, you go first!"
Peng Donglai read his poem aloud, which earned him applause.
Zisu sincerely said, "Yes, not bad, worthy of being a tribute scholar!"
Peng Donglai: "Princess, it's your turn now!"
Zisu smiled slightly, looking at the fluttering peach blossoms before her, and recited slowly and melodiously: "Spring is bright and I don't realize it's dawn, everywhere I hear birds singing. Last night the wind and rain came, I wonder how many flowers have fallen."
Before he finished speaking, applause erupted like a tidal wave.
He Changsheng exclaimed first, "What a wonderful poem! What a wonderful poem! The imagery in this poem is so beautiful, so beautiful! Princess, I am ashamed to admit my inferiority and humbly concede defeat!"
Zisu smiled slightly: "Thank you for the compliment!"
Peng Donglai was stunned, and it took him a long time to come to his senses. Fang Qiong clapped her hands and shouted, "Brother Peng, quickly call her sister!"
Peng Donglai looked at Zisu with a pained expression, pleading, "Princess, do I really have to call you 'sister'? But I'm clearly older than you! If I call you 'sister,' I'll become a laughingstock!"
Zisu remained unmoved: "Little brother, when it comes to dealing with people, we should be true to our word and accept the consequences of our bets!"
Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter and shouted in unison to Peng Donglai, "Call her sister! Call her sister!"