Miss Chang’s eyes widened, gazing at Zhan Feiyu, who was leisurely drinking tea, with adoration. A single upper couplet had stumped all the noble ladies present. Even with preparation, Miss Zhan’s combat power was absolutely formidable.
Compared to Miss Chang’s enjoyment of the spectacle and Zhan Feiyu’s composure, Wen Ruyi, the foremost talented lady of the capital, grew increasingly displeased. Being swindled out of ten thousand taels of silver at Duobao Pavilion, she could at least claim she was caught off guard by a scoundrel. But now, faced with this upper couplet, if she couldn’t provide a fitting lower couplet, her reputation as a talented lady would become a colossal joke.
Miss Chen glanced at Zhan Feiyu, sitting in the corner, her round face etched with the helplessness of admitting defeat. “Sister Wen, ‘Smoke locks the pond willows, lamps hang by the brocade balustrade.’ This latter part already has perfect parallelism. I’ve racked my brains and can’t think of any other lower couplet.”
Setting aside the artistic conception of “Smoke locks the pond willows,” merely creating a lower couplet with correct tone and parallelism was extremely difficult. To encompass the five elements in five characters for the lower couplet was no easy feat.
The ladies seated nearby also gave up. They didn’t consider themselves talented ladies, and besides, with Wen Ruyi blocking the way, losing wouldn’t be embarrassing.
One young lady with a fiery temper complained irritably, “She came prepared. This is to suppress us and make a name for herself in the capital!”
No one wanted to be a stepping stone for another, especially to be overshadowed by an outsider of unknown origin. The thought alone was stifling, but whether it was a literary or martial contest, they couldn’t compete! It made them even more vexed.
With this thought, someone couldn’t help but glare resentfully at Miss Li. Her troublemaking had dragged everyone else down with her to lose face!
“I…” Miss Li’s face turned pale.
Just moments ago, she had been smugly integrated into the circle of noble ladies like Wen Ruyi. In an instant, she was met with everyone’s animosity. Miss Li, having incurred the wrath of the crowd, dared not blame Wen Ruyi and the others. Her anger instantly turned towards Zhan Feiyu.
“You said you’ve pondered for many years, so you must have come up with quite a few lower couplets. Why not share them with us!” Miss Li spoke fiercely. If she hadn’t known that Zhe Jing couldn’t even defeat Zhan Feiyu, Miss Li would have resorted to physical violence.
“This upper couplet can be considered an absolute. We also want to hear Miss Zhan’s lower couplet, which you’ve pondered for years.”
“I am untalented and unlearned. I usually get a headache whenever I see these poems and lyrics. I beg Miss Zhan to enlighten me and let this blockhead broaden his horizons.”
“Since Miss Zhan dared to utter the upper couplet today, she must have already come up with the lower couplet. Sister Wen, we haven’t lost unfairly. After all, even if we were given a year, we could come up with a lower couplet.”
The crowd spoke in a flurry of voices, latching onto Zhan Feiyu’s words of “pondered for many years.” Since it was an absolute, let alone a few years, it might not be possible to come up with a lower couplet even after decades.
Wen Ruyi then smiled and chimed in, adopting a humble posture. “I still request Miss Zhan to enlighten us. Ruyi will listen attentively.”
Facing the hostility of everyone, Zhan Feiyu put down her teacup. “Miss Wen, there’s no need to be so self-deprecating. In fact, both the upper and lower couplets were composed by predecessors.”
With a slight glint in her eyes, Wen Ruyi stood up and looked at Miss Chang. “Please trouble Sister Chang to prepare ink and paper. I invite Miss Zhan to write down the lower couplet so we can transcribe it and savor it at home.”
“Alright.” Miss Chang nodded and asked a maid to prepare the writing materials. Sister Wen intended to regain an advantage in calligraphy.
After a while.
Seeing Zhan Feiyu choose a sheep-hair brush, Wen Ruyi and the others were momentarily stunned. Sheep-hair brushes have soft, rounded tips and poor elasticity, but they hold a large amount of ink and release it slowly, making them difficult to control with force.
Therefore, Wen Ruyi and the others usually used wolf-hair brushes. Their tips were sharp and even, and their bodies were strong, allowing them to write elegant and dignified characters, even if they weren’t skilled in calligraphy, they could still write steady, square, and delicate small script.
“Is she skilled in cursive script?” Miss Chen frowned. This upper couplet was a clever trick. Miss Zhan’s victory was not entirely honorable, but writing cursive script with this brushwork would truly be a testament to her meticulous skill.
Looking at Zhan Feiyu’s still somewhat childish face, a young girl who hadn’t even come of age was surpassing them in calligraphy. Wouldn’t that cause them, the talented ladies, to lose face completely?
Zhan Feiyu had been practicing the "Seventeen Posts" during this period, so as soon as she put brush to paper, it was cursive script: “Smoke locks the pond willows, beacon fires extinguish the frontier swans. Eastern branches cease their spring waters, southern wings lament the autumn wind.”
After completing the four lines, Zhan Feiyu dipped her brush in ink and wrote a third poem: “Smoke locks the pond willows, bells sink by the terrace lamps. Lamp wicks with dense red threads, willow eyes with clear green waves.”
Several young ladies, drawn by curiosity, leaned in to look and silently recited the lines. This upper couplet was indeed an absolute, yet Miss Zhan had written three lower couplets at once. Moreover, the upper and lower couplets were in three separate poems, each being a masterpiece in terms of parallelism and artistic conception.
“It’s just borrowing from others,” Miss Li pouted with disdain. “What’s the point of Miss Zhan presenting predecessors’ lower couplets? Why not show your true talent and compose a lower couplet yourself?”
Zhe Jing, who was not good at studies and usually looked down on Miss Li for constantly fawning over them, was quite pleased with her words at this moment and loudly agreed, “It’s just three poems. If you spend some money, those pedantic scholars can churn out thirty poems, let alone three.”
Miss Chang looked speechlessly at Miss Li and Zhe Jing, who were talking to themselves. For these three poems, let alone ordinary scholars, even the learned scholars in the Hanlin Academy might not be able to write them in two or three years.
Furthermore, Miss Zhan being able to present these three poems indicated that the people she knew were definitely erudite great scholars. And her cursive script was so natural and unrestrained, with a transcendent aura. This was not just meticulous skill, but also talent.
With Miss Zhan’s talent, Zhe Jing and the others dared to mock her. This was simply like showing off one’s skill before an expert, making a laughingstock of themselves.
“Lord Li was also a third-place jinshi back then and now serves in the Hanlin Academy. Why don’t you, Miss Li, transcribe a copy and take it back? After Lord Li comes up with a lower couplet, let us also have the chance to read it?” Zhan Feiyu smiled and dug a pit for Miss Li.
If this timeless absolute could be answered by Lord Li, then he wouldn’t have been a third-place jinshi back then. Even if he wasn’t the top scholar, he would at least have been a tanhualang or a second-class chujia.
Wen Ruyi, fearing that Zhan Feiyu might drag her own elders into this, spoke first. “As the saying goes, ‘An essay is naturally formed, a masterpiece is achieved by chance.’ Moreover, Lord Li is busy with official duties. How can we trouble him with our boudoir matters? Young Master Ning and the others are also at the Chang residence. Please trouble Sister Chang once more.”
Wen Ruyi quickly transcribed the three poems and handed them to Miss Chang, dragging in scholars like Ning Chen’an and Bai Zhaohui, who were about to take the imperial examinations. If they couldn’t come up with a lower couplet, then it was not a big deal for them, mere boudoir ladies, to fail to do so.
Miss Chen, who was already intelligent, clapped her hands and laughed. “Let them look down on us every day. Today, let them also know what a timeless absolute is.”
Zhan Feiyu didn’t mind Wen Ruyi’s tactic of diverting blame. Wen Ruyi’s talent might be well-deserved, but her character was questionable.
In less than fifteen minutes, the group of young talents in the front courtyard had all arrived at the waterside pavilion. They had initially thought it was just a poetry gathering among women, a minor affair. Who would have thought that the upper couplet “Smoke locks the pond willows” would truly stump them all.
“What beautiful calligraphy!” Bai Zhaohui couldn’t help but exclaim. It was no wonder his father had sent the Duan inkstone as a gift to Yufeng Tower. With this cursive script alone, Miss Zhan would not let that Duan inkstone go to waste.
This was the third time Ning Chen’an had seen Zhan Feiyu. The first time was at Yufeng Tower when she clashed with Zhe Jing. The second time was at Duobao Pavilion. Initially, he disliked Zhan Feiyu’s bold and reckless nature. He believed women should be chaste, quiet, and elegant.
But seeing Zhan Feiyu’s calligraphy now, Ning Chen’an had to admit that his previous view was too narrow. Miss Zhan was definitely not the brainless, rough-and-tumble type like Zhe Jing.
“Cousin.” Miss Li looked displeased at Bai Zhaohui. This slut had previously slapped the head maid by her aunt’s side, which was an insult to the Bai and Li families. Yet, her cousin was still praising her.
Zhe Jing was even more displeased. From the moment Ning Chen’an stepped into the waterside pavilion, Zhe Jing’s gaze had been fixated on him with adoration. However, Ning Chen’an not only didn’t notice her but was also looking at Zhan Feiyu with admiration. This was treatment Zhe Jing had never received.
“Let me see…” Fu Ruilang, who was a step behind, had only half-finished his sentence when a figure suddenly squeezed through and snatched the paper from Ning Chen’an’s hand before him.
With a few rips, Zhe Jing roughly tore the two sheets of paper into pieces. Her face contorted, and she glared fiercely at Zhan Feiyu, shouting in a shrill voice, “You shameless slut! Are you deliberately seducing Brother Chen’an?”
This sudden turn of events stunned everyone. Even Ning Chen’an, usually a gentleman of upright character, now had a face as dark as water.
Fu Ruilang swiftly retreated to Bai Zhaohui’s side. “Share the troubles of comrades, not your own misfortune.” Facing such a madwoman as Zhe Jing, Brother Chen’an had to fend for himself.
The other friends who had come along moved in unison, retreating several steps. It wasn’t that they lacked loyalty, but rather that Zhe Sanlang, that brute, was unreasonable. This “beauty’s favor” should be enjoyed by Brother Chen’an himself.