Chapter 1 The Square Center

In the center of the square, an old man took out a poem and began to recite.

His voice rang out, drawing the attention of countless talented scholars, many of whom hoped it was their own work.

In any world, people only remember the first.

Just like in his previous life, everyone only remembered Mount Everest, but no one knew what the second highest peak in the world was.

The old man looked at the poem in his hand, and then slowly began to recite.

"Fine rain on Heavenly Street, as moist as oil."

"The color of grass seen from afar, seems there, but is not."

"The best time of the year is spring."

"Surpassing the smoky willows of the imperial capital!"

The voice resounded, causing a moment of deathly silence.

Everyone was quiet; the bustling Lantern Festival became incredibly still.

Up in the Wangjiang Pavilion.

Lu Changsheng watched this scene with great composure, raising a glass of wine and slowly drinking it.

There was an unspeakable air of ease and handsomeness about him.

"Eh! Master, your poem was chosen as first prize!"

"Senior Brother, the first prize is your poem, but why is everyone so silent?"

Qian Qiye and Liu Qingfeng spoke one after the other, somewhat surprised. It wasn't that Lu Changsheng had won the top spot, but rather the reaction of the crowd, which was so silent.

That shouldn't be.

Calmly glancing at the center of the square, Lu Changsheng smiled slightly. "Let the bullets fly for a while."

Qian Qiye: "???"

Liu Qingfeng: "???"

They didn't understand what that meant.

But in an instant, a clamor erupted.

"Good poem! Good poem! This is a poem for the ages!"

"Fine rain on Heavenly Street, as moist as oil; the color of grass seen from afar, seems there, but is not; the best time of the year is spring; surpassing the smoky willows of the imperial capital! Good, good, good, too good, too beautiful, this poem is too beautiful!"

"What a line, 'Surpassing the smoky willows of the imperial capital!' Wonderful! This poem deserves to win first prize; I am completely convinced."

"Big brother, what does this mean? I don't understand it! I feel like it's not as good as my poem, 'The rain patters, the trees stand,' which is easy to understand."

"Don't embarrass yourself here."

"This poem is too beautiful. The fine spring rain on the streets of the imperial capital, as smooth as oil. From afar, the color of the grass seems to connect into one piece, but close up, it appears sparse. The most beautiful time of the year is early spring, surpassing the late spring with green willows all over the city. Good, beautiful, it goes straight to the heart."

"So beautiful, this poem is too beautiful."

"I didn't think it was beautiful at first, but after you said that, I also think it's very beautiful."

The crowd discussed animatedly, causing a huge uproar.

While up in the Wangjiang Pavilion.

Lu Changsheng calmly watched everything.

He admired the beautiful scenery of the imperial capital, the ancient city and buildings, immersed in this beauty.

This was the mortal world, a place that made people linger.

It was a pity that he didn't have much ink in his stomach, otherwise, he could have written a poem like Xin Qiji: "The east wind releases a thousand trees of flowers at night, and blows them down like rain, like stars. Precious steeds and carved carriages fill the road with fragrance. The sound of phoenix flutes moves, the jade pot turns with light, and fish and dragons dance all night."

What a pity, he didn't have that talent; he could only silently show off his handsomeness.

As time passed.

He had finished enjoying the scenery.

The hundred thousand jin of spirit stones had also been delivered.

He had Liu Qingfeng collect the spirit stones. After all, Qian Qiye was here, and if he collected them himself, wouldn't it affect his image?

"Master, do you want to stroll through the night market tonight?"

Qian Qiye asked.

"No need! Let's go back and rest early, and come play again tomorrow."

Lu Changsheng said, planning to go back and rest.

"Alright, my imperial father has already prepared a residence for you, Master."

Qian Qiye said.

But soon, suddenly, a series of footsteps rang out.

The sound was uniform.

In an instant, it disrupted the bustle of the night market.

Everything suddenly became very quiet.

"The Imperial Guards!"

In the private room, Qian Qiye frowned slightly, looking at the group of Imperial Guards with a furrowed brow.

"What's going on?"

Liu Qingfeng was a little curious.

"I don't know, but only four people can mobilize the Imperial Guards in the imperial capital: my imperial father, my eldest brother, my second brother, and myself. This sudden mobilization of the Imperial Guards means something big must have happened. I'll go find out what's going on; Master, please wait here."

Qian Qiye said, then got up and left.

And inexplicably, Lu Changsheng felt a bad premonition.

"Senior Brother, I don't know why, but I suddenly feel a little uneasy."

Liu Qingfeng, who was beside him, suddenly spoke, feeling that something unlucky was about to happen.

"It shouldn't be."

Lu Changsheng said, but seeing a large number of Imperial Guards appear, he couldn't help but worry slightly.

At this moment.

Qian Qiye arrived at the foot of Wangjiang Pavilion.

She looked at the stern-faced Imperial Guard commander who was leading the team and couldn't help but say, "Who ordered you to come here?"

Her voice rang out, and the Imperial Guard commander glanced at Qian Qiye.

He immediately knelt on the ground and said, "Greetings, Princess!"

"Rise." Qian Qiye stood with her hands behind her back, then said, "Today is the Lantern Festival, the most important festival of my Great Qian. You are disrupting it in such a big way; you have a lot of nerve!"

Qian Qiye said, a cold look on her beautiful face.

"Please don't blame us, Princess; this subordinate is only acting under orders! I hope the Princess will forgive me!"

The Imperial Guard commander knelt on the ground, trembling with fear.

Perhaps in Lu Changsheng's eyes, Qian Qiye was like a problem teenager, but in the Great Qian Dynasty, who didn't know how terrifying Qian Qiye was?

This was someone who overshadowed the Crown Prince. If Qian Qiye were a man, she could definitely inherit the throne.

Moreover, Qian Qiye was very likely to become the first empress in history!

Of course, this was only a possibility; theoretically, it was impossible.

But it showed Qian Qiye's brilliance.

"Sister!"

Just then, a voice rang out.

Qian Qiye immediately looked over.

It was a heroic man, clad in golden armor, appearing extremely valiant, nearly two meters tall, and radiating a formidable aura.

"Brother! Did you mobilize the Imperial Guards?"

Seeing the newcomer, Qian Qiye frowned.

"That's right!" This was the current Crown Prince, Qian Yiyuan, a famous and extremely noble figure.

"Don't you know today is the Lantern Festival?"

Qian Qiye asked this.

"I know." Qian Yiyuan's face was full of anger.

"You know, and you still mobilized the Imperial Guards? Aren't you afraid Father will make trouble for you tomorrow?"

Qian Qiye was a little annoyed.

"Let him make trouble! Sister, you don't know, today I sent a lantern down the Lantern River. Do you know what happened?"

Qian Yiyuan said furiously.

"What happened?"

Qian Qiye was a little curious; her brother usually had a mild temper, so for him to be so angry, something must have happened.

"See for yourself!"

Qian Yiyuan handed a piece of paper to Qian Qiye.

The latter took the paper, and soon a line of words came into view.

[Who are you?]

[Your daddy—Liu Qingfeng]

In an instant, Qian Qiye's expression changed.

"Audacious!"

She blurted out subconsciously. The Crown Prince's father was the Great Qian Emperor; such remarks were simply treasonous.

But soon, Qian Qiye saw the signature and couldn't help but be stunned.

Liu Qingfeng?