Chapter 58 Can You Compose Poetry?

"Now, now, don't frighten Lihua. This is her first time attending such a banquet," Zhao Sihui said, gently waving away the young ladies crowding around Jiang Lihua.

She then gestured with a smile, "Come along, let's head to the flower-viewing courtyard ahead. I have prepared tea and pastries there. Let us all sit together and enjoy some refreshments."

Well, well, what was Zhao Sihui implying by this?

Was she subtly suggesting that Lihua was uncultured and ignorant of the world?

She truly would never have guessed that the young lady of the Prime Minister's Estate was someone so fond of playing petty mind games, but what could possibly be her motive? Jiang Lihua simply could not fathom it.

Nonetheless, Jiang Lihua allowed herself to be led along by Zhao Sihui. Since she had already arrived, leaving now would only cause an unnecessary scene.

The single bright spot in all of this was that Su Moxue was here to keep her company.

After walking for less than a quarter of an hour, they reached the flower-viewing courtyard as promised.

Rows of tables and chairs were neatly arranged throughout the courtyard, laden with an assortment of exquisite pastries that clearly bore the mark of careful preparation.

"Please, sit wherever you like," Zhao Sihui welcomed them all.

Without standing on ceremony, the young ladies selected their seats and settled in together.

The courtyard buzzed with light conversation, creating an atmosphere that was, for the moment, quite harmonious.

Before long, however, several of the young ladies began to complain that it was becoming tedious.

"Why don't we play a little game?" suggested one of the young ladies, whose identity remained unclear. "Since it is autumn, how about we compose poems on the theme of autumn?"

"Is there a prize for the winner?" another young lady chimed in, "Winning without a prize takes all the fun out of it!"

The group fell into a brief contemplation.

Prizes were always a tricky matter; ordinary items were beneath everyone's regard, yet anything too extravagant was difficult for them to part with.

At that moment, Zhao Sihui offered a suggestion.

"How about this? After everyone has composed a poem, we will vote on the finest and the poorest ones. The person who ranks last must grant the winner whatever favor they ask. How does that sound?"

After a brief moment of reflection, the others nodded in agreement.

"Very well, provided the favor requested remains within the other person's capability."

"Then let us begin. I shall go first," declared a young lady, eager to take the lead. "The autumn wind blows without ceasing, the night rain falls suddenly like a meeting. A single parting brings endless affairs, for a thousand years the old paths bear."

"A vast expanse of autumn wind stretches ten thousand miles away, yet who knows where my leisure dwelling may stay? Now that old age brings countless affairs to bear, I turn to the mortal world to angle for fish instead."

......

When it was Su Moxue's turn, she paused in thought before reciting: "The autumn moon shines over the river east, mountain forests return from ten thousand miles at least. A single body bears infinite affairs, through ancient times rich robes and spare."

Next in line was Jiang Lihua.

Jiang Lihua could not help but sigh inwardly at how brilliant the ancients were at poetry, effortlessly tossing off verses on the spot. At any rate, such a feat was completely beyond her abilities.

Zhao Sihui cast a covert glance at her, entirely convinced that this bumpkin from the countryside would not know the first thing about composing verse.

Sure enough, when her turn arrived, Zhao Sihui noticed Jiang Lihua frowning deeply.

Seizing the moment, Zhao Sihui intervened, "Shall we let the next person continue?"

"Why? Lihua hasn't recited her poem yet. Is she not participating?" other young ladies asked with a hint of dissatisfaction.

Zhao Sihui quickly explained, "Please, let us not make it difficult for Lihua. She is different from us; having grown up in the countryside, she was always occupied with hard work. How could she possibly have had the leisure time to study like we have?"

Having said this, she immediately pressed a hand over her mouth, casting a wary, cautious look at Jiang Lihua. "Lihua, I meant no offense. A woman's lack of talent is a virtue, anyway; I think you are perfectly fine just as you are."

Immediately afterward, she turned to the other young ladies and added, "You must not look down on Lihua simply because she was raised in the country. In truth, I myself deeply yearn for the free-spirited, picturesque life of the countryside."

"Hypocrite," Su Moxue muttered, rolling her eyes at Zhao Sihui and retortingly adding, "What is so remarkable about stringing together a few lines of poetry? Can any of you practice medicine?"

Zhao Sihui was nearly driven mad with fury by Su Moxue's words, yet she dared not snap back, leaving her chest feeling stifled and unbearably heavy.

If she retorted now, wouldn't that simply prove that her hypocrisy was genuine?

Since both Zhao Sihui and Su Moxue had spoken thus, the other young ladies could say no more. They merely nodded and let the matter drop, dwelling on it no further.

Nevertheless, deep down, they held Jiang Lihua in low regard, believing she merely knew a few characters and had fortuitously become Old Master Bai's apprentice—nothing truly impressive.

While the others had let the matter go, Jiang Lihua had no intention of doing so. She spoke up, "Miss Zhao, I never said I couldn't compose a poem!"

"But just now, when it was your turn, you furrowed your brow and remained silent for a long time. I naturally assumed..."

Zhao Sihui hurriedly apologized, "I am so sorry, Lihua. I only meant to smooth things over for you. Look at me, always turning good intentions into clumsy mistakes. Forgive me."

Jiang Lihua chose not to press the issue further. She smiled and replied, "It's quite all right. After all, we have only met once, so it is entirely normal that you don't understand me."

Hearing this, the minds of the surrounding young ladies raced with countless thoughts.

For the Prime Minister's daughter to invite Jiang Lihua to a banquet after meeting her only once suggested that Jiang Lihua's background was far from ordinary.

Yet the Prime Minister's daughter had repeatedly misled them.

By making them believe Jiang Lihua was merely a low-born country girl, what was Zhao Sihui's true objective? Was she deliberately trying to make them offend someone of consequence?

As they all arrived at the same conclusion, the glances they cast toward Zhao Sihui were tinged with a measure of displeasure and suspicion.

Noticing the expressions of the other young ladies, Jiang Lihua knew her objective had been achieved. She continued aloud, "Actually, the reason I frowned was because I had conjured up several poems in my mind simultaneously and was simply debating which one would be the most suitable to share. I am terribly sorry if I caused Miss Zhao any misunderstanding."

"Oh? Lihua is truly so extraordinary? Why not recite them all for everyone to appreciate?" Zhao Sihui said, a look of feigned surprise crossing her face. *Hmph!* She refused to believe this country girl could genuinely compose fine poetry!

Jiang Lihua readily agreed, "Very well."

As a modern person, while she might not possess the talent to compose classical poetry herself, she had memorized a vast number of verses in her past.

Let alone autumn, poems for spring, summer, autumn, and winter alike could flow effortlessly from her lips.

"The first one: Autumn colors fill the river's head, frost-kissed leaves weigh heavy with gold, an overnight wind sweeps the moonlit sky, unlike the mortal world below. Where can a joyous meeting be found, I only fear sorrow knows no end. Do not say the heartless are free; who recognizes my journey east with you?"

"The second one: From whence does the autumn wind arrive? With melancholy sighs it sends the geese in flight. By morning it enters the courtyard trees, and the lonely traveler hears it first."

......

In this manner, Jiang Lihua recited five consecutive poems.

Her performance stunned everyone present. All the young ladies stared at her wide-eyed, their gazes filled with utter disbelief.

After a long silence, someone finally murmured, "How is this possible? Even the most quick-witted top scholar of the capital could not compose so many fine poems in such a short span of time!"

"Furthermore, each of these verses possesses such profound artistic conception; they were clearly not churned out thoughtlessly."

The way everyone looked at Jiang Lihua had completely shifted.

Su Moxue held her head high, gazing triumphantly at the crowd as though she herself were the author of those brilliant poems.

Zhao Sihui clutched her handkerchief so tightly that her knuckles turned white, wishing she could strangle Jiang Lihua on the spot. *Will someone please tell me why a mere country girl is this formidable?*

Had she known the girl possessed such capabilities, she would have approached her entirely differently.

She had fallen in love with Ning Wenyu the very first time she laid eyes on him.

A woman's intuition was never wrong.

The moment she accompanied Ning Wenyu back and laid eyes on Jiang Lihua, she knew instinctively that there was romantic affection between the two of them.

Her original plan had been to exploit the fact that Jiang Lihua was an unpolished country girl who had never witnessed such high-society gatherings. By inviting her, she intended to first put her in her place and crush her self-confidence, after which she would graciously step in to rescue her time and again.

In doing so, Jiang Lihua would naturally come to regard her as her closest confidante.

Thus, she could gradually weave her way into the lives of both Jiang Lihua and Ning Wenyu, ultimately capturing Ning Wenyu's heart without anyone ever being the wiser.

To think she had been so terribly mistaken! She had drastically underestimated Jiang Lihua; she should have investigated her thoroughly before formulating a plan. Regret gnawed bitterly at Zhao Sihui's heart.

When the poetry game concluded, Jiang Lihua was unquestionably crowned the victor. The loser was the daughter of a minor official, and after Jiang Lihua casually tossed out a minor, harmless request for her penalty, the game came to an end.

With the games over, Zhao Sihui wore a listless, thoroughly dispirited expression.

Just then, a servant from the kitchens came to inquire whether Zhao Sihui wished to serve the midday meal. Noting her lack of energy, the other young ladies shook their heads and announced that they would disperse for the day and dine at home instead.

This suited Jiang Lihua's wishes precisely; she had no desire to remain for the meal, fearing what further complications might arise.

The servant who had come to make the inquiry happened to be the elderly woman who had suffered an epileptic seizure a few days prior—the very woman Jiang Lihua had saved in public.

Upon catching sight of Jiang Lihua in the courtyard, the old woman was startled out of her wits and hastily fled the scene with her head bowed.

Jiang Lihua found the fleeing figure vaguely familiar, but she did not dwell on it, figuring she knew no one in the Prime Minister's Estate aside from Zhao Sihui anyway.

"Thump." Running far too hastily and failing to watch her footing, the old woman collided directly with Prime Minister's wife Lin Yunxia, sending her staggering.

The maidservant at Lin Yunxia's side immediately stepped forward to steady her.

Pointing an accusing finger at the old woman, the maid scolded, "Mother Zhou, what on earth are you doing? Have you seen a ghost in broad daylight?"

Brushing down her robes, Lin Yunxia glared at Mother Zhou and demanded, "What is the meaning of this?"

Mother Zhou stammered in reply, "N-nothing, Madam, this old servant simply had an urgent need to relieve herself and was walking rather quickly."

Having not yet decided whether she ought to report the earlier incident to the Prime Minister's wife, she hastily fabricated an excuse.

Hearing this, Prime Minister Zhao Tonghe, standing nearby, furrowed his brow slightly.

Lin Yunxia promptly dismissed Mother Zhou, saying, "Be off with you, and mind your step next time."

"Yes, yes, yes, thank you, Madam, thank you, My Lord." Bowing repeatedly, Mother Zhou scurried away at top speed.

At that moment, the sound of a commotion drifted over from ahead. As Lin Yunxia and Zhao Tonghe looked toward the source, a frown crossed Zhao Tonghe's face; he had always detested noise and disorder.

Lin Yunxia hurried to explain, "My Lord, it is merely Hui'er hosting the young ladies of various households in the estate to appreciate flowers and compose poetry."

Zhao Tonghe offered no reply, turning as if to leave, but the group of young ladies was already approaching them.

Zhao Sihui stepped forward joyfully and curtsied, "Father, Mother, why are you out here?"

Giving a cold, perfunctory hum of acknowledgment, Zhao Tonghe fell silent once more.

Seeing her father's indifferent attitude, Zhao Sihui's mood darkened further. She could never understand why her father was forever so frigid, entirely unlike the affectionate fathers other girls possessed.

Upon seeing her daughter, Lin Yunxia beamed and took her hand, asking gently, "Hui'er, are you seeing these young ladies out? Will you not stay for the midday meal before they leave?"

"I am feeling rather tired, Mother, so everyone wishes to return home early and meet again another day."

The young ladies trailing behind Zhao Sihui dutifully curtsied in unison, greeting, "Greetings, My Lord Prime Minister, and Madam."

Jiang Lihua, standing near the back, followed suit.

Prime Minister Zhao Tonghe cast a casual glance over the group and replied indifferently, "Rise."

Yet that single glance suddenly landed upon Jiang Lihua lingering at the rear, causing his expression to shift dramatically.