mesbooks Chapter 44 Poetry Party
Chapter 44 Poetry Party
Only then did Liu Shancai speak, asking, "Master, can I get up now?"
Xiao Yan was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "My dear disciple, why have you been kneeling on the ground?"
Liu Shan was extremely helpless. Naturally, he had to kneel to become a disciple. After that, without his master's order, how could a disciple dare to stand up on his own?
He suddenly understood why Xiao Yue called Xiao Yan "little old man" in private; it turned out that there really was a mischievous old man living inside him!
……
Three days have passed since Jiang Ruolan left. Liu Shan has been practicing the Pure Yang Technique diligently in the courtyard every day. Although the total amount of his internal energy has decreased, its purity and quality have been significantly improved.
Having personally experienced the effectiveness of the Pure Yang Technique, Liu Shan devoted himself even more to its cultivation.
Before leaving, Xiao Yan instructed that only after thoroughly refining the internal energy within his body could he begin cultivating the fourth level of the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique.
Time flies, and half a month has passed in the blink of an eye. Liu Shan has completely refined the internal energy in his body. At this moment, he has firmly stood at the top of the third-rate masters.
It's no exaggeration to say that he could easily defeat Li Wanqing even with just one hand, but he himself hasn't realized it yet.
Just then, Amber knocked on the door, bringing him a medicinal meal and a new set of clothes.
After watching her son-in-law finish the medicinal meal, she smiled and said, "Son-in-law, this is an outfit that Miss specially chose for you. It will be perfect for the poetry gathering tomorrow."
Liu Shan glanced at the clothes. Hmm, very good, flashy white, it has that vibe.
Amber added, "Young master, Miss said the theme of the poetry recital hasn't been decided yet, so she suggests you prepare several poems in case of need."
Liu Shan nodded, pondering to himself: I wonder if three hundred Tang poems are enough? If not, he would also memorize three hundred Song poems. If that's still not enough, he also knows a little about ancient poems from the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Wei, Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties.
……
On the day of the poetry gathering, Li Wanqing set off with Liu Shan at dawn. However, when they entered the Kangwang Mansion and arrived at the venue, they found that the place was already crowded with talented men and beautiful women.
Liu Shan pursed his lips and asked in a low voice, "Isn't the poetry gathering supposed to officially start at 9:00 AM? It's only 7:00 AM now, isn't it?"
The temperature was low in the morning, and these talented men and women were really willing to endure waiting for two hours.
Li Wanqing explained in a low voice, "They all want to show off their talents at the poetry gathering, so they are willing to arrive early to find out and hope to attract the princess's attention."
Liu Shan couldn't help but chuckle. These people were really ridiculous. Since it was a poetry gathering, they should naturally compete in poetry. Flattery would only add to the amusement.
"Wanqing, I never knew the name of Princess Changning."
Li Wanqing looked at Liu Shan in surprise. Princess Changning was the only daughter of Prince Kang and the most prominent woman in Cangzhou.
How could Liu Shan not know the name of such a prominent person?
"The princess's surname is Chu, and her given name is Lan."
"Chu Lan?" Liu Shan commented, "That's a nice name."
Li Wanqing's expression changed slightly. She quickly looked around to make sure no one was paying attention before she whispered a reproach, "Are you crazy? How dare we casually comment on a princess's name?"
Liu Shan sighed softly. That's the downside of ancient times; you have to be careful what you say. Have you ever heard of freedom of speech?
Li Wanqing cautioned, "When you meet the princess, you must be careful with your words and actions. Otherwise, if you anger her, even my father will find it difficult to protect you."
Liu Shan assured him, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Although the main characters had not yet arrived, the talented men and beautiful women present had already begun chatting in small groups.
Liu Shan didn't know many people; he only spotted Zhang Tienan, Lin Nanjia, Wei Xiuying, and Zhao Tingxiao in the crowd.
Zhao Tingxiao seemed to notice Liu Shan's gaze. He glared at Liu Shan with a gloomy expression, as if it were a silent warning.
Liu Shan simply smiled faintly, completely unconcerned. He utterly disdained such clownish characters.
However... the two people standing in front of Zhao Tingxiao seemed somewhat different.
At this moment, Zhang Tienan, Lin Nanjia, and Wei Xiuying came over and warmly greeted Liu Shan and Li Wanqing.
After exchanging pleasantries, Li Wanqing took Lin Nanjia and Wei Xiuying to admire the flowers, while Liu Shan and Zhang Tienan stood in the sun to bask in the sunlight.
Since they beat up Zhao Tingxiao together last time, Zhang Tienan and Liu Shan have become much more familiar with each other.
During their casual conversation, Zhang Tienan quietly told Liu Shan, "Brother Liu, the two people next to Zhao Tingxiao are Zhao Bochao, the eldest son of the Zhao family, and Zhao Zhongchao, the second son. I heard that one of them is exceptionally talented in poetry, while the other is skilled at flattery. You must be careful in dealing with them."
Liu Shan nodded slightly. He had never been afraid of anyone when it came to poetry. Moreover, he adhered to the principle of "I will not offend others unless they offend me, and if they do offend me, I will beat them to death." If these two dared to provoke him too much, he could test his fighting power.
However, Zhao Tingxiao is quite pitiful. The eldest son of the Zhao family is named Bochao, the second son is named Zhongchao, but he only got the name Tingxiao... Obviously, he is not even worthy of being given a proper name and is a lowly servant's son.
Just then, Li Wanqing returned with two close friends, chatting and laughing, each of them holding several flowers.
The beautiful woman and the flowers complement each other perfectly, creating a vivid spring scene that is both bright and moving.
Li Wanqing asked with a smile, "Why don't you go and make new friends?"
Liu Shan replied casually, "We're enjoying the sunshine here, and it feels great. Besides, who says I haven't made any new friends? Look, those people over there are them."
Li Wanqing followed Liu Shan's gently raised chin and looked over.
Zhao Bochao? Zhao Zhongchao?
Li Wanqing was stunned. So many talented young people, so many good people... why did Liu Shan have to befriend these two?!
She was absolutely furious!
……
Just past mid-morning, Princess Changning arrived at the venue, accompanied by her guards and maids.
This action immediately won everyone's favor, and they all praised the princess for being beautiful, kind-hearted, and loving her people like her own children.
Even Li Wanqing joined in with a few words of praise.
The princess accepted all the praise with composure and responded in an approachable manner.
Then, noticing that none of the people had brought any attendants, he signaled his guards to retreat to the sidelines and wait.
As expected, this move once again won praise from everyone, and they were practically wearing their sycophancy on their faces.
Although Liu Shan did not speak in agreement, he smiled and cupped his hands in respect.
There was no other way. Similar to the saying "the tallest tree in the forest stands out," if he were the only one with a cold face, he would be too conspicuous. If the princess misunderstood him, it would implicate the Li family.
However, Liu Shan was also somewhat surprised. He did not expect that the princess would dismiss the guards. If there were any treacherous people among the crowd, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Huh?
Slow!