My wife has a secret

Chapter 8 Copying Poems
Xu Qing glanced around and smiled faintly, "I'm not in the mood for poetry, but I can give some praise to the chef in your house. This mung bean cake is really delicious."

Feng Tuo stood there in a daze, looking confused.

He knew that Xu Qing liked to stand out and show off in front of others, so he specially prepared an opportunity for him to write a poem, hoping to make him unable to back down and lose face in front of Lu.

But who would have thought that this kid actually treated the Puyuan Poetry Festival as a place for an outing.

It’s even more infuriating.

"Lord Feng, my boss just lost his memory the day before yesterday. Isn't it too much to ask him to compose a poem? Why don't you let me do it instead?"

Feng Tuo went there upon hearing the voice, and happened to see Zhu Yuande with a beaming smile on his face, and he took the initiative to come to the center of the field.

Looking at the expression on his face, he looked extremely confident, as if he was fully prepared for the task of writing poetry.

Feng Tuo knew the relationship between Zhu Yuande and Xu Qing, and had also dealt with his father. Seeing that Xu Qing was not in the mood to compose poetry, he raised his hand and made a gesture for him to go ahead.

"Oh? The young master of the Zhu family of Jude Bank can also write poems? Then I must learn from him."

"I don't deserve to be a student. My Lord, you are too polite."

Zhu Yuande stood in front of everyone, full of high spirits.

When he thought about the excellent works from the poetry meeting being circulated on the cruise ship and read and appreciated by the young ladies from various families, he felt an unstoppable excitement in his heart.

"The setting sun is slanting over the western hills, and crows are flying through the clouds. Smoke is spreading out from the house, and the girl is sitting in front of the door."

Zhu Yuande finished reciting the poem with great confidence, but suddenly he found that the whole audience was silent and no one spoke.

He was confused and puzzled.

Is everyone impressed by his own poetic talent?

But after a while, Zhu Yuande found something wrong.

Because everyone present had a strange look on their face, as if they wanted to say something but didn't want to say it directly.

“Isn’t this poem okay?”

In the end, it was Marquis Jingdong, who hosted the poetry reading, who broke the silence first.

Feng Tuo coughed lightly and asked slowly, "Brother Zhu, you didn't write this poem yourself, did you?"

Zhu Yuande's palms were sweating and his heart was beating faster.

"My Lord, please stop joking. How dare I steal someone else's poem in front of so many scholars?"

Feng Tuo raised his eyebrows and said softly, "Mr. Zhu, it is now three o'clock in the afternoon. How can the sun set in the west? How can there be crows flying over the mountains and rivers?"

Zhu Yuande was stunned. When he bought the poem before, he didn't consider that the poem would have certain requirements for the title.

In a hurry, he went over the three poems he bought in his mind.

At this moment, Zhu Yuande wanted to prove himself so much that he shouted anxiously, "Don't worry, don't worry. I have other poems. How about you take a look at this one?"

Without waiting for others to react, he recited all the poems he had memorized.

"There is a beautiful garden by the Changhe River. The river water is cold in winter. The setting sun is winding among the trees, and idle people are fishing and walking on the green bricks."

After Zhu Yuande finished reading it, he smiled with a look of relief.

He thought that the meaning of the first poem was in line with the theme of Puyuan and there shouldn't be any mistakes.

But no one present applauded, instead the strange looks on their faces became even more intense.

"Brother Zhu, this poem is qualified and it is a good piece of work. It's a pity... it was written before you came. Your poems are exactly the same."

Zhu Yuande's smile froze on his face, as if struck by lightning.

"How is this possible? Is there something wrong?"

A thin young man stood up among the crowd. He was wearing an extremely simple linen gown and his eyes were dim.

"My Lord, I am a scholar from Hedong. I followed my family to escape the war and came all the way south to Suzhou. A few days ago, my family ran out of food, so I asked someone to sell the three poems I wrote... If my Lord wants to investigate this matter, it must be my fault. It's all because I coveted money and tarnished the reputation and character of scholars."

His words were so pitiful that they aroused sympathy from everyone present.

Most scholars lived in relative poverty, and before they passed the imperial examination and became officials, they relied on their mother's family for support. Therefore, the plight of poor scholars could resonate with them.

Xiao Huan was also moved by what she heard, and she quietly leaned over to Xu Qing's ear and whispered, "Master, this scholar has such a hard life, Master Zhu is a little too much."

The girl's breath was like a chick pecking at rice, tingling and itchy.

He glanced at Xiao Huan, smiled evilly and asked, "Do you really think so?"

Xiao Huan was confused by the question and asked, "Is there something wrong?"

"What you hear and what you see may not necessarily be the truth...Xiao Huan, come here, the young master will teach you a lesson."

Xu Qing patted the cushion next to him, causing Xiao Huan to blush. The latter reminded him in a low voice, "Master, this is the Puyuan Poetry Festival, so many people are watching... When we go back home, I can sit next to you."

"The servant boy is sitting next to them... come here."

Seeing that she couldn't persuade her master, Xiaohuan had to sit beside him obediently.

With Xiaohuan's soft and fragrant body, Xu Qing felt that this poem would not be so boring.

The Puyuan Poetry Gathering is nothing more than that.

"How much do you think the clothes this scholar is wearing are worth?"

Xiaohuan suppressed her excitement and joy and stared at the scholar for a long time.

"There are many patches on the robe, and many places have been washed and faded, but it is a scholar's robe after all. It should be worth four or five copper coins if it is pawned at a pawn shop."

Xiaohuan thought of what Xu Qing had just said and became even more confused.

"Master, doesn't this mean that the scholar from Hedong was born in poverty?"

Xu Qing replied slowly, "Marquis Jingdong has always liked to make friends with scholars, but this Puyuan Poetry Festival is not a place where anyone can come... I saw a mountain of business cards on the reception table at the door. How can he, a scholar who fled here, have no relatives or friends, and can't even afford to eat, have the qualifications and time to make friends with the rich and powerful?"

"This……"

Seeing Xiaohuan lost in thought, Xu Qing rubbed her head lovingly.

"And the poems I just bought yesterday collided with each other at the poetry gathering today. Don't you think this is too coincidental?"

Xiao Huan couldn't help but nodded when she heard this, "Master, are you saying that Master Zhu was wrongly accused and framed by Marquis Jingdong?"

"It's not that he was wronged. Zhu Yuande did copy someone else's poem. Adults should learn to be responsible for their own actions. This incident can teach him a lesson."

"oh oh."

Xiaohuan originally wanted to advise her young master to be cautious in making friends, but she didn't expect that the young master had a clear mind and saw things so thoroughly.

In this case, Marquis Jingdong is more hateful.

No wonder the young master said that what you hear or see are not necessarily true. I had wronged him before!
Thinking of this, Xiaohuan's admiration for her young master increased even more.

"What nonsense..." Feng Tuo had been observing Xu Qing. Seeing Xu Qing playing and fighting with his maid, the anger in his heart burned wildly.

This is the Puyuan Poetry Festival! It was lowered because of him!

Now that I think about it, it was such a waste of talent for Miss Lu to marry such a man, and it ruined her originally bright life.

Feng Tuo felt that he needed to avenge Lu Wanhe and make Xu Qing lose face in the entire Suzhou city and never dare to go out again.

"Brother Xu, although Mr. Zhu made a mistake, he is your close friend. What do you think about this matter?"

Everyone at the poetry gathering had been discussing this matter for a long time. Now that they heard that Xu Qing was Zhu Yuande's good friend, they began to be hostile to him as well.

What good is a friend who copies poets? Moreover, Xu Qing was already notorious before, and the two of them were simply birds of a feather.

Everyone felt that they needed to uphold justice for the literary world and expel these playboys from the poetry gathering.

"What's there to say? They are definitely the same kind of people."

"That's right, let's find this Zhu guy. How could he be so stupid as to come out and ask for a scolding?"

Someone in the crowd made a disdainful sound, which resonated with the others.

Just as Xiaohuan was about to stand up to protect her master, Xu Qing held her shoulders and she was unable to move.

"It's just copying a few poems, why are you taking it so seriously?"

Xu Qing finished drinking the sake on the table, stood up staggeringly, and came to Zhu Yuande's side.

"Xiao Zhu, if you ask me, you did nothing wrong in this matter. It was this scholar who didn't respect the spirit of the contract and used the poem he sold to you for his own use... What? He became a whore and then set up a chastity memorial. He took the money and still wanted fame. Do you really think you are in the right?"

Xu Qing's words stunned everyone.

Everyone thought that Xu Qing would use his family background to pressure others, but they didn't expect Xu Qing to go against his usual behavior and actually pointed at the scholar's nose and cursed him.

The scholar was also confused by what he said. He opened his mouth, not knowing how to respond.

Feng Tuo frowned slightly and said calmly, "Mr. Xu, this is my Jingdong Marquis's poetry gathering, not the place for you to throw a tantrum... If you and your friends just copied a few poems and want to show off, don't blame me for being rude and sending someone to ask you to leave."

Feng Tuo emphasized the word "please" and the servant waiting in the yard took a step forward, as if he was ready to go.

Xu Qingchao waved his hands on both sides and said casually: "There are at least a hundred talented people from Jiangnan present. Why don't I read out the poem I copied? If anyone of you can write a better poem than mine, I will kowtow to him twice on the spot."

"Boss, boss! You absolutely cannot do that!"

When Zhu Yuande saw that Xu Qing was willing to stand up for him, he was so moved that he burst into tears.

But when he heard Xu Qing wanted to bet his knee, he immediately panicked.

You have to know that Xu Qing's aunt is the empress dowager of the current dynasty. She is very valuable and even the little emperor has to act according to her wishes.

How can someone of this status kneel down?

Seeing Xu Qing's confident look, Feng Tuo became a little confused and wondered whether he should accept the bet.

If Xu Qing offended the Queen Mother, he would lose several heads, but if he let Xu Qing go, his reputation in the Jiangnan poetry world would be ruined.

Scholars value integrity the most and take pride in not bowing to power. His Feng family is also a legitimate family of merit.

If he is afraid of someone like Xu Qing, who will look up to him in the future?

Just as Feng Tuo was hesitating, the old man sitting not far behind him tapped the table, and two crisp sounds were heard.

Feng Tuoming understood what he meant and suddenly his eyes were opened.

With the support of respected elders, he felt at ease.

"Oh, Master Xu, you are so arrogant. Every year, there are talented people from Jiangnan on the list of the imperial examination. Any poet in my poetry gathering may be the first place in the imperial examination next year. I don't know where you get the confidence to challenge all of us!"

"well said!"

Feng Tuo praised everyone at the poetry party, and received applause from everyone.

Of course, Feng Tuo didn't dare to ask Xu Qingzhen to kneel down, so he thought of a compromise.

"I heard that the Xu family has a lot of wealth. Even if I win, I don't want you to kneel down and apologize. You just need to cede fifty acres of good farmland to this poor scholar brother, so that he and his family can live a stable life."

When those people heard that Marquis Jingdong did not forget to help others even after making a bet, they all praised the marquis for his high moral character and for punishing evil and promoting good.

Xu Qing nodded in agreement without even thinking about it.

"Okay, then if you lose, you will give me this piece of land in Puyuan."

Feng Tuo was slightly stunned, obviously not expecting Xu Qing to want Pu Yuan.

The Jingdong Marquis Mansion is not as wealthy as the Xu family. In addition, he has been spending money on making friends in recent years, so there are not many places with valuable money left.

If he loses this bet, his loss will be huge.

But Xu Qing was illiterate and at best he could only write some poems to pretend, so how could he lose?

"Okay! I'll bet this huge Pu Garden with you!"

After Feng Tuo made this decision, he was so excited that he couldn't express it in words.

Because he knew that the situation of the poetry reading would be transmitted to the cruise ship in real time.

……

Fu River, cruise ship.

The pillars on the deck are beautifully carved and painted with phoenixes.

The exquisite and unique flying eaves and upturned corners formed a four-cornered pavilion, which contained all the ladies and placed them above the river view.

The entire boat was not only filled with flowers, but also had layers of pearl curtains and seats with intricately carved tables on top, which were specially provided for these women to drink tea, chat, look at the flowers and enjoy the scenery.

Before Lu Wanhe got married, she also participated in several poetry gatherings, but the number of people and the scale of those gatherings were far from comparable to this Puyuan Poetry Gathering.

Lu Wanhe greeted some young ladies she knew, and brought Ji Xia to the front seats, waiting for the excellent works to be received from the poetry reading.

Ji Xia looked at him excitedly for a few times and whispered, "Miss, I have heard that the Puyuan Poetry Festival held by Marquis Jingdong is the most elegant place in Jiangnan. Today I have learned a lot."

"In late summer, the mountains are not high, the water is not deep...be careful with your words."

Even though there were beaded curtains to cover the faces of the young ladies, Lu Wanhe sat very neatly.

Her hands were placed on her knees, her brows were slightly furrowed, as if she had something on her mind.

"Miss, you're out having fun, why do you still look so worried?"

Lu Wanhe paused, and said softly, "Marquis Jingdong and my husband don't get along. My husband is very likely to have a conflict with the host family because of my participation in the poetry gathering... We were impulsive in participating in the poetry gathering."

Ji Xia was unhappy. She pouted and said, "Miss, how can you blame us for this? The young master behaves unruly and the conflict was caused by his own stubbornness... Besides, I think the Marquis of Jingdong is very elegant and much better than the young master..."

(End of this chapter)