Chapter 62
In late March, the grass grew long, and the birds flew . The willows turned green, and flowers blossomed . The sky was blue .
Sponsored Content
The pavilion by the Wan River was filled with people . A few older servants were serving fresh seasonal fruits . Pear blossoms were in full bloom, and the sight was breathtaking . More than 10 handsome, young Langjuns were seated in the pavilion, enjoying the snacks and fruits .
The oldest Langjun was around 20, and the youngest was slightly older than 10 . None of the males were around the same age, but they were all good-looking .
Jiang Pengji watched the screen as it steadily filled with comments about the beautiful men . She secretly rolled her eyes . She did not understand her audience's tastes .
These Langjuns were indeed beautiful . They were all wearing brightly colored outfits with flowers in their hair and powder on their faces . They were more beautiful than the flowers!
To be blunt, though, it was more like a gathering of crossdressers!
Jiang Pengji pissed off her audience with her comment, and they retaliated with comments that nearly obscured her vision . Everyone had their own tastes, and they liked beautiful, bookish, weak boys .
A semi-transparent screen separated a few noble girls from the Langjuns .
Jiang Pengji swept her gaze over the girls and realized that she was familiar with more than half of them .
These girls just had a dangerous adventure, and now they were out at this assembly . They sure were courageous .
The girls noticed Jiang Pengji as well . Shangguan Wan was one of them, and her eyes practically lit up .
She wanted to go up to Jiang Pengji . But in such a public location, everyone would think that Shangguan Wan was interested in her "brother Lanting" because no one knew Liu Lanting's true identity . So Shangguan Wan froze before sitting back down unhappily .
Sponsored Content
Jiang Pengji did not make her way over to the girls . Instead, she found a seat with the other Langjuns . Xu Ke and Taxue sat down behind her .
She had arrived at the event 15 minutes late .
The others were displeased by her tardiness . Instead of letting her explain herself, they chose to ignore her .
Jiang Pengji did not care and instead picked a chilled fruit and bit into it . Coolness spread throughout her body .
A poetry recitation contest with a few embroidered blockheads? What a waste of time . She might as well eat, drink, and have a short rest .
Jiang Pengji was carefree about the event, but her audience was anxious . They were waiting for her to strike back at the other Langjuns with her amazing poetry .
You came to the poetry event to eat, drink, and sleep?
That's such a disgrace to female time travelers!
Host V: "When I was studying, I never scored well in the liberal arts . So don't make things difficult for me . And these ancient ways of speaking might even stump my archaeology professor . Normally I'm in the middle of training or fighting wars . I'm a soldier of great physical prowess . "
A bunch of dumbfounded audiences: " . . . "
That's not in the script!
Sponsored Content
Lancui Yu Buzhe: "It's alright . We'll be your backup . Duniang and Gudie will help you . "
Mofashaonu Afeng: "On the left, we have the Tang poetry . On the right, we have the Song Dynasty's Yuan opera . On top, we have Li Bai looking after you . Below, we have the Du Ministry of works possessing us . You're standing on the shoulders of poetry and literature giants . Even a dwarf could wipe the floor with these guys . "
Half a minute ago you guys were still licking the screen . Now you turn your backs on me?
Jiang Pengji was rendered speechless by the comments . They had turned their backs on her faster than they could flip through a book!
Meishaonu Zhanshi Ayuan: "My mouse is already on Duniang's search page . If you need any poetry, I'll search them for you . "
As she watched the rowdy audience's comments, Jiang Pengji began reflecting about herself .
Was she too well-behaved these few days?
Had the audience actually forgotten about her ruthlessness from before?
Host V: "There's no such thing as being the best in poetry or the second best in martial arts . A poem would not be enough to subdue them . If I cheated, they would find out in minutes . Even if I managed to create a shockingly good poem, they wouldn't just stop at that . Then after that, what would we do?"
Moreover, this era was not just about poetry or words . Copying a poem would not work here .
If one was caught copying or faking an identity in this era, one would receive a death sentence . The whole family would also be punished . For a noble family, it would destroy the rest of their lives .
The audience who had been watching the stream for the past few days quieted down .
Since Jiang Pengji would not participate in the poetry contest, the audience went back to staring at the beautiful boys .
Before Jiang Pengji could rest in the quietness in her head, she heard someone call her name . She turned and said, "What?"
Even the blind could tell that Jiang Pengji had been inattentive .
After the chaos of the Sixteen Kingdoms and the unification of the country, women were no longer restrained to ladies' chambers . If Daxia split again one day and the society tended towards male chauvinism, women would most likely be bound by certain rules and laws . But for now, the rules for women were not as strict .
The assembly of scholars was more like a mass blind date for males and females .
Even if these Langjuns were not there for the ladies, they still wanted to show off like peacocks on display .
All of them wanted to show off, yet one of them was a traitor . He was showing disinterest .
Was Liu Lanting there to pick a quarrel?
An observant viewer pointed out to Jiang Pengji that the other Langjun's face was nearly flushed with anger .
She returned to her senses and said, "I am not good at metrical composition . I'm sorry to disappoint everyone . "
The rejection was very blunt .
The atmosphere turned awkward . Just then, a clear voice sounded out from the side .
"Lanting is such a mischievous person . It's so hard to see you," Feng Jin said . Laughter was evident in his voice as he walked towards them from the pear trees . His skin was as white as snow, and his was face smooth and clear . His almond-shaped eyes narrowed in amusement as he showed off his graceful charm .
Though everyone was drawn to Feng Jin's appearance, Jiang Pengji did not care .
"Why are you still in Hejian?"
All: " . . . "
He just arrived, and you're chasing him out of Hejian County already?
Feng Jin did not show any reaction to Jiang Pengji's words . Instead, he had a servant pull up a seat next to her .
Feng Jin playfully replied, "Lanting, your words wound me . "
Jiang Pengji scoffed . "Before you say that, at least wipe off some of that powder from your body . A word of advice: You're still young, don't overdo it . "
Feng Jin froze . When he finally understood what she meant, his fair cheeks flushed red, and he nearly lost his composure .
Jiang Pengji's audience started laughing .