Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
In late March, the grass grew long, and the birds flew. The willows turned green, and flowers blossomed. The sky was blue.
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.
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!
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.