"The emerald spring came without wonders,
The blooming summer fragrances come in waves.
Frosty autumn with all flowers gone,
Only pine and bamboo retaining their beauty."
A simple seven-word poem, from spring through summer, frozen in autumn, and finally praising the perseverance of pine and bamboo, also drawing an analogy to the author's own noble character.
Though not an unparalleled work, it matches the current October and enlightens the reader, inevitably leading to appreciation of the creator.
Compared to the two poems presented earlier, this one directly crushes the competition.
"This poem was written by Zhu Sihuan?" Someone asked in disbelief, whispering.
"He couldn't even pass the imperial exam, how could he write such a poem?" Another person questioned.
Xu Mo lowered his head beside them, sensing Zhu Sihuan's breath grow slightly ragged. He lightly coughed, and Zhu Sihuan's spine straightened again, regaining his carefree and unrestrained spirit.
"What's this? Young Master Jiang, Young Master Yuan, how do you think my poem compares to yours?" Zhu Sihuan asked.
With Zhu Sihuan's question, the two young masters on stage darkened their expressions.
The literary folk think highly of themselves, often looking down on their peers.
Yet before they could disdain others, Zhu Sihuan had trodden heavily on them.
And this brat was completely shameless, waving his fan and clearly waiting for praise and compliments.
"I didn't expect Young Master Zhu to be so talented and famous!"
"With such skill, you should have placed first in the imperial exam."
"Perhaps Young Master Zhu was hiding his brilliance?"
Flattery rose from below, though some had sarcastic undertones. But Zhu Sihuan's mind was firm, taking it all as praise and basking in it happily.
Jiang Chengyuan's expression was gloomy as he angrily turned and left.
The Yuan family young master also pursed his lips and silently stepped off stage.
Zhu Sihuan was glowing, wanting to chat a bit more, when Xu Mo lightly tugged his sleeve.
One could stand in the spotlight, but too much would invite resentment.
Clever people knew to leave at the right time to build even greater fame and praise - like the Young Master Fufeng of Anshui Prefecture, whose three poems shocked Wenchang Pavilion, yet never showed his face, using mystery to highlight his unmatched elegance.
Zhu Sihuan understood this too, but the feeling of being praised by all was too addictive. He lingered a bit more before reluctantly leaving with Xu Mo.
From then on, Zhu Sihuan had a place in Wenchang Pavilion.
But this was not enough.
One poem would make others suspect he had used a ghostwriter. He had to display his literary knowledge and passionately express himself at drinking parties to dispel their doubts.
Xu Mo unabashedly took out several miscellanies for Zhu Sihuan to finish reading in five days. He was to summarize his understanding and thoughts, editing and supplementing to make the article even more remarkable.
In those days, Jiang Sheng keenly noticed a carriage without markings often parked in the small alley next door.
A young man in pale gray robes would sneak out, smile at everyone, then sneak into her elder brother's room.
Soon, the clear sounds of reciting and painful wails emerged, mixed with the crisp taps of a bamboo cane hitting the table.
Jiang Sheng didn't really understand what they were doing, but considerately found a wider and thicker bamboo cane to replace the small thin one.
About eight days later, the young man stopped coming. Instead, her elder brother dressed in plain gray clothes quietly boarded the carriage.
Everyone was busy these days.
Second brother Jiang Si took Gao Da Wan around Fengjing City and the outskirts, learning about local conditions while also surveying for goods that could endure long-distance transport to continue his shipping business.
Fourth brother delved into the medical techniques left by Doctor Wu, immersing himself to the point of mania, even getting nosebleeds without realizing it.
Only Jiang Sheng and Chang Yan were free, so delivering preserved meats for the workshop naturally fell to them.
Today happened to be the monthly delivery day. The workshop laborers had already piled 200 jin of goods on the carriage, and Jiang Si was also ready in the driver's seat.
Though Jiang Sheng was curious what her elder brother was up to, she obediently sat atop the carriage and urged Chang Yan, "Fifth brother, let's deliver the goods."
Chang Yan responded while nimbly climbing up.
With Jiang Sheng here, he alone was enough for delivering preserved meats to Gaoyuan Residence. But since the other brothers were busy, as the eldest he had a duty to protect their only little sister.
The carriage steadily rolled along. Passing Wenchang Pavilion, Jiang Sheng spotted Xu Mo's figure.
Her eyes brightened and she turned to share with Chang Yan, when the rear of the carriage was suddenly hit.
The young girl sitting atop was hardly steady. She only remained safe because Fengjing controlled the carriage speed.
Now, caught off guard by the crash, Jiang Sheng lost her foothold and tumbled to the side.
"Miss!"
"Little sister!"
Jiang Si and Chang Yan paled in fright. The former swiftly calmed the startled horses while the latter jumped down to pull Jiang Sheng into a roll, narrowly avoiding the wheels.
Collisions like these weren't too serious in themselves. The real danger was the panicked horses that could charge out of control even with reins pulled taut.
At the minimum they could be run over by the wheels, at worst trampled by stomping hooves.
Chang Yan dragged Jiang Sheng into a roll on the ground, finally breathing relief when they stopped at Wenchang Pavilion's entrance.
At the same time, cheers erupted inside.
A familiar voice was passionately discussing and sharing his views on several ancient texts.
Jiang Sheng vaguely recalled her elder brother saying similar things, but the voice clearly wasn't his.
She shakily stood, not even noticing the dirt on her clothes and messy face.
Chang Yan also heard it and scowled, "Big brother's sacrifice is so great."
Handing over what was his and watching someone else take credit.
Only Xu Mo had such tolerance.
The siblings exchanged a look, both feeling indignant for their elder brother.
They didn't even notice when a maid jumped down from the rear carriage and inspected them closely.
It wasn't until the maid spoke that they snapped to attention in shock. "Do you know you blocked Miss Jiang's path?"
Jiang Sheng and Chang Yan looked up in surprise.
"You're outsiders, right?" The maid was calm, but gazed condescendingly. "Fengjing has rules against recklessly racing horses, but also against moving too slowly. Our carriage did hit yours earlier, but that was because you were too slow, and has nothing to do with our Jiang family."
"I've already asked the young miss, and she won't make things difficult as long as you apologize. Then we can put this past us."
Her words were quite magnanimous, without demanding compensation and only asking for an apology.
Jiang Sheng and Jiang Si were nervous but prepared to apologize and leave.
Only Chang Yan clenched his fists, eyes icy cold.
Fengjing was under the Son of Heaven's feet. The emperor had decreed that aside from urgent news, galloping was forbidden in the city. Even carriage speeds couldn't be too fast to avoid harming the commoners.
But Chang Yan had never heard of a rule against driving too slowly.
Moreover, was he blind? It was clearly the Jiang family carriage trying to turn and accidentally hitting their front carriage, causing Jiang Sheng to fall off. She almost got run over by the wheels.
They hadn't asked for damages, yet the Jiangs wanted them to apologize and compensate.
What arrogance!
What hubris!
