31: Chapter 0031 Su Huansha

"Fine! Here is a string of cash, take it!"

When it came to writing poetry, Lin Xiao really wasn't flustered. Since he had already used his literary plagiarism skills to trick an Empress into becoming his wife, he might as well keep plagiarizing to the end!

The waiter took the money and smilingly invited the three of them to a private room on the second floor.

Inside the private room was a writing desk, upon which were the four treasures of the study.

"Guest, today's topic is on that bamboo plaque!"

The waiter pointed to a plaque hanging on the wall.

The three of them took a look and were immediately stunned!

"Joining the Army?"

Lin Xiao smiled; he really had found the right person...

"Guest, you have the time it takes for a cup of tea to consider."

"No need!"

Lin Xiao picked up the brush directly and, with a flourish, wrote down four lines of poetry.

Qin He only looked at the first two lines, and his eyes lit up!

Yao Gang, however, didn't have much culture and couldn't tell the good from the bad.

"Take this, let your boss see if it's qualified!"

The waiter's face showed a hint of excitement, and without another word, he took the paper and hurried up to the third floor.

After a short wait, the waiter immediately came down and bowed, returning the string of cash to Lin Xiao.

"Guest, the manager invites you to take a seat!"

Lin Xiao was not surprised and immediately went to the third floor.

The third floor was filled with private rooms, and the style was completely different.

Led by the waiter, the three of them arrived at a room named "Qingxi."

After entering, a woman with a handsome appearance, fair skin, and dressed in men's clothing was waiting for them.

Because the customs in the Great Gan Dynasty were open, many women from noble families would dress in men's clothing, so it was not unusual.

Even though she was wearing men's clothes, Lin Xiao could still tell that this woman was very beautiful, at least not inferior to Leng Bingyan.

The woman held the poem from just now in her hands, clearly unable to put it down.

"I am the manager of Baiyu Pavilion, surnamed Su. Greetings to the three guests."

The woman looked at Lin Xiao, "Presumably, this gentleman with quite a bit of scholarly aura... is the one who wrote this poem?"

Lin Xiao had already seen through the woman's identity at this moment.

[Su Wansha, 22 years old, daughter of the Baishui Registrar, owner of Baiyu Pavilion, Aptitude: yellow grade]

[Cultivation Method: Water Cloud Sword Technique (7 years of cultivation), a sword technique commonly used by women in the Jianghu, agile but relatively weak in power. Grade: yellow grade]

A Registrar was only a minor ninth-rank official; the fact that a Registrar's daughter could manage such a large restaurant meant she did have some ability.

Lin Xiao muttered to himself, but he didn't expose her, as she was using an alias and likely wanted to keep it a secret.

"It is I."

Su Wansha smiled brightly, appearing beautiful and moving despite being a "man."

"May I ask for your name, brother?"

"Lin Xiao."

"So it is Brother Lin!"

Su Wansha said, "Originally, I would not have come forward to meet the guests dining here."

"It's just that Brother Lin's poem was truly too stunning, making me curious about what kind of person the author is."

As she spoke, Su Wansha recited clearly:

"Grape wine in luminous cups, ready to drink, the pipa urges on horseback."

"If I lie drunk on the battlefield, do not laugh; since ancient times, how many have returned from war?"

"Such tragic, beautiful, and romantic lines are enough to be passed down through the ages. I wonder if this poem has a name?"

Lin Xiao scratched his head, "Manager, before we chat about poetry, could you serve the food first? My two brothers and I are still hungry!"

Su Wansha was stunned for a moment, only then realizing she had been so engrossed that she forgot this was a restaurant!

Her face flushed slightly, revealing even more beauty.

"Brother Lin, please wait a moment. I will have the kitchen serve the best dishes immediately, and everything will be half-price today!"

Upon hearing this good news, Qin He and Yao Gang's eyes lit up. This female manager was quite generous!

After the dishes were served one after another, Su Wansha also sat down with them.

The woman watched Lin Xiao devouring his food, a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

"Manager, what kind of hobby is this? Do you like watching people eat?" Lin Xiao felt uncomfortable being stared at.

Su Wansha blushed again at being told this, and said with an awkward smile, "Brother Lin, you haven't named this poem yet..."

"Let's just call it 'Baishui Verse,' since it was written in Baishui City," Lin Xiao said casually.

Su Wansha frowned slightly, thinking to herself that this was too casual.

How could such exquisite lines be treated so carelessly? Did he really create this himself?

Su Wansha's mind raced, and she planned to probe him.

"With Brother Lin's talent, you must not be a local, otherwise I would certainly know of you."

"Hmm... I'm a wanderer in the Jianghu."

"No wonder..."

Su Wansha said with a smile, "Brother Lin, your literary talent is extraordinary. I wonder if you could write another poem for our shop? If you can, this meal will be completely free of charge. How about that?"

Lin Xiao chuckled, "Are you suspecting that this poem isn't mine?"

"I wouldn't dare. I just want to ask Brother Lin for more good poems to frame and hang high up in our Baiyu Pavilion, so that more scholars can admire them."

Su Wansha looked earnest, "I hope Brother Lin will not blame me. It is truly rare to see such good poetry in this world!"

"If you think I plagiarized someone else's poem, then bring out the evidence. If you don't have any, stop pulling this kind of stunt on me!"

Lin Xiao waved his hand and said, "Get out! I'm here to eat; I have no mood to write poetry!"

Seeing this, Su Wansha felt resentful, but there was nothing she could do.

After all, accusing someone of cheating really had no basis or evidence.

She had no choice but to suppress her curiosity and stood up to take her leave, "I apologize for disturbing the three of you while you eat. I shall take my leave now."

After the woman left the room, Yao Gang was a bit puzzled.

"General... Scholar, why didn't you write another one? We could have saved a large sum of silver!"

"That's right, Brother Lin, with such great literary talent, you could easily write a few more," Qin He also said with a smile.

He admired Lin Xiao more and more. Not only was his martial arts profound, but his literary talent was also so heaven-defying!

"This woman is not simple. We are here to do something big, so it's better to keep a low profile."

Lin Xiao hadn't forgotten that he was going to kill the Prefect tonight. This Registrar was also an official under Official Lu Yang. If he interacted with Su Wansha and it caused unwanted attention, it would be troublesome.

If he had known earlier that Baiyu Pavilion was owned by an official's daughter, he wouldn't have come!

After eating and drinking their fill, the sky had darkened.

The three of them went directly outside the post station, found a hidden corner, and waited patiently.

The moon rose over the western tower.

A black shadow floated down from the roof; it was none other than Leng Bingyan.

"Did you find out clearly?" Lin Xiao asked.

Behind her veil, Leng Bingyan revealed a hint of triumph, "Of course. I have already figured it out. Tonight, Official Lu Yang will be hosting a banquet for Prince Bai's advisors in the back garden of the Prefects Mansion."

"Oh? There's a banquet?"

"That's right, there are quite a few guests. I snuck into the Prefects Mansion to inquire, and it's because the Stone Fortress was successfully defended, which disrupted Prince Bai's plans, so they sent people to discuss it with Official Lu Yang."

Lin Xiao's eyes lit up, "You snuck in? Is there a way for me to get to the banquet as well?"

"You want to kill someone directly at the banquet? Are you crazy? Even if your martial arts are high, the people under the Prefects Mansion and Prince Bai's advisors are not to be trifled with!"

"If I didn't see wrong, there are at least three experts not weaker than me, plus hundreds of mansion guards and so many crossbows. Can you escape?"

Leng Bingyan felt that the man was taking things for granted.

Lin Xiao smiled; this woman really thought she was something special.

"You don't need to worry about that. You just need to get me into the Prefects Mansion, and I'll handle the rest!"