436: Chapter 436 is just for fun

Upon seeing this poem, Hu Xinyi's entire mental state shattered!

"He understands me! He knows my heart!"

"Could this poem have been written for me!?"

"How cruel of him. Knowing how much I suffer, why won't he just take me!?"

"If only he would say the word, I would give up everything…"

Lin Xiao felt that this woman had lost her mind and chose to ignore her.

What he cared about more was whether this poem could attract more female fans.

Sure enough, before long, the book boy from the other side came to ask again.

"May I ask the Princess, was this poem written by your own hand?"

Xiao Qingxuan stepped out of that melancholic mood and calmly replied, "This 'Sheng Sheng Man' was also written by the Prince of Zhenbei."

As soon as these words were spoken…

Unsurprisingly, the scene was strangely calm.

Nothing else to it; everyone had already guessed it!

With the Prince of Zhenbei's literary talent, it wouldn't be surprising no matter what peerless masterpieces he produced.

Even if Lin Xiao announced in public that he was the descent of the God of Literature, everyone would believe it!

Many people were already shaking their heads and sneering; this Qushui Banquet was truly ironic.

The group inside, who prided themselves on being leaders of the literary world, masters, and talented scholars—not to mention Juren, there were several Jinshi among them.

Yet, added together, they were not even a match for the single Prince of Zhenbei, who came from the ranks of the Border Army!

Was there even any need for such a Qushui Banquet to exist?

Writing poems and lyrics inside, wasn't that just pure self-amusement?

Bringing them out to publish publicly, only to have someone interrupt the flow—wasn't that just courting humiliation?

Next-door restaurant.

Emperor Hong looked at the three poems in his hand, stared at them for a long time, and let out a long sigh.

"The group from the Imperial Academy, added together, are not as good as a general on horseback… Heh, laughable."

Prime Minister Yang Gengzhong took a sip of wine and sighed, "Lin Xiao is a youth of heaven-sent talent, rare and hard to find; one cannot compare him to ordinary people."

"Even this servant is starting to look forward to the fourth piece. I truly wonder what other eternal masterpieces the Prince of Zhenbei can write." Zheng Yangwei also liked 'Sheng Sheng Man' very much.

"The fourth piece?"

Prime Minister Yang Gengzhong smiled, "If I were Master Li Jingyi, I wouldn't continue."

No sooner had the words fallen than a commotion was heard coming from Zuihua Pavilion.

"It's Grand Scholar Li!"

"And Grand Scholar Zhu, Grand Scholar Xu, why have they all come out?"

"Look! It's the great talent Lv Sheng!"

"Eh? Lv Sheng's face is so red, is he drunk?"

Amidst the curiosity of the crowd, Master Li Jingyi, Zhu Ming, and others brought a large group of literary masters from the Qushui Banquet and walked down from the restaurant.

Arriving at the entrance of Tianxiang Restaurant, Master Li Jingyi looked up and cupped his hands towards the second floor.

"Old man Li Jingyi of the academy requests an audience with the Prince of Zhenbei!!"

Things had reached this point; even a fool could guess that the Prince of Zhenbei must be in Tianxiang Restaurant!

But the Prince wouldn't show himself and kept letting the women around him interrupt the flow—what was the logic in that?

Everyone present was very uneasy and naturally dared not continue; it was better to come out and ask clearly.

After waiting for a while, Lin Xiao did not respond.

If it were anyone else who dared to treat him like this, Master Li Jingyi wouldn't even need to lose his temper; the scholars around him alone could curse the person to death.

How dare you be disrespectful to a dignified Grand Scholar of the current age?

But the Prince of Zhenbei was different. Lin Xiao's current achievements were no longer a matter of status or position, but of "historical standing" and "leaving a name in history."

Even if the common people were to build statues of him and worship him, it would not be an exaggeration.

Master Li Jingyi, as a Grand Scholar, really wasn't worthy of Lin Xiao's special attention.

Therefore, Master Li Jingyi was very embarrassed and looked at Su Wansha to the side, "Boss Su, this…"

Su Wansha sighed and ran upstairs herself.

After a while, the curtains on the second floor of Tianxiang Restaurant were drawn, and Lin Xiao's figure finally appeared before the crowd.

The scene immediately erupted into waves of excited shouts; various praises like "Long live the Prince," "Greetings, Prince," and "Prince, you are our sun" were endless.

Lin Xiao and his wives waved to the commoners with smiles, and only when it quieted down did he look at Master Li Jingyi.

"Old Master Li, why not continue?"

Master Li Jingyi smiled sheepishly, "Prince, has my Qushui Banquet offended you in any way?"

"No, why would Old Master Li think that?" Lin Xiao asked with a smile.

Master Li Jingyi thought to himself, 'Aren't you asking the obvious?'

"Then why did the Prince not come forward personally, and instead let the Princess and Princess Ningxiang perform the interruption of the flow?"

Master Li Jingyi smiled, "If the Prince is willing, why not join the Qushui Banquet? Why keep interrupting the flow from the outside using the hands of those around you?"

Lin Xiao laughed, "Old Master Li has misunderstood. I came here to drink and be merry because Princess Ningxiang is my concubine."

"Since she invited me, I naturally came."

"As for the interruption, it was purely because the Princess and Princess Ningxiang wanted to play around, and naturally, I had to satisfy them."

"As a man, making one's own women happy—isn't that a matter of course?"

As he spoke, Lin Xiao embraced both women, pulling them into his arms. The two women were pleasantly surprised but also quite shy, after all, they were in public.

The large crowd of women at the scene, seeing this, were filled with unconcealable envy, wishing only that they were the ones in the Prince of Zhenbei's arms.

And after Master Li Jingyi understood, he felt as if the sky had collapsed!

After all this, you were just doing it to make your women happy!?

"Haha, as expected of the Prince, truly free and easy!"

"I had long heard that the Prince and Princess were deeply in love, and it is indeed true!"

The commoners found Lin Xiao's answer very relatable, as everyone was just a flesh-and-blood mortal after all.

Men, after all, like to show off in front of women; making their beloved women happy is also a great joy.

Conversely, the group of scholars and poets behind Master Li Jingyi were naturally a bit embarrassed.

To put it bluntly, was the Prince of Zhenbei just playing with them for amusement!?

Inside the restaurant next door.

Emperor Hong looked at the high-spirited Lin Xiao with complex eyes and snorted coldly.

Prime Minister Yang Gengzhong's gaze, however, fell cautiously on Xiao Qingxuan, lost in thought.

"He pretends quite well, like a young man."

Prime Minister Yang Gengzhong came back to his senses and asked in confusion, "Why does Emperor Hong say he is pretending? To this old man, it sounded like the Prince of Zhenbei's honest words, his true nature."

"Does Prime Minister Yang believe that a person in their early twenties could kill the Great Grandmaster Blade Emperor with a single palm strike?"

"This…" Prime Minister Yang Gengzhong couldn't answer.

Just then, Lv Sheng suddenly stepped forward and bowed.

"This student, Lv Sheng of the Imperial Academy, greets the Prince of Zhenbei."

Lin Xiao glanced at him and found that this guy had the traits "Brilliant Literary Talent" and "Jealous of the Able."

"Something the matter?"

Lv Sheng said with a serious face, "This student has heard that the Prince was once a Xiucai. May I ask the Prince, why did you later abandon the brush for the sword?"

"Given the Prince's age, you should have already participated in the provincial examinations. Why did you remain at Stone Fortress and never continue on the path of the imperial examinations until the Rebellion of the Vassal Kings?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere at the scene instantly dropped to freezing point.

Anyone with a brain understood immediately; this was questioning Lin Xiao's literary talent!

Because, having passed the prefectural examinations at a young age, logically one should have gone on to take the provincial examinations to become a Juren; why had he never gone further?

If it was because he couldn't pass, wouldn't that mean his literary talent was insufficient?

Then where did these eternal masterpieces come from?

"Insolent!!"

Xie Juner could not tolerate any sand in her eyes; she glared coldly, pointed her finger, and rebuked, "Lv Sheng, who do you think you are! How dare you question my Prince?!"

Xiao Qingxuan also had a cold look in her eyes; if it weren't for the crowd, she would have already wanted to freeze Lv Sheng into an icicle.

"Exactly, the Prince didn't want to take the exam, is that any of your business!?"

"The Prince comes from the border, practiced martial arts for self-defense, and protected the country. What is wrong with not taking the provincial examinations!?"

"Does reading books mean one must take exams? The Prince just likes writing poems, is there a problem with that?"

Some women who admired Lin Xiao also retorted to Lv Sheng one after another.

Lv Sheng looked neither humble nor pushy and said, "Prince, this student is not trying to make things difficult on purpose. I also greatly admire the Prince's eternal achievements, which is why I am all the more curious: why did the Prince, who was once a scholar like me, abandon literature for martial arts?"

Lin Xiao remained expressionless, but inwardly he sneered; no wonder dynasties throughout history have always guarded against scholars!

In the restaurant across the street, Emperor Hong was quite happy.

"This Lv Sheng actually has some guts, daring to question the Prince of Zhenbei in Cang Province, hehe…"

"In public, the Prince of Zhenbei cannot kill him. He's in a difficult position now." Zheng Yangwei covered his mouth and laughed.

Prime Minister Yang Gengzhong was also quite expectant, wanting to see how Lin Xiao would answer. After all, logically, it really didn't make sense: how could a nameless Xiucai possess such peerless literary talent?