126: Secret love, a person's chaos?

The fourth floor was very spacious, about twenty zhang wide, with a large circular meeting area in the middle, and several irregularly shaped rooms embedded around it. Some people were playing touhu, others were composing couplets.

The men and women were dressed in expensive clothing, clearly from wealthy or noble families.

Jiang Hanwen saw several acquaintances: Zhuang Yue and his sister, Bai Youlan’s brother Bai Yifan, and others.

He saw Li Minzhong with his family. The other members of the Li family were smiling and skillfully conversing with the surrounding men and women.

Only Li Minzhong had a poker face, standing coldly, and no one around him dared to approach him for a chat.

So aloof? Could he have mistaken the person? That Young Master was like a chatterbox in the bookstore.

Jiang Hanwen recalled Li Minzhong saying that he had few friends, which was why he hoped Jiang Hanwen would accompany him to a blind date.

At the time, Jiang Hanwen didn’t believe it one bit. “You have more tricks up your sleeve than anyone else; no friends?”

But looking at him now, it was possible that what he said was true; the little chatterbox really didn’t have many friends.

Looking at the other side, Huang Ying stood with several pretty ladies, all dressed in splendid embroidery, happily chatting about something. When men approached to talk, Huang Ying responded gracefully, gently, and politely.

Well, one liked someone but dared not speak.

The other was a little sun in the crowd. For them to get together, that would be a miracle.

“Clang, clang, clang~”

A clear ringing sound echoed, and everyone’s gaze involuntarily turned towards it.

A man dressed in a scholarly robe of cyan and white, looking like a scholar, gently struck a set of chimes in the center of the hall with a wooden mallet.

“It’s that Young Master,” Jiang Hanwen squinted. “Wang Ye.”

“The hour of Shen has arrived. Today’s poetry gathering officially begins. Below, I will announce three topics. Please begin to compose your beautiful poems, and we will enjoy them together.”

“The rankings will be determined by votes. The top three, regardless of gender, will each receive a bottle of Blood Qi Pill.”

Blood Qi Pill, a first-grade Medicinal Pill, was excellent for body tempering, with a bottle priced around five hundred taels.

Rather than a reward, this Medicinal Pill was more like a label for outstanding single nobles.

Those present didn’t care about the small amount of money; they valued the ranking more.

Upon hearing the call, the crowd gathered around.

Jiang Hanwen noticed that the four families—Zhuang, Bai, Li, and Huang—as well as two men from the Black Wind Martial Hall, stood at the very center. Everyone dared not crowd them, perfectly maintaining their distance.

Wang Ye tore open the first envelope, on which a large character for “Snow” was written.

“Everyone, with ‘Snow’ as the theme, please!”

Upon hearing the theme, some frowned in deep thought, while others, having anticipated the topic, were beaming with joy.

In less than ten breaths, a woman standing near the edge of the crowd was the first to raise her hand.

“This young lady, please.” Wang Ye looked over and invited her to the central position.

“Snow blankets the world, the earth darkens, the wind drifts lightly into the night.

A night of howling passes, clouds and water like the heavens傾.

The cold wind whistles, you stand at the river’s head, frozen.

After washing and dressing, a red headscarf is donned.”

“A good poem.” Wang Ye nodded and said, “This young lady’s...”

As more and more people raised their hands, poems about snow were quickly written down by the nearby attendants and hung behind Wang Ye, forming a wall.

“Fool, are you just going to watch without writing?” A voice transmission suddenly flew into his ear.

Li Minzhong, who had been wilting like a flower, head bowed and back bent, suddenly straightened his back and looked left and right.

At the edge of the crowd, he finally saw a familiar face, who was watching him with a smile, as if enjoying a good show.

Li Minzhong shook his head and mouthed the words “I can’t.”

“Brother, what’s wrong?” A younger brother next to him looked over, curious.

“Nothing.” Li Minzhong returned to his cold demeanor.

“Listen carefully, I’ll only recite it once. You just say you wrote it in a dream. Don’t blame me if you can’t get a wife.”

Li Minzhong was not a stubborn person. Hearing Jiang Hanwen’s words, he straightened his posture, giving Jiang Hanwen a signal that he was ready at any time.

Ten breaths later, Li Minzhong raised his hand.

Several people nearby looked over in surprise. Li Minzhong, he can write poetry?

Don’t be funny; if he could write poetry, the sun would rise from the west.

A person who usually doesn’t even speak, can he write poetry?

“It’s Young Master Li.”

“That mute Young Master who only spoke three years after he was born?”

“Heh heh, let’s see how he makes a fool of himself.”

Acquaintances around him, either mocking or curious, all focused their attention on him.

Wang Ye clearly knew the situation of each family. Suppressing his inner surprise, he extended his hand in invitation: “Young Master Li, please!”

Li Minzhong cleared his throat and recited with full vigor:

“Climbing the tower, facing the snow, too lazy to compose a poem, leaning idly on the railing, lost in thought.

Do not blame the world for aging easily, even green mountains have a time for white hair!”

After Li Minzhong finished reciting, the crowd was silent.

Compared to the weak and powerless poems before, this one was not only vivid and lively but also used time as a blade, incredibly grand.

“Even green mountains have a time for white hair.” Wang Ye softly repeated the last line, his eyes unconsciously looking at the distant mountains, a expanse of white snow. Wasn’t that exactly “even green mountains have a time for white hair”?

Wang Ye’s eyes burst with excited light: “Young Master Li, a good poem!”

“Clap, clap~”

Someone started clapping, followed by a thunderous roar.

Li Minzhong’s face was flushed. He, of course, knew best what this poem was about.

Everyone looked at him. He gathered his courage and looked at the person he admired.

Their eyes met, and everyone followed his gaze to Huang Ying.

Huang Ying’s cheeks were slightly red, and she turned her head away.

“Hiss~”

The crowd let out a chorus of hisses.

This poem was universally recognized as the best, unrivaled, and the first-grade Blood Qi Pill was delivered to Li Minzhong’s hand.

“Alright, now let’s see what the second topic is.” Wang Ye continued to tear open the drawn envelope, on which the character for “City” was written.

“Fool, what are you standing there for? Go give the Medicinal Pill to Huang Ying,” Jiang Hanwen transmitted.

Li Minzhong froze, took two steps, and then stopped, not daring to approach.

Jiang Hanwen had been watching from the side. This Young Master’s state was like an unawakened youth in a romance film, hesitant to speak, just unwilling to act.

Is unrequited love a battlefield of one’s own?

“To win a wife, you need to be thick-skinned and bold.

Otherwise, if the girl doesn’t know your feelings, how can she agree?

I’ll write you one last poem. If you still don’t dare to go over, then I’m leaving, okay?”

This time, Li Minzhong nodded, giving Jiang Hanwen a confirming signal.

Glancing at the theme “City,” Jiang Hanwen searched his mind for his favorite poems. Finally, a name that had slain nobles entered his mind. “You’re the one!”

After reciting the poem, Jiang Hanwen left directly. He was too lazy to watch the results. This poem was not in textbooks.

But when he first read it years ago, he forced himself to memorize it because it was too imposing!

As for this blind date gathering, rather than being a competition for a few juniors, it was more like a platform for them to meet each other.

Whether they could marry was just a small opportunity.

This was not ancient times where reading could change one’s destiny; this was a world where cultivation determined status. It was destined that only those of matching families could marry. Unions between mismatched families were destined to be secondary.

Of course, those with greater strength were an exception.

There were two more segments: a Go endgame challenge and an auction of small items.

Jiang Hanwen didn’t play Go, and he wouldn’t spend money, so why stay? He might as well go downstairs and enjoy himself, explore other places.

Just as Jiang Hanwen walked to the second floor, he heard thunderous applause.

A smile played on his lips. He hoped that Young Master would be inspired by the poem’s grandeur and bravely take the first step. That kind of experience, the taste of it, was not easy to bear.

Following the bridge, Jiang Hanwen wandered around with the flow of people.

Why keep love hidden in one’s heart?