43: Chapter 43 Clouds Imagine Clothes and Flowers Compatible

Chen Fan turned and left. On his way to the stables to prepare the carriage, he was in a state of high alert.

His senses were heightened to the limit, observing every corner, every shadow, and every person who brushed past him.

That feeling of being watched followed him like a shadow.

The carriage was quickly prepared; it was a green-tented carriage with an ordinary exterior but a spacious and comfortable interior.

With the support of two maids, Princess Li Ronger boarded the carriage.

Chen Fan acted as the coachman, sitting on the shafts. He flicked the reins, and the carriage slowly drove out of the side gate of the Xiushan Princes Mansion.

The wheels rolled over the bluestone pavement, making a rumbling sound.

Xiushan Prefecture City was a major town in the north of the Great Shang Dynasty. Its streets were wide, lined with shops, and bustling with people. The sounds of peddling and shouting were endless, presenting a scene of prosperity.

For Princess Li Ronger, this long-lost sense of worldly life made her feel as if she were in another lifetime.

She lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, looking at the scenery flashing by outside the window, her expression complex.

For Chen Fan, however, this bustling street meant danger was everywhere.

The more people there were and the noisier it was, the more suitable it was for an assassin to hide and strike.

His hands holding the reins appeared relaxed, but his muscles were actually taut.

He was not looking at the scenery; he was rapidly scanning the rooftops, alley entrances, and the windows of the second floors of teahouses on both sides of the street—any place where an assassin might hide.

"Just drive around," came the somewhat weary instruction from Princess Li Ronger inside the carriage.

"Yes."

Chen Fan replied and drove the carriage into the crowded throng of people.

He had no destination, simply following the main street where the flow of people was densest. If that assassin truly wanted to act, they would always have more scruples in a busy market area.

The carriage traveled for about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense when Princess Li Ronger suddenly spoke.

"Stop for a moment."

Chen Fan pulled on the reins, bringing the carriage to a steady stop by the side of the road.

He followed Princess Li Ronger's gaze to a shop called the Treasure Pavilion. It had three tiers of flying eaves, an imposing storefront, and elegant decor; at a glance, it was not a place ordinary people could afford to patronize.

"Let's go in and take a look."

Princess Li Ronger got out of the carriage and walked straight in.

Chen Fan and the two maids hurriedly followed.

As soon as they entered, a well-dressed clerk came up to greet them. The pavilion was filled with various exquisite gold, silver, and jade wares, as well as pearl hairpins and jewelry, dazzling the eyes with their shimmering light.

Princess Li Ronger's interest seemed to have piqued. She walked and looked, but she only looked and had no intention of stopping.

It was not until she reached the boutique section on the second floor that her footsteps stopped.

Her gaze was drawn to a Phoenix hairpin resting quietly on a sandalwood tray.

The Phoenix hairpin was carved entirely from warm jade. The form of the Phoenix was lifelike, and the tail was inlaid with tiny red gemstones, shimmering with radiance and exquisitely beautiful.

"I want this Phoenix hairpin," Princess Li Ronger said.

The clerk looked troubled and bowed, saying, "My lady, I am truly sorry. This 'Phoenix Seeking Phoenix' is a masterpiece of our Pavilion Master and is not for sale."

Princess Li Ronger frowned.

As a Princess, she had never encountered something she wanted but could not obtain.

"Name your price," she said indifferently, carrying her own air of authority.

Just then, a middle-aged man wearing a Confucian robe and sporting a goatee walked out from the inner hall; he was the Master of the Treasure Pavilion.

He first glanced at Princess Li Ronger. Although she was dressed simply, the noble air she was born with made him dare not neglect her.

"My lady, please forgive me," the Pavilion Master said, cupping his hands in a salute and explaining neither humbly nor arrogantly, "This hairpin is indeed not for sale."

"However..." He changed the subject, pointing at the Phoenix hairpin with a hint of pride on his face, "Although this hairpin is not for sale, it can be gifted to someone fated to have it. I have set a challenge here: if anyone can compose a poem for this Phoenix hairpin that catches my eye, this 'Phoenix Seeking Phoenix' will be gifted on the spot."

These words immediately attracted the attention of all the guests in the pavilion.

Many wealthy Young Masters and scholars who prided themselves on their literary talent gathered around, eager to try.

"I'll do it!"

A young Young Master dressed in luxurious clothing, waving a fan, was the first to step forward.

He stared at the Phoenix hairpin, shook his head for a long time, and recited: "Beautiful jade carved into a flying Phoenix, red gems adorned to show Divine Might. If a beauty wears this hairpin, it will surely make the whole city lose its radiance."

As soon as the poem was recited, a smattering of applause broke out around him.

The Pavilion Master just shook his head, a polite smile on his face. "Young Master, your talent is not bad, but unfortunately, it remains superficial and lacks some spirit."

The Young Master's face instantly turned the color of pig's liver, and he retreated sullenly.

Following that, several more scholars stepped forward to try. The poems they composed had flowery language or mediocre Concepts, but without exception, they were all rejected by the Pavilion Master with a smile.

The Pavilion Master's standards were clearly very high.

More and more people gathered to watch, and everyone was discussing, feeling that the Pavilion Master was intentionally making things difficult.

"To think that a hairpin requires a top-tier poem to obtain—Boss, isn't this being a bit too difficult?"

"Yeah, that's enough."

The crowd spoke up, very unhappy with the boss's attitude.

Princess Li Ronger looked at the Phoenix hairpin, a flash of disappointment in her eyes. She was just about to turn and leave.

"Let me try."

A calm voice suddenly sounded from the side.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice.

They saw a young man wearing the attire of a guard from the Princes Mansion, with a tall, straight figure and an ordinary appearance, walking out.

It was Chen Fan.

In an instant, the entire Treasure Pavilion went silent.

Everyone's face was filled with astonishment and absurdity.

A guard? A martial artist?

He also wants to compose a poem?

The few scholars who had been eliminated let out undisguised sneers.

"What a huge joke! A servant who guards the house also understands poetry?"

"Don't tell me he's just joining in the fun, trying to make his mistress smile?"

"A vulgar martial artist who knows nothing—it's simply laughable!"

Princess Li Ronger was also stunned; she looked at Chen Fan in disbelief.

What does he want to do?

Make a fool of himself in public?

The Pavilion Master was also taken aback but maintained his demeanor, gesturing for Chen Fan to proceed: "This young man, please."

Chen Fan ignored the surrounding ridicule and did not look at Princess Li Ronger.

He just stared quietly at the Phoenix hairpin, then thought about which poem from his past life he should use to show off.

Although he was not a liberal arts student in his past life, he was quite interested in poetry and had memorized many poems in his mind.

After thinking about it, this one seemed more appropriate.

So he slowly began: "Clouds are her clothing, flowers are her face,"

The voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

Inside the pavilion, it instantly became quiet.

The smiles on the faces of the scholars who had previously been sneering suddenly froze.

In just seven characters, it was as if an invisible force had seized everyone's spirit.

Clouds are her clothing... flowers are her face...

What magnificent imagination! What an exquisite metaphor!

The Pavilion Master's expression, which had originally carried a trace of contempt, instantly froze, replaced by extreme shock.

Chen Fan did not pause and continued to recite the next line.

"Spring breeze brushes the balustrade, the dew glows rich and bright."

Boom!

If the first line was a thunderclap on flat ground, then this second line was earth-shattering!

The entire Treasure Pavilion was deathly silent.

Everyone was stunned, their minds blank from these two lines of poetry.

They seemed to see a peerless beauty, wearing clothing woven from clouds, her face more delicate and beautiful than blooming peonies. As the spring breeze brushed by, the dew on the railing added to that rich and brilliant splendor.

Beautiful!

Beautiful to the extreme!

"Good... good poem! What a good poem!"

I don't know how much time passed before the Master of the Treasure Pavilion suddenly slapped his thigh, trembling with excitement, his goatee twitching.

He rushed to Chen Fan in two or three steps, his old face flushed red with excitement.

"Clouds are her clothing, flowers are her face, spring breeze brushes the balustrade, the dew glows rich and bright... Peerless! Truly peerless!"

Those scholars who had been mocking him earlier were now ashen-faced, so ashamed that they wished they could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Compared to these two lines of poetry, what they had composed earlier were simply nonsensical doggerel!

Princess Li Ronger stared fixedly at Chen Fan's back with an unprecedented, complex gaze mixed with shock, astonishment, and curiosity.

Is this... really her guard, Lin Shou?

How could a vulgar martial artist compose such breathtaking and brilliant poetry?

"The second half! What about the second half!" The Pavilion Master grabbed Chen Fan's arm, asking eagerly. He looked like someone about to die of thirst who had just seen a fresh spring. "Young man! No, Young Master! Quick! Quickly recite the second half of the poem!"

Everyone around held their breath, stretching their necks, their faces full of anticipation.

They couldn't wait to know what kind of earth-shattering chapter would follow such a stunning opening.

Chen Fan just turned his head, revealing a faint smile to the Pavilion Master.

He did not answer but instead asked: "Can this half of the poem win the Phoenix hairpin?"

The boss's expression was very conflicted; he was desperate to know the second half.

But he couldn't bring himself to lie and say that this half-poem was not enough.

Finally, he sighed and said: "It can. Young Master, the Phoenix hairpin is yours."