Chapter 363: Plagiarizing Poetry, a Princess of the Former Dynasty! (First Update)

"Second Brother, I wonder if you could yield this painting to your younger brother."

The Second Imperial Prince, Chen Feng, was extremely familiar with this voice, and his brows furrowed slightly.

The man speaking was handsome and imposing, his eyes shooting toward the stars of the Dipper and Ox, truly a rare and magnificent man of this world.

His features were resolute, and his gaze carried the oppressive weight of a towering mountain.

Those present, including Li Xiangjun, Feng Yaya, and Jia Yu, hurriedly bowed.

"Greetings, Your Highness, Prince of Yan!"

Chen Yong also smiled and greeted, "Greetings, Second Brother, Sixth Brother."

He Xiao and the others dared not be negligent; it was also his first time seeing this Sixth Imperial Prince, Chen Ting.

The Sixth Imperial Prince, who was rumored to possess the "legacy of the Prince of Yan."

Princess Linxi's expression was poor; she was a staunch supporter of her own full brother, Second Imperial Prince Chen Feng.

With the Eastern Palace currently without a master, the Second Imperial Prince and the Sixth Imperial Prince, the Prince of Yan, were the two with the greatest advantages.

The Prince of Yan was rooted in the military.

Second Imperial Prince Chen Feng's power lay within the Six Ministries of the imperial court.

Both had grown their wings, waiting only to see who would emerge victorious in the end.

The court officials were placing their bets, while others remained on the sidelines, quietly awaiting the turn of events to see the "truth come to light."

The Thirteenth Imperial Prince, Chen Mu, as a confidant of the Prince of Yan and his own brother,

saw his Sixth Brother arrive, and his face immediately blossomed with joy as he laughed:

"Sixth Brother, you've come at just the right time. Quickly, take a look at this painting—is it worth four hundred taels?"

"Isn't this laughable? How can a random doodle by some nobody be worth four million taels?"

After Chen Mu finished speaking, he turned toward Xie Guan, sneering repeatedly.

"You, a base-born person, a nobody, how dare you boast and sell it for the high price of four million?"

"I even suspect that these poems were not written by your hand, but plagiarized from others!"

These words were heart-piercing!

If these words came from the mouth of an imperial prince, and with the Prince of Yan present, by tomorrow, the rumors and gossip about Xie Guan would surely be overwhelming.

Xie Guan was already a nobody, yet he could compose such shocking poetry, which had long since stung the members of the Nine Great Clans present.

In this way, as if they had found a "reason that should have been," they would one after another accuse Xie Guan of plagiarizing the poetry, adding fuel to the fire.

Even if Xie Guan did not "suffer a ruined reputation," he would still be affected.

This kind of thing was something the descendants of the Nine Great Clans were well-versed in!

Zhang Yuanlai was filled with indignation, his hands clenched inside his sleeves; how could the quality of a painting be linked to one's background!

Chen Mu could not find any flaws in the painting, so he resorted to mocking Xie Guan's humble origins.

Among the common people of Great Qi, there was a nursery rhyme that said:

"Dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and mice are born knowing how to dig holes."

"A tiger father has no dog for a son."

These words, though common sayings, satirized the deeply intertwined power of the Nine Great Clans of Great Qi.

Background seemed to have become the standard for measuring everything.

However, princes, nobles, generals, and ministers are not born of noble seed!

Zhang Yuanlai felt helplessness and self-reproach in his heart; he was merely a Licentiate, so how could he dare to rashly refute an imperial prince?

As Chen Mu's words fell,

Su Yun was furious, "Chen Mu, stop your nonsense!"

"Young Master Guan's poetry is naturally his own work."

Chen Mu looked at the people around him, smiled lightly, and said slowly:

"But who can prove it?"

His tone was not loud, but everyone around could hear it clearly.

Jia Yu and the other two, following the arrival of the Second Imperial Prince and the Prince of Yan, had long since stood cautiously to the side, not daring to breathe loudly.

The surrounding crowd, under Chen Mu's gaze, all silently lowered their heads.

Li Xiangjun also sensed the abnormal atmosphere.

The two princes were engaged in an invisible confrontation.

Zhang Yuanlai looked back at "Xie Guan" behind him, only to see the youth lower his eyelids, his expression calm and composed.

Over the years, the various injustices the youth had suffered in Xie Fu seemed to have long since made him accustomed to it.

Zhang Yuanlai remembered that all these things today were caused by him; if it weren't for his invitation to Xie Guan, none of this would have happened, and he felt stifled in his heart.

He wanted to speak several times.

Feng Yaya understood Zhang Yuanlai's intentions and pulled him tightly with her hand, her face full of pleading as she shook her head gently at him.

This kind of "vortex" involving the big shots of Above Bianjing was not something people like them could get involved in.

The wind kicked up by the shoes of the big shots as they walked could grind them into powder, leaving not even bones behind.

Zhang Yuanlai could only sigh silently; in the end, he could not bear to let go of Feng Yaya.

Chen Mu's eyes were triumphant as he walked to the side of the Prince of Yan, Chen Ting.

Second Imperial Prince Chen Feng saw this and heard Chen Ting's words just now.

Chen Feng suddenly smiled, "Since that is the case."

Chen Ting's gaze shifted between Chen Mu and Xie Guan.

At this moment!

A personal eunuch walked up to the Sixth Imperial Prince and respectfully handed him a note.

After Chen Ting opened and examined it, he tucked it back into his sleeve and looked at Xie Guan again.

He said with a face full of smiles, "Since the Thirteenth Brother has said that Xie Guan's painting is improper,"

"I think it should just be returned to the Second Brother; I won't snatch what he loves."

In just a few words!

With their mutual refusals!

The two most famous princes in Above Bianjing seemed to have determined that Xie Guan had no talent and was not worth four million taels.

After hearing this, Second Imperial Prince Chen Feng was lost in thought.

The red-robed old eunuch who had been following Chen Feng all along walked over and whispered a few words in his ear.

Only then did Chen Feng nod.

"I, Su Yun, have not agreed to let you have it."

Su Yun, however, was furious and said, "I will buy Young Master Guan's painting."

However!

Chen Ting merely shook his head lightly, not caring at all.

Although Su Yun was the young master of the Su family and the grandson of Su Xiang, whom the two dared not easily offend, their conversation had cleverly bypassed Su Yun.

Even if Su Yun were willing to spend a large sum of money to buy this painting, it could not change the fact that the two princes had already determined it.

Xie Guan was not worth it, and there was even a suspicion of "plagiarism."

Chen Mu also gave a contemptuous smile and looked at the youth by the table, "Xie Guan, what else do you have to say?"

"Can you prove that you did not plagiarize someone else's poetry?"

Everyone looked over, their attention focused on Xie Guan.

Xie Guan did not speak.

Seeing this, Su Yun blocked Xie Guan and scolded, "Chen Mu, whether Young Master Guan plagiarized poetry or not, what the hell does it have to do with you!"

"Stop being a busybody here!"

Chen Mu laughed, "I may not be able to manage it, but justice resides in the hearts of the people."

He scanned the crowd, and everyone around dared not meet his gaze.

Chen Yong, meanwhile, silently observed the two "Imperial Brothers" on the scene as well as Xie Guan's painting, weighing things over and over in his heart, and ultimately did not speak.

Li Xiangjun sighed inwardly; although Young Master Su Yun came from the prominent Su family, he still appeared too immature in front of the two princes who had been struggling in the imperial court for many years.

They had already been led off-topic by the two, yet he remained completely unaware.

Today, Xie Guan originally had three poems sufficient to make him famous in Above Bianjing, but he had encountered such a disturbance; I fear tomorrow will bring even more "gossip" to fan the flames.

Chen Yong smiled, "Young Master Guan, this painting is indeed extremely outstanding, but the high price of four million is no small sum."

"Young Master Su Yun also spent quite a lot of silver today buying hairpins at the Qunfang Banquet; I fear you won't be able to come up with so much to buy this painting today..."

Su Yun was momentarily speechless; all the gold and silver he had saved today had been used to buy hairpins.

For a moment, he could not come up with four million taels.

"I, Su Yun, will tomorrow..."

Just at this moment!

A delicate and clear voice rang out.

"If the Young Master's word holds true, I will buy it."

Chen Mu's expression froze, and he was surprised in his heart; who would be so bold as to risk offending two princes to buy Xie Guan's poetry?

Chen Ting narrowed his eyes and slowly turned his head to look.

A woman in white was walking over slowly, graceful and slender, her face covered by a thin white veil, revealing only a pair of eyes as clear as autumn water.

Although she did not reveal her full appearance, she gave people the illusion of a fairy descending to the mortal world, as if she did not belong to this dusty world.

Zhang Yuanlai and the others could not help but cast their gazes toward the woman.

Her temperament was truly too outstanding; it was as if she only needed to stand there to become a landscape that could not be ignored, making people hold their breath.

Clearly extremely beautiful, yet she made people unable to harbor evil thoughts.

One could view her from afar but not play with her!

Li Xiangjun and Feng Yaya looked at each other; there was only one woman in the West Wing Building with such a temperament.

The head of the Qimo Chunfang courtesans, Su Shishi.

Fairy Su!

The woman whose fragrant name spread throughout the entire capital, "Her distant mountain-like brows are long, her slender willow waist is swaying. One smile to topple a city, another to topple a nation."

The people of Above Bianjing all honored her as a "Fairy," saying she was like someone on a wall painting, drifting out of the world, not like a person in the mortal dust.

Someone in the crowd recognized Su Shishi and all exclaimed in surprise.

Su Shishi had long since stopped showing her face in the West Wing Building, and this Qunfang Banquet was also her grand finale appearance.

Seeing this, the Second Imperial Prince was pleasantly surprised and hurriedly said, "Shishi, why have you come?"

Su Shishi, however, ignored him.

Li Xiangjun and the others were surprised that this Fairy Su did not bow to the two princes.

She even dared to walk toward Xie Guan openly between the two princes.

Chen Feng's eyes sank.

Su Shishi walked to the side of the table and carefully examined the Kunpeng painting on the paper, a flash of surprise in her beautiful eyes.

"This painting... is truly extraordinary!"

She raised her head to look at Xie Guan, "Young Master, the three poems you just composed are all excellent, so I would like to request one of your poems."

"I wonder if one painting and one poem are worth four million taels?"

Yu Ke quietly observed this woman from the side, a strange feeling welling up in his heart.

He felt that Su Shishi's temperament was different from the people in the "Kunxu Realm," having a feeling of having participated in it himself in his previous life and seeing Lu Yu.

This feeling made him look at Su Shishi a few more times.

Yu Ke came back to his senses, "That is naturally fine."

Su Yun's face was happy as he looked at Chen Mu and said, "Fairy Su truly has a discerning eye, unlike some people who are blind and have eyes but cannot see."

Su Shishi smiled, like the clearing of the sky after rain, like spring water melting, "Then many thanks, Young Master."

Chen Mu's eyes were cold and sharp, and he was just about to speak when he saw the Prince of Yan, Chen Ting, shake his head lightly.

Chen Ting knew that this woman's identity was extraordinary; she was a princess of a former enemy dynasty, and Su Xiang had even personally received her back then.

A palace coup in the Sui Dynasty back then led the current Sui Holy Emperor to kill his own brother and ascend the throne.

The Sui Holy Emperor bloodied the harem back then, and he probably never expected that the one who slipped through the net was an infant girl who had been swapped.

A warlock from Mount Zhongnan calculated that this princess carried a portion of the Great Sui's national destiny, and the Great Sui had been chasing her relentlessly.

As for why she ended up in the West Wing Building, it was also because the woman did not want to become the current Empress of Great Qi.

Su Xiang hid her in a place of singing and dancing that lasted all night, and no one would have thought that the pearl of the former dynasty would disguise herself as a courtesan selling smiles.

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 364 =====