Chapter 34: First Volume, Chapter 34: A Single Character Worth a Thousand Li Silver

First Volume, Chapter 34: A Single Character Worth a Thousand Li Silver

Shen Qingci silently recited it once more in her heart, her cheeks involuntarily flushing red; as a woman, and especially as a Jingdu Talented Woman, she understood better than anyone the value of this poem.

Her disdain for Qin Feng also softened somewhat.

Shen Qingci took the crooked, weed-like poetry and bit her thin lips: "Qin Feng, be honest—did you really write this poem?"

Feeling the change in Shen Qingci's gaze, Qin Feng secretly relished it—he would conquer this self-important Jingdu Talented Woman with literary brilliance!

And to kill two birds with one stone—satisfy the Qiyang Commandery Princess while drawing closer to Shen Qingci—he had burned countless brain cells just to pick this poem.

Qin Feng felt no guilt whatsoever; he slapped his chest with supreme arrogance: "Of course I wrote it!"

"Elder Sister, do you still remember what you promised me just now? Hehehe."

Qin Feng smirked wickedly, leaning toward Shen Qingci: "Sis, don't worry—I'll take good care of you from now on!"

Facing Qin Feng's malicious gaze, Shen Qingci's fondness vanished completely; she punched him hard in the chest and snapped: "The poem's good, but you're terrible! Don't get too excited—the Qiyang Commandery Princess hasn't approved yet!"

Qin Feng clutched his chest and slumped onto the chair, kicking his legs wildly: "You won't honor your word? I'm telling Father on you!"

Shen Qingci had no time to waste on Qin Feng's nonsense; she quickly copied the poem and turned back toward the reception hall.

Seeing Shen Qingci finally emerge, the Qiyang Commandery Princess's face darkened: "I thought you'd jumped out the window! Made me wait this long—if you can't give me a satisfactory answer, it won't be enough to just smash Qingya Pavilion."

At once, every eye in the room fixed on Shen Qingci.

Shen Qingci took a deep breath—this was the decisive moment—and asked tentatively: "May I ask, Princess, is this poem for yourself, or for the Chang Princess?"

At these words, the Qiyang Commandery Princess's expression softened slightly.

Since Shen Qingci asked this, it meant she had a strategy—if she could produce a worthy poem for her mother, today's debt would be erased. As for Li Ninghui, the Qiyang Commandery Princess didn't care one bit!

The Qiyang Commandery Princess replied without expression: "For my mother."

With confirmation, Shen Qingci exhaled in relief—Qin Feng's brat had guessed right. Her tense expression dissolved; she stood tall with newfound confidence: "If it's for the Chang Princess, why didn't you say so earlier?"

"All this misunderstanding made people think Qingya Pavilion couldn't even produce a decent poem."

Shen Qingci picked up the poem scroll, her lips curling slightly; she felt utterly confident—once this poem was revealed, it would cause a sensation, and Qingya Pavilion's status in Jingdu's poetry world would be unshakable.

Just as Shen Qingci was about to unfold the poem scroll, her wrist was seized by Qin Feng.

Shen Qingci frowned slightly and whispered sharply: "What are you up to now, you jerk?"

Qin Feng winked at Shen Qingci, signaling her to calm down.

Qin Feng had copied so many poems—each worth a thousand li silver—why give this one away for free? When money was involved, Qin Feng had no family ties.

"If you're asking for poetry, you must ask properly."

"You stormed into Qingya Pavilion today with armed men—is that how one should request poetry?"

At these words, everyone in the room gasped, thinking they'd misheard.

At this deadline, Qin Feng was putting on airs with the Qiyang Commandery Princess? Was he trying to die?!

Shen Qingci's heart lurched; she yanked her wrist free and pinched Qin Feng's waist hard, whispering angrily: "Qin Feng, are you insane?!"

The arrogant Qin Feng instantly crumbled, clutching his waist and hopping in pain—it wasn't faked this time; women's pinches were excruciating.

Watching Qin Feng flail about like a fool, the Qiyang Commandery Princess couldn't tell if she wanted to laugh or be angry, but her face remained expressionless: "No proper manner of request? So what do you want? Are you asking me to kneel and beg?"

Qin Feng clutched his waist with one hand and waved the other, forcing a smile uglier than crying: "Even if you gave me a hundred lives, I'd never ask the Princess to kneel."

"But if you're asking for a calligraphy treasure, shouldn't you pay?"

Realizing he wanted money, the Qiyang Commandery Princess's gaze eased—spending a little silver to please her mother was nothing; she asked: "How much do you want?"

Qin Feng immediately put on his merchant's grin: "Xiao Xiangxiang, bring me my abacus."

Xiao Xiangxiang hurriedly handed him a pure silver abacus, no bigger than a palm, exquisitely crafted.

Ignoring Shen Qingci's murderous glare, Qin Feng nudged the beads with his pinky: "As the saying goes, calligraphy treasures are hard to obtain—one character, a thousand li silver. This poem has seventy-two characters…"

Here, Qin Feng glanced at Li Ninghui; his expression flipped like a page—he snorted dismissively: "Miss Li insulted my sister and slandered Qingya Pavilion's reputation—each character is two thousand taels! Split evenly, Princess, you owe thirty-six thousand taels; Miss Li, seventy-two thousand taels."

The onlookers exchanged bewildered glances, convinced Qin Feng had never seen money—ten thousand li silver for one poem? What nonsense!

Li Ninghui shot Qin Feng a venomous glare: "A lousy poem wants ten thousand li silver? You've never seen silver, have you? You're cut out to be a beggar!"

As the Yi Nu of the Minister of Revenue and Li Rui's sister, Qin Feng had no reason to be polite.

Today, he'd make her bleed—and humiliate her completely!

Qin Feng grinned openly before the crowd: "So what if I'm a beggar? I don't steal or rob! Better than your brother sneaking onto a Hua Fang to cheat songstresses."

"Your brother cheats songstresses; you cheat poetry. The top beam's crooked, so the bottom beam's crooked too."

At these words, laughter rippled through the crowd.

Li Ninghui's face flushed crimson and pale; she clenched her fists, wanting to devour Qin Feng alive, yet dared not retort—she had no answer for this kind of "ruffian tone."

The Qiyang Commandery Princess had heard of Li Rui cheating on the Hua Fang; her goodwill toward Li Ninghui vanished instantly. She ordered her away, then glanced at Qin Feng: "If this poem makes my mother smile, a few ten thousand taels mean nothing. But if it falls short, I won't just smash Qingya Pavilion—I'll break your legs."

Qin Feng immediately ducked behind Shen Qingci, feigning terror, yet his voice was firm: "Deal!"

In an instant, every eye in the room locked onto Shen Qingci.