Chapter 14: Passed Down Through the Ages

The voting has ended.

After Liu Mama finished counting the silver with her people, she walked onto the flower stage and began reading the list in her hand.

"Young Master Zhang Xian, supporting Miss Ziwei, donated ten taels of silver."

"Young Master Liu Feng, supporting Miss Caiyi, donated twenty taels of silver."

"Young Master Wang Dafu, supporting Miss Mei'er, donated ten taels of silver..."

As Liu Mama read out name after name, the young women and Young Maids on the flower stage were all clapping, and the crowd below the stage was also cheering loudly.

Upon hearing his own name, Wang Dafu suddenly felt some regret.

"Damn it! That scoundrel Liu Feng actually gave twenty taels; if I had known, I would have given twenty-five! To think I was outdone by that fellow!"

The reason Liu Mama began reading the list without waiting for the poetry scores to come out was, naturally, to exploit the vanity of these scholars and stir up their competitive spirit. In this way, if such events were held in the future, these men might grit their teeth and give a bit more silver.

"Young Master Liang Yucheng, supporting Miss Zhiyin, donated twenty taels of silver."

"Young Master Su Bie, supporting Miss Mei'er, donated eleven taels of silver..."

"What the hell!"

Wang Dafu stood up from his seat all at once, glared at Su Bie sitting across from him, and said, "Brother Su, not only did you secretly support my Miss Mei'er, but you actually went out of your way to give one tael more than me! This is too despicable!"

Su Bie laughed heartily.

Zhang Yitian, who was to the side, couldn't help but say, "Didn't Brother Su just say that Miss Mei'er was too vulgar and couldn't be presented in polite society?"

Su Bie shook the folding fan in his hand and said with a straight face, "That may be so, but the way Miss Mei'er twists her waist and hips... tsk tsk, it is truly alluring."

"Despicable! Shameless! You villain!"

Wang Dafu was so angry he slapped the table and roared, "Brother Su, if you don't offer me a drink and apologize today, I will break off our friendship!"

Su Bie laughed and raised his wine cup: "I'll have three cups, you have one."

Wang Dafu pushed the wine pot over and huffed, "You have the whole pot!"

Su Bie picked up the wine pot, weighed it, and smiled quite readily: "No problem."

Wang Dafu continued to grumble, his gaze fixed on the stage; whenever he heard that others had donated more than him, he would start cursing them too.

"Pah, what is that Liu Wenshuo showing off for? Putting on a brave face when he's broke! His family is so poor they can barely put food on the table; just last time his wife had to go out and borrow rice to eat, yet at a time like this he acts big and donates ten taels! If his wife knew, she'd probably be scared to death!"

Su Bie commented, "That man is just like that, obsessed with face. I heard the tuition for him to study at the Academy was earned by his wife mending clothes for others."

Zhang Yitian, to the side, let his gaze flicker, then shook his head and sneered, "A person like that might as well just die."

On the flower stage, Liu Ju had finished reading the list.

At this moment, those few old gentlemen had also finished reading and evaluating the poems, and had assigned scores.

Liu Ju took the poems from the Young Maid's hands and began to read them one by one.

After the first poem was read, everyone began to cheer and comment.

"Brother Zhang's poem is well-written, it deserves a seven! Look at those last two lines, not only do they depict Miss Ziwei's beautiful appearance, but also her skill with the flute..."

These scholars all had a fair amount of research into poetry, so upon seeing good work, they naturally began to discuss it excitedly.

Wang Dafu, Su Bie, and the three of them also began to discuss it line by line.

Seeing that a long time had passed, Luo Zijun grew increasingly anxious, and because he had drunk too much wine out of boredom, the urge to urinate struck him again.

"The three brothers continue your discussion, I shall go out to get some air."

Luo Zijun stood up and left the cabin.

Wang Dafu glanced at his retreating back and whispered, "Is Brother Luo unable to write poetry? Is that why he finds our discussion uninteresting?"

Zhang Yitian also said, "He probably isn't very skilled at it; just now while everyone was discussing, he didn't say a word."

Su Bie, however, sneered and said, "You two have really misjudged him this time!"

"Oh? How so?"

At the same time.

Luo Zijun arrived outside the cabin and, seeing that there was no one around and that the tourists on the shore and the Broken Bridge had long since dispersed, he quickly loosened his clothes and released his urine against the railing.

"I hope the Xu Xian encountered isn't Bai Niangzi..."

Just as he was secretly praying, he suddenly heard two gasps of "Ah," and when he turned his head to look, he was instantly dumbfounded.

In the shadows not far to his left, two figures were standing there, eyes wide, covering their mouths as they watched him.

One of them wore a Young Maid's hairstyle and had a petite figure; it was the very same Young Maid who had just seen him relieving himself. The other was dressed in a long pink dress, with a slender and graceful figure and long, black hair draped behind her; she looked delicate and weak, but her features were unclear.

At this moment, both of them stood in the corner shadows, covering their mouths, motionless, as if they had been scared silly by the scene before them.

"Splash, splash, splash..."

The urine fell into the lake, sounding exceptionally loud in the silent, dark night.

Luo Zijun embarrassedly wanted to jump into the lake, but he couldn't stop immediately, so he could only look at the two and say, biting the bullet, "Um, two ladies, would you like to pee together?"

"..." The mistress and servant remained frozen in place for a few more seconds, then suddenly turned around together and, with a "whoosh," fled into the room together.

What a disaster!

Luo Zijun finally finished and tied his pants.

He decided he would never urinate in public again, and never come to this godforsaken place again!

Hurry and get inside!

Not daring to stay outside any longer, he immediately fled into the room.

"Brother Luo, what's wrong? Were you chased by a dog?"

Seeing him return in a rush, Wang Dafu asked curiously.

Luo Zijun sat down, glanced at him, and said, "You're the one who was chased by a dog!"

Damn it, why am I so unlucky!

I didn't see Xu Xian, and I've suffered social death twice in a row.

!

It seems this kind of place really doesn't suit him.

"Brother Luo, those two lines at the Pharmacy—did you really come up with them yourself?"

Wang Dafu asked suddenly.

Luo Zijun was absent-minded: "Which two lines?"

"The ones that go, 'May the world be free of illness, why mind if the dust gathers on the medicine shelves'..."

Zhang Yitian, who was to the side, spoke up.

Luo Zijun denied it directly: "No."

Just as the two were about to ask more, a burst of even more excited applause and cheering erupted all around.

"Good verse! Truly good verse!"

Su Bie, who was nearby, also began to applaud, praising: "It is indeed good verse, worthy of an eight-point score!"

The group, curious, looked toward the flower stage.

An old gentleman held a piece of rice paper in his hand, stroked his beard, and smiled: "We have discussed this poem by Young Master Liang for a long time, and we feel it is indeed a rare and excellent piece, which is why we gave it a high score. Look at this first line..."

"Brother Xu! Come here quickly! Look at this one!"

At this moment, several old gentlemen behind him suddenly beckoned him over, the expressions on their faces looking very agitated.

Xu Baohuai was stunned for a moment, then hurried over.

He had never seen these friends of his so agitated before; could it be they had really discovered an even better poem?

"If life could always be like our first meeting..."

When he saw the first line, his eyes suddenly lit up; he hurriedly snatched it away and held his breath as he read it.

"If life could always be like our first meeting, why would the autumn wind grieve the painted fan? When the heart of an old friend changes so easily, one can only say that the hearts of old friends are easily changed..."

Meanwhile, in a certain side room in the back.

Liu Chujian and her maid Bi'er had locked the door and were hiding in the room, trembling, their faces flushed with shame and panic.

Just a moment ago, the mistress and servant had hesitated for a long time before gathering the courage to go out, intending to walk along the corridor outside the ship's cabin and then peek through the windows from the outside to find that "peeing Young Master." Who would have thought that as soon as they stepped out of the small door, they would see that terrifying scene...

"Miss, does that guy have some kind of illness? This servant has only seen him twice, so why do I see him peeing every single time? And he always pees in that kind of place..."

Bi'er felt as if her entire being was unwell; her eyes felt dirty, and she could never wash them clean again.

Liu Chujian blushed, her heart pounding like a startled deer, still beating rapidly without pause.

That person was truly... truly...

At this moment, a rush of hurried footsteps suddenly came from the doorway.

Then, the sound of the door being pushed rang out.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Seeing she could not push the door open, Liu Ju hurriedly knocked again, saying excitedly from outside: "Chujian, come out quickly! Good news! Such good news! You've really done it now; you've become famous overnight!"

Her voice was trembling with excitement.

When the maid Bi'er went over to open the door, she saw Liu Ju's face flushed with excitement, looking as if she had suddenly become ten years younger, radiant as she said: "Oh my! That poem of yours actually made those old gentlemen add twenty points for you! A full twenty points! Even those scholars, after hearing your poem, were all so excited they were slapping the tables, saying they were making an exception to add twenty points, and that was only the minimum! Hahaha, you have instantly become the most popular girl in our Tianxian Pavilion!"

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this news, Liu Chujian did not share the excitement, but instead wore a dazed expression.

Liu Ju hurriedly grabbed her small hand, rubbing it dotingly while saying excitedly: "My good girl, which Young Master wrote that poem? Tell Mother quickly! Mother is going to kowtow to him! Do you know what those old gentlemen said? They said that once that poem came out, your name would be passed down through the ages! The name of my Tianxian Pavilion will also be passed down through the ages! My name, Liu Ju, might even leave a mark in history! Oh my, I'm so overjoyed that my heart is racing, my legs are shaking, and my skirt is wet, hahahaha... Oh my, I can't take it anymore, I have to go to the railing outside to pee first..."

Liu Chujian: "..."

Bi'er: "..."

(End of chapter)