Chapter 57: The Steel-Straight Man

Under the gaze of the crowd.

Luo Zijun saw that everyone was looking at him with strange expressions, so he had no choice but to let go.

"Luo Zijun, someone is reciting poetry, what does it have to do with you?"

Upstairs, Huang Zhaodi suddenly poked her head out to question him.

Seeing someone take the lead, Mei Yanqiu also immediately poked her head out and said: "Luo Zijun, what is it? They were able to compose it, are you envious and jealous? If you have the ability, you compose one too!"

She hadn't settled the score with this guy for what happened before.

Now, with so many people present, she naturally wouldn't be afraid of this brat anymore.

Luo Zijun looked straight up and retorted: "Do you really think the poems you women compose are very good? In my opinion, they are all complete nonsense! The only reason they let you go up is because you are women, isn't it?"

He added: "Brother Huang, Brother Zhang, Brother Wang and the others, the poems they composed are all better than yours, but just because they are men, they didn't get to go up. You women, don't you have even a shred of self-awareness?"

Once these words were spoken, everyone was shocked.

The women who had just gone upstairs were instantly furious.

However, the men downstairs were secretly echoing and praising him in their hearts.

They naturally thought the same thing.

But at this moment, they certainly didn't dare to say it out loud.

Wang Dafu couldn't help but whisper from behind: "Brother Su, Brother Luo is truly formidable; he dares to say anything. I truly admire him, brother."

Su Bie deeply agreed: "I wouldn't dare to say things that offend both the Academy women and the noble guests upstairs at once. Brother Luo is truly bold."

"Luo Zijun! What do you mean by that?"

"Besides hitting women and using verbal attacks, what else can you do? If you have the ability, you compose a poem that makes everyone praise it!"

"This bastard is too much! He just humiliated Yan'er, and now he's here to humiliate us again!"

The Academy women upstairs were all flushed with anger, clenching their fists, wishing they could rush down immediately to beat this guy up.

"What could I mean? I'm just speaking the truth."

Luo Zijun stood against ten, not showing the slightest fear.

"You..."

The women upstairs were about to speak again when the Young Maid named Cuimo suddenly said with a smile: "Young Master Luo, did you mean just now that we are showing favoritism to these young ladies?"

Luo Zijun looked at her, showing no fear: "As long as one isn't blind, one can see it."

Xu Xian's expression changed, and he hurriedly pulled him quietly, whispering: "Brother Luo, you mustn't speak like this, be careful of offending the noble guests..."

He was in the middle of the storm at this moment, terrified, and didn't even dare to recite poetry anymore.

Luo Zijun didn't care: "Since we have come here, and since we want to meet friends through poetry, there shouldn't be any distinction between noble and lowly."

There was a moment of silence upstairs.

The Young Maid smiled and said: "My Young Lady says that Young Master Luo is quite right; the friendship of scholars indeed makes no distinction between noble and lowly. Young Master Luo says we are showing favoritism, and we admit it; we do indeed have higher requirements for you men. However, if there are truly those among you men who can compose good poetry, my Young Lady naturally won't refuse you from coming upstairs."

The meaning was obvious.

It meant that the poems you men composed just now were truly not good.

"Many thanks, Miss, but there is enough seating for us downstairs, so there is no need for us to go up."

Luo Zijun said another sentence, then pulled Xu Xian and said: "Brother Xu, let's go, let's go to the first floor to eat."

Just as Xu Xian was hesitating, the voice of that Young Maid suddenly came from upstairs again: "Xu Gongzi, my Young Lady says you don't need to compose poetry; you can come up directly to drink."

Xu Xian was stunned upon hearing this, lifted his head, and looked incredulous.

The Young Maid smiled: "Xu Gongzi, come on up."

As she spoke, she deliberately glanced at someone beside Xu Xian.

Xu Xian was overjoyed, flattered, and immediately broke free from Luo Zijun with all his might, happily entering the restaurant.

Luo Zijun looked up at the Young Maid named Cuimo, saw her smiling like a flower, and heard her crisp voice say: "If Young Master Luo wants to come up, you must compose a poem."

This was clearly deliberately targeting him, a small "revenge" on him.

You don't want to let Xu Gongzi come up? We insist on letting him come up, and he doesn't even need to compose poetry, just to make you say we are showing favoritism!

You don't care about coming up, do you?

And in Luo Zijun's eyes, this behavior made him even more suspicious and vigilant.

Seeing that Xu Xian had already gone upstairs, he didn't dare to delay and hurriedly said: "Miss Cuimo, if I can compose a good poem, can I..."

"Naturally you can, Young Master Luo can come directly upstairs."

"No."

Luo Zijun immediately said: "What I mean is, if I can compose a good poem, can you all come down immediately and give the second floor to us?"

Once these words were spoken, everyone was dumbfounded.

Huang Beicheng, Su Bie, and the others all had expressions of shock.

Mei Yanqiu, Sun Yan'er, and the others upstairs were also stunned.

Liang Ruhai, the scholar-manager standing at the door twisting his beard and smiling, almost pulled his beard out.

"You... what do you mean?"

The Young Maid upstairs looked bewildered.

Luo Zijun said: "It's exactly what you understood it to mean. If I can compose a poem that your Young Lady admires, I hope your Young Lady will take your people and leave the second floor, giving all the seats on the second floor to us for our meal. How about that?"

The Young Maid: "..."

The scene was silent for a full while.

A crisp female voice came from above: "Young Master Luo, if you truly have this confidence, this young lady will agree to you. However, one poem is too few; at least two."

"Deal!"

Luo Zijun didn't haggle and added: "Also, I hope the young lady can cover the entire cost of this meal."

The crowd: "..."

That woman seemed to sneer and said, "Deal."

"Such a big mouth."

On the second floor, someone let out a low, cold snort.

"Let's see what skills this brat has. If he's just grandstanding, I'll have Uncle Liang kick him out directly in a moment!" Luo Zijun suddenly added, "Right, if I happen to win, I hope you will also kick those women from the Academy upstairs down. When I am eating upstairs, I do not wish to see their faces, lest I lose my appetite."

Once these words were spoken, the talented women upstairs were immediately fuming with rage and struck dumb.

"Luo Zijun! Stop spouting such wild words!"

"Just based on you, you can also compose good poetry? If you can compose it, we don't need anyone else to say it; we will roll down ourselves!"

"Abominable! This person is actually so abominable!"

"It's making me so angry! So angry that my stomach hurts..."

"To think there is such an abominable man in the world, it is truly rare!"

The women upstairs were all angered half to death.

And the men downstairs, at this moment, could not help but admire the youth before them.

"This guy is truly awesome!"

!

Wang Dafu was even more impressed to the point of prostration: "Damn, why is it that just listening to this, I feel so satisfied?"

The Young Maid Cuimo, standing by the window, covered her mouth to suppress a laugh and said, "Young Master Luo, no need for more words, please compose."

Luo Zijun was not afraid that they would go back on their word.

After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Then I shall compose a poem first."

The surroundings immediately fell silent.

The talented women upstairs also immediately held their breath and focused their attention, suppressing their breath, clenching their fists, and pricking up their ears, prepared to watch this bastard make a fool of himself.

"No matter what this guy composes, we must say it is bad!"

"Right! Specifically pick at his flaws! Make him embarrass himself!"

Several women discussed in low voices.

At this time, Luo Zijun had already recited it.

"Last year today within this gate, human faces and peach blossoms reflected red. The human face knows not where it has gone, the peach blossoms still smile in the spring breeze..."

As the words fell, the scholar-manager Liang Ruhai, standing at the door, immediately had his eyes light up.

Just as he was preparing to clap and cheer, a round of applause and cheers suddenly came from upstairs: "Not bad! Not bad! This poem by Young Master Luo is worthy of the name of a talented scholar, and also worthy of being the best work of the day!"

This praise could be called high indeed, even offending everyone present who had composed poetry.

However, the person who spoke this praise was none other than that noble young lady on the second floor.

At this moment, those female students on the second floor, even if they wanted to pick at flaws, it was already too late; moreover, as long as one was not a fool, everyone knew the exquisiteness and charm of this poem.

Mei Yanqiu and the others were left speechless, looking at each other in dismay.

Sun Yan'er was in a trance, muttering softly: "The human face knows not where it has gone, the peach blossoms still smile in the spring breeze..."

The scholar-manager Liang Ruhai was also clapping and cheering at this moment, his eyes even brimming with tears: "Wonderful! How wonderful! Last year today, this year today, the time is the same, the place is the same, the scenery is the same, but the person is different... The reflection and contrast, the cyclical recurrence, the twists and turns are fully realized... It makes one reminisce about the past, feeling regret in one's heart, so very melancholy..."

He seemed to have thought of some old friend, filled with deep emotion.

"Young Master Luo is indeed a person of talent. This poem, this young lady feels inferior, I hope the Young Master can compose another one to add to the enjoyment."

The noble lady upstairs spoke in a gentle tone, containing anticipation.

At this moment, whether upstairs or downstairs, or the onlookers in the small courtyard preparing to watch the joke and the excitement, all retracted their contempt and fell silent.

Luo Zijun pondered for a moment and said, "The first was a poem, this second one shall be a lyric. Since peach blossoms are in full bloom here and it is Taoyuan Building, let us take 'Peach Blossom Spring' as the title."

"Drunkenly drifting in a light boat, the current leads to the depths of the flowers. Dust and fate have misled me, no way to stay among the flowers. Misty waters are vast, a thousand miles of slanting sunset at dusk. Mountains are countless, scattered red petals like rain. I do not remember the road by which I came..."

After he finished, the surroundings became even quieter.

Everyone was silently reciting it in their hearts, savoring it.

Liang Ruhai, standing in front of the door, was stroking his beard and nodding while savoring it, his eyes shining as he looked at the youth before him, but he did not speak first.

After a long silence upstairs, the voice of that noble young lady finally came: "This lyric..."

Luo Zijun immediately said, "I have another one!"

Since he had made such a harsh threat, he had to drive the women upstairs down today.

Most importantly, he had to protect the "safety" of Master Xu!

The noble lady upstairs was stunned for a moment and hurriedly said, "If the Young Master still has more, please recite them together."

In fact, she wanted to praise him and concede defeat.

The crowd immediately held their breath again.

Luo Zijun pondered for a moment and recited again: "Trees wind around the village, water fills the pond. Leaning into the east wind, I wander with grand spirits. The small garden is but a little, yet it captures all the spring light. There are peach blossoms red, pear blossoms white, rapeseed flowers yellow... Just as the orioles chirp, the swallows dance, the butterflies are busy..."

After this lyric was recited, Liang Ruhai, standing at the door, had a look of astonishment on his face.

Such talent was simply shocking!

After a long silence upstairs, the voice of that noble young lady finally came: "Young Master Luo has great talent; with the Young Master's talent, you should rightfully be seated on the second floor."

Having said that, she immediately stood up and instructed the maids and servants: "Pack up the things, we are going downstairs."

There was no dissatisfaction in her tone; instead, she was somewhat excited.

"Sister Tanchun, this..."

"Let's go down, we have already finished eating anyway."

"Oh..."

The noble ladies all went down, and the talented women of the Academy immediately had ugly expressions, looking at each other in dismay.

Mei Yanqiu and the others were full of shame, feeling incredibly embarrassed.

"Is that guy really going to drive us down? This is too humiliating; we had such a hard time getting up here..."

"I reckon it's just angry talk; after all, we are all from the same Academy. If he really drove us down, that would be too..."

"As a man, and someone so talented, it's impossible for him to be truly this lacking in grace..."

Who would have thought that at this very moment, that guy's voice suddenly came from downstairs: "Mei Yanqiu, Huang Zhaodi! And what's-your-name! What are you still dawdling up there for? Hurry down, we're all hungry and want to go up to eat!"

The Academy women: "..."

(End of chapter)