Chapter 89: Chapter 89: Stumbling into a Den of Geniuses, Forced to Flex

At a quarter past five in the evening, Xu Jing paced back and forth at the entrance to Furong Pavilion, folding fan in hand, glancing around from time to time.

Two servants waited quietly to the side.

Finally, Xu Jing spotted Pei Shaoqing. He let out a sigh of relief, a smile immediately breaking out on his face as he went up to greet him.

"Brother Pei, you’re finally here! Almost everyone has arrived. Let’s get inside." Xu Jing familiarly grabbed Pei Shaoqing’s sleeve and started pulling him in.

As they walked, Pei Shaoqing asked in confusion, "How come there’s no one in this Furong Pavilion?"

"We’re holding a poetry gathering today, so I booked the whole place," Xu Jing explained casually.

’No wonder a guy with your skill level could get into a poetry gathering,’ Pei Shaoqing realized. ’You’re the one footing the bill.’

Stepping through the main doors revealed a completely different scene.

Dashing young talents were everywhere, holding beautiful women as they recited poetry, drank, and made merry. The atmosphere was incredibly lively.

"Brother Xu, where did you go? Brother Chen just composed a fine poem and was waiting for your critique."

"Brother Xu, this gentleman looks unfamiliar?"

Xu Jing was clearly very popular.

The moment he appeared, he was met with a constant stream of greetings.

"Everyone!" Xu Jing climbed directly onto a table and shouted, "All eyes on me!"

In an instant, everyone in the main hall on the first floor and the private rooms on the second and third floors gradually fell silent.

The entire Furong Pavilion became eerily quiet.

"Brother Pei, come on up," Xu Jing invited.

Pei Shaoqing felt a bit awkward, but he couldn’t just refuse and make the man lose face. Steeling himself, he climbed onto the table.

"Let me introduce a new friend to all of you." Xu Jing pointed at Pei Shaoqing with a wide grin. "This is Baron Pingyang, Brother Pei Shaoqing. We met on the street today and bonded over poetry, kindred spirits that we are. So I specially invited him to witness the rising stars of the Shu Region’s literary scene."

"Gentlemen, a pleasure," Pei Shaoqing said in a refined manner, clasping his hands as he looked around.

The inside of Furong Pavilion instantly erupted.

"It’s really Baron Pingyang in person! He’s so handsome and distinguished. Truly befitting of someone ennobled for his merits."

"Brother Xu is amazing! He even managed to invite the renowned Baron Pingyang! A toast to Brother Xu!"

"How about we ask Baron Pingyang to compose a poem?"

"Brother Pei is a Military Officer and not well-versed in poetry. Let’s not make things difficult for him." With a SWISH, Xu Jing snapped open his fan and announced, "I’ll compose one in his stead."

Hearing this, the crowd stopped pestering Pei Shaoqing and, giving Xu Jing face, responded enthusiastically.

"Excellent! We invite Brother Xu to compose a poem!"

"Brother Xu? Do you require an ink brush, ink, paper, and inkstone? There are plenty of beauties here to attend to you while you write."

"Everyone, everyone, quiet down! To be able to witness another of Brother Xu’s masterpieces is our great fortune. Silence, please."

’Watching this scene unfold, Pei Shaoqing finally understood why Xu Jing was so confident in his own poetry.’

’His family coddled him, his servants coddled him, and now these "rising literary stars" who were enjoying his cash-abilities were also coddling him.’

’It’d be strange if he *didn’t* think his poetry was amazing.’

"No need for brush and ink. Doesn’t everyone know I don’t leave my calligraphy behind so easily?" Xu Jing waved his hand and, gently waving his fan, recited: "Met Baron Pingyang on the road, / Invited him to Furong Pavilion. / The talented scholars all cheer with joy, / The beautiful ladies cry through the night."

The attendant ladies all blushed.

"A great poem! A great poem indeed! HAHAHAHA!"

"Brother Xu’s poetry is as outstanding as ever!"

"What a line, ’The talented scholars all cheer with joy’! And what a line, ’The beautiful ladies cry through the night’! Brother Xu’s literary talent has truly surpassed his past works."

The crowd of young talents loudly heaped on the praise.

Xu Jing smiled and clasped his hands in acknowledgment to the crowd.

’Watching this group of people who spouted shameless lies with such serious expressions, Pei Shaoqing felt a little sorry for them.’

’Going against their conscience like this every day... it really can’t be easy!’

"Brother Xu has a masterpiece, so I’ll add one too! Tonight at Furong Pavilion we meet, / Talents and beauties, a happy treat. / Bellies full, our lusts now burn, / Grab a beauty, to the bedroom we turn!"

"Brother Chen’s work is not bad either! I also have a humble piece for all you gentlemen to critique: Eating, drinking, whoring, gambling are all fine, / But reciting poetry is truly divine. / Furong Pavilion is wondrously grand, / Tonight a hundred girls will scream with delight! What do you think?"

Pei Shaoqing was fucking speechless.

His expression was basically: (ー_ー)!!

He suddenly realized things weren’t as he’d imagined. Those ’talents’ weren’t just sucking up to Xu Jing.

They genuinely, from the bottom of their hearts, thought his poetry was good.

’Fuck! Getting just one of these "hidden geniuses" is already a disaster.’

’And there’s a whole fucking flock of them here!’

Pei Shaoqing was speechless. Looking at the crowd of "dazzlingly brilliant" talents, he couldn’t help but ask, "Brother Xu, are all of Jin Guan City’s rising literary stars here already?"

’Does the Shu Region have no literary spirit, only lewdness?’

"Not all of them," Xu Jing said, shaking his head. Then he added proudly, "But half the literary world of the Shu Region is gathered here. Brother Pei, would you care to join us?"

"Join you?" Pei Shaoqing was taken aback.

Xu Jing gestured around the room. "These are all members of my Furong Poetry Society. I am the president of the Furong Poetry Society, and I can approve Brother Pei’s entry."

"Er... thank you, Brother Xu, but there’s no need. My ambitions don’t lie in this direction," Pei Shaoqing said, his mouth twitching.

"What a pity," Xu Jing sighed, but his mood brightened in an instant. "Come on, Brother Pei, let’s go to the private room on the third floor. The top courtesan has been reserved especially for you."

’Hearing this, Pei Shaoqing felt that even though Brother Xu was uncultured, he was loyal and worth befriending.’

’His ambitions might not lie in the path of poetry...’

’...but they could certainly lie in the path of the top courtesan.’

The two of them went up to the third floor together. When they pushed open the door to the private room, two women with exquisite figures and beautiful faces bowed delicately. "Greetings, young masters."

’As expected of a big city,’ Pei Shaoqing thought to himself.

’The quality of the courtesans here is much higher than at Qunfang Garden in Tongzhou.’

"Where’s Jiang Xue? Didn’t I pay a fortune for her company tonight?" Xu Jing’s expression darkened as he asked.

"Well..." The two women looked at each other, at a loss.

’Wait,’ Pei Shaoqing paused. ’So these two aren’t even the top courtesan? Then just how incredible must the top one be?’

"Young Master Xu, please calm down, calm down." A voluptuous, middle-aged woman who still retained her charm walked in with a coquettish smile, holding a piece of paper. "Jiang Xue has had her makeup done for a while now and is waiting in her room. She said that as long as you can complete this line of poetry, she will come and accompany you.

"And not just for you, Young Master. Tonight, she will perform a dance and a song for whoever can complete the line. All the gentlemen downstairs are racking their brains over it right now."

Pei Shaoqing’s brow furrowed. ’A whore who sells her smiles for money is putting on such airs? How absurd.’

’They’ve already taken the money, and now they’re adding fucking conditions.’

’She’s been spoiled by all the simps.’

He said immediately, "Bring me a brush and ink."

"Great! Let Brother Pei show us what he’s got." Xu Jing handed the paper to Pei Shaoqing. He couldn’t complete it either.

The madam hurriedly waved her hand. "Quick, quick, bring the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone for Baron Pingyang! Hurry up!"

Pei Shaoqing took the paper and looked at it. Written on it was: *When swallows return, the rains have yet to cease, / As tung blossoms drift like snow, filling Shu State.*

He casually dashed off a few words with the brush, then picked up the paper and tossed it to the madam. "Take this to Miss Jiang Xue."

The madam caught it and instinctively glanced down.

Her expression changed instantly. She snapped her head up to stare at Pei Shaoqing with a mixture of shock and uncertainty. Biting her lip, she murmured, "Yes," and hurried out with the maids.

"Brother Pei, what on earth did you write? How did it make Nanny Liu lose her composure like that?" Xu Jing asked, practically dying of curiosity about the line Pei Shaoqing had written.

Pei Shaoqing just smiled serenely and found a place to sit. "Wait for Jiang Xue to arrive. You can ask her."

Meanwhile, in the main hall, the crowd of young talents was scratching their heads, stumped by the line of poetry.

Xu Jing, sharing in the glory, stuck his head out the window and shouted, "Stop thinking! Brother Pei already completed it!"

...............

「In another room.」

Jiang Xue was sitting before a mirror, applying her makeup. She looked to be less than twenty years old, with skin as fair as jade and a pair of eyes that seemed to speak. Her cherry-red lips were moist and glossy. Beneath her light gauze, the exquisite curves of her body were faintly visible, and her pale, generous conscience seemed on the verge of spilling from her bodice.

BAM! The door was pushed open.

Jiang Xue, focused on drawing her eyebrows, didn’t even turn her head. "Nanny, did you get rid of that straw-stuffed idiot?"

She was confident that group of men couldn’t complete her poem.

For guests she didn’t wish to entertain,

this was how she always sent them away.

Of course, the money was non-refundable. This method actually raised her status, making men flock to her even more.

Tonight, she had a private meeting with her own beloved.

"Oh, we’re in trouble, my dear lady!" Nanny Liu was frantic. She tossed the paper in front of Jiang Xue and said, "My lady, see for yourself."

Jiang Xue put down her eyebrow pencil and looked down.

Her pretty face instantly turned pale.

Beneath her half-finished couplet were a few words brimming with killing intent: Get over here and entertain your guest. Defy me and die.

The sharp, fierce brushstrokes nearly tore through the paper.

An aura of malevolence seemed to leap off the page.

"Who?" Jiang Xue shot her head up and asked.

Nanny Liu said with a mournful face, "The rapidly rising son of Marquis Weiyuan, Baron Pingyang, Pei Shaoqing."

Furong Pavilion had its own backers.

But their background wasn’t as powerful as Pei Shaoqing’s!

"It’s him!" Living in the complex world of a brothel, Jiang Xue had naturally heard of him. Her heart was a mess of turmoil, a mix of fear and anger. "How could that brute be so crude?"

She felt utterly offended.

In the past, whether it was a rich young master or a literary genius, they had always been polite and debonair when requesting to see her. But this man had resorted to threats!

"This man is a boor. I’ll go and keep him occupied first. Nanny, hurry and ask Young Master Yan San to come rescue me," Jiang Xue said softly after taking a deep breath.

Nanny Liu nodded repeatedly. "Alright, I’ll go to the Shu Royal Mansion right away. My girl, protect yourself. Don’t let that brute take your virginity, or your value will plummet."

A top courtesan’s biggest earning potential was before and on the day of her deflowering ceremony. After losing her virginity, she wasn’t worth nearly as much.

"I know, Nanny," Jiang Xue said impatiently.

After Nanny Liu left, she sighed and said gently to her maid, "Go inform Master Wang that I’m suddenly feeling unwell and cannot make our appointment tonight."

"Yes, miss," the maid replied obediently.

Jiang Xue looked in the mirror, touching the makeup she had so carefully applied for her beloved. She sighed again, then forced a smile through her anger and stood up to leave.

"Look! Miss Jiang Xue is here!"

"Miss Jiang Xue, we heard Baron Pingyang completed your poem. May we ask what he wrote?"

"Yes, Miss Jiang Xue, please tell us and broaden our horizons! Baron Pingyang won’t say."

Seeing Jiang Xue, the crowd immediately swarmed her.

On the surface, Jiang Xue’s smile was as lovely as a flower, but inside she was furious. How could she dare say what Pei Shaoqing had written on the paper? Wouldn’t that ruin her own image?

So she could only complete the poem for Pei Shaoqing herself.

She said softly, "Young Master Pei’s continuation was: *To question the red bean a thousand times in vain, / Half becomes pure joy, half a prisoner’s chain.*"

The moment she spoke, the entire hall fell deathly silent.

Although their own poetry was terrible, they at least had some basic ability to appreciate good verse.

This line was far more poetic than anything they had composed.

"What a line! ’To question the red bean a thousand times in vain, / Half becomes pure joy, half a prisoner’s chain.’ I never would have imagined that Brother Pei, a Military Officer, could have such a tender side."

"Brother Pei is a great talent! This is already on par with those poor Scholars in the city, isn’t it? Truly worthy of a duke’s or marquis’s son. With just a casual effort, he’s already reached a peak we can only aspire to."

"Before today, Jin Guan City only knew that Baron Pingyang’s Martial Arts were extraordinary. After today, Jin Guan City will know that Baron Pingyang is accomplished in both literary and martial arts! With martial skill, he slays enemies, earns a title, and gains fame throughout the world. With literary skill, he casually composes poetry that makes beauties swoon. This is what men of our generation should strive to be! Let us raise this cup together in a toast to Baron Pingyang!"

"Young Master Pei is indeed a great talent. I am deeply impressed as well," Jiang Xue said with a faint smile, biting her lip in frustration as she continued up the stairs.

Back in the private room on the third floor, Xu Jing pulled his head back in from the window. He looked at Pei Shaoqing with a face full of admiration, his eyes burning. "Brother Pei, join our poetry society! I am willing to abdicate my position and let you be president!"

The two women’s eyes, as they looked at Pei Shaoqing, also grew misty. They never imagined that not only was Young Master Pei from a prominent family, but he was also so brilliant and talented. How rare.

"Brother Xu, please don’t mention it again. I truly have no interest in composing poetry," Pei Shaoqing said, his tone light and unconcerned.

’Who could understand? He really hadn’t been trying to show off.’

’But here he was, just sitting in a room, and the flex fell right out of the sky.’

’I guess you could call this "sitting and waiting to flex."’

Xu Jing sighed with heartfelt emotion. "To be able to casually write such a masterpiece despite having no interest in poetry... Brother Pei, for you to waste your talent like this, it truly breaks my heart!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.