My husband, please respect yourself. The princess is here to grab the bride.

His eyes widened immediately.

She looked at Bai Shaoqiu's back with admiration in her eyes——

Shangling Academy is one of the six major academies in Xingguo, and the students there are indeed extraordinary!

"I was a book lover, but I fell in love with the world because of my love for books." He said he was a book lover...

However, the way he reads seems a little strange.

Well, he must be looking for a book.

That’s not right either!

An frowned slightly, thinking that the Ninth Princess came to Shangling Academy to read in the library. The library did not allow other students to enter in the past few days, so how did he get in?

Perhaps it was because of his profound knowledge that the Zhuxi Literary Festival was approaching, and it was very likely that Zhang Laoyuan was granting him special permission.

That must be it!

The Ninth Princess has great respect for scholars and cherishes talent. This young man may have great talent, so I must tell Her Royal Highness the Ninth Princess!

In addition...

An's eyes fell on the piece of paper. The first line of the couplet on the paper was written by Ji Yanran, the daughter of Mr. Ji, the Grand Secretary of the Imperial College in Kyoto.

This couplet has been out for half a year!

It has also been posted in the other five major academies, and no one has been able to match it so far!

I heard that even the talented lady Ji herself couldn't come up with a satisfactory second line.

The Ninth Princess was tired of reading, so she wrote down a couplet, hoping to come up with a second line, but she couldn't. So she went back to her elegant house to rest, and told herself to post the couplet on the knowledge-seeking wall of the academy. Unexpectedly, someone had already come up with a second line in such a short time!

It seems that except for the ugly characters, this couplet seems to be excellent.

I have to take it to show the Ninth Princess quickly. She will definitely be happy.

As for the person who came up with this couplet...

This is simple, he must be from the academy.

The handwriting is so recognizable that Zhang Laoyuan can probably tell who the person is at a glance.

An took the paper, looked at Bai Zhiqiu's back, and left happily.

……

……

sunset.

lotus pond.

Under the sunset in May, several lotus flowers have already bloomed in the lotus pond.

A winding nine-turn corridor is built over the lotus pond, ending in the middle of the lake.

That is a pavilion.

The pavilion is called Wanglou Pavilion——

Sitting in the pavilion, you can see the octagonal six-story library.

The ninth princess of Xingguo, Tang Xianxian, was sitting in the watchtower pavilion at the moment. She wasn't looking at the building opposite. She was looking at Zhang Wenqian, and a hint of surprise appeared on her pretty face:

"You said... Bai Shaoqiu entered the library?"

"Is that the useless son-in-law that the emperor bestowed upon the Zhenxi Palace?"

"I heard he's illiterate. What's he doing in the library?"

The Ninth Princess asked three questions.

Zhang Wenqian bowed and replied helplessly:

"Your Highness...his father, Bai Changgeng, donated ten thousand taels of silver to the academy and sent his son, Bai Shaoqiu, to study elementary school there."

"I remember that year when Bai Shaoqiu was four years old, his elementary education was taught by Master Chen from the academy."

"He studied at the academy for three years... yes, exactly three years! And in the end... he pissed Master Chen off to death that autumn!"

The Ninth Princess' eyes widened immediately, and she laughed in disbelief, revealing two shallow dimples on her cheeks.

"Are you mad at him? What did he do?"

"Ah... He didn't do anything for three years! Three whole years! He can't even recognize more than thirty words!"

"Master Chen has been teaching at the academy for thirty years. He may not have many students all over the world, but he has educated countless people. But he has never met such a fool!"

"Maybe they can't bear such a blow."

"I still remember the piece of paper Master Chen left behind when he hanged himself. It said... I believed there was no one in the world who could not be taught, until I met Bai Shaoqiu!"

"I have devoted all my energy and nurtured it for three years. Even a stubborn stone will blossom."

"But...he's not even a rock!"

"He's rotten wood!"

"It's a straw bag!"

"He's an absolute waste!"

"Alas... I can only die to make my will clear. It's not that I can't, it's just that rotten wood cannot be carved, but I'm carving it... I'm even more stupid and I can't face anyone!"

Zhang Wenqian shook his head and sighed, "Master Chen is the only master in the academy who was angered to death by others, and Bai Shaoqiu is the only student who angered the master to death."

"Then, the academy naturally persuaded him to leave. His father, Bai Changgeng, was a sensible businessman. He compensated Master Chen's family with a large sum of silver and begged me to look after him if his son ever asks for help—not for study—and if it doesn't cause trouble for the academy."

"I originally thought that his son couldn't go to school and couldn't take care of anything, so I agreed."

"Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye, and Bai Zhiqiu has asked me for a favor. He wants to go into the library and take a look..."

"I also asked about him when Your Highness came to the academy. What kind of person is he? This requires Your Highness to see it with his own eyes, so I let him into the library."

"As for what he was doing in the library..."

Zhang Wenqian suddenly laughed:

"He said he was going to read a book."

He emphasized the word "read", but Tang Xianxian didn't notice.

She pursed her lips, a puzzled look in her eyes: "Could it be that he has learned to read and write in the past ten years?"

Zhang Wenqian stroked his long beard and shook his head:

"His past ten years... I wouldn't call it unspeakable. After all, he hasn't committed any crime, but as Your Highness has heard, it is indeed absurd."

"It's absolutely impossible for him to wake up and study again!"

Tang Xianxian looked at a lotus flower in the lotus pond with a serious gaze.

It’s not that she feels sorry for the good-for-nothing Bai Shaoqiu. What she is thinking about is why her father gave such a man to Princess Changying as a son-in-law, or to marry him into the princess’ family. What is the deep meaning behind her father’s decision?

It doesn't seem difficult to guess.

In recent years, King Zhenxi Dongfangba led the western border troops to expel the barbarians from the grassland, captured the Golden Staff Chanyu of the Golden Horde court of the grassland, and made great military achievements.

This is a very good thing.

However, in the victory report sent to the palace, the Prince of Zhenxi used a large amount of space to denounce the current court's shortcomings of favoring literature over military affairs!

This made my father extremely unhappy!

It also made the civil officials in the court extremely dissatisfied!

And then, there was this matter of the imperially bestowed son-in-law!

It is meant as a warning, but also as an insult to the Zhenxi Palace.

As the Princess of Xingguo, Tang Xianxian, who was only sixteen years old, didn't care about these things——

It was useless to show concern, as it was not her turn as the ninth princess to speak out in the court.

She also likes literature!

What she cared more about was Princess Changying, with whom she had met once in Kyoto and felt like old friends at first sight!

She was a girl who looked extremely lazy and indifferent to the world, but she was also talented in both civil and military affairs, and was extremely proud in her heart!

She was very worried that Princess Changying would become depressed and commit suicide after being forced to marry such a useless son-in-law.

So she came to Xiling City.

But he did not see Princess Changying Dongfang Changying.

But she knew that Princess Changying's husband, Bai Shaoqiu, was indeed a waste!

"Hey……"

Tang Xianxian sighed:

"It's human nature for Changying to run away from her marriage. I would have run away too, but she can't escape forever... This matter needs to be resolved eventually."

She suddenly withdrew her gaze and looked at Zhang Wenqian, with a sly glint in her eyes:

"Master Zhang, what do you think...if I send my guards to kill Bai Shaoqiu, will Changying be able to regain his freedom?"

Zhang Wenqian was startled and waved his hands quickly:

"Your Highness, you must not do this!"

"Why?"

"Your Highness, he is the son-in-law bestowed by the Emperor!"

"He has a gold waist badge engraved with the words 'Imperially Granted Son-in-Law'!"

"You can't kill him! Killing him will only bring disaster to the Zhenxi Palace!"

"...What should we do?"

"Unless Your Highness pleads with the Emperor, please revoke the imperial decree and take back the imperial badge!"

"This……"

At this moment, Tang Xianxian's personal maid ran over:

"Your Highness..."

"The couplet is out!"

An stood in front of Tang Xianxian with an excited look on her face. Tang Xianxian and Zhang Wenqian both looked up at her.

"couplet?"

"Yes, it's the first couplet that Miss Ji came up with, and someone has figured out the second couplet!"

Both of them were shocked.

Zhang Wenqian looked at the first couplet and found it extremely difficult to come up with an excellent second couplet. He also carefully considered how to come up with the second couplet, but he still had no idea.

Tang Xianxian was also extremely happy, but her joy only lasted for three breaths.

"This couplet has been circulating in Kyoto and hung in the five major academies of Xingguo for half a year now. It's not that no one has written a couplet in the meantime, but the second line... is extremely forced."

"I was about to hang this couplet on the Wall of Knowledge in Shangling Academy...wait,"

Tang Xianxian was suddenly startled and asked, "An, this couplet is kept in the library."

She looked at Zhang Wenqian again: "Mr. Zhang, Bai Shaoqiu is the only one in the library..."

This statement was self-evident. Zhang Wenqian was also stunned for a moment, then laughed and shook his head:

"It can't be him!"

"Could there be other students entering the library?"

"This... I don't know if Master Song, who manages the library, has specially approved any student to enter."

Tang Xianxian pondered for three breaths, thinking that the couplet was in the library. First of all, she had to eliminate Bai Shaoqiu, the useless guy. Then, there was another person...

who can that be?

"Could it be Master Song's eldest son, Song Zigui? He's the most talented scholar in Shangling Academy... maybe he can answer!"

"I don't know either. Why don't we see how this couplet goes?"

An spread the paper on the table, pressed it down with a paperweight, and presented it in front of the two of them.

Tang Xianxian and Zhang Wenqian frowned almost at the same time and said in unison:

“…This handwriting is so ugly!”

Then it’s not Song Zigui.

As the most talented scholar in Shangling Academy, Song Zigui's calligraphy is definitely not like this.

But after a moment, both of them showed expressions of disbelief on their faces!

After a while, the two looked at each other, and both saw shock in each other's eyes at the second half of the couplet!

Tang Xianxian's eyes fell on the paper again, and she sang softly:

"Flowers and leaves, emerald green and red, only the Sixiangwei is dedicated to supporting them, not letting them suffer from wind and rain, and being pure and cold.

May all lovers be together forever, forever loving each other, day and night, and be happy and joyful..."

"Great!"

She leaned forward and whispered:

"Mr. Zhang... from my limited knowledge, this second couplet... is absolutely perfect!"

Zhang Wenqian clapped his hands, his old face lit up:

"This first couplet uses the sequence of flowers and leaves to express the flower god's love for flowers and his unwillingness to see the beautiful flowers harmed by wind and rain."

"This second couplet uses the metaphor of mandarin duck and flounder, wishing all lovers in the world to finally get married and love each other forever. Even under the moon and flowers, there is no loneliness or coldness, only joy and happiness..."

"The sixteen characters are linked together, and the matching is impeccable!"

Tang Xianxian was very excited!

He then asked, "Mr. Zhang, do you know who wrote this?"