Golden Branch

"Yes! Master Lou is well-known in the capital. I have the good fortune to meet you today. Could you please teach me in person?"

"Mr. Zhou is right. We are willing to learn from Mr. Lou's style!"

As a new upstart, Zhou He is naturally surrounded by lackeys.

Moreover, even if it was not to flatter Zhou He, there were people who wanted to make fun of Lou Yu.

It’s the same old saying, “literati look down on each other.”

Lou Yu is so young, but he has such a great reputation.

Although some people believe in his true talent and knowledge, others secretly doubt:

What is the first talent?

It's just that he was born into a good family, and some people flatter him, making his 3 or 4 points of talent exaggerate to 99%!

If he really has talent, why doesn't he display it in public?

Today is a great opportunity.

All the talented and famous people and young talents in the capital were present. If Lou Yu had no guilty conscience, he could show off freely.

Several young men in long robes with wide sleeves echoed this.

Zhou Jiming was also hidden in the crowd. He did not join in the clamor, but watched silently.

As a fellow townsman and half-fellow student of Lou Yu, Zhou Jiming naturally knew how outstanding Lou Yu was.

But... Zhou Jiming pursed his lips. He couldn't tell what he was thinking, but he was actually very happy to see Lou Yu being provoked.

Maybe it was jealousy, or maybe it was because he was not doing as he wished while Lou Yu was rising rapidly, Zhou Jiming's heart had long been distorted by wealth, power, etc.

After being reborn, he thought he had made the wisest choice.

He successfully married a noble lady and achieved class advancement twenty years ahead of schedule.

However, after marrying the princess and truly entering the top circle of power and nobility, he discovered that what he thought was a "high-ranking official" was nothing more than that.

Princess Kangning is only the daughter of the eldest princess, and the eldest princess is not the saint's sister from the same mother.

In the capital, there are dozens of princesses and princesses.

The one he was clinging to was just one of them.

Moreover, Princess Pingyi has not only one daughter, Kangning, but also several other children.

The resources she could allocate to Corning (that is, Zhou Jiming) were very limited.

At the emperor's birthday banquet last year, Zhou Jiming saw with his own eyes the peasant queen Mian, whom he had once despised, walk past him with her head held high and ascend step by step to the high position he had always dreamed of.

And Zhou He today, like him, also came from a humble background.

But he is trying to get close to the princess, so even if his talent and knowledge are not as good as his, he can still become a "talented man" sought after by everyone!

Zhou Jiming's heart became increasingly darker.

Seeing Zhou He running to provoke Lou Yu, he actually felt inexplicably excited——

Correct!

that's it!

You true nobles, why not just have a fight and see who is better.

With this thought in mind, Zhou Jiming not only did not step forward to dissuade him, but was extremely looking forward to it.

"Come here, why don't you prepare the pen, ink, paper and inkstone?"

"Master Lou, are you unwilling to teach me?"

"...Everyone at the Hongwen Academy praises Master Lou for his kindness and his generosity. Could it be that these are just rumors?"

Zhou He and the others continued to clamor, but Lou Yu didn't respond immediately. In their eyes, he was guilty and timid.

As expected, Lou Hanzhang does not live up to his reputation. His title of the number one talent is just hyped up!

Lou Yu's expression remained unchanged, still gentle and warm.

Originally, he didn't want to perform in public. What a joke! He was the Duke of Qi, not a trick to please others. Why should he do whatever others said?

He doesn't need to prove anything to everyone, especially people like Zhou He!

However, seeing that these people were becoming more and more outrageous, Lou Yu's fingers moved slightly.

Although it is said that "rumors stop at the wise", there are more fools in this world.

He doesn't care about the rumors in the community, but he is not afraid of fighting.

Just when Lou Yu was about to agree, a slender figure blocked his way.

"Prince Consort Zhou, would you like to seek guidance from Mr. Shen's disciples?"

Wang Heng is very proficient in playing word games, changing concepts and other tricks.

Zhou He didn't expect Princess Langya to stand up.

He was so arrogant just now, but now he instinctively lowered his posture.

Well, although Princess Langya is a Western girl, her mother is truly favored.

And her brother, the Ninth Prince, who was born to the same mother as her, was the "beloved son" valued by both the saint and the queen.

The little guy is the darling of everyone in the capital and in the palace.

Even Princess Ping'an, when talking about the Ninth Prince, had to act like a good sister even if she didn't like him in her heart.

When complaining privately, Princess Ping'an's words and deeds also revealed her fear of Concubine Jiang and the Ninth Prince.

Zhou He was able to pass the imperial examination and marry into a wealthy family, so he was a smart man.

He can distinguish between superiors and inferiors, and at most he would occasionally become jealous and act impulsively.

However, he still knows how to respect the people he recognizes as his benefactors.

Zhou He may look down on Princess Langya's background, but he is wary of the power behind her.

"Princess, I admire Mr. Shen and I really want to learn from him!"

Zhou He replied respectfully.

In his opinion, Lou Yu was Shen Du's disciple.

So, he followed Princess Langya's words and said that he wanted to seek advice from Mr. Shen's disciples, no problem.

The lackeys around him were unable to react for a while.

It was Zhou Jiming who was hidden in the crowd. He knew Lou Yu's true talents and also understood Wang Heng's "background" -

This young lady is also Mr. Shen’s disciple!

However, the Wang Heng that Zhou Jiming was familiar with was always low-key and never ostentatious.

I have been Mr. Shen's disciple for several years, but I have never been known for my talent.

Although Zhou Jiming knew that Wang Heng was definitely not as "waste" as the outside world criticized, she was not as talented and brilliant as Lou Yu.

At this moment, Lou Yu was provoked, and Wang Heng stood up to speak for him. Can her talent really surpass Zhou He's?

Zhou Jiming subconsciously took a look at Zhou He's work. Although this man was a bit of a "villain", he did have some talent.

Not to mention anything else, just this one stroke of flying white is quite impressive.

Wang Heng may not succeed in surpassing Zhou He in calligraphy.

"Alright, even so, this princess will satisfy Prince Consort Zhou and all the gentlemen!"

Wang Heng didn't care about Zhou Jiming's speculation. She didn't even notice that there was an acquaintance in the crowd.

Through the white gauze, Wang Heng's sweet smile was tinged with cunning.

Zhou He couldn't see Wang Heng's face clearly, but he could hear her smile.

He couldn't help but think that there was a rumor in the capital that Princess Langya was as beautiful as Concubine Jiang in the harem, and both were rare beauties in the world.

A beautiful woman's smile can captivate a country.

Unfortunately, he could only see a blur through the fence.

What's even more regrettable is that such a beauty has fallen into the hands of Lou Yu, a young man who is only seeking fame and reputation.

He thought it was a pity, but Zhou He still had his sanity: "Princess, what do you mean by that?"

The person I'm challenging is Lou Yu. Why are you, a woman, joining in the fun?

Beauty saves hero?

Go against Tiangang!

Or are all the princesses of Dayu overbearing? Even Princess Langya, a bitch, wants to suppress her fiancé?

Wang Heng's smile grew even brighter. "What's the matter? Prince Zhou doesn't understand me? Or does Prince Zhou not know that I'm Mr. Shen's disciple?"

Wang Heng's words were full of sarcasm: Zhou He, you either have a problem with your brain or your ears!

Either he doesn't understand what people are saying, or he provokes people without understanding the enemy... After all, he is not a wise man with sharp eyes and sharp ears.

Zhou He and his lackeys were all stunned.

It took them a moment to react.

They, oh no, it was Zhou He who was confused by Princess Langya's simple words.

Zhou He wanted to provoke Lou Yu, but Princess Langya took the opportunity to change the concept and equated Lou Yu with Mr. Shen's disciple.

Faced with Princess Langya's little plan, Zhou He couldn't directly reveal Lou Yu's name, so he could only nod and say: He wanted to ask Mr. Shen's disciples for advice.

What he didn't expect was that Wang Heng, a woman, also became Shen Du's disciple!

Therefore, Wang Heng said that there was no problem with her fighting.

"Besides, my brother is such a great man. His pen is used to guide the country, not to entertain people!"

Wang Heng smiled sweetly, but her next words were sharp.

She almost pointed at Zhou He's nose and cursed: Do you think you are worthy?

Zhou He was not stupid, so he understood the almost explicit sarcasm.

He was ashamed and angry, and clenched his hands into fists in his sleeves.

Princess Langya's arrogance reminded him of his days in the princess's mansion.

Princess Ping'an is so arrogant and speaks rudely.

She treated him as she pleased, in everything she said and did.

She never regarded him as her husband, but as a plaything that she could order around and boss around!

Princess Ping'an would be fine, after all, she is the saint's biological daughter and the wife who brought him wealth and glory.

What about Princess Langya? Who does she think she is? How dare she humiliate him in public?

Wang Heng: ...Is this considered a humiliation?

Oh, who are you looking down on?

Today, I, the princess, will tell you what humiliation is.

Just using identity to suppress is murder.

What this princess is best at is "destroying people's hearts".

Wang Heng didn't even wait for Zhou He to react or nod in agreement. She stepped over Zhou He and came to the desk.

The servants have already laid out the paper again and prepared the pen and ink.

In full view of everyone, Wang Heng stretched out her right hand, but instead of taking the pen directly, she pinched her left sleeve with her right hand.

Wang Heng pinched her cuffs, picked up the brush with her left hand, and began to write.

Swish swish.

Wang Heng also wrote in Feibai style.

The strong and powerful brushstrokes are interspersed with traces of white, and the momentum is so fast that it seems as if it was drawn with a dry brush.

His brushstrokes and momentum are in no way inferior to those of Wang Heng's ancestors, the father and son Wang family who are considered the supreme masters in the calligraphy world!

Zhou He was shocked and angry: This fake princess can write better than me?

Everyone was also stunned: Princess Langya's calligraphy is so exquisite?

In Feibai, Zhou He's best form, he was completely crushed, but this was not the most humiliating thing.

The worst thing is that he used his left hand!

With the left hand, he could easily defeat Zhou He. If he had used his right hand, which he was more accustomed to, wouldn't Zhou He be left in the dust?

Wang Heng: ...Uh, you think too much!

My left hand and my right hand have the same power.

She is neither right-handed nor left-handed, but her strength is equal in both directions.

However, this time, Wang Heng really took advantage of people's habitual thinking to achieve the purpose of "humiliation"!