Niao Ni

Chapter 68 The First Strike: Beating People with Poetry

Ye Ling'er was the only daughter of Ye Zhong, the Kyoto garrison commander. Her family had a long tradition of martial arts, so she didn't develop a refined and gentle personality. With Ye Liuyun, one of the Four Grandmasters, as her great uncle, the Ye family held a rather special position in the Qing Kingdom. However, this young lady herself wasn't overbearing or unreasonable. She was simply distressed that the Lin sisters were constantly bedridden and were being forced to marry a man they had never met, which made her anxious.

Some time ago, a rumor circulated among a few high-ranking families in Kyoto, saying that the palace was planning to betroth the Lin family's daughter to the illegitimate son from Danzhou of the Fan family. Upon hearing this, Miss Lin was filled with shame and anger. She also caught a cold that night, coughed up some blood, and her condition worsened. Ye Ling'er had been with her elder brother in Dingzhou. Hearing about this, she rushed back to Kyoto, which was the scene Fan Xian saw outside the city gate.

A few days later, rumors spread in Kyoto that the illegitimate son from the Fan family had returned to the capital. However, like Fan Sizhe, the young master of the Fan family, he was just a spoiled brat causing trouble in the market. This news infuriated Ye Ling'er even more. She had visited Miss Lin the day before and noticed a hint of shyness in her eyes. After some questioning, although she didn't get anything concrete, she guessed that Miss Lin must have fallen in love with someone.

Unable to bear seeing her sisters sad and heartbroken, she begged her father to plead with the palace to call off the marriage. Unexpectedly, this angered her father greatly. Helpless, she invited Fan Ruoruo to the residence, hoping to find a way to delay the marriage - even though she knew it was unlikely, she had to try for the sake of their sisterly affection.

Ye Ling'er glanced at Rou Jia, this gentle young lady, and then looked at Fan Ruoruo with a calmer expression. She only realized today that Miss Ruoruo of the Fan family, who was known for her calm and quiet nature, was actually a formidable person at heart. Hearing her offer to introduce a famous doctor, she said faintly, "There's no need."

Fan Ruoruo didn't give up. She smiled and said, "If you really care about that young lady, what's the harm in letting that famous doctor take a look?"

"The imperial physicians haven't been able to come up with a good solution. That famous doctor you mentioned..." Ye Ling'er forced herself to suppress the disdain in her expression in front of the princess.

Fan Ruoruo explained politely, "That doctor is a student of Doctor Fei."

Ye Ling'er made a light sound of surprise, her eyes lighting up. She stepped forward and took Fan Ruoruo's hand, "Then I'll have to trouble you, sister."

After the small talk, the three of them returned to the pavilion. The other young ladies, seeing the two young ladies' calm expressions, assumed that the matter had been resolved, and breathed a sigh of relief. Attendants and maids were serving them, and female historians were sending the copied poems to the other side of the lake.

Before long, the poems composed by the talented scholars on the other side of the lake were also copied and brought over. The ladies flipped through them, occasionally praising a line or two. Fan Ruoruo, however, rested her chin on her hand, looking at the other side of the lake, seemingly lost in thought. Ye Ling'er, thinking of that person, curiously took the collection of poems and flipped through it from beginning to end. She didn't see any poems with the surname Fan, and asked in surprise, "Where is Young Master Fan's poem?"

She thought that since the Fan family had sent that man to the Prince's residence to gain fame, there was no reason for them to hide his talent. The female official replied respectfully that Young Master Fan had not composed any poems. Princess Rou Jia glanced at Fan Ruoruo by the railing. A hint of bewilderment appeared on the young girl's innocent face. She pressed for details about the scene at that time. Only then did the ladies in the pavilion realize that the verbal battle on the other side of the lake was no less intense than the one here.

Princess Rou Jia said with a sweet smile, "Sister Ruoruo, why don't you look at these talented scholars' poems?"

Fan Ruoruo had heard the ladies' discussions earlier and knew that her brother had been humiliated on the other side of the lake. She turned back from the railing, her calm eyes actually hiding a hint of anger, and said coldly, "Can these people even write poetry?"

Although the ladies had always known that Miss Fan of the Fan family was well-versed in poetry and prose, they were still somewhat surprised to hear her say such words. Fan Ruoruo turned around, picked up a fine brush beside the inkstone, and wrote a few lines on the paper with a flourish. After it had dried slightly, she handed it to the female historian and instructed, "Send these two poems over and let those people take a look."

The female historian accepted the order and left.

—————————————————————————

Now, let's turn our attention to the other side of the lake. Guo Baokun revealed Fan Xian's identity, causing the entire gathering to fall silent, and the atmosphere became somewhat strange.

A hint of anger flashed in the eyes of the Jing Prince's heir. He felt that this group of people under the Crown Prince were truly lacking in decorum. He gently clenched his fist, secretly wondering if he should teach the other party a lesson. However, upon looking at Fan Xian's appearance, he felt that this young man must have a way to deal with it, so he shouldn't need to intervene himself.

Sima Nanbo's reason for inviting Fan Xian to the poetry gathering was simple: to make him famous and win an initial success in the capital, so as to impress the Eldest Princess. However, Fan Xian didn't seem to be in a hurry at all, which made it hard to figure out what he was thinking. After the poems composed by everyone were sent to the lakeside pavilion, a female historian soon returned with a reply, handing over the poems composed by Miss Fan to the Prince's heir.

The Prince's heir glanced at the poems and couldn't help but brighten up. He blurted out, "Excellent!"

The staff and advisors beside him leaned in and examined them carefully, nodding frequently. "Indeed, they are good, but..." He felt that it was somewhat inappropriate for a woman to write these poems, but considering the relationship between the Fan family and the Prince's family, he stopped speaking.

Curious, everyone crowded around. On the paper, written in delicate calligraphy, were the words: "The lake is level in August, Embracing the void, blending with the clear sky. Vapor rises from the Yunmeng Marshes, Waves shake Danzhou City. Desiring to cross, yet lacking boat and oar, Living in seclusion, ashamed before a sagacious ruler. Sitting and watching the anglers, I only have longing for the fish."

"Good poem, worthy of being written by Miss Fan of the Fan family." He Zongwei was also among the crowd, praising in an especially loud voice, as if wanting to transmit the praise to the other side of the lake. "The scenery of the lake is described in a free and unrestrained manner, and the transition to discussion is natural, truly a masterpiece."

Guo Baokun frowned, "The lake in front of us is small, and the use of 'vapor rises' seems somewhat inappropriate. Moreover, the Yunmeng Marshes are in the south, while Danzhou City is by the sea. Miss Fan only focused on the beauty of the words and lacked some naturalness."

The Jing Prince's heir, however, saw a different meaning in this poem. The lines "Desiring to cross, yet lacking boat and oar, Living in seclusion, ashamed before a sagacious ruler. Sitting and watching the anglers, I only have longing for the fish," although subtle, still revealed the author's unwillingness to remain hidden and a desire to achieve something. It was a typical poem seeking patronage. He turned to look at Fan Xian, who had been quietly sitting in a remote spot, and thought, could this poem... have been written by you?

But the poem was indeed good, so everyone praised it and few people agreed with Guo Baokun's opinion. While the heir was pondering, someone had already relayed the opinions to the other shore, and Miss Fan's explanation had arrived.

"A lake is water, and the sea is also water. From Yunmeng, one can think of the East Sea. My elder brother resides in Danzhou, but his heart is in the rivers and seas. Using them casually, what is wrong with that? This poem was written by my elder brother when he was ten years old. I am copying it out today only for everyone to appreciate it."

Ignoring the first part of the message, she clearly stated that this poem was not written by Miss Fan of the Fan family, but by... Fan Xian, who had been silent on the other side!

At this moment, the scholars in the entire garden looked at Fan Xian with expressions that were no longer disdainful or complicated, but filled with shock and bewilderment. To be able to write such a poem at the age of ten, could this Fan Xian be a genius?