Poet Immortal, Poet Sage, Duke of the State!

Inside the carriage, Qing Shuang looked embarrassed.

She took out a silver ingot from her bosom and handed it to Chen Chang'an. Looking at the short knife in her hand, her face fell.

She was just saying that casually; she can't really take a knife, can she?

Just as I was wondering what to do, an untimely voice suddenly rang out.

Glug glug...

Chen Chang'an's stomach growled.

The carriage was silent for a moment.

Qing Shuang couldn't help but burst out laughing first.

Chen Chang'an blushed slightly, coughed dryly, and said, "You flatter me, you flatter me..."

Princess Zhaoyue smiled slightly and said softly, "Young master has done me a great favor. If you don't mind, I would like to invite you to a simple meal as a token of my gratitude."

Chen Chang'an quickly waved his hand: "You're too kind, young lady. I just casually composed a few couplets. It's nothing. I haven't even repaid your life-saving grace yet, so how could I let you spend more money?"

Princess Zhaoyue gently shook her head, her tone becoming more serious: "What you consider casual remarks are of utmost importance to me. It's just a meal; you need not refuse."

Qing Shuang chimed in, "My young lady is inviting you to dinner, so don't make excuses. Countless people want to eat with my young lady but can't even get a chance."

Chen Chang'an looked into the woman's sincere eyes, then touched his rumbling stomach, and finally nodded: "Then I'll gladly accept your invitation. I'll definitely reciprocate when I have the chance."

Princess Zhaoyue smiled slightly and said to the coachman, "To Zuixianlou."

The coachman responded, and the carriage turned around and headed towards Zuixianlou.

Princess Zhaoyue gave Qingshuang a wink, and Qingshuang understood. She took out her brush, ink, and a piece of paper from her bosom, held the paper in both hands, and Princess Zhaoyue dipped the brush in ink and wrote the second line of the couplet that Chen Chang'an had just given on the paper.

Her handwriting was delicate and elegant. After finishing writing, she gently blew the ink dry, folded the paper, handed it to Qing Shuang, then turned slightly to the side, leaned close to Qing Shuang's ear, and whispered a few words.

Qing Shuang took the note, nodded vigorously, jumped off the carriage, and quickly disappeared.

Chen Chang'an asked in surprise, "What's wrong with her...?"

Princess Zhaoyue smiled slightly and said, "She went to do something for me and will be back in a little while."

Qing Shuang disembarked from the carriage, walked through several streets and alleys, and headed straight for the palace.

The guards at the palace gate recognized her but did not stop her.

Qing Shuang strode quickly through the long palace corridor and arrived outside the Imperial Study.

Before I even got close, I heard a loud, angry shout coming from inside.

"presumptuous!"

The atmosphere inside the imperial study was tense and confrontational.

The Yan envoy, Murong Gu, stood in the hall, dressed in a brocade robe, his face arrogant.

Two deputy envoys stood behind him, both with expressions of watching the spectacle.

On the dragon throne, the Emperor of Da Ning's face was ashen.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger."

Murong Gu cupped his hands in a leisurely manner, but his tone lacked respect as he said, "I am merely stating the facts. This mere first line of a couplet has remained unmatched since yesterday. No wonder people say that the literary world of Da Ning is in decline, and the court is filled with uncouth men..."

The Emperor of Da Ning's face was ashen, his fists clenched tightly in his sleeves.

He had begun to regret that in recent years he had prioritized military affairs over civil affairs, to the point that the entire court was stumped by a single couplet from the Yan state.

Several Grand Secretaries of the Hanlin Academy stood on both sides of the hall, their heads bowed, faces flushed, and they dared not even breathe loudly.

The leader, Grand Secretary Zhou, was sweating profusely. He had been thinking about it for a whole day and night, but when he tried to match the characters, either the words didn't match or the meaning was completely nonsensical.

He racked his brains until his head was about to explode, but he couldn't come up with a single one that he could submit.

"Envoy Murong," the Emperor of Da Ning suppressed his anger, his voice low and deep, "couplets are merely a minor art; why take them so seriously?"

Murong Gu smiled and said, "Your Majesty is mistaken. Although couplets are a minor art, they can still reveal the ingenuity of thought and the beauty of talent. There are no fewer than five people in the Yan Kingdom's Academy of Literature who can match this couplet. If Da Ning cannot even come up with a matching one, then it's probably not a problem with the couplet itself. Tsk tsk..."

The Emperor of Da Ning's expression grew even more unpleasant.

A group of scholars wished they could bury their heads in the ground.

Just then, a eunuch cautiously entered through a side door and handed a folded piece of paper to the Emperor of Daming.

Emperor Da Ning unfolded the paper and his gaze fell on the line of delicate handwriting on it; it was Zhao Yue's handwriting.

"He went into the ancient spring and drank ten mouthfuls of plain water."

"Climb the towering peaks and survey the hills and mountains for miles around."

His pupils contracted slightly, but he quickly regained his composure.

Zhao Yue actually came up with a matching couplet that stumped the officials of Da Ning.

Emperor Da Ning calmly placed the paper face down on his desk and remained silent for a moment.

Everyone in the hall was looking at him, wondering what had happened.

Murong Gu frowned slightly, about to urge him on, when the Emperor of Da Ning suddenly sighed.

The sigh, neither too loud nor too soft, silenced the entire imperial study.

He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over Grand Secretary Zhou's face, then over the faces of the other Grand Secretaries, and finally shook his head, his tone full of disappointment.

"I... originally did not want to take action personally."

Everyone in the hall was taken aback.

Grand Secretary Zhou suddenly raised his head, his cloudy old eyes filled with confusion.

The Emperor of Da Ning leaned back on his dragon throne, his expression calm, and slowly said, "I already provided the matching line for this couplet yesterday. The reason I didn't say it before was simply to give all the civil officials in the hall an opportunity to showcase the talents of Da Ning in front of the envoys from Yan."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the group of scholars again, his tone now carrying a hint of disappointment.

"But I waited for a whole day and night."

"What awaited us was the result that none of you ministers could submit a single word."

Cold sweat immediately broke out on Grand Secretary Zhou's face.

The other scholars were even more ashen-faced, wishing they could bury their heads in the ground.

Murong Gu's smile froze on his face, and he looked at the Emperor of Da Ning with a look of surprise and uncertainty.

The Emperor of Da Ning ignored him, and simply tapped the paper on his desk with his finger, saying indifferently, "Since none of you ministers can come up with the answer, then I need not hide my abilities any longer."

He slightly raised his chin, his voice not loud, but it clearly resonated throughout the entire imperial study.

"He went into the ancient spring and drank ten mouthfuls of plain water."

"Climb the towering peaks and survey the hills and mountains for miles around."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

A light suddenly shone in Grand Secretary Zhou's eyes.

He murmured and repeated, "Ascending the towering peak... one can survey a thousand miles of hills and mountains. 'A thousand miles' combined forms 'towering,' and 'hills and mountains' combined forms 'peak'..."

His voice suddenly rose, and he exclaimed excitedly, "The wordplay is flawless! In terms of imagery, the first line describes drinking from a spring, while the second line describes climbing a mountain. The water and the mountain complement each other perfectly. After drinking from the sweet spring, one climbs the towering peak and overlooks the hills and mountains stretching for miles... This momentum is even more magnificent than the first line. Truly worthy of Your Majesty!"

He knelt down with a thud, kowtowing and saying, "Your Majesty is wise! We are ashamed!"

The other Grand Secretaries also knelt down in unison, their faces flushed, not daring to raise their heads.

The Emperor of Da Ning waved his hand, signaling them to rise, but his gaze remained fixed on Murong Gu.

"Envoy Murong," he said calmly, "does my second line of the couplet meet the standards of the Yan Kingdom's Academy of Literature?"

Murong Gu's face turned pale and then flushed.

His gaze was fixed on the Emperor of Da Ning, as if he were judging something.

wrong.

When the Emperor of Daming saw this first line of the couplet in the palace yesterday, his expression of anger, anxiety, and helplessness seemed genuine.

If he really had the answer yesterday, why didn't he say so earlier instead of waiting until now?

But in any case, the couplet was matched, and the matching was extremely ingenious.

Murong Gu gritted his teeth, forced a smile, and said, "Your Majesty's quick wit is truly admirable..."

Emperor Da Ning smiled slightly and said, "You are too kind, envoy. I was just idly remarking something."

Murong Gu looked at him, then suddenly changed the subject, his gaze sweeping over the kneeling scholars in the hall. A slight smile appeared on his lips as he said, "The Great Ning is a great nation; surely His Majesty cannot personally handle every matter? If word gets out, it will make people think that the Great Ning court is incompetent."

Emperor Da Ning frowned slightly.

Murong Gu continued, "Three days from now, my Yan Kingdom wishes to hold a couplet competition with Da Ning..."

He paused, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

"If the Yan Kingdom loses, we are willing to hand over one of the three cities outside Yanmen Pass in the north."

The hall erupted in uproar.

Several scholars suddenly raised their heads and looked at Murong Gu in disbelief.

The three cities outside Yanmen Pass in the north were strategic locations that the Yan Kingdom and Da Ning had been fighting over for decades. The Yan Kingdom was actually willing to use them as a gamble.

The Emperor of Da Ning narrowed his eyes slightly.

He asked calmly, "What if Da Ning loses?"

Murong Guya laughed and said, "If Da Ning loses, I dare to request Your Majesty to marry Princess Zhaoyue to the third prince of my Yan Kingdom as his consort..."