Poet Immortal, Poet Sage, Duke of the State!

The competition at Wangyue Tower has attracted the attention of countless people in the capital.

One is a daughter of a military family who was once known for her mischievousness, but has recently been gaining popularity.

One was a talented woman from a scholarly family who had been famous since childhood.

It is a widely accepted fact that whoever wins today's competition will be the undisputed number one talented woman in the capital.

As soon as the competition ended, a cacophony of voices, like a tidal wave, surged from Wangyue Tower in all directions.

"Have you heard? Miss Xiao won today's competition!"

"It's said that after only two poems, Lin Wenjing immediately admitted defeat, declaring that Miss Xiao was truly the most talented woman in the capital!"

"Really? Would someone as proud as Lin Wenjing say something like that?"

"I witnessed it firsthand at Wangyue Tower: three literary luminaries, Li Yannian, Gu Huaiyuan, and Shen Bo'an, spoke highly of Miss Xiao, saying that the future of the literary world in Daning rests on her!"

"Don't laugh at me, drunk and lying on the battlefield; how many have returned from ancient battles..." This is so well written! Even I, a butcher, feel my blood boil upon hearing it. If it weren't for the soldiers risking their lives on the front lines, where would our peaceful lives be now?

"From now on, who dares to say that military families consist only of uncouth warriors?"

"Lin Wenjing is considered one of the top talented women in the capital, but compared to Miss Xiao, she's still far behind..."

"The most talented woman in the capital, truly deserving of the title!"

"What do you mean by 'the most talented woman in the capital'? You could easily call her the most talented woman in Da Ning. Any one of her poems is a masterpiece. But I only knew she was good at fighting before, how come I didn't know she had this skill?"

"She just didn't want to show off before. Last time, during the couplet competition in the Golden Palace, you all thought it was just luck. Now it seems that it was real skill. She only stepped in because she saw that none of the officials could come up with a matching couplet..."

……

The discussions were like a tidal wave, one wave higher than the next.

It is no wonder that this matter has such a great impact. Since ancient times, Da Ning has been a land of etiquette and culture, and its literary and artistic development was once extremely prosperous. The surrounding countries have been influenced by Da Ning to varying degrees.

However, in recent decades, the barbarian tribes surrounding Daning have gradually become stronger.

In order to resist foreign enemies, Da Ning had to implement a strategy of emphasizing military affairs over civil affairs. The military examination was held every year, but the regular imperial examination was held only once every four years.

National-level strategies have led to a surge in the popularity of martial arts among the general public.

After all, as long as you have some martial arts skills, you have the opportunity to be drafted into the army, make meritorious contributions on the battlefield, and rise to the top in one step.

Many wealthy and powerful families seized this opportunity to send their sons to the military instead of the imperial examinations. The common people followed suit, with their children learning martial arts instead of literature, which further led to a break in the literary tradition of Da Ning.

It was precisely for this reason that the Yan delegation dared to challenge Da Ning in the written examination.

Having been bullied by what they considered barbarians, everyone in the capital, from court officials to commoners, harbored resentment these days, yet they had to admit that the literary scene in Da Ning had declined and was no longer what it once was...

At this critical juncture, a talented woman suddenly emerged in the literary world, one that even the three literary giants admired. How could this not be exciting?

Qing Shuang had just returned home, taken a nice and relaxing shower, and was ready to get a good night's sleep.

She hasn't slept for two days and two nights because of this competition.

Now that things have finally come to a satisfactory end, all she wants to do is sleep soundly until the end of time.

She had just lain down in bed, her eyes still closed, when her maid, Xiao Tao, rushed in, excitedly saying, "Miss, Miss, wake up! So many people have arrived, and the gifts they've brought are piled up at the door..."

Qing Shuang rolled over groggily and mumbled, "If they come, they come. Grandpa will take care of them. Don't bother me. Let me get some sleep..."

Xiao Tao said helplessly, "But all those people came to see you. They said they wanted to ask Miss for advice on poetry. There are also many elderly gentlemen among them, and even the old master is having a hard time dealing with them..."

"What?!"

Upon hearing this, Qing Shuang sat up abruptly, instantly losing all sleepiness.

She jumped off the bed barefoot, ran outside, and leaped onto the roof.

Sure enough, a row of carriages was parked outside the gate of the Zhenyuan General's Mansion. Several elderly men in long robes were standing at the gate talking to the gatekeeper. In the distance, more carriages could be seen turning into the alley.

"It's all over, it ......"

A look of panic appeared on Qing Shuang's face. He finally realized that things seemed to have gotten a little out of hand.

She only wanted Young Master Shen to help her defeat Lin Wenjing, to vent her anger and save face for her military family. She never expected his poetry to be so good, attracting so much attention...

Is he a poet descended from heaven?

She didn't know if Young Master Shen was a reincarnation of the Poet Immortal; all she knew was that if she stayed at home, her secret would soon be exposed, and she would lose face big time.

She returned to her room, quickly put on her coat, and without even combing her hair, turned around and ran out again.

"Tell Grandpa I won't be back for a few days!"

Qing Shuang leaped out of the back window, her toes barely touching the courtyard wall before she landed in the alley.

Behind her came Xiao Tao's voice, calling out as she ran: "Miss, Miss, where are you going...?"

Qing Shuang didn't look back and ran away.

A moment later, in the small courtyard in the south of the city.

Chen Chang'an was squatting in the yard practicing brick-breaking. He slapped a blue brick dozens of times, but there wasn't even a crack on the brick.

At one moment, he heard the sound of wind breaking behind him.

He turned his head and saw Qing Shuang descend from the sky and land steadily in the courtyard.

Her hair was messy, several buttons on her chest were undone, and she was even barefoot...

Chen Chang'an looked at her in surprise and asked, "What happened to you? Were you kicked out of your home?"

Qing Shuang sat on the stone bench, rolled her eyes at him, and said, "It's all because of you. Who told you to write so well? Now a lot of people are blocking my door, wanting to discuss poetry with me. What am I supposed to do if I don't run away..."

Chen Chang'an was also helpless about this; the literary scene in Daning was too weak, so weak that it was unbearable to look at.

His mind was filled with the essence of the works of the great poets and lyricists in Chinese history. Any one of his poems could be a game-changer for the literary world of Da Ning.

He was very restrained when selecting poems.

He didn't quote a single one of the famous poems by Su Shi, Li Bai, Du Fu, or Wang Wei.

Qing Shuang wasn't really blaming Chen Chang'an. After giving him a reproachful look, she looked at him pitifully and pleaded, "Young Master Shen, could I stay here for a few days? If I go back now, those people will bother me to death..."

Chen Chang'an was taken aback: "Stay for a few days, here with me?"

There's only one main room here, and only one bed in the room. How are the two of them supposed to sleep if Qing Shuang lives here?