Poet Immortal, Poet Sage, Duke of the State!

As soon as Murong Gu finished speaking, the once noisy hall fell silent instantly.

The next moment, several scholars glared at him angrily and spoke up.

"What?!"

"No!"

"That's utterly wishful thinking!"

Princess Zhaoyue was exceptionally talented and beautiful, and was deeply loved by the people of Da Ning.

The third prince of Yan was notorious for his cruelty and lust, and his infamy was known to everyone in the country.

A year ago, just because a concubine accidentally knocked over a teacup, wetting the Third Prince's python robe, he personally strangled her to death and threw her into a mass grave to be fed to wild dogs.

Three months ago, he forcibly took a woman into his mansion. When the woman's family came to his door looking for her, he beat them to death in the street.

There were even rumors that a dozen or so women who refused to submit were locked in the dungeon of his mansion, and every few days a corpse would be carried out of the mansion.

The emperor and his ministers of Da Ning had already heard about these things.

Does this scum and beast even deserve to marry their Princess Zhaoyue?

This is a blatant insult to Da Ning!

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

Zhaoyue was his precious daughter, whom he had cherished since childhood. How could he possibly let her marry that cruel and lustful beast from Yan?

Murong Gu waited a moment, and seeing that the Emperor of Da Ning did not respond, he slightly raised the corners of his mouth and asked, "What's wrong, Your Majesty? Are you afraid to accept the challenge?"

Grand Scholar Zhou stepped forward, steeling himself: "Envoy Murong, how can we gamble with the princess in our diplomatic relations? This is against propriety. Perhaps..."

Murong Gu interrupted him, shaking his head and saying, "I have traveled a long way to Da Ning, bringing with me several couplets carefully prepared by the Yan Kingdom's Academy of Literature. I originally intended to exchange ideas with your country through literature, but your country struggled so much even with the first couplet, let alone the rest..."

He sighed and said, "Tsk tsk... Fine, since Da Ning is afraid, just pretend I never said that."

After saying that, he turned around and made a move to leave.

Emperor Da Ning's gaze narrowed slightly.

If the Yan envoy leaves like this, the news will spread throughout the world tomorrow.

Faced with the invitation from the State of Yan to take the civil service exam, the State of Ning dared not accept the challenge. This was even more shameful than losing, and it would be a major blow to the morale of the people and the army on the frontier. At this moment, Ning must not back down.

The Emperor of Da Ning slowly rose from his dragon throne and said in a deep voice, "Wait."

Murong Gu stopped, turned around, and raised an eyebrow at him.

The Emperor of Great Ning stared at him and said, word by word, "Great Ning accepts the challenge."

"His Majesty!"

"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

Several scholars exclaimed in surprise.

The Emperor of Da Ning raised his hand to stop them, his gaze fixed on Murong Gu, and said coldly, "But I also have a condition."

Murong raised an eyebrow: "Your Majesty, please speak."

The Emperor of Da Ning coldly declared, "If Da Ning wins, not only will the Yan Kingdom have to surrender one of the three cities outside Yanmen Pass, but the Murong envoy will also have to personally kneel and kowtow three times and nine times before me and all the civil and military officials of Da Ning in the main hall!"

The officials in the hall gasped in shock.

This is a contest where both countries are risking their dignity!

If Da Ning loses, its most favored princess will be married off to the beastly prince of Yan, causing the emperor, his subjects, and the people to lose all face.

If the Yan Kingdom loses, it will not only lose an important city, but its envoy will also be humiliated in public and become a laughing stock on the continent.

Murong Gu's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his smile and cupped his hands, saying, "It's a deal."

Before coming to Ningguo, they had made thorough preparations.

Those couplets are all timeless masterpieces.

Several renowned scholars from the Yan state, skilled in couplets, tried for months but were unable to come up with a matching couplet.

The literary scene in Ningguo is in decline, making it even less likely that a matching piece will emerge.

They will not lose, and they cannot lose.

Outside the main hall, upon hearing the conversation between His Majesty and the envoy from Yan, Qing Shuang turned pale and, after regaining her senses, turned and ran.

Drunken Immortal Pavilion, second-floor private room.

The table was laden with Zuixianlou's signature dishes: Eight-Treasure Duck, Steamed Sea Bass, Braised Pork Knuckle, Crab Roe Tofu...

Chen Chang'an didn't care about his image. He held a duck leg in his left hand and kept picking up food with his chopsticks in his right hand.

The original owner usually only ate leftovers at the Chen family's house, and his stomach was never full of oil or fat. The delicious food in front of him really whetted his appetite.

Princess Zhaoyue sat opposite her but did not touch her chopsticks.

She placed her hands on her knees and quietly looked at Chen Chang'an.

She hadn't seen anyone eat so heartily in a long time. People in the palace were supposed to "not talk while eating," and they could only touch each dish three times with their chopsticks. Touching even one more chopstick would be considered a breach of etiquette by the officials in charge of etiquette.

The sons of high-ranking officials and nobles acted even more politely and respectfully in her presence.

No one has ever been like him before.

Although it was impolite, it added a touch of authenticity.

Princess Zhaoyue watched him quietly, a slight smile unconsciously curving her lips.

A long time passed.

Chen Chang'an's movements finally slowed down.

He let out a burp, picked up his teacup and took a big gulp, then let out a long sigh of relief, leaning back in his chair with a contented expression.

"Are you full?"

Princess Zhaoyue smiled and spoke.

Chen Chang'an came to his senses and realized that he had just lost his composure.

He smiled somewhat embarrassedly and said, "Please forgive my poor appearance, young lady. I've really been starving for several days."

"It's alright."

Princess Zhaoyue shook her head slightly, her gaze falling on Chen Chang'an's face, and then said, "May I ask your honorable name, young master?"

Chen Chang'an did not answer immediately.

From the moment he left the Chen family, he decided to sever all ties with that family.

Having met the girl by chance, there was naturally no need to tell him her name.

He thought for a moment, put down his teacup, and smiled, "Life is like a journey, and I am but a traveler. Why should we need to know each other before we meet? I will remember your kindness in saving me, and if we are destined to meet again in the future, I will definitely repay you."

After saying this, he stood up, solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute to Princess Zhaoyue, and then turned and left.

Princess Zhaoyue was slightly taken aback.

"Life is like a journey, and I am but a traveler... Why should we need to have known each other before we met?"

She murmured the two lines of poetry, her gaze lingering on the direction Chen Chang'an had gone, unable to look away for a long time.

Life is but a temporary stay in this world.

We are all just passersby, coming and going in a hurry, so why be so attached to names and origins?

These two short sentences perfectly capture the vastness of the world and the profound understanding of life.

This carefree attitude not only includes the helplessness after experiencing many hardships, but also the composure after seeing through the ways of the world.

How could a boy who looks no more than eighteen or nineteen years old have such insights?

What exactly did he go through?

What surprised Princess Zhaoyue even more was that she had never seen these two lines of poetry in any collection of poems.

She was well-versed in poetry and literature from a young age, and there were no such lines in either classical Chinese poetry or the poetry collections of famous contemporary poets.

Then there's only one possibility... he did it himself.

He could easily compose timeless couplets and possessed such poetic talent, yet he wore a wrinkled old shirt and was chased all over the street by servants, seemingly starving...

Princess Zhaoyue suddenly felt that this person was shrouded in a layer of mystery that she could not see through.

This only made her more curious about him.

"Life is like a journey, and I am but a traveler..." she murmured again, a slight smile playing on her lips, "What an interesting person..."

She put down her teacup and was about to call the waiter to settle the bill when a series of hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door.

"Princess, something terrible has happened!"

The door was suddenly pushed open, and Qing Shuang rushed in, panting heavily.

Princess Zhaoyue frowned slightly: "What's wrong?"

Qing Shuang rushed to her side, panicking, "Princess... something's happened! The Yan envoy just made an appointment with His Majesty in the Imperial Study for a couplet contest in three days. If Yan loses, they will give Da Ning a city outside Yanmen Pass. If Da Ning loses..."

Princess Zhaoyue raised an eyebrow. Yanmen Pass was a strategic location for both Da Ning and Yan. How could Yan be so willing to give it up?

She then asked, "What if Da Ning lost?"

Tears welled in Qing Shuang's eyes, her voice trembling with sobs: "If Da Ning loses, he'll marry you off to that beastly third prince of Yan!"

"What?!"

Princess Zhaoyue was startled upon hearing this, and her face suddenly turned pale.

The third prince of Yan is known to be cruel and lecherous. She would rather die than marry him!