Poet Immortal, Poet Sage, Duke of the State!

Chen Chang'an was startled by her, but quickly recognized the person in front of him as the rich young woman who had given him money a few days ago.

He was about to ask her where everyone in the capital had gone, but before he could even speak, Qing Shuang abruptly asked, "Lonely, cold window, empty widow, what's the matching line?"

Chen Chang'an was stunned, thinking he had misheard: "What?"

"Lonely and cold, I sit alone by the window, a widow in solitude!" Qing Shuang repeated, her grip on his sleeve tightening. "The second line! Quickly, give me the second line!"

Chen Chang'an looked at her speechlessly.

Why would someone immediately start by forcing someone to match couplets?

Without even a greeting, has this girl taken the wrong medicine?

He was full of questions, but Qing Shuang didn't give him a chance to speak, saying urgently, "Stop asking those questions, hurry up and answer them, I'll give you ten taels of silver if you do!"

Chen Chang'an opened his mouth, but swallowed back the words that were about to come out.

The ten taels of silver have been almost gone, and now I only have a little over one tael left in my pocket. I still need to buy some daily necessities, and I can barely afford to buy steamed buns for tomorrow.

silver.

He desperately needs money.

Chen Chang'an asked uncertainly, "Really?"

Qing Shuang nodded emphatically: "Really!"

Chen Chang'an glanced at Qing Shuang's eyes, which were practically blazing with anxiety, and confirmed that she wasn't joking.

Ten taels of silver for a couplet, only a fool wouldn't do this deal.

He pressed on, "If it's three, would you give me thirty taels?"

Qing Shuang replied without hesitation, "Sure!"

Before those words had even finished, Chen Chang'an spoke up.

"A beautiful woman accompanies a lonely man."

"I am filled with sorrow and fear to recall the past."

"Alone beside the Buddha, weary of being a monk."

He remembered this classic couplet with its radicals very well, and immediately recited three matching lines. Then he held out his hand to Qing Shuang and said, "Thirty taels of silver, thank you..."

Qing Shuang calculated the time and realized it was almost too late.

The incense in the Golden Hall was almost burned out, and her round trip had wasted a lot of time. If she delayed any longer, it would be too late to bring the couplets back.

She abruptly released Chen Chang'an's sleeve and said urgently, "Young Master, please wait here. I'll be right back!"

Before Chen Chang'an could speak, he saw Qing Shuang leap into the air, her toes lightly touching the tiles of the courtyard wall, and she was already on the roof.

Her movements were incredibly fast; she leaped forward, stepping on rows of rooftops, and disappeared into the layers of eaves in just a few bounds.

Chen Chang'an tilted his head back, his mouth open, and couldn't close it for a long time.

There was no one left on the eaves.

After a long while, Chen Chang'an took a deep breath and slowly uttered two words.

"Awesome..."

Flying over rooftops and walking on tiles—isn't this something that only exists in martial arts novels?

So, there really is such a thing as "lightness skill" in this world?

He looked in the direction where Qing Shuang had disappeared, then looked down at his own legs.

These past few days, I've been panting like a dog just trying to climb over a wall, while that young girl can fly up with a single step. The difference is just too big.

He stood there, increasingly itching to get back to work.

Which boy doesn't dream of being a martial arts hero?

If he could fly around like Qing Shuang, that would be so cool.

Chen Chang'an rubbed his hands together, secretly making a decision: he could give her a 20% discount, or even a 50% discount, on the thirty taels of silver, as long as she could teach him this skill of scaling walls and leaping across rooftops...

Just as Chen Chang'an was waiting in the same spot, full of anticipation.

The Imperial Palace, Hall of Supreme Harmony.

The incense in the burner had burned down to its last bit, and the smoke was getting thinner and thinner, but still no one from Da Ning's side stepped forward.

Murong Gu stood in the hall, arms crossed, his smile growing wider. The Yan envoys had begun whispering among themselves, their eyes sweeping contemptuously over the ashen-faced civil officials of Da Ning.

Grand Secretary Zhou's face was ashen, and sweat dripped incessantly from the foreheads of several other Grand Secretaries onto the floor tiles.

Behind the curtain, Princess Zhaoyue remained motionless, her heart sinking into an abyss.

The hall was so quiet that only the faint sound of incense ash falling could be heard.

The Emperor of Da Ning gripped the dragon throne tightly, his gaze fixed on the incense coil that was about to burn out.

Since the founding of the nation, Da Ning has never suffered such a great humiliation.

How will future history books record his story?

Was he a foolish ruler who brought shame upon the dignity of the Great Ning Kingdom?

Just as the incense was about to burn out and despair filled the hearts of the Da Ning emperor and his ministers...

A figure suddenly burst in through the side door, staggered a few steps to regain her balance, and it was none other than Qing Shuang.

Her hair was disheveled, and sweat beaded on her forehead. She took a few steps forward, panting, and said, "Loneliness...loneliness, a cold window, an empty widow, a beautiful woman keeps me company! Is one line enough? If not, here are two more...melancholy and sorrow, afraid to recall love, alone beside the Buddha, weary to be a monk!"

Quiet.

The Hall of Supreme Harmony was deathly silent.

Qing Shuang stood at the door, her chest still heaving, sweat trickling down her temples and sticking to her face.

Worried about missing the appointed time, she didn't even have time to say much to the young master before rushing back to the palace.

Now that she was standing still, with dozens of eyes staring at her from all over the hall, she suddenly felt a little uneasy.

She can't even recognize all the characters, let alone distinguish between radicals and tones.

What if that young master was just making things up to fool her? What if the three lines didn't match up at all? She would have completely disgraced Da Ning in front of the entire court and the Yan envoy.

Thinking about this, she couldn't help but feel a little scared and subconsciously wanted to take half a step back.

However, before she could retreat, a voice filled with surprise and joy rang out from the main hall.

"wonderful!"

Grand Secretary Zhou suddenly stood up from his seat, his robe sash overturning the pen holder on the table, and several purple-haired brushes rolled off the long table.

He remained oblivious, his old eyes fixed on Qing Shuang, murmuring, "A beautiful woman accompanies a lonely soul; the characters share the same radical, the meanings are perfectly matched. The first line describes the loneliness of an empty room, the second line describes a beautiful woman guarding her solitude; they fit together seamlessly, without the slightest discrepancy!"

Several other scholars from Ningguo also spoke with excitement.

"The melancholy and sorrow, the fear of recalling past loves, also carry a unique meaning!"

"Lost beside the Buddha, weary of being a monk, this perfectly captures the essence of loneliness..."

"Well said, well said!"

……

Several elderly scholars with white hair surrounded Qing Shuang, having long forgotten all court etiquette. They spoke one after another, becoming more and more excited, wishing they could lay out paper and grind ink on the spot to frame the three couplets.

After a moment of stunned silence, Qing Shuang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

That young master is indeed remarkable!

Han Boyuan had already written out the three second lines of the couplet, and slowly recited them: "A lonely window, an empty widow—a beautiful woman accompanies her solitude, sorrowful and worried, afraid to recall love, a lonely monk beside the Buddha, weary of being a monk. A good match, a good match indeed!"

He turned to face the dragon throne, cupped his hands, and proclaimed loudly, "Your Majesty, all three couplets are satisfactory!"

On the dragon throne, the Emperor of Da Ning slowly loosened his grip on the armrests.

The incense coil, which was about to burn out, let its last wisp of smoke drift lazily above the bronze incense burner, and the grayish-white ash fell silently.

The Emperor of Da Ning stared at the wisp of smoke dissipating and remained silent for a long time.

In the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he considered countless possibilities: the Grand Secretaries finally coming up with a matching couplet, the talented scholars having a flash of inspiration, and the civil officials stepping forward with their heads held high...

I never imagined that it would be this little girl who would rush in at the last moment and turn the tide.

Behind the curtain, Princess Zhaoyue slowly loosened her clenched fists.

She slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly into a smile.

She didn't know how Qing Shuang found him, but when Qing Shuang recited the three couplets in one breath, and all the scholars in the hall stood up, she knew it was him.

The vast Ning Kingdom stumped all the court officials, except for one person who could come up with a perfect answer, and that person could provide three answers in total.

Inside the main hall, a low murmur of discussion gradually arose among the courtiers.

"That... isn't she General Xiao's daughter? I heard she never liked studying and didn't even finish elementary school..."

"It's common knowledge in the capital that Miss Xiao only practices martial arts and never studies literature. Even several Grand Secretaries and so many talented scholars couldn't come up with a matching first line, so how could she possibly come up with three lines in one go?"

Although the murmurs were low, they spread among the officials like a tide.

General Xiao was a military officer of the current dynasty. His daughter disliked studying but loved swordsmanship, and everyone in the capital knew about it.

How could someone like that suddenly become a couplet prodigy?