The scene quickly spread.
Loud laughter echoed from the palace walls.
"What did I tell you?" Xie Yanlai laughed heartily with crossed arms. "Quite the spectacle, isn't it?"
Had it just been the girl continuously losing, it would have been rather dull. But with both contestants trading wins and losses, the match became truly exciting, the imperial guards all nodding in agreement.
"Miss Chu's provocation has truly angered the scholars," described one guard who had witnessed the event. "The clash was intense - what's that phrase? A battle of wits! Not a trace of elegance remained."
"Now that sounds worthwhile." "Never seen scholars fight like this before." "Worth seeing." "Can anyone enter?"
The other guards grew curious and inquired.
The guard who had been there said, "Open to all, anyone can enter. The crowd keeps growing - if you go late, you won't get a front-row view and won't enjoy it properly."
So the guards began urging each other to go, but Xie Yanlai remained leaning against the wall without moving.
"Aren't you coming?" others asked. "Don't you love spectacles the most?"
He'd been boasting for days about that commotion he witnessed at the tavern earlier.
"Too noisy for my taste," Xie Yanlai said lazily.
Someone caught on and laughed: "Young Master Xie the Third is still in the capital, so our Yanlai can't act freely."
Others understood and joined in the laughter.
"Indeed, since Young Master Xie the Third arrived, Yanlai hasn't even stepped outside."
"No more drinking, no more brothel visits."
"I heard from your family that Third Young Master punished you recently?"
"Since Third Young Master maintains such impeccable conduct, you family members have to suffer alongside him."
"Though I'm not sure what I'd choose either," one guard frowned pensively. "I'd like to have an elder brother like Third Young Master, but the thought of such restrictions is hard to accept."
Others scoffed: "Dream on." "Your family couldn't produce someone like Third Young Master in generations." "Don't trouble yourself with such worries."
They tried to persuade Xie Yanlai again: "What are you afraid of? We'll go secretly - Third Young Master won't know." "So what if he finds out? It's just a beating. Have you become so timid, Yanlai?"
But no matter how they teased, Xie Yanlai remained unmoved, insisting he had no interest in the spectacle: "A bunch of men competing against a woman - not even a proper woman, just a girl. I can't bear to watch."
The guards laughed: "That's exactly why we should go! When have you ever seen men competing against a girl? If we miss this, who knows when we'll see such a thing again."
So they departed in boisterous company. As they mounted their horses outside the palace gates, they glanced back and saw the phoenix-eyed youth standing alone on the wall.
"After all, he's not a proper young master," one guard murmured softly, a mocking glint in his eyes. "The other Xie young masters do as they please - when Third Young Master beats or scolds them, they don't cower like this."
"Just being acknowledged as a brother by Third Young Master is fortune enough for him," another guard said. "He's been given the dignity of a Xie family young master - if he still doesn't know his place, he's truly hopeless."
A guard snorted, cracking his whip: "This lump of mud is only fit for plastering walls."
With whip cracks and loud shouts, the guards urged their horses forward along the imperial avenue. They soon reached the bustling streets where everyone made way for their swift passage.To serve as Imperial Guards, stationed within the Imperial City, one must come from noble families, drawing countless envious gazes.
Though they all wore military uniforms, those worn by Zhang Gu and his companions could not compare to those of the Imperial Guards, let alone their demeanor and presence.
To serve in the Imperial City—Zhang Gu and the others watched the guards gallop past with a touch of envy.
"I heard A Jiu was originally an Imperial Guard too. I wonder if his punishment was revoked," one courier said. "Does he look just as imposing now? It's a shame we haven't seen him."
Another courier curled his lip. "Even if we saw him, we wouldn't recognize him. Once A Jiu puts on that uniform, he'd be completely transformed."
A third courier nodded, his expression tinged with nostalgia. "A Jiu was handsome. Even when he wore tattered clothes with us, he still looked exceptionally good."
Who knows how much more striking he'd be in fine robes?
Handsome—Zhang Gu thought to himself. No wonder Miss Chu remained so infatuated and unable to forget him.
"Regardless, if we ever see him, we should still greet him," he murmured.
These days, he had been trying to befriend Imperial Guards to inquire if there was anyone named A Jiu, but he never found the opportunity.
"Boss Zhang, A Jiu must be very happy now," the first courier said. "With so many noble youths as his companions."
Those young men came from good backgrounds and prestigious families—they would surely get along well with A Jiu, sharing interests and forming close friendships. They definitely wouldn't bully A Jiu—
Zhang Gu spat in disdain. "You dare say that? It's us from humble origins who bullied A Jiu, and you were the worst of us all. That snake in his bed was your doing."
The courier chuckled, shrinking his neck. "I didn't know back then. If I had known he came from a good family—" he drawled, "I would've stuffed two snakes into his bed!" With that, he darted off ahead.
After all, A Jiu's retaliation had been to put three snakes in his bed.
He wasn't afraid of snakes at all.
Zhang Gu and the others laughed heartily, chasing after him through the bustling streets.
On the palace walls, Imperial Guards came and went. Spotting the solitary young man with phoenix eyes standing apart, some greeted him warmly, while others nodded with smiles.
Xie Yanlai remained aloof, ignoring them and offering no response.
He knew these noble youths looked down on him, but they wouldn't mock or bully him. Instead, they would enthusiastically invite him to drink, joke, and socialize.
Because the person they were actually engaging with wasn't him—it was his status.
His status brought him not only this false warmth but also trouble.
Xie Yanlai crossed his arms and gazed into the distance. What right did he have to watch others' dramas, especially that foolish girl's?
She was so foolish as to see him as her lifeline.
...
...
On the streets, Imperial Guards rushed to watch the commotion, while in the grand mansions, Liang Qiang was also hurrying out.
Liang Qin and several other girls stopped him.
Liang Qin asked, "Has that Chu Zhao still not admitted defeat?"
Liang Qiang laughed heartily. "Admit defeat? Miss Chu is fighting more fiercely than ever. Besides, she doesn't lose every time—she's starting to win now."
Qi Leyun stepped forward. "How is that possible!"
Chu Tang, standing at the back, nodded. "Among so many challengers, there are bound to be mediocre ones."
Since Chu Zhao could defeat the mediocre Chu Ke, she could naturally defeat other mediocrities. There were plenty of mediocre scholars in the world—many weren't even as good as her."When will she stop competing?" one girl asked. "Losing continuously would be fine, but if she wins, wouldn't it be even harder to end this gracefully?"
Many people couldn't bear losing, especially to a girl—wouldn't that make them endlessly persistent?
Liang Qiang smiled and nodded: "Yes, even more people are going to Chu Garden now, and the competitions have become much more intense."
What did "intense" mean? The girls exchanged glances.
"It means they're no longer being polite to Miss Chu," Liang Qiang said, sighing lightly. "Before they would stop at the appropriate point, but now they insist on venting their anger and making her lose face."
How heartbreaking. What did it matter if a young girl was somewhat arrogant? Bullying her like this was truly excessive.
"I can't talk with you all anymore," he said. "I need to go immediately to show my support for Miss Chu."
With that he hurried away.
That girl admired him. If he went and stood by her side now, she would feel reassured upon seeing him.
Alas, this was all he could do to help her. When it came to marriage matters, he had no say.
Liang Qin and the other girls called after him a few times but couldn't make him stay, watching as the young man dashed off as if his pants were on fire.
"Will this matter never end?" Qi Leyun said, looking sympathetically at Chu Tang. "Then you still can't go home yet."
How pitiful—because of this younger sister, Chu Tang couldn't even return to her own home.
"It's fine, you can stay peacefully at my house," Qi Leyun said generously, quite pleased to be able to bestow kindness upon someone who had previously looked down on her.
But Chu Tang shook her head, lost in thought as she said: "I think we should go take a look too."
Go to that kind of occasion? The girls looked at each other—they all knew Chu Zhao, and being collateral damage would be so embarrassing.
"Don't you think," Chu Tang looked at everyone, her eyes shining, "that this competition is growing increasingly grand? Doesn't it resemble a small Hope Spring Garden Literary Gathering?"
......
......
Night enveloped the capital city, yet the city's bustle made it bright as daytime. Amid this brilliance, the Xie family residence appeared completely inconspicuous.
Where Young Master Xie the Third resided was particularly like an isolated island, cut off from the world's prosperity.
"A small Hope Spring Garden Literary Gathering?"
Xie Yanfang set down his brush and looked at the old servant before him, his painting-like features under the lamplight showing slight surprise.
"That Miss Chu still hasn't admitted defeat?"
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