Even women who travel through time can become prime ministers and nobles.

Chapter 343 A Stunning Poetry Banquet

The surge of blood in Fan Mingyuan's throat made the tips of his ears burn red, and the veins on his neck snaked down to his jaw. His knuckles made the folding fan creak.

He stumbled half a step and knocked over the low table behind him. The crisp sound of the celadon teacup shattering startled the white pigeons under the eaves. The shards of porcelain splashed onto Shi Wanxia's floral shoes, which only made her figure appear even more upright and graceful.

"You...you're just a lowly woman, what do you know!"

He loosened his collar, panting heavily, a few stray hairs sticking to his sweat-dampened forehead as his hair ornament tilted askew.

"Although he holds an official position in the court, he still got in through Cui Zhihao's connections!"

Shi Wanxia leaned against the vermilion pillars, slowly twirling the gilded armor between her fingers.

Sunlight streamed through the stained-glass windows of the veranda, casting dappled shadows on her face, as if veiling her radiant features with a sly veil.

She suddenly stopped smiling, and her phoenix eyes narrowed slightly as the cinnabar mole at the corner of her eye trembled with her movement, making her even more intimidating than a drawn blade: "Young Master Fan, you should think carefully before you speak."

Before she finished speaking, she suddenly leaned forward, her wide sleeves embroidered with gold cloud patterns brushing against Fan Mingxuan's frozen shoulder.

The scent of sandalwood incense, mixed with a faint fragrance of ink, wafted over, forcing the spoiled young master to retreat repeatedly, his back slamming heavily against the pillars with a dull thud.

"If it weren't for his recommendation, and with His Majesty's current wisdom and virtue, I would have no interest in an official career!"

Fan Mingyuan shouted with his neck stiffened, but was choked by the sudden movement of Shi Wanxia's sleeve.

She looked down at the memorial that had slipped from her sleeve; the gilded seal was so bright in the sunlight that it was blinding.

"For a woman like you to aspire to an official position in the court is utterly delusional!"

"wishful thinking?"

Shi Wanxia finally couldn't help but chuckle, her silvery laughter startling the banana leaves in the courtyard.

She raised her hand to cover her lips, but couldn't hide the sharp glint in her eyes.

"Yes, I am certainly not as well off as Young Master Fan, who comes from a distinguished family and has such a distinguished uncle as Minister Fan of the Ministry of Revenue."

Suddenly, she abruptly flipped open the memorial, revealing the still-wet red annotations.

His fingertips slammed down on the four characters “commendable loyalty and bravery,” making the paper rustle. “However, you said something wrong.”

"The official position I have obtained and His Majesty's trust are all thanks to my hard work, which involved braving three thousand miles of wind and snow and staying up for a hundred nights by candlelight.

Fan Mingyuan was about to refute her, but she was rendered speechless by her sudden approach.

As Shi Wanxia leaned down, the jade hairpin in her hair almost brushed against his nose: "What, is Young Master Fan questioning His Majesty's fairness and reckless appointment of people?"

The last note was light and airy, yet it seemed to be wrapped in the frost of the twelfth lunar month, startling the eavesdropping servant in the corner of the corridor, who slipped and fell into the pond with a "plop".

Fan Mingyuan was so overwhelmed by her terrifying aura that he had to retreat repeatedly, his right hand trembling as he pointed at her.

Fan Mingyuan, dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, suddenly slammed his hand on the table and stood up, the jade pendant at his waist making a crisp sound as it struck the table.

"You...you are so slanderous!"

Veins bulged on his forehead, and his usually dignified face was contorted with rage.

Shi Wanxia lowered her eyes to look at the Biluochun tea swaying in the teacup, and the water reflected Fan Mingyuan's flushed face.

The news of her sudden visit to the poetry society as a lady-in-waiting was like a boulder thrown into a deep pool, shattering the self-righteous pride of the poets in the society.

Fan Mingyuan's loss of composure at this moment came sooner than she had expected.

"Young Master Fan, please be careful with your words."

Shi Wanxia lightly tapped the table with her fingertips, the crisp sound silencing the whispers among the guests.

When she looked up, her phoenix eyes were frosty. "Since this is a poetry gathering, we should judge each other by the quality of our poems, not by verbal disputes."

Fan Mingyuan then realized his rudeness and hurriedly stood up to bow to the surroundings, his wide sleeves fluttering as he scattered a few wisps of ambergris.

As he sat down again, his folding fan snapped open, covering half his face and revealing only a pair of cold eyes.

"Since Lord Shi is an official appointed by the imperial court, he must be very knowledgeable."

"All those present today are talented individuals from Cangling. Why not compose a poem and broaden our horizons?"

Undercurrents were swirling within the room.

Hiding behind the crowd, Shen Yanzhou gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, while Crown Princess Lin Chuying's hand holding a handkerchief turned slightly white.

They all knew that the Hundred Flowers Poetry Society was a place for refined and elegant scholars, and that Shi Wanxia, ​​a mere woman, had entered the society in disguise, which had long aroused the dissatisfaction of the members.

Shi Wanxia chuckled softly, her hair ornaments swaying gently with her movements.

"In that case, why not ask Mr. Yu Liu to provide a word to prove fairness?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Yu Liu pause in stroking his beard, causing it to tremble.

"In that case,"

Yu Liu squinted her cloudy eyes, as if trying to see through the woman's true nature. "Let's use 'Spring' as the theme."

Willow catkins fluttered outside the corridor, landing on Shi's crimson skirt in late summer.

She lowered her eyes in thought, and the verses from her textbook flowed forth like a clear spring.

When she looked up again, her eyes sparkled: "East of Huangshi Pagoda, the river flows, and spring light languidly leans on the gentle breeze. A cluster of peach blossoms blooms unattended, lovely in both deep and light red."

As soon as the poem was recited, the room fell silent.

Some people stroked their beards and frowned, while others lowered their heads and repeatedly traced patterns in their palms.

Fan Mingyuan's folding fan stopped in mid-air, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Seeing this, Shi Wanxia smiled faintly: "A few peach blossoms bloom outside the bamboo grove, the ducks are the first to know when the spring river warms. Watercress covers the ground and reeds are short, just when the pufferfish want to go upstream."

"it is good!"

Yu Liu suddenly stood up, causing the inkstone on the table to shake. "Wonderful! Wonderful! Lord Shi's two poems have both the beauty of blooming peach blossoms and the lively charm of the spring river. They are truly gems in every word!"

His hands trembled with excitement, and tears welled up in his cloudy old eyes. "Today, I have finally met a truly talented woman!"

Applause erupted like a tidal wave, mixed with exclamations of "What a wonderful poem!"

Fan Mingyuan's face turned from white to green, then from green to red, and his knuckles gripping the folding fan turned white.

Shi Wanxia remained seated in the main seat, gazing at the swaying flowers outside the window, her thoughts drifting far away.

Seeing Fan Mingyuan's restless expression, Shi Wanxia picked up her teacup and took a sip.

As the aroma of tea filled her throat, she recalled how she had stopped Shen Yanzhou with a look when he tried to appear and help her out.

Some roads must be walked alone; some prejudices can only be broken through with strength.

Fan Mingyuan was unwilling to admit that he had lost to a mere woman, and spoke up in rebuttal.

"Using spring as a theme is too simplistic; Lord Shi is merely taking a shortcut!"

Shi Wanxia put down her teacup, not indulging him, but looking him directly in the eye.

"Very well, if that's the case, then who among you here has a better poem than this one? In return, I will never write another poem again, how about that?"

Many people were unconvinced, arguing that they had all studied diligently for over a decade, how could they possibly be inferior to a mere woman?

Shi Wanxia didn't give them any extra space, and loudly proclaimed: "It's hard to meet and hard to part, the east wind is powerless and the flowers are withered. The silkworm spins its silk until death, the candle burns until it's ash and its tears are dry. In the morning mirror, I worry about my changing hair, and at night, I feel the cold moonlight as I recite poems. Penglai Mountain is not far from here, the bluebird will diligently go and find out."

Everyone present was stunned and looked at Shi Wanxia.

This poem is absolutely brilliant. It doesn't explicitly state the person to whom the poet is longing for someone, yet it's overflowing with the feeling of longing.