Invitations from All Sides
As soon as Shen Jingchuan returned to his seat, Zhou Tong jumped up and shouted in a loud voice, "Our great talent is back!"
This sound drew all eyes to him, with people looking at him with either envy or reverence.
The two scholars who had been making sarcastic remarks just moments before were nowhere to be seen.
Xu Mo walked forward, fanning himself with a folding fan, his face full of admiration:
"Young Master Shen is truly a man of great talent! I've attended the Jade Autumn Garden Poetry Gathering three times now, but today I've truly broadened my horizons. This trip has definitely been worthwhile."
Su Yan, standing beside him, also stepped forward, clutching a sheet of paper covered in handwriting. His tone was a mixture of shock and self-deprecation:
"I also came all the way from the Chu Kingdom, drawn by your reputation. This is my first time attending the highest-level poetry gathering in the Great Qian Dynasty, and I was so amazed that I was speechless. I've copied down all three of your poems so that I can share them with my friends when I get back."
He shook his head and gave a wry smile:
"Only today do I truly understand what a genius is, someone far beyond the reach of an ordinary person like myself. From now on, I will never dare to pick up a pen to write poetry again."
Shen Jingchuan reached out and patted his shoulder, his tone indifferent:
"Brother Su, you flatter me. Poetry is but a minor pursuit. There are many other worthwhile things to do in life; there's no need to trouble yourself with this."
Upon hearing this, Xu Mo gently patted his palm with the handle of his fan and jokingly said:
"Listen to that! Is that even human language? Young Master Shen, if those hardworking scholars outside heard you say that, they'd probably tear your mouth apart on the spot."
As the group chatted and laughed, Lin Qingyao, sitting quietly at the next table, remained silent. Through her thin veil, her gaze was fixed on Shen Jingchuan, her eyes shining like starlight.
From the first poem, "Looking at the Moon and Thinking of a Distant Friend," to the last, "Breaking the Battle Formation the Enemy's Formation," and especially "The Wild Goose Mound Lyric," each poem struck her heart like a heavy hammer, and her amazement and admiration were already overwhelming.
Beside him, Yue'er was also full of admiration, staring at Shen Jingchuan's back and blinking repeatedly, but she sensibly kept quiet and didn't disturb him.
After tidying up briefly, the group got up and left the park together. Along the way, passersby frequently pointed and whispered about Shen Jingchuan.
"See that? That's Young Master Shen, who passed the imperial examinations in all three levels!"
"To be able to compose a timeless masterpiece at such a young age is truly remarkable..."
As they were talking and laughing, a steward in a blue robe quickly stepped forward, bowed respectfully to Shen Jingchuan, and presented him with a gold-embroidered invitation card with both hands:
"Young Master Shen, I am the manager of West Phoenix Tower. My Master Bai, will be performing here for ten consecutive days starting tomorrow, and she specially sent me to invite you to grace us with your presence. All expenses for the performance will be covered by Phoenix Perching Tower, and we only hope that you can spare some time to attend."
Zhou Tong's eyes widened in disbelief as he leaned close to Shen Jingchuan and gasped in a low voice:
"Brother Shen, this is Bai Ruoli, the most beautiful of the Eight Beauties of Great Qian! Even she sent someone to personally invite you. You've truly become famous Chang'an City! You must bring a few of us along so we can bask in your glory."
Shen Jingchuan accepted the invitation and tucked it into his sleeve, nodding slightly as he said:
"Go back Master Bai that I will definitely go when I have time." The steward bowed and withdrew, overjoyed.
Little did they know that this was just the beginning. As they walked out of the garden, invitations kept pouring in. Stewards from the Aristocratic Clan families came to invite them to a banquet, maids from scholarly families delivered invitations to the gathering, and many scholars and students directly sent invitations, hoping to make acquaintances.
Shen Jingchuan remained courteous throughout, accepting all the invitations. When he encountered a difficult person who insisted on getting a straight answer, Zhou Tong would observe their expression and step in to smooth things over, dismissing them with just a few words.
Lin Qingyao, who was at the back of the group, took in everything through her veil. She secretly clenched her handkerchief, feeling a subtle pang of sadness in her heart.
But she could only silently endure it—after all, the person she had fallen for was such a person.
As soon as the group left the garden gate and headed towards the restaurant diagonally opposite, they saw the Lin brothers, Lin Shan and Lin Yue, standing at the foot of the restaurant steps, waiting. Before they even got close, Lin Yue started waving loudly:
"Young Master Shen! You've finally appeared! I overheard people talking about how a Young Master Shen from Yuxi Prefecture swept the top three spots in the poetry competition. My brother and I knew it was you right away! We never knew you were so shrewd in business, and so talented in poetry too!"
Zhou Tong was in high spirits and insisted on taking everyone to a nearby restaurant for a celebratory drink, saying he wanted to celebrate Shen Jingchuan's success.
Shen Jingchuan smiled and waved his hand to decline, saying, "Brother Zhou, I appreciate your kind offer, but there are women traveling with us, and it would be inconvenient for them to go out at night. Let's call it a day, and I'll treat everyone another time."
Zhou Tong then slapped his forehead in realization, and without forcing the issue, he said with great interest:
"It was my fault for not considering the women. Surely tomorrow night is alright? It's Master Bai's debut performance at West Phoenix Tower. I'll pick you up from the inn, and we'll go see it together!"
Shen Jingchuan couldn't refuse him, so he could only vaguely reply, "Sure, sure, we'll see when the time comes."
The group bid farewell outside the garden gate, where Lin Shan and Lin Yue had already led three horses to wait by their side.
Lin Qingyao and Yue'er boarded the carriage, Shen Jingchuan mounted his horse, and the group slowly turned around and headed towards the inn where they were staying.
The group returned to their lodgings, and the carriage carrying the prizes from the poetry festival organizers followed closely behind to the gate.
The Lin Shan and Lin Yue, quickly lent a hand to help. Lin Yue, while carrying the brocade box, laughed loudly, "Young Master Shen is going to make a fortune this time!"
The group worked together to carry all the prizes into the main room of Shen Jingchuan's courtyard. The Lin Household brothers didn't linger; after offering a few more words of congratulations, they bowed and took their leave.