Hearing the topic, everyone in the hall burst into praise. Great Song was steeped in literary culture; even those without much learning had a discerning eye and could tell at once that the Courtesan Queen's prompt was quite ingenious.
The young masters from the capital all began racking their brains. Though many were playboys, Lin'an City was a place where talented scholars gathered, and they had absorbed some literary knowledge through constant exposure. Besides, they often frequented pleasure quarters, and many brothels valued literary talent. They had plenty of experience with such matters.
"I've got it!" One young master excitedly stood up and handed his finished poem to the maid. Soon, she unfolded the paper and read aloud, "One goes two or three miles, where four or five homes lie in misty villages. Six or seven pavilions stand, with eight, nine, ten branches of flowers."
"Wonderful!" No one had expected someone to finish so quickly, and the crowd immediately erupted in applause. The young master cupped his hands toward all sides, his gaze repeatedly drifting toward the lovely silhouette behind the curtain, filled with pride.
"That bastard," the Yellow-robed Woman suddenly muttered.
Song Qingshu was taken aback and could not help saying, "I thought that poem was quite good."
The Yellow-robed Woman snorted and ignored him completely. Xue Baochai, blushing, explained from the side, "Baoyu, your uncle used to urge you to read more... That poem was written by Shao Yong, a poet of this dynasty. Along with Zhou Dunyi, Zhang Zai, Cheng Hao, and Cheng Yi, he was known as one of the Five Sages of the Northern Song, a renowned Neo-Confucian scholar."
"Really? Haha..." Song Qingshu's face heated up. No wonder the Yellow-robed Woman was angry. Shao Yong was a revered elder of Jianshan Academy, yet this man