At this point, none of the ministers in the hall dared speak further; instead, they became hesitant to take sides easily. Aligning oneself in this matter was too risky, as it would be declared to all under heaven. No one wanted to choose the wrong side and tarnish their reputation—best to just wait and see.
The reaction of the crowd was within the Emperor’s expectations.
His decision to proceed in this way was partly to accede to the Grand Tutor’s request, and partly because he had taken an interest in this individual. He wanted to see if the Scholar truly possessed genuine knowledge and talent and if he could withstand the test.
Under such immense pressure, if the Scholar could maintain his standards and produce quality work, he might be considered for future use.
If he couldn’t withstand this test, however, no matter how well he wrote at other times, it would be of little use. In the future, when it came time to get things done, he would likely fail due to an inability to overcome his inner timidity, rendering him ineffective. It would be better to prevent such an individual from embarking on a career in civil service.
Throughout history, there have been innumerable talented individuals, yet few have been capable of great responsibility. One could only hope that Lian Mu would be worthy of all this trouble and cultivation.
Having made his decision, he still needed to secretly investigate whether anyone was inciting this situation. Although, after this decree, it would likely be difficult for anyone to stir things up, it was still better to be cautious just in case.
The matter of the Autumn Exam in the Administration Palace came to a close.
Meanwhile, Canglan Court became lively.
"Sister, poetry isn’t just for rote memorization; you must apply what you learn and grasp its subtleties in order to appear truly talented," Concubine Fang Pin rubbed her forehead, feeling like she was actually going to get a headache. The voice of that Young Eunuch was just too loud and irritating.
"Oh, is that so?" Lian Hua scratched her head, still not quite understanding what to do.
Apply what she learned—that was exactly what she was doing. Otherwise, why would she have Xiao Linzi recite the poetry? Even having Xiao Linzi chop firewood would be more meaningful.
Logically speaking, memorizing poetry loud enough to shake heavens and earth, making everyone around feel exhilarated, both the reciter and the listener, should be ideal. But Consort Fang Pin seemed to have a different opinion, so...
Even though the two of them were talking at cross purposes and had just finished venting their frustrations on Huang Zude, they felt refreshingly relieved and comfortable.
Especially Concubine Fang Pin, who felt as if she had found a kindred spirit, lamented that she had not met Lian Hua sooner.
As Lian Hua was thinking she had nothing left to curse, Concubine Fang Pin elegantly interjected a few lines of poetry in her tirade, denouncing Huang Zude as "a rat with form but a man without courtesy" and the like.
Upon hearing this, Lian Hua recognized it—ah, she had heard this line before. It was from the Book of Poetry. She remembered that she had a mobile library of poetry at her disposal, which she had been worrying about not having a chance to flaunt. It was the perfect opportunity provided by Concubine Fang Pin to showcase the cultural depth of Canglan Court.
She immediately became excited, stopped what Concubine Fang Pin was about to say, and asked her to wait a moment.
She summoned Xiao Linzi and set the plan in motion before Concubine Fang Pin could react. In one breath, she arranged for Xiao Linzi to stand behind Concubine Fang Pin and start reciting poetry from the beginning, non-stop and as loudly as possible, loud enough to be deafening.
This nearly made the unprepared Concubine Fang Pin deaf.
Meanwhile, Lian Hua wore a smile as she swayed to the rhythm, listening intently, even mouthing a few verses herself.
Concubine Fang Pin was flabbergasted, her handkerchief falling to the ground without her noticing, unable to figure out what was happening.
The noise was so loud that it pained her ears. She urgently tried to ask for silence in a soft voice, but Xiao Linzi’s volume completely drowned her out.
She had no choice but to summon Jin Xi, asking him to intervene, but to her dismay, Jin Xi couldn’t hear a word she said and kept asking if she had any instructions.
Just as her ears were about to burst, she finally ran out of patience and hardened her heart to rely on herself. Disregarding the image of the sickly beauty that she had maintained for years, she slammed the table, stood up, and shouted, "Stop!"
Her voice was loud and forceful, a stark change from her usual demeanor, which left Lian Hua somewhat dumbfounded.
Xiao Jizi had to stifle his laughter.
These days, the people of Canglan Court had already grown accustomed to this spectacle. Their mistress had picked up a habit from who knows where, believing that reciting poetry should be done in the loudest and most resounding voice, just like children in a classroom.
Whenever she whimsically felt like it, she would have Xiao Linzi, that fool, recite poetry. And Xiao Linzi was overjoyed to oblige, always putting in his utmost effort. They were no longer surprised by this, His Majesty had gotten used to it too.
This had become a unique feature of Canglan Court.
Clearly not everyone could tolerate it, for example, the affectatious Consort Fang Pin, who was reduced to her true self.
Immediately, the Side Hall fell silent, with Lian Hua looking puzzledly at Consort Fang Pin, and Xiao Linzi halting his recitation.
Consort Fang Pin, feeling both a headache and somewhat embarrassed, coughed twice to hide her discomfort, returned to her normal demeanor, and slowly sat down. Then she gently asked Lian Hua why she had suddenly started to recite poetry.
Lian Hua blinked innocently and said, "Before the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, I heard Consort recite many poems, of which I couldn’t understand a single line. I just thought Consort was extremely impressive. Today, with Consort visiting, it so happens that Xiao Linzi has recently learned quite a few new poems, so we thought we’d return the favor. After all, we can’t just always listen without reciprocating, right? Consort, don’t you think Xiao Linzi recited both fast and well?"
As she spoke, she eagerly awaited Consort Fang Pin’s appraisal.
Consort Fang Pin was somewhat at a loss for words. She wanted to say that those poems were merely spontaneous expressions of her feelings and not intentional, not something that needed reciprocation—who reciprocates like that?
She also felt a tightness in her chest, feeling blocked by the words "not understanding a single line." It dawned on her that she had been misunderstanding all along, secretly wishing to make Beauty Lian a confidante, thinking only Beauty Lian could understand her. Yet, as it turned out, she was preaching to the deaf; Beauty Lian had no clue about what she’d been saying.
Lost for words, Consort Fang Pin nonetheless precisely clung to the words "thought Consort was extremely impressive," pondering in her heart that, well, that’s not too bad either. Even though Beauty Lian didn’t understand a word she said, it didn’t prevent Beauty Lian from thinking she was impressive.
With this thought, she quickly adjusted her mindset, realizing how open and sincere Sister Lian was toward her. Look at that gaze, unwaveringly fixed on her, without the slightest attempt to conceal her admiration, filled with expectation and sincerity.
Despite the pain in her ears and her forehead still throbbing, she felt inwardly comforted and was moved to an educational mindset, hence the scene that unfolded just now.
Seeing that Lian Hua still didn’t understand, Consort Fang Pin began to smile gently, her gaze softening as she looked at Lian Hua. Lifting her delicate hand, she pointed outside and said, "Sister, look at the yellow leaves outside, rich with the hue of autumn. Shouldn’t one sigh at this moment, saying ’trees ablaze with autumn’s colors, hills awash with the chill of cold’?"
As she recited the poetic line, her face took on a melancholy sadness fitting for the sorrowful autumn.
Lian Hua looked outside, puzzled, and asked, "Where are the trees?"
Hadn’t they just discussed learning to apply poetry and grasping its mysteries? Why bring up trees again?
All the plants outside the Side Hall had been uprooted by her and Xiao Qing long ago to plant melons and fruits; they had harvested several crops by now. The ground was now bare, not a leaf in sight. Even the small peach tree that they planted couldn’t be seen from the entrance.