Chapter 57: The Ultimate Straight-Arrow Man

Under the gaze of all present, Luo Zijun saw that everyone was looking at him rather strangely, so he had no choice but to let go of his hand.

"Luo Zijun, people are reciting poetry, what business is it of yours?"

Upstairs, Huang Zhaodi suddenly poked her head out and questioned him.

Mei Yanqiu, seeing someone else take the lead, also poked her head out immediately and said, "Luo Zijun, what's wrong? Are you green with envy because others can compose poetry? If you have the ability, compose one yourself!"

She hadn't settled accounts with this fellow for what happened earlier yet.

Now, with so many people watching, she naturally wasn't afraid of this brat anymore.

Luo Zijun raised his head and retorted directly, "Do you really think the poems composed by you women are any good? In my view, they are not worth a dog's turd! The only reason they let you go up there in the first place was simply because you are women, wasn't it?"

He continued, "Brother Huang, Brother Zhang, Brother Wang and the others all composed poems better than yours, yet because they are men, they weren't allowed up. Don't you women have even the slightest shred of self-awareness?"

At these words, everyone was startled.

The female students who had just gone upstairs instantly turned furious.

However, the men downstairs secretly echoed and praised him in their hearts.

Naturally, that was what they all thought as well.

Yet at this moment, they certainly didn't dare to voice it.

Wang Dafu couldn't help whispering from behind, "Brother Su, Brother Luo is truly formidable. He dares to say anything; this brother of yours is truly in awe."

Su Bie deeply agreed: "I would never dare say something that simultaneously offends the academy women and the distinguished guests upstairs. Brother Luo is truly audacious."

"Luo Zijun! What do you mean by that?"

"Aside from beating women and launching verbal attacks, what else can you do? If you have the ability, compose a poem that makes everyone sing your praises!"

"This bastard is going too far! He humiliated Yan'er just now, and now he comes to humiliate us!"

The academy women upstairs were all flushed red with anger, clenching their fists and wishing they could rush down immediately to beat this fellow up.

"What could I possibly mean? I'm merely speaking the truth."

Fighting ten opponents alone, Luo Zijun showed not the slightest bit of cowardice.

"You..."

The women upstairs were about to speak further when the little maidservant named Cuimo suddenly smiled and said, "Young Master Luo, did you mean just now that we are showing partiality to these young ladies?"

Luo Zijun looked at her and replied, "Anyone who isn't blind can see it."

Xu Xian quickly pulled him back quietly and whispered, "Brother Luo, you mustn't speak like this. Be careful not to offend the distinguished guests..."

Caught in the middle of the storm at this moment, he was thoroughly frightened and no longer dared to recite poetry.

Luo Zijun remained unconcerned: "Distinguished guests or lowly folk—since we've come here and wish to make friends through poetry, there should be no distinction of high or low."

Upstairs fell silent for a moment.

The little maidservant smiled and said, "My young miss says Young Master Luo is entirely right; scholarly friendships know no rank. Young Master Luo says we are partial, and we admit it. Our standards for you men are indeed somewhat higher. However, if any among you men can genuinely compose fine poetry, my young miss naturally won't refuse to let you come upstairs."

The implication was crystal clear.

It meant that the poems composed by the men earlier were truly no good.

"There's plenty of seating downstairs; we really don't care to go up."

Luo Zijun added, then pulled Xu Xian and said, "Brother Xu, let's go. Let's head to the ground floor for a meal."

As Xu Xian hesitated, the voice of the little maidservant suddenly came from upstairs again: "Young Master Xu, my young miss says you needn't compose poetry; you may come straight up for drinks."

Hearing this, Xu Xian was stunned. He raised his head, an expression of utter disbelief on his face.

The maidservant smiled and said, "Young Master Xu, please come up."

As she spoke, she intentionally glanced at a certain someone standing beside Xu Xian.

Overjoyed and flattered, Xu Xian immediately broke free from Luo Zijun with all his might and happily stepped into the tavern.

Luo Zijun looked up at the little maidservant named Cuimo. Seeing her smile like a blossoming flower, she crisply added, "If Young Master Luo wishes to come up, he will have to compose a poem."

This was clearly a deliberate attempt to target him, a minor act of "revenge."

*You didn't want Young Master Xu to come up, but we insist on inviting him up without even requiring a poem, just to prove you wrong about our partiality!*

*Didn't you claim you didn't care about coming up?*

Meanwhile, in Luo Zijun's eyes, this behavior made him all the more suspicious and vigilant.

Seeing that Xu Xian had already gone upstairs, he dared not delay and quickly said, "Lady Cuimo, if this humble person manages to compose a fine poem, could..."

"Naturally. Young Master Luo may come straight upstairs."

"No."

Luo Zijun stated immediately, "What this humble person means is, if I can compose a fine poem, can you and your people leave immediately and cede the entire second floor to us for our meal? What do you say?"

The maidservant: "..."

A profound silence descended upon the courtyard for quite a while.

From upstairs came a woman's crisp voice: "Young Master Luo, if you truly possess such confidence, this young lady will agree to your terms. However, one poem is too few; at least two."

"Deal!"

Luo Zijun did not bargain and added, "Furthermore, I hope the young lady will cover the entire cost of today's meal."

Everyone: "..."

The woman seemed to let out a cold chuckle before replying, "Deal."

"Such brazen arrogance."

A low, cold snort came from the second floor.

"Let's see what skills this brat has. If he's just playing to the gallery, I'll have Uncle Liang throw him right out!"

Luo Zijun suddenly spoke up again, "Right, if I am fortunate enough to win, I hope the young lady will also chase those academy women upstairs down as well. When I'm dining on the second floor, I'd rather not look at their faces, lest I lose my appetite."

At these words, the talented young women upstairs were instantly fuming with rage, their eyes popping out in astonishment.

"Luo Zijun! Stop spouting wild arrogance!"

"Just you? Able to compose fine poetry? If you can actually pull it off, we won't need anyone else to tell us—we'll roll down ourselves!"

"Abominable! This person is utterly detestable!"

"I'm furious! So angry my stomach hurts..."

"To think the world holds such an odious man; truly a rare sight!"

The women upstairs were half-dead with anger.

As for the men downstairs, they couldn't help but admire the youth before them.

"This fellow is truly a badass!"

Wang Dafu was so impressed he practically prostrated himself: "Damn it, why does merely listening to this feel so exhilarating?"

Standing by the window, the little maidservant Cuimo covered her mouth to stifle a laugh and said, "Young Master Luo, no need for more words. Compose."

Luo Zijun wasn't afraid they would renege on their promise.

After a brief moment of contemplation, he said, "Then I shall compose a poem first."

The surroundings instantly quieted down.

The talented women upstairs also held their breath, gritting their teeth, clenching their fists, and pricking up their ears, ready to watch this bastard make a fool of himself.

"No matter what this fellow comes up with, we must declare it terrible!"

"Right! Pick holes in everything he says! Let him make a fool of himself!"

Several women whispered among themselves in consultation.

By this time, Luo Zijun had already begun to recite:

"At this gate on this very day last year,
Face and peach blossoms mirrored each other's red.
Where the human face has gone, I know not;
Peach blossoms still smile in the spring breeze..."

The moment his voice trailed off, Liang Ruhai, the scholar-turned-innkeeper standing at the entrance, instantly lit up with a bright gaze.

Just as he was about to start applauding and cheering, a burst of applause and cheers suddenly erupted from upstairs: "Splendid! Magnificent! Young Master Luo's poem is worthy of the title of talent, and worthy of being called today's finest work!"

Such praise was exceptionally high, practically offending every single poet present at the scene.

Yet the person offering this praise was none other than the distinguished young lady on the second floor.

At this moment, even if those female students upstairs wanted to pick flaws, it was already too late. Besides, anyone with half a brain could recognize the exquisite charm and brilliance of this poem.

Mei Yanqiu and the others stood dumbfounded, staring at one another in blank dismay.

Sun Yan'er wore a dazed expression, softly and repeatedly murmuring under her breath: "Where the human face has gone, I know not; peach blossoms still smile in the spring breeze..."

Liang Ruhai, the scholar-innkeeper, was also clapping and cheering with tears shimmering in his eyes: "Marvelous! Truly marvelous! Last year today, this year today—same time, same place, same scenery, yet different people... A mirrored contrast, looping and returning, twists and turns to the utmost... It stirs memories of the past, leaving one with boundless regret and melancholy..."

He seemed to recall some old acquaintance, filled with infinite emotion.

"Young Master Luo is indeed a man of true talent. This humble young lady feels ashamed of her own inferiority before this poem. I hope the young son can compose another to heighten our spirits."

The distinguished lady upstairs spoke in a gentle tone, tinged with underlying anticipation.

At this moment, whether upstairs, downstairs, or among the onlookers gathered in the small courtyard waiting to watch a spectacle, everyone cast aside their contempt and fell silent.

After a brief pause, Luo Zijun said, "The first was a verse; let this second piece be a *ci* lyric. Since peach blossoms are blooming here and this is the Taoyuan Pavilion, let's take 'Peach Blossom Spring' as the theme."

"Drifting lazily in a light boat, letting the current lead me deep among the flowers. Tied down by worldly bonds, helpless to stay amid the blooms. Mist and water stretch endlessly, a thousand miles of slanting sunset glow in dusk. Countless mountains, scattered petals falling like rain. I forget the path by which I came..."

Once finished, the surroundings grew even quieter.

Everyone silently recited and savored the words in their hearts.

Liang Ruhai, standing before the door, nodded as he savored the lines, stroking his beard, his eyes shining brightly as he looked at the youth before him, though he did not speak first.

After a long silence upstairs, the voice of the distinguished young lady finally rang out: "This *ci* lyric..."

Luo Zijun immediately interrupted, "I have yet another piece!"

Having uttered such harsh boasts, he was determined to chase the women off the second floor today.

Most importantly, he had to safeguard the "safety" of Official Xu!

The distinguished lady upstairs was startled for a moment and hastily said, "If the young son has another, please recite it all together."

In truth, she had intended to offer praise and concede defeat.

Everyone once again held their breath.

After a moment's reflection, Luo Zijun chanted anew:

"Trees encircle the village, water fills the pond. Leaning into the spring breeze, grand spirits roam freely. A small garden here and there gathers all the colors of spring. Peach blossoms are red, pear blossoms white, rapeseed flowers yellow... Just as orioles sing, swallows dance, and butterflies bustle..."

As this *ci* concluded, Liang Ruhai standing by the entrance wore a look of profound astonishment.

Such talent was simply hair-raisingly astounding!

After a long silence upstairs, the voice of the distinguished young lady finally emerged: "Young Master Luo possesses vast talent. With such brilliance, it is only right that you sit on the second floor."

With that, she immediately stood up and instructed her maids and servants, "Pack up our things, we're going downstairs."

There was no trace of displeasure in her tone; instead, she sounded rather excited.

"Sister Tanxun, this..."

"Let's go down. Besides, we've already finished eating."

"Oh..."

With the distinguished guests descending, the talented ladies of the academy all wore grim expressions as they exchanged uneasy glances.

Mei Yanqiu and the others flushed with shame, feeling utterly humiliated.

"Is that fellow really going to chase us down? This is too humiliating; we worked so hard to get up here..."

"He's probably just venting angrily. After all, we're all from the same academy. If he actually chases us out, that would be too..."

"As a man of such great talent, it's impossible for him to be so entirely devoid of gentlemanly grace..."

Just at that moment, however, that fellow's voice suddenly drifted up from downstairs: "Mei Yanqiu, Huang Zhaodi! Whoever else is up there! What are you still dawdling for? Hurry down, we're all starved and need to go up for our meal!"

The academy women: "..."