"Are you Ning Liheng?"
"The Ning Liheng from Shuidiao Getou?"
The green hills and grass were green, and the trees were rejuvenated. The sun was slanting in the sky. It was still early in the morning. In the gazebo, a group of scholars from the capital had made Ning Yi the most difficult enemy to deal with. They were talking about how to deal with him, but when they looked back, the imaginary enemy had already reached their side. For a moment, the situation was a little awkward. Fortunately, after looking at each other for a moment, Zhou Bangyan and the others came back to their senses and asked with embarrassed expressions.
Ning Yi could only shrug his shoulders in acknowledgment.
If everyone really had the intention to go tit for tat, Ning Yi would be the first to score points. However, Li Shishi, who was at the side, blinked her eyes and looked at him in astonishment for a long time. Then, the first sentence she said turned the situation around, "Brother Ning, are you the Ning Liheng who was invited to make things difficult for little sister?"
Her expression was innocent and slightly aggrieved. Ning Yi found it difficult to deal with her. "Heh, it's just a rumor. I'm just here to watch your performance."
"Performance?"
"Yes, I'm here with a few friends to see beautiful women sing and dance." Ning Yi peeled a peanut and threw it into his mouth. He laughed. "Although Puyang Yi came to me once, I'm not very interested in poetry, so I didn't really agree. So, Shishi, you just have to pay attention to the other people invited by Puyang Yi. I'm a good person."
Although he said that he only came to watch the singing and dancing, the others did not believe him. However, when they were discussing how to make things difficult for the scholar from Jiangning, they did not know how much of it was overheard by Ning Yi. Amidst the awkwardness, they could not bring up the topic of making things difficult for him. Moreover, judging from the three poems that were passed down to the capital, Ning Yi must be very talented. Whether it was Shuidiao Getou or Qingyu Case, Zhou Bangyan, who was the most talented among them, admitted that he could not do it. In front of him, a small quarrel was only asking to be humiliated. Just now, the few of them had spoken in all sincerity. If they were to meet again in a formal setting, perhaps they would not have any psychological burden. However, at this moment, in the gazebo, the auras of the four of them were a little suppressed, so they could only say some polite words.
"… Actually, when Shishi was studying the zither in Jiangning, we lived at the east end of Sanlian Alley. Brother Xiaoning lived in the middle of the alley. We were young, and we saw him reading books every day. Everyone called him a bookworm …"
Shishi was talking to liven up the atmosphere. She also told the others about her relationship with Ning Yi. Fang Wenyang smiled and said, "Actually, I was also a bookworm when I was young, and I have a common language with Brother Ning." Then she began to talk about the spread of Shuidiao Getou and Qingyu Case in the capital. With this as the topic, everyone began to talk and laugh.
After a while, Yu Ho-chung also came to the door. He greeted everyone and said to Ning Yi, "It is indeed a surprise to see Shishi." He did not have a good relationship with Zhou Bangyan, Tang Weiyan, and the others. Zhou Bangyan and the others were eating fruits at this time. As they chewed, they looked at him with strange eyes. They thought, "How did this guy find people? This Ning guy seems to be happy, but we are surprised …"
Yu Ho-chung still did not know what had happened. He sat down and laughed to himself, and the others responded with a few words. Ning Yi remembered that he had stayed here for a long time. Yunzhu and Jin 'er must have come in, so he stood up and was ready to go to the front of the house. Shishi stood up to send him off. He said a few words, but finally walked him to the door of the courtyard, and then asked Chun Mei to lead him there.
"Brother Xiaoning, did you really not agree to Puyang Gongzi's request to make things difficult for me?" Standing at the door of the courtyard, Li Shishi asked. Her voice was not loud, and her eyes were lowered.
Ning Yi looked at her a few times, "What if he agreed?"
"Then … I will have to admit defeat."
"Haha." Ning Yi laughed, then moved a little closer and said softly, "Little sister of the Wang family, you don't look like someone who will admit defeat easily."
Li Shishi raised her head and blinked at him. Her eyes were bright, and then she said softly, "I will … resist with all my might!"
"Heh, see you later."
"… See you later." The girl named Li Shishi waved her hand.
Following the maidservant Chun Mei, Ning Yi felt that this meeting was quite interesting. People who could reach the peak in a certain aspect were not simple, and this Li Shishi gave people a rather complicated feeling. When they first met in Sanlian Alley, she disguised herself as a man. At that time, she wanted to go back to the place where she used to live, and she gave people a rather gentle feeling.
Just now, when they met again, she was as kind as the girl next door. Later, when they sat together, this kind of friendliness seemed elegant and refined. When she sent him away, the words that she said she would retreat in order to advance were naturally fake. Ning Yi pretended to see through her. She said that she would resist with all her might, which seemed to be playful and insistent, but such an attitude might not be true.
She was good at all aspects, which was really admirable. To be the number one prostitute in the capital, her outstanding appearance was certainly not enough. Seeing her talking and laughing with others, it was like watching a pleasing performance. Ning Yi couldn't help but shake his head. Those men who liked her and chased her all the way here were really a little bit pitiful.
It wasn't that this Miss Shishi was cold in nature. To be able to do this, it was usually a talent for her to be able to see through others' thoughts and desires at a glance. She was also in this line of work, so there was nothing to say. However, if she really liked someone, she wouldn't put the man she liked in such a situation.
On the other hand, after seeing off Ning Yi, Shishi turned around and slightly clenched her fists. "I'm so angry." Then she walked back. Walking back to the pavilion, Yu Ho-chung was still talking about the encounter with "Xiaoning" in the morning. He mentioned that he might know Liu Qingdi, but Liu Qingdi didn't like him. He also talked about their previous relationship, that he, Xiaoning, and Shishi lived in the same alley, and so on. They all looked at him as if he was a fool. Shishi came back and sat down. Seeing this, she burst into laughter.
"Oh, by the way, just now I was by the river and saw that there were more than one or two Jiangning students coming. Brother Zhou and Brother Tang, are you discussing how to deal with them? I just heard that Ning Liheng, who is known as the number one scholar of Jiangning, is also coming. Brother Zhou, what do you think of his literary talent? Last time when Shishi sang his "Shuidiao Getou", I also heard it. It was really a good poem … "
Yu Ho-chung said it seriously. Although his literary talent wasn't as good as Zhou Bangyan, Tang Weiyan, and Fang Wenyang, he was still not bad. He could naturally tell whether a poem was good or bad. It was just that he hadn't seriously inquired about the situation of the scholar of Jiangning these days. As for Ning Liheng, he only knew his name. At this time, when he mentioned "Shuidiao Getou", he pretended to ask it was just to pressure Zhou Bangyan. "Aren't you amazing? Don't forget that there is an even more amazing person waiting for you here." However, as soon as he finished his words, the expressions of the others became even more strange.
Zhou Bangyan glanced at him, then picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup of tea. "The commander of the army can be changed, but an ordinary man can't be changed. Now that he has lost his spirit, how can he challenge him?"
"Huh?" Yu Ho-chung didn't understand.
Shishi pursed her lips and smiled at the side. Xu Dongmo glanced at him. "Don't tell me that He Zhong really doesn't know Xiaoning's identity?"
"I know. That idiot went with Shishi to Three Lotus Lane, and then we met again. You can ask Shishi for confirmation."
"Then He Zhong doesn't know that the silly bookworm that you and Shishi talked about is actually Ning Yi, and his courtesy name is Liheng?"
"Ah? His courtesy name is Liheng too? What a coincidence! " After saying this, Yu Ho-chung finally reacted. He was slightly stunned, and finally shrunk his neck and looked at Shishi. "No, no way? Xiaoning is that Ning Liheng? "
Shishi nodded.
"Then … the two of you have already competed? Lost? "
Yu Ho-chung looked at Zhou Bangyan and the other three. They said that they wanted to compete with Ning Liheng. From his point of view, it was obvious that Zhou Bangyan and the others had just entered and provoked them. In such a short period of time, the four of them, who could be considered as the top talents of the capital, actually lost. "Just how powerful is this Xiao Ning?" he thought to himself.
Tang Weiyan shook his head. "How are we supposed to compete? He came in first and has the upper hand. He also heard us discussing how to make things difficult for the Jiangning students. How can we have the nerve to immediately challenge him to a competition? But it's fine, he has already promised not to make things difficult for us this time … "
As he said this, he felt somewhat displeased. He shook his head. "What is this? He said he won't make things difficult for us. Doesn't it feel like he has already won? Ah, I really don't feel good about this."
The few of them felt helpless and amused. Fang Wenyang said, "Previously, I heard some rumors about Ning Liheng. He usually doesn't participate in literary gatherings in Jiangning. But it is said that there was once … I think it was the Jiangning Top Courtesan Competition last year or the year before. A few famous students were composing poems and he just happened to pass by. He sat there and no one dared to write. Sigh, Shuidiao Getou, Green Jade Case, Calm Storm, these three poems … "He thought for a while." They are indeed difficult to compose. But if there is a chance later, I would like to ask him for advice. Shishi, you won't blame me, right? "
Shishi smiled. "Why ask me, a girl, about the affairs of you scholars?"
As they spoke, they recalled the situation that day when they met. Actually, on that day, he was holding a tattered book in his hand and his clothes were a little dirty. It seemed like he had just done some work. It was said that the days of marrying into the family were not easy. Some son-in-law's status was similar to that of a laborer. They had to help their female family do this and that. But it was said that the family he married into was well-off and had arranged for such beautiful maids. Ordinary families could not afford them, so why would they let him do some manual labor? Even with his current reputation, it was thought that no one would be willing to make things difficult for him.
Taking a step back, with his talent, why did he choose to marry into the family? This was really strange and made people want to know.
After the self-introduction, it was difficult to form an accurate image of the real identity of "Xiaoning". "Xiaoning" was a long time ago. He could only remember the image of a little bookworm holding a book. Ning Liheng was too illusory. Coupled with the poem of Shuidiao Getou, it was hard to imagine that it was written by the person just now. After these thoughts flashed through his mind, the two images gradually merged in his mind …
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