"Who are you?"
Hearing the voice in the dark alley, the slightly plump young man took a few steps back. Looking at the figure in the dark, his gaze was still vigilant as he asked slowly.
"It doesn't matter who I am." In the dark alley, the voice drifted, faintly discernible. "What's important is that I can help you."
The young man asked suspiciously, "Help me with what?"
The voice said leisurely, "So that you don't have to worry about not being able to write a good poem. You don't have to worry about not being able to get a girl. You don't have to worry about being mocked by those so-called scholars …"
"Not being able to get a girl?" The man asked doubtfully.
"No woman will care about you!" The voice raised its pitch.
The young man was stunned for a moment before realizing something. He blurted out, "You want to teach me how to write a poem?"
This time, the voice paused for a long time. "Do you think you're cut out for it?"
"…"
"What do you mean?" The young man asked doubtfully.
"It's very simple. You hand over the money and I hand over the poem. You hand over the money and I'll give you the poem. Once you hand over the money, the poem is yours. You can sign your name and use it however you want …"
The young man hesitated for a moment before saying, "How do I know you're not just casually writing a few sentences to trick me?"
"Why do you have so many questions!" The voice in the dark became impatient. "Buy it if you want. If not, I'm leaving!"
"Wait a minute!"
Some images appeared in his mind. The young man clenched his fists. After his expression changed, he gritted his teeth and asked, "How much is your poem?"
"Ranging from a hundred taels to ten thousand taels. There are many prices and many choices. We can accept custom-made poems. Love between men and women, brotherly love, gay love, patriotism. Buy five, get one free. Buy ten, get three free … The price is fair.
The young man asked doubtfully, "Your poem can surpass that Yang?"
"If you just want to surpass that poem, I suggest you buy one that costs a hundred taels. If you want to amaze the world and impress that Yingying lady, a thousand taels is enough. If you're willing to pay ten thousand taels, Zhao Xiuwen will be nothing. In the future, you'll be the new Poetry Saint of the Qi Kingdom!"
The voice was extremely fleeting and full of charm. It came from the dark. "How about it? Do you want to consider it?"
"I want one thousand taels."
After a moment of silence, there was a response from outside.
"Just a moment."
Something seemed to move in the darkness. The young man seemed to hear a strange sound, and then it went silent.
After a quarter of an hour, a voice came from the darkness again. Then, the young man saw a folded piece of paper being handed out from the darkness.
He carefully walked over and reached out his hand. The piece of paper shrunk a little.
He was taken aback for a moment, then he came back to his senses. He fumbled in his bosom for a while, then handed over a stack of paper and said, "There's a total of one thousand taels of silver here. You can exchange it for silver at any Qian's Bank in the Qi Kingdom."
"Aren't you afraid that I'll lie to you?" After receiving the banknotes, the voice in the darkness came again.
The slightly plump young man shook his head and said, "It's only about a thousand taels of silver. I'll have it if I save a day's allowance."
There was no more sound in the darkness. He held the piece of paper and waited for a while. When he gathered his courage and walked into the alley, he found that there was no one there.
…
…
"Where did you go just now?"
After Li Yi returned upstairs and sat down, Miss.Liu glanced at him and asked.
"I went downstairs to get some fresh air and bought some things."
Li Yi put a bag of desserts on the table. He bought them from the shop where he borrowed pen and paper. They tasted pretty good.
He had to admit that the guy just now was quite bold. He gave away one thousand taels of silver without hesitation. Even when Li Yi was at his most prodigal, he didn't do this. He always gave one hundred and twenty thousand taels of silver to Miss.Liu.
He was a little thirsty after talking nonsense with that guy for a long time. The alcohol content here wasn't high, so it could be used as a drink to quench his thirst.
Li Yi picked up the wine pot — not a drop of wine was poured out.
He looked at Miss.Liu and gradually narrowed his eyes.
"It's getting late. I should go back and rest." Miss.Liu stood up decisively and turned to walk downstairs.
Li Yi walked down with a sullen face. When he walked out of the door, he brushed past a slightly chubby young man.
"Stop right there. Don't think that this matter will be over just like that …" After a slight pause, he strode in the direction of Miss.Liu.
The young man looked back strangely, shook his head, and turned around. After almost an hour, he walked into the attic again.
In the hall, several young people dressed like scholars gathered together. They watched the program on the screen while whispering to each other.
"That guy with the surname Qian really thinks that he can buy anything with money. We don't want to be associated with such a vulgar person."
"That guy with the surname Qian is a joke. Let's not talk about him. Do you think that Miss Yingying will be able to sleep with Yang Yanqing today?"
"Impossible. Although Yang Yanqing has some talent in poetry, he's far behind his brother. I think Miss Yingying is only doing this for that person's sake. Otherwise, I'm afraid she wouldn't be able to meet him today."
"I've long heard that Miss Yingying is interested in that person. However, with her status, she's still too far behind. Maybe she's going to settle for the second best …"
"It's also possible. After all, that person is appreciated by the Third Prince. Miss Yingying is not worthy of him …"
…
…
A few people were chatting about some things when they were suddenly interrupted by a voice.
"Qian Duoduo, Young Master Qian, give Miss Shi Shi a poem!"
In the past, when a lady performed on the stage, if there was a gift of money or a poem, someone would read it out loud to let everyone know. After all, many people did it for the sake of their reputation. If there was no splash of water, they might not do the same thing again in the future.
Therefore, in such a place, there would be someone in charge of this matter.
Those who frequented this place were already used to it. However, this time, when they heard this sentence, many people were stunned.
This included the lady named Shi Shi who was playing on the stage. Her pretty face was filled with astonishment, and her music was a little chaotic.
They naturally knew who Qian Duoduo was.
He was the famous Young Master Qian in Feng Zhou City. The Qian Family's banks were opened all over the Qi Kingdom. Their business was flourishing everywhere. In the entire Feng Zhou City, there were not many families that were richer than the Qian Family.
The son of a businessman was looked down upon by others. He should have kept a low profile. However, this Young Master Qian did not know how to keep a low profile at all. Usually, he boasted that he was a gifted scholar and often lingered in such places. He had spent a lot of money several times, but he did not even get to see the face of a lady. He had become a laughing stock in the eyes of the crowd.
Everyone knew that this Young Master Qian was a complete idiot. At this time, he was learning from others to compose a poem …
"Haha, Young Master Qian, a poem …"
"Read it, quick, quickly read it out. Let us see what kind of masterpiece Young Master Qian has!"
"No, no, read it later. Let me laugh for a while …"
In an instant, some people could not help but laugh out loud. The atmosphere in the hall became a little lively.
In their eyes, Young Master Qian knew how to compose a poem. It was no different from a rooster laying eggs or an iron tree blooming. It was simply a fantasy. At this moment, the crowd only treated it as a joke.
Hearing the various voices around him, Qian Duoduo's expression changed. He pretended to be indifferent, but his fists in his sleeves were already tightly clenched.
He had read the poem just now. Although he could not see anything special about it, it was quite smooth to read. There was one word that he did not know. He only found out after asking someone. It should be better than that surnamed Yang, right?
In the corner, there was a person holding a piece of paper in his hand. Under the urging of the crowd, he read it out loud.
"Cai Xiu attentively held the jade bell. That year, she fought to be drunk and blushed. Dancing low in the willow house under the moon, she sang the wind at the bottom of the peach blossom fan.
After parting, I remembered our meeting. How many times did my soul dream with you. Tonight, with only the silver lamp shining, I fear that our meeting is a dream. "
Those who could linger in this kind of place were mostly scholars. They usually boasted that they were outstanding and talented. Those they interacted with were all scholars. More or less, they had some talent. Otherwise, they would not have been able to fool the crowd. After that person read two lines, the mocking voices in the hall quieted down.
Until the last line, "I fear that our meeting is a dream," was read out, there was no more noise.
Countless people were stunned. They turned around to look at Qian Duoduo and swallowed their saliva in disbelief.
Was this poem really written by that idiot Qian Duoduo?
The woman on the stage was also stunned. She muttered a few lines and felt some kind of emotion. When she looked down the stage again, her eyes were a little hazy.
At the door of a certain room upstairs, the woman called Yingying opened her mouth slightly. The man opposite her was also surprised.
Even if Qian Duoduo did not understand poetry, because of his background, his ability to observe people's expressions was far beyond that of ordinary people.
Looking at the eyes and expressions of the people around him, he knew that the one thousand taels he spent just now was really f * cking worth it!
Especially when he saw those so-called scholars, their expressions were as if they had seen a ghost. The carefree feeling in his heart was indescribable.
He hummed a strange tune and walked out of the door alone under the stunned silence of the crowd.
Just as he was about to walk out, he seemed to have thought of something. He turned around and walked to a table.
The servant looked at him in a daze and asked, "Young Master Qian, is there anything else?"
Qian Duoduo curled his lips and said, "That one thousand taels of silver was wrong. Give it back to me."
…
…
"I can't control you, but your sister can. When I go back in a few days, I will tell her everything you did here one by one …"
There was still an hour before the curfew. The streets of Feng State City had already become sparse. Li Yi scolded as he walked.
He did not hear a response for a long time. He looked back and saw that Miss.Liu was already breathing evenly. He shook his head and sighed helplessly.
"I can't control it anymore …"
The three words "Fragrant Forest Garden" were vaguely visible under the illumination of the fireworks in the night sky.
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