All Heavens: From Joy of Life to The Great Feng Night Watchman

Li Chengze glanced at it from afar, then covered his eyes in shame and indignation.

"As long as you are above average, I, the King, can speak up for you..."

Li Chang'an was already mentally prepared and comforted Li Chengze.

"Fan Xian's calligraphy is simple and unadorned; most people can't write like that."

Xing Yusen grinned, "My goodness, is this the handwriting of a scholar? It's worse than a waiter's."

Sure enough, the talented men and women who saw the handwriting all suppressed their laughter, wanting to laugh but daring not to.

After all, Fan Xian is Guo Shao's good friend, so who would dare to openly tease him?

Guo Baokun, with a bitter face, patted Fan Xian on the shoulder, "Brother Fan, with me here, they won't dare to laugh at you!"

Fan Xian stole a glance at Lin Wan'er, who seemed completely unconcerned, clearly not taking it seriously at all.

Lin Wan'er didn't care at all about Fan Xian's handwriting; it was definitely far inferior to Li Chang'an's.

She had no intention of marrying Fan Xian, so of course she couldn't be bothered to pay much attention.

The poetry gathering continued, and the next brilliant poem was written by Fan Ruoruo.

"Melons float in the cool water of the jar to relieve the summer heat, lotus roots are stacked on the plate and their icy green color is refreshing to chew. Bamboo shoots grow densely on the sloping stone near the steps, and lotus leaves unfold in the small pond."

Fan Ruoruo is a genuine poet who can compose a poem in ten steps. After completing a poem, Li Chengze praised her repeatedly.

"What a fine poem! Truly worthy of being the most talented woman in Kyoto!"

In addition, Fan Ruoruo's delicate and elegant handwriting drew cheers from the scholars and talented women present.

Li Chengze said to Li Chang'an, "The best poem of the day should go to Miss Ruoruo."

Li Chang'an smiled slightly. If she had personally trained him, it should be like this.

But at this moment, Lin Wan'er suddenly spoke.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have recently been studying poetry and literature and have made some progress. I would like to give it a try."

Li Chang'an then remembered that Lin Wan'er had a talent for poetry and prose, with a poetic ability of the ninth rank.

However, Lin Wan'er never showed off her talents, and no one had ever seen the poems she wrote.

She said to Fan Ruoruo beside her, "Ruoruo, please give me your guidance."

Fan Ruoruo quickly said politely, "Sister Wan'er, you're too kind. I'd also like to hear your poem."

Fan Ruoruo always felt that Lin Wan'er's eyes held a strong competitive spirit.

This kind of expression was something Lin Wan'er had never seen before when she was ill.

Lin Wan'er, dressed in white, with a slender waist, bright eyes and white teeth, was truly radiant.

"The coolness returns to the emerald pool, ice seeps into my teeth, and the clear spring water is cold on my teeth. The fragrance is faint and the breeze is as clear as a thread, and the bright moon shines through the paper window as I listen to the cicadas chirping."

When she mentioned the words "paper window," Lin Wan'er looked intently at Li Chang'an behind the curtain.

This poem is chilling and depressing; it carries a sense of melancholy no matter how you listen to it.

"What a poem!"

The Second Prince was the first to cheer, followed by Li Hongcheng, and finally Fan Xian also shouted a couple of times.

"Your poem is excellent, Princess! It's better than mine!"

As Lin Wan'er's handwritten letter circulated, cheers never ceased.

"As expected of the daughter of a prime minister, her literary talent is truly astounding!"

"A poem composed in ten steps, it's just as good as Miss Ruoruo's!"

"The princess suffered a serious illness in her childhood, but fortunately she was determined and persevered until the clouds parted and the moon shone through!"

"Such a talented and beautiful woman, she actually has to marry that playboy Fan Xian, alas!"

"Shh! Shh! Young Master Guo is glaring at you, shut up!"

Then everyone discussed the rankings, and under Li Hongcheng's guidance, Fan Ruoruo, Lin Wan'er, and Guo Baokun's poems were considered the best of the day.

Fan Xian's poem is also good, but it's not as good as Guo Baokun's because the handwriting is below par.

Guo Shao was on the verge of tears. "Brother Fan, I have read extensively on military strategy and am quite shrewd. I thought victory was assured today!"

"But Guo never expected that even your handwriting would be below par!"

He Zongwei was even more frustrated, as he had given up one of his masterpieces from years past, only to have it ruined by Fan Xian.

Their plan to get Fan Xian into the top three and make him famous for his poetry has fallen through.

Those present clearly remembered Fan Xian's feigned injury and his terrible handwriting.

I fear that after today, Fan Xian's reputation will only suffer further damage.

After the poetry gathering ended, Li Chang'an and Li Chengze followed at the back of the crowd and slowly walked out of the Jingwang Mansion.

Li Chengze said with a grin, "Uncle, help me, how do I win over Fan Xian?"

Li Chang'an didn't respond at all. "Don't always think about asking me to help you. You and the Crown Prince are both my good nephews."

“We grew up together, and we’re both my children. I can’t be biased just because you like poetry.”

"It's fine if you want to have hot pot and chat about poetry with me, but don't talk to me about important matters of the court. I have no interest in that."

As the two were talking, they arrived at the entrance of the Prince's Mansion and saw Fan Xian politely greeting Lin Wan'er.

Emperor Qing's intention to bestow a marriage is still strong, but no official decree has been issued yet, so there's nothing wrong with the two meeting.

“Princess Yichen, my name is Fan Xian. It’s our first meeting, please excuse my clumsiness.”

The two had already met at the poetry gathering, and it would be somewhat impolite to pretend not to see each other and leave without saying hello.

However, given that Fan Xian has just made a fool of himself, today's occasion is not a good time for them to get to know each other.

Fortunately, Lin Wan'er was very well-mannered and bowed slightly in return, saying, "Young Master Fan, I am very polite."

When Fan Xian saw Ye Ling'er standing next to Lin Wan'er, her eyes blazing with anger, he knew he couldn't explain anything further.

He planned to exchange a few polite words and leave, but he needed to think long-term about how to change his image in Lin Wan'er's eyes.

"Having witnessed the Princess's grace today, I am filled with admiration..."

He had barely finished speaking when Fan Xian saw a dark figure dart over from a carriage not far away.

Immediately afterwards, a sharp longsword was placed against his neck.

"You bastard, get out!"

A man's angry roar left Fan Xian somewhat bewildered.

Li Chang'an glanced at the man and realized it was another fiercely protective brother. It was none other than Lin Gong, the second young master of the Lin family.

Speaking of which, this person is the eldest princess's man, and he is well aware of Fan Xian's ruined reputation.

He opposed Lin Wan'er marrying Fan Xian, partly because he didn't want Fan Xian to take over the Imperial Treasury, and partly because of Lin Wan'er's wishes.

Lin Wan'er was unwilling to marry Fan Xian, and Lin Gong would never allow Fan Xian to get close to Lin Wan'er.

At this moment, Young Master Guo rushed over in a panic, "Second Young Master, let's talk this out, why resort to swords?"

Lin Gong and Guo Baokun are both on the Crown Prince's side, but Guo Baokun is desperately trying to restore Fan Xian's reputation, which is indeed somewhat ridiculous.

"Hmph! Fan Xian, I'm warning you, if you try to get close to Wan'er again, I will kill you!"

After speaking, Lin Gong and Ye Ling'er escorted Lin Wan'er away. Ye Ling'er looked at Fan Xian as if he were a criminal.

Watching Lin Wan'er leave, Fan Xian could only sigh inwardly, feeling a vast distance between himself and Lin Wan'er.

Guo Baokun patted him on the shoulder, "Brother Fan, it's getting late, let me invite you to Zuixianju for a drink."

Guo Shao had messed up the Crown Prince's job and was feeling resentful, so he wanted to go out and clear his head.

Fan Xian had heard of Zuixianju, "Qing...Qing...a brothel?"

Guo Baokun pursed his lips and said, "Don't worry, my Guo family has very strict family rules. We must be back at the mansion before midnight."

"Therefore, I, Guo, just wanted to have a drink with Brother Fan to relieve my boredom, and by the way, study some literary and military strategies to see how to help the young master restore his reputation."

Fan Xian waved his hand nervously, "No, no, I have never been to such a place, and I will never go there in the future."

Seeing that Fan Xian was looking in the direction Lin Wan'er had gone, Guo Shao patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, I'll take you through the back door and we'll go straight to the most popular courtesan."

Guo Baokun was sincere; he wanted to have a good talk with Fan Xian. How could he restore Fan Xian's reputation if he didn't understand him?

The failure of today's plan was largely due to Guo Baokun's lack of understanding of Fan Xian and his ignorance of Fan Xian's weakness in calligraphy.

Fan Xian was also anxious to restore his reputation, and according to Fan Jian's information, the Crown Prince had to help him restore his reputation, so he agreed to Guo Baokun's request.

Lin Gong led Lin Wan'er into the carriage and immediately comforted his sister.

"Wan'er, don't worry, your second brother will never let you marry that rude and vulgar man!"

"If you ask me, this is also Father's fault. As a high-ranking official, couldn't he have been a little more assertive?"

Lin Wan'er frowned and said, "Father has already submitted a memorial, but His Majesty still hasn't issued it and hasn't changed his mind."

"His Majesty said that the Kyoto Prefecture made a good judgment on Fan Xian's matter. Fan Xian is innocent, and the Crown Prince will also help restore Fan Xian's reputation."

Lin Gong angrily shouted at Fan Xian's retreating figure outside the window, "Restore what? The more you explain, the worse it gets!"