I just wrote a love poem, how did that make me so powerful?

Xiao Mingyuan stuffed the paper into his pocket, and as if he had been injected with chicken blood, he grabbed Xu Qing and ran towards the backyard of Chunhong Courtyard.

"Slow down!" Xu Qing stumbled a couple of steps as he dragged her, and angrily shook off his hand. "Go find Gu Zhiyi, I'll wait for you outside. It would be redundant for me to go in."

"Yes, yes, you wait!"

Xiao Mingyuan rubbed his hands together, twisted his chubby body, and took small, quick steps toward Gu Zhiyi's small building.

His steps were hurried and fast, and his plump body was somewhat cute.

Xu Qing leaned against a locust tree, standing with her arms crossed.

The night wind rustled through the treetops, and a few scattered chirps of insects could be heard in the distance.

He waited for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and then he heard a series of earth-shaking footsteps coming from deep within the courtyard.

Xiao Mingyuan's enormous body almost crushed the corridor floor as he stumbled out, grinning from ear to ear.

"How is it?" Xu Qing asked.

"How about it? Hehe!" Xiao Mingyuan slapped his thigh.

"Guess what? The moment we handed it over, Gu Zhiyi was completely stunned! Her hands were shaking, and her eyes were wide open! You couldn't have seen her expression; it was like she'd been hit over the head with a club!"

Xu Qing smiled and said, "She didn't ask you anything?"

"I asked!" Xiao Mingyuan puffed out his chest, looking smug.

"She asked me how to interpret this poem, saying that after reading it, it churned in her mind, but she couldn't quite grasp what it meant. Guess what I answered?"

Xu Qing walked forward slowly: "Say whatever you want."

"Wait!" Xiao Mingyuan took two steps forward, his chubby hand on Xu Qing's shoulder. "Let me finish my act! I was standing by the window, with my back to her, hands behind my back..."

Judging from your usual posture, he then slowly added, "The meaning is best understood by yourself; otherwise, you're simply not meant to be with this piece."

He imitated Xu Qing, tilting his head slightly, gazing at the sky with a blank look and a vacant tone.

"And then?" Xu Qing was almost amused by his pretentious manner.

"Then she stopped asking and shut up! She held that piece of paper and looked at it over and over again, her eyes practically piercing it!"

Xiao Mingyuan laughed heartily, "The trick you taught me—saying only half and hiding the other half—works really well!"

Xu Qing shook her head, but the smile on her lips didn't fade: "Alright, stop joking. Now that you've got the order from Chunhong Courtyard, how are you going to explain this to your father?"

"Explain?" Xiao Mingyuan patted his chest, his large chest trembling.

"I won't confess, I'll just smash it in his face! Let him see that his good-for-nothing son has managed to pry open the iron plate of Chunhong Courtyard. I can't even imagine how interesting my old man's face will be!"

As they talked, they reached the alley entrance. Xu Qing stopped. "Alright, it's getting late. You should go home now. You have important business to attend to tomorrow."

"Alright!" Xiao Mingyuan turned around, took two steps, then turned back again. "Xu Qing, are you still doing your homework tomorrow?"

"Write. You come over here too."

"Okay!"

Xiao Mingyuan hummed a little tune as he boarded the carriage. The wheels rolled over the bluestone slabs and disappeared into the night.

……

……

The lanterns were still lit at the entrance of the Xiao residence.

Xiao Mingyuan jumped down from the carriage, whistling cheerfully as he stepped through the door, a straw he had picked up from the roadside still dangling from his mouth.

He first went to the main hall and walked around it; it was empty.

I glanced into the study again; it was dark there too.

Finally, we arrived at the main house in the backyard. The doors and windows were tightly closed, and the lights inside were off.

"Strange, where has that old man gone off to again?" Xiao Mingyuan muttered, yawning as he walked towards his yard.

He pushed open the door; the room was pitch black.

He reached out to touch the tinderbox on the table, but before he could touch it, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a dark figure sitting next to the chair.

"Mother!"

Xiao Mingyuan screamed in fright, dropping the tinder he was holding to the ground.

He jumped back two and a half steps, his back slamming against the door with a thud.

"What are you yelling about?"

A deep voice came from the direction of the chair.

Xiao Mingyuan composed himself.

A tinderbox was blown on, and the candlestick was lit.

The candlelight flickered twice, illuminating the person sitting in the chair...

It was his father, Xiao Wanjin.

The steward, Xiao Liu, stood to the side, holding a tinderbox in his hand, with his hands hanging down.

"Dad?" Xiao Mingyuan patted his chest to catch his breath. "Why are you sitting in my room so late at night, acting like a ghost? You scared me to death!"

"You still have the nerve to ask me?" Xiao Wanjin suddenly stood up, his voice booming like a shrimp.

"I'd like to ask you something! Someone told me you lost two hundred and fifty taels of silver at the Chunhong Courtyard gambling den today! Is that true?"

As he spoke, he kicked Xiao Mingyuan in the butt.

Xiao Mingyuan cried out "Ouch!" and stumbled forward two steps, turning around to clutch his backside. "Dad! You've only heard about this? Nothing else?"

"What? There's more?" Xiao Wanjin's eyes widened even more, and he grabbed the feather duster from the table, ready to strike.

"You still have the nerve to say anything else! I'll kick you to death today!"

While dodging, Xiao Mingyuan shouted, "How could I be too ashamed to say it? It's a great thing!"

"Shut up!" Xiao Wanjin chased him around the room twice. "What good can you possibly do!"

Xiao Mingyuan suddenly stopped.

He turned around, looked at the panting Xiao Wanjin, and the playful expression on his face faded, revealing a serious look that was not common.

"Father, my poem was praised by the headmaster of the academy and also appreciated by Su Man from Zhuangyuanlou."

Xiao Wanjin's hand, which was holding a feather duster, froze in mid-air. He opened his mouth, paused for a moment, and then brought it down.

"Well, you're really something else! You'll be climbing the roof if you're not disciplined for three days! You even dare to spout such outrageous lies! If it's true, then you're my dad today!"

As he spoke, he grabbed a stool and was about to hit Xiao Mingyuan.

Xiao Mingyuan dodged to the side, and at the same time took out the piece of paper with Gu Zhiyi's fingerprint on it from his pocket and slammed it on the table.

"You old fool, look at this! What you couldn't do, your son has done!"

Xiao Wanjin stopped holding the stool immediately.

He glanced down at the note on the table; in the candlelight, the paper showed faint bluish patterns...

Those are special Spring Red Papers made by Spring Red Courtyard, which ordinary people cannot obtain.

Several lines of text were written on the paper in delicate, small regular script, ending with Gu Zhiyi's monogram and vermilion seal.

"Trying to fool your old man with those lousy paintings from Chunhong Courtyard again!" Xiao Wanjin said, but his hand involuntarily picked up the paper.

He read two lines, frowned slightly, then looked down, his brows gradually relaxed, and his mouth opened.

The butler, Xiao Liu, leaned over for a glance and whispered a reminder.

"Master, this is Chunhong stationery from Chunhong Courtyard, used only by Gu Zhiyi. The monogram and seal don't seem fake. Perhaps... this old servant could take a look?"

Xiao Wanjin handed him the paper.

Xiao Liu took the paper and examined it against the candlelight for a moment, then rubbed the edge of the paper with his fingers. When he looked up, his eyes were shining.

"Sir, it's true. The seal matches, and the monogram is Gu Zhiyi's handwriting."

"What? Really?" Xiao Wanjin's voice rose eight octaves as he snatched the paper back from Xiao Liu's hand and examined it carefully under the light.

The procurement of silks for Chunhong Courtyard will be entirely handled by Xiao Family Silk Shop, starting at the beginning of next month and lasting for one year.

He finished reading the last word and remained silent for two full breaths.

Then he suddenly slammed his hand on the table, making the teacup jump: "Good, good, good! Good lad!"

Before Xiao Mingyuan could even feel smug, Xiao Wanjin had already rushed over and kicked him in the butt, followed by another kick.

Xiao Mingyuan howled and hid all over the room, but after Xiao Wanjin chased and kicked him three times, he suddenly stopped moving.

He stood there, his chest heaving, his eyes reddening, and tears streaming uncontrollably down his face.

Xiao Mingyuan turned around and saw this scene, paused for a moment, and stopped: "Father?"

Xiao Wanjin raised his hand to wipe his face, his voice hoarse: "Good lad..."

Xiao Mingyuan looked at his father's face, which was both crying and laughing, touched his sore butt, and muttered something.

"Before, if I didn't do my job properly, you beat me; now that I'm doing it properly, you still beat me. Doesn't that mean all my hard work was for nothing?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Wanjin burst into laughter through his tears and slapped him on the back of the head: "Stop being so glib! Tell me! What exactly happened? How could Chunhong Courtyard agree to this?"