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

The woman was beautiful, with a captivating and graceful appearance...

If it's not Gu Zhiyi, then who is it?

She wore a light lotus-root-colored long dress, with a light smoky-colored gauze over it, and her hair was held up gently with only a silver hairpin.

He holds a round fan with a plum blossom painted on it.

She was followed by the round-faced maid, and the two of them stood at the door.

A little further away, the corridors and stairwells were already packed with people, all craning their necks to look around.

Some came to see Gu Zhiyi's face after hearing the news, while others simply came to watch the commotion.

The desire to watch a spectacle has remained constant throughout history.

Hello everyone.

Gu Zhiyi looked around and smiled slightly, which was just a polite remark.

When her gaze fell upon Xiao Mingyuan, it carried a smile that was quite different from usual:

"Young Master Xiao, why didn't you let anyone know you were coming to Chunhong Courtyard today? If you don't mind..."

She gave a graceful curtsy, her beautiful eyes sparkling: "Why don't we meet in my humble abode?"

These words immediately caused an uproar in the corridor.

"What? Did I hear that right? Miss Gu invited Fatty Xiao to her private room?"

"Are you crazy? Normally, it costs at least a hundred taels of silver to see her once!"

"Did someone set fire to Xiao Mingyuan's ancestral grave and make it emit auspicious smoke?"

"Tsk tsk, Zhuangyuan Tower is making headlines, and Chunhong Courtyard has been invited by the courtesan... This kid's been acting like he's been blessed lately!"

"We're both scholars, why don't I receive the same treatment?"

"I'm so envious! I'm almost jealous!"

Some people were so jealous they slapped their thighs, some people pouted sourly, and some people clicked their tongues in envy.

The murmurs grew louder and louder, a constant buzzing...

The sound was so loud it seemed to rip the ceiling off the corridor.

Chen Shijin's face had turned completely black.

He opened his mouth to argue, but then closed it again.

Because Gu Zhiyi didn't even look at him...

The scene of my last humiliation is still vivid in my mind.

She stood by the door, her gaze fixed on Xiao Mingyuan.

They looked as if they were admiring the most beautiful scenery in the world, completely unaware that there was a smelly and hard rock next to them.

Xiao Mingyuan reacted quickly; he stood up and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"Miss Zhiyi, you're too kind. Young Master Li and his two classmates are traveling with me, and Xu Qing is my study companion... Is it alright if the few of us come together?"

Gu Zhiyi nodded slightly and gave a graceful bow: "It is my honor that you gentlemen have come together. Please."

Everyone was even more shocked!

"Good heavens, there are several more coming together!"

"Unheard of! Unheard of!"

"I can't take it anymore! I can't stand it! I'm not just jealous, I'm filled with hatred! I hate myself for not being with Fatty Xiao!"

"Ahem, is it too late for me to become his page now?"

"Please, I'm begging you, can I go and be a page?"

"Even asking for something requires waiting in line..."

Gu Zhiyi smiled at these comments.

She turned to the side, gesturing for the group to walk out.

Seeing this, Chen Shijin's followers also stood up, wanting to follow suit.

The round-faced maidservant reached out to stop her, giving a polite smile:

"Gentlemen, who are the guests Miss invited, and what are you here for?"

One of the lackeys protested, "Why can't we go? Fatty Xiao can go, so what about us? Even that page can go, so why can't we?"

The maidservant maintained her polite smile, tilting her head slightly: "It's because Miss didn't invite you. In the entire Hengyang County, including guests coming and going, who doesn't know Miss Gu's rules? What, are you the only ones who don't know?"

The attendant wanted to argue, but the guests behind him were already getting impatient.

A middle-aged man in a silk jacket pounded on the railing and shouted:

"It's none of your business if the courtesan invites guests! If Miss Zhiyi didn't invite you, why are you trying to force your way in? Who do you think you are?"

Another tall, thin guy chimed in, "That's right! I'm going to block your way today, let's see who dares to take a single step forward!"

"Damn it, you're always throwing your weight around in the academy, and now you dare to act all high and mighty in Chunhong Courtyard? You're nothing!"

"Miss Zhiyi can invite whomever she wants. If any of you can write the poems from the Zhuangyuanlou collection, she'll invite you too!"

In the corridor, everyone's anger turned towards Chen Shijin and his group.

The scene suddenly became extremely tense.

If they dare to talk back, they might get beaten up.

Chen Shijin's face fell completely. He stood up, didn't say a word, and turned to leave.

Zhou Kang and Sun Decai looked at each other in bewilderment, then quickly followed suit.

With their biggest asset gone, what are they left to show off with?

They don't want to get beaten up!

Li Yan watched their figures disappear at the top of the stairs, smiled and nodded, then turned to Gu Zhiyi and cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you for helping me out, Miss Zhiyi."

Gu Zhiyi smiled and said, "Please follow me, tea is ready."

Xu Qing walked at the very back, glancing out of the corner of her eye at the guests who were still gossiping as she passed through the bustling corridor.

He thought to himself: Chen Shijin has been humiliated today, so he'll naturally hold a grudge. Who knows what kind of trouble he'll cause next?

……

Chen Shijin walked out the door and kicked it in frustration. But he kicked too hard, causing him to wince in pain.

"Damn it, that really hurts! What are you all standing there for? We can't let them get away with this. Think of a way to teach them a lesson!"

Zhou Kang sighed and shook his head.

Sun Decai's eyes darted around: "Young Master Chen, how about this? We send someone to tell Song Yao that Xu Qing came to visit a brothel. It won't cause much damage, but it will at least break up the relationship between Song Yao and Xu Qing. That way, the plan to marry Song Yao will still work..."

Chen Shijin frowned and thought for a moment, then suddenly slapped his thigh: "It's all because of the bad scholars! Someone, hurry up and go tell on them!"

……

……

The group followed Gu Zhiyi through the corridor, around the artificial hill, and into the secluded courtyard they had visited before.

After everyone was seated, a maid served tea.

Gu Zhiyi gestured for everyone to drink tea before speaking, her gaze still fixed on Xiao Mingyuan:

"Young Master Xiao, if I hadn't come to you today, you wouldn't have intended to see me, would you?"

There was a hint of resentment in his words.

When Xu Qing saw her like this, he gave her a thumbs up in his heart.

Being in a brothel, her acting skills were indeed superb.

Gu Zhiyi's actions and expressions were far better than Xiao Pangzi's acting skills.

If someone didn't know the inside story, they would really think that Gu Zhiyi was in love with Fatty Xiao.

Fortunately, although this kid doesn't like studying, he has high emotional intelligence.

"Miss Zhiyi, you jest. I'm just a spoiled brat, I wouldn't dare to think I'm anything special. If you hadn't asked to see me, I wouldn't have dared to come."

Gu Zhiyi gave him an even more resentful look.

"You're famous now, and your dishes are all the rage. You're no longer a spoiled brat."

After a moment of shock, Li Yan and the others quickly pretended to bow their heads and serve tea, but in reality they were all observing from the shadows.

Xiao Mingyuan chuckled: "Alright, Miss Zhiyi, there are no outsiders here, we're all brothers, you can speak freely now."

Gu Zhiyi covered her face with her fan and said softly, "You're so annoying..."

But her expression had turned serious. She put down her fan and said solemnly:

"Young Master Xiao, I've already arranged the melody of 'The Song of the Pipa' according to my own understanding, but I feel it's still lacking something. Since you gentlemen are all here today, I wonder if you could offer some guidance?"

Xiao Mingyuan, holding his teacup, felt troubled upon hearing this.

He might be good at listening to music in brothels, but if you're asking him to give a detailed explanation, that's obviously impossible...

If I say a few more words, I might just give myself away...