That wretched vixen has disguised herself as my wife!

"I've got it."

Jiang Jingming smiled and nodded, thinking that the young lady was like a proud little cat with her tail held high.

Chapter 119 Time Passes Slowly, Heaven and Earth Remain Ageless

Just as the small boat was about to enter the city gate, Jiang Jingming took the boatman's straw hat and quietly sat down at the bow.

He fought very hard to snatch this position from Miss Xie.

"The visibility inside the cabin was poor, so I couldn't observe the situation on the shore immediately."

They used such a high-sounding excuse.

But he was actually just like the young lady; he simply wanted to watch the spectacle from the best vantage point.

Jiang Jingming sat with one leg bent, one hand resting on the edge of his straw hat, casually swinging his other leg that dangled in the air.

The knife was still hanging at his waist, but it was inconspicuous; from a distance, one might mistake it for a fishing rod or something similar.

Moreover, everyone on the shore was focused on the women who were about to appear.

Jiang Jingming raised his eyes from under his straw hat. The water was full of fallen flowers, and he could hear people talking about the boat that had just passed by.

"This year's Rain Master should be a foregone conclusion, right? I think it has to be the daughter of Lord Qin!"

“I disagree. Although Lord Qin’s daughter is beautiful, I have heard that she only knows a few characters and is completely ignorant of poetry and prose. She is indeed lacking in talent.”

"So, according to you, the woman from Master Zhou's family meets your requirements? She's a famous talented woman, but she looks a bit mean and is considered unlucky for her husband!"

"No, no! Did you see that boat that just passed by? That's my daughter! Quickly, give her the flowers you're holding!"

"...How old is your daughter? Did you buy the invitation through connections?"

Shh! Keep your voice down! Is it something to be proud of?

"..."

As Jiang Jingming listened to the conversation between the two middle-aged men, he pulled his straw hat down even lower to hide his barely suppressed laughter.

This is just the entrance to the city, not a densely populated area. If you go any further, it will probably be much harder to hear such clear conversations.

As if in response to his idea, cheers of amazement rose and fell in waves from ahead.

Jiang Jingming raised his head slightly and, sure enough, saw a woman in brocade robes standing on the most magnificent painted boat to his side.

She wore a gold hairpin and a long red dress, the elegant hem of which was held up by two maids who bent over.

She stood proudly at the bow of the ship, her charming face beaming with pride, seemingly certain that she would win the title of Rain Master.

She's quite a beauty.

Jiang Jingming silently made up his mind, but unfortunately, just as the middle-aged man had said, it was obvious at a glance that she was a beautiful woman with nothing but a pretty face.

According to the aesthetic standards of the people of Fengling City, a woman of this type is definitely not a match for the Rain Master.

Sure enough, after the boat had traveled halfway, very few Spring-Retaining Tokens landed beside her.

Seeing this, the smile on her face gradually stiffened, and her beautiful eyes hid resentment and anger.

Jiang Jingming tilted his head and looked at her for a while, thinking to himself, "Girl, you're so naive."

Especially in times like these, it's best to put on a calm and collected demeanor; this might earn you more respect and praise for being knowledgeable and reasonable.

With her naturally aggressive appearance, a furrowed brow is quite frightening; who would dare to fawn over her?

Jiang Jingming thought to himself, the young lady also has such a flamboyant and glamorous appearance, but compared to her, they are worlds apart.

When the young lady frowns and gets angry, you can only marvel at her beauty and charm, every smile and frown is captivating and brings a smile to your face.

But if this Lady Qin gets angry, you'll only think that she's definitely going to order her maid to come up and tear your hair out.

Sure enough, some murmurs began to rise from the crowd who had been marveling at her beauty, and some of the bolder ones even started booing.

So flowers of all colors were thrown down one after another; there was everything, except for the "Spring-Retaining Order."

A few of them hung on the intricately crafted gold hairpins in her hair, looking rather comical.

Qin Qianjin had probably never suffered such humiliation in her life. Her eyes reddened and filled with tears, and she trembled slightly, looking as if she wanted to turn back to the cabin.

But the maid beside her whispered something to her, probably some stern instructions from the master of the house, so she had no choice but to hold back her tears and maintain her last bit of dignity.

"Hurry up! Doesn't anyone think that of all these pleasure boats, hers is the slowest?"

"Yeah! Do you really think anyone would vote for you now?"

"Hahaha! Look at her, all flustered and angry. This is the Festival of Joyful Rain, not the Festival of Angry Rain or the Festival of Hateful Rain!"

The initial cheers turned into waves of laughter and boos.

Qin Qianjin gritted her teeth, her eyes growing increasingly red.

The people on the shore were right; her boat was indeed moving slowly, as her father had arranged.

Unexpectedly, her plan backfired, causing her even more humiliation.

Normally, anyone who dared to speak rudely to her would certainly come to a bad end, but now, with a huge crowd on the shore, no one knew who was speaking.

"..."

Jiang Jingming listened silently, raising his eyebrows slightly.

The local people are truly kind and honest.

Although all of this was because Qin Daqianjin made a scene in public because she didn't receive flowers, it was indeed a bit too much.

Thinking of this, Jiang Jingming couldn't help but feel a little worried.

Although Fang Zhiyi is a smart person and wouldn't put herself in an embarrassing situation, they were unfamiliar with the area and might unknowingly offend the locals.

Jiang Jingming turned around and looked behind the curtain of the cabin.

Of the 107 small boats in total, theirs were the most inconspicuous, not only because they were undecorated fishing boats, but also because they were moored at the very end.

It wasn't their turn to appear yet; they were simply following silently behind Qin Qianjin's painted boat, making them look even more dilapidated.

Fang Zhiyi leaned against the curtain, and Jiang Jingming could vaguely see a corner of her white dress.

With just that one glance, he suddenly felt relieved.

How could I possibly doubt Fang Zhiyi? There's probably nothing in this world that could possibly be difficult for her.

Even if we take a step back and assume that some troublemaker makes rude remarks, what he's wearing on his waist isn't a fishing rod.

Qin Qianjin's painted boat finally left, followed closely by the Zhou family's boat, a simple and unpretentious vessel, clearly the choice of a scholarly family.

The woman standing at the bow of the boat wore a dark blue shawl, her figure graceful and elegant. She smiled in the wind at times and coughed with her head down at others.

In terms of appearance alone, she is indeed not as good as the young lady Qin from before, but her temperament is obviously much better.

Gradually, many people were moved by her tenderness, and the tokens of spring retention piled up on her boat.

A servant boy beside her, who had been standing with his head bowed, suddenly shouted loudly as they realized they were halfway through the journey:

"My daughter is grateful for everyone's appreciation and has spontaneously composed a poem!"

"...?"

Is it even possible to put on a vote-getting show like this?

Jiang Jingming raised his eyes with great interest, propped his chin up, and waited to hear the young lady's impromptu creation.

Miss Zhou paced at the bow of the boat, then suddenly looked up and softly recited:

"A spring rain overnight raises a new tide, and ten miles of red bridal procession cross the painted bridge."

The city is ablaze with blossoms like rain, and the light boat has already passed by several oars.

The quality is that of a doggerel.

Jiang Jingming thought to himself, "Actually, I'm not that much different from the young lady."

Sure enough, Xie Yunqi was pulling back a section of the curtain, winking and mouthing at him:

"Look at you! A so-called great talent? You're not even as good as me!"

Jiang Jingming raised his finger to make a shushing gesture, and the young lady said "Oh" and reluctantly pulled her head back.

Sure enough, it would have been better if he hadn't recited any poems; the moment he did, he incurred the wrath of everyone in Fengling City.

For pedantic literati, their interest quickly shifted from appreciating beautiful women to "poetry duels."

"Overlapping imagery, extremely contrived!"

"The character 'rao' is acceptable in terms of meter, but it doesn't make sense semantically and needs to be polished."

"The whole poem is too vulgar, just a bunch of old clichés devoid of any inspiration."

The city was filled with criticism for a time.

Miss Zhou's figure at the bow of the ship gradually stiffened.

This poem was not impromptu; it was prepared in advance and repeatedly revised.

I originally thought it would enhance my talent, but it ended up ruining things instead.

She clenched her fingers, forced a smile, and maintained a semblance of composure.

However, no one cared about her anymore; the scene was chaotic as everyone argued about rewriting the flawed poem according to their own ideas.

Jiang Jingming watched silently, then shook his head and sighed.

As the saying goes, "In literature, there is no first place; in martial arts, there is no second place." Therefore, it can be said that Miss Zhou made a wrong move.

Even if you are very satisfied with your writing, there will always be people who will nitpick. Trying to win favor with this point is wishful thinking.

After all, this isn't a martial arts competition. If Miss Zhou were to pull out two kitchen knives from behind her waist and brandish them with great flair, I doubt many people would dare to challenge her.

But since you've chosen to compose poetry, then I'm sorry, anyone, whether human or ghost, can come up and criticize you.

These two farces have made the competition for the title of Rain Master even more unpredictable this year.

Jiang Jingming could almost imagine how excited the old father at the door must be, having let his daughter get in through the back door. After all, this was a once-in-a-century opportunity to snag a bargain.

pity......

The boat swayed slightly.

Someone on the shore lifted the oar and gently tapped the planks.

This means that the women participating in the Joyful Rain Festival on the boat can now participate.

Jiang Jingming turned to the side and looked back.

Fang Zhiyi raised her hand, lifted the curtain, and slowly walked out.

She had been staying in her cabin since boarding the ship, and now that she was just beginning to see the light, she squinted slightly at the outside light.

Her fine eyelashes drooped down, casting a soft shadow on her face.

Compared to the others, she didn't seem to be there to compete for any title. It was as if she was resting in the cabin and was woken up by the noise outside, so she got up to come out and see what was going on.

As she walked, the noisy crowd on the shore suddenly quieted down.

The only thing Fang Zhiyi did in the cabin just now was to loosen her hair.

At this moment, her long black hair was spread out in the wind, complementing the flowing white skirt, making her look like a fairy who had mistakenly descended to the mortal world.

Jiang Jingming raised his head and followed her all the way to the bow of the ship.

In that instant, the sky cleared up after the rain.

Several hazy golden rays refracted through the thick clouds, falling precisely on Fang Zhiyi, coating her silhouette with a soft and dazzling golden edge.

This scene is unlike anything in the human world.

Jiang Jingming was momentarily stunned.

However, he wasn't the only one stunned; everyone on the shore was too.

Upon seeing the girl emerge from the cabin, the bustling riverbank suddenly fell into a silent, tacit silence.

Don't dare to speak loudly, for fear of shocking the heavens.

Fang Zhiyi was not intimidated by the situation; she seemed to have never cared about others' praise of her appearance.

Jiang Jingming thought it must be because since she came out of seclusion, such approval had become as commonplace as drinking water and eating.