At this moment, among the three people on the stage, Hai Ling was serene and composed, leisurely picking up her pen to write, elegant, unhurried, and calm...
Chapter 44 A Delicious Scent
In contrast, Jiang Feixue and Ye Xiuying were deep in thought, one holding a pen and frowning, the other starting to write, with beads of sweat already appearing between their brows.
There was not a sound on or off the stage; everyone was completely absorbed in the competition.
Five lotus poems in a single stick of incense—this is truly unprecedented madness. Even the most famous talented men in the capital don't have this ability, let alone these ladies from prominent families.
Although he was well-versed in literature, he only did it occasionally for amusement. Such a crazy competition was truly unheard of.
Since the headmaster had nothing else to do, she tiptoed over to Hailing's side to watch her write poetry.
Of the three, Hailin was the most composed, calm, and elegant.
The head nun was very curious. It was rumored that the third young lady of the Jiang family was the least favored, and naturally she had not received a proper education since childhood. Otherwise, she would not have been sent to the Banana Garden Academy to study before her wedding. It was simply because the Empress was afraid that she would not be presentable and would disgrace the royal family. Therefore, the Empress ordered the Ministry of Rites to send her to the Banana Garden Academy and ordered the head nuns to cooperate fully to teach her the etiquette of the palace and related basic common sense.
But now it seems that she is not as rumored. Just her demeanor when composing poetry is something that even Princess Chang Le might not be able to match.
What's going on here? The headmaster wondered to herself as her eyes fell on the table in front of Hailing.
One poem, two poems, three poems—she had actually composed three poems. The headmaster looked at the incense table behind her; only half a stick of incense had burned.
She thought she was seeing things, so she rubbed her eyes. Sure enough, the Crown Princess had already prepared three poems.
Moreover, her calligraphy is vigorous and powerful, elegant and beautiful like dragons and phoenixes playing, forming a unique style of writing.
Looking at the whole piece, not to mention the poetry, the calligraphy alone is superb. And then look at the poems she wrote.
The sect leader's eyes widened, her mouth agape. Anyone else here would probably go crazy.
This poem is so charming, with unique words and phrases. It's so delightful to read. Now, all she wants to do is hold a cup of fragrant tea and savor these poems in the gentle afternoon breeze. It's truly captivating.
The people below the stage looked at the sect leader on the stage, their eyes widening in shock, then their gazes wandered, and finally they became dazed, as if they were frozen in place.
No one knew what had happened. Was it because the Crown Princess's handwriting was too ugly and her poem was improper that she frightened the Headmaster?
Almost everyone in the hall below thought the same thing.
Only Princess Chang Le, Feng Qian, and Prime Minister Xi Lingfeng did not think that way.
Princess Chang Le looked into the eyes of her headmaster and sensed excitement, a kind of admiring excitement. Therefore, she was certain that Hai Ling's calligraphy was the best, and her poetry was probably astonishing as well.
Princess Chang Le was overjoyed to realize that she had recognized the real person at a glance.
Left Prime Minister Xi Lingfeng narrowed his eyes, his dark pupils rich and deep, sparkling like a pearl rising from a vast ocean, dazzling in their brilliance. His alluring lips curved into a smile. This girl is truly a mystery; how many secrets does she still hold?
He seemed to have developed an interest in exploring her like this, something that had never happened before.
Xi Lingfeng pondered, lowering his eyes in deep thought. What did this mean?
He couldn't figure it out for a moment. Perhaps it was because Jiang Hailing was different from other boring women that he found her interesting and kept paying attention to her. With this thought, Left Prime Minister Xi Lingfeng felt relieved and started paying attention to the movements on the stage again.
On the high platform, Hailing quickly wrote five poems, put down the wolf-hair brush in her hand, looked at the sect leader beside her with her mouth wide open and unable to close it for a long time, feeling both annoyed and amused.
Isn't the sect leader being a bit too exaggerated? But it's no wonder she was surprised. The five poems she wrote were all great masterpieces by ancient people. How could they not be astonished after reading them?
If it weren't for teaching Ye Xiuying and Jiang Feixue a lesson, she wouldn't have bothered borrowing ancient poems.
Another thing is that she knows these five poems will definitely spread. She doesn't know if Mu Bing is in this world. If she sees these five poems, she will definitely know that Mu Bing is here, and it will be easier to find her.
Hai Ling said as she thought for a moment, "Okay."
Everyone looked over and saw that there was only a little incense left on the altar, yet the woman had already said it was done.
Does this "okay" mean she has completed five excellent pieces, or does it mean she simply couldn't think of anything else, so she said "okay"?
Below in the hall, no one spoke; everyone stared intently at the Sect Leader, who was examining the papers one by one, her face slowly spreading with excessive excitement.
Now many people began to have doubts. Could it be that the Crown Princess really composed five poems? Composing five poems in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn? Is it really that crazy? Many people below stood up. Apart from the Crown Prince and others in the front row who remained calm, the others could not stay calm and subconsciously stood up.
Just then, a clear voice rang out: "The time for one incense stick is up."
Upon hearing this, Ye Xiuying and Jiang Feixue stopped writing, their faces showing some displeasure. They had only written two poems; Ye Xiuying had just finished two, while Jiang Feixue had written two and a half.
The two looked at Jiang Hailing, who was standing quietly in the middle of the platform. The headmaster looked excited and beamed with joy, as if she had encountered some great joy. Jiang Feixue and Ye Xiuying's hearts sank. Could it be that Jiang Hailing had written five poems in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn?
That's absolutely impossible.
Two stunningly beautiful faces turned deathly pale instantly, even their lips lost all color. If Jiang Hailing was truly a hidden master, were they going to bark like dogs today?
The two women not only looked pale, but they were also clenching their hands tightly, their long, sharp nails digging into their flesh; they were terrified.
On the stage, the sect leader was so excited that she ignored Jiang Feixue and Ye Xiuying's ugly expressions and spoke excitedly.
"In the first round, the Crown Princess won. She completed all five poems in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and each one was a masterpiece."
With a whoosh, the audience erupted in excitement, many in disbelief.
In the time it takes to burn an incense stick, five masterpieces were created, each one a timeless gem.
Is this even written by a human? It's insane.
On stage, Ye Xiuying and Jiang Feixue could no longer bear the blow. They swayed slightly and barely managed to stand up to avoid falling. Cold sweat beaded on their faces.
The head nun respectfully presented the five poems that Hai Ling had composed to the Crown Prince and the others.
Crown Prince Feng Zixiao, Left Prime Minister Xi Lingfeng, Princess Chang Le, and others each received a copy. Everyone was initially surprised, then excited.