As expected, old ginger is spicier. This old man, whenever he has a thought to harm someone, hits the nail on the head with every move.
"Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is very concerned about this grand event among the people. She noticed that Miss Yin had not handled a certain aspect well, so she specially ordered me to come and deal with it on her behalf."
"May I ask, Your Excellency, what aspect of the process went wrong, requiring Your Excellency's personal intervention?" Baili Qingyi bowed gently, but inwardly he wondered, where on earth has Yin Wuxiao gone?
"The Empress Dowager feels that this marriage selection is still missing a judge."
"Review?"
“Indeed. All of you beauties are talented and beautiful, Your Highness is afraid that you, Young Master Qingyi, will find it difficult to choose. As for me, I have some knowledge of poetry and literature, so why don't I judge and see whose couplet is more elegant?” Deng Qinghui waved his fan and walked around the beauties, quite enjoying the rich fragrance of rouge.
"Come on, present the couplets composed by all the beauties." Compared to his younger days, Deng Qinghui was less impetuous and more assertive, and he was no longer in awe of taking the initiative.
"Big brother, Miss Yin is treating you like a commodity and auctioning you off in public. Aren't you angry?" Baili Hanyi asked in a low voice.
Baili Qingyi defended Yin Wuxiao, saying, "She had no choice." He sounded somewhat guilty, though; that girl was clearly just stirring up trouble. And him? To indulge her, not only his own reputation, but the reputation of the Baili family had been almost completely ruined.
Was it because he felt a pang of guilt towards her? Or did his tenderness towards her lower his guard?
Baili Hanyi saw through his thoughts and laughed, "Brother, why are you angry? You probably wish she would buy you back as soon as possible."
Men are truly pathetic creatures. Once they fall in love, they care about nothing but winning the woman's smile and frown. It's just unexpected that someone like his elder brother would be manipulated by love.
He wanted to see how Yin Wuxiao would win over Baili Qingyi amidst all this chaos.
Meanwhile, the results of Deng Qinghui's review have been released.
"The couplets from all the beauties are exquisitely crafted, yet one stands out as the most outstanding among them," Deng Qinghui said, surveying the room with an air of authority. Yin Wuxiao hadn't arrived yet. Had she given up this opportunity? Had she finally decided to become his second wife?
"Miss Yuwen Hongying's couplet is exquisite and flawless."
An uproar erupted in the hall. The outcome was both expected and unexpected.
"What about Miss Yin?" One of the people in the room jumped up and asked impatiently. It was none other than Old Master Zhang Baitong, who loved watching a good show.
"Since Miss Yin hasn't shown herself, she must already have someone she loves and has no interest in Young Master Qingyi, right?" Deng Qinghui glanced at Baili Qingyi intentionally or unintentionally.
Baili Qingyi remained unmoved. He was indeed jealous of this person, but the person himself wasn't worth his jealousy. As long as that tormenting little vixen didn't appear, nothing could stir any emotion in the heart of this young master in green.
"Lord Deng is mistaken. Wu Xiao has already shown himself!" Amidst the exclamations of the crowd, Yin Wu Xiao emerged from the back hall.
Yin Wuxiao, these three words truly tormented him for many years.
Baili Qingyi secretly decided that once this matter was settled, he would drag her directly into the bridal chamber. If he really let this girl continue to torment him, what would become of him?
Deng Qinghui was taken aback, and after a long while said, "Miss Yin, I don't believe you can come up with a more elegant and refined couplet than Miss Yuwen Hongying." He picked up the paper in his hand: "'The moon returns to the wind, the Xiang River is draped in white, the gate welcomes the red lips, the flute player dances intimately. Tomorrow, the dream clouds will flow, the phoenix feathers will flow with crimson, the courtyard will send off the green maiden, and beautiful women will share the same theme.' Miss Yin, will your second stanza be more outstanding than this one?"
Yin Wuxiao smiled but did not answer him. Instead, he asked the crowd, "If I remember correctly, this poem was composed by Miss Yuwen Cuiyu at the wedding banquet at Chuxiu Manor that day, wasn't it?"
"..." Many people present had experienced that thrilling scene at the wedding banquet in Chuxiu Mountain Villa, and naturally would not forget it.
Yuwen Hongying blushed and argued, "This poem was actually written by me. I borrowed it from my sister to save her from danger. Now that my sister has passed away, it should naturally be returned to its rightful owner."
Deng Qinghui chimed in, "Miss Yuwen is right. If Miss Yin cannot come up with a better matching line, she should give the young man in blue to Miss Yuwen."
Yin Wuxiao remained silent.
Everyone stared at her, hoping she could turn the tide.
"Is Lord Deng certain that this poem is the winning one among all the matching couplets?" she asked slowly.
"Of course I'm sure!"
"What if I said that this poem was originally written by me, Yin Wuxiao?"
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Incense Smokes Leisurely Among the Phoenixes (Part Six)
Deng Qinghui was taken aback.
The room was completely silent; so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Yin Wuxiao thought to himself, "If only I had a needle right now."
Suddenly, Deng Qinghui burst into loud laughter.
"Miss Yin, losing isn't scary, what's scary is being unable to accept defeat! Don't you feel ashamed to plagiarize someone else's work like this?" He thought he had caught Yin Wuxiao off guard and was smug.
Yin Wuxiao ignored his sarcasm and turned to Yuwen Hongying: "Miss Yuwen, you say that you wrote this poem, then let me ask you, what is the meaning of this poem, and what is its connection with the first stanza? And why did the young master in blue choose the first stanza to write the 'Blue Robe Absolute'?"
“This…” Yuwen Hongying was speechless; she had never considered this aspect. She steeled her resolve and said defiantly, “When composing couplets, what’s the point of having any meaning? The young master in blue took the first stanza because of its pure and beautiful imagery, and I chose the second stanza because of its neatness and elegance, nothing more.”
Yin Wuxiao glanced at her mockingly. This woman had bullied her countless times, and now she was stealing her poems and trying to take her man. This was intolerable.
"Everyone, to be honest, not only was this second stanza written by me, Yin Wuxiao, but this first stanza, these sixteen characters of 'Qingyi Jue', was also written by me." She looked at Baili Qingyi, who seemed to recall the scene when she wrote these two stanzas, his eyes shining. She met his burning gaze and hurriedly looked away.
Fortunately, she had prepared in advance and limited the number of people allowed in. Most of the people who came today were acquaintances; if she was going to lose face, so be it.
"This first stanza can only be paired with this second stanza, and this second stanza can only be paired with this first stanza. There is no other line in the world that can be inserted, no other line that can match it." She spoke slowly and deliberately, her gaze fixed on Yuwen Hongying, her words carrying a profound meaning. Yuwen Hongying's heart was clear, and her jade-like face blushed slightly. Everyone understood, and couldn't help but sigh, "Miss Yin is truly... truly bold!"
"What...what evidence do you have?" Deng Qinghui pointed at Yin Wuxiao, his voice trembling. Why, why did things take such a sharp turn for the worse, spiraling out of his control?
"I...of course I have evidence!" Under everyone's watchful eyes, Yin Wuxiao unceremoniously pulled Baili Qingyi to his side.
Baili Qingyi frowned. What exactly was she going to do?
Someone screamed.
Because... because Yin Wuxiao, the most talented woman in the world, began to strip the young man in green clothes.
The young man in blue seemed to be terrified, not even making a move to resist.
In fact, everyone present, including Deng Qinghui, was completely petrified. Such a scene was not only unprecedented, but also unheard of!
Baili Qingyi made no attempt to stop him. He thought to himself that he had underestimated this girl; it turned out she had indeed tampered with him.
Halfway through undressing, Yin Wuxiao pulled his scholar's robe down from his neck, revealing a large expanse of smooth back and an alluring chest. The young man in blue had a truly handsome figure; even the contours of his neck were breathtakingly beautiful…
Those present who had brought family members hurriedly covered their eyes with their hands, muttering as they did so, "Never again are you allowed to fool around with this woman, it's too scary, too scary..."
Yin Wuxiao pushed Baili Qingyi so that her back was to everyone. Only then did everyone realize what was happening and focus their attention on the back of Baili Qingyi's shoulder. Then, an uproar ensued.
Yin Wuxiao shouted recklessly, "Did you see it clearly?" After saying that, she didn't care whether the other person saw it clearly or not, and quickly put her clothes back on to prevent her man from exposing himself again.
Everyone nodded blankly. They saw it clearly, of course they saw it clearly: two lines of delicate characters were tattooed on the back of the young man in blue's shoulder:
—The moon departs and the wind returns, the mountains and rivers hold back the white silk, the door welcomes the red lips, and the flute player dances intimately.
—Tomorrow, in dreams and clouds, phoenix feathers flow with crimson, the courtyard sends forth the Green Maiden, and beautiful women share the same sentiment.
"These two poems were tattooed on the young man in blue by my own hands six years ago, and no one in the world knows about them except me," Yin Wuxiao declared righteously.
Everyone nodded blankly. They believed it. Even the young man in blue seemed to have only just found out today.
What... what on earth is going on?!
"Even so, you still can't prove that you carved these couplets yourself!" Yuwen Hongying tilted her head back, refusing to admit defeat no matter what.
"If I didn't carve it, then you must have carved it, Miss Yuwen. Since you were the one who came up with the couplet, you must have carved it yourself?"
Yuwen Hongying's face flushed red instantly.
She's not that shameless.
Yin Wuxiao sighed helplessly again: "Second Miss Yuwen, please read aloud the first character of each line of the first stanza and the last character of each line of the second stanza together."
Yuwen Hongying was taken aback.
“Go, mountain, gate, flute”.
Yun, Yin, Nü, Ti…
Going to Yunshan, the poem by Yinmen Nvxiao was written.
Everyone heard a soft moan, and then Yuwen Hongying rushed out with tears streaming down her face.
She couldn't believe that her beloved had been taken advantage of by some shameless woman six years ago.
"This... is utterly ridiculous!" Deng Qinghui snorted coldly and stormed off. He knew Yin Wuxiao was always bold in her words and actions, but this level of boldness was beyond his expectations and beyond his tolerance. His interest in her vanished completely after her attack.
The crowd crowded around, hoping to uncover more gossip, but then felt that the protagonist was too honest, and that even the most earth-shattering gossip couldn't be more so, so they all dispersed.
Yin Wuxiao's face was practically bleeding. This was all a tragic fate, a truly tragic fate! She had no face to face her parents in the afterlife.
She turned to Baili Qingyi and took a deep breath: "From today onwards, you are mine."
Apart from Baili Qingyi, everyone present from the Baili family and the Yin family was utterly speechless.
Your Majesty, I'm sorry you failed to ruin this plan.
Yin Wuxiao felt that he had finally achieved his goal.
But there seems to be a knot in my heart, making me feel blocked up.
When Yin Wuxiao woke up that morning, still half asleep, he touched his chest and found his hand covered in a thick, sticky substance.
Looking down, I saw a bright red... purse hanging on my chest.
Looking at his hands, they were covered in blood.
Yin Wuxiao remained silent for a moment, then touched his forehead with his other hand, only to find his hand covered in blood.
Yin Wuxiao sat blankly for a while, then got out of bed and washed his hands and face.
A voice drifted in from the window, utterly uninteresting: "Xiao Yin, you're not like a woman at all."
Yin Wuxiao wiped his face expressionlessly: "Yin Bitong, how much do you really know about women?"
Yin Bitong was speechless.
After a while, he lifted his green robe and jumped off the windowsill.
"To be honest, when you first touched that purse, didn't you feel a sense of trepidation?" he said with a smile.
Yin Wuxiao's teeth itched; she actually had an urge to kill and dispose of the body.
"Yin Bitong, how come an assassin who lost his livelihood hasn't starved to death yet?"
Yin Bitong wasn't offended: "Let me see if you're willing to marry that hothead Baili Qingyi." He leaned closer to Yin Wuxiao, "You weren't forced into this, were you?"
Yin Wuxiao looked at him speechlessly for a while, then said, "I did it voluntarily."
He paused for a moment: "He was either forced into it."
Yin Bitong's expression darkened.
He turned and paced around the room a few times with a solemn expression, then stopped in front of Yin Wuxiao and solemnly took her hand: "Little Yin, I, Yin Bitong, am willing to take care of you for the rest of my life and treat you well forever. Would you like to elope with me?"