The Eldest Daughter is Delicate and Pretty, How Can She Be a Malicious Supporting Character - Chapter 47

Chapter 47: Scramble

“Thousands of miles of yellow clouds and white sun are dimmed, the north wind blows the wild geese and snow falls in profusion. Don’t worry about the road ahead having no acquaintances, who in the world doesn’t know you?”

“This is a truly great poem! I never expected Xue Yiran to have such talent. She really makes us old folks take notice,” the old man in white robes stroked his beard, looking at the poem on the paper with admiration.

“This seven-line regulated verse is truly majestic. To write a farewell poem with such grandeur and boldness, the Third Miss Xue is indeed extraordinary! She’s like a celestial poet descended from heaven.”

Many people in the crowd looked at the poem and sighed, feeling envious.
Why couldn’t they write such a magnificent poem?
Xue Yiran was surrounded by people, and she couldn’t help but feel elated by the praise. However, amidst the praise, there was a hint of guilt in her heart.

She seemed to have been wandering around the courtyard for a long time, but in reality, she was worried about the theme of the poem being farewell.
Most of the poems she knew had specific names or places mentioned in them.

The first poem that came to her mind was “As long as there are friends like you in this world, the distance between us is not far.” However, the first line of this poem mentioned a specific place, and she couldn’t explain a non-existent place.

So she rejected it.
Although she had plenty of time, and while others were still thinking, she had already gone through dozens of farewell poems in her mind. However, either the poems mentioned specific places or had names in them.

Actually, she liked Li Bai’s poems the most, but neither the poem about sending off Meng Haoran nor the one about giving to Wang Lun could be used. If she could use Li Bai’s poems in the next poetry gathering, she would be the greatest poet in the Great Ye Dynasty.

She thought about this and her mind wandered to the future. When she finished writing this poem and became famous at the gathering, she would no longer have to endure Xue Baohua’s bullying.

It wasn’t until she thought of the poem “Farewell to Dong Da” that she found one without names or places, yet it was majestic and unrestrained.
Gao Shi was an official, and this poem would likely appeal to the tastes of the Confucian scholars.

She changed the title to [Farewell] and it seemed fitting.
This way, she could become famous throughout the capital.

When Pei Lingyi arrived, almost everyone in the courtyard was gathered around Xue Yiran’s table.
Even Xiao Yan was stunned after seeing the poem. It seemed that this poem was exactly to his taste. The knowledgeable man was also a scholar, and he stared at the poem for a long time, seemingly deeply moved.

She couldn’t compete with her in writing poems.
However, she didn’t plan to compare herself to the poets in her mind.
With an elegant posture, she walked step by step towards Xue Baohua’s position and congratulated her, “Congratulations, Eldest Miss Xue. Your sister has such talent, and it’s clear that she couldn’t have done it without the nurturing of your family.”

Xue Baohua bit her lip, her face pale. Her originally exquisite makeup was somehow diminished by the expression on her face.

She looked up at the girl who came to congratulate her and sneered, “Thank you for your concern, Miss Pei. However, this is our family’s business, and it’s better for you to mind your own business.”
Xue Baohua could snub others, but not Pei Lingyi.

She couldn’t afford to openly feud with Pei Lingyi like Li Miaozhu did, given that her father was a high-ranking official in the court, currently serving as the Minister of Revenue.
Pei Lingyi’s father was the prime minister, in charge of all officials. She couldn’t cause trouble for her father.

For now, whether she meant it or not, she had to accept the congratulations and wait for the day when she could return the humiliation to the other party.

Most people present didn’t expect Xue Yiran, at such a young age, to be able to write such a magnificent farewell poem. Judging from the expressions of the Confucian scholars, it seemed that the winner of the gathering was going to be a dark horse.

No one expected an illegitimate daughter to have such talent. Even Mister Zhou and Mister Xu wanted to break the rules and recruit her as their female disciple.

They started arguing over it, “Mister Xu, your Imperial Academy only accepts noble families. Third Miss Xue might not be able to adapt. It’s better for her to come to our Imperial College, where there are fewer conflicts, and she can be more at ease.”

Although the old man spoke up first, the white-robed elder didn’t back down. He smiled and said, “No, no, no. The students of Imperial College only know how to read books. But if she comes to our National Academy, we’ll teach her all sorts of things. Besides, Third Miss Xue is the pearl of Minister Xue. It’s perfect for her to come to our Imperial Academy.”

“Xu Youyan, are you determined to argue with me today?” The green-robed elder’s eyes were sharp, and he was excited. His voice was loud and clear.

“Hmph, Zhou Wenxu, it’s clearly you who’s arguing with me. I don’t care. Today, Xue Yiran will definitely become a student of our National Academy.” The white-robed elder held a folding fan, and due to excitement, the fan slapped against the table, making a “pa pa” sound.

Both men were elderly, but they were arguing so fiercely that others couldn’t intervene.
Xue Yiran was being fought over by two great Confucian scholars. Although she looked bewildered, she was secretly delighted.
Just then, a sound came from outside the courtyard.

“Don’t worry about the road ahead having no acquaintances. Who in the world doesn’t know you? It’s indeed a good poem. But I’ve never seen two teachers argue like this over a student.”
The man’s voice was gentle and calm, neither arrogant nor complacent. Just listening to his voice made one feel like he was a noble gentleman.

Everyone turned around, some surprised, some astonished, while others seemed to have expected it.

“Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince.” Everyone in the courtyard bowed in unison.
“You may all rise.” The man’s voice was clear and soothing, like a spring stream.

From Pei Lingyi’s perspective, the man wore a moon-white brocade robe with golden dragons embroidered on it. He had a cloud-patterned golden crown on his head and a jade belt around his waist, adorned with double-fish jade pendants. He had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, exuding an elegant demeanor.

Xue Yiran stared blankly at the man in front of her. So he was the crown prince. He was indeed handsome and elegant, with an unparalleled charm.
In her past life, she had loved this kind of gentle and refined appearance. Not to mention that he was the crown prince, which added a layer of nobility to his aura.

“Cough, cough, Your Highness. What brings you here today?” Xu Youyan coughed lightly to cover up his embarrassment.

Zhou Wenxu also felt uncomfortable, especially since he was seen by his student, and the student was the crown prince. It was really unbecoming.
“How could I not see the two of you arguing like children if I didn’t come today?” Xiao Huaijin’s eyes smiled, like a spring breeze, making people feel calm and serene.

He turned around and said in a gentle voice, “I don’t know which one of you is the Third Miss Xue. My two teachers are arguing over you fiercely. Why don’t you choose where you want to go yourself?”

Xue Yiran saw that the crown prince was asking her, so she quickly stepped forward, “Greetings, Your Highness. I’m Xue Yiran.”
Xiao Huaijin looked at her carefully. She was only 16 years old, with a delicate face and a natural innocence in her eyebrows. It was unexpected that she could write such a magnificent poem.

“Tell me, where do you want to go?” Xiao Huaijin asked, and the two old men held their breath, afraid that she would choose the wrong place.

Xue Yiran bit her lip, looking hesitant. She was about to speak, “I…”

But unexpectedly, she was interrupted by a girl’s voice from outside the courtyard, “Your Highness, don’t believe her words. She’s a plagiarist!”