"…If you don't understand poetry, don't pretend you do here. If this poetry gets out, it's no big deal if you lose face, but people will think Miss Tang has no taste…"

"That's right, Miss Tang. It's best to ignore someone as unlearned as him. From the bottom of my heart, I admire Miss Tang, as do Brother Qingting and others. I can't stand to see Miss Tang being insulted like this…"

At Wenmo Tower, the atmosphere was noisy and clamorous, with one side dominating the other, ridiculing those at a disadvantage. Such arguments never arise out of thin air. In fact, Su Wending, Su Wenfang, and others had long-standing grievances with the other party. But being caught with a handle at a time like this was truly embarrassing.

Although their words seemed beautiful, caring about Tang Jing's reputation, Tang Jing knew they were just making things up, using her to embarrass Su Wending and the others. However, she had little fame, and the other party had status and background. As a mere entertainer, she couldn't afford to offend them, much less tear apart the facade and stand with Su Wenfang and his friends. She wanted to smooth things over, but she didn't have the status or skill. After only a few words, she was cleverly suppressed, leaving her helpless.

Present were not only the two sides but also many onlookers. If anyone lost their temper at this time, they would really lose face later. Therefore, although Su Wending's face was flushed and he couldn't say anything, some of his companions managed to keep it together and say a few words: "Literary skill has no absolute standard, but martial skill does. Do you really think your poetry is that much better?"

"The level of skill is obvious at a glance. There are so many people here. Should we ask them one by one? Do you want me to repeat the evaluation of Brother Shen Miao and others just now?"

"Lin Ziyi, to say such things shows that you're incoherent and forcing yourself to act tough, haha. Well, after it spreads, it will prove what kind of people hang out with vulgar people like Su Wenfang and Su Wending!"

"If you're not convinced, then let's continue to compete. Come on, let's all write, and we'll get someone to judge. Su Wending, are you speechless, or are you brewing emotions for a masterpiece? Very good, Brother Jiwen, let's start first. I'll present a humble offering. After I finish writing, I'll help you grind ink, how about that?"

The chaotic scene, the arguing parties, the onlookers, the commentators, the indifferent bystanders, and the laughing, adorned the second floor of Wenmo Tower with a lively atmosphere. Gu Yanzhen looked at the boring scene, then looked towards the stairs, where Li Pin and the man with the maid he had just seen were coming up from the stairwell. He wondered how to greet Li Pin, then realized that after a brief pause, Li Pin and the man were heading towards the arguing group.

It seemed that the man with the maid knew the Su brothers who were being ridiculed. This man seemed young, just over twenty, with a certain air about him. He wondered about his talent. At such a young age, and having never seen him before, his learning must be limited. But with Li Pin by his side, the situation was bound to become more complicated.

Several others also recognized Li Pin and were already talking to the people around them. Then Gu Yanzhen remembered something: "De Xin is now at the obscure Yushan Academy. Isn't that Yushan Academy run by the Su family who owns the cloth store?"

Someone thought for a moment, then nodded: "If that's the case, De Xin must know the Su brothers. Now, he might even stand up for them?"

"This is going to be a good show." Someone laughed.

Li Pin's learning was as famous as Cao Guan's and Gu Yanzhen's. They had all witnessed it and admired him greatly. But Chen Jiwen's talent was also considerable. In past poetry competitions, he could even compete with people like Cao Guan and Gu Yanzhen. Even if his reputation wasn't as good, competing in writing would only add to his fame. Moreover, it seemed that both sides were already enraged, and no one wanted to lose face in public. It would be difficult for Li Pin to resolve it with gentle methods. It seemed that a literary battle was imminent, and everyone was excitedly preparing to watch the show.

Gu Yanzhen also looked at them with a smile. He no longer felt any goodwill towards Li Pin, feeling that Li Pin was debasing himself by associating with such unlearned people. However, he still acknowledged his literary talent. Thinking that his competition with Chen Jiwen would probably not have much suspense, merely increasing the fame of both sides, and perhaps benefiting only the famous courtesan, he felt a wave of boredom in his heart, but naturally did not show it on his face, chatting and laughing with the crowd.

However, amidst such expectations, when the fire between both sides had reached its peak, the subsequent development of events was truly beyond everyone's expectations. For a time, it was simply incomprehensible…

*********************

Ning Yi and Xiao Chan walked around the venue, having watched the performances for about half an hour.

They had entered with Li Pin and the others, but separated after entering, each looking for their favorite program. Ning Yi was somewhat interested in these programs, but he had no experience in choosing, so the decision was left to Xiao Chan.

He let the little girl's preferences guide them around. After watching the initial batch of performances, they met Li Pin, who was acting alone. After chatting for a while, they decided to rest on the upper floor of Wenmo Tower and have a cup of tea.

They heard the noise upstairs while downstairs. On the way up, they didn't expect to encounter Wen Ding and Wen Fang. Originally, everyone hadn't greeted each other much at the entrance, so even if they met now, they could simply nod and move on. But now it was different. As soon as they went upstairs, Xiao Chan was looking left and right for an empty table, while Ning Yi immediately saw Su Wending not far away, mainly because the other party was also looking over here, first with a slight astonishment, stunned for a long time, then with a complex expression, seemingly wanting to say hello.

He looked around, feeling that the situation seemed a little strange, and couldn't see much at a glance. In any case, it had nothing to do with him. Since the other party had such an expression, and they were so close, it wouldn't be good to just nod and leave. So he nodded casually: "Wen Ding, Wen Fang, you're here too." Xiao Chan said with some annoyance from behind: "Master, it seems like there are no seats."

"Uh, cousin…" Su Wenfang reacted, nodding in the distance, his expression also seemingly strange. He was only slightly younger than Ning Yi, so he addressed Ning Yi as brother. It was impossible to turn around and go downstairs directly, so Ning Yi had to go over with Li Pin. Xiao Chan greeted them: "Young Master Wenfang, Young Master Wending." Ning Yi looked at the pens, ink, paper, and inkstones on the tables, as well as some written poems, thinking that they were probably making friends through literature. He also saw a courtesan standing next to them who seemed to have watched the performance earlier, so he naturally understood it as writing poetry to pick up girls and the like. He smiled and made a casual greeting.

"I walked around a few times downstairs and got a little tired, so I came up to sit down. What a coincidence. Oh…" He gestured to Li Pin and introduced them, "You may have met before, Wenfang, Wending… This is Li Pin… Heh, don't mind us…"

A group of talented scholars surrounded a courtesan, naturally eager to show off and stand out. Li Pin could also see the situation. He smiled and said: "Don't mind us, we'll just…" Before he could finish, someone greeted him: "Li Pin. Brother De Xin, I am Chen Jiwen, I've heard so much about you."

Li Pin hadn't formally met Chen Jiwen before, but they had clashed implicitly in events such as the Mid-Autumn Poetry Festival. They had heard of each other, so he smiled and cupped his hands: "Ha, so Brother Jiwen is also here, what a coincidence." Although the two sides were somewhat tense before, they paused slightly at this time. It seemed they were with Su Wending and Su Wenfang. Someone in the group with Chen Jiwen heard Li Pin's name and greeted him. The two sides exchanged pleasantries, Li Pin casually saying things like "Everyone is in high spirits…" After thinking for a while, Chen Jiwen smiled and said: "Everyone is writing poems for Tang Jing, Miss Tang. Since Brother Li knows Brother Wenfang and Brother Wending, why not join in the fun?"

To others, this was already a declaration of war. Chen Jiwen knew that his reputation couldn't match Li Pin's, but he was confident in his talent, so he spoke up. Although Li Pin, like Ning Yi, could sense that the atmosphere was unusual, he didn't quite understand the situation. As he casually declined, another man who had picked up a brush but hadn't written a poem because of Li Pin's arrival also asked with a smile: "I wonder who this gentleman is? Su Wending, won't you introduce us?" Since Chen Jiwen had decided to challenge Li Pin, the others naturally didn't matter.

"He is…" Su Wending wanted to say his name directly, but then thought to put the Su family first, "He is my second cousin's husband…"

The other side smiled: "Oh…"

Ning Yi, who was being discussed, didn't know what he was thinking at this time. He frowned slightly, turned his head to look at the stairs behind him, and recalled something. Hearing someone asking, he turned back and cupped his hands, friendly greeting Wending and Wenfang's friends: "Uh, I am…"

The laughter came over: "Ha, so it's…"

Before he could finish, he was stunned.

********************

Not long after, the two men and one woman who had just come up sat down at a window seat next to the confrontation. The young man with the maid was looking down at the floor, probably thinking about something. Over here, the situation had returned to a stalemate, with pens, ink, paper, and inkstones all prepared. The person who had been preparing to teach the Su brothers a lesson with poetry had already raised his brush, but Chen Jiwen's brush had been raised for a long time, and he didn't know what he was thinking, his expression complex.

The brush, would not come down.

Whispers spread among the crowd, spreading around. Everyone had been watching the excitement without any scruples, and many people understood what had happened. But at this time, the whole atmosphere became a little weird. Everyone seemed to be talking about some secret.

Gu Yanzhen looked over there for a long time, took a bite of a dish and chewed it slowly, not understanding the scene before him.

"What exactly happened?"