The wind whistled past the Gold Phoenix Pavilion, reaching Yuan Jin'er's room. Inside, Kou'er was vividly recounting the events that had unfolded at the Old Rain Pavilion earlier:

"...And then, when that Master Ning wrote that poem, everyone was dumbfounded. Xue Jin, who had been trying to make things difficult for him, even asked: 'Didn't you say that *Shui Diao Ge Tou* was written by a Taoist priest?' Then Master Ning told him... hahaha... Master Ning said that the Taoist priest... *wheeze*... recited, recited two of them... hahahahaha..."

As she finished the sentence, Yuan Jin'er, who had been listening in bed, burst into laughter, doubled over with mirth: "Yun, Sister Yunzhu, that man is so witty..."

Yunzhu was studying the paper, recognizing Ning Yi and picturing the scene Kou'er described. Recalling Ning Yi's unconventional nature, it seemed entirely plausible he would do something like this, and she couldn't help but smile.

Kou'er had always been somewhat supportive of Cao Guan, and she had been happily telling the story. However, after a moment, she became slightly anxious: "Miss, Sister Nie, is this poem... really that good? Master Cao and the others looked so strange. Miss, you used to say that poetry competitions didn't have fixed rules, and Master Cao was the best, so could he really lose...?"

Yuan Jin'er smiled, glancing at the poem and exchanging a look with Nie Yunzhu before shaking her head slightly: "Based on what you said, Kou'er, after tonight, the title of Jiangning's foremost talent will probably be bestowed upon that Master Ning. It's a pity... he's a merchant's son-in-law." She frowned again, "Why would someone like that become an *entrance marriage*? Was he forced by the Su family...?"

Previously, they suspected Ning Yi's poems were plagiarized due to his status as a *zhuixu*, but after this, probably no one would dare to doubt it. The joke about the Taoist priest reciting two poems would naturally be dismissed by everyone. Yuan Jin'er was perplexed. Hu Tao, who had been hesitating for a long time, tugged at Nie Yunzhu's sleeve and whispered, "Miss, could this Master Ning really be *that* Master Ning?"

Her voice was soft, but Yuan Jin'er and Kou'er, who were close by, heard it clearly and widened their eyes: "Sister Yunzhu... you know Ning Yi?"

Yunzhu thought for a moment, then casually plucked a few notes on the zither beside her. After a moment, she said, "What would Jin'er think if I said he was the composer of that song just now?"

"Ah..." Yuan Jin'er was stunned for a long while, thinking about the strange but beautiful melody, finding it difficult to reconcile her thoughts. She looked at the *Qing Yu An*, which was truly elegant and grand, yet the *Chang Ting Wai, Gu Dao Bian* was unorthodox and unconventional. "If it's really as Sister Yunzhu says, then he's truly... quite peculiar..."

"Sister Nie, do you really know that Master Ning? What kind of person is he? Tell us about him..."

Kou'er leaned closer to Nie Yunzhu. Nie Yunzhu looked at the poem in her hand, thought for a moment, then raised her head slightly, her gaze shifting towards a corner of the room.

Indeed, what kind of person was he...

Now that she thought about it, she found it difficult to describe. When they first met, she had fallen into the river, pulling him in with her. He had saved her and then been slapped, without even trying to explain. Later, during their interactions, he was so casual. He would run around every morning, stopping to chat briefly. Even though she had heard of his talent, he never acted like a scholar. He was always focused on strange things.

"It's just killing a chicken, no need to thank me."

"Charcoal pencils... are for writing..."

"Exercise... scholars are useless."

"If you could learn some martial arts... like those powerful *jianghu* fighters..."

"*Jialan Yu*... it's not fit for high society, but I like listening to it."

"Songhua eggs... you can call them Rich Eggs or Jade Eggs, it's all the same..."

If she told others about these things, they might think he was arrogant or something, but during their interactions, she only felt relaxed, a sense of ease unlike any other refined talent. Arrogance always came from being very proud of something, but she could feel that he wasn't complacent about those things, or looked down on others. He simply had a nonchalant attitude. He didn't dislike what others liked, but he didn't particularly enjoy them either. However, she had to admit that, over the past few months, although he had never truly shown his literary talent in front of her, and she had never mentioned it, she had been somewhat curious in her heart.

*Ming Yue Ji Shi You, Ba Jiu Wen Qing Tian*... How far could the talent of someone who could write such poems reach? Nie Yunzhu actually had a small expectation in her heart. Even though she felt relaxed when interacting with Ning Yi's casual and unrestrained side, she believed that this was perhaps his truer self, but she still hoped to see his other side, the side that belonged to a scholar.

Until now, seeing this *Qing Yu An*, imagining the scene of him writing it, the ridicule, obstruction, and difficulties of the crowd, and his calm smile as he faced it all... If only she could have been there at the time...

Hearing Kou'er's question, looking at the poem, a strong thought suddenly arose in her heart. Outside, the Lantern Festival night was bright as day. He had said he had urgent business at the restaurant, and she didn't know what it was, or where he was at that moment. She suddenly wanted to know all these things...

After a moment, Nie Yunzhu suppressed her emotions.

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

After the midnight bell rang, Ning Yi and Xiao Chan were walking back. Xiao Chan was reciting the *Qing Yu An* over and over again, occasionally asking, "Young Master, Young Master, what was that about golden threads?" Ning Yi would answer.

He was feeling a bit bored because he had lost track of the woman after writing the poem.

When he started writing the poem, he had thought that it was very appropriate, especially since he had been following the female assassin. However, he didn't know if it was *too* appropriate, or if the last line, "蓦然回首，那人却在灯火阑珊处 (Suddenly looking back, she is in the dimmest of lights)," had caught the female assassin's attention. When he and Xiao Chan followed after, he realized after a few turns that the female assassin had completely disappeared from his tracking range.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this fitting poem that he had given himself away. He hadn't really thought of that. He wondered if it would have been better if he had changed it to "蓦然回首，那人不在灯火阑珊处 (Suddenly looking back, she is not in the dimmest of lights)"... He thought somewhat wryly at the time.

If the female assassin had become wary of him, it would be detrimental to continue searching obsessively. Since things hadn't worked out, he simply gave up. He and Xiao Chan wandered around for a while before turning back together. Along the way, Xiao Chan was still excited about what had happened earlier, constantly talking about Xue Jin's stunned expression. She put her hands on her hips and laughed arrogantly: "Hmph, now no one will dare to say bad things about Young Master in the future, right?"

Ning Yi smiled: "Ah, it's useless to say bad things anyway..."

"Why?"

"Because the Taoist priest only recited two poems."

"Hehe..." Xiao Chan laughed.

In any case, the problem of others saying he was plagiarizing poems had basically been resolved for the time being.

Some things—like tonight—might seem accidental, but in reality, they were not without calculation. From the beginning, Ning Yi felt that the ideal solution would be along similar lines. He wasn't someone with any qualms; the poems he knew were a strategic resource, and he could use them if anything happened in the future. However, nothing was happening right now, so it was pointless to use them for vanity. Since Xiao Chan had revealed the matter, there was no need for him to deny it; there was no need to bear a bad reputation when the problem could be solved.

He had never considered associating with those talents every day to gain fame or anything like that. Since he was just doing it casually, things had to be simple. He had kept the whole thing silent for five months, thinking that there would always be a time he couldn't avoid it, and then he could resolve it. Today, he really wanted to chase the female assassin. After all, in his heart, the name of a talent was really dispensable. It was the kind of thing he would just take if it was offered, while martial arts were very different. Who knew such an accident would happen? Since Xue Jin, Su Chonghua, and the others had said things to that extent, he didn't mind going with the flow.

Perhaps his considerations weren't so specific, and he hadn't really planned it out seriously. However, his past experiences had become a habit. He could relax and be uninhibited while playing or relaxing, such as when chatting with Qin Lao, Kang Lao, and Nie Yunzhu. But as long as he sensed a threat, no matter how small, these seemingly casual responses had probably been pondered back and forth several times, or even dozens of times, in his subconscious. He could only laugh and curse himself for not being able to escape calculation his whole life.

He still had no hope of learning martial arts for the time being. Solving the poem issue was a bit of a gain. After walking for a while, Xiao Chan suddenly said, "Young Master, Xiao Chan doesn't like this poem..."

"Hmm?"

"And that 'searching for her in the crowd a thousand times'... Young Master, you were chasing that female thief just now."

Ning Yi was stunned for a moment, then laughed. Xiao Chan pursed her lips: "Young Master, I'm going to tell Miss later, and you'll be in big trouble..."

"Okay, okay, I know." Ning Yi nodded, smiling as he walked forward. Xiao Chan followed from behind: "Young Master, I'm really going to tell Miss..."

"I know..."

Xiao Chan liked Ning Yi to some extent, but she couldn't possibly keep it a secret from Su Tan'er for Ning Yi's sake. Furthermore, she didn't want Ning Yi and Su Tan'er to have any misunderstandings. For a moment, she wavered between "being loyal to Miss" and "hiding it for the sake of Young Master and family harmony." Seeing Ning Yi's nonchalant attitude, she felt that her worries were somewhat unnecessary, and she couldn't help but want to bite him.

"Young~ Master..."

"I know, I know... That's how the poem is written, but it doesn't mean I was looking for her. Besides, I didn't even find her in the end... Let's go, let's go, hurry up..."

As the two were seemingly chasing and playing on the street, Su Tan'er, who had already finalized the business deal in a small teahouse, also received the *Qing Yu An* and learned everything that had happened at the Puyuan Poetry Gathering. She was now sitting there, resting her chin in her hand, gazing serenely into the air, not knowing what she was thinking. On the other side of the square table, Xi Junyu's fingers were lightly touching the paper on which the poem was written, his eyes looking quiet. Only those who knew him very well might be able to detect the hint of gloom in his eyes.

Originally, Su Tan'er had to wait for Ning Yi and Xiao Chan to return after the business deal was settled, and he could also talk to Su Tan'er about the next business plan. After all, it was the Lantern Festival, and he could at least mention some other trivial matters. No matter what kind of person Ning Yi was, he had been cooperating with Su Tan'er for several years, and some things couldn't be diluted. He felt that the atmosphere was also good, but as soon as this poem came and Xiaojuan told the rumors she had heard, everything was shattered when Su Tan'er quieted down. There was no point in saying anything else. Su Tan'er might still pretend to listen seriously and answer with a smile, but it was actually meaningless.

After a while, Ning Yi and Xiao Chan came up from there. Su Tan'er smiled and nodded at him: "My husband is here. If there are no other important matters, Shopkeeper Xi, please go back first. Thank you for your hard work today."

"Then I'll take my leave." Xi Junyu smiled, cupped his hands in salute, then greeted Ning Yi again. As he was about to go downstairs, he looked back and saw Su Tan'er pursing her lips forcefully, pointing forcefully at the paper on the table in front of Ning Yi, her eyes filled with a thick smile, like the action of friends who had a deep understanding. He and Su Tan'er also had a tacit understanding, but that was only in the business world. Su Tan'er seemed gentle and refined, but she was actually terribly serious in many ways. He would feel a great sense of accomplishment when they completed certain deals with tacit cooperation, but he had never seen her smile like that.

Ning Yi picked up the paper and looked at it, and he also laughed. He was explaining something, probably noticing that her clothes were slightly disheveled. Su Tan'er smiled and reached out to pull up the collar of his robe...

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

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