Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 161 - 159: It’s good to be persistent, but bad to never admit defeat.

Chapter 161: Chapter 159: It’s good to be persistent, but bad to never admit defeat.

Xiao’er finished writing the poem in no time at all.

Her mistress, who had been worried earlier, breathed a sigh of relief when she finished so quickly.

What a joke? Is it that easy to compose a poem? Even the great contemporary poet Li Anmu wouldn’t be able to pen one so quickly!

It took Cao Zhi seven steps to compose a poem! She created a poem as soon as she picked up her brush! Nonsense! It must be a rushed effort — something she just wrote to get it over with.

Then, they resumed their calm and continued thinking about their own compositions.

Once the ink of Xiao’er’s poem had dried, she pressed it down with paper, and returned to her seat.

Seeing this, the Prime Minister’s wife assumed that Xiao’er had finished so quickly because she was unable to compose a poem, and said, "The Countess of Rui’an truly is both intelligent and wise, composing a poem so swiftly. Why don’t we look at her poem while we wait? We’ve nothing better to do."

The Empress nodded, signaling to a maid by her side. She too was curious about the poem Xiao’er had penned so quickly.

The maid fetched Xiao’er’s poem and handed it to the Empress.

The Empress read it, glanced at Xiao’er, suppressed her surprise and admiration, and began reciting:

"Autumn Verse

Since ancient times, autumn brings sorrow and melancholia,

I argue, autumn days surpass the spring morning.

In the clear sky, a crane ascends above the clouds,

Inciting poetic sentiments towards the azure sky."

Just as the words finished, a group of birds moved towards the south across the clear blue sky. These happened to be the last group of birds migrating south from the Imperial Capital.

The room — again, fell into dead silence!

The young ladies who had been composing poems were stunned, their train of thought completely disrupted, leaving them bereft of inspiration.

Some even made mistakes in tone and rhyme in their compositions — a grave mistake!

Even after reading the poem, the Empress was left in quiet contemplation for quite some time.

She had not expected this child to create such an impressive and beautiful poem.

Such a vast vision, optimistic sentiments, extraordinary self-assurance, vital fighting spirit, and lofty demeanor — none of the princes and nobles present could compare.

What a pity she was not born a man, for she could have soared up 90,000 miles. The Empress felt a deep sense of regret deep within her.

Who could compete with such a poem?

Many people present had to concede defeat.

Writing a great poem is a difficult task. Just think, how many scenes and feelings can be depicted within a few brief lines of a poem?

A poem is the essence of language in this era.

Poem composition accumulates slowly and cannot be hurried along. Sometimes, it even requires inspiration and emotional stimulation.

Knowledge is a process of accumulation. The knowledge that is sedimented over years and months results in erudition!

How erudite must the Countess of Rui’an be to effortlessly compose such an excellent poem?!

While some people admitted defeat willingly, naturally there were others who felt indignant. In this world, every fact placed in front of everyone can often inspire different opinions, isn’t that so?

Li Yunning was one such person. She thought it was impossible for someone to create Such a great poem instantly, therefore, she suspected that Xiao’er had written it in advance, only to use it now.

"The Countess of Rui’an’s knowledge is indeed beyond human comprehension. Did she compose this poem on the spot, or had she prepared it in advance?" She wanted to remind everyone that if the Countess of Rui’an was using old works to compete, it really wasn’t very honorable!

The daughter of Shangshu Mansion, taking her meaning, chimed in, "Yes, such a good poem, don’t think, just start to write; the Countess of Rui’an, did you prepare it in advance?"

Upon hearing these words, everyone’s gaze fell on Xiao’er.

Xiao’er replied with a smile, looking as radiant as a blooming flower, "So what if I did? So what if I didn’t? Isn’t it still my poem?"

Upon hearing Xiao’er’s words, Li Yunning became more convinced of her own speculations. She spoke indignantly, "Since this is an on-the-spot poetry contest, only poems produced on the spot should count. It’s unfair if the Countess of Rui’an uses pre-written poems to compete!"

Upon hearing these words, Xiao’er’s smile grew even brighter, "Miss Li and Miss Yun, you don’t believe that I could compose a poem so quickly, do you?"

"Alright, then. How long do the two of you need to compose a poem of this standard? I can wait for you to finish, and then you can take it to the Marquis Shengping Mansion to compete with mine. I will also compose a poem on the spot to compete with you. You can come up with the topic and let me know when the time comes," Xiao’er said magnanimously.

They did not believe her? Fine, she would give them unlimited time to write a poem and then challenge her!

At that time, she would continuously recite her poems, silencing them completely!

The two of them blushed, unable to respond to Xiao’er’s words!

This was an outright face slap!

It implied they were sore losers, finding excuses to shirk their failures!

Xiao’er glanced at the two with their faces flushed like pork livers and shook her head: It’s good not to concede defeat, but it’s bad not to admit defeat!

If you want to gain attention, if you want to belittle others to highlight yourself, you’re messing with the wrong person!

The people present were dumbfounded by Xiao’er’s "boastful words", further admiring her confidence!

The Countess of Rui’an truly is exceptionally knowledgeable! If she weren’t extraordinarily proficient, she wouldn’t have dared to let others take their time writing a poem and then challenge her! Moreover, she was allowing others to give the subject, and she would write on the spot!

Many young ladies present thought Xiao’er was too arrogant.

However, many elders and men felt that Xiao’er was truly talented and handled things smoothly.

Even when others accused her of cheating, she did not cry or make a scene. A simple challenge silenced those with doubts!

Perhaps those who thought Xiao’er was arrogant were just jealous due to their lack of talent! Or perhaps they were too arrogant themselves?

"Since Rui’an is so capable, why not compose another poem to prove herself right now!" The person who said this was Chu Die, the daughter of a fourth-rank official from the Ministry of Revenue. She had been following closely behind Li Yunning and said this deliberately to please her.

At this point, someone reported that the general had sent back a congratulatory gift.

The old lady, after reading the family letter and examining the gift, quickly summoned the soldier to question him.

Knowing that her son was safe and that he terribly missed her, the old lady’s eyes moistened.

She wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief and laughed, "As long as he’s fine, that’s good, that’s good!"

The old lady rewarded the soldier with ten taels of silver and told him to rest.

Once this interruption had concluded, Chu Die took the opportunity to speak again: "The Countess of Rui’an, why don’t you take ’autumn’ and ’the soldier’ as a joint theme to create a poem? This shouldn’t be too difficult for you, right?"

They seemed to never let it go! Why always stick to that girl and not let go!?

Shangguan Xuanyi was no longer willing to endure it, his cold eyes swept over the few people with disdain: "Why should she have to compose another poem to prove herself? To prove how stupid you are? Being as stupid as a pig is not a crime, but if you are stupid, you shouldn’t always stick out and irritate others!"

The faces of the few women instantly turned as white as snow, and they couldn’t help shaking.

The Sixth Prince had never spoken to the women before. They hadn’t expected that the first time he spoke to them would be in such an unkind manner.

Looking at the few flowers that had been ravaged by a storm, Xiao’er felt no sympathy at all.

They deserved it for overstepping!

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