Miss Truth
Chapter 101 - 63 Let’s Die Together

Chapter 101: Chapter 63 Let’s Die Together

"I wonder which poem written tonight is the best?" Ran Yan asked aloud.

On the river, after a lengthy discussion and consulting several scholars who were watching the excitement, they finally decided on a winner. Zhang Fei volunteered enthusiastically and read aloud, "Today, clouds and magpies bridge the gap, surely not just a distant and tender gaze. The family delights as the makeup mirror opens under the moon, threading the needle for the Ninth Heaven."

His proud manner suggested as if he himself had written the poem.

This poem celebrated the Double Seventh Festival. To be honest, had the original owner not had some literary cultivation, Ran Yan would have found it difficult to understand the feelings conveyed. During her study of forensic medicine, because she had to read Song Ci’s "Witness to a Prosecution," Ran Yan also seriously studied ancient texts for a while, but understanding the language and grasping the emotions expressed in poetry were not on the same level.

Ran Yan silently counted the poems she still remembered in her mind and finally sighed. The ones she remembered completely, about more than ten, such as "Weeding at noon" and "Two orioles sing green willows," had nothing to do with the Double Seventh Festival at all.

Given Ran Yan’s character, if she believed in soul transmigration, she would definitely have memorized the complete works of Li Bai, just to be safe.

Thinking of Li Bai, Ran Yan contemplated for a moment and then said, "I will recite a poem, and if none of you can compose a poem of higher artistic conception, please allow me to leave."

What a bold statement! The people on the river were initially astonished but soon felt disdain. Even if the ladies had some learning, they surely couldn’t surpass these gentlemen who spent their days buried in books!

"Wife, you must not let Shilang help you," Zhang Fei immediately said.

Although Ran Yunsheng had never attended state academy or pursued official examination, everyone knew his literary cultivation was not shallow, solely because he was born into a merchant family and thus ineligible for the civil service examination.

"Alright," Ran Yan responded.

On the Pingjiang River, there was complete silence except for the flowing water. Whether they were young scholars or renowned intellectuals, all stopped and listened intently. On the Qi family’s boat, a group of noble ladies stood along the railing, and Qi Yuxiu stared straight at Ran Yan’s boat, her cold expression mixed with complexity.

Qi Yuxiu pursed her lips and said, "Did Ran Shiqi utter such bold words because she was fully confident? Could it be that today’s event was premeditated? Just to steal my sister’s position?"

Having seen Ran Yan’s composed demeanor in facing corpses at the Yin household, Qi Yuxiu felt less aversion towards her, though she was not yet fond of her.

Qi Yuxiu kept silent, but her beautiful brows slightly furrowed.

Ran Meiyu, however, sneered. Ran Yan’s capabilities were crystal clear to her! Without her brother, what good poetry could she produce! Thinking of Ran Yunsheng, Ran Meiyu felt annoyed inside; her brother used to treat her very well, but now it all seemed to have been taken by Ran Yan! She was eager for Ran Yan to embarrass herself in front of everyone in Suzhou.

While everyone harbored their thoughts, a calm and cold voice from Ran Yan slowly spread through the cabin, "Zhao guest binds the Hu tassels, Wu hook frosty and bright. Silver saddle reflects the white horse, dashing as a shooting star. Killing a man within ten steps, leaving no trace over a thousand li. Once done, he brushes off his clothes and hides his name and identity."

The river surface erupted in surprise; the poem Ran Shiqi recited was not about the Double Seventh Festival, but about an assassin! Moreover, her words conveyed a bold and unrestrained aura, portraying an assassin living a humble life, in such an unrestrained and noble manner!

Ran Yan’s cold, detached voice was not loud but drifted with the chilly river breeze, intensively coloring the feeling of taking lives at a flick of the hand.

Who the victim of the assassination by Su Fu was unknown; there was just a bit of commotion at the moment of the killing, but afterwards, he left without any fuss, so the others were completely oblivious to the fact that there was an assassin that evening.

Ran Yan knew this and thus dared to recite such a poem with confidence.

Just when everyone thought the poem was finished, they heard Ran Yan continue to recite, "Casually passing through Xiangling’s drink, laying the sword across the knees. I offer meat to Zhu Hai and raise my glass to toast Hou Ying. Three cups prompt a forthright promise, the Five Peaks as light as a feather. After the dazzle and warmth, a surge of pure spirit arises."

"Saving Zhao with a golden hammer, Handan is first to be startled. Two heroes of a thousand autumns, their glory outshines Daliang City. Though dead, the scent of a knight’s bones is unashamed before the heroes of the world. Who can write beneath the shelves, a white-haired man reading the profound scriptures."

The latter two sections spoke of Lord Xiangling, Hou Ying, and Zhu Hai’s story. A knight meets a wise lord, and the lord, with the courage and strategy of the knight, seeks to accomplish great deeds. The knight thus achieves fame, and even if ultimately unsuccessful, his name would still be remembered forever.

The crowd was moved by the bold and unrestrained spirit of this poem, and also sighed in relief. It turned out not to be a glorification of an assassin, but of a knight.