Chapter 621: Provocation

Chapter 621: Provocation

Seeing Liu Jianli leave, the three of them naturally refused to fall behind and quickened their pace to catch up.

Only the students from the Peaceful Academy stayed where they were.

Someone was at a loss and said, “What should we do now?”

“What else can we do? Didn’t Teacher Qin just say that we should relax and enjoy ourselves? I’ve been wanting to try the things from the Star Seizing Tower for a long time.”

“Yes, Teacher Qin brought us here to relax before the Imperial Examination. How can we disappoint his kindness?”

After some discussion, their reluctance faded and they eagerly set foot in the Flying Sky Courtyard.

The Literature Saints and talented people from powerful families were showing off their knowledge and boasting about their romantic status in front of beautiful women.

But they didn’t care about that, they just wanted to eat the delicious food and wine on the table that they never dared to think about before.

“The aroma of this wine is intoxicating. Could it be the legendary ‘Drunken Dream’? I’ve heard that this pot alone is worth ten thousand taels of silver.” A student swallowed saliva and stretched his hand halfway out, but hesitated to touch.

In the past, such fine wine had simply been out of their reach, instinctively giving them a feeling of fear.

Someone whispered, “Look at these wine cups and plates, they seem to be precious jade treasures. Can we really touch them as we please? What if we break them?”

“And this table, made of expensive Huanghuali wood, if it gets dirty...”

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone showed a worried expression.

The students of Peaceful Academy were mostly from poor backgrounds, they couldn’t afford even decent books, let alone witness such luxurious scenes.

The palms of their hands sweated nervously as they felt out of place in their clean linen clothes in the midst of such opulence.

After a long time, one braver student took a deep breath and said, “What’s there to be afraid of? With the introduction of the Imperial Examination System, we might as well get used to visiting places like this in the future. It’s better to get used to it beforehand. Besides, we just have to be careful when we eat.”

This last part was obviously the crux of his speech.

To set an example, one young man was the first to reach for the food tray. But just as he was about to pick up a piece of meat, a folding fan suddenly came down with a snap!

Snap!

The sound was crisp, the chopsticks fell and a fresh red mark appeared on the back of his hand.

The man winced in pain and quickly withdrew his right hand.

The students of Peaceful Academy were stunned, then they all looked in the direction where the fan had fallen. There was a young man dressed in Imperial Excellance robes looking at them with disdain.

“Then I will trample on the Peaceful Academy you have painstakingly built!”

Crack!

Just as the people of Peaceful Academy were about to leave, they heard the crunching sound of something breaking behind them.

Before they could understand what had happened, they heard the arrogant young master shout, “Hey, you! You’ve broken the dishes on the tray. Do you think you can just walk away like that?”

“Somebody, quickly stop them for me!”

......

On the other side, the Crown Prince was walking with Qin Feng in the Flying Sky Courtyard. When they reached the spot where white scrolls fluttered and couplets adorned the walls, he suddenly exclaimed with satisfaction, “Every year during the Literature Gathering, many memorable phrases and verses are born here, becoming the talk of the town among the talented individuals in Imperial City.”

“When I first organised the Literature Gathering, I also wrote a couplet to express my aspirations.”

“Even the National Teacher of the Heavenly Tower called it “excellent” after reading it. It’s a pity that after so many years, no one has been able to come up with a matching couplet, which is indeed a great pity.”

Qin Feng raised his eyebrows slightly and continued, “As for the pairing, I have some insights. Brother Jinwen, why don’t you tell me the first line and I might be able to come up with a satisfactory second line.”

The Crown Prince was surprised and said, “I thought Brother Qin’s poetic talent was unparalleled in the world and not easily matched. I didn’t expect you to excel in couplets as well.”

“In that case, Brother Qin, listen carefully. My first line is, ‘Heaven arranges the chessboard, stars become pieces, who dares to make a move?’”

Upon hearing this, Qin Feng’s expression immediately froze as he thought to himself, ‘Isn’t this the same couplet that Master Baili gave me back at the Listen to Rain Pavilion? So it was you who wrote it. I was wondering who was being so presumptuous...’

The Crown Prince saw his reaction and smiled, “So, Brother Qin, did I baffle you? Do you find it difficult?”

Let’s give him some face here... Qin Feng chuckled awkwardly, “That first line is indeed magnificent, truly beyond the ability of ordinary people. I’ve learned from it.”

As the two of them continued to chat, there was suddenly a commotion within the Literature Gathering.

Qin Feng looked towards the source of the noise and saw a crowd gathering in one place.

At that moment, someone rushed over and whispered a few words into the Crown Prince’s ear.

“What?!” The Crown Prince’s expression changed upon hearing this, then he looked at Qin Feng.

“What is it?” Qin Feng sensed that something was wrong.

“There is a conflict between the students of the Peaceful Academy and the National Academy. It seems that I didn’t take this into consideration properly. Brother Qin, come with me.”