Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The gala officially began.
Boya Pavilion’s helpers brought the guests to the west court, and at that moment, the place seemed as if it was filled with beautiful flowers and graceful laughter, causing a stunning scene.
Wen Xinya sat in the pavilion in the lake overseeing the entire west court.
In the garden, there was a bed of red plums with their branches on full display. Although they were yet to mature, it was still worth viewing, and they were near the lake. They bloomed facing the river and were beautifully on display. It was a sea of flowers. At the edge of the wall, it looked fitting and natural.
It was exactly the same as six years ago.
However, she was a participant in the gala six years ago. But today, she was a judge.
Everyone got into their assigned positions, the whole place bustling and lively.
Following that, Boya Pavilion’s helpers served some snacks and tea. Wen Xinya saw Boya Pavilion’s famous flower cake, but the treats on the plate were no longer the same as six years ago.
She still remembered that six years ago, Xia Ruya made use of the cakes and flowers to poison her, but it was changed by Du Ruoxin, and ultimately, Lin Yingxin was the one who got poisoned.
Talking about Du Ruoxin, Wen Xinya felt a bit of regret.
After Du Ruoxin graduated from university, she went overseas to study criminology and did not come back since then.
Next up was the talent competition.
There were many categories of music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, writing and tea, and there was intense competition in each one of them. Wen Xinya showed her skills and opinion in it as well, receiving everyone’s recognition.
The owner of Boya Pavilion said, “Today’s banquet was really exciting. But compared to six years ago when Miss Wen amazed everyone in the four talents of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, it’s still a stretch.”
Her tone carried a tinge of sadness and regret.
The moment she said it, everyone began to recall what happened back then.
One of the judges then said, “Back then, Miss Wen and Miss Du took two minutes and twenty seconds to complete the task. I’m afraid that no one can do it today.”
There were a few spectacular ones in today’s chess matches, but it was nothing compared to Wen Xinya and Du Ruoxin’s one.
Another judge added on, “Talking about chess, I thought about when she competed in calligraphy with Miss Ye. Her stroke was strong and powerful, that was my first time seeing a girl write such a smooth yet impressive word. Six years have passed, I wonder how much her writing skills have improved.”
Wen Xinya used to be extremely talented in calligraphy, but today, many were already better than her.
Following that, everyone thought of Wen Xinya’s intense match of painting.
“The scenery of a plum apricot tree in spring had its own style, and within it was an intricate use of color. This was rarely seen, and it managed to make up for what was weak in the drawing itself. And to talk about painting skills, that was spectacular indeed.”
“In fact, I feel that the most exciting one was when she competed in the zither with Miss Lin. The song she played showed off her talented skills and was not something that common people could do. She stood a huge advantage in the music segment indeed.”
Upon finishing, everyone reminisced back to those times.
Zhuo Huiyan laughed. “In the traditional arts, we can’t find many talented people in it today. For someone to have such skills in all four of the talents, Miss Wen can truly be seen as a genius.”
She then looked towards Wen Xinya, smiling at her with sparkling eyes.
Wen Xinya felt a little embarrassed that she was being talked about in front of these judges and had no idea what to say at that moment.
“Eh!”
The owner of Boya Pavilion looked towards the stage, shocked. “This is Miss Su, who already won two matches in the poetry and tea segments. Looks like she is winning in the lute segment as well.”
Her words attracted the attention of a few judges, including Wen Xinya.
This Miss Su was truly one of the outstanding ones in today’s talent competition, and the song she played was the same song that Wen Xinya played on the lute. Everyone thought the same thing, then all turned to look at Wen Xinya.
One used the Guqin to play the song, shocking everyone with its sounds.
The other used the lute with such impressive skill.
To compare between the two was no easy feat.
They just did not know whether Miss Su did it on purpose or was simply a coincidence.
A judge said, “Miss Su excels in three different segments already, may today’s banquet produce yet another who’s talented in four different segments?”
She then looked towards Wen Xinya secretly.
The owner of Boya Pavilion’s laughter meant even more.
At that moment, Miss Su ended her performance, looked towards the pavilion, bowed, and looked straight at Wen Xinya. “Miss Wen, was my performance good enough for you?”
She smiled coyly, but her tone had a challenging vibe to it.
Everyone looked towards Wen Xinya at that moment, all wondering what she would say.
Especially the owner of Boya Pavilion. She secretly smiled to herself and drank tea, not revealing much.
Feeling Miss Su’s challenge, Wen Xinya felt undeterred and smiled slightly. “Miss Su, your performance was skillful and allowed everyone to immerse themselves in it. It was truly great.”
She did not know much about the lute, but this did not stop her from appreciating the song for what it was.
Then, unsatisfied with the answer, Miss Su asked, “I wonder if it was as good as when you played the song with the Guqin?”
In her opinion, the song could only be fully interpreted with the lute. Wen Xinya playing it with the guqin was just using an inferior instrument.
The audience erupted upon hearing what she said.
Some thought that Miss Su was being too bold, but others also thought that she was really talented.
Boya Pavilion’s owner smiled a little more and inadvertently gazed at Wen Xinya.
“I don’t know much about the lute. It can’t be matched with the guqin. Miss Su, you definitely did it better with the lute.” Wen Xinya did not really care about Miss Su’s challenge and did not concern herself with such a reputation. Who was better ultimately would eventually show itself.
Yet, she could not deny that Miss Su played it really well.
Wen Xinya’s humble acceptance and Miss Su’s continuous challenge formed a stark contrast.
The owner of Boya Pavilion felt that it was getting a little dull and drank her tea.
Although Miss Su received Wen Xinya’s recognition, she did not achieve the desired outcome. It was difficult to back down at that moment, so she continued, “Miss Wen, you were a talent that shocked the audience for being proficient in four different segments and won the award in the entire gala. I admire you. I wonder whether I could consult you today?”
Everyone was in disbelief, and the people around erupted in chatter.
Miss Su was truly daring to ask to consult a judge.
Everyone in the city knew that Wen Xinya was extremely talented.
And although Miss Su was well recognized in the city as well, everyone did not think that she could match up to Wen Xinya.
After all, although her matches today were interesting, they were still not as exciting and passionate as Wen Xinya’s matches back then.
