“You don’t even know what ‘Avoid the Moon’ is?” Pei You was stunned.
“Is it that weird?” Zu An’s expression didn’t change. “Then, do you know TikTok and Youtube?”
“Uh…” Pei You thought to himself for a bit, but he really didn’t know those things. He said with an apologetic smile, “The so-called ‘Avoid the Moon’ game is one where everyone takes turns reciting lines of poetry without the word ‘moon’ in them, but the verse has to describe the moon.”
“So that’s what it was.” Zu An was happy to hear that. That’s right up my alley! I didn’t memorize all those damn classical verses and poems for nothing! But if my literature teacher knew I was using what he taught me to chase after a prostitute, he might just faint from anger… Wait, no, maybe he’d cry from envy, because that was his field of expertise to begin with.
Lady Nan Xun suggested with a smile, “Since it was young master Yu’s suggestion, how about we start with young master Yu?”
The others all wanted to stamp their feet when they heard those words. Who among them didn’t want to be the first? Was Lady Nan Xun hinting that she already had her heart set on him by asking him to go first?
Yu Nan didn’t decline the invitation. His usual proud expression remained, as if he considered himself obviously the most suitable choice. He said immediately without needing time to think, “A jade mirror; a silver hook above the evening mountains.”
“Young master Yu is creative and brilliant, as expected. This verse meets the topic well…” As the one overseeing the drinking game, Lady Nan Xun naturally needed to give some commentary. Her voice was pleasant to listen to, and her words carried great praise for Yu Nan. Her eyes seemed to be sparkling. In the others’ eyes, it seemed as if she were staring at Yu Nan with deep affection, as if she were ready to rush into his embrace.
Like hell is he creative and brilliant! He was the one who suggested this, so of course he already prepared beforehand! They cursed inwardly. All of them were incredibly jealous.
“Lady Nan is too kind with your praise.” Yu Nan didn’t speak with his usual prideful attitude when he was talking to Nan Xun, and instead had a warm smile. He had already been well-known for his looks in the capital to begin with. Now that he had also shown a well-polished smile, he became even more charming. Many of the maids present were overwhelmed.
“He’s so handsome!” The maid in that special room clasped her cheeks. She was completely smitten.
The exceptional beauty rolled her eyes. “Is there a need to go that far? The elf race doesn’t lack beautiful men, and many of them aren’t any worse than him.”
“The young miss doesn’t understand,” the maid exclaimed excitedly. “The men from the elf race are too weak looking! They’re handsome, but they’re a bit too feminine. They don’t have any manliness.
“And handsomeness is something that has to stand out. There are so many handsome men in the elf race, which makes them all seem ordinary instead. But if you look at this man, he’s like a crane in a flock of chickens. That makes him seem so much more handsome.”
The exceptional beauty laughed involuntarily. “What you said makes a bit of sense, but there are others who aren’t bad looking here. For example, there’s that young master Bi, and the one surnamed Zu isn’t too bad…” She had been to say that Zu An was also quite handsome, but she quickly changed her wording when she recalled his previous behavior.
“Rather than appearance, I’m more impressed by the human race’s extensive literature and culture. They’re clearly already dominant in battle, so if they excel in this field, will our race ever be able to stand out?” A hint of grief appeared on her face.
The maid quickly exclaimed, “Young miss, there’s no need to feel so worried! The human race only uses these literary skills in places of romance; they aren’t used on the greater stage. Isn’t that great news for our race?”
The exceptional beauty was stunned. She gave the maid a surprised look and remarked, “Not bad; I didn’t expect to hear something so deep from you.”
The maid pouted and stomped her feet. “Young miss!”
…
The ‘Avoid the Moon’ game continued, but those who went after Yu Nan weren’t so outstanding. After all, no one had known that this was the drinking game they were going to play. They weren’t as prepared as Yu Nan.
It would already be decent if they could come up with something that matched the topic. The elegance of what they said naturally couldn’t compare to Yu Nan’s at all. What was even more frustrating was that they had no choice but to drink, since they couldn’t think of any poetry.
Nan Xun spoke her gentle commentary throughout the entire process. Even if what the guest said wasn’t anything special, they could still hear her praise. Even those guests who weren’t able to come up with anything received her smile and encouragement.
It was to the extent that, since no one had been made to look bad, their eyes only burned with more and more passion when they looked at Nan Xun. They all wanted her so badly.
Zu An found the situation utterly hilarious. Courtesans were just courtesans. No matter how aloof and proud they acted, their skills were well trained. They knew how to make people feel great. The best hunters often knew how to appear like prey, after all.
Eventually, Bi Ziang’s turn arrived. People’s attention shifted toward him. After all, he was the only one whose family background and presence could compare to Yu Nan’s. After a moment of silence, he said brightly, “Golden waters ripple beneath the willow, its beauty offset by a fine jade building.”
Just like Yu Nan, Bi Ziang had his henchmen as well. Their voices might have been even louder as they cheered, “Excellent!”
The exceptional beauty in the special room nodded. “This Bi Ziang’s reputation wasn’t in vain after all.” Worry soon filled her face. If the human race’s young masters were already so skilled, that wasn’t a good sign for her clansmen at all.
…
Outside, Nan Xun had a smile on her face. She expressed great praise for the verse. Compared to the basic courtesy she had shown the others, her praise was much more sincere.
Pei You felt incredibly dejected. “If I knew that it would come to this today, I would have studied harder and learned some poetry!” He didn’t have any confidence in winning against Yu Nan and Bi Ziang in this field.
Gao Ying said with a firm expression, “Poetry is nothing special; cultivation is what’s most important. Brother Pei, don’t let a brothel woman sway your dao heart.” Even though he was quite fond of this courtesan himself, he had always been someone who clearly separated what was important and what wasn’t. He wouldn’t lose his way over something like this.
Pei You looked at him in surprise. “Thank you for the reminder, brother Gao!”
Zu An gave the two of them a look of surprise. Gao Ying was mature and earnest, while Pei You had quickly received advice and corrected his attitude. These two were definitely outstanding individuals from their clans, and their future prospects were limitless. But of course, they’re still lacking compared to me, haha!
Then, the others continued the drinking game. Their level of literary skill was naturally inferior to Bi Ziang’s.
Even though Nan Xun was outstanding and skilled in reception, she was starting to run out of words of praise. It wasn’t easy to even offer words of encouragement to some people’s answers anymore. She could only shift more and more toward basic courtesy for her replies.
But these people had already lost their minds with lust, and the only thing in their minds was how Lady Nan Xun had smiled toward them just then.
Then, the Qin clan brothers got their turn. Their family background wasn’t any weaker than those of the Yu clan and Bi clan. They were viewed as major contenders for the single private meeting with Nan Xun. But the two of them weren’t as skilled in literary talent as Yu Nan and Bi Ziang. Even though they did give their answers, it wasn’t anything special.
The others were overjoyed to see the result, and even Yu Nan and Bi Ziang sighed in relief.
Only the exceptional beauty in the special room sighed. She had hoped that these young masters from military backgrounds might have abandoned their cultivation for the literary arts, but it now seemed that wasn’t the case.
The game finally circled around to Zu An’s table. Pei You and Gao Ying gave their answers to the prompt. They’d had so much time to prepare, so they had at least come up with something.
But going later had its own shortcomings. Many well-known verses had already been recited by the people before them. The verses they provided only barely met the criteria.
Zu An grinned. Judging from what he had heard, even though this world’s martial prowess was well developed, people’s literary skills left him less than impressed. Even Yu Nan and Bi Ziang’s verses were enough to be praised so heavily by everyone.
After Nan Xun gave her praise to Pei You and Gao Ying, her wonderful eyes shifted to Zu An. What this man had said earlier put her in quite the difficult situation, so she remembered him clearly. She said, “Young master Yu was able to provide us with an excellent beginning. If this young master can bring this game to a great conclusion, it might be a great story in itself.”
The others heckled and jeered. These spectators weren’t scared of things getting out of hand. Only Pei You and Gao Ying looked worried. At this point, even just providing a passable reply wasn’t good enough. As long as it wasn’t as good as Yu Nan’s verse, Zu An would easily become a laughingstock.
Zu An cursed inwardly. You guys really know how to hold a grudge, huh? But sorry, you’re doomed to be disappointed here. I have countless great poems from the Tang and Song writers in my arsenal!
