Chapter 34 Qin Ji picked up his pen…

Chapter 34 Qin Ji picked up his pen…

Qin Ji picked up his pen, about to mark Xiao Er's poem to signify that it deserved to be the best of the day. But just as the pen was about to touch the paper, his hand stopped.

He paused for a few seconds, watching the ink on the tip of the pen become increasingly full, and then moved the pen away before the ink dripped.

Seeing his master's actions, Wei Sa wondered: Wasn't the plan to select Miss Xiao as the champion and use this opportunity to give the spot in the Imperial Academy to the eldest son of the Xiao family? Has the master changed his mind?

Qin Ji tightened his grip on the pen slightly, but still put it back on the shelf: "Send these poems back and say that I am very satisfied with several of them, but I can't pick the best one right now. Today, I would like all the poets to jointly nominate the best one."

After putting down the pen, Qin Ji placed the poem he had specially selected back into the stack of manuscripts.

“My lord, if we let everyone vote, Miss Xiao’s poem will probably lose first place.” Wei Sa didn’t care what would happen to the Xiao family, but he couldn’t understand why his lord seemed to be so fickle when it came to the Xiao family.

"Oh? Tell me your thoughts." Qin Ji wanted to hear what Wei Sa had to say.

Although Wei Sa was a guard, he was also one of Qin Ji's capable subordinates. Qin Ji often paid attention to training and training them, because he was more satisfied with the people he trained himself.

“Because she’s a girl.” Wei Sa didn’t say much, but her words were sharp and to the point.

Miss Xiao's poem is indeed excellent; if His Majesty were to name her the champion, no one would find it undeserved. However, if it were a matter of public selection, the poems written by Chen Huang and Zheng Xu, who came today, are also quite good.

In Wei Sa's opinion, although Miss Xiao's poem was slightly better, it was not quite astounding.

Poetry is a matter of personal taste, and both Chen and Zheng were already quite talented. Choosing either of them as the champion today would be the most reasonable choice in everyone's mind.

To put it bluntly, because of their own selfish motives, none of the men or women present today would allow Xiao Er, an unknown young lady, to surpass all the other men and win the title.

“That’s right.” Qin Ji nodded in agreement with Wei Sa’s idea.

"I'm worried that Eunuch An might overthink things." Wei Sa was concerned that his master might have changed his mind after making that statement in front of Eunuch An. Would that be inappropriate?

"With this back and forth, wouldn't it show even more my sincerity towards the Xiao family?" Although he had actually changed his mind at the last minute, upon careful consideration, this impromptu idea was indeed not bad.

"I see. That's precisely to make those who are interested think more deeply. Intelligent people will find the answer themselves once they think more." Upon hearing this, Wei Sa also thought about it more deeply, and then couldn't help but admire his lord's foresight.

If we simply keep giving the Xiao family benefits and trying to elevate their status, people will be more likely to believe that the master has chosen the Xiao family as a pawn or a shield than to believe that the master is sincere.

On the contrary, the fact that he changed his mind after meeting with Eunuch An makes it seem like he made a more cautious decision after fully considering the situation.

The shift from hastily trying to elevate someone's status to temporarily avoiding the limelight and taking things slowly reveals a demeanor of deep concern and meticulous consideration.

"Go get to work," Qin Ji said, pointing to the poems on the table, indicating that Wei Sa could go and handle the rest.

"Yes." Wei Sa clasped his hands in a salute and withdrew.

When she was alone in the room, Qin Ji turned her gaze back to the window. The two birds that had been so affectionate and quarrelsome earlier were long gone. Butterflies were fluttering among the hydrangea bushes, though, further away.

Rubbing his temples, Qin Ji's eyes revealed a hint of weariness and relief.

Despite his composed and wise demeanor, as if everything was preordained, no one could know the inner struggle and hesitation he went through during those few seconds when he paused writing.

The hesitation wasn't due to how difficult the matter was, but rather because, in those brief seconds, he was actually considering Xiao Yanhui's feelings.

Why did you change your mind?

Qin Ji's answer to Wei Sa was to make everything more logical, while his answer to himself was that he didn't want to sow the seeds of future trouble for the sake of temporary convenience.

If Xiao Er were to obtain this recommendation from the Imperial Academy today, it would naturally be advantageous to him in the current situation.

"You should really thank me for suddenly developing a conscience." Qin Ji sneered as he drew a round, cunning-eyed swallow on a piece of paper with a pen.

They had clearly made good arrangements that day, but while she was "out on business," Xiao Yanhui came to this matchmaking event. Not only did she come, but she also seemed quite interested in the matchmaking process.

"If I'm really going to teach you a lesson this time, you'll be crying." A few tears were drawn next to the chubby swallow's beady eyes on the paper.

If he really gave Xiao Er the spot in the Imperial Academy today, then Xiao Yan Hui would not be able to look at other people so leisurely, inconsistently, and waveringly. She would have no room for refusal or hesitation. The marriage would have to be changed.

The only person in the Xiao family who currently has this opportunity is the eldest son, Xiao Heyou. But he is the son of the eldest son's wife, so why would Xiao Quexian give away the benefits she herself has received to the eldest son's wife for nothing?

Not only would the first wife offer enough incentives to the second wife, but Xiao Quexian would also naturally set her own conditions. And didn't she have a wish that she had been longing for but had never been able to fulfill?

If Xiao Quexian were to use a spot in the Imperial Academy as a bargaining chip, would anyone not be tempted, whether it was her mother who openly supported Xiao Yan Hui or her brother who was her hidden backer?

As the patriarch of the Xiao family, Xiao Fuyan could barely maintain impartiality between his daughters before. However, if the conflict of interest became between his eldest son and daughters, then whether Xiao Yanhui agreed or not would become irrelevant.

Even if we take a step back and say that Qin Ji was a good match, the Xiao family probably didn't feel much guilt when they forced Xiao Yan to act according to Xiao Er's wishes.

But if that were the case, what would Xiao Yan think? Would she feel like she was facing betrayal and abandonment by everyone? Even though she had only recently transmigrated, Qin Ji could see that she and her mother had developed some mother-daughter affection.

Logically speaking, by severing the still weak ties between her and the Xiao family, and then using the special connection that both of them are transmigrators, as well as their future marriage, Qin Ji was confident that he could completely control this person in the shortest amount of time.

However... that's the problem.

Although Xiao Yan Hui wasn't exactly brilliant, she wasn't stupid either. If she really managed to outmaneuver her this time, then Prince Cheng's identity would have to be kept a secret from her for the rest of his life.

If she ever finds out that Qin Ji and Prince Cheng are the same person, she will surely know what kind of filthy trap is hidden behind this quota for the Imperial Academy. At that time, their cooperation and trust will completely collapse.

"It's not worth it." This was the conclusion Qin Ji reached after weighing the overall situation.

Although Xiao Yanhui is still hesitant, this hesitation is already at its last gasp. Qin Ji is confident that she has no better choice than him. As for strengthening her trust, given the girl's cunning, he can handle it with a little effort after marriage; there's no need for drastic measures.

After all, the most important reason he spared her life that day was that Xiao Yan still retained those moral bottom lines in her heart, that kind of temperament that belonged to modern people, which made Qin Ji feel familiar and safe.

But people's hearts are unpredictable. What if things go wrong and Xiao Yan turns into someone like me? What would be the point of keeping her around?

"Therefore, it is still necessary to preserve her innocent naiveté." Qin Ji found another reason for himself not to rashly harm Xiao Yan Hui.

No matter how he analyzed it, he felt that these reasons were very reasonable, but perhaps even Qin Ji himself overlooked the fact that these reasons were all made up after he made the decision.

And, most importantly, he never used to make such pointless excuses for anything he did.

......

On the other hand, the first place was decided by public nomination, and Xiao Quexian was not the winner. The talented scholars did not even put her in the top three.

The first three are Zheng Xu, Chen Huang, and Liang Zhao. Zheng Xu is the son of the prefectural magistrate, Chen Huang is a member of the famous Chen family in Jiangzuo and a renowned scholar, and Liang Zhao is the Liang Erlang that Xiao Quexian has been longing for.

As luck would have it, Xiao Quexian's poem was praised by everyone. They all said that her poetry was the best among the girls, and only slightly inferior to the top three talents in the entire competition, ranking her fourth.

Looking at her poem placed side by side with Liang Erlangjun's, Xiao Quexian still wore a reserved and humble smile, but in her heart she felt quite proud and sweet, and naturally did not feel that fourth place was any disgrace.

"Sister Xiao, you have such talent yet you were so low-key in the past. You are truly a refined lady. Besides writing poetry, what else are you good at? You must do us the honor of attending our poetry gatherings and book clubs in the future."

The girl who spoke was about fourteen or fifteen years old. Her almond-shaped eyes and peach-blossom cheeks, which were originally quite charming, were actually on her cute round face. The combination of her face shape and features added three points of charm to her seven parts cuteness. She was a girl that people could like at first sight.

Her name is Zheng Yuqi, and she is the younger sister of the champion, Zheng Xu. Although the poem she wrote today is not exceptionally good, it can still be considered excellent.

This girl seemed quite obsessed with poetry and literature. She was originally a complete stranger to the Xiao family girls, but after reading Xiao Quexian's poems, she not only took the initiative to greet them, but also extended a follow-up invitation with sparkling eyes.

After inviting her, he continued to praise her: "Sister, your poem, though only a few words long, is so fitting for the occasion. Your skill is truly admirable."

"That was just a fleeting inspiration, a momentary burst of insight. It doesn't deserve such praise." Xiao Quexian's humble smile began to stiffen slightly, and as her eyes darted around, she saw Xiao Yanhui standing in front of a flower with a half-smile.

"By the way, as my younger sister Xiao Yan Hui, she also loves reading poetry." Xiao Que Xian quickly led Zheng Yu Qi to stand in front of Xiao Yan Hui, and then introduced them to each other, acting like a good older sister.

Zheng Yuqi looked at Xiao Yanhui with delight in her eyes, thinking that she would have another kindred spirit in poetry.

"My level is only enough to read, far inferior to Second Sister's. When we talked about writing poetry just now, my mind went completely blank, and I didn't write a single word!" Xiao Yan Hui dared not meet Zheng Yu Qi's enthusiastic gaze.

When Zheng Yuqi heard Xiao Yan mention that he hadn't written a single word, his interest in her instantly vanished. After a few more casual words, he was about to take Xiao Quexian to meet the sisters from the poetry club.

Watching Xiao Quexian being pulled away by Zheng Yuqi, whose body language clearly indicated that she didn't want to go, Xiao Yanhui lowered her head and chuckled to herself.

"Haha, luckily she was smart enough not to plagiarize, otherwise I would be the one who is in such a dilemma right now, but still has to keep pretending."

That's right, Xiao Yan Hui not only realized that the poem wasn't Xiao Que Xian's, but also knew where she had copied it from.

Although she couldn't memorize the entire poem, she had some recollection of it, as if she had read it in some poetry anthology.

"Qin Ji, Qin Ji, it's a good thing you went out on business this time, otherwise, if things had gone wrong at this flower-viewing banquet, you and Xiao Quexian might have written the exact same poem, and we'd see how you explained that." Xiao Yanhui imagined the scene and couldn't help but laugh.

This poem was most likely stolen by Qin Ji in his previous life, but before he could write it in this life, it was stolen by Xiao Quexian.

"Pfft!" The more I think about it, the funnier it gets, this chaotic plagiarism relationship.

The man, grinning foolishly, secretly slipped away from the crowd with his maid.

While everyone was engrossed in poetry, she chatted briefly with a girl who hadn't participated in the poetry gathering. The girl, surnamed Shen, said that the hydrangeas in the flowerbed on the east side of the garden were truly in full bloom, a vast expanse of vibrant colors.

Now that she was there, Xiao Yan decided to go and take a look.

In another direction, Xiao Quexian also walked towards the east side of the garden, because she saw Liang Erlang, who had only made a brief appearance before leaving, heading east.

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Author's Note: Qin Ji: Frenziedly finding excuses for himself

Xiao Yan replied: Continuing to carefree enjoy the show, it's truly delightful.