Chapter 35: A Little Something, But Not Much

"What? Tea?"

Everyone was stunned. What was this guy trying to do? While others were drinking wine and composing poetry, he was drinking tea? Who did he think he was?

Yuwen Yue let out a mocking laugh. "What is it? Is Heir Xie afraid to drink, or is he incapable of it? If you don't even dare to drink, how can you talk about poetry?" In his eyes, Xie Ning was clearly showing signs of stage fright.

"Drinking wine?" Xie Ning glanced at him as if looking at an idiot. "That is something only you commoners need. I don't need such things to inspire my poetry." He paused, then spoke slowly in a tone that was incredibly calm yet carried an aura of boundless arrogance. "In the past, there was Li Bai, who composed a hundred poems for every jug of wine. As for me, Xie Ning..." He smiled. "I'll just have some tea."

The words were earth-shattering. The entire Imperial Garden fell into a deathly silence. Everyone was left with a tingling sensation on their scalps, shaken by the contemptuous arrogance contained in his statement. Yet, countless people were left wondering: who was this "Li Bai"?

Even Li Qingning couldn't help but cover her mouth with her hand, her beautiful eyes filled with shock. She knew Xie Ning was confident, but she hadn't expected him to be confident to such an extent.

In the Imperial Garden, the silence was absolute. Everyone was so thoroughly scorched by Xie Ning's claim that he didn't need "those things" to inspire his writing that they couldn't utter a word for a long time. Even the Empress Dowager, seated at the head of the assembly, had her mouth slightly agape in utter disbelief. In all her years, she had never seen anyone so brazen.

After a brief silence, an uproar erupted.

"Madman! He is a complete madman!"

"Who does he think he is? Does he think we scholars are all drunkards?"

"An ignorant fool! He is insulting poetry, and he is insulting all of us scholars."

"Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, such a deranged person should be dragged out and beaten to death!"

The veteran scholars were so furious their beards trembled; they pounded the tables, burning with righteous indignation. Xie Ning, a notorious playboy, had dared to speak with such shameless arrogance—it was beyond tolerable.

Yuwen Yue was trembling with rage. He pointed at Xie Ning, his anger turning into a sneer. "Fine, a fine 'just have some tea.' Xie Ning, today I want to see what kind of earth-shattering masterpiece you can produce from that cup of tea. If you can't come up with anything, don't blame me for making you eat every bit of dirt in this Imperial Garden."

Facing the pointing fingers and the seething crowd, Xie Ning remained as calm and composed as ever. He even had the leisure to smile at Taohua, who was walking over with the tea.

"Thank you." He took the cup, gently blew the tea leaves floating on the surface, and took a slow, savoring sip. "Mmm, good tea."

His relaxed and self-satisfied demeanor nearly caused the scholars to faint on the spot. It was an insult. A naked, shameless insult!

"Enough." The Empress Dowager’s cold voice rang out from the pavilion. "Cease the clamor." Although she longed to tear Xie Ning to shreds, she wanted even more to see him crushed by Yuwen Yue in their poetry duel and humiliated before the entire world. She wanted this madman to die with his failure laid bare.

"The competition begins," she said coldly. "The first topic: the autumn scenery of this Imperial Garden. You have the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn. Whoever finishes first shall recite first."

As she spoke, a eunuch lit a stick of incense and placed it in the burner. Wisps of smoke curled upward, marking the time. All eyes were instantly fixed on Yuwen Yue and Xie Ning.

Yuwen Yue took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He knew this was not the time for anger. He would use the most perfect poem to answer Xie Ning’s arrogance. His gaze swept across the garden. In the golden autumn, chrysanthemums were in full bloom, maple leaves burned like fire, and the rockeries, streams, pavilions, and towers all formed a beautiful vista. Almost instantly, countless verses flooded his mind.

He picked up the prepared brush and ink, pondered for a moment, and began to write furiously on the rice paper. His movements were fluid and seamless. His air of confidence drew nods and praise from the surrounding scholars.

"As expected of Young Master Yuwen, such quick wit; we are truly inferior."

"Looking at his expression, he must have already found a brilliant verse."

"This battle has no suspense at all."

On the other side, everyone turned their eyes toward Xie Ning. They were shocked to find that the arrogant fellow was... still sitting there, leisurely drinking his tea? He hadn't even picked up a brush. He simply leaned back in his chair, holding his cup, watching Yuwen Yue write with a faint, enigmatic smile on his lips. He didn't look like he was in a competition at all; he looked like he was watching a play.

"What on earth is this guy doing?"

"Has he given up?"

"I think so. He can't write anything at all, so he’s just throwing in the towel."

"Heh, I knew it. He’s just a flashy spear head—looks good, but useless."

The crowd whispered, their eyes filled with scorn and ridicule. Li Qingning's heart rose to her throat again. She watched Xie Ning nervously, her palms soaked in cold sweat. What exactly was this guy thinking?

Time passed, second by second. The incense had already burned halfway down. Just then, Yuwen Yue set down his brush. He placed it on the rack and a satisfied smile appeared on his face. He stood up, lifted his poem, and held it high.

"Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, I have completed my work." His voice was loud and confident, echoing throughout the Imperial Garden. Instantly, all eyes focused on him.

"Oh? So fast." A smile touched the Empress Dowager's lips. "Recite it for us."

"Yes." Yuwen Yue cleared his throat and recited in a rhythmic, sonorous tone:

"Autumn Excursion in the Imperial Garden:
The golden breeze brings coolness to the imperial grounds,
Jade towers and pavilions lock in the clear autumn.
Before the stairs, white dew condenses like cold jade,
In the pond, koi play amidst golden ripples.
The maple forest is drunk, stained a thousand layers of crimson,
The chrysanthemum garden wafts fragrance for ten thousand li.
The holy grace is vast, matching this beautiful scene,
I wish to guard your reign for a thousand autumns."

The seven-character regulated verse ended. The entire garden was silent for a moment, then erupted into thunderous applause.

"A fine poem! Truly a fine poem!"

"The parallelism is precise, the imagery is vast; it captures both the beauty of the autumn scenery and praises the imperial grace—it is truly marvelous."

"Especially the lines about the maple forest and the chrysanthemum garden, it captures the very spirit of this garden's autumn charm!"

"Young Master Yuwen's talent is beyond our reach!"