Chapter 42: The Eternal Absolute (Seeking Fresh Flowers and Seeking Collections)

  "Despicable little brat!" Chai Lingwu, Fang Yiai, and Du Tian all thought this at the same time, but Du Tian actually knew Li Yunfei's identity, so he didn't blow up. However, some people couldn't take it anymore, such as Chai Lingwu and Fang Yiai, who had already become his best guns in his heart, and he would make a great gunman himself.

  "Miss Changsun! Miss Changsun! Shouldn't we be heading to the poetry gathering? It seems like it's about to start." Chai Lingwu was furious that Li Yunfei had stolen his thunder, but in front of this number one talent of Chang'an, he didn't dare to act rashly, whether it was due to her talent or family background, so he could only endure this temporary anger.

  "That's not urgent, Master Chai, can you please go ask them what they're playing with? I'm really curious and like it!" Long Sun Zhen'er saw that Li Yunfei, who was originally looking at her and writing poetry for her, was now treating another woman in a similar way. Maybe they didn't have any relationship, but to Long Sun Zhen'er, it was absolutely not allowed.

  What kind of person is Changsun Qianer? Almost under the circumstances of everyone's boast, Zhangda grew up, and Changsun Wuji was even more fond of this daughter, holding her in his mouth and afraid to break her. Even her aunt, Empress Changsun, was extremely loving towards her. Under such circumstances, what kind of person would Changsun Qianer grow up to be?

  Li Yunfei's sudden change gave her a feeling that something had been taken away from her, perhaps this is some kind of psychological phenomenon in girls, things that are not usually paid attention to, but when they suddenly appear in someone else's hands, it can be quite uncomfortable.

  "Hey! What's this stuff? Miss Changsun wants it so badly, so bring it all over! It's an honor for you to give Miss Changsun your things!" Chai Lingwu was delighted and carried out Changsun Qinger's words as if they were sacred orders. Moreover, he had been resentful or jealous of Li Yunfei, jealous of his talent, and jealous of the attention he received.

  "What did you say? Dare to say it again!" Li Yunfei hadn't even finished speaking, and Xiao La Jiao had already jumped out, glaring at Chai Lingwu. He might intimidate others, but the fearless Xiao La Jiao wouldn't be afraid of him. Chai Lingwu also knew Xiao La Jiao, only his attention had been focused on Chang Sun Qinger from the start, so when he saw it was Xiao La Jiao, he was slightly surprised.

  "Who am I? It turns out to be the thousand gold of Lu Guogong, and it's really as mighty as it was in those years!" There was a bit of sarcasm in Chai Lingwu's words, after all, describing a beautiful girl as "mighty" was still not quite right.

  "Hum! You're looking for a fight!" As expected, Little Chili's personality was like a barrel of gunpowder, ready to ignite at any moment. So, Little Chili took the bait and fell into Chai Lingwu's trap. Chai Lingwu's martial arts skills were not weak, while Little Chili's skills were probably only good enough for delivering vegetables. Although Little Chili's skills might be on par with Chai Lingwu's, in terms of strength, he was at a disadvantage.

  "Xiao Jiao, don't move your hands! I heard this is the carriage of Miss Changsun, the number one talented woman in Chang'an City. Since it's what Miss Changsun wants, I should naturally offer it with both hands!" Li Yunfei was completely overturned by the sudden arrival of Chai Lingwu, especially when he knew that he was sent by Changsun Qinger.

  "How can we...?" Xiao La Jiao immediately became unhappy, originally thinking that Li Yun Fei would have some good ideas, but unexpectedly Li Yun Fei actually really sent such a beautiful kite up there, how could Xiao La Jiao bear it? Not to mention Xiao La Jiao, even Xiao Lian and Li Qing Shu couldn't imagine that Li Yun Fei, this little prince, would lower his head and admit defeat like this.

  "Xiao Jiao, I really didn't expect you to be Uncle Cheng's daughter. If something happens to you, how can I explain it? Besides, I'm a man, and how can I stand behind a woman? From now on, I'll take care of things! A woman should always stand behind a man!" Li Yunfei said these words with a strong masculine tone, but looking at the burly Chai Lingwu still made him feel a bit uneasy. However, as a man, especially one with a big ego like Li Yunfei, standing behind a woman was absolutely humiliating.

  "What's wrong? You're so fierce to others!" Xiao La Jiao said, but still obediently walked behind Li Yun Fei, pouting her mouth, with a hint of smile at the corner of her mouth, and a different flavor in her eyes towards Li Yun Fei.

  "Hmm! I don't know what to call this gentleman? As for Miss Changsun, I also admire her very much, but I don't know if she has the strength to be called the number one talented woman of Chang'an City!" Li Yunfei stood proudly in front of Chai Lingwu, and his body had become much stronger after these days of training. Although he was not as robust as Chai Lingwu, he was also nearly 1.8 meters tall.

  "What is your identity? How dare you speak to Miss Changsun like that? And remember, I am Chai Lingwu, the second son of the current Lord of Zhao, Chai Shao. Remember!" Chai Lingwu said proudly to Li Yunfei, as if his family background had become something he could show off about.

  "Wait a minute! Since this young master suspects me, then please let this young master ask the questions!" Changsun Zhaoyi also had her own pride, and perhaps she was also curious about Li Yunfei, especially since he stood up in a threatening situation. He might be a weak scholar, but at that moment, Li Yunfei was undoubtedly a strong man in everyone's eyes.

  "Miss Changsun, why bother? I can just give these things to you directly!" Chai Lingwu said somewhat discontentedly to Changsun Qinger, but seeing her tightly furrowed brow, he could only sulkily glare at Li Yunfei before obediently walking behind Changsun Qinger.

  "Miss Changsun is indeed talented, I have a couplet here that no one has been able to match until now. If Miss Changsun can match this couplet, I will present these kites to her with both hands!" Li Yunfei made a Confucian salute to Changsun Qinger, then gazed at her intently and said.

  "Gentleman, please go first with the upper couplet. I, a humble girl, will try to see if I can come up with an absolute match for what you say!" Changsun Qinger was also interested in Li Yunfei's challenge and wanted to see what kind of absolute match it was.

  "Miss Changsun, listen carefully, 'Smoke locks the pond and willow!'". When Li Yunfei said this couplet, he also wrote it on the ground with a tree branch. After all, Chinese characters are profound and complex, and he was afraid that the other party would mishear it as a homophonic character. This couplet was something he had undoubtedly seen on Baidu before.

  Different materials have different conclusions about this couplet, some say "smoke locks pond willow" comes from Tang poetry, some say it originated from Chen Zisheng in the late Ming Dynasty, and more say it comes from Qianlong.

  It is said that during the Qianlong period, a certain civil service examination produced two candidates who stood out from the rest and were evenly matched. The emperor then presented them with this couplet to test them: one candidate took one look at it and immediately turned around and left; the other thought about it for half a day but also ended up leaving in dismay. The emperor then appointed the first candidate as the top winner. When his ministers asked him why, he said: "This couplet of mine is an absolute test - anyone who can make a decision at a single glance must be a superior talent."

  "The smoke locks the pool and willow" is indeed a masterpiece, with five characters in the upper line, each character embedded with five strokes as radicals, and the meaning is very clever. It seems simple but is actually very difficult, with some people even considering it to be "the most difficult in the world".