Chapter 6 - 6 Emerging Talent

Words : 1077 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 6: Chapter 6 Emerging Talent If it wasn't for Zhan Liluo spotting Li's maidservant Xiao Tao, she truly wouldn't have recognized that this beauty outshining all others was Zhan Lan! The adopted daughter from the main branch of the family! Before, she simply thought Zhan Lan had thick brows and almond eyes, without makeup, and an air of masculinity about her. Now dressed like a young lady, her facial features appeared exceptionally radiant. Reluctantly she said to Cui Ying, "Didn't recognize her? That's my eldest uncle's adopted daughter, Zhan Lan!" Cui Ying's pupils shook, and she tugged on Zhan Liluo's sleeve, saying, "No way! Are you talking about Zhan Xuerou's sidekick!" "Mhm." Zhan Liluo nodded helplessly. Thinking about Zhan Lan's status, Cui Ying suddenly felt like she lowered the prestige of the Book Forest Conference. She mocked, "So it's that adopted girl, no matter how pretty she dresses up, her mind is like a wasteland, only acquainted with fists and feet, utterly vulgar!" Zhan Liluo smiled noncommittally. The group of noble daughters also looked disdainfully toward Zhan Lan; in Nanjin where the social hierarchy was rigid, the daughters of concubines were already looked down upon by noble daughters, let alone an adopted daughter! Zhan Lan sat in an inconspicuous seat, but the gaze following her came from across. No one would penetrate a plain exterior to understand a person's heart; since beauty is a woman's weapon, Zhan Lan was not stingy in using it. Princes and sons of eminent families also noticed her. Zhan Lan sat quietly, her almond eyes clear, her eyebrow like a willow flirting with the spring breeze, lips red and teeth white, a mole between her brows, and a purple gauze dress with a moon motif that added a hazy beauty to her heroic face. A pearl hair sway was inserted in her hair, simple yet dignified. "Master Wang Qingchen, this lady is different from the others, exuding a calm and a maturity that doesn't match her age!" A young nobleman leaned in to Wang Qingchen. Wearing blue, the scholarly Wang Qingchen's narrow eyes fell on Zhan Lan. The woman across looked indifferent as if she had seen all of life's hardships, unflustered by honor or disgrace, intriguing one to discover more. Zhan Lan glanced sideways, her eyes landing on the front row. There, a probing gaze was also sizing her up, and shortly, a man clothed in white, wearing a jade crown with affectionate peach blossom eyes, bowed his head and stopped looking at her. Zhan Lan took one glance at him and felt her body stiffen, breathing constricted; she dug her nails into her palm to remind herself not to act impulsively. Si Jun! The seventeen-year-old Young Master Si! Her husband from her previous life! And the enemy with whom she shared an irreconcilable hatred! She slowly sat down, her beautiful eyes swept around, and finally stopped on Si Jun. Si Jun's gaze drifted lightly onto her, and in an instant, he went back to fiddling with the jade porcelain cup in his hand, leaving Zhan Xuerou feeling a bit disappointed. Unlike the indifference that met Zhan Lan's seating, Zhan Xuerou, being the legitimate daughter of the General Mansion, was greeted with smiles from several noble ladies, and some even came over to say hello directly. Zhan Xuerou was haughty; she courteously acknowledged them but as the legitimate daughter of the General Mansion, she couldn't be bothered to engage with those of lesser family stature. Right now, the most important thing was to stand out in the upcoming poetic contest, hoping to catch the attention of Young Master Si. "Dean Qingfeng has arrived!" The Dean of the Qingfeng Scholar from Yunyin Academy arrived in the hall under the watchful eyes of everyone. Qingfeng was a Great Scholar of Nanjin, with followers all over the country, but he had very high standards, personally taught only a dozen or so disciples. After passing the age of sixty, he would select one disciple each year at the Book Forest Conference. Qingfeng Scholar's long white eyebrows fluttered in the breeze, his long face, and dark garments gave him an air of an ethereal sage. After he took his seat, he signaled for the contest to begin. An examiner with small eyes coughed softly, "Today we have three rounds of contests. The first round is to make matched couplets, the second round is to compose a poem on a given topic, the third round is to compose a poem on a self-chosen topic." Everyone was holding their breath in anticipation, the examiner with small eyes flipped his sleeve and said, "For the first round of matched couplets, there are a total of ten questions. The first couplet: Lanterns all around, a single layer of paper, bright and splendid, illuminating everywhere to the southeast and northwest." The examiner with small eyes said confidently, "You can think it over before answering, please signal with your card." Within a few breaths, Zhan Lan lifted the red wooden card on the table, her voice clear and cold, "Studied for a year, for eight strings of cash, painstakingly toiling, through all seasons, spring to winter!" The room was filled with focused gazes; such speed was a bit too fast. The examiner with small eyes' eyes widened a bit, and he confidently threw out the second couplet, "After the rain, the forest mists, the rocks exhale freshness!" While the others were still pondering, Zhan Lan composedly replied, "Autumn adds green mountains into one's poetic heart." Zhan Xuerou felt a surge of vexation and turning towards the direction of the voice, saw the woman in purple. "Zhan... Lan!" She had never expected the ordinarily plain Zhan Lan, after dressing up, could look so stunning! And wasn't she supposed to be a coarse individual? Aside from learning to read with her in the private school during their childhood, she had never heard of Zhan Lan studying poetry or prose! This was truly beyond belief! How could Zhan Lan possibly create matching couplets so quickly, and to such a high standard at that? Zhan Xuerou's fingers dug into the nanmu table; not even a talented woman like herself could match that! It must be just her good luck! She didn't believe it — she would just wait and see!

Chapter 6 - 6 Emerging Talent

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