Daqing Reborn Prince, Intercepting Si Lili at the Beginning

Chapter 29: The Poetry Gathering Begins! A Surprising Reward! Revenge on Li Chengze!

After the arrival of the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, the poetry gathering officially began.

Since it was already early winter and the weather outside was cold, the event had to be held indoors. The reception hall of the Li County Prince’s mansion could only accommodate about sixty people. So, they had no choice but to use the side halls as well. All the side doors were left open, and the gathering was arranged for a total of 120 guests.

Most of those attending were young masters and ladies from prominent families, with high-ranking or wealthy backgrounds. In addition, there were scholars from these noble households, also of distinguished status. Only about a dozen people had ordinary backgrounds—scholars who had fallen on hard times. These were handpicked by Li Chengyuan himself, all talented in writing stories.

The one that Li Chengyuan paid the most attention to was undoubtedly Yang Wanli. He was currently sitting in the main hall, though in a corner. To avoid making him stand out too much, Li Chengyuan had intentionally seated two other talented yet impoverished scholars beside him.

Aside from the three of them, the rest of the hall was filled with nobility.

Li Chengyuan noticed quite a few familiar faces, but the most surprising ones were Fan Ruoruo and Lin Wan’er. He hadn’t expected either of them to attend. Especially Lin Wan’er, who seldom left her home due to her tuberculosis. Yet, here she was, joining the gathering!

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Once everyone had arrived, Li Chengyuan gave a brief opening speech, then announced the start of the poetry gathering.

Li Hongcheng, who was hosting the event, announced the rules.

The gathering, as expected, revolved around poetry. Every participant could write as many poems as they wished, with no restrictions on topic. Even previously written poems could be submitted, as long as they hadn’t been shown to anyone before; they would count as new works.

Once a poem was written, the participant could recite it publicly. If the audience thought it was good, it would be kept temporarily. By the end of the gathering, the best ten poems would be selected. The authors of these top ten poems would receive the grand prize.

The rewards were quite generous. With Emperor Qing’s permission, Li Chengyuan had taken some of the treasures bestowed upon him by the emperor to use as prizes. These included writing tools, fine paper, pearls, jade, stamps, and folding fans—all items beloved by scholars. Moreover, they were all imperial gifts, items most people had never even seen, let alone owned!

This showed just how precious the rewards were!

Additionally, the winners would have the chance to receive a personally written poem from the Third Prince!

A series of astonishing rewards left the young masters, ladies, and scholars present in shock. They had known that the prizes would be substantial, but they hadn’t expected them to be this magnificent!

Imperial treasures! A poem written by the Third Prince himself!

Each of these was enough to drive them wild with excitement!

After the rules were explained, many attendees were visibly flushed with excitement and immediately began composing their poems. Some, however, were regretting their lack of preparation. They had been so overjoyed upon receiving the invitations that they had forgotten to prepare in advance and now had no poems ready.

In the midst of such a charged atmosphere, finding inspiration and composing on the spot became exceedingly difficult. Nevertheless, they didn’t give up. After all, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Even if they had to force themselves, they would still write something. To give up entirely would leave them with lifelong regret.

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Soon, the first person to complete a poem stood up, sought permission, and then recited their work aloud. After the recitation, comments poured in—some praised the poem, while others offered criticism. In the end, Li Chengyuan decided whether the poem would be kept or not.

The first poem was likely written too hastily; it was neither outstanding nor terrible. However, being the opening act, Li Chengyuan decided to keep it. Keeping the poem didn’t guarantee it would make the final cut, but it was enough to make the author ecstatic.

With the first participant stepping forward, others quickly followed. Soon, young masters and young ladies began presenting their work one after another, each showcasing their talents. The atmosphere grew lively and vibrant.

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By noon, the poetry gathering paused for lunch. The servants of the mansion brought in the dishes, and everyone ate, drank, and discussed the poems from the morning.

Li Chengyuan, meanwhile, spent the meal conversing with the Crown Prince and Second Prince, exchanging pleasantries.

Finally, lunch was over. The servants cleared the tables and brought out tea, fruit, and snacks.

According to the original plan, the gathering was supposed to continue at this point. However, Li Chengyuan suddenly proposed, “Now that everyone has finished eating, sitting here for too long might not be good for digestion. Why don’t we go outside for a bit of exercise?”

The Crown Prince, sitting beside him, chimed in, “Third Brother, it’s freezing outside. How do you plan on having us exercise?”

Everyone looked at Li Chengyuan with curiosity.

With a slight smile, Li Chengyuan responded, “It’s simple! Let’s go outside and watch a duel.”

As he spoke, he suddenly turned to Li Chengze, smiling broadly, “Second Brother, I heard that your guard, Xie Bi’an, is known as the fastest swordsman in the capital?”

Li Chengze was momentarily stunned, but quickly recovered and laughed, “You must be joking, Third Brother. That’s just a rumor. Xie Bi’an only knows some basic martial arts; he doesn’t deserve the title of the fastest swordsman.”

Li Chengyuan continued to smile, “Second Brother, you’re always so modest. Xie Bi’an serves as your personal guard, so even if he’s not the fastest, he can’t be far off, right?”

Li Chengze’s eyes narrowed slightly. He had already figured out that Li Chengyuan was deliberately targeting him. So, after a light laugh, Li Chengze replied, “Third Brother, if you have something to say, just come out with it.”

“My thoughts are simple,” Li Chengyuan said. “I have a maid who loves practicing martial arts, especially spear techniques. When she heard that Xie Bi’an is the fastest swordsman in the capital, she wanted to challenge him. I thought it would be a good opportunity for everyone to enjoy a bit of entertainment.”

Li Chengze was caught off guard once again. He had considered many possibilities, but he hadn’t expected Li Chengyuan to propose a duel between Xie Bi’an and a maid.

And a maid at that?

Li Chengze’s first thought was that Li Chengyuan was underestimating Xie Bi’an. Xie Bi’an was one of his most skilled guards. Although only at the eighth rank, he was extremely close to reaching the ninth rank. There were very few people in the capital, or even in the entire kingdom, who could defeat him in a duel.

Given the limited number of ninth-rank experts, all of them were well-known.

Now, Li Chengyuan wanted to pit a maid against Xie Bi’an? This was practically an insult! A duel with a maid—whether Xie Bi’an won or lost—would be disgraceful. If he won, it wouldn’t be an honorable victory, and if he lost, it would be utterly humiliating.

Li Chengze’s first instinct was to refuse. After all, agreeing to this wouldn’t bring any benefit.

But before he could decline, Li Chengyuan added, “To make the duel more interesting, I’m offering a prize. Whoever wins will receive a poem personally written by me. Additionally, if they agree to the duel, I’ll compose a poem for each of the ten winners of the poetry gathering at the end of the event. What do you think?”

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