Now I really have to marry the princess.

Chapter 34 That waist, so slender it could be grasped in one hand

Li Yifu looked around and found that not only Du and Fang were looking at him with anticipation, but everyone present was also waiting for him to continue writing.

There was only one person in the room, standing calmly with his hands behind his back, as if the outcome was entirely in his hands.

This person must be Yang Zhengdao, the prince of the previous dynasty.

Let's look at the two lines of poetry written by Du and Fang.

Li Yifu shook his head inwardly.

The dragon throne swayed, creating waves a thousand feet high. If Prime Minister Fang were to see this, Fang Yi'ai would likely receive a severe beating.

Night after night, songs were sung in the Jiaofang Palace. Du He had clearly been led astray by his bad friend Fang Yi'ai.

But when these two sentences are put together, they swirl in Li Yifu's mind like a curse.

Simply put, it's so vivid!

Like a match made in heaven, Li Yifu inexplicably wanted to add two more lines to create a quatrain.

Then, two lines of poetry naturally came to mind.

Night after night of revelry and song, the king, exhausted and pale.

What kind of rubbish is this?!

Li Yifu shook his head vigorously, trying his best to shake off the image of the emperor exhausted from his mind.

Looking again at the phrase "A smile that turns heads and captivates all" written by Yang Zhengdao, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

At this point, Li Yifu no longer dared to hope that he could surpass Yang Zhengdao. He only hoped that his writing could be better than that of Du and Fang, so as to save face.

To avoid losing too humiliatingly, Li Yifu clasped his hands in a respectful bow to Yang Zhengdao, then stood up and smiled, saying:

"My name is Li Yifu. Although I am not good at Yuefu poetry, I hope to offer my humble opinion and wait for your brilliance, Young Master Yang."

Yang Zhengdao raised an eyebrow. Sure enough, Li Yifu was a man of cunning and ruthlessness. No wonder he later became prime minister with such emotional intelligence.

One shouldn't hit a smiling face, so Yang Zhengdao returned the greeting with clasped hands and gestured for him to enter.

After much deliberation and pacing, Li Yifu finally had no choice but to bite the bullet and write:

Her favored concubine was the most beautiful among the six palaces.

There was a moment of silence, then a murmur of discussion arose.

Some people praised it highly: "This sentence perfectly captures the meaning and atmosphere; it's truly a masterpiece!"

Someone whispered in agreement: "This young man is indeed exceptionally talented, far surpassing the sons of the two prime ministers!"

Both Du and Fang looked grim! Then they thought that as long as they could defeat Yang Zhengdao, that would be good.

Du He breathed a sigh of relief.

Fang Yi'ai glanced at Yang Zhengdao with an arrogant expression.

Knowing that his poem could only appease Du and Fang, Li Yifu bowed again to Yang Zhengdao and said, "I know I am just showing off my limited skills, so I hope you will not hesitate to teach me, Young Master Yang."

The meaning is clear: I admit defeat. I'm here purely to learn, and nothing else is my concern.

Giving up is useless, because I have terrible teammates.

Before Yang Zhengdao could react, Fang Yi'ai burst into laughter: "Young Master Yang, Young Master Li was just being modest. You didn't take it seriously, did you?"

Li Yifu's face immediately darkened; at that moment, he really wanted to stab Fang Yi'ai in the lower back.

Yang Zhengdao saw Li Yifu's expression and was both amused and exasperated. He really didn't know whether Fang Yi'ai was truly stupid or just naive.

It's getting late; I still need to go and meet that Cherry Blossom Lady who has the original owner so infatuated with her.

Without further delay, Yang Zhengdao stepped forward, picked up his pen again, and announced the standard answer:

The beauties of the six palaces paled in comparison.

After writing the seven characters, he gently put down his pen.

The entire room was deathly silent; you could hear a pin drop.

A moment later, gasps of surprise erupted from the crowd.

Some people genuinely exclaimed, "What a captivating smile! It makes all the beauties of the imperial harem pale in comparison. It's simply a masterpiece of nature."

Upon hearing this, Yang Zhengdao thought to himself, "If it was written by the same person, it would naturally be a perfect work, not a superfluous addition."

Some nodded in agreement and remarked, "Although comparing himself to Cao Zhi is a boastful statement from a young man, he far surpasses the sons of the two prime ministers!"

Who is it?! Not again?!

When Du and Fang saw the poem written by Yang Zhengdao, they knew they had to admit defeat today. But when they heard it being used as a comparison again, their faces inevitably turned ugly once more.

Li Yifu slammed his fist into his palm and sighed in regret.

The beauties of the six palaces paled in comparison. Of the seven words, he had already thought of five.

It's such a pity!

But then Li Yifu felt something was off; Yang Zhengdao's continuation didn't seem like the ending of a poem at all.

He read it through again from beginning to end and guessed a possibility.

The poem isn't over yet!

So he bowed respectfully to Yang Zhengdao again and said, "Young Master Yang, this poem must have a sequel. I wonder if you could show it to Yifu so that I can see the whole thing and satisfy my longing heart."

Upon hearing this, everyone was initially taken aback, but then they all echoed his sentiments.

Yang Zhengdao simply smiled faintly, looked at everyone and said loudly, "I know that Fang Erlang and Du Erlang must have a lot of grievances in their hearts."

Fang Yi'ai suddenly looked up. "I'm not dissatisfied! Do I have to admit it in person?"

He gritted his teeth and was about to admit defeat in public, but Du He stopped him.

Du He cursed Yang Zhengdao inwardly for his petty smugness, and said angrily, "Yang Dalang, it's just a string of cash, why make such a scene!"

"No! No!" Yang Zhengdao quickly denied.

"As Mr. Li said, this is a long poem. Starting tomorrow, I will leave out one line each day. You two are free to search for talented people in Chang'an. As long as someone can provide the matching line and it is better than my original, I will still consider myself the loser."

"The stakes will remain the same each time, how about it!?"

The entire place fell silent again, and after a moment someone shouted, "Du Erlang, Fang Erlang, don't back down!"

Others echoed his sentiments.

These young nobles were naturally not afraid of making a big fuss; their commotion was simply to see just how magnificent the long poem Yang Zhengdao had described was.

Du He narrowed his eyes slightly. He really couldn't figure out where Yang Zhengdao got his confidence from. Could he be the reincarnation of Cao Zhi, a banished immortal descended to earth?

Fang Yi'ai was at a loss at this moment. He originally thought that Yang Zhengdao was just like him, ignorant and incompetent, which was why he was so fearless.

Now that he has seen that Yang Zhengdao is indeed a man of great wisdom and strategy, he naturally loses the will to fight against him.

When Du He saw that Fang Yi'ai was ready to retreat, he suddenly felt dizzy.

So eager to stir up trouble, yet so incompetent when it comes to taking responsibility.

But it was absolutely impossible for him to bow down and submit like Fang Yi'ai, so he immediately shouted angrily:

"Yang Zhengdao, don't underestimate the heroes of the world! Chang'an is full of talented men, do you think I, Du He, am afraid of you!"

After uttering those harsh words, Du He abandoned Fang Yi'ai and stormed off.

Fang Yi'ai glanced at Yang Zhengdao, sighed, and felt utterly helpless.

Just as he was about to leave, Yang Zhengdao called him back.

Yang Zhengdao smiled and cupped his hands to everyone, saying, "Thank you for your hospitality, Second Master Fang. Today's banquet will be paid for by Young Master Fang!"

As soon as Yang Zhengdao finished speaking, the whole hall erupted in cheers.

Fang Yi'ai was taken aback at first, then realized that the bet for today had not yet been paid.

He accepted the money receipt from his stepmother, signed the document, and couldn't help but curse Du He inwardly for being unkind.

The stepmother accepted the money note with a broad smile, hoping that Yang Langjun's poem would be as long as possible.

With such a bet, her place could become famous in the Southern Opera.

We must have Yingluo keep this talented Yang a safe place.

After hurriedly greeting the other guests, the stepmother led Yang Zhengdao with great enthusiasm to the boudoir of Lady Yingluo in the backyard.

They walked until they reached a secluded house in the backyard, where the stepmother bowed and quietly withdrew.

Yang Zhengdao took a deep breath and pushed open the slightly ajar door.

A slender figure could be seen bending down, fiddling with a Boshan incense burner on the table.

She wore a moon-colored pleated skirt paired with an apricot-red short top, which accentuated her slender waist, so delicate that it made one want to hug her from behind.