Chapter 18: I Refuse to Believe

When the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were brought in, Qin Hao lowered the curtain that blocked the view, preventing those outside from seeing what was happening inside.

Only then did Qin Hao release his grip on Ma Yingze’s hand.

Ma Yingze first rubbed his underarm in pain, his face flushed with urgency. “Brother Shen, I don’t know poetry at all. Aren’t you just setting me up?”

“But I do,” Qin Hao said calmly.

He exhaled two words softly: “Brother Ma, since they’re deliberately provoking us, how can we back down?”

“Tonight, brother, I’ll take you to sleep with the courtesan to repay your kindness.”

“Ah?”

“Ah!”

Ma Yingze was dumbfounded.

No matter how reckless he was, he knew the Young Master of Qingqiu was formidable.

After all, being hailed as one of the three greatest young talents in the capital was no small feat.

“Brother Shen, can we really do this? If we give up now, the worst is just embarrassment.”

“If we can’t produce good work, the embarrassment would be much greater.”

Ma Yingze whispered.

Qin Hao smiled and said, “Brother Ma, trust me.”

Without hesitation, Qin Hao picked up the brush and began to write.

Outside the curtain, those who couldn’t see inside murmured among themselves.

Only the Young Master of Qingqiu sneered with disdain.

No matter how mysterious it seemed, it was useless.

He knew Ma Yingze’s level all too well.

Those who could get along with Ma Yingze were mostly rough, uncultured brawlers.

After a short while, Qin Hao handed the finished paper to Ma Yingze. “Brother Ma, hold your chest high and present it to them.”

Ma Yingze couldn’t understand what Qin Hao had written.

Some lines were long, some short—is that really alright?

Shouldn’t each line of a poem be the same length?

At this moment, he could only grit his teeth, lift the curtain, and adopt a proud posture, snorting coldly: “This is my masterpiece. Take it!”

Surprisingly, Ma Yingze’s attitude piqued the curiosity of many.

Everyone wanted to see what kind of beautiful verses this rough brawler could produce.

Only the Young Master of Qingqiu was already prepared to mock.

When the paper reached Mei’s personal maid, she read aloud clearly.

The tune was “Bu Suan Zi: Ode to Plum Blossom.”

“By the broken bridge outside the station, lonely blooms open without a master. At dusk, sorrowful alone, buffeted by wind and rain.”

“Unwilling to compete bitterly for spring, letting the myriad flowers envy. Falling to mud, crushed to dust, only the fragrance remains as before.”

When the maid finished reading the entire poem, the entire Fengyue Pavilion fell into complete silence.

The moment was so abrupt it felt as if everyone had been paused.

Even the Young Master of Qingqiu, ready to sneer, widened his eyes and gaped in shock.

As for tonight’s leading lady, Miss Mei, when she heard the line “Unwilling to compete bitterly for spring, letting the myriad flowers envy,” her body trembled slightly.

When the maid finished the last line, she couldn’t help but step forward two paces, her gaze lingering long on Ma Yingze.

This poem was stunning.

A timeless classic destined to be remembered for generations!

The lines “By the broken bridge outside the station, lonely blooms open without a master. At dusk, sorrowful alone, buffeted by wind and rain,” spoke precisely of her drifting in the world of pleasures, lonely and helpless, feeling the cold and warmth alone.

The following lines, “Unwilling to compete bitterly for spring, letting the myriad flowers envy. Falling to mud, crushed to dust, only the fragrance remains as before,” reflected how she never flaunted herself, wishing only to bloom quietly and fall quietly, even if her body withered and sank into the mud...

Miss Mei couldn’t help but shed tears, choking up as she repeated, “Falling to mud, crushed to dust, only the fragrance remains as before.”

At the end, she bowed deeply to Ma Yingze, her voice husky: “Thank you, Young Master Ma, for your gifted poem. Thank you for your kindness.”

“I understand your intentions, Young Master. Tonight, please show mercy.”

Ma Yingze was stunned.

Suddenly, everyone was silent.

Then Miss Mei, tearfully, invited him to spend the night.

Suddenly, he became the brightest star in the room.

Miss Xue quietly repeated to herself, “Sister Mei, with this poem, your life is not in vain.”

“Sister, your name will be immortalized alongside this poem.”

The many talents present also emerged from the poem’s realm.

A perfect quatrain, a timeless masterpiece.

No one expected to witness the birth of such a dazzling poem tonight at Fengyue Pavilion.

Even if they weren’t chosen by the courtesan, it was worth it!

Worth it!

At this moment, Qin Hao reminded the bewildered Ma Yingze, “Brother Ma, Miss Mei’s sincere invitation—don’t let her kindness go to waste.”

Only then did Ma Yingze’s shock turn to elation, grinning foolishly: “Mercy—definitely mercy.”

But an angry and suspicious voice rang out out of place: “No, I don’t believe it. I don’t believe Ma Yingze could write such a beautiful poem.”

“He’s a crude brawler. There’s no way he wrote that.”

“Plagiarized—he must have copied it.”

Only then did everyone snap back to reality.

Right.

They almost forgot that Ma Yingze was just a crude brawler.

How could such a rough man write a timeless masterpiece?

Even Miss Mei slightly lifted her veil, her eyes casting a trace of doubt toward Ma Yingze.

“Hmph, if you can’t admit defeat, then admit it. I won, and yet you accuse me of plagiarism. Then tell me where I copied from!”

Ma Yingze cursed, his gaze full of contempt toward the Young Master of Qingqiu.

Such a performance, and such a stunning poem—it seemed impossible that Ma Yingze had written it.

How could the Young Master of Qingqiu watch Ma Yingze stay overnight with Miss Mei and then challenge him?

“Unless you can write another poem at this level, I won’t believe you didn’t copy it.”

“Otherwise, how can you prove you didn’t buy or copy the poem before coming?”

As soon as these words came out, other talents nodded eagerly.

Indeed, if someone who plagiarized or purchased poems won against them, it would be humiliating.

Miss Mei also spoke softly, “Young Master Ma, would you care to write another poem? It need not reach the level of a timeless masterpiece—just one or two lines of that caliber will suffice.”

Ma Yingze felt like killing the Young Master of Qingqiu.

He was about to win the beauty, and now this troublemaker was stirring up problems again!

But if he had to write another poem, what the hell was he supposed to do?

It all depended on what Brother Shen said.

Qin Hao snorted coldly, standing beside Ma Yingze: “Hmph, who do you look down on?”

“Young Master Ma has great talent, just wait!”

With that, Qin Hao drew the curtain closed again.

Without hesitation, Qin Hao dipped his brush and ink.

Soon, a poem leapt vividly onto the paper.

Ma Yingze’s admiration for Qin Hao grew stronger.

It wasn’t that he disliked scholars, but he despised those hypocritical literati like the Young Master of Qingqiu.

Instead, he naturally wanted to befriend someone like Qin Hao, who was down-to-earth and unpretentious.

At this moment, everyone was waiting.

The talents inside were conflicted.

They wanted to see another breathtaking poem to make this night worthwhile.

But they also didn’t want to be outshone by a crude brawler.

As they wrestled with these contradictory feelings, the curtain was drawn back.

Everyone’s eyes immediately focused on the paper in Ma Yingze’s hand.

All the complex emotions transformed into eager anticipation.

A servant hurriedly handed the paper to Miss Mei’s maid.