Sick Man Turns Out to be a General

After the civil and military officials gave their gifts, the eunuch beside the emperor shouted, "Let the banquet begin!" Dozens of palace maids and eunuchs brought up dishes one after another. Among them, the most eye-catching were some snacks.    

    

Everyone looked at the few unique snacks and whispered, "What kind of snacks are these? Why haven't I seen it before? "    

    

"Yeah, it smells really good, but I wonder how it tastes like?"    

    

"..."    

    

Seeing them discussing amongst themselves, Shen Jingli could not help but find it funny.    

    

Zhan Tialan was also very shocked, she looked at Shen Jingli, and suddenly felt that it was not that simple for Mu Chen to have a wife.    

    

The empress dowager looked at everyone with satisfaction as they discussed amongst themselves. Her eyes and mouth were filled with curiosity towards the snacks, and she purposely borrowed them from Shen Jingli.    

    

In fact, Yang Ningxin's shop had already sold pizza before, but at that time they were selling small pizza, the type that was the size of a palm. Today, they were selling large pizza, with a price of 18 inches.    

    

The empress dowager ordered people to cut the pizza into pieces and split it into pieces before saying, "There's no need to be so reserved, everyone. Let's eat."    

    

Everyone raised their goblets to congratulate the empress dowager before happily enjoying the delicacies and wine.    

    

"I've eaten this before. It was a pizza made by Spring ManLou. It was a small piece before. It tastes great, but the taste is even more plentiful." a lady whispered to her friend.    

    

"I also sent maidservant to the Spring Mansion to buy pastries before. The pastries there are very delicious." Apparently, her friend was also a dim sum addict. The two of them chatted endlessly about the topic of snacks.    

    

While everyone was toasting and chatting, the sound of a zither rang out. A group of dancers wearing gauze swarmed into the center, dancing gracefully.    

    

The officials and their families all fell silent as they raised their cups to chat quietly, no longer making any noise. The ladies, on the other hand, straightened their clothes, waiting for their splendor to shine. They knew that the empress would select the right person to marry in the next round, either as the prince's concubine or as the prince's concubine.    

    

All the unmarried noblewomen were spirited and ready to take action. Every one of them brought out their best side, anticipating the moment when they would hit the jackpot.    

    

As a married couple, Shen Jingli naturally didn't have to be like those scheming girls. He tried every means possible, and only observed Ceng Wan'er intentionally or not, but he realized that she was also in high spirits and wanted to show off.    

    

He was puzzled, Ceng Wan'er was already the wife of the Prince, why would he participate in such a talent event? Even if they were to be chosen, they couldn't remarry?    

    

"She's in high spirits." He smiled. He wasn't interested in these things.    

    

"After all, this is the time to show off your skills. Who isn't eager to give it a try?" Zhan Tialan glanced at those noble young ladies who were still shivering earlier, but were now in high spirits and could not help but laugh in disdain.    

    

The only trick of the Dodder Silk Flower, which had been raised in a room, was to climb up a great tree.    

    

After a few dances, the banquet entered the climax of the evening — the poetry contest. The ladies seated below had long been sharpening their swords and sharpening their swords, preparing to amaze everyone.    

    

As the organizer, the empress said a few words to let the geniuses and beauties not be restrained and act as they pleased. She then got her father-in-law to announce the start of the poetry competition.    

    

Everyone was well aware that this poetry contest was a platform for unmarried talents and beauties to look at each other. Regardless of gender, they would all prefer to have a good look.    

    

A high platform had been built outside the Jade and Flowers Hall, and the men and women who had completed the poem pasted it on the high platform for others to appraise.    

    

If there was an exceptional person, the eunuch in charge of the palace would loudly chant, motivating others who had not finished or had already completed the poem, and making better poems. In the end, several scholars would appraise the best.    

    

As Eunuch was reading out the rules, Beauty Zheng, who had been spoiled by her pregnancy, smiled and said, "Esteemed empress, the poetry contest should be attended by everyone. It's even more lively."    

    

Beauty Zheng held her already bulging stomach with a gentle smile on her face. No one could tell what she was planning to do to them.    

    

Beauty Zheng seemed to have become smarter after she became pregnant. She no longer spoke as impulsively as before, and she could sometimes feel needles hidden within her words.    

    

"Does it mean that This Dowager will participate as well?" The empress dowager was rather interested. When she was young, she was a talented woman with many talents in the capital, and because of her outstanding talents, she was chosen by the empress dowager as her imperial concubine and later as her empress.    

    

Hearing the empress dowager's words, the Beauty Zheng didn't panic. Instead, her smile grew gentler. "The empress dowager is a birthday star, so she naturally has to start something like this."    

    

Naturally, she knew that the empress dowager had been a renowned and talented woman. Her talents were outstanding, especially when it came to her poetry.    

    

"Then This Dowager will also join in on the fun." The empress dowager smiled happily and said to the empress, "Ah, empress dowager, let's announce it like this."    

    

As a result, the platform where a talented woman had displayed her talents turned into a platform for everyone to participate. The Queen coldly glanced at Beauty Zheng.    

    

With a mental note for the Beauty Zheng, the Empress asked her father-in-law to make the arrangements. The empress dowager had ordered it, and could not refuse.    

    

The theme of today's poetry competition was flowers. As long as one made a poem with flowers in it, one would be able to pass the test and post it on the platform.    

    

When the empress dowager was young, she was called a talented girl. That was a good poem, but in the end, she was still old and had not touched upon these things for many years. It was unavoidable that she was somewhat unfamiliar with them.    

    

Zhan Tialan stood beside Shen Jingli, her eyes glaring at Beauty Zheng. Her father was a big and sturdy man, who fought on the battlefield all year round, but she, who had lost her mother at such a young age, and who had stayed with her father in the army all this while.    

    

Several generations of the Zhao Family were like they were cursed. Their family members did not have any talent in literature, not only that, when their son picked a wife, he would also never be able to get anything out of it. And Zhao Wenrui was also a person who did not like to dance or write.    

    

"She does come." Zhan Tialan said as she grinded her teeth.    

    

"That's right."    

    

Shen Jingli felt that it was funny as they talked back and forth.    

    

After Mu Chen exchanged greetings with the court officials, he went over to Shen Jingli's side and asked: "You know how to compose poems?"    

    

"Nope." Shen Jingli directly replied. He, who had travelled here, was nothing more than a fool when it came to zither, chess and painting, and the original owner could only read a few words. He couldn't even read the account books, much less write poems.    

    

Hearing his reply, Mu Chen laughed, "From what you're saying, are you not going to compose any poems?"    

    

"I won't." It wasn't that he didn't want to do it, but that he really didn't know how to do it. Could it be that he was supposed to 'cut a cucumber into half, half will be cucumber while the other half will be cucumber'? Or was he supposed to recite "To the Oak"?    

    

Mu Chen pulled him to sit down. He knew that if it was the Shen Jingli from before, he definitely wouldn't, but he didn't think that this Shen Jingli didn't know either.    

    

Perhaps because his performance was too unique, Mu Chen couldn't help but want to laugh, "Then I'll do it."    

    

"That's none of your business. The empress organized this poetry competition for all those unmarried men and women to watch. We're just soy sauce to each other."    

    

Soy sauce, this phrase was a bit interesting. Mu Chen was clever, he immediately understood the meaning of this phrase, but to suddenly request for something like this on such a whim, he must not have let them go so easily.    

    

Shen Jingli naturally thought of the things that came to his mind, but he did not care about it as he cared even more about the matter of the cake being stolen.    

    

"Fourteenth, where did Wei Zuo go?" According to their previous plans, Wei Zuo and Wei You should be by Lee Qi's side at all times, preventing him from getting into trouble.    

    

"If Wei Zuo isn't here, he must have been lured away." To dare to do such a thing in the palace, there must be someone of great ability by his side.    

    

Tsk tsk, Shen Jingli secretly sighed, he thought that the people by Mu Shisi's side had heaven-defying luck, and would never be defeated.    

    

"I heard that you were poisoned by that guy? What does he have to do with you? " Without worrying about Wei Zuo, Shen Jingli pointed at Soong Wei and asked softly.    

    

The De Wang family's Shuang Er was beside Soong Wei, holding a piece of paper and discussing about the new poem.    

    

"He was my former subordinate." Mu Chen's eyes flashed, and he drank a cup of tea.    

    

To poison his superior, to make him ascend to the throne?    

    

Shen Jingli had already imagined a huge drama in his mind, the scenes made him laugh out loud, and he even thought of a scene of a fight between lovers.    

    

After a long time of love, being in love and killing each other, this story wasn't bad. Shen Jingli thought that in a few days, he should find Mr. Weng to write this story.    

    

Mu Chen didn't know that Shen Jingli's brain would fill up so much, to the point of wanting to use this as a novel. If he knew about it, he would probably spit out a few mouthfuls of blood.    

    

The progress in the poetry competition was extremely good. Some of the noble girls' poems had already been read out, and some were even praised by the scholars. Shen Jingli quietly noticed that the noble girls had already been called to chat with the Empress.    

    

Shen Jingli was not interested in this, he had even forgotten about the poetry competition and started to miss his family's little fat son.    

    

Who would have thought that Ceng Wan'er would swagger over with the escort of an important girl, and even deliberately raise her voice, as she laughed: "Sigh, the poetry contest is almost over, why don't we see County Prince produce a poem? As the wife of General Mu, don't you dare end up with nothing out of the ordinary and lose face! "    

    

When the people around heard it, they knew that Ceng Wan'er was deliberately looking for trouble. In the capital, most people knew that Ceng Wan'er had once been Mu Chen's fiancee.    

    

Ceng Wan'er was talented in the capital, so writing a poem was not a difficult task for her, but everyone who knew Shen Jingli knew that Shen Jingli came from the countryside, and might not even know a single word. The reason he wrote a poem was obviously to humiliate Shen Jingli.    

    

Seeing how Ceng Wan'er was showing off, Shen Jingli turned to look at him, "She said I am humiliating you."    

    

"Nope." Mu Chen looked at Shen Jingli lovingly, and he looked so deep in love that Ceng Wan'er almost tore off his veil.    

    

She forced a smile and continued. "General Mu is truly a kind person."    

    

Mu Yu saw that Ceng Wan'er was looking for trouble and was a little annoyed in her heart. What exactly did this stupid woman want to do? It was rare for Brother Fourteenth to have a good time recently, so why would she run over to stir up trouble?    

    

But before he could go and pull Ceng Wan'er back, he heard Shen Jingli say, "Since Madam Prince is so interested in listening to my poems, then I will just do one."    

    

Shen Jingli tried hard to recall the ancient poem he had once recited, and decided to borrow Lin Bu's < < Little Plum in the Mountain Garden >. Sparse shadow slant water clear shallow, dark fragrance floating moon evening. The Frostbird stole a glance first, and the pink butterfly seemed to know how to break her soul. "Fortunately, there is a slight fragrance that can be felt, and there is no need for a sandalwood plate with a common gold bottle."    

    

When the crowd heard this, their eyes widened. Didn't General Mu's wife say that she was an illiterate country bumpkin? But this poem's artistic conception was too good... Some of the noble ladies were secretly glad that they did not go out to provoke them. Otherwise, they would be the ones who would be embarrassed.    

    

Ceng Wan'er was so angry that her face turned green. She glared at Shen Jingli and said in disbelief: "How can you compose such a good poem. You must be … "You copied it. That's right, you copied it …"    

    

"If you say I copied, then whose did I copy?" What a joke, he had also read the history of this dynasty, there was no Lin Bu in this era, who else could write this poem?    

    

"If you're not convinced, I'll give you another one?" If she comes to provoke him, he'll show her, "When will the two swallows return? The peach blossoms on the shore were dipped in water. The people who broke the bridge could not cross it in the spring rain, so the small boat could prop up the willow tree. Xu Du's "Spring Tour on the Lake")    

    

Ceng Wan'er's face became even more ugly, but from the side, came a burst of applause.