NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 33 - The Promise with Fan Ruoruo! Preparing for a Big Move!
Chapter 33: The Promise with Fan Ruoruo! Preparing for a Big Move!
As the most talented woman in the capital, Fan Ruoruo had countless admirers.
Among them, even the heir apparent, Li Hongcheng, had long been enamored with her.
However, in Fan Ruoruo’s heart, the person she admired and revered the most was her illegitimate brother from Danzhou, Fan Xian.
Fan Xian was the most knowledgeable and dependable person she had ever met.
Before this, Fan Ruoruo had even thought that no one in this world could surpass Fan Xian in excellence.
Until Li Chengyuan appeared out of nowhere!
Fan Ruoruo had previously not paid much attention to Li Chengyuan.
Before being titled as a prince, Li Chengyuan had lived inside the palace for most of his life.
He rarely left the palace, and when he did, it was always in secret.
Thus, Fan Ruoruo had never met the Third Prince before, nor had she heard much about him.
Her first in-depth knowledge of Li Chengyuan came from a newspaper that published his Die Lian Hua (Butterfly Loves Flowers) and his calligraphy in the Shou Jin style.
Fan Ruoruo had also read that newspaper.
She appreciated his Shou Jin style, though she did not particularly love it.
Instead, it was Li Chengyuan’s Die Lian Hua that captivated her deeply.
Especially the line, “Affection is often troubled by indifference,” she copied it dozens of times by hand.
No matter how many times she wrote it, she never grew tired of it!
From that moment, Fan Ruoruo began to take notice of Li Chengyuan.
She even had people deliberately gather gossip about him, but all she heard were stories of Li Chengyuan frequenting brothels.
This caused Fan Ruoruo’s favorable impression of him to plummet drastically for a time.
Later, news came that Li Chengyuan was organizing a poetry gathering.
Out of curiosity, and because Fan Xian was also interested in Li Chengyuan, she decided to attend.
Upon seeing Li Chengyuan for the first time, Fan Ruoruo was pleasantly surprised.
She noticed that Li Chengyuan bore some resemblance to her brother, Fan Xian, but he was even more “beautiful” and had a better demeanor.
No matter the era, women have always been creatures of visual appeal, easily swayed by good looks.
So, upon seeing Li Chengyuan’s handsome face, Fan Ruoruo once again felt a surge of fondness for him, temporarily forgetting the rumors she had heard.
Then came the moment when Li Chengyuan wrote a poem for Qingniao.
Truth be told, after reading that poem, Fan Ruoruo had to admit she felt a bit envious.
After all, the idea of being immortalized in history by a praise-filled poem was incredibly appealing.
So, when she found out she had “won the lottery,” her spirits lifted instantly!
Her eyes gleamed with anticipation.
She wondered whether Li Chengyuan would praise her beauty or her talent.
Either way, she would be thrilled!
However, after Li Chengyuan finished writing the poem for her, Fan Ruoruo felt a sudden sense of loss.
Li Chengyuan neither praised her beauty nor her talent. Instead, he offered her a “lesson” of sorts!
“The lotus has withered, no longer bearing the rain;
The chrysanthemum endures, proud amidst the frost.
Cherish the best of the year,
The time when oranges turn green and yellow.”
This little poem was simple!
It encouraged her to stay optimistic in the face of adversity and not to give up easily.
Fan Ruoruo liked this poem very much, especially the line, “The time when oranges turn green and yellow.”
The delicate and refined beauty of this sentiment was precisely the kind of imagery she loved.
But what she wanted wasn’t this!
So, after receiving the poem, she didn’t leave right away.
Instead, she looked at Li Chengyuan, mustering up her courage to say, “Your Highness, could you write me a poem that praises me?”
Li Chengyuan was taken aback by her words.
He looked up at Fan Ruoruo’s eyes full of expectation and seemed to understand something.
Smiling in response, he said, “Alright! How about this: Let’s make a promise. Once ‘the dust has settled,’ I will give you the best praise poem!”
Hearing this, Fan Ruoruo beamed with joy.
Although she didn’t fully understand what Li Chengyuan meant by “the dust has settled,”
She could tell that he wasn’t brushing her off but genuinely intended to write her a poem—just that the time wasn’t right yet.
This alone satisfied her greatly.
After receiving his promise, she bid him farewell with a bow and left!
Their exchange was brief, and no one else noticed anything unusual.
Next came the third recipient.
Li Chengyuan didn’t recognize the rest of the “winners,” so he didn’t bother carefully selecting poems for them.
He simply picked poems that didn’t involve any place names or allusions and gave them away casually.
Soon, Li Chengyuan was writing poem after poem.
“A moment of spring night is worth a thousand gold pieces; flowers have their scent, and the moon casts its shadow…”
“… Light the new fire, and try the new tea. Enjoy life while you can.”
“Life is but a dream, and how many autumns have passed…”
Before long, Li Chengyuan had finished writing ten poems!
Although he wrote them “casually,” each poem contained at least one line that amazed the audience.
Not a single one was mediocre!
Such talent left everyone in awe.
Even the frustrated Li Chengze, at that moment, felt both love and hate for Li Chengyuan!
He hated Li Chengyuan’s “shamelessness,” but he loved his talent!
Li Chengze, being a literary enthusiast himself, had a deep appreciation for talented individuals.
Among all the talents in the Qing Kingdom, Li Chengyuan was the one he admired the most.
Unfortunately, Li Chengyuan was not only his younger brother but also a major obstacle on his path to the throne.
This “unrequited admiration” left Li Chengze with a sense of helplessness.
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Logically, after giving out the prizes and composing the poems, today’s poetry banquet should have come to an end.
But Li Chengyuan felt that the banquet was still missing a crucial element!
His original plan was to use this banquet to completely secure the titles of “Qing Kingdom’s foremost scholar” and “Future of Qing Kingdom’s literary fortune.”
Li Chengyuan’s system had a statistics page that listed all the achievements and titles he could steal but had not yet claimed.
These two titles were among them, and they were the main objectives of this poetry gathering!
Therefore, his promise to compose ten poems wasn’t merely a matter of pride in response to Li Chengze—it was premeditated.
Even without Li Chengze’s involvement, Li Chengyuan would have done the same!
The ten poems he had written were already impressive enough.
Not to mention the poem he had written for Qingniao, “Light or heavy makeup, it’s always appropriate,” was also enough to showcase his talent.
However, Li Chengyuan felt that if he wanted his reputation to be truly unquestionable,
He needed a piece of work that would silence all the critics!
Originally, Li Chengyuan had planned to save Su Shi’s masterpiece for later use.
But given the current situation, he felt there was no need to hold back any longer!
So, just as Li Hongcheng was about to announce the end of the banquet, Li Chengyuan suddenly spoke up.
“Everyone, wait a moment!”
Upon hearing his voice, everyone turned to look at him.
Li Chengyuan took a deep breath, drank a cup of wine, and pretended to be slightly drunk, saying,
“Today’s poetry banquet was very successful, but I feel like it’s still missing something.
Last month, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, I wrote what I consider the greatest work of my life, but I’ve never shown it to anyone.
Since the atmosphere today is just right, I won’t keep it hidden anymore!
I’ll write it now for everyone to appreciate!”
After speaking, Li Chengyuan picked up his brush.
Everyone gathered closer out of curiosity.
They had all realized something—
Was the Third Prince about to unveil his magnum opus?
The crowd could hardly imagine it.
After all, the works Li Chengyuan had written today were already astonishing.
Was he still dissatisfied with those?
So what kind of work would satisfy him?
Amid the audience’s expectant gazes, Li Chengyuan finally put down his brush.
And the moment he finished writing the first line, everyone present gasped and widened their eyes in amazement!
On the paper, the words stood proudly:
“When will the moon be bright? I lift my wine and ask the sky!”
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Footnotes:
Die Lian Hua(蝶恋花): A famous Chinese poem format, originating from the Song Dynasty. It is known for its lyrical and romantic qualities.
Shou Jin style(瘦金体): A calligraphy style known for its thin, elegant, and angular strokes, created by the Song Dynasty Emperor Huizong.
**Affection is often troubled by indifference**: A famous Chinese proverb suggesting that deep affection can sometimes be met with indifference, leading to frustration or sadness.