After the three young ladies introduced themselves, two withdrew behind the curtain, leaving only Bingqing in her red dress on stage.

At this moment, music began, and Bingqing danced with the melody.

Her long sleeves fluttered like willow branches in the wind, her skirt ribbons floated like clouds at the horizon—she was like a butterfly weaving through flowers, or a fairy descended to the mortal world.

Li Buyan watched with relish, not even blinking.

Beside her, Third Master and Young Master Pei didn’t look at the stage at all. The two leisurely sipped their tea, both pondering why Zhao Huairen had come to the Bureau of Music.

Third Master found the gongs and drums too noisy and couldn’t sit still. He threw down the peanuts in his hand and was about to go outside for some fresh air. Just as he stood up, he sat back down.

Zhu Qing walked over and whispered in Third Master’s ear. After finishing, he crouched beside Third Master, motionless, waiting for orders.

Watching Xie Wushi’s expression, Pei Xiao’s heart rose with anxiety. “What happened?”

Xie Zhifei leaned his head over and said in a low voice, “Huairen says to find a way to help the white-robed Zhuxiang become the courtesan.”

Pei Xiao’s bottom slipped and he nearly fell off.

His eyes rolled, and he pulled out a talisman from his robe and stuffed it into Zhu Qing’s hands. “Tell him this thing has been blessed. Recite Amitabha a few times and his wishes will come true.”

Zhu Qing: “…”

Xie Zhifei suddenly stood up and patted Li Buyan. “You stay here. Don’t move. Ming Ting and I are going to the privy.”

In a flash, the three had disappeared.

Li Buyan looked around and thought: Why do men also like to go to the privy in groups?

…

In the privy, even the doorkeeper had gone to watch the excitement. It was empty.

Xie Zhifei pinched his chin. “Did he say what this Zhuxiang’s background is?”

Zhu Qing: “Reporting to Third Master, she’s the daughter of the former Hailing Prefecture Magistrate. The one seeking help is Lin’an Prefect Wang Xian.”

Both from the south.

Xie Zhifei and Pei Xiao exchanged glances, immediately understanding the Crown Prince Grandson’s reason for agreeing to this matter.

Ji Lingchuan had been exiled, and his position as Revenue Ministry Vice Minister was filled by someone the Crown Prince arranged—a position that controlled water transport.

The south had many rivers and waterways, the most developed area for water transport.

Precisely because it was developed, the affairs there were tangled and complex. A newcomer wouldn’t be able to fathom the depths without a year or more.

The Crown Prince Grandson was winning hearts for the Crown Prince!

Zhu Qing, seeing the two masters silent, quickly added, “He said for Master to think of something regarding poetry.”

“Poetry?”

Xie Zhifei and Pei Xiao exchanged glances again, understanding the meaning.

Selecting a courtesan couldn’t be faked—it relied on looks given by parents, training by mother, and the young lady’s own brains.

The three were evenly matched in appearance—nothing more than who had bigger breasts or a slimmer waist. What truly mattered was talent.

Talent was judged in three areas: dance, music, and poetry.

Anyone who could be a courtesan candidate had surely worked hard on the first two behind the scenes—they wouldn’t differ much. Only poetry relied on intelligence, comprehension, and natural talent.

It had nothing to do with effort.

Most importantly—

Tonight at the Bureau of Music, the most numerous visitors were those poor scholars, and scholars were the most enthusiastic about selecting the courtesan.

Scholars had their scholarly pride and arrogance. Though they howled like wild dogs in heat, what these people truly valued wasn’t looks or music and dance, but literary composition and poetry.

As long as they could produce a good poem or verse that could impress those scholars, Zhuxiang would definitely be the courtesan!

Pei Xiao scratched his head and pulled out another yellow paper from his robe. “This is a spell written by an eminent monk, also blessed. This is the last bit of my meager strength.”

Good poetry?

Good verse?

Young Master Pei had never developed those two tendons since childhood.

Xie Zhifei also held his head, groaning “aiyou, aiyou” in his heart.

Making him wield a spear or sword was manageable, but asking him to do “poetry and verse”… Third Master wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, thinking this was absurd!

Suddenly, his hand paused as a person floated into his mind.

“Let’s ask my eldest brother for help—he’s a scholar!”

Young Master Pei sneered coldly. “Not that I look down on your eldest brother, but he didn’t even make the top three. Expecting him to produce good poetry or verse—I think you’re dreaming.”

Xie Zhifei: “But there’s still Huairen, isn’t there? Who’s his teacher?”

Young Master Pei: “The Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor.”

“There you go—that’s the most learned person in the world.”

The more Xie Zhifei spoke, the more feasible it seemed. “Zhu Qing, I’ll go find my eldest brother. You go find His Highness and have him find a way to obtain the poetry theme first, no matter what.”

Zhu Qing: “Yes!”

Young Master Pei: “What about me?”

“You go back and watch that little aunt.”

Xie Zhifei sighed. “If only Father were here. Father’s literary composition and poetry are exceptional.”

Forget it!

If your father knew you were helping a courtesan cheat, wouldn’t he beat you to death?

Young Master Pei: “By the way, where’s my Huang Qi? Haven’t seen him.”

Zhu Qing: “He’s in the back investigating Jing Chen’s matter.”

“Five people, three busy with other matters, one fool sitting there grinning foolishly, and he’s the only one doing actual work.”

Young Master Pei pressed his forehead and sighed deeply. “When my sweetheart asks about it later, I won’t have the face to tell her.”

Neither will I!

“Ming Ting.”

Xie Zhifei hooked his arm around him. “Don’t let the fool keep grinning. Have her find a way to explore backstage and see how to slip the note into Zhuxiang’s hands.”

…

At the Bureau of Music, the excitement continued.

Young Master Pei returned to his seat and poked Li Buyan’s arm with his finger.

“Back from the privy.”

Li Buyan hastily glanced at him, her eyes immediately fixing back on the stage.

Young Master Pei: “…”

In this world, some people were so mentally exhausted they were going crazy, while others had hearts big enough to fit a boat, with plenty of room to spare.

Young Master Pei poked her again, his face deliberately darkening.

Li Buyan quickly leaned her head over. “What? Did Third Master fall in the privy and need me to rescue him?”

“You…”

“All right, I’m just teasing. What is it? What happened?”

So she was actually aware!

Young Master Pei didn’t hide anything and quickly explained everything in detail by her ear.

After listening, Li Buyan frowned and whispered, “You’re saying His Highness ordered us to do this?”

“Otherwise?”

“Tell His Highness this is simple—leave it to me.”

As soon as Li Buyan finished speaking, she stood up. Young Master Pei forcefully pulled her back down. “Where are you going?”

“To help you cheat!”

“You…”

Young Master Pei took a deep breath. “Let me finish. First, go backstage and find a way to connect with Zhuxiang.”

“Oh!”

“In a bit, Third Master will deliver the written poetry to me here. Once I get it, I’ll go to the privy and wait for you. We’ll meet there.”

“Mm!”

“Use the fastest speed to deliver it to Zhuxiang’s hands and have her pick the best one to memorize.”

“Good!”

“Don’t just say good—did you remember everything?”

“Don’t worry.”

Young Master Pei watched her swagger away, swinging her arms, and rolled his eyes in exasperation.

Master and servant—the master was meticulous and reliable in everything. As long as she was there, even a collapsing sky could be propped back up.

The servant?

A living street hoodlum and layabout!

Miss Li, if you dare botch this, I’ll paste talismans and spells all over your forehead.