freenovelworld Chapter 566 A Heartless Woman
Chapter 566 A Heartless Woman
After a sensual dance, thunderous applause erupted from the audience. Many wealthy young men were willing to spend lavishly to spend the night with Wu Lanteng.
However, Wu Lanteng rejected everyone, not because they offered too little money, but because they did not meet her requirements.
Wu Lanteng's love for poetry added to his otherwise decent appearance.
Therefore, his choice of man had nothing to do with money; he needed to be able to match the first line of the couplet she gave him.
It's unclear whether she genuinely sought a talented man or simply wanted to create a buzz to boost her value and ultimately marry into a wealthy family.
“Smoke locks the willows by the pond?” After some inquiries, Lin Ping finally learned the meaning of this divine couplet and was immediately astonished.
This is an absolute truth for all time; even centuries later, there is still no satisfactory answer.
Lin Ping only knew a few far-fetched second lines.
"This couplet is not only beautiful in its imagery, but it also subtly incorporates the Five Elements. No wonder no one can come up with a matching couplet," Guo Zhixi thought to herself in amazement.
As the daughter of the lord of Huizhou City, she was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting from a young age, and she did not completely give them up even after entering the Lotus Palace.
Even if one cannot write a masterpiece, one can still understand the meaning of poetry.
"Does Your Excellency have any knowledge of poetry?" Guo Zhixi asked curiously.
Her understanding of Lin Ping was limited to his resourcefulness, but not necessarily that he was a genius of extraordinary talent.
Having not memorized poems in a long time, Lin Ping felt a little itchy and rubbed his hands together, saying, "There really is such a couplet."
"Oh? I didn't know you were such a talented man!" Guo Zhixi smiled with a hint of doubt.
Although she was very curious about Lin Ping, composing poems and lyrics was not something that could be done overnight. Given Lin Ping's short attention span, he probably didn't have the talent in this area.
Little did she know that Lin Ping, who was only enthusiastic about things for a short time, had spent twenty years doing one thing: going to school!
"The lights have faded at Jiangba Bridge," Lin Ping recited, looking slightly embarrassed.
First, this was not his original work; second, the second line of the couplet was so well-received by Guo Zhixi that he seemed somewhat embarrassed.
After hearing those five words, Guo Zhixi stood there blankly, seemingly finding Lin Ping even more mysterious.
"Didn't you hear me?" Lin Ping didn't understand the meaning of Guo Zhixi's expression and thought that he had spoken too softly and the other party hadn't heard him clearly.
Just as he was about to recite it aloud again, Guo Zhixi quickly covered his mouth with her small hand.
"I heard you, I heard you, stop talking, I'm afraid you'll be snatched away by Fifth Sister!" Guo Zhixi said anxiously.
She naturally knew what this second line meant, and that it would surely win Wu Lanteng's favor.
When the talented man and beautiful woman meet, it will be a beautiful story. It's just a pity that Guo Zhixi will have to stay alone in her empty room.
To prevent this from happening, she had to nip it in the bud.
"Stolen by Fifth Sister? Before I met my wife, it was Fifth Sister who accompanied me." Lin Ping muttered to himself, mistakenly thinking that Guo Zhiqian had guessed his chaotic private life in the past.
Since Guo Zhixi was interfering, Lin Ping didn't answer loudly and just watched Wu Lanteng leave.
At this moment, many talented scholars and officials also began to leave, clearly because they had come for Wu Lanteng.
Lin Ping grew anxious and immediately grabbed one of the men, asking, "Brother, why hasn't we seen Young Master Han today?"
"Has Your Excellency met Han Bofan?" Guo Zhixi asked, somewhat puzzled, not expecting Lin Ping to ask so directly.
"Are you talking about Han Bofan? He hasn't shown up for half a month, and we don't know where he's gone," the other person replied casually.
"Has anyone visited his home?" Lin Ping continued to ask.
"Who would want to visit his few thatched huts?" With that, the young man turned and left.
"Tell me, how many things are you hiding from me?" Guo Zhixi suddenly produced a dagger and pressed it tightly against Lin Ping's throat.
Lin Ping couldn't understand this woman at all. Just now she was calling him "husband" repeatedly. Was she trying to murder her husband?
"I confessed everything. I did do those things before, but that was because I was young and impetuous. Since I got married, I... only did it occasionally," Lin Ping said tremblingly.
Guo Zhixi was completely confused and continued to ask, "It's not about that."
“I stole these poems. I’m sorry to Li Bai and Du Fu. I’m a plagiarist,” Lin Ping continued, hoping Guo Zhixi could forgive him this time.
"Who are Li Bai and Du Fu? That's not the point." Guo Zhixi was so angry that her nostrils flared. "How do you know Hao Bofan?" she said.
"I'm innocent! I'm terribly innocent! I don't know him!" Lin Ping explained repeatedly.
"You still want to lie to me now? If you don't know him, how do you know he wasn't here today?"
Guo Zhixi hates men who lie, especially when it comes to matters of mission.
"This is just a cover. First, I'm not sure if Han Bofan frequents this place. Second, I don't know if Han Bofan is even here. If he is, that person will definitely point at Han Bofan and say I'm an idiot. That way, we can find out Han Bofan's identity."
Lin Ping hurriedly voiced his thoughts, regretting that he hadn't explained things clearly to Guo Zhiqian beforehand, which almost cost him his life.
"So that's how it is. I wronged you." Guo Zhixi put away the dagger and said softly.
Lin Ping breathed a sigh of relief, and after a long while, he came to his senses and continued, "Let's go, let's go to Han Bofan's house and see what's going on."
"Do you know where he lives?" Guo Zhixi reached for her dagger again.
"That man just said that Han Bofan's family is poor, while the people of Huzhou are wealthy. There are not many people living in thatched houses, and they are all concentrated in the north of the city. With a little inquiry, it will be easy to find out where he lives."
"Can so much information be obtained in just one sentence?" Guo Zhixi muttered to herself, suddenly no longer wanting to be friends with Lin Ping.
Comparing yourself to others is a sure way to make yourself miserable. In front of Lin Ping, she felt like a fool.
"My lord, you are so cunning. What if you try to deceive me? My brain isn't good enough for you," Guo Zhixi said, looking aggrieved.
"Please, you have a sword in your hand, how could I dare to lie to you?" Lin Ping answered truthfully.
This is his inner pain, always being controlled by women... Well, it's also quite enjoyable.
"What if one day I can't bear to kill you?" Guo Zhixi blinked, looking like a quirky little girl.
"How much longer do we have to wait for this day?" Lin Ping asked excitedly.
"It will take at least ten years, maybe longer," Guo Zhixi replied, pouting.
"Never mind if I asked, let's keep going." Lin Ping turned his head away, suddenly not wanting to talk to Guo Zhixi anymore.
Is her heart made of stone? It took me ten years to win her over, what a waste of my handsome face.
Before long, the two arrived at the slums in the north of the city and quickly found out where Han Bofan lived.
Under the cover of darkness, the two stealthily sneaked in and successfully entered his room.