Finest Servant - Chapter 225

Chapter 225 Miss Luo to Hold a Matchmaking Session?

‘This old man, he comes and goes as he pleases, just like a blind man, yet so much more nonchalant than I ever was.’ Lin Wanrong gazed in stupefaction at the fading figure of Uncle Wei. The old man Wei, he was not ordinary by any means. Not only was he able to scale high walls with such an ease, but his familiarity with the people and affairs of the capital was also uncanny. He was definitely no insignificant character.

Recalling Uncle Wei’s words, they were rife with implications, yet they were not entirely clear. Assisting the Xiao family and befriending Xu Wei, these were comprehensible. But his remark about adversaries residing in the capital, that was baffling. ‘I do not know a soul in the capital, so who could possibly be my rival? This blind old man, he always had such a faltering way of speaking.’

Lin Wanrong pondered for a while but could not make heads or tails of it, so he ceased to ponder. After all, he would be heading to the capital sooner or later. The truth would reveal itself then. Today, with all the running around, the horse riding, and the fighting, he was thoroughly exhausted. He fell asleep as soon as he hit the bed and began dreaming.

He slept till noon the next day, undisturbed. In the past few days, the Eldest Miss would always come to call him to work early, but today was an exception. It seemed she had thoughtfully considered his fatigue.

Sleeping in was indeed a pleasure. Lin Wanrong stretched his arms, got up, and took a leisurely stroll around the garden. The maids and family servants he passed by all hastily greeted him: “Brother San, good morning.” A few of the prettier ones even dared to cast flirtatious glances at him. Lin Wanrong joked around with them, feeling invigorated and full of life.

These leisurely days would not last long. The year was coming to an end, and after the New Year, he would head north to the capital. There, he would have to start all over again from scratch. Lin Wanrong sighed a little, then decided to enjoy this rare leisure time, slowly strolling around the garden.

It was already mid-winter. All the flowers had withered, fallen leaves blanketed the ground, and the garden appeared desolate. After taking a few steps, Lin Wanrong suddenly felt the place was rather dull.

“Spring is not for studying, and the scorching summer is for sleep. With the arrival of autumn and then winter, it’s best to postpone studying till next year.” A loud reading voice drifted into Lin Wanrong’s ears. Good heavens, what a talented poem, suggesting one could avoid studying all year round!

Following the sound, he saw Young Master Guo holding a book in his left hand and pacing back and forth, nodding and shaking his head. This brilliant poem had come from his very lips.

“Young Master, good morning. It’s not time for lunch yet, why not sleep a little longer?” Lin Wanrong approached and said with a grin.

Upon seeing Lin Wanrong, Young Master Guo instantly brightened up. He grabbed Lin Wanrong’s hand and asked, “Lin San, Lin San, what do you think?”

“What do you mean?” Lin Wanrong asked curiously.

“The poem, the poem I just recited. What do you think?” Young Master Guo excitedly asked.

“In one word, it’s fantastic!” Lin Wanrong gave a thumbs up. “For your level, Young Master, this poem is nothing less than a timeless masterpiece. I wonder where you copied – oh, I mean, heard it from.”

Looking incredibly pleased, Young Master Guo replied, “Heard it from somewhere? You’re in for a shock. I composed it myself. Yesterday, I entered this poem in the poetry contest, and it passed on the spot.”

A poetry competition? Ah, he’d almost forgotten that little rascal Luo Ning was using his money to hold a poetry competition at the end of the month. He glanced at Young Master Guo and said, “What, do you need to sign up for the poetry competition? I thought anyone who wanted to attend could.”

Young Master Guo snorted, “How could that be possible? The poetry competition is a high-level literary event. Talented individuals from several provinces in Jiangzhe (Jiangsu and Zhejiang), as well as from the capital, will have to present a poem on the spot to qualify. How could any random, no-name individuals simply waltz in? The poem I recited is the one I submitted to the competition yesterday. Well, how was it? Does it have a certain grandeur?”

‘This kind of doggerel poem, I could churn out ten of them while taking a piss,’ thought Lin Wanrong, chuckling softly. Deciding not to deflate Young Master Guo’s enthusiasm, he changed the topic, “By the way, Young Master, there was a big incident in the mansion last night. Do you know about it?”

Guo Wuchang nodded, “I heard about it when I returned to the mansion this morning. That lad, Si De, was beaten up pretty badly. Damn, it’s a good thing I wasn’t there. If I had been, I’d have made sure those bastards couldn’t even find north while looking at the sun.”

Lin Wanrong gave him a thumbs-up. He made it sound more impressive than he could: “Oh, I see. Young Master, you weren’t in the mansion last night?”

Guo Wuchang gave a sly grin, glancing around before whispering, “Lin San, we’re old friends, there’s nothing I need to hide from you. Last night my sweetheart at Miaoyu Pavilion brought along her younger sister. They both attended to me, wanting me to taste something different. I stayed the whole night. Tch tch, the experience, it was even better than being an immortal.”

‘God, he was out enjoying a threesome, a perfectly lecherous pair. I despise you, from your head to your toes.’

“Lin San, when I signed up at the literature association yesterday evening, I heard some good news.” Young Master Guo grinned and said, “It seems that this year’s poetry competition is not just about poetry.”

“It’s not just a poetry competition?” Lin Wanrong asked with a laugh. “What else is there, a song and dance competition?”

“No, that’s not it. The poetry competition is held every year, but this year it’s going to be more interesting.” Young Master Guo looked around mysteriously, then whispered in Lin Wanrong’s ear, “Yesterday I spent half a tael of silver to get some exclusive insider news. It’s said that this year’s poetry competition is more than just a competition. Miss Luo Ning, the number one talented lady in Jinling, is going to use the competition to select a suitor.”

“Select a suitor?” Lin Wanrong was shocked. Just yesterday, the girl had confessed her feelings to him, and now she was selecting a suitor?

“Absolutely true,” Young Master Guo said confidently. “The news has already been circulating within the Jinling academic community, and everyone is discussing it. Think about it, who is Miss Luo? Not only is she as beautiful as a flower, but she’s also the most talented lady in Jinling, and the daughter of Governor Luo. Whoever marries her will be embracing a golden child. All those hopeful young men have already gone into seclusion, striving to come out on top in the poetry competition and win the beauty.”

Seeing that Lin Wanrong still did not believe him, Young Master Guo grew somewhat impatient: “What’s the matter, don’t you believe me? You know Hou Yuebai, right? Young Master Hou whom you had beaten up, have you not seen him around recently?”

Indeed, Lin Wanrong had not seen Hou Yuebai during the recent outing, so he nodded. Young Master Guo triumphantly said, “Exactly, let me tell you, he has been hiding at home, not stepping out at all. He’s reading poetry and literature every day, studying with relentless determination, all with the aim of marrying Miss Luo.”

Young Master Guo spoke with such conviction, as if he had witnessed these events with his own eyes. If anyone could outdo him at pulling a fast one, it would certainly be Young Master Guo. This kid was wasting his talent by not becoming a journalist for the Sun Newspaper.

Laughing, Lin Wanrong said, “Young Master Guo, if Miss Luo really is choosing her husband based on poetry, then you certainly have a chance.”

Young Master Guo replied with a righteous air, “I am loyal to my cousins. How could I possibly engage in such fickle behaviour? I signed up purely for scholarly pursuit, not for the vulgar reasons you mentioned – oh, Lin San, do you think I really stand a chance?”

“If you go, there’s a chance. If you don’t go, there’s no chance at all,” Lin Wanrong coaxed.

“That’s true,” Young Master Guo nodded. “Lin San, you’re skilled in creating couplets, but how about poetry? Can you compete with me? Oh, I don’t mean the ones you’ve copied.”

‘Damn it, composing poetry is like making love; both require passion, which I am not so frivolous to possess.’ Lin Wanrong shook his head, and Young Master Guo lamented, “What a pity, what a pity. Without your company, Lin San, even if I am renowned as a poetry master, I might be very lonely at the poetry competition.”

Lin Wanrong broke into a cold sweat. ‘You’re more like a poetry monster,’ he thought. This shameless look of Young Master Guo is quite reminiscent of his past self.

“Brother San, Brother San,” Si De’s voice echoed from afar. Lin Wanrong and Young Master Guo looked up to see Si De carefully carrying a large bowl.

Seeing the bruises on Si De’s face, Young Master Guo said, “Si De, if anyone dares to cross you in the future, you just mention the name of Young Master Guo, and don’t forget to mention Lin San. I guarantee you’ll be safe.”

Si De respectfully replied, “Thank you, Young Master.”

Seeing him cradle the bowl as though it was a treasure, Lin Wanrong couldn’t help but chuckle, “What are you holding so preciously?”

Si De looked at him with admiration and said, “Brother San is indeed knowledgeable. I tried the method you mentioned last night, and indeed, the pain eased a lot. So, I went out to find some more this morning.”

“Find what?” Lin Wanrong yawned.

“Boy’s urine,” Si De said.

Lin Wanrong and Young Master Guo took several steps back in horror, their faces a picture of astonishment. Boy’s urine? Were there even any boys left in this world? Unaware of their reaction, Si De continued, “Brother San, Young Master, when I went out earlier, I heard that this year’s poetry competition will start at the end of this month.”

Young Master Guo covered his nose and said, “Oh, I’ve heard about it. I’ve even been shortlisted.”

“Congratulations, Young Master,” Si De hurriedly flattered, “I just heard that this year’s poetry competition is going to be exceptionally lively. Not only are there talents from several provinces such as Jiangsu and Zhejiang, but even Young Masters from the capital are rushing over. This kind of scene is indeed rare to see.”

‘Rare my ass, the more people that come, the more money I end up wasting. Damn it, do they think I’m a charity?’ Lin Wanrong found it somewhat amusing to see Si De clutching the boy’s urine so tightly. He said, “No matter how many talents come, they’re just reciting a few poems. At most, the business of the women by the Qinhuai River might slightly improve. What else could happen?”

“Brother San, you might not know, but after much probing and inquiries, I finally learned about a huge piece of good news,” Si De mysteriously said, “I heard that the talented Miss Luo is seeking a husband.”