"The most talented girl? Nice. I don’t expect your country have such a girl, Your Majesty. Could she compare with prime minister Gong Liang?”
Tan Xinglong, the envoy of Fiend Country expressed his doubt. There never existed No. 1 in literature and the second in martial arts. Even inFiend Country, no one could be called as the most talented girl.
But many people thought Hao Li gained the title of the most gifted girl of Dubhe Country for no reason, and it was so strange that everyone admired her.
"Lord Tan, the national conditions of Dubhe Country are different from Fiend Country and Comfortable Clouds Country. Maybe there was an interesting story." Shen Wanshan’s moustaches trembled as he spoke. He was the envoy of Comfortable Clouds Country and his identity was equal to Tan Xinglong.
Deng Song, the envoy of Grand Culture Country, nodded his head and seemed to agree with Shen Wanshan's words.
Shen Wanshan's remark seemingly wasn’t aggressive, but he innuendo that the talents and scholars of Dubhe Country didn't earn the reputation.
Tian Juechen seemed to not understand the ironic words. He agreed, "Gong Liang, they’re right, huh? I didn’t bestow on her the title of the most talented girl, how did she get it?”
"Your Majesty. This girl is named Hao Li, and she is the most popular geisha of Yi Cui Brothel…"
Before Gong Liang could finish his words, a court eunuch, beside Tian Juechen, suddenly screamed in a shrill voice, "Lord Gong, how can you invite a geisha to the imperial city? She will ruin the environment of the imperial palace."
"Eunuch Mi, Hao Li lives in the brothel. She was an entertainer but doesn’t offer sexual services." Gong Liang retorted. He was not a pedantic old man. Two imperial concubines of the emperor also came from the brothel, but now their identities changed. Besides, many court officials often visited brothels.
Hao Li held herself aloof and behaved like a lady from a well-bred family. Men were screened off to meet with her.
People considered Eunuch Mi's words as sour grapes. But no one dared to speak it out, because Eunuch Mi was in the emperor's favor, even Gong Liang did not want to offend this base person.
"Even though she remains pure, she lives in the brothel. She doesn’t deserve the title of the most talented girl." Tan Xinglong could not help saying. At this moment, he was interested in this topic he initiated.
“In fact, the title of the most talented girl has an origin. A year ago, three gifted scholars, Mr. Liu, Mr. Huang and Mr. Lu, went to Yi Cui Brothel with their friends and met Miss Hao for the first time. They heard that Miss Hao is thoroughly accomplished in lyre-playing, chess, calligraphy and painting, so they randomly set a question to compete with that girl. Your Majesty, you guess, who won?”
With a slight surprise, Tian Juechen pushed away the beauty in his arms and asked, "Gong Liang, do you mean Liu Cuncheng?"
"Exactly!"
The three officials Gong Liang mentioned were actually the winner, the runner-up and the second runner-up in the imperial examination. Since ancient times, gifted scholars were fond of beautiful women, especially those who held themselves aloof had crush on geishas.
As the top three in the imperial examination, the three officials had brilliant talent. People also knew they often went to Yi Cui Brothel to find fun.
The top three great talents, who considered themselves to be incomparably intelligent, intended to show off in front of Hao Li, but they didn't expect they would lose to her in three games.
Being arrogant and emulative, they continued to compete with Hao Li in music technique, calligraphy, astronomy and geography, but all lost. They've disgraced themselves after this news were spread throughout high streets and back lanes in Dubhe Country.
Even the court officials knew that a geisha beat the top three talents, and only the emperors and people in the inner palace were not informed.
Liu Cuncheng still wasn’t convinced. He thought he was the champion of the imperial examination, how could he be defeated by a girl. Therefore, he asked his teacher Gong Liang to write the first line of a couplet to test Hao Li.
Unexpectedly Hao Li quickly answered the second line of the couplet which was antithetical to the first line, making Liu Cuncheng downhearted.
"Since Mr. Liu came up with a couplet to test me, then I’d like to make a couple to test you." Hao Li made such a remark at that time.
She gave a very special couplet to Liu Cuncheng. But he hadn’t come up with an answer for three days. Helplessly, he had to tell this incident to Gong Liang and let Gong Liang see how to answer the second line of the couplet.
"The most talented girl? Nice. I don’t expect your country have such a girl, Your Majesty. Could she compare with prime minister Gong Liang?”
Tan Xinglong, the envoy of Fiend Country expressed his doubt. There never existed No. 1 in literature and the second in martial arts. Even inFiend Country, no one could be called as the most talented girl.
But many people thought Hao Li gained the title of the most gifted girl of Dubhe Country for no reason, and it was so strange that everyone admired her.
"Lord Tan, the national conditions of Dubhe Country are different from Fiend Country and Comfortable Clouds Country. Maybe there was an interesting story." Shen Wanshan’s moustaches trembled as he spoke. He was the envoy of Comfortable Clouds Country and his identity was equal to Tan Xinglong.
Deng Song, the envoy of Grand Culture Country, nodded his head and seemed to agree with Shen Wanshan's words.
Shen Wanshan's remark seemingly wasn’t aggressive, but he innuendo that the talents and scholars of Dubhe Country didn't earn the reputation.
Tian Juechen seemed to not understand the ironic words. He agreed, "Gong Liang, they’re right, huh? I didn’t bestow on her the title of the most talented girl, how did she get it?”
"Your Majesty. This girl is named Hao Li, and she is the most popular geisha of Yi Cui Brothel…"
Before Gong Liang could finish his words, a court eunuch, beside Tian Juechen, suddenly screamed in a shrill voice, "Lord Gong, how can you invite a geisha to the imperial city? She will ruin the environment of the imperial palace."
"Eunuch Mi, Hao Li lives in the brothel. She was an entertainer but doesn’t offer sexual services." Gong Liang retorted. He was not a pedantic old man. Two imperial concubines of the emperor also came from the brothel, but now their identities changed. Besides, many court officials often visited brothels.
Hao Li held herself aloof and behaved like a lady from a well-bred family. Men were screened off to meet with her.
People considered Eunuch Mi's words as sour grapes. But no one dared to speak it out, because Eunuch Mi was in the emperor's favor, even Gong Liang did not want to offend this base person.
"Even though she remains pure, she lives in the brothel. She doesn’t deserve the title of the most talented girl." Tan Xinglong could not help saying. At this moment, he was interested in this topic he initiated.
“In fact, the title of the most talented girl has an origin. A year ago, three gifted scholars, Mr. Liu, Mr. Huang and Mr. Lu, went to Yi Cui Brothel with their friends and met Miss Hao for the first time. They heard that Miss Hao is thoroughly accomplished in lyre-playing, chess, calligraphy and painting, so they randomly set a question to compete with that girl. Your Majesty, you guess, who won?”
With a slight surprise, Tian Juechen pushed away the beauty in his arms and asked, "Gong Liang, do you mean Liu Cuncheng?"
"Exactly!"
The three officials Gong Liang mentioned were actually the winner, the runner-up and the second runner-up in the imperial examination. Since ancient times, gifted scholars were fond of beautiful women, especially those who held themselves aloof had crush on geishas.
As the top three in the imperial examination, the three officials had brilliant talent. People also knew they often went to Yi Cui Brothel to find fun.
The top three great talents, who considered themselves to be incomparably intelligent, intended to show off in front of Hao Li, but they didn't expect they would lose to her in three games.
Being arrogant and emulative, they continued to compete with Hao Li in music technique, calligraphy, astronomy and geography, but all lost. They've disgraced themselves after this news were spread throughout high streets and back lanes in Dubhe Country.
Even the court officials knew that a geisha beat the top three talents, and only the emperors and people in the inner palace were not informed.
Liu Cuncheng still wasn’t convinced. He thought he was the champion of the imperial examination, how could he be defeated by a girl. Therefore, he asked his teacher Gong Liang to write the first line of a couplet to test Hao Li.
Unexpectedly Hao Li quickly answered the second line of the couplet which was antithetical to the first line, making Liu Cuncheng downhearted.
"Since Mr. Liu came up with a couplet to test me, then I’d like to make a couple to test you." Hao Li made such a remark at that time.
She gave a very special couplet to Liu Cuncheng. But he hadn’t come up with an answer for three days. Helplessly, he had to tell this incident to Gong Liang and let Gong Liang see how to answer the second line of the couplet.
