As one of the best restaurants in the capital,

Jù Yuán Lóu’s poetry gatherings are truly a lively event.

Not only do many high-ranking officials and nobles attend, but there are also plenty of young masters and ladies present, making it a great opportunity for impoverished scholars to shine.

As long as they perform well at the poetry gathering, even if they don’t win the favor of the nobles and young ladies, they can still gain fame, paving the way for their future entry into the court.

After all, there are many talented individuals in the world, and how can one expect to be noticed by those in power while remaining obscure?

In his previous life,

Xiè Wényàn made his mark at this very poetry gathering. Unfortunately, this also led to jealousy from his classmate Qián Bótú, who later schemed against him, causing him to end up in debt at a gambling house, resulting in his legs being broken and his career ruined.

Now that he has a second chance, he still has to attend the poetry gathering and make a name for himself.

But Qián Bótú should just wait for his revenge.

So,

the day before the poetry gathering, Xiè Wényàn entered the room of his cousin who had crossed over, holding a plate of mung bean cake.

“Fourth cousin, does your head still hurt today? My mother brought back a lot of mung beans from her family yesterday and made quite a few mung bean cakes. You and Uncle should eat some to nourish yourselves.”

Xiè Wényàn smiled warmly, his tone caring but not overly flattering, as if it were just a common matter.

This kind of not-too-distant yet not overly enthusiastic social attitude made Xiè Wénqí feel quite comfortable. After all, he was an orphan before crossing over and had no experience interacting with family.

To be honest, he was delighted by the careful concern of the original family members these past few days, but he still felt a bit anxious.

He was afraid that the original family would discover that he had changed and treat him like a monster!

In contrast, Xiè Wényàn, who often studied in the city and was rarely home, had less interaction with the original cousin, making it much easier for Xiè Wénqí to face him.

“Thank you, Fifth Cousin. I’ve been feeling much better these past few days. The medicine bought at home contains ginseng, so there’s no need to waste money on special food for me…”

Xiè Wénqí said, holding the mung bean cake, feeling quite touched.

This sugary, oily treat might not be much in modern times, but in ancient times, it was indeed a good thing for nourishing the body, especially in a poor farming family like the Xiè family.

In the original memories, the third uncle and aunt were always sneaky and liked to take advantage of others.

The fifth cousin was also focused solely on studying, indifferent to the lives of his family.

But now that the original father and son were injured, he realized that the third branch’s character had flaws, but there were still people with a conscience among them.

Thinking of this,

Xiè Wénqí couldn’t help but say seriously, “Fifth Cousin, what Fourth Brother said is true. The doctor at the clinic has excellent medical skills, and I really am much better now. The family doesn’t need to spend money on me; your studies are more important.”

In a feudal society where the classes of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants were distinct, it was a significant loss to delay a scholar that the Xiè family had worked hard to support, especially one who could see a bright future.

Upon hearing this, Xiè Wényàn didn’t pour cold water on him but smiled and nodded.

“I understand your intentions, Cousin, but life is all about choices. I’m still young, and there are still two years until the next imperial examination. There will be opportunities to turn things around.”

“As for the money… Tomorrow, Jù Yuán Lóu will have a poetry gathering. With my talent, even if I can’t win first place, I can definitely make it into the top ten, and the reward will be at least ten taels of silver.”

“If I can catch the eye of some noble, my future will be limitless. Cousin, take good care of your health and don’t think too much about it. Do you look down on your younger brother’s talent?”

He joked with a smile, appearing to be a broad-minded and gentle gentleman.

But Xiè Wénqí felt even more worried upon hearing this.

“Cousin, being able to pass the examination at 17 is indeed very impressive! But we are an ordinary farming family. If you stand out too much at the poetry gathering, you might attract envy and jealousy.”

“Moreover, not only are you talented, but you are also exceptionally handsome. Once you show your talents, those noble families will surely take notice and try to marry off their illegitimate sons and daughters to you as an investment.”

“This would not be beneficial for you. With your talent and potential, you are bound to achieve great things in the future.”

Xiè Wénqí was a bit naive when it came to emotions, easily deceived by so-called friendships and brotherhood, but he was very clever in other aspects.

From his observations over the past few days since crossing over, he could see that his cousin not only had a talent for studying but was also willing to work hard. As long as he had the opportunity, he would definitely shine.

Coming from a humble background with exceptional talent, he was undoubtedly a future confidant of the emperor!

If he got involved with the noble families now, it would be like ruining his own future.

What a pity.

Xiè Wényàn was, of course, well aware of this. With a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes, he pretended to be indifferent and said,

“Life is unpredictable; who can say what the future holds? There are countless talented scholars from humble backgrounds, but how many can truly stand out? Cousin, you think too highly of me. While I am confident in my talent, I am not a once-in-a-century genius. Even if I am hidden among the gravel, my brilliance can still be discovered.”

“As long as I can stand out, why should I care about the path I take? I am not seeking eternal fame; I just want to change our family’s fortunes. Cousin, rest assured, I know what I am doing.”

“But…”

Xiè Wénqí still felt it was too wasteful to let this cousin’s talent go to waste.

“I will remember your good intentions, Cousin, but I wonder how you know so much about the high-ranking families in the capital?”

Xiè Wényàn revealed a gratified smile, reminding him with a puzzled tone that he was breaking character.

The real Fourth Cousin had never studied, so how could he know so much?

Xiè Wénqí suddenly woke up, realizing he had been too concerned and almost revealed his secret!

He quickly covered up his embarrassment, “I was just worried that you might be bullied while studying outside, so when I worked in the city, I asked around a bit.”

“Ah, I see. Cousin, you have always been clever. When I used to teach the brothers and sisters at home to read, you were always the fastest. It’s a pity our family is too poor, and the opportunity to study fell to me…”

Xiè Wényàn sighed deliberately.

He had indeed taught his siblings to read, but his original intention was not out of kindness; he thought that if his cousins could read, they would find better families to marry into and help support him in his studies.

However, apart from him, none of the family members were really cut out for studying.

Especially Fourth Cousin, who was as dull as a wooden block, but that didn’t stop him from helping his cousin who had crossed over.

Sure enough,

when Xiè Wénqí heard this, his eyes lit up.

With the original’s literacy and cultural foundation, he would have an excuse for how he spoke and what abilities he displayed in the future!

Seeing this, Xiè Wényàn smiled inwardly and continued to guide him.

“Alright, Cousin, don’t worry about me. I will stand out at this poetry gathering, but the real star will definitely not be me.”

“You don’t know, I have a classmate who is incredibly talented in poetry. He can compose a poem in seven steps, and every poem he writes is a masterpiece that can be remembered through the ages!”

He casually praised.

Xiè Wénqí, having crossed over from the future, immediately felt something was off.

He curiously asked, “Is there really someone that amazing?”

His cousin’s classmate was at most 20 years old, and those historical poets and immortals didn’t write such incredible poems at that age, did they?

Xiè Wényàn pretended not to know and nodded, continuing,

“It’s true. There are always people beyond people, mountains beyond mountains. Although my relationship with him isn’t good, I have to admit that he is indeed exceptional in poetry.”

“A few days ago, during a break at the private school, I saw a draft of a poem he wrote on his desk called ‘Jiāng Jìn Jiǔ,’ which contains the line ‘Tiān shēng wǒ cái bì yǒu yòng, qiān jīn sàn jìn hái fù lái,’ which is truly moving…”

“I believe this poem is what he is preparing to use for the poetry gathering, and tomorrow the first place will undoubtedly belong to him.”

Xiè Wényàn sighed with emotion, his tone seemingly filled with regret as if he had been struck down.

Preparing poetry in advance for a gathering is not a problem; after all, for most people, creating an outstanding poem within the time of a stick of incense is not easy, so it’s normal to prepare ahead.

Xiè Wénqí didn’t doubt his words, but he was shocked by the content.

“What? ‘Jiāng Jìn Jiǔ’!”

Isn’t that a poem from his world? Could it be that there’s a fellow traveler in this world?

Xiè Wénqí’s expression turned sour.

He felt no joy at encountering a fellow traveler; after all, when fellow travelers meet, it’s usually just tears and a backstab.

Now, this suspected fellow traveler could shamelessly plagiarize, which shows that his character is questionable.

Xiè Wénqí couldn’t help but ask, “Cousin, you just said that your relationship with that classmate isn’t good?”

“Yeah, although my classmate is talented, he’s quite the flirt. Not only does he attract the private school teacher’s daughter, but he also has many romantic interests outside. We have different paths and don’t get along.”

Xiè Wényàn subtly guided him.

After hearing this, the cousin’s expression indeed worsened.

Xiè Wénqí roared in his heart: Damn it, what bad luck! His fellow traveler is actually a typical “Dragon Ao Tian” type.

Such people love to show off and hate it when others steal their spotlight.

If the other party finds out there’s another fellow traveler, they will definitely choose to eliminate him rather than befriend him.

After all, in the future, having one person who knows how to utilize knowledge is enough!

The most important thing is that his cousin is not on good terms with the other party. According to the style of such “Dragon Ao Tian” types, their Xiè family is probably already on the list of people to be wiped out!

He doesn’t want to die!

He hasn’t lived enough yet!

He still wants to marry a little brother to warm his bed!

After roaring and sighing in his heart, Xiè Wénqí decisively chose to strike first, “If a friend dies, the Taoist priest doesn’t die.”

He immediately pretended to be angry and looked down on him, “Cousin, you’ve been deceived!”

“What?”

Xiè Wényàn looked innocent and confused.

Xiè Wénqí quickly spilled the beans, “Cousin, I’ve seen the poem ‘Jiāng Jìn Jiǔ’ in a poetry collection long ago! Your classmate is a guy who steals other people’s poetry!”

“What? Impossible! How could we, as scholars, do such shameless things?”

Xiè Wényàn was shocked, filled with disbelief.

Xiè Wénqí was exasperated, “Cousin, you need to be more aware! Bad people don’t distinguish between gender, age, or status. Your classmate is a notorious flirt, and it’s not surprising at all that he would do something so shameless.”

“Cousin, listen to me; you have to expose him!”

“Not to mention that your relationship with him isn’t good, if he has a bright future, he will definitely target you. With his behavior of relying on talent to deceive girls and boys everywhere, can you tolerate that?”

Xiè Wényàn: …

Of course, he could tolerate it; he wasn’t a saint who would rush to save and enlighten every suffering person he saw.

Helping is a matter of kindness, not helping is a matter of duty.

Morality can’t bind him!

However,

Xiè Wényàn looked at his naive cousin and nodded in indignation.

“When I see injustice, I will draw my sword to help. Such shameless people are a disgrace to us scholars! But Cousin, I have no evidence. If I speak out, no one will believe me.”

“It’s okay; I have evidence! That poetry collection was something I picked up while hunting on the mountain, next to a weathered corpse. I was planning to give it to you as a birthday gift next time…”

Xiè Wénqí rambled on.

While pretending to search through his wooden box of clothes for cover, he secretly smuggled out a beautifully packaged traditional Chinese book titled “Three Hundred Tang Poems.”

He had obtained the spiritual spring space in his childhood before crossing over and, inspired by the apocalyptic novels online, had stocked up on food, seeds, and various books to preserve civilization in his space.

“This book is exquisite; it seems to be a rare collection. Cousin, you were able to find such a treasure; you truly are a person of great fortune.”

Xiè Wényàn took the book, filled with admiration and praise.

Xiè Wénqí also felt like he was the chosen one; otherwise, how could he have crossed over with a space?

He felt proud yet a bit shy, “Oh, it’s just a bit of luck…”

“It seems that after this life-and-death ordeal, Cousin’s personality has become even more cheerful, which is great.”

Xiè Wényàn smiled like a warm spring breeze, his eyes filled with appreciation.

The author has something to say:
Just a heads up: the protagonist wants the “poetry collection” not for himself, but to deal with his enemy Qián Bótú!