Qin Wan sat for a while and then said it was getting late and she wanted to return home early.

Mrs. Cui was worried and asked Qin Heng to escort her back, but halfway through, Qin Wan instructed the driver to detour to the Imperial College.

Qin Heng was puzzled: "Second Sister, what are we doing at this hour at the Imperial College?"

Qin Wan replied, "I always hear you all talking about it lively, so I want to see the poetry wall at the Imperial College’s entrance and see just how extraordinary Mr. Songshan and that Young Master Nantang’s poems are."

Qin Heng, having received Qin Jijiu’s repeated instructions, naturally dared not reveal that Young Master Nantang was actually Qin Yuan, and he laughed dryly, "What’s so interesting about that? If Sister wants to know, I can recite some for you."

Qin Wan asked curiously, "How come you can recite them?"

Qin Heng was a bit proud.

"Father asked me to help the doctor organize years of Firefly Poems these days, and I compared the modern works with the ancient ones, just memorizing them in the process. That day, Sixth Master Gu said he wanted to imitate Xie Butterfly and composed over three hundred Firefly Poems; he recited a dozen before the Holy Emperor and was praised."

By implication, perhaps he too could emulate it.

Qin Wan was curious, "Recite a few of Sixth Master Gu’s for me to hear."

Qin Heng recited a few he remembered well, and Qin Wan sighed, "Although they are much better than his previous poems, they’re still far worse compared to Ziqi. Ah, when luck is on your side, there’s really nothing to be said."

She had no way to tell her brother how in his past life, Sixth Master Gu was such a prodigal who couldn’t make something of himself and could only marvel to herself, becoming more fascinated with that Young Master Nantang.

With Qin Wan’s insistence, a few of them still detoured to the Imperial College halfway through.

Coincidentally, Shen Changle was having the poetry wall redone there. Seeing them from afar, he hurried over to greet them, smiling, "Miss Qin and Little Master, what brings you here? Are you submitting poems, or just here to look at the poetry wall?"

Qin Heng laughed, "Why are you here today? I’m accompanying Second Sister to see if there are new poems?"

"Book Sea Pavilion came to challenge last time, so I went to ask Mr. Songshan and others and got a lot of new poems quickly. This way, waves of competitions make the poetry collections appear resplendent."

Shen Changle laughed inexplicably and somewhat slyly.

Qin Heng pointed at him and also laughed, suddenly recalling something and asked, "Why don’t you collect some poems? Yesterday, my brother-in-law battled spiritedly with the Yelv Clan, and the Marquis Mansion’s Seventh Miss was quite the heroine, standing up for justice. The Holy Emperor personally came to reward the Python Robe and Qilin Robe; it was a magnificent scene. Even I made an impromptu poem on the spot."

Shen Changle was momentarily stunned, then laughed, "My goodness, Little Master is really clever. I didn’t think of that at all. Yes, get some people to paint the scenes from that day; it would be magnificent."

Qin Heng immediately said, "Yes, yes, as they say, two heads are better than one."

Seeing the two of them talking excitedly, Qin Wan strolled over to view the poetry wall, nodding in approval as she looked.

Though she wasn’t proficient in composing poetry, she had a knack for appreciation.

Compared to before, Qin Siyuan’s poetry had transformed completely, appearing refreshed. Compared to the Jade Spring Pond poems, his works bore more polish and maturity.

"Indeed, once the inspiration strikes, it becomes different, getting progressively better."

The few poems Lin Ziqi composed already showed a considerable gap when compared to his cousin’s works.

She continued reading.

Mr. Songshan and others’ poems were indeed remarkable, but what surprised her most were Young Master Nantang’s works.

Young Master Nantang’s word choice was elegant, and his meanings were relaxed and vivacious.

There seemed to be an implicit lineage connection with Qin Siyuan’s works.

This wasn’t surprising, since Qin Siyuan had benefited from Young Master Nantang’s guidance and was bound to have been influenced.

However...

Qin Wan’s heart pounded vigorously, her brows furrowed; this Young Master Nantang’s poems and Lin Ziqi’s past life poems...

"Oh, you’re here too?"

A man’s voice rang out, seemingly with a hint of delight.

Qin Wan turned her head to follow the voice and saw someone familiar not far away, whom she had met by the lotus pond at the Marquis Mansion.

The man seemed afraid she wouldn’t recognize him, showing a toothy white grin, smiling honestly, "Mrs. Lin, I didn’t expect to meet you here. Are you here to see Lin Junren’s poems?"

Qin Wan had no choice but to acknowledge him politely, "Brother Xu, I returned to my mother’s home and heard about a poetry contest here, so I came to take a look."

Xu Tang was dressed today in a short ensemble, his brown-black robe cinched with a black belt at the waist, making his complexion appear even darker, yet when he smiled, his teeth shone bright white.

"Oh, I see. My sports club scheduled a game nearby. People haven’t arrived yet, so I was wandering around. Quite a coincidence indeed."

Qin Wan felt a bit reserved, unsure of what to say.

Xu Tang, however, seemed quite familiar and asked, "Did you come alone?"

Qin Wan shook her head, "I brought a maid and a younger brother from my family is here to accompany me."

Xu Tang warmly said, "Where’s your brother? Since we’re in-laws, it’s only proper we recognize each other when we meet."

Qin Wan didn’t know how to politely decline.

At that moment, Qin Heng saw someone with her and walked over with Shen Changle.

"Are you Qin Jijiu’s youngest son? I am a relative from Sixth Lady Gu’s family, surname Xu, full name Tang."

Upon hearing he was a relative of Sixth Master Gu’s family, Qin Heng smiled and greeted him, exchanging some cordial words.

Xu Tang said he was here to play some ball, and Qin Heng became more enthusiastic towards him.

After all, there isn’t a young lad who doesn’t love cuju.

Xu Tang laughed and invited them to watch.

"Our club often plays against the club from across the street. The Capital Governor Mansion is holding a cuju tournament this Mid-Autumn, and our two teams might represent Renhe Village in future competitions."

Qin Heng chuckled, "Then perhaps our Renju Village will be the opposing team."

Xu Tang glanced at his physique and asked with a smile, "Are you going to play?"

Qin Heng said, "Certainly not, I’ll just be there cheering on from the sidelines."

Qin Wan couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.

Qin Heng said, "Second Sister, are you laughing at me? I won’t help you in the future then."

Qin Wan smiled, "How am I laughing at you?"

Xu Tang smiled warmly at the siblings, "You two are siblings. At home, it’s just my sister and me. I have a sister about Mrs. Lin’s age, she’s now in the King Jin Mansion. Seeing you reminds me of us siblings. When we were younger, we could play together, but when we got older, it’s hard to meet."

Qin Wan sighed, "Indeed, I wonder how many times I’ll see Brother Heng when he grows up."

Xu Tang asked, surprised, "Why does Miss Qin say such pessimistic things? Lin’s family is in the Capital City, and the Jiujie Mansion isn’t far. Meeting is just a matter of taking a short walk. People always say entering the marquis’ door is like entering the deep sea. My sister entered the King Jin Mansion, yet I still meet her a few times a month."

This struck at Qin Wan’s concerns.

Qin Wan sighed, "You’re a man, so it’s naturally easy for you to see your sister. But if your sister wants to see you, or return to her home, it might be difficult for her to leave the King Jin Mansion."

Xu Tang heard this, and his expression darkened as he sighed, "What you say is right; women have so many restrictions."

Qin Heng proclaimed, "Second Sister, I’ll visit you often in the future, even though I dislike Lin Junren’s old mother and his cousin. For your sake, I am willing to bear it."

Hearing this, Xu Tang gave Qin Wan a meaningful glance.