Stunned as he was, Liu Xuan quickly realized something was wrong when he saw everyone turning to stare at him.
This was one burden he absolutely could not bear!
No matter how Gu Fangchen had come up with that poem, it had definitely not been through his help. Such a thing was no joke.
Liu Xuan immediately straightened his face, stood up, and spoke coldly, each word clear and firm:
"Sir Gu, mind your words."
"If I truly cheated for His Lordship, I will admit my fault here and now without a single excuse."
"But this baseless accusation, I, Liu Xuan, cannot bear it. The Poetry Branch cannot bear it either!"
Everyone was stunned again.
The truth, which had just seemed clear, now turned murky once more.
Gu Youren's earlier attack had come with warning signs, and Liu Xuan's odd behavior then had made it obvious that her accusation wasn't groundless.
But now Liu Xuan denied it completely, and with such unwavering conviction...
Gu Youren frowned. Liu Xuan didn't appear to be lying, though it was possible he was simply trying to save his reputation.
Had she not already caught him secretly using Spirit Projection to approach Gu Fangchen, she might have hesitated.
But Liu Xuan's brief carelessness had already revealed his intent to cheat, and Gu Youren had seen it.
With that impression fixed in her mind, her judgment was already settled; no matter how much she reconsidered, her reasoning could only bend toward the conclusion she wanted.
Besides, if it wasn't Liu Xuan...
Then whose poem could it be?
Could it really be Gu Fangchen's?!
To believe that would be more absurd than believing the sun could rise in the west!
More importantly, she had already witnessed Gu Fangchen's ability to twist right and wrong, and she knew she must not give him any room to maneuver. Otherwise, once he started talking, it would be impossible to catch him again.
She had to strike swiftly and decisively, without hesitation.
So Gu Youren did not retreat. Her voice turned cold:
"Do you dare deny that just now, while hiding from everyone, you used Spirit Projection to convey that poem to Gu Fangchen?"
Gu Yuandao stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said solemnly, "Brother Liu, as the Sage says, knowing one's fault and correcting it is the greatest virtue. That is what makes a true gentleman."
He, of course, also didn't believe for a moment that poem could have been written by Gu Fangchen.
Gu Yuandao sneered inwardly. That fool had truly lost his mind. In defiance of his own disgraceful reputation, he had thought to regain face through Liu Xuan's cheating.
Clearly, he couldn't stand being overshadowed before the crowd.
Others chimed in one after another, urging Liu Xuan to admit his mistake.
"Yes, yes, Brother Liu, such a person as you must have been coerced or deceived by that scoundrel into handing over your work!"
"Brother Liu's poem was brilliant! For Gu Fangchen to steal it, how shameless!"
"Using power to oppress others, utterly disgraceful!"
The mood of the crowd grew heated, voices rising in angry condemnation of Gu Fangchen.
Yet Gu Fangchen's face remained calm. He kept gently fanning himself.
Watching Gu Youren's unyielding determination, his smile deepened.
Liu Xuan's heart churned with rage and remorse. He sighed deeply, then bowed low to Gu Fangchen.
"Your Lordship, this is all my fault. I was blinded for a moment by foolishness. All of this is on me, and I've caused you to suffer wrongful accusation. Liu Xuan was muddled indeed."
"I will clear Your Lordship's name..."
Gu Fangchen folded his fan, pointed it at him, shook his head, and said with a light smile,
"Ah, Brother Liu, you speak too gravely."
"After all, everyone is not wrong, "
He raised his brows and said casually,
"I did cheat. This poem was not written by me. I merely presented it for everyone's enjoyment."
The moment he said this, the entire hall erupted in chaos, shouts, curses, and scorn filled the air.
Gu Youren exhaled in relief, joy flickering in her heart.
Finally, finally she had taken the upper hand!
That wretch had finally stumbled over his own arrogance!
To commit such an outrageous act at the Qionglin Banquet, no one, not even his mother, could shield him now!
But beside her, Gu Yuandao's heart sank as a strange sense of foreboding arose.
Was Gu Fangchen really someone who would confess so easily?
Before he could even think further about this strange behavior, Gu Fangchen grinned, leapt lightly onto the table, and called out loudly:
"Why enjoy pleasure alone when one can share it with all? The Qionglin Banquet is such a fine occasion, and seeing so many brilliant talents here has inspired me to share some fine works for our mutual delight!"
"Now that I see how passionately everyone discusses them, I can tell your interest runs deep!"
Gu Fangchen swept his gaze around the hall, his smile radiant.
"In that case, I have a few more fine poems here. Allow me to share them with you all!"
"What?!"
A few more fine poems?!
Gu Yuandao's face changed instantly, and everyone else froze, utterly bewildered by his nonsense.
Poems of that caliber might appear once in several centuries, each enough to secure a place in literary history.
And he said he had a few more?
Even Liu Xuan's eyes widened. Was the Marquis's heir out of his mind?
There were better ways to save face than this...
An elder's face darkened as he pointed toward a nearby pine tree.
"A few more? Do you think masterpieces grow like cabbages? If you can truly recite more of that level today, I'll hang myself from that tree immediately!"
Gu Fangchen chuckled.
"Your words, sir, what is it scholars say? A gentleman's promise cannot be pursued even by four horses?"
The elder snorted. "Speak!"
Li Qingguang sighed quietly, already convinced this had turned into a farce.
As the daughter of the "Poetry Immortal," she knew all too well the standard of that earlier poem. Even her father could not produce such verses at will, it was something encountered once in a hundred miles, not summoned at whim.
How could anyone casually produce several of that kind?
She lowered her head, picked up a piece of pastry, and froze when she heard Gu Fangchen softly recite the first line.
Her hand stopped midair. Dazed, she looked up to see the handsome, slightly wicked young man standing tall upon the table, fan in hand, pacing as he spoke the next line.
"...The lotus leaves stretch boundless to the sky, the lotus blooms beneath the sun, uniquely bright."
Every mind went blank. Every expression froze.
This poem, was every bit as good as the last!
How could that be?
Gu Youren, watching closely, could clearly see Liu Xuan at that moment, if he had used Spirit Projection, she would have noticed.
Without Liu Xuan's cheating, where had this poem come from?
Could it be one of Liu Xuan's unpublished works he had secretly handed over earlier?
The crowd barely had time to speculate before Gu Fangchen turned again, pacing in another direction. Everyone's hearts tightened.
No way...
"That was the second poem," Gu Fangchen said, sweeping his eyes over the crowd. "Now comes the third!"
He didn't pause, his tone brimming with arrogance as he recited:
"From silent springs the fine stream flows,
Tree shade on water, sunlight glows.
Tiny buds of lotus show their tip,
A dragonfly lands with poised grip."
"The fourth!"
Gu Fangchen turned again, swaggering proudly.
"...Red lotuses lean as if in drunken trance,
White birds in silence hold their sorrow's stance."
"The fifth!"
He swayed rhythmically, his fan marked with "Each Has His Duty" gleaming in his hand. His voice rang out like thunder:
"The fairy of rippling waves blooms in peace,
Her crimson blush a drunken masterpiece.
Intent unfolds to morning's dew,
Unfeeling, she folds at sunset's hue."
"And now, the final poem."
Gu Fangchen paused, looked toward Gu Youren, who sat slumped and pale with disbelief, and gave a cold smile.
"This last poem," he said slowly, "is dedicated to my ever-so-righteous, ever-impartial, ever-just elder sister."
He spoke each line clearly, one by one:
"The flowers and leaves are not alike in kind,
The flowers in gold basins, the leaves left behind.
Only the red bloom and the green leaf true,
Open and close as nature drew.
Together they shine, yet sorrow entwines,
As green fades, red wanes, breaking hearts and minds."
The same flower, the same plant, yet why must the blossom be kept in gold while the leaf is crushed to dust?
No questions asked, no truth sought. Was it truly for justice...
Or for something personal?
That final line struck Gu Youren's heart like an arrow. Her face went pale.
"Boom!"
A thunderclap split the air.
Cries of alarm echoed. Gu Youren's head jerked upward as storm clouds gathered overhead, and in an instant, torrential rain poured down.
The lotus blossoms in Qionglin Garden, which had not yet fully bloomed, burst open all at once beneath the downpour, radiating multicolored light, transforming the garden into a celestial wonderland.
Resonance of talent, an omen of heaven and earth!