But Luo He did not stop there. Instead, he looked toward the elderly master with genuine respect and cupped his fists.
"Master," he said politely. "These ten characters are extraordinarily obscure."
"Since you were the one who wrote them, perhaps you could explain their pronunciations and meanings to this junior?" The old master nodded and stepped forward confidently.
He identified the first character. Then the second. The third. The fourth. The fifth.
The sixth. Among them were two characters Luo He had already identified correctly.
The gathered scholars nodded in admiration. As expected of the old master. He truly deserved his reputation.
The master then moved to the seventh character.
"This character is pronounced..." He spoke confidently. Luo He remained silent. It was one of the characters Luo He had already identified correctly.
The scholars immediately recorded the master's explanation. The master then pointed toward the eighth character.
"This one..." he began.
He pronounced it exactly the way Luo He had deliberately mispronounced it earlier.
Its meaning, too, was exactly the same incorrect meaning Luo He had given intentionally, "Shadow."
Luo He had laid the trap long before the master ever stepped forward. The master nodded with confidence. None of the surrounding scholars questioned him.
If even the master had spoken, who would dare doubt him? Then the master reached the ninth character. His confident expression slowly faded.
He stared at it.
Several breaths passed. Then he moved toward the tenth. His brows knitted together. The courtyard gradually became silent. Even he did not know.
Luo He smiled faintly. "Master." The old man looked toward him. "I thought so before." He said calmly. "Not even you know all ten characters. Even you know perhaps six or seven."
The words were calm. They were not mocking. Yet the surrounding scholars immediately understood their meaning.
Several of them lowered their heads to hide their smiles.
The master's face stiffened. He had intended to humiliate Luo He. Instead, he had unknowingly exposed the limits of his own knowledge.
At that moment, Luo He calmly pointed toward the eighth character. "Master."
"That character is not pronounced that way." He spoke the actualy correct pronunciation.
"Its meaning is not shadow. It refers to joy. Maybe a joyous occasion or celebration. I once encountered it while reading an ancient manuscript."
The master frowned. He was unconvinced. Several elderly scholars stepped forward to inspect the character themselves. None recognized it.
One elderly scholar immediately instructed his disciple, "Go to the academy. Bring me the Ancient Character Compendium." He said urgently.
The disciple ran without delay. Several minutes later he returned carrying a thick, weathered volume. The elderly scholar rapidly turned its yellowed pages.
The crowd watched in complete silence.
Suddenly his eyes widened. "I found it."
He compared the character. Then slowly looked at Luo He. "His pronunciation is correct." He turned another page.
"The meaning, is also correct." A murmur spread throughout the courtyard. The master's expression darkened. The elderly scholar continued searching.
Soon the ninth character was found as well. This tenth one was not known to anyone. At least Luo He acted like it was. Now only the final character remained. The book contained nothing. No reference of it.
The surrounding scholars searched every reference they possessed. No one knew it. The master himself stared at the final character for a very long time. He remained silent.
Everyone slowly turned toward Luo He.
If anyone present knew, it was undoubtedly him. Yet Luo He simply stood there quietly. He never spoke. He never offered another answer.
He allowed the final mystery to remain exactly that, a mystery. The master's face gradually became filled with visible embarrassment. He had written ten ancient characters.
Yet even he could not explain all of them.
Many scholars had already begun looking at him differently. Jin Mulan quietly watched from behind Luo He.
Her hand instinctively rested upon her sword. She could already sense the atmosphere changing. She was prepared to step forward if anyone attempted to shame her husband again.
Instead, Luo He suddenly stepped forward. He cupped both hands. Then, before everyone's astonished eyes he bowed deeply toward the elderly master.
"Master. You are truly wise." He praised.
His voice carried nothing but sincerity.
"You know perhaps six or seven of these characters. I new four with certainty. The rest were merely guesses. I learned a lot from you." He said genuinely thankful.
"I believe no person under Heaven is all knowing. But master remains my senior in both knowledge and wisdom." The master froze. Luo He continued his praise with genuine calm.
"To be ignorant of one thing is not disgraceful. A scholar earns respect not because he knows all things under Heaven, but because he knows more than those who came after him." He said.
"In that regard you have devoted your entire life to learning. You have taught countless students. The knowledge you possess far exceeds my own. I sincerely acknowledge you as my senior."
The crowd fell completely silent. Only moments ago, the master had already resolved to remember today's humiliation. He had planned to repay this arrogant young man someday.
But now, those thoughts quietly disappeared. Luo He had every opportunity to expose him completely.
Yet instead, he had preserved the master's dignity.
He had corrected only what needed correcting. He had remained silent when speaking further would only deepen the old man's embarrassment.
Most importantly, he had voluntarily lowered himself. Allowing the master to keep his honor before all the scholars.
The old master's eyes slowly softened.
For the first time, he truly looked at Luo He rather than the rumors surrounding him. This was not an arrogant young man. This was someone who genuinely understood people.
Someone who understood that respect often accomplished what victory could not. The master slowly returned the bow.
"Young master He... I have misjudged you. I owe you an apology."
Around them, every scholar became silent. The literary contests they had painstakingly prepared just to embarrass this useless pretty boy suddenly lost all meaning.
How could they continue humiliating a man whom even their own master now respected? None dared step forward again.
Without writing a single poem... Without composing a single essay... Without defeating anyone in debate... Luo He had dismantled the entire literary offensive.
Not by acting smarter than everyone else. But by acting humble enough to gain the one ally who mattered most.
As he quietly returned to Jin Mulan's side, no one noticed the faint smile hidden within his eyes.
His objective had never been to prove that he was the smartest man in the room. A clever man attracts attention. An admired man attracts envy.
But an underestimated man could move freely beneath everyone's gaze. And in Luo He's eyes, that freedom was worth far more than a moment of applause.
When Luo He finally returned to Jin Mulan's side, her hand instinctively found his arm, wrapping around it with unmistakable possessiveness.
Together they walked back into the sea of guests, continuing the endless exchanges of greetings and polite conversation. As always, Jin Mulan did most of the talking.
Luo He quietly remained half a step behind, content to let her take the lead.
Unlike every previous stop, however, she did not immediately approach another noble. This time she stayed, with him.
She guided him back toward their table and tightened her grip around his hand, practically radiating warmth. Only then did Luo He notice the faint crimson spreading across her cheeks.
He gently nudged her shoulder. "Honey?" She blinked in confusion before realizing he was looking directly at her face. The realization only made her blush harder.
She looked away, clearly flustered, her fingers tightening almost painfully around his. After making sure no one was paying attention, she leaned close enough for only him to hear, her breath warm against his ear.
"You know," she whispered softly in his ear. "Seeing you act all scholarly and composed was surprisingly attractive."
The slight catch in her voice told him far more than her words.
Luo He's lips curled into a smug grin. "I'll take that as a compliment." She rolled her eyes, but her fingers remained interlocked with his, refusing to let go.
For a long moment she simply stared at him, her gaze lingering on his lips before she quickly looked elsewhere, as though afraid of what might happen if their eyes met again.
To hide her embarrassment, she reached for her cup and drank nearly the entire thing in one go. It did absolutely nothing to cool the warmth flooding her being.
Luo He watched the entire performance with obvious amusement. "Honey," he whispered mischievously. "Those twenty characters were only a tiny fraction of what I actually know."
"I recognized every one of them, their pronunciations, meanings, even some of their origins." He tilted his head with exaggerated pride. "So, have I become even more impressive in your eyes?"
Jin Mulan slowly turned to look at him, her eyes dark with something between frustration and desire. A playful smile spread across her face, though it held an edge that hadn't been there before.