The Empress's First Running Dog

Chapter 34 Power is the best passport in the world

"Sir... you look unfamiliar. Is this your first time here?" The maid was stunned for a moment, then asked while inviting him to sit down.

"I heard about it from a friend," Zhao Duan happily took a seat.

"Amway?" The maid was confused.

"Well, it's just a recommendation." Zhao Duan decided to give the people from the other world a little shock with an old-fashioned trick.

"Oh...ohhh."

Generally speaking, most people who come to such places for the first time are introduced by their friends, but there are also individual visitors.

After everyone was surprised, they all looked away, and no one recognized his identity.

It was not surprising. Zhao Duan had risen to fame within a year, but there was no Internet in that era. Most people in the capital had only heard of the empress's lover but had never seen him in person.

"Thank you." Zhao Duan sat down and thanked the maid who handed him a fruit plate and wine.

The latter was immediately overjoyed, his cheeks flushed, and he leaned over and whispered:

"If my lady doesn't want to entertain guests, I can serve them overnight... Yes, it's free."

After saying that, she walked away twisting her hips.

Next to him, a fat and big-eared drunkard had pointed ears and bright eyes. He raised his hand and grabbed the maid's hand, smiling:
"Miss Zhu'er is also entertaining guests? Why didn't you say so earlier?"

The maid pulled her hand back with a fake smile and bowed:
"Zhu Er doesn't understand what this young master is saying."

Drinker: ...

Zhao Duan: ...

Well, good-looking people always have some privileges.

For a moment, the piano music continued, and the guests at nearby tables looked at him with deep jealousy in their eyes.

Zhao Duan remained calm and drank by himself.

The current stage is probably the warm-up phase, with drinkers chatting with each other.

The person sitting next to him was also a solo traveler, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, dressed like a typical scholar, but probably from an ordinary family, and seemed a little reserved and awkward.

Well, he must be a newbie in the romantic world.

Perhaps seeing that Zhao Duan was also a "newcomer", he felt friendly and took the initiative to bow and say:

"I am a student from the capital, my last name is Dong, may I ask what your name is?"

Zhao Duan raised his eyebrows and smiled back:

"Zhao."

Neither of them used their full names, maintaining just the right amount of decency.

Dong Shusheng said enviously:

"Brother Zhao is very impressive. When he first came in, Zhu'er offered herself to him. This is really admirable."

No... How can you make such a thing sound so serious... Scholars are really reserved... Zhao Duan was embarrassed:

"Thank you so much... Brother Dong, are you a regular customer here?"

Dong Shusheng shook his head:
"This is the second time. I'm not interested in women, but last time my classmate brought me here and said that Miss Xiaoya is the daughter of a former official in the Ministry of Personnel of the Qing Dynasty. She is well-read and a talented woman in the capital. I fell in love with her at first sight."

After a pause, he said with a hint of regret:
“It’s a pity that Miss Xiaoya only receives one person at a time, and she doesn’t care about appearance or money, she only likes talented men.

My brother's poetry is not outstanding. I failed to discuss poetry with him all night last time. This time I am regrouping and ready to fight again."

Implication:
Even though you are good-looking, this is a gathering for intellectuals. Having money and good looks is useless. What we are competing for is talent.

Good boy... what you said makes my blood boil... Zhao Duan said sincerely:
"Then I wish Brother Dong success."

Not to mention that his purpose tonight was not pure. Even if it was to obtain information, he had never thought of working as hard as these scholars and following the so-called rules of talent competition.

Although there were countless brilliant articles left by our ancestors in his mind, any one of Zhao Duan's copied ones could surpass the rest of the capital and be passed down through the ages.

But there is no need to waste such a good thing on such occasions.

"Even if my poems are to be used, they will be used to lick the Empress, or at the very least to lick other important figures, so that they will not be wasted!"

Zhao Duan has his own backbone.

Seeing that he had no intention of competing for it, Dong Shusheng smiled and became more friendly. The two of them clinked their glasses and said with a wry smile:

"However, it's not easy to win tonight. You see the guy on the opposite side? He's a student from the Imperial Academy and is quite good at poetry. He usually interacts with talented people like Han Zhou, Wang You, Zhang Changshuo, etc.

I didn't expect you to come here. I'm afraid I'll have a hard time tonight."

The talented person who knew Zhang Changshuo?
Zhao Duan raised his eyebrows and looked at the young man sitting opposite him. He was looking dignified and chatting with the person next to him with a confident look on his face.

Seeing Zhao Duan looking at him, he also looked over and nodded slightly at him, but there was arrogance in his eyes.

It seemed that he didn't feel that Zhao Duan posed any threat at all.

Pretty confident... Zhao Duan smiled and thought, I'll let you know what the reality of the world is like soon.

At this time, the song ended, and a graceful figure walked out from behind the screen. She was indeed an outstanding beauty.

Her face is rosy and her shoulders are half exposed, with a veil faintly visible on her chest.

Especially the temperament of a lady from a noble family adds some color.

At this moment, she swept her eyes across the table, and when she saw Zhao Duan's appearance, she was slightly stunned, but quickly looked away.

Well, this is called professionalism.

As a host, you must treat all guests equally and not let them feel that you are favoring some over others.

If you lose in a talent competition, you should accept it with a sincere heart and not feel resentful.

But if we treat them differently, the situation will not be able to continue.

At this time, Zhao Duan began to believe what Dong Shusheng said. On the surface, Xiaoya really didn't care about appearance or money.

At least, you can't show it and displease the guests.

"Thank you all for coming to Qinglian Cottage tonight..."

Xiaoya opened the show with a smile, and then a series of small games followed, including drinking games, poetry competitions, couplet competitions, and flowing wine cups, interspersed with jokes, singing and dancing.

It was clearly just a small place, but the atmosphere was quite good, and the ambiguous atmosphere was neither too strong nor too weak, just right.

Even the introverted and nervous Dong Shusheng was taken good care of.

He is a talented person... Zhao Duan commented silently, thinking that it was no wonder that Zhang Changji, the soldier, had been obsessed with him for half a year, he did have some skills.

Unfortunately, it's just a trick to please men.

What happened afterwards was just as Mr. Dong had said. The talented scholar from the Imperial College quickly stood out. He was able to recite poems and couplets fluently, and was proficient in jokes and drinking games, becoming the most impressive guy in the field.

Dong Shusheng tried to fight back several times, but was beaten badly by the opponent every time and had to cover his face and flee.

The gap in strength is too big. It’s not that Xiao Dong didn’t work hard, but the enemy is just too strong!
As for Zhao Duan, he was low-key and inconspicuous throughout the whole process. Gradually, no one paid attention to him. Even Xiaoya's eyes were filled with disappointment when she looked at him.

Soon, the night deepened and it was time for the final stage.

Xiaoya left the room to take a bath, saying she was tired. A maid named Zhu'er said:

"The last one is titled 'Door'. Please compose a poem. After my lady evaluates it, she will invite one of you to stay overnight."

Then, paper and pens were distributed to each person.

Scholar Dong looked depressed, holding his pen listlessly. Except for the talented scholar, the other guests were also not interested.

"What's wrong with Brother Dong? Are you trying your best in one go and then exhausted in three tries?" Zhao Duan asked.

Dong Shusheng smiled bitterly and shook his head, completely losing his fighting spirit:

"Brother Zhao, why do you have to mock me? He must be the guest of honor tonight. You, me, and the rest of us are just supporting roles. Alas, we are not as talented as him. What can we do?"

Zhao Duan smiled:

"Since we are here, we have to give it a try. What if Brother Dong's poems touch Miss Xiaoya's heart?"

"That's right..." Although Dong Shusheng didn't have much confidence, he still picked up his pen and thought hard since he was here.

But I saw Zhao Duan next to me picked up a pen, scribbled a few big words on the paper, and then folded the paper.

"Uh, what did Brother Zhao write? It's not poetry, is it?"

Scholar Dong was stunned for a moment. The main reason was that Zhao Duan wrote too quickly. How could a poem have so few words?

"Just to make up the numbers." Zhao Duan smiled without explaining.

Mr. Dong did not think much about it. He had already seen that the man next to him was a good-looking but hungry fool. He concentrated and thought hard for a long time before he started writing.

When the time was up, the maid began to collect the poems one by one and send them to the back house for Xiaoya to choose.

The rest of the people sat and waited. The students from the Imperial College looked confident of winning and had already started warming up, while a few who felt there was no hope had already stood up and left.

Dong Shusheng was still holding on, looking at Zhao Duan's calm demeanor, and couldn't help but be curious:

"Brother Zhao, aren't you going to leave first?"

"Why should I leave?" Zhao Duan smiled.

Dong Shusheng choked and thought, no matter who wins, it's impossible for you to be the winner. You didn't even write a poem. I'm afraid you just wrote your name.

Just then, hurried footsteps were heard coming from the back house. The maid Zhu'er looked anxious. As soon as she entered the room, her eyes were fixed on Zhao Duan.

"Miss Zhu'er, is your young lady waiting in the back house? I will go there now..." The student from the Imperial Academy stood up with a dignified manner.

However, the next second, Zhu Er said apologetically:

"Mr. Li, wait a minute. My lady has invited someone else."

Mr. Li's smile froze in disbelief.

He didn't think that anyone in the field could write better poetry than himself.

The other guests were shocked and straightened their backs, as they did not expect to receive an unexpected surprise.

When Dong Shusheng saw Zhu'er walking straight towards him, his heart started beating like a drum and he was so excited that he could hardly control himself, thinking that he had been chosen.

Sure enough! Brother Zhao is right, what if?
However, the next second, Zhu Er passed by Dong Shusheng and walked in front of Zhao Duan, saying respectfully and humbly, even with fear:

"Mr. Zhao, please follow me to the backyard."

The whole place was quiet.

Dong Shusheng was confused and looked at "Brother Zhao" beside him in astonishment, his mind full of question marks.

But he was very sure that Zhao Duan had never written any poetry at all.

Damn it... Is this still a world where looks matter?

But Miss Xiaoya has never cared about appearance...Scholar Dong couldn't understand.

"Thank you," Zhao Duan stood up leisurely after having a good meal and a good drink. He glanced at Xiao Dong, then suddenly raised his hand and patted his shoulder comfortingly, saying:
"Xiaoya didn't choose me because of my looks."

Dong Shusheng was at a loss: "Why is that..."

Zhao Duan smiled with an ambiguous tone:
"The theme of the poem is 'door', so how do you lead to a closed door?"

Dong Shusheng looked eagerly: "How?"

Zhao Duan chuckled, turned around and left, leaving only a few words:
"Brother Dong, you must remember that power is the best passport in this world."

Oh, who wants to compete with you bunch of bookworms in talent?

Isn’t it simpler and more effective to use identity as the gateway?
Just as Dong Shusheng guessed, he only wrote his name on the piece of paper.

Zhao Duan.

Three words are enough.

……

ps: Considering the continuity of the plot, today's two chapters are released together.

Thank you for the 10,000 points reward from Doctor Neigui! I am promoted to the first guardian of this book.

(End of this chapter)