Abandoned Woman Busy Farming-Chapter 2444 - 2445: Poison-Tongued Chun

Immediately, the poems of the three individuals were selected, and the judges were asked to critique them before announcing the rankings.

The female teacher took the poems and insisted that the elegant lady should comment first. The elegant lady, however, turned to Bai Ruozhu and said, "Lord Bai is from Zhongyuan, and comes from a scholarly family, so let’s have Lord Bai critique first."

Bai Ruozhu stood up, "I will respectfully comply."

The Kui Shou beside her had a slightly somber expression, feeling that Bai Ruozhu should concede to him. Was Bai Ruozhu completely disregarding him, the Kui Shou of Fusang?

Bai Ruozhu took the poems and glanced through them. Although she wasn’t proficient in poetry, she had been influenced enough to critique them.

"This poem ’Floral Elegance’ fits the theme well, expressing the prosperity of blooming flowers and the helplessness of their fading. From the brilliance to the subtle sadness, the emotions are very sincere, good work."

"The poem ’Crescent Moon’ is very special, not following the usual approach of writing about the full moon and reunion, but rather intertwining the moon’s phases with human emotions, which is remarkable."

"’Drinking Alone in the Snow’ portrays snow scenery and the elegance of drinking alone, but unfortunately is a bit too deliberate, lacking some grandeur."

After she finished, someone couldn’t help but gasp, "lacking grandeur" isn’t exactly a favorable comment.

Indeed, the Kui Shou spoke up.

"Lord Bai, isn’t your critique of the last poem a bit harsh? ’Lacking grandeur’ could affect the reputation of the young lady who wrote it."

Below, Hui Zi’s eyes reddened as she took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears, quietly whispering to Princess Ya’an, "I just saw Fangzi with her; could Fangzi have said something about me, leading this lord to be biased against me?"

On stage, Bai Ruozhu chuckled, "Kui Shou, you misunderstand. The term ’grandeur’ isn’t solely about a person’s magnanimity; I was referring to the poem’s majestic degree. Please don’t misinterpret."

The Kui Shou’s face turned from green to pale and then pale to green again, as if he was being mocked for not understanding Chinese well enough.

"Wasn’t Lord Bai using a double entendre?" The Kui Shou asked unwillingly.

Bai Ruozhu smiled and said casually, "If you insist on thinking so, I won’t explain further. I don’t even know who wrote these poems, let alone the ladies, so there’s no question of tactorship."

Only now did people remember that the poems were submitted with each family’s emblem stamped on them, instead of the lady’s name; given that Lord Bai isn’t from Fusang, how would she recognize such complex emblems?

Realizing this, Hui Zi with her tear-stained eyes seemed somewhat amusing.

Why did you so easily feel targeted? Why were you so quick to feel wronged?

Princess Ya’an glanced at Hui Zi, whispering, "You’re overthinking it; how could she tell it’s your poem?"

"Perhaps she remembered my family’s emblem?" Hui Zi said, a bit unsure.

"Isn’t it the first time she’s met you?" Princess Ya’an wasn’t foolish either.

On stage, the female teacher smoothed things over, and the critiques passed, yet those who originally thought Hui Zi’s poem was good started feeling it was indeed somewhat deliberate and not as sincere as the other two.

Even the female teacher who initially considered sympathy points for Hui Zi lost favor. The final rankings were Yaxi first, Princess An Ya second, and Hui Zi third.

Hui Zi gritted her teeth tightly, wishing she could stand up and scold Bai Ruozhu harshly. If it weren’t for this outsider woman, she might have been first today, and even if not first, she should have been second.

Everyone wanted to congratulate Yaxi, and Yaxi kindly congratulated Princess An Ya and Hui Zi; suddenly, the ground shook, causing many to exclaim.

"Oh no, the earth is moving!"

"Everyone, don’t panic; find a place to take shelter!"

Chaotic voices emerged, and Bai Ruozhu felt her footing shaking, almost unable to stand firm.

"Master, let’s quickly find a place to take shelter!" Yizi and the others didn’t follow the crowd to evacuate but rushed to the stage to grab Bai Ruozhu.

Fangzi wasn’t very panicked. "Each residence here has a place to take refuge; follow me."

Only then did Bai Ruozhu remember that Fusang Country frequently experienced earthquakes, even many in modern times, and some of their earthquake preparedness experiences were passed down from ancient times.

Quickly, Bai Ruozhu and her group followed Fangzi to a refuge site. The earth still trembled, but the refuge, resembling an air raid shelter, seemed quite safe.

"Boo hoo hoo, my face is already like this, and yet..." a woman’s crying voice suddenly echoed inside, and Bai Ruozhu realized it was the scheming Hui Zi.

"I-I truly didn’t mean to; I saw you almost fall and wanted to help you. I was trying to assist you." Yaxi, a bit aggrieved, thought if she hadn’t helped Hui Zi, Hui Zi would have fallen harder, but perhaps Hui Zi was so dazed from the fall that she thought Yaxi had intentionally tripped her.

Bai Ruozhu’s group stood near the entrance, with Yizi uneasily setting up an array secretly.

Outside, the quake continued; not far away, the window of a room shook loose, and the sliding door vibrated with a loud crash, soon collapsing.

Fortunately, the ladies remained calm, clearly accustomed.

"It’s a pity the poetry duel can’t continue." Princess Ya’an said with some regret.

Others sighed; this earthquake truly came at the wrong time.

Suddenly, a figure dashed by outside, and in the next second, Jiang Yichun rushed into the refuge cave, pulling Bai Ruozhu into his arms.

"Are you alright?" His voice was filled with concern, and his arms involuntarily tightened, genuinely fearing anything would happen to her.

"I’m alright; they say quakes are common here, and this one isn’t too severe." Bai Ruozhu felt warm inside; her man was genuinely worried about her.

The other Fusang ladies were stunned; how did a man suddenly appear, and one so... handsome?

"By the way, how did you get here so quickly?" Bai Ruozhu nudged him, hinting for him to let go, everyone’s watching.

Jiang Yichun released her but kept holding one of her hands tightly.

"I didn’t trust you being alone, so I waited nearby. The moment the quake started, I rushed over." Jiang Yichun explained.

Suddenly, an ill-timed male voice sounded, "This is a women’s poetry conference; entering without the Emperor’s decree, what crime does it entail?"

Jiang Yichun glanced at the Kui Shou indifferently, turning to Bai Ruozhu and asking, "Who’s this sissy? Saying men can’t enter, is he a eunuch?"

Fusang Country doesn’t have eunuchs, but they’ve studied Zhongyuan culture and naturally know what "eunuch" means.

"Outrageous! What do you mean?" The Kui Shou shouted.

"Just what the words imply. If men can’t enter, are you not a man?" Jiang Yichun said impatiently.

Bai Ruozhu held back a laugh; her man’s earlier "sissy" was spot on, truly living up to the nickname "Sharp Tongued Yichun."