Lin Feilu, who was standing by the tree with a small hand stove, trotted over with small steps to the imperial teacher. She obediently raised her hand, “Teacher, there is one less person here.”
The imperial teacher originally planned to ask a subordinate to pair up with Song Jinglan. When he saw her coming, his eyes lit up and he said with joy, “Alright then, the Fifth Imperial Princess can help and become his partner.”
Lin Feilu tilted her head, “But I don’t know how to write poetry.”
The imperial teacher replied, “That is fine, all you need to do is to point at things for him.”
Lin Jingyuan immediately retorted, “Teacher, I am willing to change with Song Jinglan!”
Xi Xingjiang: “?”
Then he also raised his hand, “I also want to change with Song Jinglan!”
The imperial teacher looked at these two students and had a headache, “Don’t mess around! Fourth Imperial Prince and Viscount Xi, please sit down, the exam will begin soon.”
The other who had never seen the fifth imperial princess before looked at her curiously before they quickly withdrew their gazes. Lin Feilu took off her cloak, folded it with her arms, then happily sat down in front of Song Jinglan.
He stopped grinding his inkstone and was sitting upright in a graceful manner while looking downwards at her.
Lin Feilu was not accustomed to sitting on her knees. After moving for a while, she found a comfortable posture, raised her head to meet his gaze, and smiled with her eyes curved like a crescent moon, “Your Highness, you look so dashing in white robes!”
Song Jinglan smiled back.
A palace official at the gates rang his gong to signal the commencement of the exam.
The courtyard that was originally noisy was now silent. There was only some occasional talking in brief quiet words.
Song Jinglan spread the paper in front of him and weighed it down with an inkstone. He held up his brush and said, “Fifth Princess, please start.”
Lin Feilu found it odd and interesting. Her eyes brightened up as she turned her head to look around, and finally pointed to a withered Chinese redbud vine behind Song Jinglan, “That one.”
Song Jinglan turned around and looked at it a few times. After thinking for a moment, he began to compose his poem.
Lin Feilu leaned slightly forward, her chin propped up with her tiny hands, as she watched him write with a brush. Stroke by stroke, his calligraphy was like the flowing of clouds and water. It was as if he breathed an air of beauty onto the paper.
The handwriting was very different from the one she remembered on the message that was thrown in with the pebble.
Perhaps that was written with his left hand instead?
He quickly finished composing one poem, lifted the paper to dry and set it aside. He continued, “Go on.”
Lin Feilu pointed to a dry well that was not too far away, “That one.”
Song Jinglan thought for a moment. Then he began to compose another poem.
His hand movements were so fast, it was as if composing poems was as simple as eating white rice. Lin Feilu looked around while he was writing, Lin Jingyuan and Xi Xingjiang were still staring at each other, and not a single word had been written yet.
After another poem, Lin Feilu could not help but to ask, “Your Highness, is it easy for you to compose poems?”
Song Jinglan raised his eyebrows slightly, and a small smile appeared in his beautiful dark eyes, “I’m just casually making them up.”
He said he was casually making them up, and it seemed like he was speaking the truth. Lin Feilu stretched out her hand and took one of the papers and looked at it. The calligraphy was very beautiful, but the verses were indeed a little too simple if she were to compare it to her literary knowledge.