Don't be a Kept Man

Chapter 51: Save it and Buy You Some Candy

Liu Zhen Hu thought his ears weren't working right, but in his shock, he heard Chen Miao Ping repeating himself with a smile,

"I am but a lowly man inhibited by my desires. So I won't beat around the bush. If I lose, I will crawl around in a circle three times, barking like a dog. If you lose, you give me 7000 guan. What do you think about that?"

7000 guan was not a small amount. If Liu Zhen Hu really lost that much money in a gamble, Wu An Hou would skin his own son alive. But he was very confident that he would not lose to Chen Miao Ping, and so he gritted his teeth, ignored all his instincts telling him that this was a bad idea and took the bet.

"Fine! As you said then."

Writing poetry, that requires time for preparation. But a competition like this does happen occasionally, so the materials were quickly prepared. Maids brought an incense burner and a table to place it on with a set of brushes and paper. The time limit was set to about one burning stick of incense, and the moment the incense was lit, Liu Zhen Hu immediately started writing as he contemplated the theme. But the majority of the gazes of everyone's eyes were gathered on Chen Miao Ping, wanting to see what he could come up with.

Ignoring the numerous eyes on him, Chen Miao Ping only kept drinking and drinking, cup after cup of wine. After he finished with one jug, he continued with another. His eyes were full of the haziness of a drunkard, and his gaze drifted around the room until he suddenly spotted someone in a far off corner. That body was silently sitting there, but Xie Yu Zhi's delicate feminine face was easily recognizable, half illuminated by the light and the other half of his face covered in shadows. And the most captivating of all were his dark inky eyes that seemed to be sparkling from the gleam reflected from the lanterns nearby.

Qian Tong and the rest of the group were panicking from the lack of movement from Chen Miao Ping, and one of them even went up to try and give him some support,

"Da-Ren, please do something quickly. When you get drunk, how are you going to write then? How embarrassing would it be to crawl like a dog and learn to bark? How much shame would this group of brothers be in then?"

Chen Miao Ping scowled, waving his sleeves at him,

"Go go go. You keep talking and today's meals will be on you."

Liu Zhen Hu had his draft ready and was now starting to write his official submission. And in this time, the incense in the holder had already burned past half its length when Chen Miao Ping finally moved. But he only put down the wine jug and then slowly unwrapped the gauze on his right hand.

The wound from some previous days ago had already started to heal, but it was fairly gruesome from what bystanders could spot from a glance. Xue Yi who was nearby was no doubt shocked at this sight, and said,

"Chen Gong-Zi, if you are discomforted by your injury, Xue Yi is willing to become your brush."

"No, I won't be needing your help."

Chen Miao Ping shook his head.

That incense was almost down to its last dregs, and the scholar dressed in a lightly coloured robe, who had quipped back at him before, took an inquisitive look at Chen Miao Ping's side. Upon seeing the sheet of paper still in its untouched state, he couldn't keep himself from laughing out loud mockingly,

"Why is Brother Chen not moving his brush? Others have praised you for your extraordinary skill in the literary arts, but how could you be so slow? Brother Liu has already finished."

Everyone looked over when he said that, and they saw Liu Zhen Hu just finishing up his last character. When Liu Zhen Hu put down his brush and turned to look at Chen Miao Ping, he also laughed out loud from seeing his blank paper. He ordered a servant to present his poem to Lady Xie Yi for judgment and ridiculed Chen Miao Ping,