After being reborn as a man, the woman improved her family's fortunes through education.

Chapter 571 Song Jinyang's Poem

The writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were arranged, and the canopy was also set up overhead.

It has to be said that the Tong family has quite a full complement of people, and their monthly allowance must be a considerable expense.

Jiang Xiaoqi looked up at the finely woven cattail canopy and drifted off into thought once again.

The Fourth Prince saw that Jiang Xiaoqi was staring blankly with her head up, so he couldn't help but look up as well.

There's nothing there, so what are you looking at?

Could it be that they're looking at sunshades? The Jiang family shouldn't be short of money, they've never seen a sunshade before?

The Chiang family was not short of money, but they never actually built a sunshade.

There are plenty of flowers, plants, and trees in the yard, so it's not really that sunny.

The main reason is that the Jiang family's house is much smaller than the Tong family's. It's only a few steps to walk to your own courtyard, and you can easily solve the problem of being exposed to the sun for a short while by holding an umbrella.

However, after watching for a while, Jiang Xiaoqi decided to build a pergola for her sister and grandmother's courtyard when she got back.

This way, you can sit under the shade of the canopy and lie in a rocking chair to enjoy the breeze when the sun is lower in the afternoon.

After all, people who don't get enough sunlight will become calcium deficient.

Sunbathing is the most convenient way to supplement vitamin D. Vitamin D promotes the absorption of calcium in the body and prevents osteoporosis and easy fractures.

Ahem, I'm going too far again.

Sitting opposite him, Qiu Feng picked up his pen again, but this time he didn't write anything quickly.

He glanced up at the direction of the waterside pavilion, then put his pen down again.

"What? Can't write it?"

Qiu Cheng was puzzled that his son, who usually wrote poetry as easily as drinking water, was stumped. It was just a few butterflies, was it really that hard to write about?

"No, it's just that summer isn't very friendly to butterflies. Do butterflies really like summer? Do they really like fluttering around?"

Or perhaps it was simply because the dancers wore sachets that smelled of nectar, which they forcibly captured the butterflies and tricked them into dancing.

Qiu Cheng was speechless; he couldn't keep this son.

Jiang Xiaoqi was surprised; this person actually had the potential to be a melancholic poet.

"You, can you even write it? This is a poetry gathering. Even if you don't win the prize, don't embarrass yourself too much."

Qiu Cheng didn't indulge his son's fussiness. He wasn't like this when he was a child. Why did he develop these problems now that he's grown up?

Provoked by his father's words, Qiu Feng gritted his teeth, picked up his pen again, and began to write quickly on the paper.

A moment later, he put down his pen and let out a long sigh of relief.

Qiu Cheng leaned closer to take a look, nodded slightly, and a hint of satisfaction appeared in his eyes.

Hehe~ No wonder he's his son, a little provocation works wonders.

At this point, most people also put down their pens one after another, and it seemed that they had all successfully completed their poems.

Instead of presenting their poems to the judges, no one gathered around to critique them, occasionally exclaiming in admiration and engaging in discussion.

"Excellent poem! Excellent poem indeed! Brother Liu has it all figured out!"

"Oh, Brother Li, you flatter me. This is nothing but a trivial skill, hardly worthy of serious consideration. I'm just offering my humble opinion to get the ball rolling. Please take a look at everyone's masterpieces!"

At the nearby tables, the insincere flattery and even more insincere humility were palpable. As one masterpiece after another was recited, Jiang Xiaoqi couldn't help but pick at her ears, feeling as if something was stuck there.

Just then, a gasp suddenly came from the crowd: "Whose poem is this, so audacious!"

Everyone crowded around to look, and saw that the paper read: "The power and wealth are all vanity, who cares about the suffering of the common people? The elegance of poetry gatherings is just an empty show, it's better to ask about rice and millet in the fields."

His words were sharp, directly criticizing contemporary poetry gatherings for focusing only on extravagance and neglecting the hardships of ordinary people. He argued that everyone was indulging in affectation and extravagance, unaware that the expenses of a single poetry gathering could feed countless people.

The poem is good, but it's a blatant slap in the face to the Tong family; I wonder how they'll handle this.

Someone asked you to write a poem about butterflies, and you just went and did it in the fields.

Everyone looked at each other, wondering who had written the poem.

"What? You dare to do it but not admit it? You're going to be a coward?"

"Shh! Don't be the first to stick your neck out. Look, no one has asked. It's better to mind your own business and say less!"

"I am indeed the one who is talented!"

Song Jinyang, who was pretending to be invisible behind the Fifth Prince, suddenly stepped forward, which surprised many people, including Jiang Xiaoqi.

Is this a staff member of the Fifth Prince's household? What audacity! Relying on the Fifth Prince's backing, they dare to act so presumptuously at the Tong family's poetry gathering.

"May I ask what this young master means by this poem? Why did he compose it? Is he dissatisfied with the Tong family?"

The one who spoke was the head of the Tong family; Minister Tong didn't say anything.

Song Jinyang cupped his hands and said, "I dare not express any dissatisfaction with the Tong family. It is just that the people of the world are suffering terribly these days, and our poetry gathering here is extravagant and lavish, which is in stark contrast to the suffering of the people."

I wrote this poem only to remind you all not to be so preoccupied with pleasure that you forget the suffering of the people.

The Tong family patriarch's face darkened, and he was about to lash out when the Fifth Prince stepped forward and said with a smile, "Patriarch Tong, please don't be angry. Jin Yang is also sincere."

Although the poem is a bit strong in its language, the reasoning is sound. This is also my first time attending your esteemed residence's poetry gathering, and I have certainly broadened my horizons.

Leaving aside the cost of the decorations and supplies, the sunshade alone is enough to provide over a month's worth of food for the people in the disaster area!

Disaster? Oh right, the Southland is experiencing drought. Although it's not severe, the fields have indeed seen reduced yields.

Jiang Xiaoqi was curious about the Fifth Prince's intentions. Song Jinyang's whole scheme was definitely at the Fifth Prince's behest.

Minister Tong nodded and said, "The Fifth Prince is right. Although this poem is somewhat radical for young people, it also serves as a wake-up call for us."

However, we are aware that some prefectures in the south have been affected by the disaster. But until the imperial court issues a disaster relief decree, everyone should simply do their part.

This means that the Fifth Prince is meddling in other people's business. A prince is just a prince. Everything still needs to be decided by the Emperor. We do what the Emperor says.

Officials speak differently; by invoking the Emperor, they silenced the Fifth Prince with a single sentence. The Fifth Prince gave a look to the person behind him and then sat down again.

"Alright, everyone, let's stop dwelling on this and continue appreciating the poems." Chief Tong instructed people to collect everyone's poems, all of which had been signed.

Seeing this, everyone echoed Minister Tong's sentiments.

Seeing this scene, Jiang Xiaoqi couldn't help but sigh that experience truly matters.

Qiu Feng's poem was also collected, and Jiang Xiaoqi thought that all they had to do was wait for the ten judges to rank them first, second, and third.

He then freely drank tea with Qiu Cheng and ate two or three plates of snacks.

The servants of the Tong family replenished the supplies promptly, bringing out different kinds of pastries each time.

Jiang Xiaoqi ate every kind of pastry, partly because she was hungry and partly to conduct research on Chen's Dim Sum Shop.

She even handed it to Li Mo, who was standing behind her. If this were in the Jiang family, Jiang Xiaoqi would have already made someone sit down.

There's no need to make Li Mo the center of attention outside.

"Lord Jiang, how have you been?"

Jiang Xiaoqi hadn't swallowed the pastry in her mouth yet, so naturally she couldn't open her mouth.

Li Mo thoughtfully handed Jiang Xiaoqi some tea so that she wouldn't choke.