Beauties in Simulation Cross over into Reality - Chapter 337 - 296: This Thing of Greatest Xiang Si

“Young Master, shall we play this game?”

Yan Ruxue turned and smiled at Xiao Mo, a hint of anticipation in her eyes.

“Of course,” Xiao Mo replied, not minding at all. “So, who will be the one guessing?”

“Hmm…” The young woman pressed a finger to her lips, her elegance tinged with a playful cuteness. “How about you guess, Young Master?”

“Alright. Since you’ve put it that way, Miss, I can only do my best. I’ll try not to disappoint you,” Xiao Mo said with a laugh.

“Are you two playing a poetry guessing game?”

Hearing their conversation, a Maid from the teahouse approached and gave them a slight bow.

“Yes,” Xiao Mo nodded.

“This way please, Young Master. We have prepared some items for you to use,” the Maid said, leading Xiao Mo to a nearby table.

On the table was a variety of items, including lotus flowers, tea leaves, a brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone.

“Miss, please come and choose a poem.”

The teahouse Maid said to Yan Ruxue.

“During the game, Miss, you cannot say a single word from the poem, nor can you reveal the author or the title.”

“Understood.”

Yan Ruxue nodded and stepped forward, looking at the red basket the Maid offered her.

Inside the basket were dozens of plaques, each inscribed with a line of poetry.

Yan Ruxue picked up the plaques one by one, looking them over.

Finally, her gaze fell upon a wooden plaque bearing a short, two-line verse.

As she looked at it, a gentle light flickered in her eyes.

“I’ll choose this verse.”

Yan Ruxue picked up the wooden plaque and said to the teahouse Maid.

“Very good, Miss…” The Maid took the plaque and smiled. “You may begin the game with the Young Master now.”

Yan Ruxue gave a graceful smile, turned, and looked at Xiao Mo, who was standing not far away. “Are you ready, Young Master?”

“Of course.” Xiao Mo flicked open his folding fan. “Let’s begin.”

Standing off to the side, Xiao Chun watched her lady and His Majesty, unable to stop a knowing smile from spreading across her face.

The more she watched, the more she felt that His Majesty and her lady were a perfect match.

But then, the thought of that Princess Qingyang suddenly popped into her head. Xiao Chun’s lips pursed in a pout, a flicker of anger in her heart.

’If it weren’t for that Princess Qingyang, my lady and His Majesty would have been married long ago. None of this would be happening now.’

’But it’s fine.’

’His Majesty and my lady get along so well right now.’

’When my lady enters the palace, His Majesty will surely be overjoyed.’

’And then, once my lady gives His Majesty a little Prince, we’ll see how that Princess Qingyang can possibly compete!’

’That Princess Qingyang can just resign herself to being a concubine!’

’As for whether Princess Qingyang might give birth to a Prince before my lady?’

’Impossible! My lady is clearly far more suited for childbearing than that Princess Qingyang. My lady will definitely be first!’

Unlike Xiao Chun, Wei Xun, who stood guard nearby with his men, wasn’t thinking about such things.

’He was merely wondering if he should help His Majesty find out which noble family this young lady belonged to, and whether he should arrange for her to enter the palace to serve His Majesty.’

But Wei Xun quickly shook his head, dismissing the thought.

’His Majesty hasn’t said anything, so I shouldn’t meddle in his affairs. Besides, now isn’t the time. After all, the daughter of the Yan Clan and Princess Qingyang are about to enter the palace. Bringing her into the palace to serve His Majesty now would just be setting her up for trouble, wouldn’t it?’

“We’re ready. You can begin,” Yan Ruxue said to the teahouse Maid with a smile.

“Of course, Miss.” The teahouse Maid nodded and immediately flipped over an hourglass.

“Hmm…” Yan Ruxue thought for a moment, considering her words. “This poem is a quatrain, and the verse I chose is its final couplet.”

Yan Ruxue extended a slender, fair finger and pointed to the red beans on the table. “The title of this poem is close in meaning to these.”

“Close in meaning to red beans?” Xiao Mo thought for a moment, figuring it must be a poem about red beans. “Could it be *Red Bean Song*? ’A single bean hidden in the heart, in this life never to become dust’?”

“That’s not it, Young Master.” Yan Ruxue shook her head. “The meaning is a little off.”

“Then it must be *Ask Hongdou* by Cheng Rong—’Head bowed without a word, a thousand thoughts already in the heart’?” Xiao Mo guessed again.

“That’s not it either,” Yan Ruxue said, still shaking her head.

“Not that one either?”

This made Xiao Mo frown slightly.

Both of those poems were by famous poets of the Zhou Kingdom. He didn’t expect to be wrong twice.

Besides, Xiao Mo didn’t know many poems about red beans. To make matters worse, many poems in this world were identical to poems from Blue Sea Star, just with different authors. But it was precisely because the poetry of the two worlds had blended together that Xiao Mo felt even more confused.

“This poem was not written by a poet from our Zhou Kingdom,” Yan Ruxue prompted.

“Could it be the one by that Poetry Immortal from the Chen Kingdom—’The red bean condenses its crimson hue, after the frost its seeds fill the branch’?”

“That’s not it either.”

“Then is it—’Coral sinks in the turquoise sea, red beans weep upon the bough’?” Xiao Mo said, rubbing his chin.

But Yan Ruxue still shook her head.

The young woman’s eyes blinked gently as she thought about how to explain it.

Finally, Yan Ruxue looked at the red beans on the table, a bright glint in her eyes. “Young Master, please pick up some of the red beans from the table.”

Xiao Mo glanced at the red beans on the table and did as she asked.

“Young Master, please pick up some more,” Yan Ruxue said again.

Xiao Mo picked up some more.

“The verse contains the action you just performed…” Yan Ruxue said with a hidden smile.

Xiao Mo looked at the red beans in his hand and thought hard.

He felt like he was on the verge of figuring it out, just missing one little piece.

“Young Master, Miss, my apologies, but time is up.”

But just then, the sand in the small hourglass had run out, and the teahouse Maid interjected.

Xiao Mo smiled helplessly. “My apologies, Miss. I felt I was so close. It seems my knowledge is too limited.”

“It’s no matter.” Yan Ruxue stepped forward, the corners of her lips turning up slightly. “It’s not your fault, Young Master. This poem is indeed difficult to guess. Besides, I’m also to blame for not knowing how to express it to you properly.”

Xiao Mo smiled, not bothering with the polite back-and-forth of shifting blame. He was simply curious. “Miss, what is the poem?”

“This poem…”

A slight smile played on Yan Ruxue’s lips. She rolled up her sleeve, revealing a fair, delicate wrist, and her jade-like fingers picked up a few red beans from a basket.

“Young Master, hold out your hand,” Yan Ruxue said softly.

Though his face was full of confusion, Xiao Mo still held out his palm.

One bean.

Two beans.

Three beans.

Yan Ruxue placed the red beans into the center of Xiao Mo’s palm, one by one.

“The two lines of the verse… are…”

Yan Ruxue lifted her beautiful face and gazed deeply at the man before her.

“I pray you gather more…

For this thing…

best speaks of Xiang Si…”