Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 136 Qixi Poetry
On the luxurious ship decorated with lights and colorful lanterns, maids and servants hurriedly removed the food from the guests' seats and presented them with pens and paper.

Seeing this, everyone knew that the most important part of the Qixi Literary Festival was about to begin.

Some students returned to their seats, sat upright, and waited for the next literary competition.

Seeing that everyone below was sitting and preparing, the county magistrate stood up and appeared, saying leisurely, "It's the Qixi Festival again this year. At this year's literary gathering, I have seen many new faces. Our Anguo is truly full of talented people..."

"Without further ado, the literary gathering will proceed as usual. Please compose some poems on the theme of Qixi Festival for everyone to appreciate and learn from... The best poet will receive a set of study books and 100 taels of silver!"

Such a reward was not very generous for those who attended the literary gathering.

The most important thing for these students to participate in literary gatherings is to gain honor and fame.

Even though it was just a small literary gathering in one county, students from other states and counties were present, and even the Princess of Fengcheng County came.

If you shine at this Qixi literary gathering, the benefits you will gain cannot be measured in money.

The county magistrate looked at where Yang Heng and the others were and said with a smile, "Today we have guests from the Wu Kingdom. You can also bring out your poems and exchange them with us. If they are good, we from the An Kingdom will naturally be generous with our rewards."

The county magistrate knew that the other party clearly wanted to participate in the literary gathering and had asked someone to ask him for an invitation. It was difficult for him to refuse such a request.

Preventing Wu scholars from participating in such literary gatherings would make An Guo appear too petty.

The county magistrate did not directly mention any competition, but instead said it was a poetry exchange meeting.

In this way, even if the other party comes prepared and the students of Anguo cannot defeat them, losing will not be too shameful.

Upon hearing this, Yang Heng stood up and said respectfully, "Thank you, County Magistrate. However, I am good at studying the classics, not writing poetry, so I will not participate in this poetry competition."

Everyone looked at him sideways when they heard this, some of them not understanding what Yang Heng was going to do.

Li Zhao muttered in a low voice: "The meaning of the classics? What does he mean by this? Our literary gathering tonight is not about the meaning of the classics!"

In the imperial examinations, the most important subjects were the interpretation of classics and policy essays, while the scores for poetry and calligraphy only accounted for a small part.

If you are good at poetry, you may not necessarily pass the imperial examination, but if you are good at studying classics, it will not be difficult for you to pass the imperial examination.

If what Yang Heng said was true, then his seven-foot green literary aura was of great value.

However, today's literary gatherings do not discuss the meaning of scriptures or classics.

Seeing everyone's expressions, Yang Heng slowly said, "However, we have come from afar, so we can't spoil everyone's fun. Miss Yu'er likes to study poetry, so she will come forward and compete with you on our behalf."

Next to Yang Heng, a beautiful woman who had appeared before stood up and bowed to everyone.

Many students' expressions changed when they heard this.

Li Zhao gritted his teeth and glared, "How dare he!"

It was just a rumor before, but now the people from Wu State have really sent a courtesan to compete with them in poetry. This is a clear provocation and a show of arrogance.

The county magistrate frowned upon hearing this, but finally nodded and said, "Yes."

If they refused, wouldn't it mean that the students of Anguo were afraid that they could not compare with the most beautiful girls in Wu in terms of poetry?
The person who comes has bad intentions... This thought came to the minds of many students.

Zhang Bo sat there, pondered for a while, selected two of his own poems, copied them onto blank rice paper, wrote his name in a corner, and then asked the maid next to him to take them upstairs.

In the past, when poetry competitions were held at literary gatherings, students would write poems and then show them to the county magistrate and other teachers.

The county magistrate and several others then selected the ten best poems and brought them out for appreciation one by one.

Finally, all participants in the literary gathering voted to select the best poem.

Li Zhao whispered, "That woman must be quite talented. She's already written a poem and presented it to the county magistrate and his men."

They did not suspect that the courtesan named Yu'er had someone write the poems for her.

This kind of thing cannot be done. It can easily be discovered by others, and if it is found out, the result will be ruin of one's reputation.

The other party is now representing the Wu State and will never do such a thing.

Poems were sent to the third floor one after another, but after a while, no one presented any more poems.

The county magistrate and several teachers from the academy couldn't help but frown when they saw the poems in front of them.

One gentleman couldn't help but say, "Sir, this..."

The county magistrate said calmly, "Everything remains the same. First, select ten poems!"

After a few people selected, they quickly chose ten poems.

Then a gentleman appeared and read a poem, but the author of the poem was not mentioned.

Downstairs, the students were quiet and no one spoke.

In previous literary gatherings, at this time, everyone was actively discussing, appreciating and exchanging poetry.

However, now that the most beautiful woman from Wu State had come and presented a poem to them, they were unable to comment immediately.

Who knows whose poem the gentleman was reading? What if the poem he applauded was written by that courtesan?

On the second floor, a student gently elbowed the person next to him.

The man immediately understood and said quickly, "This poem is good! It describes the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl..."

Upon seeing this, the other students also understood that this poem came from their Anguo students, and they all started to appreciate it.

After everyone discussed it for a while, the gentleman upstairs began to comment on and explain the poem, pointing out its strengths and weaknesses.

The students listened attentively, and Lu Zheng and Qing Wan were also studying hard.

The Qixi Literary Festival in Changchuan County is a rare opportunity for students from all over the country to communicate and learn, but it is not just a simple competition.

Lu Zheng thinks that such literary gatherings are very good and can allow everyone to learn knowledge.

Immediately afterwards, the gentleman upstairs recited another poem.

Li Zhao blinked and whispered, "Brother Zhang, this is not you..."

Zhang Bo's expression was calm, and he didn't say anything. "Ahem, I think this poem is good!" Li Zhao said.

Another round of discussion broke out.

The literary competition continued, and two of the poems were left unclaimed, so everyone gave them low praise and was unable to guess which poem was written by the courtesan.

"This is the last poem..." said the gentleman who was reciting the poem.

Everyone listened attentively upon hearing this.

The master said slowly: "In the third spring, I weep for separation, and in the ninth autumn, I sing for joy. When I ride the phoenix, the moon shines across the long river."

Many students frowned when they heard this. This poem was very well written. Upon careful consideration, they found that it was of a higher level than the previous nine poems.

This poem tells the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl's long separation from their perspective. The poem expresses the hope that the Weaver Girl can ride the Luan Chariot and cross the Milky Way to see her lover every night. How wonderful that would be.

Ordinary students rarely write poems about the Qixi Festival from the perspective of the Weaver Girl, and write them in such a resentful way.

The style of this poem is obviously different from previous Qixi poems.

Many students looked at each other, but no one spoke, as if they all believed that this poem was written by the most popular courtesan in Wu State.

Lu Zheng said, "This poem is good, but it's a bit resentful."

Li Zhao next to him couldn't help but look at Lu Zheng, a little confused. It was unwise to be the first to speak at this time.

If it was really written by the courtesan of Wu State, it would be hard not to think that Lu Zheng was speaking for her.

Seeing this, Zhang Bo had to admit, "He's really quite good."

Seeing someone speak up, the other students also started discussing.

Li Zhao lowered his voice and said, "Why are you saying that? This poem could very well have been written by that woman!"

"But this poem is really good. I can't write it anyway." Lu Zheng said with a smile.

Lu Zheng didn't care who wrote the poem, as long as there was something to learn from it.

Zhang Bo smiled bitterly and said, "I'm afraid we really can't compete this time."

Li Zhao said angrily, "They're just here to disgust us. We in Anguo are not without poets...Brother Lu, can you flip the table? You can't just stand by and watch. At least help us and yourself save some face!"

Lu Zheng glanced sideways to a place not far away and saw Yang Heng chatting and laughing with several courtesans, looking very confident.

"Brother Lu..." Li Zhao looked at Lu Zheng eagerly.

I want Lu Zheng to show off his power like he did in Mingyue Tower.

Lu Zheng said calmly: "No hurry, let's hear what the master has to say about this poem."

After everyone discussed it for a while, the gentleman upstairs also made some comments.

Then he added, "The ten poems selected for this year's Qixi Literary Festival are much better than those of previous years. You have all made great progress!"

The gentleman paused and continued, "Of course, we still need to select the best of these ten poems. You can raise your hands and vote..."

"Snapped!"

Someone slammed the table, making a crisp sound.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and their eyes fell on where Lu Zheng and the others were.

Li Zhao covered his hands and winked at Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng couldn't help but smile helplessly, then stood up and said, "I have something to say..."

The gentleman upstairs lowered his head slightly and looked at Lu Zheng, "Who is this young man?"

Lu Zheng bowed and said, "Anguo, Kaiyang County, Lu Zheng."

The gentleman smiled and asked, "Oh? The scholar from Kaiyang County?"

"It's me." Lu Zheng nodded in reply.

The gentleman smiled amiably and said, "I wonder if Mr. Lu has anything to say?"

Lu Zheng said, "This is my first time in Changchuan County and my first time attending the Qixi Literary Festival. I just listened to you explain poetry and gained a lot. I am deeply moved."

"Since this is a literary gathering for appreciating poetry, I once came across a Qixi poem, which should have been written by a lesser-known scholar. Since this literary gathering is so rare, I wanted to share it with everyone."

Upon hearing this, all the students couldn't help but show curiosity.

Yang Heng looked at Lu Zheng, his eyes slightly narrowed, with a vague bad feeling in his heart.

One of the reasons why he brought people to participate in the Qixi Literary Festival was because Lu Zheng's previously spread "Anchored at Qinhuai" was quite satirical of their Wu State.

Yang Heng had searched through ancient books but had not found the author of the poem, Du Mu, so much so that the people of Wu State suspected that the poem was written by Lu Zheng or some scholar from An State to satirize the Wu State.

　Let me add a chapter to explain it.

　　Let me say here that in the poetry competition, the courtesan of Wu State won.

　　No matter how good the protagonist's poetry is, he cannot win. The purpose is just to reduce the impact of the poetry competition and then defeat the opponent in other competitions.

　　Some big guys seem to have misunderstood that if the protagonist brings out poetry, he will win the poetry competition...

　　In the later plot, all the prizes were given to the Oiran.

　　Maybe the plot arrangement was not described accurately, leading everyone to mistakenly believe that the protagonist had to use other people's poems to win the poetry competition. I am really sorry!

　　The big guys who can see this have spent time and money.

　　I am just a small writer. I am grateful for your attention. I won't write such a ridiculous and poisonous plot to disgust you.

　　Finally, thank you all again for your support, thank you!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)