Sui and Tang Dynasties: Awakening the Supreme Skills at the Beginning

When the other Chang'an students saw this, they turned around and laughed, following Li Zhen back to the pavilion.

When everyone returned to the pavilion, the atmosphere changed from the usual dullness to become enthusiastic. Everyone's attitude towards Li Zhen changed from indifference and hostility to admiration and respect.

"Brother Li Zhen, you are extremely talented and you really deserve the attention of County Magistrate Li!"

Wang Fang bowed to Li Zhen and said with a smile, his eyes full of admiration.

Li Zhen waved his hands, "Thank you for your praise, I don't have any talent, I just have a little wit!"

"Brother Li Zhen, why should you be so modest? We all know that you are a great talent. Otherwise, how could you deserve the kindness of County Magistrate Li?"

A few people were having a polite conversation when they saw the servant come over and said to everyone.

"Lord Li said that he also hopes that everyone can compose poems and compose essays to present to the Minister Zhang!"

Then, he bowed to Li Zhen and said, "Mr. Li, the county magistrate, Lord Li, invites you!"

Amid the astonished gaze of the crowd, Li Zhen stood up and entered the small pavilion belonging to the county magistrate.

When he saw Li Shutong, Li Shutong smiled. It was obvious that he was quite satisfied with everyone's performance just now.

Li Yingxue, who was standing behind Li Shutong, even made a face at Li Zhen.

Even if Li Zhen performed well, she would only agree to one of Li Zhen's requests if she lost the bet, so naturally she had no pressure at all.

"Brother Li is very smart, he is really amazing!"

After Li Zhen sat down, Li Shaoan spoke with a smile.

Li Zhen said nothing, but just smiled bitterly.

To be honest, to be fair, he really had no interest in this kind of verbal abuse, he just had to do it out of necessity.

The gauze curtain on the side was opened, and the scenery near and far came into view at once. Li Zhen and others drank tea and enjoyed the scenery in the spring breeze in the pavilion, which was extremely enjoyable for a while!

From time to time, a servant would come in and present the poems written by the students to Li Shutong. After Li Shutong and the other three had appreciated them, if they thought the poems were good, they would send them to Mr. Zhang, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, for his review. Of course, if they were not good, they would naturally not send them. Li Shutong would even try his best to add a few words to his poems.

Li Zhen did not participate either. He was happy and leisurely, looking at the poems written by others, occasionally praising them, but not saying much.

Time passed slowly and the morning went by quickly.

By the afternoon, when the poems were almost finished, news began to come out from the pavilion of the Minister of Personnel.

It is said that so far, the highest scorer is from Wannian County, and the champion is the talented Lin Feng.

Although Chang'an County's ranking has improved compared to previous years and is temporarily ranked fourth, it is naturally far behind its old rival Wannian's top position.

All the scholars in Chang'an were indignant about this result, but their talent and knowledge were there and they had no choice but to accept it.

When Li Shutong saw this result, he immediately became restless.

"Yunqi, I didn't invite you here just to see the scenery. You've already had your tea and snacks. Isn't it time to bring out some poetry to calm the situation?"

Li Shutong said to Li Zhen with an unhappy look on his face.

Li Zhen gave a bitter smile. It seemed that he would not be able to get away with it without producing something real. Well, he would be a plagiarist once again!

So he pondered for a moment and shouted loudly, "Bring me a pen!"

The servant next to him naturally brought paper and pen, and ground ink for Li Zhen.

"The jasper is as high as a tree, with thousands of green silk ribbons hanging down. I don't know who cut out the thin leaves. The spring breeze in February is like scissors."

"Two orioles sing in the green willows, and a row of egrets ascends to the blue sky. The window contains the snow of Qianqiu in the West Ridge, and the door is docked with a ship thousands of miles away from Dongwu."

"The rain on the streets is as soft as butter, and the grass looks green from a distance but is not green when near. Spring is the best season of the year, far better than the willows and mist in the imperial capital."

"North of Gushan Temple and west of Jiating, the water surface is just flat and the clouds are low. Some early orioles compete for the warm trees, and new swallows peck at the spring mud. The flowers are gradually dazzling, and only shallow grass can hide the horse's hooves. I love the white sand embankment under the shade of green willows on the east side of the lake."

"How is Mount Tai? The green of Qi and Lu is endless. Nature has endowed it with divine beauty, and yin and yang divide the day and night. Clouds rise from my heart, and birds fly back into my eyes. I will climb to the top and look down on all the other mountains."

"A half-acre pond is like a mirror, with the light of the sky and the shadows of the clouds wandering together. How can it be so clear? Because it has fresh water coming from the source."

"I want to visit the border on my own bike, passing through Guyuan, a vassal state. The expeditionary army leaves the Han frontier, and the returning geese fly into the Hu sky. The smoke rises straight up from the desert, and the sun sets over the long river. I meet a scout at Xiaoguan, and he tells me that the governor is at Yanran."

"The cicadas are crying sadly, facing the long pavilion in the evening, the sudden rain has just stopped. I have no mood to drink in the tent in the capital, I am reluctant to leave, the orchid boat is urging me to leave. Holding hands and looking at each other with tears in our eyes, we are speechless and choked. Thinking of leaving, thousands of miles of smoke and waves, the dusk is heavy and the sky is vast. People have always been sentimental about separation, how can they bear the coldness of the autumn festival! Where will I wake up from the wine tonight? Will I be by the willow bank, the morning breeze and the waning moon. After so many years, the good times and beautiful scenery must be empty."

"The fragrance of the red lotus leaves fades, and the jade mat is cold in autumn. I take off my silk dress and go on the orchid boat alone. Who sent the brocade letter from the clouds? When the wild geese return, the moon is full in the west building. The flowers are drifting and the water is flowing. One kind of lovesickness, two kinds of idle worries. There is no way to eliminate this feeling. It has just left my brow, but it is still on my heart."

"The wind is strong and the sky is high, the monkeys are howling sadly, the sand is clear and the white birds are flying back. The endless fallen leaves are rustling down, the endless Yangtze River is rolling in. I am often a guest in the sad autumn thousands of miles away, and I am alone on the stage for a hundred years due to illness. The hardship and hatred have made my hair white, and I have just stopped drinking muddy wine in my poverty."

In a flash, ten poems appeared on the paper.

Li Zhen put down his pen and handed the poems to Li Shutong. The two were stunned for a moment, then began to read slowly.

"Great! Great! Junior brother is really talented!"

Li Shutong slammed the table and stood up.

Li Shaoan next to him also had a look of surprise on his face.

They really couldn't imagine that Li Zhen would not compose anything at all, but instead wrote ten poems in a row, and each one of them was so exquisite that it could be passed down through the ages!

Li Yingxue next to her stretched her neck, widened her eyes, and opened her cherry-like mouth into a circle. She stared at the scene in front of her in a daze, and felt her head buzzing.

"How is this possible? This stingy guy actually has such a talent for poetry?"

"How is it impossible? Brother Li is a great poet, so it's no problem for him to come up with these!"

Li Shaoan interrupted and said.

"Little sister, if you lose, you lose. Don't deny it. Admit your defeat!"

They all knew that once Li Zhen’s poems came out, they would definitely win first place!

No one present could match the poems written by Li Zhen.

"Okay! Squeamish guy, tell me, what do you want me to promise you?"

Li Yingxue said unwillingly.

Li Zhen smiled slightly, "I haven't thought about it yet, I'll think about it later!"

"You...you are playing tricks on me! A grown man, but you are such a stingy person!"

Li Yingxue pouted and said dissatisfiedly.

"Little sister, don't mess around. Master Li doesn't care about you. He is just joking with you!"

Li Shaoan next to him interjected.

"Who knows what kind of trouble he will cause in the future? This stingy guy looks honest, but he is actually very evil!"

"Nonsense!"

Li Shaoan's face fell. Li Yingxue glanced at her brother and stopped talking. She angrily tried to get rid of the snacks on the table and stuffed them into her mouth one piece after another.