I am a winner with Chinese poetry

However, Gu Yunzhou knew nothing about this. At this moment, he was looking at the eunuch in front of him with a confused look on his face. Just now, Qin sent someone to hurriedly call him back from the academy.

"But is Gu Yunzhou, the talented Gu?" Looking in the direction of the voice, I saw several people in official uniforms waiting at the Gu family with a eunuch with a feminine appearance.

When the eunuch saw Gu Yunzhou hurried back, a smile appeared on his face. His attitude was quite amiable. He asked in a gentle tone, "Are you Gu Yunzhou?"

Although his heart was full of doubts, Gu Yunzhou still maintained a respectful attitude. He stepped forward and saluted and replied, "Hello, gentlemen. I am Gu Yunzhou! I wonder what brings you here today?" His eyes swept over everyone and finally fell on the eunuch.

At this time, an official beside him smiled and said to Gu Yunzhou, "Mr. Gu, this is the eunuch Sancai from the palace. He has received the decree from His Majesty and has come here to announce it!" After that, he made a gesture of invitation, gesturing for Gu Yunzhou to enter the house. Gu Yunzhou nodded and entered the house with the eunuch Sancai.

In the Tianxing Continent, unlike the feudal rule of the Blue Star era, the status of ordinary people and Confucian scholars was relatively high. They might have respect for the royal family, but they would never be as subservient and servile to the royal family as they were in their previous life on Blue Star.

This relationship was more like a partnership, with the emperor employing them to serve the court and rewarding them with contributions to the nation's prosperity and literary influence. Therefore, while Confucian scholars in the court would bow to the emperor, they would resign without hesitation if their interests were affected or their ideas conflicted. Some more radical Confucian scholars would even resort to backstabbing and then walk away.

As for why the previous emperor of Beichen was able to bring such a vast nation to such a precarious state, the reasons are complex and difficult to summarize. It can be said that during his reign, this emperor encountered a group of ministers with ulterior motives.

One, obsessed with pleasure, neglected state affairs; the other, driven by selfish ambition and unscrupulous manipulation of the political landscape, with no regard for the nation's safety and stability. The two sides seemed to be perfectly aligned, leading to decades of unrest. It wasn't until the new Emperor Beichen ascended to the throne that, with his decisive decisions and resolute actions, he spent several years quelling the unrest and restoring order and stability to the country.

After everyone entered the house, Eunuch Sancai cleared his throat and slowly said, "Mr. Gu, we are here on the orders of His Majesty to read the imperial edict." As he spoke, he took out a roll of bright yellow silk from his arms, unfolded it and began to read it.

"The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, hereby proclaims: I have heard that you are a young man of talent and outstanding writing skills. You have produced many excellent works at a young age, which have enhanced the prestige of our Beichen nation. I am very pleased. Therefore, I hereby reward you with one hundred taels of gold, three Xuan-level cultural treasures, and a place in the Tiandu Academy. I hope you can keep up the good work. I am waiting for you in the Imperial Capital!" The eunuch who delivered the imperial edict read out the imperial edict clearly. Gu Yunzhou and a group of officials and servants all bowed their heads and listened. They did not have to kneel down like on Lanxing to receive the edict. From this, we can see the status of Confucian scholars on the Tianxing Continent.

"Student Gu Yunzhou thanks the emperor for his grace and thanks His Majesty for the reward. I will continue to work hard and break through to the seventh rank as soon as possible!" Gu Yunzhou took the imperial edict. The eunuch waved his hand, and the guards waiting on the side brought up plates of golden gold. Another person held a brocade box, which should contain the three Xuan-level treasures.

"Congratulations, Mr. Gu. Congratulations, Mr. Gu. It is a blessing earned through several lifetimes to receive such great love from the emperor! You must work harder in the future to serve the court and do not disappoint His Majesty's expectations." After the work was done, the eunuch had no intention of staying. Seeing the servants of the Gu family put the things away, he and other officials congratulated Gu Yunzhou, then stood up to say goodbye and left.

"Congratulations, young friend Gu, on your promising future. By the way, the annual Autumn Festival Ceremony will be held at the beginning of next month. I wonder if you are free to attend?" As the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict left with the accompanying guards, the room was half empty, and an official with a square face stepped forward to ask.

"Autumn Festival Ceremony? Is it the annual Autumn Festival Ceremony organized by the government?" Gu Yunzhou withdrew his gaze from the door and asked uncertainly.

He had also heard of the Autumn Sacrifice Ceremony. It was held in early October every year by the county government to pray for a good harvest in the coming year. Famous local scholars would be invited to preside over the ceremony. After praying to heaven and earth, various famous poets would take the stage to perform. The best among them would be selected by the people and would enter the Taiye Lake together with the top three poets in the poetry competition of the following Autumn Sacrifice Ceremony.

The Taiye Pond is where the spiritual energy of heaven and earth converges, producing a constant amount of water each year. While this water cannot be consumed directly, soaking in it can significantly enhance one's spiritual energy. Even more remarkable is the rare Taiye grass that occasionally grows within the pond, offering a truly remarkable opportunity.

"That's right, Mr. Gu is very talented. As an outstanding student in Jinzhou County, he should participate in the poetry meeting of the Autumn Festival. What do you think?" The official explained with a smile on his face, his tone gentle, without any impatience.

"Thank you for your kindness, sir. I will do my best!" Although Gu Yunzhou didn't know why the other party was so friendly, he could sense that there was no malice in it. Moreover, he was indeed quite interested in this Autumn Festival.

"Haha, very good! There is one more thing I would like to ask you for help..." The official suddenly became a little restrained, and his originally square face turned red, looking very embarrassed.

"Ah? Please tell me what's the matter, sir!" Gu Yunzhou muttered to himself, thinking that there is no such thing as a free lunch in the world. This person's attitude is so enthusiastic that he must have other intentions, but he just can't figure out what he wants.

"Last time, young friend, when you were questioning your conscience, I happened to be there, and I was quite close to the front. So when you took out the wine, the aroma filled the air and was intoxicating. Ever since I smelled that aroma, I have never been able to compare it to other fine wines with that intoxicating fragrance again."

"Now I toss and turn day and night and can't fall asleep. I can't forget that fragrance every day. Today I really shamelessly ask you, my friend, if you can use your power again to summon out that wine aroma so that I can smell it!" After saying this, the official ignored his own identity and status and bowed deeply to Gu Yunzhou.

Gu Yunzhou was stunned. He had never imagined such a thing could happen. It was as if his alcohol bug had become a spirit. He looked at the square-faced official with a look of shame on his face. He had never expected that the poem "Jiang Jin Jiu" would be so well-remembered.