I can't keep a low profile when cultivating immortality; the sixth one is actually myself.

At the princess's command, an official descended from Juxian Tower and came to Juxian Terrace.

"Welcome all talented men and beautiful women to my imperial city to participate in the Mid-Autumn Poetry Gathering held once every three years."

This Imperial Poetry Gathering was organized and hosted by Her Highness Princess Dali.

Thank you, Your Highness, for your deep love and care for students across the land.

This poetry gathering is a great honor bestowed upon me by the Princess, who has appointed me, Gao Hao, Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites, as the master of ceremonies.

On behalf of Her Highness the Eldest Princess, I hereby announce: The Mid-Autumn Poetry Gathering in the Imperial City is now officially open.

After finishing his opening remarks, Yuanwailang Gao Hao went on to talk about some of the rules and judging system of the poetry gathering.

"This conference is divided into three sessions."

After each competition, the masterpieces of all the talented men and women will be sent to Juxianlou.

It was personally reviewed by 32 princes and ministers and 14 great Confucian scholars.

Then, the best of the best was selected as the winner.

Only the winners can advance to the next round of the poetry contest, until the final round determines the top ten.

The selected masterpieces will be compiled into a book by a specialist from the Ministry of Rites, and will then be sold in various bookstores.

We hope that all talented men and women will contribute their best works and participate enthusiastically.

Alright, without further ado, let's reveal the theme of the first poetry contest of the poetry gathering.

The theme is love; compose a seven-character poem.

The poem must be a fresh composition made on the spot, and the timer is one incense stick's time.

This collection of poems will include 70 poems, depending on the circumstances.

I now declare the first session of the poetry recital officially open.

At the command of the Ministry of Rites official, the talented men and women in the audience picked up their brushes, dipped them in ink, and began to compose their ideas.

Toyokawa was the same; in no time, he had a draft in mind.

He immediately picked up a pen and began writing furiously on the white paper on the table.

In a short while, he wrote a seven-character quatrain.

The characters are vigorous and powerful, with a majestic presence.

He even included the three characters "Li Taibai" in his signature.

After finishing writing, Toyokawa tidied up his brush and ink and sat quietly to wait.

Meanwhile, other talented men and women also began to put pen to paper.

However, many talented men and women are currently without ideas and are still racking their brains.

After an incense stick had burned for a while, servants came one by one to collect the works of the talented men and beautiful women.

After being uniformly organized, they were sent to Juxianlou.

All the civil officials and scholars in Juxianlou immediately set to work, evaluating each one.

Those deemed acceptable will be kept. Those that are completely off-topic or lack depth will be eliminated.

At this moment, the onlookers outside the venue also began to discuss the matter.

Who do you think will be selected this time?

"That goes without saying, the top scholars from each state will definitely be selected. As for the rest, I think the majority of them will belong to the talented men and beautiful women of Lizhou."

"That's not necessarily true! The second-ranked players in each state are also very strong!"

"What's wrong with you? Are you a citizen of Lizhou? Or are you a spy sent from another state?"

"Oh ho, you dare doubt me? Watch out, I'll sue you for defamation! Do you want to hear what you have to say?"

"Hmph, I just think what you said makes no sense!"

"Fine, fine, you think you're right? You think you're the most right person in the whole world?"

"Hey, stop arguing! There's no result yet, and you're already fighting!"

"Yeah, only 70 songs were accepted? Isn't that a bit too few? It's way too competitive!"

"Who says it isn't?"

……

Those outside the venue were speculating wildly, while those inside were filled with anxiety.

This is an opportunity to gain worldwide fame, and everyone wants their work to be selected and celebrated by the world.

Everyone is eagerly awaiting the final result.

Although many shows were performed during the waiting period, many people were not very interested.

After half an hour of anxious waiting, the results were finally released.

There was someone standing on the windowsill of the middle floor of Juxian Tower, reciting aloud.

"A thousand willows line the winding Qingjiang River, and the old plank bridge stands there from twenty years ago. I parted ways with my beloved on that bridge, and I have heard nothing from her since."

"A single thread of affection entangles me endlessly; what more could I ask for in this life? My flute is broken, leaving only tears; my short flute cannot play, my hair has turned white."

"My dreams linger as I return to the Xie family's home, where winding corridors and slanting balustrades lead me. Only the moon in the spring courtyard remains affectionate, still shining its light on the fallen blossoms for those who have departed."

……

"Once, Song Yu's old clothes remained, stirring up the fragrance of Wushan in dreams. The clouds and rain are heartless and hard to control, let her marry another King Xiang of Chu."

"A heart full of infatuation is sent to the horizon, but who knows the depth of its tenderness? Seeking refuge in the beauty of wind, flowers, snow, and moon, poets spread out their brushes to write erotic verses."

“Writing words with pen feels as cold as frost, tears blurring the small characters on the tattered paper. Old feelings rekindle in my heart, a touch of longing breaks my heart.”

……

As the new poems were recited one after another, the scene began to liven up.

The talented men and beautiful women whose poems were recited all showed joy on their faces and congratulated each other.

But at this moment, Toyokawa began to have doubts, and his heart couldn't help but start to pound.

After all, it was a new poem I wrote on the spot, so I wasn't very confident.

But if things continue like this, it won't be good!

Is it going to be a disaster as soon as we arrive? That would be so embarrassing!

I should have known better than to suffer for the sake of saving face.

What's wrong with copying a couple of masterpieces from your past life?

Sigh, I'm still too young!

Just as Toyokawa was feeling annoyed, a new poem was read aloud.

"Since ancient times, many people have been passionate but few have been unrestrained, but I have become obsessed and flamboyant."

"The true will of a rock is unbreakable; what harm can rain, snow, wind, or frost do to it?"

Finally hearing the poem he had been longing for, Toyokawa's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.

He vowed that he would never show off again in the next two matches.

Improving on the spot is still too risky.

He didn't want any further complications because of those two scrolls.

After 70 new poems were read, the talented men and women who had not had their poems read all left the stage in disappointment.

Toyokawa, who was sitting in the corner, unexpectedly stayed behind.

Only then did he truly come into the view of the surrounding audience.

Everyone was wondering, whose talented son is this? He was completely unknown before.

This is the kind of thing that's going to make a name for itself and soar to great heights!

Xiao Cai was overjoyed to see this and felt proud of herself.

Look, this is my little brother!

No matter what they do, they are always outstanding and exceptional.

Without realizing it, Xiao Cai also straightened her head and became full of confidence.

At this point, only 70 talented men and beautiful women remained on the field.

However, most of them are the top two on the state rankings.

Those who knew each other congratulated one another. Those who didn't know each other also greeted each other warmly.

Inside the top floor of Juxian Tower, the eldest princess and the third princess were both outwardly focused on the top 70 works.

But secretly, he kept reciting the poems written by Toyokawa in his heart.

'Since ancient times, those with deep feelings have rarely been unrestrained, yet I have become obsessed and flamboyant. My true will is as firm as a rock, unbreakable; what do rain, snow, wind, and frost matter?'

In summary, it can be summed up in one sentence: Love is unrestrained, love is flamboyant, love is sincere, and love is fearless of wind and frost!

Haha, that's great, really great!

But can such intense and sincere love really exist?

How envious I am! How happy that woman must be to have captured the heart of Prince Taibai!

The two princesses were so preoccupied with their thoughts that they didn't notice the gazes of their brothers, sisters, and ministers.

"Eldest sister, what's wrong? How are you? Is there any particular work you like?" the fourth prince asked.

"Oh? Oh, they're all pretty good! What about you? Do you have any favorite works?" the princess asked, trying to cover up her embarrassment.

At this moment, the Right Chancellor, Luo Qingling, who had been silent to the side, took out a poem and spoke.

"I think this piece is quite good; it is written in a grand and unrestrained style."

Upon hearing this, Left Chancellor He Zhizhang glanced at the paper.

I wanted to argue back, but when I saw that he thought the same thing, I was too embarrassed to say anything.

He could only stand aside, awkwardly nodding silently.

The princess couldn't help but be curious when she saw that the two prime ministers, who were usually at odds, actually agreed on the same point.

Upon taking a look, well, it felt like we were kindred spirits who shared the same vision.

"Hehe, it's rare for both prime ministers to give their approval at the same time. It seems this talented young man has a promising future!" the princess said with a smile.

But she was secretly delighted, and kept marveling at her excellent taste.