Zhu Yuanzhang, who commanded the wind and rain, lived a long and arduous life.

"Tell me! What exactly happened?!"

Zhan Hui's voice was extremely loud.

He's in charge of this Deer Cry Banquet, and if anything goes wrong, the old man will come after him first.

and….

The abbot of Tianyun Temple has also arrived!

Zhan Hui knew of Zhu Changye's arrival and originally intended to greet him, but after hearing from his subordinates that the Crown Prince had come in disguise, he did not go to see them.

After all, his identity was too sensitive; he could be considered the host of this Deer Cry Banquet.

The protagonist, who received those two, was probably not a fool; he could tell that those two were not simple people.

So how could the Crown Prince and the Abbot possibly conceal their identities?

If that person's arrival reveals something amiss at the Lu Ming Banquet and tells the Crown Prince, who then tells the Old Master, then... he himself will be in even more trouble!

"My lord, it's like this..."

The steward began to describe.

Upon hearing the steward's description, Zhan Hui's face turned ashen. He slammed his fist on the stone table and shouted angrily, "Huang Zicheng... you bastard!"

"He managed to cause so much trouble even when we sent him to receive guests from foreign countries! How are we going to clean up this mess?"

The steward remained silent, trembling with fear. Faced with his master's outrageous rage, he could only lower his head and listen.

Zhan Hui's expression shifted between light and dark as he rapidly racked his brains for a solution.

If we don't give Champa a good answer today, this matter will spread to neighboring countries in a few days.

Huang Zicheng was a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, a court official, and a scholar-official.

He doesn't represent himself personally; he represents the entire Ming Empire. His embarrassment isn't about him personally. Foreign countries don't know who Huang Zicheng is; they only know the Ming Empire and the Ming Emperor!

"This couplet is too difficult to match. Damn it, Huang Zicheng and his people definitely won't be able to come up with a matching one. Otherwise... we won't be able to shut them up? No, we can't use any means to win people's hearts!"

"Could we at least try to gloss over this by being vague and ambiguous? But we're clearly in a bind now, so how can we easily brush it off?"

"Culture is no small matter. This is the foundation of our Han Chinese culture. If we lose even this, what confidence will our people have in their own national culture?"

"How can we prevent this from getting out of hand? We can't exactly silence the Champa envoy, can we?"

Zhan Hui muttered to himself, instantly coming up with several solutions.

Li Jinglong's face twitched. He had even come up with a plan to silence him. It seemed that this Minister of Personnel was no pushover after all.

"Brother Zhan, let's go out and take a look first."

Li Jinglong suggested.

Upon hearing this, Zhan Hui's expression shifted between light and dark.

Finally, he nodded helplessly.

"Let's go out and see. Duke Cao, please forgive my rudeness. I finally made it to the Deer Cry Banquet, but this has turned out like this."

"Haha, it's alright, it's alright. Life is always full of surprises, isn't it?"

“….”

The two of them talked as they walked.

With Li Jinglong's encouragement, Zhan Hui's complexion improved somewhat.

.

….….…….….….

The second courtyard.

Huang Zicheng's embarrassment continued, and many scholars in the Ming Dynasty were also frowning and deep in thought.

The Champa envoys, on the other hand, had some smiles on their faces.

These Ming Dynasty literati are nothing special!

They didn't say that, nor did they dare to say it, after all, this trip was to establish diplomatic relations with the Ming Dynasty, not to make enemies.

But in my heart, that's almost always what I think.

"Hasn't the other side figured it out yet?"

"If we still can't get a clear answer, we'll have to change the subject and put the matter aside for now."

Zhu Xiong Ying, standing not far away, frowned slightly.

He's planning to come out.

Given his status as the eldest grandson of the emperor, it wouldn't be difficult for him to find a reason to come out, such as to eat and drink as he pleased, or to invite the Champa envoy to the palace.

"U.A., why are you making excuses about this?"

After Zhu Changye finished speaking, he thought for a moment and then said, "This couplet is actually not difficult."

"A gust of wind and thunder, two dynasties of brotherhood, four poems of elegance and eulogy, five dynasties of Qin, Jin, and Han, how about that? If that's not enough, your master has more."

boom!

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiong Ying froze on the spot.

He stared blankly at Zhu Changye, remaining silent for a long time: "Master...you, you just came up with that like that?"

Zhu Changye chuckled: "This couplet isn't difficult."

Zhu Xiong Ying's cheeks twitched, and she stared blankly for a moment before finally asking, "Isn't...it difficult?"

He was the eldest grandson of the Ming emperor, and he was already familiar with the Book of Songs at the age of three. Naturally, he was also very learned. It would not be surprising if this numerical couplet were considered an absolute masterpiece throughout the ages.

What Zhu Xiong Ying considered an absolute masterpiece could never have imagined that his master, Zhu Chang Ye, could casually come up with a matching line. Not only did he come up with a matching line, but he also easily provided four matching lines. In the end, he even told Zhan Hui, "If that's not enough, there's more... This... monster!"

No, Master is a monster!

Zhu Xiong Ying looked deeply at Zhu Chang Ye: "Master, thank you. I'll go and tell them right away!"

In front.

Just when everyone was feeling awkward and unsure how to handle the situation...

Zhu Xiong Ying came out and said to the Champa envoy: "A storm, two dynasties, four poems, five dynasties, Qin, Jin and Han."

blah blah blah!

The scene fell eerily quiet once again, everyone frozen in shock, staring at Zhu Xiong Ying as if they were living fossils.

So...this makes sense?

However, before they could be shocked, the faces of these people, which had just looked like wilted eggplants, instantly regained some color.

Even Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai breathed a long sigh of relief.

They looked at the man, and when they saw that it was Zhu Xiong Ying, they were all slightly taken aback.

Huang Zicheng was the first to react. Without thinking too much, he said to the Champa envoy with a sigh of relief, "Hehe, this is His Highness Xiong Ying, the eldest grandson of our Great Ming Emperor. I think only our great scholars could come up with four couplets in an instant. Although I also have a second couplet in mind, I will not embarrass myself by showing it off."

To be honest, Qi Tai couldn't stand it anymore. "Aren't you going to embarrass yourself? Don't you care about looking bad?"

The handsome young envoy clasped his hands in a fist salute and said in a crisp voice with admiration, "Your country is full of talented people. I admire you. I have learned a great deal."

But to everyone's surprise, Zhu Xiong Ying corrected Huang Zi Cheng, saying, "This is not something I came up with; it was something my master said casually."

Huang Zicheng: ? ? ?

The Grandson's Master?

Who!

Who is capable of serving as the Grandson's teacher?

When Huang Zicheng was teaching Zhu Yunwen, he didn't dare let Zhu Yunwen call him "Master," but only "Teacher."

The difference between "master" and "teacher" is only one word, but it is as different as heaven and earth.

He was the head of the Hanlin Academy scholars, yet he dared not call himself Zhu Yunwen's teacher. So... who was capable of being the grandson's teacher?

No matter who it is, that person's status and position are definitely higher than mine!

The Champa envoy bowed to Zhu Xiong Ying and asked in confusion, "May I ask, Your Highness, who is your master?"

Without hesitation, Zhu Xiong Ying replied, "He'll be here soon. Ah, Master, you've arrived."

As they were talking, Zhu Changye came up behind Zhu Xiong Ying.

The moment they saw Zhu Changye, all the candidates immediately turned their attention to him, their expressions filled with awe!

Thankfully, this elderly person came to their rescue, otherwise... they would have lost all face today!

Moreover, this old man is the master of that grandson of the crown prince! That grandson of the crown prince!!

His master is the future imperial tutor!

The young and handsome envoy from Champa also stared intently at Zhu Changye, etching Zhu Changye's image into his mind.

Not far away, Zhan Hui and Li Jinglong, who had just come out and happened to see this scene, stopped in their tracks.

"This...it's that abbot! He actually managed to come up with the answer!"

Zhan Hui was extremely surprised.

Li Jinglong was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "Hahaha, that's my Master Zhu, of course he knows everything."

"Master Zhu...?"

"Uh, yes, I have a life-or-death bond with him."

Li Jinglong started chatting.

This completely stunned Zhan Hui.

They kept trying to get information out of Li Jinglong.

The two of them didn't go out.

The reason for leaving was to divert attention from the problem, but now that the problem is solved, why go out again?

Ahead, a pair of matching characters appeared.

Having learned his lesson, Qi Tai dared not cause any more trouble and quickly called everyone to move on to the next part of the Deer Cry Banquet.

The crowd dispersed.

Zhu Changye then departed.

He's learned enough from this visit, and it's time for him to leave.

However, at that moment, a system voice sounded in his mind.

[Ding, host reputation detected, mission issued.]

[Teach thirty children, take on ten apprentices, and expand Tianyun Temple by two buildings. A generous reward will be given upon completion.]

Upon hearing this, Zhu Changye's eyes flickered.

These kinds of system tasks frequently appeared after he embarked on his cultivation journey. He gained strength and other benefits by completing these tasks step by step.

"This task is not difficult."

Zhu Changye chuckled and walked away into the distance.

.

….…….….….….

royal palace.

"Oh? Something went wrong at the Deer Cry Banquet?"

The memorials on the emperor's desk were piled up like mountains. Zhu Yuanzhang buried himself in the vast sea of ​​memorials, reading them while listening to the reports from the palace servants.

"Your Majesty, Huang Zicheng originally intended to intimidate the scholars by setting the questions, but the Champa envoy not only solved them, but also posed even more difficult questions..."

Jiang Huan kept reporting.

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned more and more as he listened.

He was the emperor above all others; the secrets of the Ming Dynasty were all his, if he wanted to know them.

He certainly wouldn't care about Huang Zicheng and his group receiving the envoys. Champa was a tiny place, nothing to Zhu Yuanzhang.

The reason he wanted to learn about the Deer Cry Banquet was because Jiang Huan told him that his father had also attended. He was trying to find out about his father, Zhu Changye, and by the way, he wanted to ask about the Deer Cry Banquet.

Upon hearing Huang Zicheng's words, "You idiot, you've made a fool of yourself," Zhu Yuanzhang's face instantly darkened.

Jiang Huan continued his report: "The abbot and the grandson were enjoying the Deer Cry Banquet when the incident occurred."

"Perhaps Scholar Huang wanted to elevate his own reputation in front of the scholars because Scholar Qi was more famous than him, so he composed a couplet for the Kingdom of Champa."

"The Champa barbarian country not only solved the puzzle, but also gave four answers in one go."

"Then the envoy from Champa presented Huang Zicheng with a pair of questions... and then, none of the many people present could answer them."

As he listened, Zhu Yuanzhang's face darkened.

"Useless! A group of pillars of the nation, including two scholars from the Imperial Academy, are no match for a mere barbarian kingdom like Champa!"

"How long has this little 'Chinese culture study' been around? Huang Zicheng has completely disgraced our ancestors!"

Zhu Yuanzhang grew angrier as he spoke, and roared, "Tell me, how was it resolved!"

Diplomacy is no small matter; it concerns the national dignity of the Ming Dynasty. If not handled properly, the prestige of the Ming Dynasty will be greatly damaged!

Jiang Huan quickly said, "Your Majesty, please don't be angry. It's resolved. The matching couplet has been completed!"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Jiang Huan suspiciously: "I used to be a farmer, but I also studied for a few years. This couplet is full of hidden meanings and is as difficult as ascending to heaven... Tell me, who came up with it? Zhan Hui?"