How did I, a mere son-in-law lying down, become a "Fenglang Juxu" (a legendary martial art

At the invitation of Princess Changning, several truly virtuous and respected scholars gladly accepted the invitation.

Li Wanqing's tone was unusually excited: "The next poetry review session will be jointly reviewed by Wu Xianshi, Zheng Xianshi, and Prefect Yin!"

Everyone was stunned. Not to mention Yin Nantian, the fourth-rank prefect of Cangzhou, Wu Xianshi and Zheng Xianshi were both literary giants who were famous throughout the country. In their youth, they were even the emperor's study companions!

Although the two virtuous men had long since retired to their hometowns, they still wielded considerable influence in officialdom!

If one can gain the approval of these three individuals, while it cannot guarantee a smooth and successful career path, it will undoubtedly save one from many detours.

Amidst gasps of surprise, the three people beside the princess nodded slightly in agreement.

"Next, please let Princess Changning announce the theme."

Princess Changning gently waved her folding fan and smiled, "This year's theme is 'money,' and any poems or lyrics related to money are welcome to participate."

Everyone was taken aback. In previous years, the themes were either flowers or grass, swallows or willows, which were quite elegant and simple. But this year's theme was not only a little difficult, but also quite intriguing.

It's not that money is uncommon, but rather that it's often entangled with worldly affairs, making it difficult to express one's aspirations through poetry, and one might even inadvertently violate taboos if not careful.

Despite the murmurs and discussions, Princess Changning offered no explanation and instead announced, "The time limit is 15 minutes."

There's even a time limit?

Everyone was surprised again!

However, soon, some people couldn't wait to pick up their pens, condense their thoughts into verses, and quickly write them down on paper.

However, most people turned pale, stared at the paper, and hesitated to put pen to paper.

Liu Shan frowned and pondered. He could only recall two poems related to money: Li Bai's "Bring in the Wine" and Yuan Mei's "Ode to Money."

However, neither of these poems was suitable for direct copying; he had to imbue them with new meaning and emotion to resonate with the world.

Liu Shan closed his eyes and concentrated. "Bring in the Wine" is suitable for banquet occasions, but it seems less appropriate for poetry gatherings. On the contrary, the artistic conception of "Ode to Money" seems to fit the role of the commentator better.

With this idea in mind, Liu Shan began to write.

Zhang Tienan was of average talent and usually enjoyed reciting poetry for his own amusement. However, he was self-aware and knew that his poems were not worthy of being considered high art.

Faced with the theme of "money," he pondered deeply and racked his brains, finally managing to squeeze out the sentence: "What is gold anyway, that the world is so scrambling for it?"

He thought the first line was pretty good, but a poem can't have only one line. He racked his brains for a long time but just couldn't come up with the second line.

Seeing Liu Shan also begin to write, Zhang Tienan's eyes revealed a hint of envy, and he sighed softly.

Throughout the event, very few people felt happy and relaxed; Lin Nanjia and Wei Xiuying were two of them.

These two girls were more self-aware than Zhang Tienan. They neither sought official positions nor fame; they simply followed Li Wanqing to the poetry gathering to broaden their horizons and gain knowledge.

Now, they have not only enjoyed the delicious food, but also witnessed the charm of Princess Changning, Wu Xianshi, and Zheng Xianshi, and are already completely satisfied.

At this moment, the two huddled together, chattering excitedly about which talented man was the most handsome and which beautiful woman's outfit was lacking...

Just as the two were chatting enthusiastically, they suddenly realized that their view was blocked. Looking up, they saw that it was Princess Changning's maid standing in front of them with a smile.

The two immediately felt at a loss, quickly sat up straight, looked straight ahead, and pretended to be well-behaved, but inwardly they were panicked.

The maid said softly, "The princess invites you two to sit down next to her."

The two were startled upon hearing this, and looked at each other with unease in their eyes.

Wei Xiuying looked up at Princess Changning and saw that the princess was also smiling at them, which immediately put her mind at ease.

The two carefully got up and slowly moved the table toward the princess.

Princess Changning was stunned and couldn't help but chuckle: "Put it down, you don't need to carry it, just put it down quickly."

The two looked embarrassed and quickly put down the table, moving to the princess's side.

Someone had already brought over tables and chairs and placed them not far from the princess.

After the two women were seated, Princess Changning asked gently, "You two are quite interesting. Which family's daughters are you?"

Lin Nanjia and Wei Xiuying looked at each other again, and Lin Nanjia answered softly, "I am Lin Nanjia, and my father is Lin Yuanshan."

Wei Xiuying quickly replied, "I am Wei Xiuying, and my father is Wei Chu."

Princess Changning smiled slightly, "So you're from a military family. No wonder you're so energetic."

The two women blushed instantly.

On the other side, Li Wanqing checked the time and announced, "Time's up, please hand in your poems."

After collecting the poems, Li Wanqing presented them to Princess Changning.

The princess took the poems, glanced through them, and handed them to the three judges, saying with a smile, "The two gentlemen are highly respected elders, and Prefect Yin was a former top scholar. I humbly request your guidance and comments."

People take the poems and read them carefully, sometimes nodding and smiling, sometimes exchanging whispers.

Soon, the three reached a conclusion. After obtaining the princess's consent, Wu Xianshi spoke first: "The theme chosen by the princess is excellent. The works of all the talented men and beautiful women are unique."

Zheng Xianshi nodded in agreement: "Indeed, we have reached a conclusion. Please let Prefect Yin announce it."

Prefect Yin cleared his throat and announced, "Today's poetry gathering, the third place is... the second place is Zhao Bochao, with his work 'Gold'... the champion of today's poetry gathering is Liu Shan, whose work 'Ode to Money' is unique in conception, exquisite in wording, and profound in meaning; it is truly a masterpiece."

"what?!"

"how is this possible?"

"A mere son-in-law..."

As soon as Yin Nantian finished speaking, a chorus of astonishment erupted in the hall.

Just as the situation was about to spiral out of control, Wu Xianshi shouted "Silence!" After everyone quieted down, he suppressed his anger and asked, "Are you all questioning the three of us?"

Upon hearing this, the entire venue immediately fell silent.

Everyone then realized that Wu Xianshi, Zheng Xianshi, and Prefect Yin were all literary giants, and questioning all three of them at the same time was undoubtedly like going to the toilet with a lantern—looking for trouble!

Wu Xianshi snorted dismissively, “I expected you to react this way. I’ll read Zhao Bochao’s ‘Gold’ first, and then Brother Zheng will recite Liu Shan’s ‘Ode to Money’. The answer will then be clear.”

"Golden light shines brightly, illuminating heaven and earth; its preciousness is hard to come by and is treasured by the world."

People make friends for gold; without much gold, friendships are not deep.

Even if promises are made temporarily, the heart remains forever adrift on the journey.

Then, Zheng Xianshi also began to recite:

"Salary is a common thing in life, but I am also troubled by it."

Those who are skilled in application are also excellent, and those who do not discuss it are not necessarily pure and upright.

The beautiful woman toiled a thousand times in vain, only to see the copper mountain crumble overnight.

"I intend to petition Heaven with my sincere heart, and establish a new Marquis of Wealth and Prosperity throughout the land."