"Now, I declare that the banquet officially begins!"

"At today's banquet, does anyone want to perform a talent? Everyone is welcome to perform to their heart's content. The winner will be awarded a Jade Ruyi."

The emperor's words successfully attracted the attention of young talents and rich ladies, and even Huo Jinqian was successfully drawn back to his attention.

"I think we should have a competition, divided into three levels: poetry competition, arithmetic competition, and pitching pot competition. What do you think, Your Majesty?"

The Queen then gave her suggestions.

"I think it's feasible. Let's do as the Queen says. In each competition, the winner will receive a prize. What do you think?"

The Emperor thought the Empress's suggestion was excellent; a banquet would be less enjoyable without some talent shows. He wanted to see what the talented young men and young ladies were capable of.

"Your Majesty obeys!"

The minister's family members said in unison.

"To the winner, I will give you a glass cup."

The Queen also announced her prize.

"I will also give you a coral tree."

The Queen Mother also named the prize.

"Since both the Empress and Mother have given their rewards, I have decided that the prize for the poetry competition will be a coral tree, the prize for the arithmetic competition will be a glass cup, and the prize for the pot-tossing competition will be a jade ruyi."

"The first competition is poetry. Which young man or young lady would like to go first?"

The emperor explained the rules of the competition and asked the minister's son and daughter to come first.

"Your Majesty, I will come first."

After the emperor finished speaking, a handsome young man stood up. He was about fifteen years old and had a good appearance. He was Xie Jinyu, the grandson of Taifu Xie and the son of Hanlinyuan tutor.

"It is autumn now, and it is evening. I will use 'Autumn' as the theme and evening as the background to write a poem!"

"A ray of setting sun spreads across the water, half the river rustles and half the river red. Pity the night of the third day of September, the dew looks like pearls and the moon looks like a bow."

"I'm sorry for the poor performance!"

After Xie Jinyu finished reciting the poem, he said to the emperor, "I'm sorry for the performance."

"What a poem! What a poem! A ray of setting sun spreads across the water, half the river rustling and half red. I really want to see such a beautiful scene."

"He truly is worthy of being the grandson of the Grand Tutor, the legitimate son of a reader in the Hanlin Academy, and a family of scholars. True, a tiger father will have a dog son!"

After hearing this, the emperor was very pleased and praised Xie Jinyu highly.

"I am ashamed to accept this!"

Xie Jinyu said modestly.

The other ministers also praised it and talked about it in low voices.

Some ministers even despised their own sons and grandsons, wondering how they could have given birth to such stupid sons and grandsons.

As for the female members of the family, many daughters of wealthy families and ladies from prominent families admired Xie Jinyu, believing that only a young man of such talent was worthy of them. Their hearts were pounding, and they all thought about asking their parents to find an official matchmaker to go to the Xie Mansion to propose marriage after returning home.

"Is there anyone else who wants to challenge Xie Jinyu?"

The emperor asked the young men and young ladies of the ministers' families below.

"I'll try my best to save you!"

Ma Jun, the editor of the Hanlin Academy who was the new top scholar last year, stood up and said to the emperor.

"Well, Lord Ma, you are truly talented and learned. I hold you in high regard!"

When the emperor saw that it was last year's top scholar, he was very pleased. He still remembered the essays and poems he wrote.

"Your Majesty, your praise is wonderful! I do not deserve it! Then I will present my humble service!"

"Since Princess Xie chose 'Autumn' as the theme, I will also write a poem on the theme of 'Autumn' for Your Majesty's evaluation."

"Withered vines, old trees, crows everywhere, a small bridge, flowing water, and a house, an ancient road, a west wind, and a thin horse. The sun sets in the west, and a heartbroken person is far away."

After Ma Jun finished reciting the poem, the audience applauded continuously. Some ministers shouted "good poem!"

As for the women, half of those who had previously considered Xie Jinyu a gifted scholar and their dream lover had already gravitated towards Ma Jun. Unfortunately, he had already been snatched away by the daughter of the Minister of Rites, who had married the previous year. The women would only be concubines if they married into his family, so these high-ranking legitimate daughters disdained to become concubines. Only the concubines were left wondering how they could stumble upon Ma Lang and hook him up.

Ma Jun's wife, Yuan Min, the legitimate daughter of the Minister of Rites, was so angry when she saw the infatuated woman next to her that she clenched her fists. She thought to herself, if these shameless women dared to have any ideas about her husband, she would tear them apart with her bare hands.

"What a beautiful sunset! A heartbroken person is far away!"

The emperor was very pleased and praised it highly.

He said that last year's top scholar was the best he had ever seen, and both his essays and poems were unique.

"I'm sorry for the poor performance. I hope Your Majesty likes it!"

Ma Jun said modestly.

No one could know that he was actually very happy. He was actually a double standard person, pretending to be humble and polite on the surface, but in fact he was depressed inside, thinking that no one could compare to him, that he was a child of destiny.

"I like it! Are there any other challengers?"

The emperor asked the people below.

The ministers were all whispering about the poem. None of their sons dared to stand up. They knew that Lord Ma's poems were not as good as theirs.

In fact, most of them are playboys who spend their days either eating, drinking and having fun, or fighting crickets in groups and visiting brothels. How could they write poetry?

The same goes for the female members of the family. These young ladies from prominent families spend their days either fighting to the death with their sisters at home, embroidering handkerchiefs, or attending banquets hosted by celebrities. How could they possibly read or write poetry?

"Your Majesty, I, your daughter-in-law, am bold enough to recommend Princess Xiangyun. Not only does she possess medical skills and can craft powerful weapons, she can also cultivate high-yield crops and even make farm tools. Didn't Your Majesty say that such a remarkable woman is a role model for us women? I believe that poetry and songwriting wouldn't be a problem for Princess Xiangyun, right?"

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!