Chapter 90: At the Lantern Festival, holding the hand of a beautiful woman, is this what a gentleman does?

Paper and pen were already prepared on the table. After Yuan Song gave the topic, he sat down and started writing. Zhang Jie, who was sitting next to him, couldn't help but lean over to watch. He saw Yuan Song's pen moving smoothly and gracefully, and in a moment, the poem was finished.

Zhang Jie, who was standing by, could not help but admire him: "Brother Yuan's calligraphy is so elegant and unique, I have rarely seen it in my life."

He bowed and offered his services, "If Brother Yuan agrees, could I read your masterpiece to you?"

Yuan Song disagreed and shrugged, saying, "Brother Zhang, please do as you please!"

Zhang Jie took the poem and read it aloud:

"On the night of the Lantern Festival, the young man hopes to be in love.

How can I be your husband when I am in love with my unmarried girl?

The tender hands clasped together, I didn't realize I had entered the painting.

Asking you about your promise, passersby are all hesitant.

As Zhang Jie read sentence after sentence, his doubts grew. Didn't Master Yuan say he wanted to use emotion to talk about propriety and discuss the way of a gentleman? How could this whole passage sound like a satire of poetry?

"On the night of the Lantern Festival, I'm attached to my unmarried woman" clearly refers to someone holding hands with an unmarried woman at the Lantern Festival. The last line, in particular, is a blunt accusation: "Have you made a promise to that woman?" This overreach is truly disconcerting.

After Zhang Jie finished speaking, everyone at the meeting fell silent. It seemed that Young Master Yuan had no one he admired, which was why he made such a judgment. She was clearly a beautiful lady, and a gentleman would seek her out. If he had found a girl he liked, he would naturally invite her to the Lantern Festival. Besides, while our Zhou Dynasty may not be known for its open customs, it's not overly conservative either. On festive occasions, men and women do sit together. If there's affection between the two, and if the feelings are strong, why not hold hands?

As the host, Xi Xiyue naturally couldn't bear to see the audience in such silence, so he opened his mouth to praise, "Mr. Yuan, you are indeed worthy of being the Zhejiang Provincial Government's Jieyuanlang. Your insights are truly unique!"

Then he looked at the other guests and asked, "My dear friends, is there anyone willing to write a poem in response to Brother Yuan's poem?"

Du Heng just felt that Yuan Song’s poem had a hidden meaning, as if it was talking about him?

He raised his eyes to look at Yuan Song, but he didn't expect that Yuan Song's pair of phoenix eyes were looking at him without any concealment, with provocation in his eyes.

Although Du Heng didn't understand why, he knew that he was coming for him, or rather, he was coming for him and Ying'er at the Lantern Festival. He wondered if they had accidentally bumped into this Young Master Yuan during the Lantern Festival that night?

He felt that the person who came had bad intentions, so he stopped tolerating it and picked up his pen to retaliate in the same way he had been treated.

What Yuan Song wanted was Du Heng's response. He was separated from Du Heng by several tables. Yuan Song squinted his eyes and looked at Du Heng. He picked up the pen and wrote in one go. Then he handed what he had written to Xi Xiyue to read.

Xi Xiyue glanced at it briefly and nodded slightly in approval. He cleared his throat and said seriously:

"You ask where the etiquette is, because you have no companion,

Love is attached to the one you love, and the love is deep.

Even if you are in a painting, a gentleman is open and honest.

Don't be too suspicious, for suspicion breeds chaos."

Du Heng's poems are free of flowery rhetoric and he directly responds to Yuan Song's ridicule and criticism. Just like his personal conduct, he is upright and incorruptible.

Every word he said was a response to Yuan Song's words. After listening to them, Zhang Jie couldn't help but clasp his hands and say, "Although this poem lacks embellishment, it is truly sincere and makes one applaud."

After that, everyone agreed: "Straightforward and manly."

Yuan Song smiled faintly, as if he didn't agree, but he didn't say anything else. He just nodded slightly, as if admitting that the two of them were tied.

Xi Xiyue certainly didn't want the two champions to engage in a literary competition. He was about to choose another topic when Du Heng stood up and said goodbye: "Thank you for your invitation, Senior Brother Xi, but I have worldly affairs to attend to, so I have to leave first!"

When Xi Xiyue heard this, he was a little at a loss. He looked at Yuan Song with some concern.

Before Du Heng came, Yuan Song was asked whether he knew that the Spring Examination had been moved forward. Because he wanted to meet Du Heng, he pretended to be mysterious and insisted that Du Heng be present before he was willing to confirm it.

Du Heng was about to leave. He wasn't the eccentric, eccentric, or embarrassing person, so he stood up, bowed, and said, "Brother Du, please listen to me. It's not too late to leave."

Seeing Du Heng stop, he continued, "I have indeed heard that the imperial examination, originally scheduled for next year's spring exam, will be brought forward to June of this year. This matter is still undergoing final review, and the court will issue a decree to announce it to the world soon."

At this point, discussions were rife, with people speculating about the reasons behind this decision. However, Xi Xiyue was the most thoughtful. He stood up, clasped his fists, and thanked Yuan Song. "Thank you, Master Yuan, for your selfless advice. This matter is of great importance, and I am deeply grateful."

Although the imperial court would post the list and announce it to the world, it would take at least half a month. For someone like Master Yuan, whose family had a high-ranking official, to keep the secret a secret clearly was a possibility, yet he was willing to share it with the other candidates, which showed his broad mind.

When everyone heard what Xi Xiyue said, they stopped talking and stood up to thank Yuan Song.

At this time, Du Heng didn't want to go ahead alone, so he followed the crowd to Yuan Song and bowed to express his gratitude.

"Master Yuan, thank you for letting me know. I'll be leaving first. See you again if you're lucky!"

He clasped his fists towards Yuan Song and said.

Yuan Song then stopped greeting the others and turned to Du Heng. It was only then that Yuan Song and Du Heng faced each other. He returned the greeting with a fist clasp, a faint smile on his lips, and said:

"Brother Du is right. We will meet again if we are destined to."

After a pause, he added with a half-smile:

"Then I'll discuss this with Brother Du. Is holding a beautiful woman's hand at the Lantern Festival a gentlemanly act?"

At this point, Du Heng was certain that Yuan Song was coming for him and Ying'er. His expression changed slightly, and he took a step closer to Yuan Song, lowering his voice and asking, "Who are you?"

Yuan Song didn't shy away from the question, a faint smile still in his eyes, as if he had already anticipated this question: "Brother Du is in his prime, how can you be so forgetful?"

He sighed softly, seemingly deliberately, "I am Yuan Song, from Hangzhou Prefecture. I am currently staying at my uncle's house. My uncle is Yuan Zhixu, a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet."

As if afraid Du Heng hadn't heard him clearly, he repeated his name and where he came from. Unlike when they first met, he also introduced himself as his uncle. He spoke every word very slowly, as if he was afraid Du Heng hadn't remembered, or perhaps he was waiting for Du Heng to come over for a chat.

Du Heng had his doubts, but with so many people around him, it was not the right time to ask any questions. He simply clasped his hands and said, "Thank you very much. I will definitely write a letter to visit you."

Yuan Song was satisfied and replied, "Brother Du, don't forget this. I'm looking forward to it."