Among them, the most conspicuous were the gloating gazes of the eldest princess and those who were waiting to see the show.
Qin Yi glanced at Xiao Chen and Mr. Mo with his cold eyes. If he had known that the Crown Prince of Nan Jing was so useless that he couldn't even control his own people, he should have taken action himself.
"I will obey Your Majesty's decree." The Prime Minister stood up and bowed, then turned to look at Nan Qianyue. "Qianyue, His Majesty's grace is boundless, and he has always cared for the younger generation of Dongling. You can speak with confidence."
The Southern Chancellor is eloquent. He first puts on His Majesty the label of caring for the younger generation, so that if the Southern Chancellor says something wrong later, His Majesty won't be too blaming him.
Nanqianyue nodded, bowed respectfully to the old emperor, and said, "Your Majesty, this poem was not written by me."
-What?
—Didn't she write it?
—Who wrote that?
—Wasn't it done in a dream?
—Since it was written by someone else, why didn't you say so earlier?
—They must have been intimidated by His Majesty's majesty and dared not lie any longer, so they told the truth.
People only dared to wear their thoughts on their faces, not speak them aloud.
Xiao Chen's fingers tightened. He knew these poems weren't written by Nan Nan, but why would she say it? The old emperor of Dongling probably wanted her to save face for Dongling's literary world, not...
The old emperor's smile froze for a moment, and his tone became stern. "Wasn't this something you did in your dream? Or are you still half asleep?"
He asked the last question with a smile, seemingly teasing the younger generation, but it was actually a threat.
The Prime Minister's family was very worried about Yue's relocation to the south. It could be said that everyone who cared about her, except for Prince Anzheng who remained calm, became anxious.
Nanqianyue smiled and said, "This poem was written by a seventeen-year-old boy in my dream. The boy had a bumpy career and a longing for love. With all these complex and profound feelings, he wrote this poem."
At this point, Nanqianyue looked at Xu Taigong with a sense of guilt, "That day in class, it was disrespectful for a student to fall asleep. When I woke up, I was not fully conscious and when I saw the teacher, I thought I was still dreaming. In this confusion, I thought that the poem was written by the old teacher who had been teaching his students with great care."
She smiled at the old emperor, like a well-behaved child who had made a mistake, "It's no wonder Mr. Mo had doubts. I hope Your Majesty will forgive such a misunderstanding."
"Hahaha, I see. You, you can even fall asleep in Master Xu's class. From now on, you'll sit right under Master Xu's nose during class. If you fall asleep again, Master Xu will punish you with a ruler!"
The old emperor pointed at the moon that had been moved south and smiled broadly, showing no sign of blame.
What about the dream boy and the dream old man? Aren't they all just constructs of the dreamer? In the end, the poem was still written by the poet immortal.
Old Master Xu stroked his beard, looking at Nan Qianyue with eyes full of admiration and satisfaction. She addressed him as "teacher" repeatedly, truly giving him face. At least in the eyes of others, Nan Qianyue was his student. Did Master Mo have any students capable of producing such exquisite poetry?
"Since it's a misunderstanding, why not explain it clearly sooner?" The princess pretended not to understand, showing no intention of causing trouble.
The old emperor glanced at her, the smile still on his face, but it had changed.
Nanqianyue answered fluently and laughed, "I thought it was just a poem I made up in a dream. Saying too much would only make me seem arrogant. I never expected it to attract so much attention."
"Are you saying that everyone else's literary talent is shallow, while you, who moved south, are exceptionally talented, and that a single poem you casually wrote can impress everyone and be widely recited?" The princess, who had been feigning innocence just a moment ago, suddenly lost her composure and began to press her for answers.
To other countries, the princess's actions were undoubtedly seen as fratricide, and they were happy to watch the spectacle.
Nan Qianyue maintained a slight smile and spoke calmly, "Your Highness has misunderstood. If anyone is lacking in literary talent, it is I, your humble servant, who is only good at composing poetry and not at critiquing it. I cannot even write down everyone's evaluation of this poem."
The princess choked, her lips pressed tightly together, her eyes turning cold.
She looked at Mr. Mo and gestured with her eyes that he could continue, but Mr. Mo turned his head to one side as if he hadn't seen her.
The old emperor chuckled twice, looked at Nan Qianyue and said with a smile, "There are few juniors with such talent. I hereby bestow upon you the Four Treasures of the Study. I hope you will diligently study and improve in the future. Please sit down."
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace." After the southward migration, Yue was finally able to sit down.
The old emperor raised his golden cup, inviting everyone to drink together.
The birthday banquet seemed to be back on track, but Nan Qianyue knew that the matter against her was not over yet.
"Your Majesty, please allow me to recount the offense I have committed. I have two questions I would like to ask your country's poet." A minister standing beside the eldest prince of Xiqiu suddenly spoke up.
At the same time, the eldest princess smiled sinisterly at Mr. Mo.
Of course, she wouldn't be foolish enough to only seek out Mr. Mo to oppose the Southern Migration Month. Once Mr. Mo is discovered by the Crown Prince of Nan Jing, he will be a dead end. It wouldn't be impossible for the First Prince of Xi Qiu to arrange for someone to speak on his behalf.
Although Mr. Mo is more convincing, now that Yue himself has admitted that the poem was a longing for love, wouldn't adding a little more fuel make it burn even brighter?
The old emperor seemed displeased, but his displeasure was not obvious. The birthday banquet had turned into a battleground for them to fight like dogs, which was indeed a downer.
"Oh? Is there anything you wish to ask?" the old emperor asked, lifting his eyelids.
Minister Xiqiu looked at the moon rising south, "May I ask, is the young man in the poet's dream a fictional figure or a real person? That's the first question. The second question is, does the poem 'With a Title' express a longing for love, or is it about unrequited love and the expression of longing in one's heart?"
Everyone's attention was once again focused on Nan Qianyue.
"If you can't tell the difference between a boy and an old man, you must be a fake. As for whether it's a longing for love or a yearning, that's not contradictory. Yearning for an unknown love isn't wrong either," Mr. Mo replied slowly.
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