With Lu Ling's fall, the Confucian scholars of Zhao seemed to realize that something was wrong.
The Mu Zi'an in front of me seems ridiculously strong!
"I'll do it!"
As soon as he finished speaking, another scholar from the Zhao state, dressed in a green robe, stepped forward.
"I have a couplet that I would like to ask the Duke of Zhenguo for his guidance!"
"Marrying a man from the Pan family means having water, fields, and rice!"
Mu Zian's expression was calm, though slightly weary.
"Marrying a woman from the He family will bring more people, more mouths to feed, and more sons!"
"What!"
The Zhao scholar in the green robe was so startled that he took a step back!
But then he was still unwilling to give up.
"Golden willows line the Jinshui River, their branches piercing the mouths of goldfish!"
Upon hearing this, Gong Zhengming stroked his beard and said seriously.
"It's a anaphora couplet! This one is quite difficult!"
The so-called "top-needle couplet" is also called "linked bead couplet," "linked brocade couplet," or "continuous couplet."
This refers to the last character of the first clause of a couplet serving as the first character of the second clause, thus connecting the two adjacent clauses seamlessly.
Just as this person was secretly pleased, Mu Zian continued to speak calmly.
"Jade hairpins adorn the jade railings, and jade hairpins are inserted into the hair of a beautiful woman."
The scholar in the green robe stood there dumbfounded, momentarily at a loss for what to do!
"Step aside and let me do it!"
As soon as he finished speaking, another scholar in a yellow robe stepped forward.
"The wind turns the green bamboo, the bamboo turns in the wind."
Mu Zi'an stood with his hands behind his back.
"White plum blossoms in the snow, white plum blossoms reflected in the snow, and plum blossoms reflected in the snow."
The scholar in the yellow robe continued anxiously.
"One cup of tea, four dishes, two bowls of rice noodles, and fifty coins."
Mu Zian turned to look at Xiao Xiu and gave her a confident look, then replied with a wave of his hand.
"Three tangerines, six pears, nine peaches, and twenty-seven coins."
"Ten thousand tiles and a thousand bricks, a hundred days to build the Cross Temple!"
"One boat, two oars, three people crossing the Four Bridges!"
"The foundation lies beneath the trees, the branches upon them; trees, trees, trees, pines, cypresses, and camphor trees stand tall and majestic."
"Water becomes turbid when there are insects, and fish can be caught in it; water, water, water, rivers, lakes, and lakes stretch endlessly."
At this moment, these Confucian scholars from the State of Zhao no longer cared about saving face.
If they really lose, and their princess has to serve as Mu Zi'an's maid for three days, then they won't need to return to Zhao; they might as well commit suicide on the spot.
In an instant, several Confucian scholars from the Zhao state inside the hall shouted out the first line of the couplet like a barrage of cannon fire.
Mu Zian, on the other hand, fought alone with ease and composure.
"South Tongzhou, North Tongzhou, Tongzhou connects the North and South!"
"East pawnshop, west pawnshop, pawn things at both pawnshops!"
"Through wind and rain, through warmth and cold, I've been searching everywhere!"
"Orioles and swallows, flowers and leaves, you and I, day and night!"
"The moon is bright and the stars are few; there will definitely be no rain tonight!"
"It's freezing cold; frost will surely form by tomorrow!"
The fighting between the two sides was beyond fierce!
Couplets with combined characters, split characters, repeated characters, and numbers are thrown out like they're free.
However, Mu Zian answered with composure, showing no sign of panic.
In the end, the Confucian scholars of Zhao were all hoarse, but not a single couplet could stump Mu Zi'an.
Everyone present was stunned into silence.
Song Min's face also turned very ugly.
They had been preparing for this campaign to suppress Dali for a long time.
He thought victory was assured, but at this moment he was stopped by Mu Zian alone.
At this moment, a sense of unease rose in Song Min's heart. Could it be that she really had to serve as Mu Zi'an's maid for three days?
As Mu Zian smoothly countered all of Zhao's moves, the Zhao Confucian scholars were completely stunned.
At this moment, they looked at each other helplessly, like a bunch of clowns.
Seeing this, Mu Zian calmly asked.
"Still not admitting defeat?"
Upon hearing this, the Zhao scholars gritted their teeth and said...
"Since this is a friendly exchange, we should reciprocate!"
"How can we all come up with the first line and you have to provide the second line? That's not fair!"
Upon hearing this, the Confucian scholars of Zhao seemed to have grasped at a straw and immediately echoed it.
"That's right! This is unfair! The Duke of Zhenguo should have given us the first line of the couplet so we could have the matching line!"
Upon hearing this, the scholars of the Hanlin Academy finally couldn't hold back any longer.
Immediately, a scholar rolled up his sleeves and spoke up.
"I'll tear off your masks and see just how thick they really are!"
Fortunately, he was pulled back by his colleagues, otherwise the royal banquet would have turned into a full-blown brawl.
Mu Zian's gaze passed over the Confucian scholars and landed on Song Min.
Upon seeing this, Song Min unconsciously lowered her head, even though she knew that this action was extremely shameless.
Seeing Song Min lower her head and remain silent, Mu Zi'an smiled.
As the saying goes: "If you're going to do a good deed, do it all the way."
"Today, I, the Duke of this country, will make you all submit wholeheartedly."
"If any of you can match my first line, I, the Duke, am willing to admit defeat."
Upon hearing Mu Zian's words, the eyes of these Zhao Confucian scholars, who had been in despair, instantly lit up again.
Upon seeing this, the officials of Dali all frowned.
Mu Zi'an's move was far too presumptuous!
After all, these people in front of them are the best of Zhao, and those who were chosen must all be outstanding individuals.
They had finally managed to suppress the Zhao state to the point of being unable to raise its head; if they were to make a careless move, wouldn't they lose the entire game?
Perhaps fearing Mu Zian's return, these Confucian scholars from Zhao spoke hastily.
"The Duke of Zhenguo is not allowed to go back on his word! If we cannot answer, then Dali will have lost!"
Mu Zian said confidently.
“That’s right. If you can match them, what’s wrong with me serving as your princess’s bodyguard for three days?”
Upon hearing this, the Confucian scholars were so excited they almost jumped up.
"Good! Good! Good! Duke Zhenguo, hurry up and give us the first line of the couplet! Let's not wait any longer!"
Seeing the excited expressions on their faces, Mu Zian smiled mysteriously.
“The Zhao state started with a five-character couplet, and this time I, the Duke, will not take advantage of you.”
"I also have a five-character couplet here. If you can come up with a matching couplet, you will win."
As Mu Zian finished speaking, Xiao Xiuning couldn't help but cast a worried glance at him.
After all, this move concerns the dignity of the Great Li state.
Xiao Zi couldn't help but sneer upon seeing this.
"This Mu Zi'an is simply too arrogant!"
Seeing this, Du Yuheng couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"A young man may have pride, but he must not be arrogant."
At this moment, all the officials and scholars in the hall were very disapproving of Mu Zi'an's actions.
However, Mu Zian seemed to ignore him and coughed lightly.
"You all just wait and see, this is the first line of the couplet from our lord."
"Smoke shrouds the willows by the pond!"
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