"The verdant greenery of spring is nothing unusual."
The fragrance of midsummer is in full bloom.
In the frosty October, all the flowers have faded.
Only the pine and bamboo retain their old branches.
This simple seven-character poem describes spring, then summer, and finally autumn, praising the steadfastness and perseverance of pine and bamboo, and using these objects to symbolize people, highlighting the author's noble sentiments.
This poem may not be considered a masterpiece, but it is perfectly suited to the current October season, making people's eyes light up and unconsciously appreciate the author of the work.
Then compare it with the two songs on stage, and it completely crushes them.
"This poem was written by Zhu Sihuan?" some people asked in disbelief, whispering among themselves.
"He couldn't even pass the imperial examination, how could he write such poetry?" someone asked.
Xu Mo stood to the side with his head down, and could feel that Zhu Sihuan's breathing was a little heavy. He coughed lightly, and Zhu Sihuan's back straightened up instantly, regaining his dashing and unrestrained demeanor.
"Well? Young Master Jiang, Second Young Master Yuan, how was my poem? Is it comparable to yours?"
As Zhu Sihuan asked the question, both young masters on the stage turned pale.
Scholars are often aloof and place themselves in a very high position, looking down on their peers.
Before they could even look down on others, Zhu Sihuan ruthlessly trampled on them.
But this kid wasn't humble at all; he just casually waved his folding fan, clearly waiting for praise and compliments.
"I didn't realize that Young Master Zhu is so talented and famous."
"If you had this ability earlier, you should have won the top score in the provincial examination."
"Perhaps Young Master Zhu is hiding his true abilities."
The compliments below came one after another, although some were sarcastic or sarcastic, but Zhu Sihuan was strong-willed and took them as compliments, accepting them as if they were a gentle breeze.
Jiang Chengyuan's face darkened, and he turned and left angrily.
The young master of the Yuan family also pursed his lips and quietly stepped down from the stage.
Zhu Sihuan was radiant and wanted to exchange a few more pleasantries, but Xu Mo gently tugged at his sleeve.
It's okay to be in the limelight, but if you do too much, you're likely to incur resentment.
Wise people always leave at the right time to create greater fame and praise. For example, the young master of Fufeng in Anshui County shocked the Wenchang Pavilion with three poems and never showed his face, using mystery to highlight his supreme demeanor.
Zhu Sihuan understood, but the feeling of being surrounded by admirers and showered with compliments was so intoxicating that he exchanged a few more pleasantries before reluctantly leaving with Xu Mo.
From then on, Zhu Sihuan had a place in Wenchang Pavilion.
But that's not enough.
A poem might make people suspect it was ghostwritten, so you have to talk about it eloquently at a party, mention obscure literature, and express your thoughts freely to dispel their doubts.
Xu Mo unceremoniously pulled out several miscellaneous collections, demanding that Zhu Sihuan read them within five days, write down his personal understanding and summary, and finally revise and supplement them to make the articles more outstanding.
During those days, Jiang Sheng keenly noticed that an unmarked carriage was often parked in the alley next door.
An older brother dressed in a light gray robe would emerge from the carriage, tiptoe into the courtyard, flash a toothy smile at everyone, and then slip into the eldest brother's room.
Before long, the sound of reciting lessons could be heard from inside, interspersed with painful wails and the crisp sound of bamboo rulers striking the table.
Jiang Sheng didn't quite understand what they were doing, but she thoughtfully found a wider and thicker bamboo ruler and replaced the original thin one.
About eight days later, the older brother stopped coming. Instead, the eldest brother changed into inconspicuous gray clothes and quietly got into the carriage.
Everyone has been very busy lately.
The second brother led Gao Dawan on a journey around Fengjing, learning about local customs and traditions while also searching for items that could withstand long-term transportation in order to continue his transportation business.
Fourth Brother studied the medical techniques left by Doctor Wu so diligently that he became obsessed and suffered nosebleeds several times without realizing it.
Only Jiang Sheng and Chang Yan were free, so the task of delivering the preserved meats from the workshop was naturally handed over to them.
Today happens to be the monthly day for delivering preserved meats. The workshop workers had already piled two hundred catties of goods onto the cart, and Jiang Si was also waiting on the cart shaft.
Although Jiang Sheng was curious about what her elder brother was doing, she still obediently sat on the carriage shaft and urged Chang Yan, "Fifth Brother, hurry up and deliver the goods."
As he answered, Chang Yan scrambled up onto the carriage shaft using both his hands and feet.
Sending preserved meats to You Ran Ju is something Jiang Sheng can do alone, but his brothers are all busy with other things, and as the eldest brother, he has an obligation to protect his only younger sister.
The carriage moved smoothly and slowly, and when it passed the Wenchang Pavilion, Jiang Sheng saw Xu Mo's figure.
Her eyes lit up, and she was about to share it with Changyan when the back of the carriage was hit.
The little girl was sitting on the carriage shaft, which was not a very stable position to begin with, but Feng Jing controlled the speed of the carriage so that she was safe and sound.
With the sudden impact, Jiang Sheng lost her footing and fell sideways to the ground.
"girl!"
"younger sister!"
Jiang Si and Chang Yan were shocked. The former quickly controlled the frightened horse, while the latter jumped off the carriage shaft and pulled Jiang Sheng to the side to avoid being run over by the wheels.
The collision itself is not serious; what is serious is that the horses will be frightened, and even if the driver tightens the reins, the carriage will move forward uncontrollably.
At best, they would be crushed by wheels; at worst, they would be trampled by horses.
Chang Yan pulled Jiang Sheng and rolled her around on the ground. When they reached the entrance of Wenchang Pavilion, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
At the same time, cheers erupted from inside.
A familiar voice was speaking eloquently, expressing its thoughts and personal opinions on several classical texts.
Jiang Sheng vaguely remembered hearing her older brother say something similar, but it was clearly not her older brother's voice.
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