"The topic is so restrictive, yet we still have to write a short poem?"
"That's right! Why wasn't it mentioned beforehand that Xiaoling would be on the test? I have absolutely no idea how to answer this question!"
"Young Master Zhu, can you write a short poem?"
In the hall, several scholars sitting around Zhu Qingshou all looked troubled.
Zhu Qingshou's face was also very ugly. Suppressing his anger, he said, "The poetry gathering is a poetry competition. It's normal to test your ability to compose short poems..."
"Wow, I didn't expect Examiner Wang to set such a tricky question!"
"Oh no! What am I going to do? I have absolutely no idea how to do this!"
A chorus of groans filled the hall; no one had expected that the very first question would make them want to give up.
"The questions are too difficult!" everyone complained.
"Does nobody know the answer to this question?"
As examiner Wang Yikui looked at the hundreds of people below the stage and asked the question, a look of disappointment appeared in his old eyes...
As a poetry examiner dispatched by Her Majesty the Empress, my mission is to select talented individuals for her. Naturally, the questions must be more difficult to filter out mediocre people and select the truly talented.
Surprisingly, in such a large province, not a single person could answer the question.
Could it be... that the questions are really too difficult?
Wang Yikui thought to himself, "They might really be in trouble..."
He thought about it all night, but when he finally put pen to paper, he could only write the word "yesterday"...
Wang Yikui sighed and prepared to announce the next examiner's question.
Just then, someone shouted, "I can!"
Everyone looked over, only to find a person dressed and with an ordinary appearance.
Who is this person?
"He is the fifth son-in-law of the Su family, and Su Ruyan's husband."
"I know Su Ruyan, she's a talented woman, but who is her husband?"
"He's an idiot, surnamed Qin, everyone calls him Qin the Idiot!"
"Brother, your information is outdated. I'm from Jiangzhou, and everyone says Qin the Fool isn't foolish anymore!"
"Oh? Really? Does he also have a talent for poetry?"
Just as everyone was filled with anticipation, Zhu Qingshou stood up and pointed at Qin Chuan with his folding fan: "Qin, you idiot, I advise you not to cause trouble! This is a poetry competition, not child's play! Nobody else knows it, so what makes you think you do?"
Qin Chuan glanced at Zhu Qingshou, then at the examiners on the platform, and pointed at Zhu Qingshou, saying, "This guy is disrupting the examination room discipline, aren't you going to do anything about it?"
Before the examiner could speak, Governor Zhu He, who had been observing from the second floor, shouted, "Qingshou! Sit down!"
Hearing that his father seemed angry, Zhu Qingshou reluctantly sat down, still muttering, "Who's causing trouble? It's clearly this idiot..."
Zhu He's shout rang out again from the second floor: "Qing Shou! Shut up!"
Zhu Qingshou immediately cowered, holding his breath but daring not to speak.
Qin Chuan ignored the guy, stood up, and slowly spoke:
Yesterday, the rain was sparse and the wind was strong; even a deep sleep could not dispel the lingering effects of the wine
As soon as he opened his mouth, a waitress from the restaurant hung up a sheet of Xuan paper, three feet long and five feet high, on the table. Then the middle-aged man began to write furiously. His handwriting was in the official style, not only neat but also easy to understand at a glance.
"I asked the person rolling up the curtain, but they said the crabapple blossoms were still the same."
After these four lines were recited, murmurs of praise could be heard from the audience: "Not bad, not bad!"
The examiners on the stage nodded slightly in approval, but no one applauded or exclaimed in amazement.
Qin Chuan read the last sentence slowly and deliberately:
Do you know? Do you know?
"It should be a scene of lush greenery and faded red blossoms."
When he finished reading the last sentence, he didn't receive the applause he expected; instead, the hall fell into a deathly silence...
What happened?
This is Li Qingzhao's masterpiece, doesn't anyone appreciate it?
"Green leaves grow lush, red flowers fade..." Su Ruyan beside her pondered these four words for a long time, and finally, a light appeared in her beautiful eyes, "I understand, I understand..."
After muttering to herself, Su Ruyan excitedly gave Qin Chuan a thumbs up, her beautiful eyes seemingly filled with endless admiration for him.
Inside the hall, most people were pondering the phrase "green leaves grow fat and red flowers wither," seemingly without understanding its meaning.
“Green leaves grow fat and red flowers wither…” The young princess was also pondering these four words, but after a long time, she still did not understand their meaning.
Meanwhile, the examiners on the platform exchanged bewildered glances: "What exactly does 'green leaves and red flowers' mean...?"
After a long while, the examiner, Wang Yikui, stroked his white beard, a smile in his eyes, and said, "I understand..."
"Lord Wang, what exactly do these four characters mean?" another examiner asked.
Wang Yikui laughed and said, "Considering the context of this poem, 'green leaves are lush and red flowers are withered' should refer to the lush green leaves and the fading red flowers..."
"So that's what it meant! Brilliant!"
An uproar erupted in the hall.
Once you understand the meaning of "green leaves grow fat and red flowers wither," reading this short poem becomes much easier.
Everyone read it aloud, nodding and swaying their heads, becoming more and more engrossed, and wanting to read it several more times.
"What a beautiful scene of 'green leaves and red flowers'!"
The examiners all showed their appreciation.
"What's your name?" the examiner, Wang Yikui, asked Qin Chuan.
"Student Qin Chuan," Qin Chuan replied, clasping his hands in greeting.
"The younger generation is truly formidable!" Wang Yikui gave a thumbs up.
Everyone clasped their hands in a fist salute to Qin Chuan.
"Young Master Qin is truly talented!"
"This poem is truly extraordinary! I haven't produced such a masterpiece in a long time!"
"This short poem is not only fresh and natural, but also seems to carry the faint melancholy of a young girl. I never expected it to be written by someone like Young Master Qin. It shows how delicate Young Master Qin's mind is, far beyond our reach!"
The hall was filled with praise and thunderous applause.
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