"I refuse to accept this!"
Just as everyone was praising Qin Chuan, Zhu Qingshou stood up and shouted again.
"What is your objection? Do you perhaps have a better poem?" asked the examiner, Wang Yikui.
Zhu Qingshou was stunned for a moment. There was no way he could have written a better poem. He pointed at Qin Chuan and said, "I don't accept this. His poem is plagiarized!"
“To accuse someone of plagiarism, you need to have evidence,” Wang Yikui said.
Zhu Qingshou raised his voice a few decibels and said, "This poem could only have been written by a woman. It must have been written by Miss Su Ruyan. This boy memorized it and it just so happens that he stumbled upon it at this poetry gathering."
“Only a woman could write this…that’s absolutely true!” Everyone in the hall nodded in agreement.
Even the examiners now showed signs of doubt. This poem could only have been written by a woman. Could it be... that it was really written by Su Ruyan?
Most of the people present had long admired Su Ruyan.
How could Qin Chuan, an unknown young man, write such delicate poems reflecting the sentiments of a young girl?
With suspicious looks, everyone looked at Qin Chuan, who was at a loss for words.
Su Ruyan clenched her fists, biting her lips, her face flushed with anger. She uttered three words through gritted teeth: "I...didn't..."
On the second floor, Su Zhi Qiu saw her daughter's appearance from afar and smiled, thinking that it was indeed not Yan'er who wrote it, but Qin Chuan. Since he could write such ambitious poems as "To find truly great men, look to the present," then writing poems about the mindset of a young girl would naturally be no problem for him.
Seeing Su Zhiqi's thoughtful expression, Zhu He asked, "What? Could it really have been written by your daughter?"
“No, Yan’er couldn’t write such a masterpiece,” Su Zhi Qiu said.
"So it really was written by your son-in-law! Humph! That unfilial son is causing trouble again! I'll give him a good beating when I get back!"
...
On the platform on the first floor, the examiners were debating whether Qin Chuan had plagiarized.
"Does copying one's own wife's poem count as plagiarism?"
"If it's not something you wrote yourself, then it's definitely plagiarism!"
"But Miss Su didn't publish this poem to the public, so how can it be defined as plagiarism?"
"Uh... how about we cancel Qin Chuan's score? We'll give him a new question. If he really has poetic talent, he'll definitely be able to answer the next question. If he can't, then he'll be accused of plagiarism and expelled."
"That's fine too!"
The examiners reached a consensus and declared Qin Chuan's score on this question invalid, proceeding directly to the next question.
"Hahahaha! Qin the Fool! You really did plagiarize!" Zhu Qingshou laughed loudly.
Su Ruyan gritted her teeth in anger, her beautiful eyes almost bursting out of their sockets.
That Zhu Qingshou is utterly despicable.
How dare you say that your husband copied her work!
How could she possibly write such a wonderful poem!
I'm so angry! So angry!
Seeing her puffed up in anger, Qin Chuan comforted her instead: "Wife, don't be angry, don't hurt yourself. There's another question, no rush..."
“Husband…” Su Ruyan leaned her head on Qin Chuan’s shoulder, her face full of grievance, on the verge of tears.
"Hmm? Brother?"
The young princess's large eyes widened in astonishment; she had already confirmed that the man beside her was homosexual.
She glanced at Qin Chuan twice, muttering to herself, "He's nothing special, is he? It's strange that even such a handsome man like him is attracted to him!"
...
Next, examiner Zhang Jiucheng posed the following question:
"The question Lord Wang just asked was rather difficult. Only one young friend wrote a poem, but his score was cancelled. So, I will give you an easier question: please write a five- or seven-character poem on the topic of 'mountain'."
Upon hearing the test question set by Zhang Jiucheng, everyone breathed a sigh of relief; the question was much simpler.
The group took the blank paper handed to them by the waitresses and began to write furiously.
Before long, the papers with poems written on them were passed to the examiners.
Although there were hundreds of answers, the seven examiners were able to select the four best poems in a very short time.
Zhang Jiucheng read aloud the first poem:
"The green mountains stretch into the clouds, their verdant hues reaching the horizon for thousands of miles."
"Birds fly through the forest seeking old traces, and clear springs gurgle around the rocks, playing new songs."
After Zhang Jiucheng finished reading, the people in the hall began to whisper among themselves.
"Who wrote this? It's great!"
"It's really good, quite evocative!"
Everyone looked at Qin Chuan, who quickly waved his hand and said, "It wasn't me, it wasn't me, how could I possibly write such garbage!"
Zhu Qingshou immediately stood up, his face darkening: "Who are you calling trash?"
Qin Chuan: "Whoever wrote this is trash!"
Zhu Qingshou: "...You!"
At that moment, Zhang Jiucheng read out the author's name, "The author of this poem is... Zhu Qingshou."
"Well written," Zhang Jiucheng encouraged.
"Did you hear that? You shameless and despicable person who plagiarized Miss Su! Even Lord Zhang praised my writing, what right do you have to call me trash?" Zhu Qingshou glared at Qin Chuan and said.
Qin Chuan scoffed and said, "Trash is trash..."
Zhang Jiucheng continued reading the next poem, coughed slightly, and said, "This one is from the young princess."
Upon hearing this, everyone held their breath, afraid of missing the young princess's masterpiece.
"Layer upon layer of mountains rise into the clouds, and countless valleys and cliffs are shrouded in emerald green."
"The flowing water murmurs as it passes over the stones, and the gentle breeze caresses my face, bringing a sense of tranquility."
After Zhang Jiucheng finished reciting the little princess's poem, everyone praised it.
"The young princess possesses extraordinary poetic talent; her poem is indeed excellent!"
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