Chapter 75 Toad? Swing?
Changsun Wuji's eyes flickered.
He never imagined that Wei Shuyu would be so troublesome.
He was even more incisive than Wei Zheng in his speech.
“Wei Shuyu, I can admit that Chong’er’s poem is inferior to your lyric, but you still have to prove that you wrote this lyric.”
After a moment's hesitation, Changsun Wuji began to feign retreat: "Today's competition was personally presided over by His Majesty. If it is rumored in the future that His Majesty has judged a plagiarized poem to be the victor, where will His Majesty be then?"
Upon hearing this, everyone unanimously agreed.
Li Shimin nodded in agreement.
"Then how do you suggest I prove it?" Wei Shuyu asked indifferently.
"Simple, just write another poem that's similar," Changsun Wuji said with a sneer.
"Nonsense."
Wei Zheng immediately stepped forward: "Do you think nouns are like cabbages growing by the roadside? You think they just come out of nowhere? Who can write them down so easily without inspiration?"
"This is what Wei Shuyu needs to consider."
Changsun Wuji shrugged: "If he can't do it, then it's plagiarism!"
Seeing that Wei Zheng was about to argue a few more points.
Wei Shuyu reached out and stopped him.
"The words are too long, I wonder if a poem would be acceptable?" Wei Shuyu asked Changsun Wuji.
"That's fine."
Changsun Wuji nodded magnanimously.
If poetry were so easy to write, everyone would be a great writer.
He simply couldn't believe that Wei Shuyu, that brat who couldn't even recite the Analects of Confucius in its entirety, could produce another masterpiece.
"Then listen carefully..."
As soon as Wei Shuyu finished speaking, everyone perked up their ears.
"The sun shines on the incense burner, producing purple smoke."
With just one sentence, everyone perked up.
Apart from Cheng Yaojin, everyone present was quite skilled in this area.
Whether a poem is good or bad can sometimes be determined from the very first line.
"From afar, the waterfall hangs like a curtain before the river."
Sure enough, another excellent piece!
Ouyang Xun and Yu Shinan couldn't help but clench their fists.
It's here! The imagery is there, the atmosphere is there.
So what's next...?
"The waterfall plunges three thousand feet."
"good!"
Chu Suiliang couldn't help but roar.
The exaggerated rhetoric of "a three-thousand-foot-long stilt" elevates this poem to another level.
Everyone stared angrily at Chu Suiliang.
Why are you yelling at such a crucial moment?
What should you do if you interrupt someone's train of thought?
It is a big no-no to make a sound and disturb others before they have finished.
Wei Shuyu smiled nonchalantly and uttered seven words...
"It looks like a toad swinging on a swing."
"good!"
Chu Suiliang raised his arm and roared again, "Huh? Wait... a toad? What the hell is a swing?"
Everyone's eyes widened in surprise.
A picture involuntarily came to mind...
Beneath the waterfall, a toad sits on a swing, leisurely swaying back and forth.
"Shuyu, are you...are you serious?"
Wei Zheng was also speechless with dismay.
What a load of bullshit, the toad swing...
Even one's own child cannot tolerate a poem being written only halfway through.
"Yeah, isn't it quite fitting for the occasion?"
As he said this, Wei Shuyu glanced at Changsun Wuji, seemingly unintentionally.
Changsun Wuji hadn't reacted yet, but when Wei Shuyu looked at him like that, his face turned green.
Is this toad talking about me?
"Wei Shuyu!"
Changsun Wuji roared, "This is incoherent and nonsensical! Is this what you call poetry? I think your poems are plagiarized!"
Ouyang Xun and the others couldn't stand it any longer and stepped forward to admonish him, "Shuyu, don't joke around. What exactly is that last sentence?"
"Yes, don't rush, take your time, think about it again, revise it again..."
"Shuyu, did Chu Suiliang disrupt your train of thought? I'll get rid of him right now."
Chu Suiliang was dumbfounded.
Then he was chased down from the stands by several old men.
"..."
The soldiers on guard would glance at him every now and then, cursing inwardly: "Where did this idiot come from? He's made it impossible for us to slack off."
"This is it."
Wei Shuyu spread his hands innocently: "Is this poem bad?"
It's precisely because it's so good that we're in such a hurry.
You only gave me three out of four sentences. What do you mean by that?
We're all so old, how many more years do we have to live?
If you want us to die with regrets, just say so!
The group was as anxious as ants on a hot pan. As old scholars, they couldn't stand seeing famous works slip by right under their noses.
Just as they were about to offer further advice, Changsun Wuji suddenly let out a cold laugh...
"And you still insist you didn't plagiarize?"
Changsun Wuji turned to the others and said, "Please don't let this kid fool you."
"The first three lines of the four-line poem are masterpieces."
"With all the groundwork laid, the fourth sentence is a natural progression."
"How could it possibly be a toad or a swing?"
"The facts are already clear; this fourth line truly showcases Wei Shuyu's skill."
"Perhaps it is because the fourth line is missing, or Wei Shuyu forgot it, that it has become such an incongruous thing."
Changsun Wuji spoke eloquently, looking as if he had everything under control.
Upon hearing this, everyone indeed showed a suspicious look again.
"Lord Changsun has excellent eloquence," Wei Shuyu praised.
"So you're admitting you plagiarized now?" Changsun Wuji sneered.
“I’m just afraid that if I tell you the whole story, you’ll say you’ve seen the poem somewhere before, and then you’ll make up an excuse to deny it.”
Everyone looked at Changsun Wuji with strange expressions.
Believe it or not, that cunning old fox Changsun Wuji might actually do that.
"..."
Looking at the gazes of the crowd, Changsun Wuji felt insulted.
"Stop with your words. You can't prove that you caused the snow until you finish the last sentence." Changsun Wuji was convinced of this.
"Wasn't the first three sentences enough?" Wei Shuyu raised an eyebrow.
"What you've done is neither fish nor fowl, so it's obviously not acceptable."
Changsun Wuji stroked his beard: "Of course, if you're capable, compose another one, and I'll admit that you wrote 'Snow'!"
Even the most talented people have their limits, right? I don't believe you can pull this off again.
Shameless!
Everyone looked at them with disdain.
To produce one excellent piece in such a short time is already a testament to talent; two pieces would be considered astonishing. And to produce a third...
That's an unparalleled genius!
Although it was difficult, for some reason, everyone wanted to see if Wei Shuyu could do it.
“Since you want to hear it, I’ll compose another one,” Wei Shuyu said with a smile.
There really is one?
Everyone turned to look at Wei Shuyu...
"I departed from Baidi City amidst colorful clouds at dawn."
"Returning to Jiangling in a single day, a thousand miles away."
"The cries of monkeys on both banks could not be stopped."
"The toad was so frightened it crawled back up the mountain!"
As Wei Shuyu finished speaking, everyone rolled their eyes.
really……
The toad in front of me was leisurely swinging on a swing, which scared me so much that I crawled home.
"no!"
However, as soon as he finished reciting the poem, Changsun Wuji immediately began to refute it.
Why is it not working again?
Everyone turned to look at Changsun Wuji.
Changsun Wuji also felt that he was being a bit shameless, but he had no choice but to step forward...
Wei Shuyu is only eleven years old and already has such talent. What will he be like when he grows up?
What will Changsun Chong use to win then?
If this drags on any longer, I might really not be able to marry Chang Le.
"Who knows how many poems you plagiarized?"
Changsun Wuji shamelessly said, "If you want me to be truly convinced, you must specify the topic!"
"Then you set the question."
Wei Shuyu said calmly.
Actually, I was also scared.
If I need another question to boost morale, I don't have that many in reserve.
"Then..."
Changsun Wuji's gaze swept over Li Shimin, Cheng Yaojin, and the assembled civil officials...
Discussing the emperor is a major taboo.
There are many poems by civil and military officials, and it's possible that Wei Shuyu also had some in his collection.
His gaze swept across the stands below, then, after passing a certain spot, returned to his original position...
Inside the 'duck pen,' Choi Shin-ki was slapping his friend's head repeatedly.
"Let's write a poem about children."
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