"Ha! That sounds nice. It's the Prince Rui's mansion choosing a husband of exceptional talent for their daughter. But who among us doesn't know that the winner of today's poetry competition is almost certainly the new top scholar? The Prince Rui's mansion is actually trying to win over a future powerful minister!"
Everyone knows that every top scholar in our Great Yan Kingdom has been a potential future powerful minister! If someone truly loves their daughter, would they really allow her to become a concubine? What is a concubine? A concubine is just a man's plaything!
Wei Zixun curled his lip and said in a low, disdainful voice.
Sheng Wenjin remained silent upon hearing this.
Bai Mo glanced at Wei Zixun:
"Why don't you wait until Brother Sheng wins, and then marry that poor girl properly?"
"Cough cough cough... I may pity her, but I don't want to become a laughing stock in Yanjing!"
Wei Zixun quickly waved his hand.
"Hmph! Hypocritical!" Bai Mo snorted, ignoring Wei Zixun.
"Hey! I'm telling you... why don't you just marry her?"
Wei Zixun was unconvinced.
"I won't marry her, but I don't have any improper thoughts about her either!" Bai Mo shrugged.
Wei Zixun pursed his lips, then shifted his gaze to Sheng Wenjin.
Sheng Wenjin was frowning at Si Rouxue at the moment, and had no time to pay attention to Wei Zixun. Wei Zixun was also too lazy to join in the fun, so he stopped talking.
Si Rouxue ignored what was happening around her and finished playing the piece.
When the song ended, someone came forward to help Si Rouxue and led her away.
"Alright, everyone has met my sister. Let the poetry competition begin! The winner can choose whether or not to marry my sister. In addition, there is another prize: this painting!"
As Si Mingchen spoke, he took out the scroll from the tray and unfolded it.
"Please look, everyone!"
The scroll depicts a landscape painting, showcasing a distant and beautiful scene. The brushwork is delicate, the colors are harmonious, and it conveys a sense of tranquility and profound beauty.
The mountains in the painting soar into the clouds, shrouded in mist, creating a scene reminiscent of a fairyland; the stream flows gently, its crystal-clear waters teeming with colorful fish. The entire painting exudes a transcendent and ethereal atmosphere, captivating the viewer.
"This painting was personally created by Master Muyuan and presented to the winner of today's poetry gathering."
"I hope everyone will give it their all and showcase their talents," Si Mingchen said calmly, gently rolling up the scroll and placing it back on the tray.
Upon seeing this, the crowd began to discuss it amongst themselves.
"A landscape painting by Master Muyuan? I've heard that Master Muyuan's paintings are very few, and those that have survived are extremely rare. This painting must be priceless!"
"Indeed! The Prince Rui's mansion is incredibly wealthy!"
"A masterpiece painting as a prize, and a beautiful woman as a gift, hahaha... Wonderful! I am but a humble person, but I will do my best!"
"..."
"Alright, the poetry gathering officially begins. It will be a best-of-three series. The first round will be based on this landscape painting. Please compose a poem."
The allotted time was one incense stick's time. After that time, everyone presented their poems. To ensure fairness, I also invited two judges: Master Chen, the headmaster of Sanmao Academy, and Master Xie, the previous year's top scholar and compiler at the Hanlin Academy.
As Si Mingchen finished speaking, two people walked over from a distance. They were Master Chen and Xie Qingyuan.
As the two entered the pavilion, many people greeted them.
After responding to each other, the two sat down at a stone table.
At this moment, writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone had been placed next to the stone table.
"Within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, everyone who has thought of a poem can come forward and write it down."
"After an incense stick has burned, any poems written will be disregarded. Let's begin!"
After Si Mingchen finished speaking, he instructed the servants to unfold the landscape painting.
A moment later, a scholar stepped forward, picked up a brush, and wrote a piece.
Overall, the parallelism is neat and the handwriting is upright.
But apart from that, there's not much else to highlight.
Next, several more scholars went up and wrote down their own works.
Among them, the most outstanding are Bai Mo's "Ode to Mountains and Rivers" and Wei Zixun's "Fairyland".
Both of their poems are highly enjoyable to read, both in terms of their imagery and style.
This made the talented men and women watching sigh in admiration, realizing that the students of the Imperial Academy were indeed all highly talented individuals.
Because of the publication of these two poems, very few people started writing poetry anymore; most people still understood themselves quite well.
Knowing they couldn't compete, they naturally didn't want to embarrass themselves by showing off.
At this moment, Wang Wenjie walked to the stone table and began to write rapidly.
A moment later, Wang Wenjie put down his pen, took two steps back, and wore a confident smile on his face.
A scholar from Jiangnan immediately stepped forward and recited aloud:
"The mountains are green and the waters are clear, a beautiful sight, with peaks rising one after another into the clouds."
The babbling brook flows endlessly, and the pine breeze carries the fragrance of flowers.
The waterfall cascades down like pearls and jade, while verdant bamboo and ancient pines are reflected in the emerald gauze.
This scene should only exist in heaven; where on earth can one find such a celestial abode?
"What a wonderful poem! What a wonderful poem!" As soon as Wang Wenjie recited his poem, it immediately drew unanimous praise from everyone present.
This poem not only depicts the beautiful scenery of mountains and rivers, but also transports people to a dreamlike fairyland, which is intoxicating.
"Truly a masterpiece! This poem is indeed the best work of the day!" an elderly scholar exclaimed, stroking his beard.
“That’s right, both the artistic conception and the choice of words are superb!” Another student from Jiangnan nodded in agreement.
"Judging from his clothes, this young master Wang should come from a poor family. I never expected him to be such a talented and erudite man!"
"Yes! Although the Second Young Master Sheng is better looking and has outstanding literary talent, he is too excellent and intimidating. This Young Master Wang is quite good!"
"Yes! Although he's poor now, his future is limitless. I have high hopes for him!"
The Great Yan Kingdom is tolerant of women, and at this moment, quite a few women of marriageable age are already secretly eyeing Wang Wenjie. It would be nice if such a talented man could become their husband.
Seeing everyone praising him, Wang Wenjie's eyes darted around slightly, and he felt quite elated.
His gaze fell on Sheng Wenjin, and he spoke:
"I've heard that Young Master Sheng was already a renowned scholar in the capital two years ago, and I've long wanted to learn from him. I wonder if Young Master Sheng has made up his mind yet? The time is almost here, surely Young Master Sheng hasn't decided yet?"
Wang Wenjie's tone was somewhat provocative.
This poetry gathering was originally intended by Prince Rui's mansion to help him gain fame in the capital, so he already knew the title of the poem and had prepared it in advance.
Even if Sheng Wenjin is incredibly talented, it's impossible for him to create a poem that surpasses his meticulously crafted work in such a short time.
Wang Wenjie was very confident in his talent. He believed that his poems were outstanding enough to put Sheng Wenjin to shame.
However, Sheng Wenjin just smiled faintly, as if he didn't care about Wang Wenjie's provocation.
He stood up, picked up his pen, and began to write.
Every stroke is filled with a magnificent and boundless momentum, flowing like dragons and snakes, like clouds and water, completed in one go.
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