Not only was Li Gang satisfied, but everyone else was too. The phrase "Among those who converse and laugh are learned scholars, and among those who visit are no commoners" was a compliment to everyone. No one thought it was inappropriate, but as Lu Deming said, they felt a little envious.
Congratulations, Mr. Li!
"Huai Dao has excellent writing skills!"
"To be a bachelor at such a young age is truly a once-in-a-millennium talent!" Everyone praised.
"Your reputation for being a master of both poetry and prose is well-deserved. I didn't expect your essays to be so good as well. I wonder what your understanding of the classics is? Young Master, would you be so kind as to offer your guidance?" A voice rang out somewhat inappropriately.
Qin Mu glanced over and saw that the speaker was the person behind Wang Ji. He remembered that this young man hadn't said a word and had just stood quietly. Qin Mu thought he was just there to see what was going on, but he didn't expect him to suddenly speak and come at him.
Qin Mu looked at Wang Ji, trying to figure something out, but Wang Ji seemed surprised as well. He paused for a moment, then calmly continued drinking his wine, as if he hadn't heard anything.
"As for the classics, I've learned very little. If you want to learn, many seniors here can guide you," Qin Mu replied casually. He had never systematically studied the classics, so there was nothing shameful about not understanding them.
"You don't even understand the classics, yet you call yourself a once-in-a-millennium genius!" The young man said with a sneer.
"This is a compliment from a senior. I have never claimed it myself. I was just a bit quick-witted," Qin Mu said calmly.
"Quick-witted? Dare to compete with me?" the young man asked with a hint of confidence.
"Shall we have a competition?"
"That's right! Do you dare?"
Seeing the young man's somewhat arrogant demeanor, Qin Mu knew he was being provoked and sneered, asking, "Heh! What are we competing in? Poetry or prose?"
Whether it's poetry or prose, Qin Mu is confident that, with his memories from another world, he can crush him.
"Ahem! I am ashamed to admit my inferiority in poetry and prose; I want to compete in couplets!" the young man said somewhat awkwardly.
Couplets are couplets, and I happened to have seen quite a few when I was practicing calligraphy. In addition, my mental strength has greatly increased and my mind works even faster, so Qin Mu is naturally not afraid.
"Heh! How do you intend to compare?" Qin Mu asked again with a cold laugh. He hated people who stirred up trouble for no reason, and unfortunately, there were quite a few like this, blinded by jealousy or wanting to take advantage of the situation. He couldn't tolerate them. If it weren't for the presence of so many elders, Qin Mu would have made them pay a hefty price.
“The couplet contest is the simplest. Each of us will be given a question, and whoever can’t answer it loses!” the young man said.
Although he didn't know where his confidence came from, Qin Mu was unfazed and nodded in agreement without hesitation: "Okay! You give me the questions!"
“Alright! Listen up! My first line is: ‘We’ve crossed the Bronze Camel Ridge together.’” the young man said with a hint of excitement.
"The current emperor opens the Golden Horse Pass!" Qin Mu answered the familiar couplet in just three seconds.
"It's your turn!" The young man said with slight surprise, not expecting Qin Mu to answer immediately.
Qin Mu remembered many couplets, but he didn't intend to use any absolute ones to embarrass him. He casually said, "The fifth watch is divided into two years, and every year brings satisfaction."
"May you have two years of happiness every year." The young man thought for a moment and then came up with the reply. He even gave Qin Mu a provocative look.
Qin Mu was not surprised by this, since the meaning of the first line was very simple, which was to say that it was the time of the New Year, and the second line could easily follow.
"Most court officials wore court hats."
"Palace maids often carried palace blankets."
"Red Hare flies through the snow."
"Chasing Huang Biao under the moonlight."
"A fine horse grows wings."
"A grand blueprint for a prosperous China."
The two didn't stand on ceremony and engaged in a rapid-fire question-and-answer session.
"Above is neither North nor South." Knowing that this person was indeed skilled in couplets, Qin Mu became a little impatient and raised another question with a smirk.
“I am a worthless scoundrel!” the young man blurted out.
"You!" After saying that, the young man finally realized what he had said, pointing at the smiling Qin Mu and glaring angrily, but he couldn't retaliate. Someone had given him the first line of a couplet, and he was supposed to provide the second line, but since it was simple, he hadn't thought about it before saying it.
The young man's performance made everyone chuckle, but since everyone was cultured, they didn't laugh out loud.
The young man's chest heaved rapidly. He barely managed to suppress his anger and said with a gloomy face, "Listen carefully, the moon is full in the sky, but only half-full on the ground. Every month, the full moon meets the half-moon."
"Today is the end of the year, tomorrow is the beginning of the year, year after year the end connects to the beginning of the year." Qin Mu answered without hesitation. Just kidding, putting everything else aside, back then when he was practicing calligraphy, he read the Complete Collection of a Thousand Classic Couplets, none of which were too simple. Later, he found it interesting and specifically looked for many stories about perfect and classic couplets to read.
"Paint a lotus flower and a monk!" Qin Mu casually posed another question.
"The inscription was written by a scholar!" the young man replied.
"Wait!" Before the young man could pose a question, Qin Mu raised his hand to stop him.
The young man looked at Qin Mu with some dissatisfaction, wanting to hear what he had to say.
"Read the question I just asked you backwards," Qin Mu said.
"The monk painted the lotus flower. The monk painted the lotus flower." After repeating it twice, the young man's expression suddenly changed.
Qin Mu was already getting impatient, so he presented a palindrome couplet. The young man read it twice, frowning and racking his brains, sweating profusely, but still couldn't come up with a solution.
Qin Mu was unaware that couplets had only existed for a little over a hundred years, and palindromic couplets were not yet a thing of the past. Therefore, although the young man was very talented, he couldn't possibly answer the question so quickly. Moreover, this particular couplet was, according to legend, an absolute couplet created by Tang Bohu, and it took many years for anyone to solve it.
“Interesting!” Lu Deming stroked his beard and said softly.
The others also seemed to be deep in thought, considering how to respond to Qin Mu's couplet.
Qin Mu calmly walked back to Li Gang's side and respectfully licked a cup of wine for Li Gang, which made Li Gang's smile even wider.
"I can't answer that," the young man said dejectedly after a long while.
"Hmph! Overestimating your abilities! What good is focusing on couplets? It's of no benefit to cultivation. Now you can't even compare to those who learn them unintentionally. The Wang family is truly declining with each generation!" Wang Ji sneered.
"Nephew, I know I was wrong!" The young man, sweating profusely, faced Wang Ji. He then remembered that he had promised Wang Ji that he would only observe and not speak. Now, not only had he disobeyed, but he had also lost face. Even if Wang Ji were not an elder of the Wang family, but just an ordinary scholar, such disrespect would be easily dealt with.
"Whether you know you're wrong or not is none of my business. I only promised your grandfather that I would bring you here to see the sights," Wang Ji said, raising his wine cup with his right hand and waving his left.
Seeing that Wang Ji had no intention of punishing him, the young man breathed a slight sigh of relief, dared not speak again, and obediently walked back, standing there with his head bowed and eyes lowered.
………
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