The two short lines of poetry completely captured Wu Lanxi's attention.
Lin Wan'er read it several times and felt her heart surging with emotion, as if her heart was beating much faster.
She couldn't help but look at Wu Lanxi and found that the Empress was focused, her hand holding the paper trembling slightly.
"Your Majesty..." Lin Wan'er said softly.
"Drunk, I knew not that the sky was reflected in the water; a boat full of sweet dreams pressed down on the Milky Way..."
Wu Lanxi murmured it over and over.
The poem was not complicated, and its meaning was simple, but Wu Lanxi always felt that there were some parts she did not quite understand.
Is it just about what I feel when I'm drunk?
Wu Lanxi didn't think so.
Others might do the same, but Tang Huan would never.
She gently put down the page of poetry, having lost all interest in reading other people's poems.
"You said that everyone thinks this poem is extremely rare?"
Wu Lanxi looked at the young eunuch intently.
Xiao Shen nodded vigorously. "Many people say that. Although it is only two lines of poetry, it has won the praise of many people. Scholars have already gone crazy for it, and even some of the bigwigs from the Hanlin Academy have rushed to the poetry gathering after hearing about it."
Wu Lanxi snorted, but her expression carried a hint of joy.
Tang Huan really gave me a big surprise.
They had long wanted to recruit Tang Huan to their side. The achievements of Qihuai County were one thing, the talent for governing the world was another, and now this poetic talent was yet another matter entirely.
Tang Huan brought surprises every time.
Xiao Shen thought for a moment, then hesitated before speaking, "However, some people believe that since Lord Tang's poem only has two lines, even if it's excellent, it's not anything special. They also say that ordinary people can have sudden flashes of inspiration and come up with something by chance..."
"Really? Then why haven't I seen it all these years?"
Sensing His Majesty's anger, Eunuch Shen said uneasily, "The person who said this is Young Master Lei Yan, and some scholars also think so."
"So what did Tang Huan say?"
Based on Wu Lanxi's several interactions with Tang Huan, that kid may seem slick, but deep down he's not someone who'll admit defeat.
They would certainly do many unorthodox and unconventional things.
Otherwise, the street conflict with Lei Yan wouldn't have happened. Now that Lei Yan is causing trouble in public again, Tang Huan probably won't let him off easily.
"Lord Tang did not refute them; on the contrary, he agreed with their views."
"What did you say?" Wu Lanxi asked in surprise.
Lin Wan'er was also puzzled, "This doesn't seem like Tang Huan's character. Would he just let it go like this?"
Xiao Shen shook his head. "Lord Tang admitted to everything, was unwilling to take advantage of others, and promised to compose another poem, a complete poem, during the remaining time of the poetry gathering."
"Writing two poems in a row?"
Wu Lanxi leaned back in her chair, her expression complex.
Has Tang Huan gone mad?
Or did he already have a second poem prepared, which is why he said and did it in a special way?
Writing a second excellent poem in a short period of time is not as simple as one plus one.
After all, it is already extremely rare to write a masterpiece. With such a gem preceding it, if the quality of the second poem is slightly inferior, people will find excuses to criticize it.
Tang Huan is not that kind of fool.
Wu Lanxi pressed further, "What is Tang Huan doing now?"
"The messenger said that after writing the poem, Lord Tang went to a lakeside restaurant for a meal. He chatted happily with his maids and servants, drinking and having fun. When the messenger left, Lord Tang seemed to be quite drunk..."
After hearing what Xiao Shen said, Wu Lanxi's expression darkened.
What exactly is Tang Huan up to?
Wu Lanxi wasn't the only one who thought this way; Qin Yu shared the same sentiment.
Inside the restaurant on the second floor, Qin Yu sat in his room, looking at Tang Huan sleeping soundly on the bed not far away, feeling somewhat depressed.
After eating and drinking his fill, Tang Huan showed signs of being heavily intoxicated and then began to take a nap.
As is customary, Tang Huan's lunch break usually lasts from 1 p.m. to around 3 p.m.
The poetry gathering ends at five o'clock. Is it possible to write another poem in only two hours?
Besides, it's been quite a while since three o'clock, and Tang Huan still doesn't seem to be waking up.
"Where is he? Did he run out of ideas and run away?"
On a boat on the lake, a scholar looked towards the shore and chuckled.
Lei Yan smiled and said, "It is already extremely rare for Lord Tang to be able to write a poem about being drunk and unaware that the sky is in the water. It is indeed a bit too much to ask him to write a complete poem as well."
His tone was full of regret.
Although those two lines of poetry were quite a sensation, as long as he couldn't write a second poem, Lei Yan had a way to use the scholars to stir things up behind the scenes and suppress Tang Huan's original limelight.
"fart!"
Cui Yuanzhao glared fiercely at the man who had spoken, "Brother Tang, you're going to run away?"
Wang Jingze offered a few words of comfort and said in a low voice, "However, Lord Tang has indeed been gone for a long time..."
"You know that Brother Tang likes to take a nap. We waited a long time for that."
Cui Yuanzhao then turned to the person beside him and asked, "How is the situation?"
"After lunch, Lord Tang went upstairs for a nap and hasn't left his room yet."
From the moment Tang Huan disembarked, people began to pay close attention, and all the news was relayed back to the ship.
"However, I've heard that Lord Tang seems to have drunk quite a bit of wine, and he was already quite drunk before his afternoon nap. Can he really write a second poem in this state?"
Xiao Bai looked worried.
After seeing those two lines of poetry, Xiao Bai no longer resisted Tang Huan as before, but instead regarded Tang Huan as an idol, just like her friend Xiao Li.
Even if he doesn't advocate for vernacular Chinese, it doesn't stop Tang Huan from becoming his target.
Everyone's attention was focused on Tang Huan, and they waited anxiously.
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