The scholars in front of her skimmed through the poems, and Wang Yingqiu only responded with a polite smile—to be honest, the fact that she didn't go berserk was already a great concession.
Everyone was indifferent to their own performance and stepped back, leaving the stage to Chen Jiannan and Song Jimao. These two had just been bickering, so when it came down to it, the clash was sure to be exciting.
They were all getting impatient!
The more capable a person is, the more likely they are to take the lead in the end. Chen Jiannan naturally wanted to be the last to appear, but since this wasn't his home turf, he stepped forward early.
"It is truly an honor to meet Master Wang and Heroine Qingqiu today! I have composed a poem, and I hope Heroine Qingqiu will enjoy it!"
Chen Jiannan bowed to the two women and then began to speak.
"Amidst the lingering smoke of the Sword Pavilion, a beautiful woman once resided here."
Flowers still adorn the brocade zither, moss still embroiders the carriage curtains.
A female knight-errant graces the poetry garden, vanishing like a fairy on the wind.
"Wine is not the way to dispel sorrow; worldly concerns have lost their vibrancy."
"What a beautiful poem!"
Judging from this poem alone, perhaps because of the short time frame and the assigned topic, its quality can only be considered average.
But compared to those previous doggerel poems, the merits of this poem become apparent.
This just proves the saying:
It's not that I'm so great, it's just that my peers make me look good!
So Wang Yingqiu was the first to cheer, and couldn't help but feel relieved to finally hear a decent poem.
With her taking the lead, the other scholars in the hall also cheered in turn. Jing Zhe, who was standing on the outside and ignored by everyone, curled his lip and was very dissatisfied.
However, he had to admit that Chen Jiannan was already very impressive to be able to write such a poem in such a short time, but compared to him, he was far inferior.
Having gained Wang Yingqiu's approval, Chen Jiannan was in high spirits. He cupped his hands and smiled at everyone, saying, "You all flatter me. Lady Qingqiu is truly amazing. Unfortunately, my writing skills are insufficient. Even with all my efforts, this is all I can achieve!"
"Young Master Chen is too modest!"
Wang Yingqiu smiled and said, "It is truly remarkable that Young Master Chen was able to write this poem in such a short time. He is indeed worthy of being called the number one talent in Yongzhou!"
"The second most talented man, he's the second most talented man!"
Everyone turned around, saw Jing Zhe looking like a foolish clown, burst into laughter, then turned back and ignored him.
"..."
Damn it, what a bunch of idiots!
"Now that Young Master Chen has finished writing, I will also make a fool of myself!"
At this moment, Song Jimao slowly walked to the center of the crowd, and all eyes were on him. He closed his eyes, raised his head, and smiled, thoroughly enjoying the feeling of being the center of attention.
"Damn, you're such a show-off!"
Chen Jiannan spat and cursed under his breath.
"No fairy garden, only a long, secluded path. Fair hands, like jade, play the zither for you. Fallen petals and flowing water linger in the fragrance of the secluded garden, between your brows and in your heart, the scent of osmanthus lingers."
A green robe hangs in the air, the late autumn chill sets in. A solitary figure, sword in hand, this scene is most heartbreaking. Who vies for kingship within the Qingyun Sect? With the mortal world as companion, do not laugh at her frivolousness.
After he finished reading, Wang Yingqiu did not rush to comment, but instead pondered the text carefully.
"Wearing a green robe, the late autumn is cool, the clear autumn... I had only heard of Young Master Song's reputation as the number one talent in Jingzhou, but in recent years Young Master Song has been staying at home, and I have had no chance to meet him. Today, I am fortunate to witness Young Master Song composing a poem on the spot, and every line is exactly on topic, which is truly admirable!"
Wang Yingqiu is obsessed with poetry and can't help but talk a lot when she sees good poems.
This poem can be considered one of the two best poems I've seen in the last six months; the other is a poem about spring water.
He then smiled and looked at Qingqiu, "Qingqiu, what do you think of this poem?"
Qingqiu said calmly, "Actually, I don't understand poetry, but there are parts of this poem that move me. Thank you, Young Master Song!"
She was telling the truth. She rarely has the opportunity to engage with poetry, so naturally she wouldn't have any resonance with it, and her comments were extremely simplistic.
After she finished speaking, she stepped forward and gave Song Jimao a fist-and-palm salute, which seemed out of place among a group of scholars, but Song Jimao was flattered and quickly returned the gesture.
Qingqiu, the leader of Qingyun Sect, is known for his aloofness. Today, he not only talked to me a lot, but also bowed to me—could he have taken a liking to me?
Song Jimao secretly glanced at Qingqiu twice, thinking narcissistically.
Chen Jiannan, who had just been in the limelight, seemed somewhat dejected. He had thought he was almost on par with Song Jimao—but that was only in comparison to himself a few years ago. Clearly, he had improved a lot in the past few years, and he was no match for Song Jimao now.
When the two are placed side by side, the difference in their abilities is immediately apparent, and the outcome is already decided.
The crowd had already begun to congratulate Song Jimo.
Song Jimao smugly cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, saying, "I've made a fool of myself!"
At this moment, Hanhan ran in from outside carrying a small wine jar. Everyone in the hall was congratulating Song Jimao, and no one paid any attention.
But Jing Zhe saw it, a smile playing on his lips, and stepped forward.
"Yes, you really made a fool of yourself!"
"..."
...
As the capital of Anguo, Jingzhou City has indeed produced many talented people.
Song Jimao's skill level far exceeded Jing Zhe's expectations.
As Wang Yingqiu said, the lyrics he just wrote were not only relevant to the theme in every line, but also exquisitely worded, with an artistic conception far superior to Chen Jiannan's poem.
Most importantly, these were not prepared words, but rather improvised on the spot in such a short time, which is truly admirable.
Unfortunately, he encountered the plagiarist Jing Zhe.
Upon hearing his words, everyone turned around again.
They simply couldn't understand how someone could have the audacity to accuse another of "making a fool of themselves" when there were already such excellent examples before them. Wasn't this just asking for trouble?
Song Jimao squinted at him and sneered, "What, are you trying to say that if you can drink strong liquor, you can write a poem that's better than mine?"
"Of course."
"Heh, then you can only drink strong liquor in your dreams, because only in your dreams can you drink it!"
Hahaha~
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone burst into laughter in perfect unison.
Even Wang Yingqiu pursed her lips: Is this person really stupid or just pretending?
"No need to wait until in a dream, it can happen now!"
As he spoke, Jing Zhe took the wine jar from Hanhan's hands. "The reason I came to Jingzhou this time is because I heard that there are people in Jingzhou who can make strong liquor. Hehe, I just happened to find them!"
"Strong liquor?"
Everyone was shocked and looked at the wine jar in his hand.
So, under everyone's watchful eyes, Jing Zhe opened the lid of the wine jar. Instantly, the aroma of the wine filled the room, several times more fragrant and rich than the wine that Wang Yingqiu had just brought!
"This... is indeed strong liquor!"
Someone leaned closer to the wine jar, took a deep sniff, and exclaimed in delight.
People in this era usually drank low-alcohol beverages, so they were particularly sensitive to the smell of strong liquor and could smell it as soon as they got close.
"Make way, everyone!"
"Let me smell it!"
"It really is true!"
"Wow, that's intense!"
Seeing everyone rushing forward, Wang Yingqiu looked down at the wine jug in her hand and suddenly it didn't taste so good anymore.
————
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