Everyone says the building is wonderful, and tourists should only grow old here. The spring water is bluer than the sky, and one can sleep on a painted boat listening to the rain.
The woman by the wine shop is like the moon, her fair wrists like frost and snow. Do not return home before you are old, for returning home will break your heart.
The voice was calm, and the poem was finished in just a few words.
After Jing Zhe finished reading, the hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Everyone stared wide-eyed at Jing Zhe, their eyes filled with surprise, disbelief, shock, and admiration.
Jing Zhe shook his head, his face remaining expressionless.
Suddenly asked to write a poem, Jing Zhe hadn't actually prepared one. He just wanted to write a poem that could echo "Chunshui Tower". The first thing that came to his mind was "Yu Meiren" by Li Yu, the last emperor of the Southern Tang dynasty, after all, there was a line in it that reads "Just like a river of spring water flowing eastward".
However, the imagery of that poem didn't fit the context, and writing it would feel like "forcing a new poem to express sorrow," so he chose a relatively weaker poem instead.
However, the words he managed to memorize must have been extraordinary, especially the words "spring water," which were the very essence of the theme.
Hanging in the "Spring Water Pavilion" complements it perfectly.
At all times, respect the strong.
The scholars in the hall initially scoffed at Jing Zhe, but after he recited such a poem, everyone fell silent.
I have to say, this poem is absolutely amazing!
It was so good that they didn't know how to praise it enough.
He could only stand there, casting admiring glances at Jing Zhe.
Especially the madam, her eyes darted around, and tears welled up in her eyes!
This poem is not only well-written and has a beautiful artistic conception, but most importantly, it contains the words "spring water," which means it was written specifically for their Spring Water Pavilion.
When he looked at Jing Zhe again, his eyes became somewhat greedy.
He is young, handsome, and can write such eloquent lyrics with ease. He has a bright future ahead of him. If only we could keep him in the building!
Looking back at the figures moving inside the curtain, even Wan'er couldn't sit still anymore!
…………
After he finished reading, Jing Zhe waited for a long time, but he didn't receive any applause or even a word of praise.
Chen Jiannan's lousy poem just now got praised by people, isn't mine a thousand times better than his?
Wow!
A bunch of bumpkins who don't know how to appreciate things!
"Great words!"
The madam standing on the platform suddenly shouted something, and then the hall was completely ignited. The scholars, unafraid of offending Chen Jiannan, all praised him.
"Young Master Akun's talent is truly rare in this world!"
"With just this one phrase, one can enter the court as an official!"
"To say that you are unparalleled in poetry in Yongzhou is an understatement, Young Master Akun!"
"Indeed, poetry is unparalleled in the world, and it truly deserves the title!"
Jing Zhe was taken aback. It seemed that it wasn't that they didn't understand appreciation, but rather that their reaction time was just too slow...
The most embarrassed person was Chen Jiannan. The harsher his words were, the more his face stung now, and he wished he could disappear into a crack in the ground.
Once the hall had quieted down a bit, Jing Zhe finally had a chance to speak: "Madam, how is this poem?"
"Great, that's fantastic!"
"That fee of twenty or fifty taels of silver isn't much, is it?"
We need twenty taels of saltpeter, and we don't know how much more we'll need after that, so we need a few dozen more taels just in case.
"Um?"
The madam was speechless.
Does a poem cost more than fifty taels?
There are indeed many poems of Chen Jiannan's caliber.
The madam thought that Jing Zhe might have made a profit by buying this song for fifty taels of silver, but she definitely wouldn't lose out!
But the key issue now is not how much the fee is.
Instead...
Does he really not want to see Wan'er?
Seeing the madam in a daze, Jing Zhe became anxious: "Madam, this fee was agreed upon beforehand, and everyone can testify to it. Don't try to renege on the agreement!"
"..."
That's amazing, absolutely amazing!
The scholars were stunned when they heard this.
Scholars have always been considered uncouth, but this talented man is so fond of money…
Wow!
"Uh... Young master, you've misunderstood. As for the writing fee... please allow me to collect it!"
The madam looked embarrassed and went behind the curtain after speaking.
A smile finally appeared on Jing Zhe's face.
The scholars nearby watched with rapt attention and boundless admiration.
I've always seen people spend money in brothels, but this is someone making money out of brothels...
Emmm…
This is truly one of a kind!
...
A moment later, the madam emerged from behind the curtain, a beaming smile on her face.
"Young Master Kun is truly blessed! Wan'er was overjoyed upon hearing your masterpiece! That's why I've come out to invite you upstairs for a chat!"
"Aww!"
The hall erupted in commotion, and the scholars cast envious glances at Jing Zhe.
Jing Zhe, however, was burning with rage, his face turning red!
"Tip—for the writing!"
He gritted his teeth, speaking each word with venom.
"Forehead…"
The madam couldn't understand why this handsome young man was so obsessed with the writing fee.
Compared to the fee for writing, wouldn't it be better to be Wan'er's intimate companion?
Seeing Jing Zhe's increasingly grim expression, she quickly walked down the stairs, saying as she went, "Young master, don't worry, the fee is here!"
Before they could finish speaking, they had already gone downstairs and placed the silver in his hand.
Seeing Jing Zhe beam with joy as he received the silver, the madam also smiled and said, "Young master, I have one more request."
"What?"
"Since you have inscribed a poem for Chunshui Tower, why not also leave your calligraphy? I can frame it and hang it outside the tower someday; that would be a wonderful story!"
This statement was also endorsed by the scholars.
"To be able to write such exquisite poems, Young Master Akun's calligraphy must also be excellent!"
"Needless to say, he will surely reach the pinnacle like the master!"
"If we are fortunate enough to witness Young Master Akun's on-the-spot writing, it would be an immense honor!"
"I've heard that masters need to hold their breath and concentrate before writing, and when inspiration strikes, the entire piece is completed in one go, flowing smoothly and perfectly!"
"Look, even Young Master Kun is holding his breath..."
I'm so angry!
Who said the labor and management team was going to write this?
Jing Zhe cursed inwardly.
It's not that he's afraid or unable to write.
As a graduate student majoring in Chinese literature, Jing Zhe is familiar with all kinds of calligraphy, including running script, regular script, and cursive script. He has also copied the styles of Yan Zhenqing, Liu Gongquan, and Ouyang Xun.
Any one of them, if shown, would probably amaze everyone.
Yes, but I don't want to.
Because he knew the principles of "don't overdo it, so you can meet again in the future" and "too much bragging will lead to losses," he had already done his bragging today and gotten the money, so he was already a master of bragging and didn't plan to continue.
"Farewell!"
Jing Zhe cupped his hands in greeting to those around him, then turned and left.
"..."
Everyone was stunned by Jing Zhe's series of outrageous actions, staring at his back, speechless with astonishment.
————
(Another busy day)
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