Because they shared a common hobby—cursing the third prince of Southern Qi—Jing Zhe and this talented scholar from Jinxi got along very well, as if they were old friends who had met too late.
After exchanging names, Jing Zhe learned that his name was Zhou Zhiwei and that his family was considered a scholarly family in Jinxi. Unfortunately, Jinxi was not very enthusiastic about poetry. He had won first place in the Mid-Autumn Poetry Festival in Jinxi for five consecutive years, but he found it boring, so he came to Jingzhou.
I never expected that attending a poetry gathering would lead to a scene of provocation from the third prince of Southern Qi, which filled me with righteous indignation.
Zhou Zhiwei didn't react much when he heard Jing Zhe's name. If Jing Zhe had told him that his surname was Jing, his given name was Zhe, and his courtesy name was Akun, he probably wouldn't have been so calm.
The poetry gathering is destined to be the most uneventful at the beginning. Truly good poems are not something that can be created by chance. Most talented people will prepare one or two of their best works and choose one to present.
Because the most talented people are more discreet about their status, they usually wait until the very end to unleash their ultimate move. Others certainly don't want to be cannon fodder for them, so they all come out to compose poems early on.
At this time, there were not many good poems. If one could stand out from these low-quality poems, gain a good reputation, and accumulate fame, one's future career would be much smoother.
So while Jing Zhe and Zhou Zhiwei were talking, many people's poems had already emerged, but they all shook their heads when they heard them.
"This talented scholar from Jingzhou seems to be nothing special! He doesn't seem to be much different from those people from Jinxi."
Only after speaking did he realize that Jing Zhe was beside him, and quickly explained, "Brother Jing, please don't be angry, I was just talking about those people..."
Jing Zhe chuckled, "The talented scholars of Jingzhou are indeed not very good; all they know is writing doggerel. In my opinion, there are more fools in Jingzhou. If I were in charge, I could easily write something that would utterly defeat all those talented scholars of Jingzhou and the Third Prince of Southern Qi!"
"Brother Jing, this..."
Zhou Zhiwei was stunned. This kind of ruthless person who even insults himself is truly amazing! And he can boast without batting an eye. He's definitely a match for him!
"Brother Zhou, actually I'm not from Jingzhou..."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhiwei and Jing Zhe found another common topic and began to rant about the talented scholars of Jingzhou.
Zhang Xiaoyu stood to the side, somewhat speechless.
Is this what a talented person is like?
It seems different from what I imagined!
...
Qi Junguang looked into the crowd, but because the moonlight was not as bright as the sunlight, he did not find Jing Zhe. Instead, he saw Song Jimao and Chen Jiannan standing calmly at the front of the crowd, not in a hurry.
He curled his lip and sneered, "Is this the strength of the talented scholars of Jingzhou? If so, I am somewhat disappointed. They seem to be no different from those of our Southern Qi!"
Emperor An's expression changed slightly after hearing this.
But he had no rebuttal, because the poems written by those so-called talented men were indeed not to his liking. They might be passable on a normal day, but they were ultimately lacking in quality for such a grand poetry gathering.
Especially Zhu Xinning, who was sitting in the middle of the judges' panel, had not touched a single brush since she prepared the ink, and clearly none of these poems were worth recording for her.
Emperor An coughed twice, somewhat displeased, and glanced in the direction of Song Jimao.
Startled, Chen Jiannan could no longer maintain his composure and was about to engage in battle when he heard a voice behind him:
"I'll do it!"
Under everyone's gaze, Zhou Zhiwei said to Jing Zhe, "Brother Jing, I can't take it anymore," and then swaggered out from the back of the crowd.
This kid's temperament is quite to my liking. Jing Zhe looked at Zhou Zhiwei's back and wondered how good his poetic talent really was.
When Emperor An saw that the person who came to the rescue at this time was a stranger, he felt both heartache and great relief, and his gaze towards Zhou Zhiwei softened considerably.
"What's your name? Where are you from?"
"Your Majesty, my name is Zhou Zhiwei of Jinxi!"
Upon hearing "Jinxi," the talented men below burst into laughter.
Before Zhou Zhi finished listening, his face flushed with anger, and he sneered, "The poems composed by the talented scholars of Jingzhou just now were truly uninspiring, only meant to give the Third Prince of Southern Qi something to laugh at! I am not talented, but I have won first place in the Jinxi Poetry Gathering a few times. I'll come up here to make a fool of myself, so that the Third Prince of Southern Qi will know that our Anguo is not without talent!"
These words were like dynamite, instantly causing an uproar in the crowd.
"Are there people in Jinxi who can write poetry?"
"You don't understand, do you? In a city, there's always the chance of one or two people like that."
"Haha, I'd love to go to Jinxi sometime. Maybe I could win first place in the poetry competition even with my eyes closed!"
"I'm afraid anyone you randomly pick from the city and send to Jinxi could be called a talented scholar, right?"
"..."
Regional discrimination has always existed, and it is particularly evident in Jingzhou towards Jinxi.
In particular, the people of Jinxi were the first to discriminate against the people of Jingzhou. How could these so-called talented people stand it?
They started laughing and joking back and forth.
Looking at the noisy crowd, Emperor An shouted in displeasure, "Quiet! Zhou Zhiwei, are you ready?"
"Your Majesty, everything is ready!"
"Let's begin!"
"yes!"
Zhou Zhiwei reached the spacious area ahead, glanced disdainfully at the crowd, and then read aloud:
"The fairy garden is fragrant with the scent of crows perched on the trees, and the cold frost silently knocks on the osmanthus blossoms."
Tonight the moon is bright, and everyone gazes at it; I wonder whose heart is filled with autumn thoughts!
Whether this poem is good or not, just look at Zhu Xinning to know.
As soon as Zhou Zhiwei finished reading the first line, Zhu Xinning, who hadn't picked up a pen for a while, suddenly lit up and started writing it down. At least in her opinion, the poem had already reached the level of being upgraded.
Emperor An nodded after listening. To be honest, he was very pleased with the poem by the talented scholar from Jinxi. If it had been a few years ago, it would have been more than enough to win first place in the Mid-Autumn Poetry Festival in Jingzhou!
"good!"
Emperor An couldn't help but praise.
Zhou Zhiwei puffed out his chest and looked at the crowd, saying proudly, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Qi Junguang fell silent. He had ruled out Jing Zhe, but unexpectedly another X factor had appeared, which was a real headache.
At this moment, the group of talented scholars from Jingzhou must be the ones who are most embarrassed. They had just mocked others for not being talented, but a poem from them has slapped them in the face. If he is not a talented scholar, then what are they?
The talented scholar who had already finished composing his poem felt a burning pain in his face, as if he had been slapped, while the talented scholar who hadn't yet composed a poem, after weighing his own abilities, dared not come out.
After Zhou Zhiwei finished speaking, there was a brief silence.
Just then, Chen Jiannan felt that his opportunity had arrived!
He stepped out from the crowd, stood shoulder to shoulder with Zhou Zhiwei, and bowed to Emperor An, saying, "I am Chen Jiannan from Yongzhou, paying my respects to Your Majesty!"
"You're Chen Jiannan, the top scorer in the high school entrance exam?"
"Your Majesty, it is indeed I!"
Chen Jiannan bowed again, standing under the bright moonlight, bathed in the gentle breeze, feeling extremely proud.
He looked up at Zhu Xinning again, his eyes filled with longing and greed. Unfortunately, Zhu Xinning was writing furiously and never looked up at him once.
Hmph, just wait until you see how powerful I am!
————
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