To be honest, Qi Junguang didn't expect Song Jimao to be so incompetent.
He glanced at the crowd triumphantly once more, "Is there anyone else who wants to compose a poem? If not, then I shall truly embarrass myself!"
The crowd erupted in commotion, seemingly expressing their dissatisfaction with Qi Junguang's arrogance, but no one stepped forward to challenge him.
Seeing this, Qi Jun was overjoyed.
It seems I was overthinking things. That Ah Kun isn't a great talent at all; at most, he can only write a couple of lyrics. I heard he doesn't even dare to show his face when he writes poetry!
If I had known, I wouldn't have mentioned any martial arts competition. It would have been so much better to just decide the winner in one match.
Meanwhile, Andy, sitting on the other side, was also getting anxious: What is that guy up to? Why isn't he coming out yet? Could it be that he ran away with the gold medal I gave him?
After thinking about what he had heard from Su Mochen about Jing Zhe's style of doing things, he felt that this was very likely!
Meanwhile, Jing Zhe, hiding behind the crowd, was chatting with Zhou Zhiwei.
"Brother Zhou, I never imagined your poetic talent was so great!"
"Haha, it's nothing special, but beating a few of the talented scholars from Jingzhou shouldn't be a problem!"
"Wow, Brother Zhou's shamelessness is quite like mine!"
"Brother Jing, you flatter me! Compared to you, I'm still a tiny bit lacking!"
Zhou Zhiwei replied modestly—after all, Jing Zhe was a powerful figure who could boast that he could "casually write something and easily defeat the talented scholars of Jingzhou and the third prince of Southern Qi," and he was indeed no match for him.
After they finished speaking, the two of them burst into laughter, which drew disdainful glances from a small group of talented men nearby, but they didn't care at all.
Hearing Qi Junguang shouting from above, Zhou Zhiwei said, "Brother Jing, aren't you going up and show us what you've got?"
No rush.
Jing Zhe waved his hand and said calmly, "Someone of my caliber has to be the last to appear! Only after maximizing my damage output can my attack explode! I'll show this Third Prince of Southern Qi that he really made a fool of himself!"
Zhou Zhiwei was unsure of Jing Zhe's poetic talent, but he was already impressed by his ability to boast.
He gave a thumbs up and shouted, "Brother Jing is awesome!"
————
Seeing that no one would accept the challenge, Qi Junguang swaggered out.
His arrogant demeanor makes you want to punch him.
"Since no one dares to write anymore, then I, the King, will write one myself, so that the talented men of Anguo can see what kind of literary style our Southern Qi has to offer!"
After saying that, he paced back and forth in the open space, shaking his head and swaying his body, just like a show-off making his entrance.
"The lingering clouds have all rolled away, revealing a clear, cold sky; the moon hangs silently in the vast expanse, like a plate."
A solitary figure in the night is fleeting, a beautiful sight indeed; in the celestial garden, though no immortals dwell, the cassia trees are in full bloom.
"good!"
Despite the bet, Emperor An couldn't help but say "good" after hearing the poem. Zhu Xinning continued to write diligently with her head down. Bai Qingyuan and Song Baiyun exchanged a glance, then turned back, their eyes flashing with a light that quickly disappeared.
Behind the screen, Guizhi asked anxiously in a low voice, "Your Highness, why hasn't Young Master Jing come out yet?"
Su Mochen bit his lip and didn't reply, but his hands dug into his clothes, his thoughts flickering like a candle flame.
Emperor An sighed, but still followed the rules and had Bai Qingyuan and Song Baiyun comment on the poems. The conclusion was that only the four poems from earlier could advance tonight. If they were to rank them, the best was Qi Junguang, the worst was Song Jimao, and in between were Zhou Zhiwei and Chen Jiannan. Zhu Xinning also agreed with this result.
After listening, Emperor An looked at the crowd again. It was still calm and no one was going to fight. He felt a chill in his heart, but also a sudden surge of anger.
What's this kid up to?
Seemingly tired, Emperor An beckoned Wang Yingqiu over and asked her to take over the poetry gathering.
"Distinguished scholars, is anyone else going to compose a poem? If not, the first round of the competition will proceed according to rankings!"
The only answer she received was the rustling of the wind.
Is anyone else here?
She asked again.
"If no one's here, then—"
"Wait, I'm here too!"
Before he could finish speaking, he heard a familiar voice coming from the back of the crowd. Looking up, he saw a handsome young man in brocade robes pushing through the crowd and staggering out.
Wang Yingqiu pursed her lips and chuckled: Does this guy always have to make an entrance like this?
Behind the screen, Su Mochen's tense body suddenly relaxed, his shoulders twitched slightly, and his voice became soft.
"That bastard!"
Emperor An's expression changed from anger to joy: It's good that you've come!
As Zhou Zhiwei watched Jing Zhe's retreating figure, a feeling of admiration welled up within him.
"As expected, Brother Jing is amazing! Was this the kind of burst damage he was talking about, where you maximize damage before unleashing an explosive attack?"
Zhang Xiaoyu: "..."
...
There were many scholars present, a small number of whom had met Jing Zhe, while most had only heard of the name A-Kun.
However, Jing Zhe's flamboyant entrance and handsome appearance still attracted a lot of envy and jealousy, and Chen Jiannan hated him even more with gritted teeth.
"I am—"
When Jing Zhe spoke, he looked in Zhu Xinning's direction.
At this moment, Zhu Xinning was looking at him, and just like when she was at the entrance of Wuxian Garden, her heart was beating fast again.
"Pengzhou, Jing Zhe!"
"Smack!"
With a crisp sound, Zhu Xinning's brush fell into the inkwell, splashing some ink that stained her snow-white cloak without her noticing.
"Zhu Sheren, are you alright?"
Seeing that the ink had spilled and ruined the poem he had just written, Song Baiyun, who was standing nearby, quickly spoke up to remind him.
"fine."
Zhu Xinning summoned Xiangru to remove the paper, ink, brush, and inkstone, replacing them with a new set. She then began to write furiously, but her mind wasn't on the task; only two words floated through her thoughts:
Zhe'er~
After Jing Zhe finished speaking, he stopped looking at Zhu Xinning. Today was his stage, and he wanted to make a name for himself in front of his second sister and prove that he was not some nobody who came to seek refuge with her!
"Aren't you Ah Kun?"
Qi Junguang scrutinized Jing Zhe for a long time, feeling that he couldn't be mistaken: Where else could there be a second man who was so handsome?
"When you're in the world of martial arts, you have to know how to keep a low profile. Having a few pen names is perfectly normal, isn't it?"
"..."
Qi Jun was greatly surprised. Could it be that the pen name "Akun" is only used for writing lyrics, while the other pen names are used for writing poems?
His expression then turned serious.
Bai Qingyuan, who was next to Zhu Xinning, stared at Jing Zhe's face for a long time, seemingly lost in thought. Seeing this, Emperor An smiled and said, "Minister Bai, do you think he looks familiar?"
Bai Qingyuan nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty. It's the first time I've seen it, but I feel like I've seen it somewhere before."
"Haha, from Pengzhou, surnamed Jing!"
"Pengzhou, surnamed Jing...!!"
Bai Qingyuan suddenly looked up, his expression one of utter disbelief.
"You've figured it out?"
"Your Majesty, could he be... Minister Jing's son?"
Before Jing Wenmao was demoted, he served as the Minister of Personnel, and Bai Qingyuan still subconsciously referred to him as such.
Emperor Andi smiled and nodded.
Upon hearing this, Su Xinping, who was standing behind him, looked at Jing Zhe with a cold gaze once again.
No wonder I felt uncomfortable with him from the first glance; it turns out he's the descendant of my enemy!
That's going to be interesting!
————
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