Qi Junguang withdrew from the crowd, looking utterly dejected, and stumbled back to his chair.
Losing isn't scary; what's scary is that he couldn't find any flaws in Jing Zhe's defenses.
He couldn't understand why this man, who was even younger than him, had such an absurdly high level of skill in poetry and calligraphy.
Is this... even human?
Emperor An was the ruler of a country, so naturally he couldn't climb the ranks like others. However, judging from the praise of others and Qi Junguang's dejected appearance, he knew what was going on.
It seems Jing Zhe has won again!
But what exactly did he write that could fundamentally destroy Qi Junguang's confidence?
His curiosity grew with each thought, so he disregarded his status and stood up: "Come, let me see what Jing Zhe has written!"
As she spoke, she walked forward. Upon seeing this, the crowd immediately made way for her, and Zhu Xinning and Crown Prince Su Moyan followed closely behind, entering the crowd.
Seeing the crowd gathered at the front, Bai Qingyuan stood up and stopped not far from Su Mowu, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Your Highness, it would be best to befriend Jing Zhe. Even if you can't befriend him, it's not advisable to make him an enemy!"
After saying that, he followed Song Baiyun and disappeared into the crowd.
Su Mowu looked ahead and nodded.
Jing Zhe's strength has exceeded their expectations, especially since he is Jing Wenmao's son, which makes them even more covetous: if they could recruit him, could they also use the enormous, invisible power behind him for their own purposes?
Suddenly, he saw Su Moyan walk up and chat happily with Jing Zhe. His brows furrowed: If he couldn't have him, he would destroy him! No one could stop him on his path forward!
...
Emperor An came to the front and looked at the two poems written in different calligraphic styles on the Xuan paper. He was very pleased with them and couldn't put them down.
Then he turned to Bai Qingyuan and Song Baiyun, "You two give your opinions!"
Bai Qingyuan and Song Baiyun had been carefully examining each other since they entered. When Emperor An asked them a question, they exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with shock, but also with dejection and resentment.
With a sigh, Bai Qingyuan said, "Your Majesty, this humble subject cannot offer any commentary!"
"Um?"
Andy was taken aback. "Why can't I offer my comments?"
"because--"
Bai Qingyuan gave a wry smile. Although he didn't want to admit it, he still had to say, "I'm not as good as him!"
These words shocked everyone present.
These words carry even more weight than Song Baiyun's "I am ashamed of myself"!
After all, Bai Qingyuan was the Grand Tutor, and his literary skills were comparable to many masters. Otherwise, how could he have become the teacher of the Prince of Xiang—although not successfully—and how could he have become a judge today?
Even he said, "I am not as good as him." It seems that from today onwards, Jing Zhe's name will resound throughout the entire An Kingdom. No, the Third Prince of Southern Qi lost so badly that Jing Zhe's name should also be exceptionally famous in Southern Qi, but probably mostly in the form of curses!
Emperor An was quite satisfied with this answer, and then looked at Song Baiyun.
Song Baiyun's answer was exactly the same as Bai Qingyuan's.
"I'm not as good as him!"
Since he was not as good as Jing Zhe, he naturally couldn't comment. Emperor An didn't force him and looked at the last judge, Zhu Xinning.
"I am not as good as him."
Zhu Xinning gave the same answer, but her tone was very different from Bai Qingyuan and Song Baiyun's. Instead of feeling dejected, she spoke with a hint of pride and self-satisfaction.
After hearing this, Emperor An laughed heartily, turned to leave, but then seemed to remember something and instructed, "General Sui, please keep this calligraphy for me, frame it later, and hang it in the council hall!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The talented men around him were filled with envy for Jing Zhe. His calligraphy was collected by Emperor An, and they could brag about it for a long time.
He then shook his head. Jing Zhe's strength is simply amazing, there's no need for him to brag.
Emperor An returned to his seat first, followed by Jing Zhe, who awaited the final results of the advancement. At this moment, Su Moyan walked up and stood in front of him, seemingly having something to say.
"Young Master Jing, seeing you in person is far better than hearing about you!"
Jing Zhe looked bewildered. He couldn't tell if this was the Prince of Xiang or the Crown Prince. He opened his mouth, unsure how to answer.
Zhu Xinning happened to be following behind him and whispered a reminder: "This is His Highness the Crown Prince!"
Su Moyan glanced at Zhu Xinning, smiled, and remained silent. Zhu Xinning, after giving her hints, quickly stepped forward, as she was a judge and needed to record the results.
Jing Zhe cupped his hands in greeting and said with a smile, "I am but a commoner, how could His Highness the Crown Prince have heard this?"
Su Moyan smiled and said, "I've heard Mo Chen mention it often!"
No wonder. It seems that Su Mochen and the Crown Prince have a good relationship, otherwise he wouldn't keep mentioning himself in front of him.
So he said somewhat embarrassedly, "Your Highness, I wonder what Princess Mo Chen praised me for? But Your Highness doesn't need to believe it too much, it's all just flattery!"
Su Moyan was taken aback, then said, "I wasn't praising you!"
"You didn't praise me?"
Jing Zhe hurriedly asked, "What does Princess Mo Chen often mention about me?"
"She's always insulting you!"
"..."
"For example, I would call you a liar, shameless, cowardly, or a turtle. But after seeing you today, I don't think that's entirely true. At least you're quite bold!"
"..."
Seeing Jing Zhe's embarrassed expression, Su Moyan comforted him, "But you don't need to be too sad. Mo Chen often scolds people, and he doesn't just scold himself."
Hearing this, Jing Zhe felt a little better, but then he heard Su Moyan say something else.
"But you seem to be the first person who gets scolded by her several times a day!"
"..."
Jing Zhe was furious. "So what if I saw your body? So what if I stood you up? Why do you hate me so much?"
...
Back in his seat, Andy felt refreshed.
He glanced at Qi Junguang and then asked, "Third Prince, what do you think of Jing Zhe's calligraphy?"
Although he admitted that he was not as skilled as others, as the third prince of Southern Qi, Qi Junguang would not admit defeat in person and lower his status.
"If I remember correctly, this poetry competition has three rounds. The one who wins the last round is the true victor. What does winning one round even matter?"
"Third Prince, it's not one match, it's two!"
Jing Zhe, who was furious after being teased by Su Moyan, came over and confronted him directly, venting all his anger on him.
Qi Junguang was first taken aback, then said disdainfully, "So what if you won two matches? Did you win this competition?"
"You're talking as if you've won."
Jing Zhe gave him a disdainful look and said regretfully, "Sigh, I should have recited those two poems together. I didn't even give you a chance to advance. Let's see if you dare to make a fuss now!"
"..."
Qi Junguang originally wanted to retort a couple more times, but then he thought that the other party really had the ability, and if he tried to argue again, he would only make himself a laughing stock.
They decided to keep quiet and wait for the final match.
————
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