In the first two matches, Qi Junguang suffered a crushing defeat. In this final match, he was determined to turn the tide!
His movements were as swift as ever, and in no time, he had finished writing a poem. Wang Yingqiu led the singer over and took the poem away.
Ci, also known as quzici, changduanju, or shiyu, is simply lyrics written to accompany banquet music. Ci pai is the name of the tune. Different ci pai have regulations on the total number of characters, the number of lines, the number of characters per line, and the tonal patterns.
Therefore, after the poem was written, it was not shown to Emperor An and others. Instead, the singer was given the opportunity to prepare it and then people would comment on it when it was sung.
Seemingly not satisfied with just one poem, Qi Junguang wrote a second one without stopping. After finishing it, he nodded with great satisfaction and handed it to the singer.
Then he leaned against the edge of the boat, looking at Jing Zhe triumphantly as if he had already won.
Although Wang Yingqiu, as the host, couldn't recite the lyrics written by Qi Junguang, she was still able to see them before others.
When Qi Junguang finished writing his first poem, she glanced at it, her eyebrows raised, indicating that the poem was good but not quite stunning. However, when Qi Junguang's second poem came out, as a lover of poetry, she could no longer hide the shock in her eyes.
Zhu Xinning knew that Wang Yingqiu had been running Wuxian Garden for many years, and the poems she had found were simply not good enough for her. Her reaction could only mean that Qi Junguang's poems had exceeded her expectations.
Although she should have confidence in her younger brother, concern can cloud judgment, and at this moment, Zhu Xinning's eyes were filled with worry as she looked at Jing Zhe.
Seeing this, the others were filled with curiosity about Qi Junguang's lyrics, but since Jing Zhe had not yet started, Emperor An could not let the singer sing the lyrics first, otherwise it would be easy to be accused of cheating.
Wang Yingqiu then glanced at Jing Zhe and reminded him, "Young Master Jing, is it time to write the lyrics? Once you've finished, give them to our singers, and then we'll each perform them separately!"
At this moment, the sky suddenly darkened, and a dark cloud rolled in the sky, obscuring the full moon, making it appear and disappear intermittently, sometimes bright and sometimes dim.
Jing Zhe shook his head, "No rush, no rush, I don't have any inspiration yet!"
"Playing tricks!"
Qi Junguang snorted coldly and said arrogantly to Wang Yingqiu, "No need to wait for him, and I'm not afraid of him plagiarizing! Sing my first poem, 'Nian Qiu Yue,' to entertain everyone!"
【念秋月】is a very common ci poem title for Mid-Autumn Festival. The melody of this poem is light and soothing, and easy to remember. It is often the first choice for writing ci poems for Mid-Autumn Festival.
That is why it is not easy to make this poem stand out, but Qi Junguang chose this one, which shows his skill and boldness.
Wang Yingqiu consulted Emperor An, who nodded in agreement.
If even Qi Junguang himself isn't afraid, what else could he be afraid of?
Wang Yingqiu immediately went to communicate with the singers. In a short while, the sounds of the pipa and guzheng began to play in harmony, and the dancers, with their light and graceful steps, danced around the lanterns on the curtain.
But they are not the main characters.
The orchestral music suddenly stopped, and a singer dressed in a long, white, moon-like gown gracefully stepped out, her lips slightly parted, her voice melodious and pleasant.
"The blue sea stretches year after year, but for whom does the moon wax and wane?"
A breeze carries the fragrance of autumn, and the moonlight shines as white as snow.
Looking at the beautiful day and night in my sorrow, I know it will all turn to tears.
Alone now, how can I bear to face the same bright moon of yesteryear again?
The singer's voice carried a languid sadness, which, combined with the unique melody of "Nian Qiu Yue" and the melancholy mood of the lyrics, created a harmonious and unique effect.
This poem is good, but it is far less impressive than Jing Zhe's previous "Spring Water Poems" and "Autumn Lyrics," which may explain why Wang Yingqiu only raised an eyebrow.
Therefore, Zhu Xinning breathed a slight sigh of relief, but then she frowned again, remembering that the next line was the real deal.
The singer looked up at the sky, twirled the snow-white silk ribbon in her hand, and then spoke again:
"In the flower-lined path, we played hide-and-seek, which once caused the rustling of paulownia leaves to fall."
Do you remember the light silk fan, which brought both coolness and warmth?
All that remains is a heart full of mixed emotions, a sense of emptiness that has nothing to do with parting.
"Let the purple jade remain indifferent, the night's chill shattering it."
When the song ended, the boat was silent, as if everyone was immersed in the autumnal atmosphere depicted in the lyrics. Seeing this, Qi Junguang nodded with satisfaction.
Looking at Jing Zhe again, he still looked like a fool, gazing up at the rolling dark clouds in the sky.
...
At this moment, the large ship arrived at the street below the imperial city wall.
This riverside street is the most dazzling jewel in the entire city of Jingzhou. The road is full of exquisite lanterns, and countless commoners and scholars gather here to listen to the songstresses' chants and discuss them.
"I've heard about that young master Ah Kun—"
"What Young Master Akun? That's just his pen name. His real name is Jing Zhe! I heard it from my own ears when I went to the Wuxian Garden for the poetry gathering!"
Upon hearing that someone was still referring to Jing Zhe as A-Kun, the talented scholar who had just attended the poetry gathering proudly corrected him.
"Alright, it's this Young Master Jing. I've heard he's quite talented in poetry, and both of his poems are excellent. This poem is also very good; it must be his!"
"Yes, yes, such a wonderful phrase must belong to Young Master Jing!"
Most of the people who speak and echo are ordinary people who don't have a deep understanding of poetry. They think it's a good poem as long as the lyrics are catchy and pleasant to the ear.
Moreover, they all knew that Jing Zhe's competition with the Third Prince of Nan Qi involved the honor of Anguo and Princess Mo Chen's marriage, so they naturally supported him. When a good poem came out, they assumed it was written by Jing Zhe.
A talented scholar who had attended poetry gatherings nearby scoffed at the idea: "This poem is good, but it's far inferior to Young Master Jing's 'Spring Water' and 'Clear Autumn' poems. It must have been written by the Third Prince of Southern Qi!"
The common people didn't care at all and continued to cheer for Jing Zhe, their voices ringing out loudly.
...
Those on the boat couldn't hear what the crowd on the shore was talking about, but they could still hear shouts and cheers.
Qi Junguang was unaware that so many people mistook his poem for Jing Zhe's, but he was still very pleasantly surprised to hear so many cheers.
Strike while the iron is hot, as for Jing Zhe…
He turned around and looked again, only to see that he was still staring blankly with his head tilted back. Qi Junguang sneered.
Oh, who cares?
Once my second poem is released, it will surely garner even more cheers and approval. Under that pressure, it's hard to say whether he'll be able to write any more poems!
So he said to Wang Yingqiu, "Sing my second poem as well!"
Wang Yingqiu glanced at Jing Zhe. Although his actions towards her earlier were annoying, he was Qingqiu's younger brother and was fighting for Anguo. For both public and private reasons, she didn't want to see him fail.
He then said, "Shouldn't the Third Prince wait a bit? After all, Young Master Jing hasn't even started writing yet—"
"Ha, if he can't write it in a day, then I'm going to wait another day for him?"
Those two scoundrels!
As someone who witnessed the two flirting, Qi Junguang was certain that Wang Yingqiu's support for Jing Zhe was out of personal affection, which strengthened his resolve.
————
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