Wang Yingqiu was somewhat embarrassed, so she looked at Emperor An.
Emperor An's feelings were also complicated. The more assertive and confident Qi Junguang appeared, the more worried he became.
What does it mean that he dared to make such a boastful statement even though he knew that Jing Zhe had the ability to write "Spring Water Poems"?
This shows that his second poem is no worse than his poem about spring water!
He looked at Jing Zhe, intending to communicate with him through his eyes and ask if he had a chance of winning, but the guy just looked up at the sky like an idiot and completely ignored him!
I was furious, but I had no choice but to make a decision.
Qi Junguang was right; they couldn't keep him waiting. In the end, they had no choice but to nod to Qi Junguang.
Wang Yingqiu understood and immediately gave instructions to the singing girl.
The ship, which had been quiet for a moment, resumed playing orchestral music. The crowd on the shore knew that the second song was about to begin, and they all quieted down, waiting for the singer to begin her aria.
"In the Wuxian Garden, autumn hangs high in the sky; both humans and immortals grieve in unison."
Drunk, I boarded a boat to admire the moonlit flowers; the clouds dampened the red blossoms, the rain dampened the red blossoms.
You wish to ride the wind and inquire about the heavenly jade, but the road is difficult to pass, and the message is difficult to send.
The hall was filled with the sounds of gentle music; let the singing and drinking be leisurely.
With each melodious and poignant note of the pipa, the singer's ethereal voice sang out the lyrics.
The poem is in the "Hua Yue Ling" tune, which is a fairly common tune, but it is not often written.
Because the format of this poem is the same as that of a regulated verse, it requires extremely high rhyme, with each line ending with a rhyming word. It is difficult to write in its own right, and even more difficult to write one that is exceptionally outstanding.
But Qi Junguang did it.
After listening, Emperor An remained silent for a long time.
Strictly speaking, this poem cannot be said to rival the Spring Water Poem, but in the long history of Mid-Autumn Festival poems, it is hard to find another one that can compare to it.
The people on the large ship each had their own thoughts, and their expressions varied. Only Jing Zhe slightly pursed his lips after listening.
That's it?
...
When this poem reached the shore, it received a warm response.
Although ordinary people may lack the ability to appreciate art, they can still distinguish which lyrics and music are more pleasant to listen to and more catchy.
So as soon as this phrase appeared, it was praised again.
Wow, these words are really well written!
"Humans grieve in the same way, immortals grieve in the same way. Clouds dampen the red flowers, rain dampens the red flowers! Such beautiful words must have been written by Young Master Jing!"
The talented man next to him thought the voice sounded familiar, turned his head to look, and found that the person speaking was the same middle-aged woman who had just mistaken the previous song for Jing Zhe's. He was speechless.
"Well...didn't you just say that the last poem was written by Young Master Jing?"
"This one is better than the last one; it must have been written by Young Master Jing!"
"What if there's a better one later?"
"Then the next poem will be written by Young Master Jing!"
"..."
"wrong!"
The woman added, "This poem is so good, there can't be any better one. This must have been written by Young Master Jing!"
"..."
See, that's how simple, unpretentious, and...unreasonable the common people's evaluation is...
After the woman finished speaking, seeing that the talented man remained silent, she asked curiously, "Since you are a scholar, why don't you tell me whether this poem is good or not?"
When it really matters, we scholars still have to be the ones to rely on!
The scholar straightened his clothes and said seriously, "This poem is indeed excellent—"
"Oh, I knew what I was going to say!"
"It's no different from what I told you!"
"Tch, a scholar indeed? I think he's no better than me!"
"..."
After saying that, the old woman followed a group of people and ran after the big ship, leaving the scholar alone on the shore, bewildered.
I... I haven't even started reviewing yet, okay?
Watching the old woman's departing figure, I felt like crying but had no tears.
...
The performance of this poem, "Flower and Moon Order," truly propelled the poetry gathering to its climax that evening.
Unlike the first poem, which was cheered on mostly by ordinary people, the poems that were actually written by Jing Zhe, or those who had just attended the poetry gathering and witnessed his talent, did not consider this to be of Jing Zhe's caliber, and there were very few cheerers.
But the second one is different.
This poem gave them a sense of nostalgia, reminiscent of the poems about spring waters and autumn. It was hard to imagine any other poem describing the flowers and moon of the Mid-Autumn Festival that could rival it.
Perhaps, this is the true strength of Anguo's top scholar!
Therefore, as soon as the second poem was published, the scholars in Jingzhou City joined the chorus of praise, and in an instant, the entire riverbanks resounded with words of praise for the "Flower and Moon Order".
Qi Junguang stood up, walked to the bedside, puffed out his chest and tilted his head back, as if enjoying the worship of the crowd.
Looking back at the somewhat dark faces of An Di and the others, he couldn't help but laugh and say, "He who laughs last laughs best!"
Ignoring Jing Zhe, he said to Zhu Xinning, "Lord Zhu, listen to the cheers of the people of Jingzhou for this poem. Doesn't that prove that I have won?"
Zhu Xinning frowned, "Young Master Jing hasn't even composed his lyrics yet, why is the Third Prince in such a hurry?"
His tone was cold and impatient, which hurt Qi Junguang deeply: Why is he so gentle to the man surnamed Jing, but so indifferent to me?
My words... are clearly no worse than his!
At this moment, Wang Yingqiu came to Jing Zhe's side, who was "in a daze." The more she looked at him, the angrier she became, but she couldn't lash out. She could only grit her teeth and whisper, "What are you doing? Where did that energy you had when you were with me go? Didn't you hear them mocking you right in the face?"
He was so bold when he was flirting with her just now, but now he's acting like a coward, which makes Wang Yingqiu both contemptuous and angry.
No sooner had she finished speaking than a gust of wind suddenly blew up from the sky, causing the beauty's dress to flutter and the dark clouds to disperse, revealing the full moon!
Jing Zhe clapped his hands and shouted, "I've got it!"
Damn it, at least they showed me the moon. Is it easy to show off?
Emperor An and the others were overjoyed upon hearing this.
Although it was late, it finally arrived!
The restless hearts calmed down. Some drank, some listened to songs, and some watched dances, all waiting for Jing Zhe to finish writing the lyrics before they could appreciate them.
The maidservant serving nearby busied herself grinding ink and holding a brush, waiting for Jing Zhe to read the poem aloud so that Hao Jun could write it down and send it to the back for preparation, so that music could be played and sung later.
But Jing Zhe looked the maid up and down at her thin figure and shook his head. "You're not good enough."
The maid blushed instantly: You haven't even tried, how do you know I can't do it?
After all, she was a woman who had seen the world in Wuxian Garden, so her ideas were indeed bold and daring enough.
Jing Zhe was unaware of the maid's thoughts, but instead beckoned to Wang Yingqiu beside him, "Master, come and write!"
Wang Yingqiu looked bewildered, but still waved to the maid, telling her to step down and that she would take her place.
He picked up a pen and asked curiously, "Why am I the one writing?"
Jing Zhe looked up at the sky, "Because of today's moon!"
"???"
Just as Wang Yingqiu was about to ask another question, she saw Jing Zhe give her a malicious glance: "Just like you, big and round!"
Big and round...
Wang Yingqiu was still wondering when she suddenly realized something, her face flushed red, and her eyes widened in anger.
That bastard!
————
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
