On the ship.
After the song "Shuidiao Getou" was finished, everyone lingered in its aftertaste.
After a long pause, Emperor An finally spoke and asked, "What is the name of this poem title you created?"
"Your Majesty, the tune is Shui Diao Ge Tou!"
"Prelude to Water Melody..."
Emperor An muttered to himself for a long time, then smiled wryly and said, "The structure and melody of 'Shuidiao Getou' are excellent, especially since it's a new ci poem form. It should be encouraged that more people write lyrics for it so that it can be widely known. However, with your poem out, I'm afraid no one will dare to write another one!"
After saying that, he let out a long whistle: "For many Mid-Autumn Festivals, to be able to compose this Water Melody Song is a rare treat, and I should raise a toast to the world!"
After saying that, he picked up the wine glass on the table and drank it all in one gulp.
Seeing this, the others also raised their glasses, seemingly in response to Emperor An, or perhaps simply to drink strong liquor. They all raised their glasses and drank several glasses in a row.
Even Zhu Xinning and Su Mochen behind the screen couldn't help but take a sip.
The wine was too strong; after the two women finished it, their faces flushed slightly and they became a little tipsy, but they still smiled radiantly, looking incredibly charming.
Bai Qingyuan, who had just "kindly" reminded Jing Zhe but was met with a barrage of rebukes, was now thoroughly humiliated by the poem "Shuidiao Getou," feeling as if he had swallowed a fly.
After drinking a cup, Song Baiyun stood up. After all, he was a scholar and had a natural fondness for good poetry, not to mention that he had witnessed the birth of a masterpiece.
"I long to ride the wind and return, yet I fear the jade palaces and towers, for the heights are unbearably cold! If anyone else wrote this, they would be considered young and impetuous, but what harm is there in saying 'the heights are unbearably cold' for Young Master Jing's poetic talent? In my opinion, Young Master Jing truly deserves the title of the foremost talent in Anguo!"
Previously, in Wuxian Garden, it was only the scholars who spontaneously mentioned "Anguo's number one talent" that Song Baiyun scoffed at.
But once the poem "Shuidiao Getou" was played, he was speechless.
Luckily, my son didn't advance, otherwise he would have just been a shameful supporting character!
Thinking of this, he looked with great interest at Qi Junguang, who had been so arrogant just moments before. He saw that Qi Junguang's smugness had vanished, and he was now staring blankly with his mouth agape, seemingly unable to believe that he could lose so utterly, even though he had written such a fine poem as "Flower Moon Order".
The least surprised by everyone's reaction was Jing Zhe himself.
It wasn't that he was confident in himself, but in the poem "Shuidiao Getou"!
When later generations discuss Mid-Autumn Festival poems, "Shuidiao Getou" is always an insurmountable obstacle.
In fact, other words and phrases would be fine, but this poem, Shui Diao Ge Tou, has a charm that has remained undiminished for over a thousand years. In the eyes of poets and lyricists, later generations even commented that "after Shui Diao Ge Tou appeared, all other poems were rendered useless." He was able to win thanks to Su Shi, who lived in another dimension.
...
The riverbank was far less peaceful than the boat.
"When will the moon be clear and bright? I raise my cup to ask the blue sky... What a beautiful line!"
"Yet I fear the jade palaces and towers, where the heights are too cold to bear... How domineering!"
"May we all live long and share the beauty of the moon, though separated by a thousand miles... This sentiment is absolutely exquisite!"
"..."
These are comments from scholars; ordinary people are much more direct!
Wow, this sounds so good!
"I don't think I've heard of this before!"
"This must have been written by Young Master Jing!"
"Hey, didn't you just say that the last poem was written by Young Master Jing?"
"Pah! It wasn't me! I didn't do it! Don't talk nonsense!"
"..."
And so, the riverbank became a gathering of people praising the "Shuidiao Getou" song. Everyone praised it to the skies, and even the courtesans were not to be outdone. Although they had only heard it once, they also started singing.
In an instant, the entire city of Jingzhou was filled with the melody of "Shuidiao Getou," and the poetry gathering truly reached its climax!
Emperor An then realized that his previous worries were unnecessary. Although Jing Zhe's style of doing things was strange, he had never disappointed him, and he looked at Jing Zhe with satisfaction.
He didn't forget to ask Qi Junguang, "Third Prince, how does Jing Zhe's poem compare to yours?"
"..."
Qi Junguang's face flushed red and then turned pale. After a long while, he said stiffly, "So what if I can write some poetry? What if I won the literary test? Your Majesty, don't forget, we still have the martial arts test!"
As the third prince of Southern Qi, Qi Junguang must uphold the dignity of the Southern Qi royal family. Even if he loses, he must hold his head high, though it will be bitter...
Emperor An laughed heartily, in high spirits.
The large ship circled the city twice more, and it was almost midnight when the poetry gathering finally came to an end.
The crowd on the shore gradually dispersed, and peace and tranquility returned.
"It's a rare treat to be out of the palace today, and it happens to be the Mid-Autumn Festival night. Why don't we drink and admire the moon on the boat, rest on the river later, and disembark early tomorrow morning?"
"His Majesty!"
Upon hearing this, Bai Qingyuan, Su Moyan, Sui Shouren, and others immediately stepped forward. Finally, Bai Qingyuan said, "Your Majesty, you absolutely mustn't! If Your Majesty enjoys this atmosphere, staying a little longer is fine! But you cannot stay in the palace!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Others echoed this sentiment, especially Sui Shouren. The longer Emperor An lingered outside the palace, the greater the pressure on him. If he stayed on the boat overnight, who could guarantee his safety?
Seeing this, Emperor An sighed and said, "Very well, then I will go back!"
"Your Majesty is wise!"
"but…"
Andi glanced at the others and said, "Since you're all here, if you'd like to stay overnight on the ship, that's fine too!"
"I will not stay overnight! Get ashore quickly, I must return!"
Qi Junguang jumped out and said.
He was on pins and needles on the boat. Should he be allowed to stay another night?
It would be better to kill him!
The others couldn't help but smile after hearing this. Qi Junguang was already like this—they couldn't leave even more!
"Then it's settled. I'll head back, and the others can enjoy the moon on the boat and stay overnight!"
It was already past midnight, and it was indeed too late to go back. Apart from Emperor An and Qi Junguang, older officials like Bai Qingyuan and Song Baiyun were also preparing to leave. However, there were many private rooms in the cabin, and the remaining people all had their own thoughts, so they chose to stay.
To ensure safety, Sui Shouren left behind a large portion of his personal guards and, based on the list of those left behind, had room numbers written down outside the side rooms for easy accommodation.
When the large ship arrived at the riverbank near the foot of the imperial city again, it dropped off Emperor An and the others, then slowly left the shore and sailed towards the wide waters outside the gate of the Wuxian Garden's back courtyard, where it lingered in the middle of the river.
Perhaps it was because it was getting late and sleepiness was creeping in, or perhaps everyone had their own plans, but no one continued to admire the moon and instead chose to return to their cabins to rest.
Of course, there is a specific order to entering the cabin.
For example, Su Mochen, who was behind the screen, was the first to go down. Jing Zhe only saw a corner of her light pink dress, which was a bit of a disappointment.
Next came the Crown Prince, Prince Xiang, and Su Xinping, followed closely by his second sister, Zhu Xinning, who glanced at Jing Zhe as she left.
Then came Wang Yingqiu, and finally Jing Zhe.
Wang Yingqiu seemed afraid of him and didn't dare to stay a moment longer. As soon as Zhu Xinning went down, she immediately followed.
Jing Zhe touched his nose and couldn't help but smile wryly:
Am I that scary?
————
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