Chapter 230 Yongning Du Zhengming Extra 4
It wasn't that Du Zhengming was arrogant; looking around at all the noble sons of the royal families, almost none of them had actually passed the imperial examinations.
The biggest competitor here is Tang Jingyu, the third son of the Duke of Du, who is exceptionally talented in literature and was specially summoned to the court by His Majesty.
Although they served in the same court, Du Zhengming had never interacted with this person before.
Who knew that in the first round of the poetry competition, not only Du Zhengming and Tang Jingyu, but also Fu Zhaozhi would emerge as a surprise competitor.
Fu Zhaozhi was the nephew of the Empress Dowager's maternal family. His age, status, and appearance were a perfect match for Princess Yongning.
He is a popular candidate for the position of imperial son-in-law.
Yongning selected the poems from the three people and sent them to the Crown Prince's table for evaluation.
The Crown Prince has had so much contact with Du Zhengming this year that he can tell which one is his just by looking at the handwriting.
Xiao Ling and the Second Prince also watched it. The three were evenly matched, but Du Zhengming was older and more experienced, and his choice of words and artistic conception was slightly better.
The two exchanged a glance and both began to take sides.
The second prince said, "Each has its own merits, so let's have another round of competition."
Xiao Ling quickly echoed.
The crown prince looked up at the two of them suspiciously and said:
"Um... then... let's have another round?"
Yongning looked at Du Zhengming and the other two, smiling broadly.
"Since the three of you are all exceptionally talented and it is difficult to determine who is better, let's have another round of competition."
Let's praise my beauty this round.
The crown prince shook his head as he listened: "They're starting to act recklessly again."
The Fifth Prince disagreed, shaking his head and saying, "Sister Yongning is already beautiful, why can't I praise her?"
The Second Prince and Xiao Ling were both preoccupied with how to secretly get Du Zhengming removed from office, completely ignoring what the two were saying.
When Yongning looked at one of the poems presented by the three men, he was stunned for a moment.
Only then did they send someone to deliver the poems.
A beauty unparalleled through the ages, a captivating sight indeed. Her stunning looks, enough to topple kingdoms and cities, astonish the world.
[A delicate silk fan adorned with white orchids, a slender waist slender with a jade belt, dancing in celestial gauze. She seems like a fairy descended to earth, her smile more radiant than the stars.]
[Thick frost and dew at midnight, a solitary figure faces the window. My longing for you is like the full moon, its light waning night after night.]
The first poem is by Tang Jingyu, and the second poem is by Fu Zhaozhi.
The third poem is by Du Zhengming.
The first two poems both praise Yongning's beauty.
The third poem makes no mention of beauty, yet it is a blatant love poem.
How could Xiao Ling and the Second Prince let him go? They immediately chose Fu Zhaozhi's second poem as the winner.
Tang Jingyu was ranked second, and Du Zhengming was ranked third.
The reason is that we went off-topic.
The Crown Prince sighed upon seeing this, understanding Yongning's earlier stunned state.
Du Shaoqing, where were you all this time?
So he agreed to their suggestion.
Just as Yongning was about to make the announcement, a servant suddenly brought over a poem.
[Several times I've sat under the eaves playing the flute, the Milky Way and red walls stretching into the distance. The stars tonight are not those of last night; for whom do I stand in the wind and dew at midnight?]
Yongning fell silent again.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Ling immediately sent the Fifth Prince to retrieve the poem.
The Second Prince and Xiao Ling both grimaced at the sight.
Who are you trying to impress with this pretentious act?
Belated affection is worth less than grass.
I'll give you third place.
Finally, they bypassed Yongning and had the Fifth Prince announce the rankings.
Upon hearing the rankings, Du Zhengming looked over and, unsurprisingly, saw the eye-rolls from Xiao Ling and the Second Prince.
Du Zhengming lowered his head, touched his nose, and remained silent.
Over the past six months, the group has frequently worked together and has come to know each other very well.
He went to see the Princess Consort again yesterday, which completely angered the Prince of Shou'an.
Du Zhengming knew that Xiao Ling and the Second Prince were targeting him.
He had nothing to say.
However, he will not give up easily. Even if he loses all three rounds, he still has a backup plan.
Participating in the competition was simply a way for Yongning to understand his feelings.
And they wanted to openly and fairly compete with the scions of the prominent families in the capital.
The second round was an archery competition.
Now Tang Jingyu was outmatched, and the sons of military families began to compete.
Fu Zhaozhi is truly remarkable; he can actually hold his own against the sons of these military families.
When it was Du Zhengming's turn, most of the military families looked down on him.
Among them, Qin Yingying's younger brother, Qin Shuyang, the brother-in-law of the Second Prince, was the most arrogant.
"Du Shaoqing, you're so old, why are you getting involved with us young people?"
Besides, your family background isn't a good match for the princess.
Fu Zhaozhi chimed in from the side: "That's right, I wanted to ask that question just now, but I didn't dare to."
"Du Shaoqing, are you just here to make up the numbers, or have you really taken a liking to the princess?"
“And look at his attitude, he’s definitely trying to curry favor with the princess,” another playboy said.
As soon as these three started speaking, others immediately chimed in.
"Isn't he supposed to be a cold-faced judge, with an unyielding spirit?"
So they were nothing more than people who bowed down to power and craved vanity…
These rich kids may not have any other skills, but they are masters at mocking and ridiculing people.
But who is Du Zhengming?
A man who can debate with court officials in the imperial court, argue with the emperor about the law, and deliver a powerful speech that leaves the emperor speechless, is certainly not going to lose to this group of spoiled brats.
He then looked around and began to target Qin Shuyang:
"Young Master Qin, isn't Lady Yun Que of the Wenroufang Tongquelou your favorite?"
What do you think would happen if the princess found out?
Du Zhengming asked a simple question, and Qin Shuyang immediately fell silent, like a chicken with its neck being grabbed.
Du Zhengming then pointed to the several spoiled brats who had just verbally belittled him and said:
“You have a mistress in Zhangshanfang.”
“You have four concubines in your household, and one of them is pregnant.”
"Your cousin is already engaged, and you're still thinking about her."
“You’re even worse, you actually like married women…”
Du Zhengming's concise words instantly stunned everyone.
In the end, only Fu Zhaozhi remained, listening in stunned silence.
Seeing that Du Zhengming's gaze was fixed on him, he stammered:
"I...I'm upright and honest, I don't have any of that nonsense..."
"Yes, I know, you have the best upbringing."
"In terms of family background and appearance, she is the perfect match for the princess, making her my biggest competitor today."
Du Zhengming looked at him and said calmly.
Fu Zhaozhi breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
Who knew that Du Zhengming would say again: "You're like a child who hasn't grown up. You listen to your family in everything and have no opinions of your own."
"The princess will suffer if she goes with you; you're not capable of handling things."
Upon hearing this, Fu Zhaozhi stared wide-eyed at Du Zhengming.
"Are you the devil? How do you know everything?"
Du Zhengming sneered: "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle. I studied your files in detail yesterday."
At this moment, the people from the military families were clearly dissatisfied. A burly, imposing man spoke up:
"Du Zhengming, do you really think we're afraid of you..."
Before he could finish speaking, Du Zhengming interrupted him:
"You have no aversion to meat or vegetables, and you like both male concubines and female dancers. You are the one who has the least right to speak here."
If I were you, the smart thing to do would be to shut up first.
All eyes immediately fell on this person's face, but to everyone's surprise, he shamelessly laughed:
"That's just who I am, what can you do about it?"
Du Zhengming looked at him and said, "I'm not here to cause trouble. I advise you not to mess with me."
The man smiled wickedly, sizing up Du Zhengming:
"I've already provoked you, so what are you going to do about it?"
I see you have such delicate skin, and...
Before he could finish speaking, Du Zhengming said coldly:
Three years ago, I was on a spring outing in the countryside, at a farmer's house at the foot of Lingshan Mountain...
Upon hearing this, the man's face turned pale instantly, and he shut his mouth.
Then Du Zhengming coldly surveyed the crowd around him and said:
"I spent the whole day yesterday in the archives of the Dali Temple, focusing on reviewing your files."
Anyone who disagrees is welcome to challenge me.
…………………………
The first poem is from the book "Shenyou" by Xu Gongzi Shengzhi.
The second poem is from Wu Pingyi's "Miscellaneous Songs and Lyrics: My Concubine's Ill Fate" from the Tang Dynasty.
The third poem is from "Sixteen Poems of Longing, No. 15" by Huang Jingren, a poet of the Qing Dynasty.
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