Chapter 16 The Nobility of a Noble Lady
Xie Yunyu wanted to explain: If I said this poem was written by someone else, would you believe me?
Xie Yunyu asked Xie Yunman, Xie Yuntang, and Old Master Xie about this, but none of them believed it.
No matter how you explain it, Li Bai and Du Fu don't believe it; they think she made it up.
According to Grandpa Xie, "If such a good poem really was written by that Bai guy you mentioned, how could I not recognize it?"
"Such a talented person in the world, if I cannot recommend him to Your Majesty, it would be my dereliction of duty."
Xie Yunyu, realizing she couldn't explain it clearly, stopped trying.
If I sometimes make a careless mistake and quote a few famous lines, I won't explain it; I'll just silently apologize to the original author in my heart.
At this moment, Xie Yunyu was looking out the window as if admiring the scenery, but in reality, she was apologizing to the poet in her heart.
The group arrived at the venue without incident.
When Xie Yunyu took a look, she exclaimed, "Wow, it's the scene from Fanlou in the game 'Sixteen Sounds of Yanyun,' so antique and elegant!"
Upon reaching the second floor, the group entered the Zhang family's private room.
Xie Yunyu quietly asked Zhang Qinxue, "What are the rules of this poetry competition?"
Zhang Qinxue pointed to the large platform directly opposite, where ten seats were arranged in a row.
"The people sitting there are the ones who set the questions each year. Each person sets a question, and the people participating in the poetry gathering write poems based on the questions."
All the poems written by the people would be written on silk and dropped from the third floor for everyone to see.
The poems and lyrics were judged by the ten judges; the winners advanced, and the losers were eliminated.
Xie Yunyu asked, "What if half passes and half fails?"
"If this happens, we need the help of people over there to make a judgment."
As she spoke, Zhang Qinxue pointed to the open private room behind the platform.
Xie Yunyu followed her finger and saw that someone was already sitting in the private room.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Old Master Zhang, his own grandfather, and Prefect Zhang, with an old man sitting next to them who looked like a carefree hermit.
Zhang Qinxue said, "That is my father, and the old man with white hair and beard next to him is Master Xianyun of Xishan Temple."
"Taoist priest?" Xie Yunyu asked, puzzled.
"I'm saying you might not know Master Xianyun, but you know National Preceptor Liao, right?"
"Yes, I know." Xie Yunyu nodded.
"Liao Guoshi's junior brother, formerly the head of the Imperial Observatory, later resigned and went into seclusion here."
Xie Yunyu suddenly realized and said, "It seems that everyone sitting there is of high status and position."
Zhang Qinxue nodded.
Seeing the two of them talking to each other from time to time, Zhang Zhiheng glanced at Zhang Qinrui sitting next to Xie Yunyu.
Seeing this, Zhang Qinrui smiled and stood up to give up her seat.
Zhang Zhiheng walked over, sat down next to Xie Yunyu, and took over from Zhang Qinxue to continue the introduction:
"Generally speaking, tie-breakers are rare."
Those who exhibit this behavior are either mediocre or extremely talented, or risk committing taboos.
For example, one should avoid using the temple name of the dynasty or the emperor's name.
Xie Yunyu nodded in agreement.
Before long, people began to arrive at the surrounding private rooms one after another.
Occasionally, people would come over to greet the Zhang family.
Those who entered were all amazed when they saw Xie Yunyu; when had such a beautiful woman ever appeared in Wu County?
However, looking at Zhang Zhiheng and Zhang Qinxue, who were sitting next to her, they both knew that this young lady belonged to Zhang Zhiheng.
After this detail was guessed, several young men came over to greet Zhang Zhiheng and take a look at Xie Yunyu.
Xie Yunyu was well aware of these little incidents.
But he remained seated, unfazed by their gaze.
Then a man entered. He looked very handsome and was slightly younger than Zhang Zhiheng, but he also had a refined and elegant appearance.
After entering, he greeted Zhang Zhiheng, glanced at Xie Yunyu, and then left.
Zhang Qinmin watched from the side, a slight sour feeling rising in her heart. She moved her feet, wanting to get up and chase after him, but after looking around, she forcibly held back.
Zhang's aunt married the Sima of Yuezhou, and this is the youngest son of the Sima of Yuezhou. Zhang Qinmin is very fond of him.
A few more people came in after that, also to see Xie Yunyu. The more Zhang Qinmin looked at them, the more jealous she became.
So, looking at Xie Yunyu at the head of the table with dissatisfaction, he said:
"Sister Xie, you don't seem shy at all when so many men are staring at you."
These words were extremely rude, and Zhang Qinxue's expression immediately changed, turning fierce:
"Min'er, how rude! Quickly apologize to Madam Xie."
All eyes were on Zhang Qinmin's face.
Sun's gaze was so cold it seemed to freeze you.
Ever since she met Xie Yunyu, she has taken a great liking to this daughter-in-law, and now she sees that Zhang Zhiheng is also very willing.
He was increasingly satisfied with Xie Yunyu and thought that the marriage must go through.
After hearing Zhang Qinmin's words, she described Xie Yunyu as a shameless person.
This is even worse than cursing someone's ancestors to their face.
Sun wished she could go over there and tear Zhang Qinmin's mouth apart.
I should have known better than to bring her today.
Zhang Zhiheng's face was also very ugly. This wasn't an insult to Xie Yunyu; it was a slap in the face.
Zhang Zhiheng looked at Zhang Qinmin with eyes full of anger, a surging rage that seemed about to engulf her at any moment.
Zhang Qinmin was immediately frightened.
Her face was flushed, and tears welled up in her eyes, making her look like a wronged little white rabbit, pitiful and vulnerable.
He stammered, "I...I..."
Before she could even come out, Xie Yunyu spoke calmly:
"When I was a child, I went to the palace with my grandfather, and the Empress Dowager gave me some instructions: "
The nobility of the noble ladies in the capital is not due to the value of gold and silver, nor to the nobility of princes and nobles.
Rather, it is the noble character of remaining calm and composed in any situation, never giving up, no matter what circumstances one is in.
While I wouldn't presume to say I remained calm in the face of danger, I was certainly able to remain composed under the gaze of just a few people.
"Sixth Sister Zhang, you're overthinking it."
As soon as Xie Yunyu said this, the scene immediately fell silent.
Who dares to question the Empress Dowager's edict?
With such a serious accusation leveled against them, no one dared to spread the news of today's events.
"Well said. The Empress Dowager is indeed insightful and wise."
Wu, who was sitting next to Sun, spoke up.
Wu was the head wife of the second wife and also Zhang Qinrui's mother.
So everyone began to praise the Empress Dowager.
No one paid any attention to Zhang Qinmin, who was standing at the door with her head down, silently shedding tears.
At this moment, the sound of a gong suddenly rang out, announcing the start of the poetry competition. Everyone fell silent and stared at the scene.
Ten people were already seated on the large terrace opposite, one of whom was a woman.
Zhang Zhixiang, the third brother of Zhang Zhiheng, said in surprise, "I didn't expect that Lady Xue would actually be a judge this year."
Zhang Zhiheng tilted his head and moved closer to Xie Yunyu. The fresh scent of soap on him was mixed with a slightly bitter chrysanthemum fragrance.
She explained softly, "This Lady Xue is a master of the zither and is known as a talented woman. This is her first time making a judgment."
Xie Yunyu nodded.
Sure enough, the first person to set a question today was Lady Xue, and the question was about the zither.
Once the topic was given, everyone began to write. After finishing, they had their servants deliver the slips of paper, enlarge them, write their names, and hang them up.
Zhang Zhiheng was bound to participate. Zhang Zhixiang and Zhang Zhilin both wrote poems, which they then handed to the servant responsible for delivering them that day.
With the sound of a gong, a hundred or so poems fell from the third floor in unison, a truly magnificent sight.
Xie Yunyu stood up with everyone and looked at the poems. Compared with the famous lines she had memorized in her previous life, two of them were outstanding, while the rest were just average.
A servant loudly recited poems, and the judges raised their placards to indicate whether the poem passed or failed.
The servant reads out a couplet, and once the conclusion is reached, the people on the third floor take it away.
The number of poems on the field gradually decreased.
This was the first time Xie Yunyu had ever seen such a scene, so it was quite novel for her.
The first round was relatively simple, with 80% of the participants advancing, including several members of the Zhang family.
The second question was posed by a gaunt old man, and his question was about 'farming'.
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