Chapter 611 Taiyuan, Fallen!
Yu Mingyue's expression tightened slightly.
She looked up, her face not showing much surprise, but in that instant, Shang Ruyi, sitting directly opposite her, clearly saw a fleeting hint of panic in her eyes.
She immediately replied, "Yes."
After saying that, she turned to Shang Ruyi and said, "Your Highness is quick-witted and admirable."
Shang Ruyi smiled at her as well.
To say she was quick-witted would be an understatement. In fact, ever since she met Yuwen Qian and Yu Mingyue on the Thousand Steps Corridor, she had been conceiving the idea in her mind. It wasn't until just now, when she saw Yuwen Yuan walk in and sit down, that the last two sentences finally took shape.
After all, no banquet is perfect. Even a victory celebration banquet set up by their father, the emperor, could not be just about eating and drinking.
Now it seems that her long and painstaking thought was worthwhile.
Upon hearing Yu Mingyue's words, Yuwen Yuan's smile deepened, and he said, "Some people used to say that a woman's virtue does not necessarily require exceptional talent and intelligence, but my daughter-in-law is naturally both virtuous and talented; moreover, both virtue and talent should be displayed for everyone to see, so that the world can look up to her and take her as an example."
Shang Ruyi immediately stood up: "Thank you, Father Emperor."
Yuwen Yuan smiled and waved to her, gesturing for her to sit down. Then he turned to Yu Mingyue and smiled, saying, "I really liked the poem you wrote at the poetry competition under the pseudonym 'Guest of the Moon.' You were able to compose such a wonderful poem about the Battle of Fufeng, which you had never witnessed before. Now that you've entered the palace and seen the scenery, shouldn't you have even better poems to write?"
"..."
Upon hearing this, everyone in the Hundred Blessings Hall fell silent.
Some people even gasped in shock.
Although Yuwen Yuan's words seemed to be a test of the newly appointed head of the Imperial Academy, he had just said that his daughter-in-law should possess both virtue and talent, and his next sentence was a test for Yu Mingyue—
Clearly, he has already considered Yu Mingyue as his eldest daughter-in-law, that is, Yuwen Qian's wife!
At this moment, although Yuwen Qian did not say anything, the fingertips of the hand that was placed on the table twitched involuntarily. The next moment, he slowly withdrew and put it under the table.
At this moment, Yu Mingyue also raised her head to look at Yuwen Yuan, her eyes filled with a mixture of joy and panic. When she spoke, her voice trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly: "This... I, Mingyue, am not very talented, but I dare to give it a try."
The slight tremor in her voice suggested that it was not merely a matter of daring to challenge the Queen of Qin's poem, as her tone was not as firm and resolute as usual.
Shang Ruyi couldn't help but look up at her.
Even Shen Wuzheng turned to look at the woman beside him who was causing him trouble, only to find that Yu Mingyue had her head down, seemingly looking at Yuwen Qian on her left, but it also seemed that she wasn't really looking at him.
Shen Wuzheng's eyes flickered slightly.
Yuwen Yuan said, "Then—"
At this moment, although her face remained expressionless, a fine layer of sweat had appeared on Yu Mingyue's forehead.
Those around her seemed to sense the tense and anxious aura emanating from her at that moment, and all eyes were focused on her, making the atmosphere even more tense.
Just then, Yu Mingyue's eyes suddenly lit up!
She looked as if she had searched through a pitch-black room and finally found a priceless pearl. Before she could even catch her breath, she looked up and eagerly proclaimed, "The rooster in its crimson turban heralds the dawn, the imperial wardrobe attendant presents the jade-green fur coat..."
Upon hearing these two sentences, not only Shang Ruyi, but also Yuwen Ye and Pei Xingyuan couldn't help but frown.
Although everyone knew that Yuwen Qian asked them to compose poems after touring the palace, not only to describe the scenery of the palace, but also to write more about the scenery of the palace—for example, the last two lines of Shang Ruyi's poem were what Yuwen Yuan really wanted to hear—even so, the first two lines about the Thousand-Step Corridor and the mountain and water pond were still essential, because they had to be relevant to the topic set by Yuwen Yuan.
But Yu Mingyue's two lines sound completely unrelated to the scenery in the palace.
Is there any point in writing poetry this way?
Just as everyone was puzzled, Yu Mingyue seemed to understand their thoughts from the gazes around her. She took a deep breath and continued reciting in a clearer and more steady voice: "The palace gates open to the heavens, and the officials of all nations pay homage to the emperor!"
"...!"
Upon hearing these two sentences, several gasps of astonishment rang out simultaneously in the hall.
A hint of arrogance appeared in Yu Mingyue's eyes, as if she could guess the expressions of amazement and awe on everyone's faces from the poem she recited, even without looking. She wouldn't allow anyone to disturb her and continued reciting: "The sun's rays just touch the immortal's palm, incense smoke seems to float beside the imperial dragon robe. After court, the five-colored edict must be drafted, the sound of jade pendants returning to the Phoenix Pool!"
After she finished speaking, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he slowly raised his head, scanned the various expressions on everyone's faces, and then slowly raised his head to look at the emperor sitting above him.
Yuwen Yuan was the most composed person in the hall. Even though the poem Yu Mingyue had just recited had nothing to do with the scenery of the harem, which caused everyone around to show surprised expressions, he did not show any change in expression. However, when he heard the last few lines, he could not help but show a look of joy.
His applause and praise echoed throughout the hall: "Excellent! Very good!"
This praise, which added the word "very good" to the previous evaluation of Shang Ruyi's poem, clearly showed the difference in quality.
Yuwen Ye slowly frowned.
Although he had argued with Yu Mingyue about Shang Ruyi when they first met, which was the first time he had shown his wit and left her speechless, he remained silent at this moment.
After all, judging from these two poems, Shang Ruyi cannot win.
It wasn't just the difference in diction and imagery between the two poems that was significant; more importantly, although Yu Mingyue's poem had absolutely nothing to do with the palace scenery and was almost entirely off-topic, it was precisely what Yuwen Yuan most wanted to hear—
The palace gates open to the heavens, and the officials of all nations pay homage to the emperor!
Because she didn't address the theme, and because she didn't describe the scenery of the palace, her eulogistic verses had to be even more magnificent and vivid than Shang Ruyi's last two lines. In fact, she succeeded. These few lines of poetry even unfolded before the reader's eyes a grand picture of a prosperous era with all nations paying tribute!
Sometimes, the success or failure of a work does not necessarily depend on the quality of the work itself.
It depends more on the people it's dealing with!
only--
This poem, like the one she won against Shen Wuzheng at the poetry competition in Chang'an, is beautifully worded and profoundly evocative, but it doesn't quite fit the theme. Just as Shen Wuzheng said last time, this poem seems to have been prepared by someone else, and she just used it to fill in the gaps in the situation where she needed to write a poem.
However, given Shen Wuzheng's background as a student of Li Tong and his knowledge, if someone had truly written such a fine poem, he couldn't possibly have been unaware of it.
Thinking of this, Yuwen Ye looked up again at Yu Mingyue, whose cheeks were flushed with excitement after receiving the emperor's praise. He seemed to see a hint of relief and joy in her delighted expression.
Meanwhile, Shen Wuzheng, sitting next to her, was also quietly watching her.
From the moment Yu Mingyue began reciting her poem, he remained silent. For the first time, his usually aloof and cold eyes gazed so deeply at someone, as if trying to see through their flesh and soul. At this moment, the tangled emotions in Shen Wuzheng's eyes seemed to have finally found an answer, but his brows furrowed even more tightly.
It seemed as if even he himself couldn't believe this answer.
However, these subtle thoughts did not attract the attention of those around her. After all, at this moment, everyone's eyes were on Yuwen Yuan, who was still clapping and laughing. He looked at Yu Mingyue with satisfaction and said, "I never thought that a woman like you would have such a broad mind."
Yu Mingyue hurriedly stood up: "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty."
Yuwen Yuan looked her up and down again, then glanced at Yuwen Qian beside him. His smile deepened, but the smile and satisfaction seemed to indicate that he was not only admiring a talented woman with brilliant writing skills and quick wit, but also appreciating something deeper and farther through her.
After a long while, he murmured, "This is the kind of magnanimity and breadth of mind that the Great Sheng Dynasty needs."
"..."
"And it's not just men, women too!"
"..."
"Only in this way can we subdue the world, attract all nations to pay tribute, and achieve a true golden age!"
After saying that, he looked up at the group of young people in front of him and then smiled, "Of course, it's too early to talk about these things now, after all, what we have in front of us is—"
Before he could finish speaking, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the main hall, stopping at the entrance.
Yuwen Yuan, with his keen hearing and sharp eyesight, naturally heard the voice as well. He instinctively stopped and gave a wink to Eunuch Yu beside him. Eunuch Yu dared not delay and hurriedly went out to greet the person. He whispered a few words to the person outside and then rushed in, his expression becoming serious.
Yuwen Yuan asked, "What's wrong?"
Eunuch Yu, holding a document in both hands, hurriedly approached him: "Your Majesty, urgent military report."
"What!?"
Upon hearing the words "urgent military report," not only did Yuwen Yuan's face darken, but the expressions of everyone around him also changed.
Especially Yuwen Qian and Yuwen Ye.
Shang Ruyi subconsciously held her breath and glanced intently at Yu Mingyue opposite her. Although Yu Mingyue raised her eyebrows, she did not show any obvious surprise. Clearly, this news was not unexpected for her.
Or rather, it's not unfamiliar.
At this moment, Yuwen Yuan had already taken the document from Eunuch Yu. After opening it, his expression changed drastically, and he slammed the document onto the table with a loud bang.
Yuwen Ye immediately asked, "Father, what happened?"
"..."
Yuwen Yuan didn't speak immediately. He gritted his teeth and remained silent for a long time before slowly uttering four words through gritted teeth—
Taiyuan has fallen!
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