As they were talking, the two men arrived in front of the pagoda courtyard of Bao'en Temple. They saw a square table at the entrance to the courtyard, on which was a guest list and writing brushes and ink for inscriptions.

Two monks in charge of reception were guarding the donation box and chatting in low voices.

Zhao Shouzheng only felt his heart beating violently, but Fan Datong looked normal and walked over leisurely.

The monk in charge of reception looked up at him, but before he could say anything, he saw Fan Datong pointing at the list of names and said calmly, "We're going to the bathroom."

The monk did not suspect anything and continued chatting with his head down. Fan Datong winked at Zhao Shouzheng proudly and took him into the pagoda courtyard.

~~

There are 108 golden bells hanging on the pagoda of Baoen Temple. When the spring breeze blows, the melodious and pleasant bell sounds spread throughout the temple and outside.

Hundreds of cushions and low tables were placed under the tall tower base, where talented young men from Jinling City gathered, including many famous scholars from Jiangzuo, as well as gentry and officials.

These people all came for the poet monk Xuelang.

Although Xuelang was just starting out at that time, and had not yet reached the level of fame that would be known all over the world more than a decade later, so many people flocked to donate money even though they knew they had to. This was enough to show that his current influence, at least in Nanjing, was definitely not to be underestimated.

When Zhao Shouzheng and the other man came in, the handsome young monk, wearing a gorgeous brocade cassock, was sitting cross-legged in the host's seat. He had a face like a jade crown, eyes like bright stars, a handsome and gentle demeanor, and a unique demeanor, which was not like a person in this world.

A breeze blew by, bringing with it countless crabapple petals. The poet monk Xuelang then bathed in the rain of flowers and laughed loudly to the guests who were eager to ask for poems:

"Since you are so kind, I can only do it with reluctance and perform my ugliness once again."

Everyone cheered immediately.

While the guests' eyes were focused on the shiny bald head, Shouzheng and the other man looked around for an empty seat. However, there were so many guests today that there were no adjacent seats left, so they found two seats in the corner of the pagoda courtyard and sat down back to back.

It was noon, and the temple's vegetarian meals had just been placed on the long, low table, with a fragrant aroma and steam rising from the air.

Seeing that Xuelang was going to compose a poem, the guests didn't care about eating or drinking, they all stretched their necks and listened attentively, and Zhao Shouzheng was no exception.

Then I heard Master Xuelang chanting loudly:

"After the rain, the breeze does not reach the pond, but the willow branches still brush against the silk in the mirror.

I lean on the railing to share with the birds and fish, and only then do I know the bright moonlight under the water..."

The whole room immediately applauded and praised the performance.

Fan Datong ignored them, holding his chopsticks with his head down, and quickly ate the main dishes such as mushroom gluten, pine mushroom tea, assorted vegetables, and magnolia slices.

Zhao Shouzheng was not here for this, he was actually looking forward to today's literary gathering. He listened carefully to Xuelang's poem, and saw several poets from Jinling poetry circle singing with him, but no one talked about moral articles, Zhu Xi, Cheng Yi and the like... Zhao Shouzheng was not an unworldly person, and soon he heard something wrong.

He looked around the field and found that he and Fan Datong were the only two people wearing blue shirts.

The Ming dynasty had its own rules for clothing, although in recent years the world has been declining, even merchants and civilians wear silk and satin, which has long disrupted the rules. However, if you attend a literary gathering with the topic of the imperial examination, the students and students wear blue robes, and the candidates wear black round-necked robes, so the rules will not be disrupted.

Obviously, either there were only two students in this event, or this was not a literary gathering where proper attire was required.

Zhao Shouzheng awkwardly poked Fan Datong in the back who was only concerned with eating and drinking.

"Didn't you say it was a literary gathering? How did it become a poetry gathering?"

"How can a literary gathering be as high-class as a poetry gathering? If it weren't for fundraising, we wouldn't be qualified to participate. Fan Datong ate his fragrant rice with big mouthfuls while answering vaguely: "First, let's get to know each other. When we meet again at a literary gathering, I'll think highly of you."

Zhao Shouzheng had always admired Xuelang, so he nodded and said, "You do have some truth in what you said, so let's get to know each other."

Fan Datong was eating in a hurry and choked accidentally while talking. He quickly picked up the wine jug on the table and gulped down the vegetarian wine specially brewed in the temple.

Zhao Shouzheng felt a little embarrassed, but now that his family had four or five hundred taels of wealth as a foundation, he was not as thick-skinned as before.

"Eat slowly, don't choke." He whispered to Fan Datong.

Fan Datong, however, didn't care at all. He continued to reach for the plate in the distance, muttering to himself, "I don't know where my next meal is going to come from, so I'll just have a full stomach first."

Judging from the way he ate, he must have been hungry for a few days. Zhao Shouzheng sighed inwardly, saying that the sage said that when the granaries are full, people will know etiquette, which is indeed true.

He did not intend to stay away from Fan Datong. Instead, he wondered how he could help his brother get out of this quagmire.

~~

Zhao Shouzheng didn't care about Fan Datong's eating habits, but the people sitting at the same table with him really couldn't stand it anymore.

Everyone had been sitting here since morning, so who wasn't starving? It was just that he was so proud of his status and hadn't touched his chopsticks because he saw Xuelang and the others were in the mood for poetry.

Besides, although this vegetarian meal is free, everyone donated money when they entered!

Then a middle-aged man at the same table, dressed in a black satin round-necked robe and a big hat, slammed the table, pointed at Fan Datong, who was wearing a blue black-collared long gown, and shouted coldly, "Where did you get in here, you good-for-nothing, eating and drinking like a glutton? You've polluted the pure Buddhist land!"

People at nearby tables looked over when they heard the noise and saw that it was a scholar in a black robe scolding a student in a blue shirt, and they all showed expressions of gloating.

At this time, other classmates also echoed the scholar, shouting at the little monk to come over quickly and drive out this poor scholar who was just filling in the numbers!

Fan Datong said disdainfully: "Who said I was just a sham? Hiccup...Isn't it just writing poetry? As if everyone can't do that."

"Then you're just being pretentious!" The scholar sneered and squeezed. He was already angry today, thinking that with his status, he should at least sit in the front row, but he didn't expect to be arranged in the corner, and even sit with a loser in a blue shirt! So he used this man as a punching bag.

Most people who attended the poetry gathering were there to join in the fun. They naturally enjoyed watching the fun, so they all joined in the clamor and asked Fan Datong to write a poem.

Fan Datong had already eaten and drunk his fill. He raised his head, wiped his mouth, and said proudly, "How difficult is this? Listen to me improvise a poem called 'Pagoda Poem'!"

The crowd suddenly fell silent, and the scholar was also nervous, thinking to himself, is this a genius? Then he would become a stepping stone for the other party to become famous...

Just as I was feeling anxious, I heard Fan Datong chanting in a rhythmic voice:

"From a distance, the pagoda is shining, thick at the bottom and pointed at the top. If you turn the pagoda upside down, you will see that it is thick at the top and pointed at the bottom..."

The air in the room was stagnant for a few breaths before a burst of laughter broke out. The scholar held his stomach and slapped the table, laughing until tears streamed down his face, and said breathlessly: "This good-for-nothing's doggerel actually rhymes..."

The people at nearby tables were also laughing so hard that they were staggering all over the place, which naturally attracted the attention of the people at further tables. People curiously asked why they were laughing, and then more laughter spread out, like wheat waves in the wind, and soon it spread throughout the entire pagoda courtyard.

Even Monk Xuelang laughed so hard that he fell down on his cushion and couldn't breathe for a long time.

ps. It's a full 100,000 words, congratulations, please vote and comment~~~~~