Chapter 34: Today's Moon Once Shine on the Ancients
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Li Xinrui was overjoyed. This was exactly the power she wanted.
She cleared her throat, her eyes scanned the hall, and finally, she accurately landed on Song Qingyuan, with a calculating smile on her lips.
"Since we are here to entertain everyone, we must treat everyone equally. I have heard that the newly appointed Concubine Song in the Jing'an Palace is not only stunningly beautiful, but also very kind and refined. I believe she is also a woman of great talent.
How about letting Concubine Song start the first sentence so that I can broaden my horizons?"
Here it comes.
Everyone's eyes suddenly focused on Song Qingyuan.
This is an open conspiracy.
In such a grand hall, in front of the emperor and empress, the princess personally called out her name.
If he refused, he would be insulting the princess and the queen, and would solidify his reputation as "unpresentable." If he accepted, it would be a huge problem.
Even many talented scholars who were well-read in poetry and literature might not be able to immediately match the flying flower order of "Moon without Moon", let alone a woman who was rumored to be of humble origin?
If she couldn't answer, or answered rudely, she would become the laughing stock of the entire capital.
Cui Jingyue's face revealed a hint of "worry" at the right time. She pretended to advise, "Xinrui, don't act silly. Sister Yuan...she's not good at this. Don't make things difficult for her."
This seems to be a solution, but in fact it adds fuel to the fire, and declares to everyone: Song Qingyuan is a fool, just wait to see the joke.
Li Xinrui raised her chin proudly. "Sister-in-law, you are wrong. I just want to give Concubine Song a chance to show her face in front of His Majesty. Concubine Song, you are not unwilling to even give me this little bit of face, are you?"
Song Qingyuan slowly stood up.
Amidst countless sympathetic, contemptuous, or gloating gazes, her expression remained so calm, as if she was not the one at the center of the storm.
She did not look at the aggressive Li Xinrui, nor did she look at Cui Jingyue who pretended to be worried, but bowed to the emperor and empress sitting above her.
"Your Majesty and Empress, I am deeply ashamed to receive your praise. I am uneducated and unworthy, and I fear that I may offend your Majesty. However, your kindness is too great to be refused, and if I decline, I would appear ungracious."
Her voice was neither hurried nor slow, clear and pleasant. She first lowered her posture and shut up anyone who might criticize her for being "arrogant".
She changed the subject, raised her head, looked at Li Xinrui with clear eyes, and a faint smile played on the corner of her mouth.
"In that case, I will present my humble service."
She hesitated for a moment, as if she was thinking, but in fact she had already selected the most appropriate sentence in her mind.
She opened her lips, and her voice was like pearls falling on a plate, clearly echoing throughout the hall:
"The first sentence of your humble servant is: White dew forms on the jade steps, and after a long night, it soaks into your silk stockings."
As soon as these words were spoken, the hall suddenly became quiet.
This line of poetry comes from "Yujie Yuan" by a poet of the previous dynasty. It describes the resentment of a palace girl who sits alone late at night, waiting for the king to arrive.
There is no word "moon" in the poem, but the "jade steps" and "white dew" are all scenes under the moonlight.
The cold steps and the glistening dewdrops perfectly depict the cold and lonely scene of the bright moon in the sky.
Even more interesting is that this line of poetry is used here with great artistic conception. It not only corresponds to the theme of "Moonless Moon", but also implicitly fits the mood of countless women at the palace banquet waiting for the emperor's favor, which is very appropriate.
The people who had been prepared to laugh at him were all surprised. Some ministers who knew poetry even nodded in approval.
Shen Yanzhi sat opposite him, a barely perceptible hint of pride and admiration flashing in his deep eyes.
Li Xinrui's face suddenly turned ugly. She had never expected that this seemingly dull woman could actually be quite talented.
"What a wonderful 'white dew on the jade steps'." The Crown Prince, who sat below the Emperor, clapped his hands and laughed, "Concubine Song's line is profound and artistic, and truly a masterpiece. Anyang, it's your turn."
Li Xinrui was prodded by the Crown Prince and had to suppress her displeasure. She prided herself on being a talented woman and naturally refused to be outdone. After a moment's thought, she raised her voice and said, "Chang'an is covered with sand, and the sound of clothes pounding in thousands of households is heard."
She used a poem from a frontier fortress, hoping to overwhelm Song Qingyuan's more graceful style with its powerful force. Although this line also lacks the word "moon," the "sound of pounding clothes" often occurs on moonlit nights, making it relevant.
Next, the flying flower order began to circulate among the guests.
"The sea is like a mirror, and we all share this moment across the world." A young Hanlin scholar responded.
"I extinguish the candle and feel pity for the full light; I put on my clothes and feel the dew." Another young man from a noble family continued.
The atmosphere was lively as the poems went back and forth. But for some reason, everyone felt that the latter poems lacked the flavor of Song Qingyuan's stunning opening.
Soon, Feihualing played several more rounds and returned to Li Xinrui again.
At this point, the performance has reached its climax, most of the simple verses have been used, and the difficulty is increasing.
Beads of sweat had already formed on Li Xinrui's forehead. She racked her brains before finally managing to finish the sentence: "With bare hands grasping the lotus, with light steps treading upon the clear sky."
After saying that, she looked at Song Qingyuan provocatively.
It's Song Qingyuan's turn.
She still looked calm and composed, as if nothing in the world could faze her. She stood up, her eyes wandering towards the deep night outside the hall, and she opened her red lips softly:
"People today cannot see the moon of the past,"
When she read the first sentence, everyone was stunned. No, this sentence contains the word "moon", it's a foul!
Li Xinrui's eyes flashed with ecstasy, and she was about to open her mouth to accuse.
Song Qingyuan then slowly recited the second half of the sentence:
"This moon once shone on the ancients."
The hall suddenly fell into dead silence.
These two lines of poetry seemed to carry a magical power that could travel through time and space, instantly pulling everyone from the bustling palace banquet in front of them into a larger and more desolate dimension of time and space.
Yes, people today cannot see the moon of ancient times, but today’s moon once shone on the ancient people thousands of years ago.
The moon is still the same moon, but the people are no longer the same people.
A magnificent sadness, a profound emotion about the universe, time, and the rise and fall of life, instantly captured everyone's heart.
This is no longer just a simple poem about the moon, it is philosophy, emotion, and pattern!
Compared with the previous poems describing the scenery under the moon, these two lines are clearly superior!
“Bang!”
There was a crisp sound as the wine glass in the emperor's hand fell heavily on the imperial table. His eyes were shining as he stared at Song Qingyuan, his face full of shock and admiration.
"Excellent! 'This moon once shone upon the ancients!'" The emperor's voice was filled with unconcealed excitement. "These two lines describe the rise and fall of the ages, the vicissitudes of life! Truly a stroke of genius!"
He turned to Song Qingyuan, his eyes burning, "Song, who wrote this poem? I've never heard of it before!"
Song Qingyuan's heart skipped a beat. In her haste, she had directly used Li Bai's "Asking the Moon with Wine", but she had forgotten that this immortal poet did not exist in this time and space.
But her face remained calm, she lowered her head humbly and replied, "Your Majesty, these are just some of the sentences I came up with in my spare time. They are not a complete article, so please forgive me for making fun of you."
A random sentence?
At this moment, the whole hall was in an uproar.
This famous quote that has been passed down through the ages was actually thought up by her herself?
How could this be considered as a lack of talent and learning? This was clearly a genius beyond compare!
Shen Yanzhi looked at her, the light in his eyes brighter than the palace lanterns in the hall. He knew she was intelligent, but he didn't know she was so smart.
Li Xinrui was completely stunned. Her face was pale, her lips trembling as she looked at the woman who remained calm and composed under the spotlight. For the first time, she felt a surge of fear in her heart.
She originally wanted to make Song Qingyuan look bad in public, but in the end, she built a high platform for her with her own hands, allowing her to shine the brightest in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Not only was she not humiliated, but she became a sensation and received high praise from the emperor himself!
Cui Jingyue's hand holding the wine glass was tightly clenched in her sleeve, her nails almost digging into her flesh. The smile on her face was so stiff that it was almost gone.
"Reward!" The emperor was delighted and said loudly, "Song's quick thinking has added luster to the palace banquet. She deserves a reward! Eunuch Li, give the pair of 'East Sea Pearls' on my table to Concubine Song!"
A pair of large, round, and lustrous South Sea pearls were personally presented to Song Qingyuan by Eunuch Li.
What an honor this is!
"Your servant, Song Qingyuan, thanks the Lord for his grace."
Song Qingyuan knelt down to express his gratitude, his voice calm, but there was no joy in his heart.
She knew that from this moment on, she would no longer be the "invisible" person who could hide behind others and pretend to be a pig to eat the tiger.
The emperor's reward brought her to the forefront of everyone's attention.
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