Pei Zi Yun could not help but laugh as he picked up his chopsticks and started eating. He thought to himself, 'This banquet costs a lot of money. What's the purpose of this?'
The original owner of the body had some memories of this banquet. He had been here once and listened to the conversation. After a while, he understood what was going on.
'So this is a banquet organized by a High Scholar. Although this High Scholar was a High Scholar from the previous dynasty, he was still respected by the new dynasty. He loved to read and was good at managing money. He was one of the wealthiest people in the city.'
'Because he was a High Scholar from the previous dynasty, he did not become an official. Every year, this banquet is held. The top ten students from the seven counties in the prefecture are all invited. Even the most famous scholars from the city are invited.'
'Not only is there a banquet, there's also a literary event later on. The students are invited to compose poems and receive pointers from the seniors. If they are able to stand out from the crowd, not only will they be rewarded handsomely, they will also become famous.'
These students were here because of this literary event.
At this point, he heard a commotion in front of him. The High Scholar from the previous dynasty had arrived.
Pei Zi Yun looked up and saw a dignified old man in front. This old man did not show his emotions. He was talking to the High Scholar as he walked up the stairs. Behind him were two people.
This High Scholar looked to be in his forties and had a moustache. His attire was nothing out of the ordinary. What left a deep impression was his dark eyes, which seemed to stare at people with a mysterious gaze.
Pei Zi Yun ate slowly, deep in thought. He recognized this High Scholar. It was Yue Qiu Shan.
This old man was obviously an official. Only an official would behave in such a manner. Pei Zi Yun thought for a while and remembered, 'It's the High Scholar from the prefecture, Fu Yuan!'
Fu Yuan was a minister in the Ministry of Rites and had already retired.
As the two of them sat down, someone stood up and said, "This student is bold enough to throw a brick to attract jade."
The people in front were either singing or reciting poems. After a while, another person stood up. As soon as this person stood up, everyone turned to look at him.
This young man was dressed in a green robe. Under the light of the lantern, he looked very confident. This attracted the attention of Fu Yuan and Yue Qiu Shan.
Pei Zi Yun raised his head and saw this person. His eyes turned cold.
Zhang Jie Yu!
Speaking of this person, he did not have much of a relationship with the current Pei Zi Yun. Speaking of the original Pei Zi Yun, it could only be said that he had a slight conflict with the original Pei Zi Yun. Just a simple mistake from this person had caused the original Pei Zi Yun to waste several years of his life.
Suddenly, he thought, "It seems like Yue Qiu Shan and Zhang Jie Yu are related by marriage?"
At this time, another person wrote a poem and received the elder's praise. Tang Zhen was furious.
After a while, Fu Yuan's topic was sent over. It was based on the scene outside the restaurant and requested that the topic be 'The Fisherman'. This was a literary banquet and it was not restricted to one style. Those who came could choose not to do it and those who were confident could sing a poem on the spot.
The three of them were still deep in thought when Pei Zi Yun looked outside. Coincidentally, he saw someone on a fishing boat passing by. He then instructed the waiter to bring some ink and paper over.
The three of them were shocked and surrounded him. They saw that Pei Zi Yun had written the poem in a few strokes. Tang Zhen took the poem and read it out loud unknowingly.
"Fisherman!"
"The fisherman stands by the West Cliff at night, burning bamboo in the clear Xiangxiang at dawn.
The smoke was extinguished and the sun was gone. The scenery was green.
Looking back at the middle of the sky, the heartless clouds chasing each other on the cliff. "
What a good poem. As soon as he finished speaking, the others were still silent. Yue Qiu Shan's eyes lit up and he praised the poem loudly. Fu Yuan who was beside him nodded his head as well. In a short while, the poem was passed around and everyone applauded.
The poems were passed around and everyone was chatting. From time to time, the shop assistants would respond to the scholars' requests by handing them brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. Many of the scholars picked up the brushes and started writing. There were even some scholars who casually put away the brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones that they had used up.
Pei Zi Yun stood up and scooped a bowl of soup. Seeing the scholars taking away the ink and paper, the waiter did not care and let the scholar do as he pleased, pretending not to see anything.
Just as Pei Zi Yun was puzzled, he saw someone looking at him. Pei Zi Yun turned around and saw Ma Ji holding his poem and reading it to a scholar. When he saw Pei Zi Yun, Tang Zhen, Scholar Wang and Scholar Li sitting together, his expression changed and he glared at them fiercely.
At this point, Wang Tongsheng who was sitting on the right saw Pei Zi Yun glaring at him and glared back fiercely. The group of people were separated by a few tables and were in conflict.
At this point, Pei Zi Yun realized that Tang Zhen, Scholar Wang and Scholar Li were hiding something. The three of them must have had some sort of relationship with Ma Ji and his group. Just as he was about to ask, he heard a commotion in front of him.
Someone was calling out to Pei Zi Yun from the front. Wang Tongsheng nudged him and said, "Zi Yun, your essay is not bad. They are calling you up."
As he said this, he pointed to the table in front. Fu Yuan and Yue Qiu Shan were talking about Zhang Jie Yu.
From Pei Zi Yun's point of view, Zhang Jie Yu was very carefree and elegant. He listened to their comments and occasionally responded to Fu Yuan's words. Seeing Fu Yuan and Yue Qiu Shan, he was very satisfied.
"So, this literary gathering is organized to have our own people support us." Pei Zi Yun understood immediately. At this point, he did not have any stage fright and went up. At this point, another person went up as well.
Seeing the three of them standing side by side, they clasped their hands together and bowed. They were all handsome and elegant youths. Fu Yuan sighed and said, "What elegant youths."
Following this, he gave his comments one by one and announced the rankings. This Zhang Jie Yu was in first place, while another person was in second place. Pei Zi Yun was in third place. It was just that Fu Yuan looked at Pei Zi Yun and Yue Qiu Shan, and did not engage in idle chatter like he did with Zhang Jie Yu.
After the rankings were announced, a servant carried a tray up to the table. Looking at the tray, he saw that the first person had a painting on it, while the second person had an inkstone. The painting had not been unfurled, and hence nobody could see it clearly. As for the inkstone, everyone could clearly see that it was an ancient inkstone. It was carved with plum blossoms, with red stamens in the middle of the plum blossoms.
One of the scholars pointed out the inkstone and said, "This is a tribute from the Mei Mountain of the previous dynasty, the Red Plum Inkstone. This inkstone is famous for its literature. Most of the pieces that have been sold were bestowed by the Emperor. Ever since the chaos of the previous dynasty, the Mei Mountain Inkstone has not been excavated for some reason. Hence, it is rare to find it. Most of the people have collected it, and kept it in their homes to suppress their literature."
The scholar was able to recite the name of the inkstone in one breath. Hearing the scholar's words, the other scholars understood the value of the inkstone. Their eyes couldn't help but look at the inkstone.
Even Fu Yuan was moved. He looked at the inkstone and said to Yue Qiu Shan, "Zhi Run, ah, Zhi Run. I told you that you had the Mei Mountain Inkstone, but you said you didn't have it. You even tried to hide it, and insisted on giving it away in front of me at this banquet. Aren't you afraid that I will get angry and drag you out to be punished?"
Yue Qiu Shan laughed and said, "Brother Ping An, if you want to drag me out to be punished, then drag me out. But don't even think about this Mei Mountain Inkstone!"
"Ai, if I knew this would happen, I would have tortured you more." Fu Yuan, whose courtesy name was Ping An, looked at Yue Qiu Shan and felt that something was amiss. He then asked, "Zhi Run, this inkstone was given to you by your teacher in the previous dynasty. All these years, I've been thinking about this inkstone, but you've always refused to give it to me. Today, you've even used it as a prize. That's not right, that's not right. Tell me honestly, what's the reason? If you have any difficulties, just tell me."
Yue Qiu Shan sighed, "Brother Ping An, these past few days, I've been feeling that I don't have enough energy. I'm worried that if this inkstone were to remain in my hands, it would be buried with me. Why not give it to these young scholars? Looking at them, I feel like I'm reminded of my old days."
As he spoke, tears welled up in his eyes, and both of them fell silent.
Only then did Pei Zi Yun notice the person in second place. This youth had an elegant demeanor, with delicate features and delicate features. His eyes were as bright as ink, exuding an aura of wisdom. He was dressed in embroidered robes, with a jade pendant hanging from his neck. The jade pendant gleamed as he looked at the inkstone.
Pei Zi Yun looked at the Mei Mountain Inkstone, and couldn't help but feel moved. However, this wasn't his fate. He then looked at the third place, and saw a book and a silver ingot. Pei Zi Yun looked at his own prize, and thought about how generous the other two were. He frowned.
But then he thought about it. This was a competition where people were giving out treasures and money. Of course he had to make a name for himself. It would be good if he could get some benefits.
At this point, Yue Qiu Shan was about to give out the prizes when Fu Yuan stopped him and said, "Zhi Run, I've been waiting for this prize of yours for a long time. Since I can't have it, let me be the one to give it out.
Yue Qiu Shan couldn't help but laugh. He then sat down and said, "Brother Ping An, you, you."
He then sat back down.
The prizes were given out, and when it was Pei Zi Yun's turn, Fu Yuan picked up the book. His expression changed, as if he was surprised. However, he hid it very quickly, and no one else saw it. Pei Zi Yun was standing close to him, and saw the change in his expression. He felt it was strange, and didn't know why, but the old man said some words of encouragement.
The top three were very grateful, and returned to their seats. At this point, Tang, Wang, Li and the three scholars crowded around to see what the prize was. The second place prize was obvious to all, and was extremely valuable. Hence, they were curious as to what the book was. Some of the books also crowded around. They saw that the main character was holding the book in his hands, and saw that it was the 'Flower Picking Records'. So this book was written by Yue Qiu Shan.
Seeing this record, the crowd dispersed. Originally, they thought that it would be a valuable prize, and didn't expect it to be written by High Scholar Yue. Tang, Wang and Li, the three scholars, felt that it was rather dull, and didn't care much about this book.
Pei Zi Yun held the book in his hands, and didn't feel anything. He was a little disappointed. He then flipped through the book, and read a few pages. This book was written by the old High Scholar himself, and was easy to understand. It was just that the book didn't seem to contain anything. He couldn't help but feel a little regretful. He then thought about it, and realized that he had already gotten such a good reward. If he wanted more, he would be a little greedy. He smiled, and kept the book and the silver in his robes. The silver in his hands was rather heavy, and he weighed it in his hands, and estimated that it weighed about ten taels.
When the rankings were announced, and the prizes were given out, the students all felt that this trip had not been in vain. They hated themselves for not being able to place in the rankings, and were somewhat vexed. They were envious of the top three.
Amidst the envy, there were a few people who looked at Pei Zi Yun and the others with dissatisfaction. The banquet had just ended when Ma Ji led a group of people away in a hurry.
Tang, Wang and Li followed Pei Zi Yun down the stairs. At this point, Pei Zi Yun remembered the look in Ma Ji's eyes, and was about to ask him about it when Tang Zhen said, "Zi Yun, why didn't you take the brush, ink and paper with you? Those are the four treasures of the study. "
Pei Zi Yun was taken aback, and asked, "These belong to the master, how can I take them away so easily?"
Seeing Pei Zi Yun's puzzled expression, the three of them laughed out, "Zi Yun, Zi Yun, you've lost out big this time. You have to know that these brush, ink and paper can all be taken away. These were given to you by the old High Scholar. Didn't you hear that a scholar stealing a book isn't considered stealing? You forgot to tell Zi Yun about this."
Pei Zi Yun did not understand the reason behind this and asked, "What's the reason?"
The three of them were overjoyed, and drank some wine. They then started talking at once, "There's an inside story here. It turns out that during the previous banquets, some poor scholars saw that the four treasures of the study were all of high quality, and were moved. Hence, after they finished writing their poems, they would sneak away. After the banquet, there would always be less of them."
"When High Scholar Yue saw this, he immediately announced that the four treasures of the study would all be given to the scholars. After the banquet, they could collect them themselves. This was a sign of the flourishing of literature!"
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