The wind was gentle, and the iced red bean soup served by the servants brought a refreshing coolness. The atmosphere of the poetry meeting became more and more enthusiastic. All the people present were scholars and knew the merits of poems. Each of them also had one or two good works in their hands. At this time, they took them out one by one to evaluate and compare. Among the previous few works, Fang Wenyang had already written a rather popular one, but after that, Yu Shaoyuan's new song, "Who Holds the Thousand Feet of Snow", made everyone feel that it was a level higher, enough to become a masterpiece that could be passed down for a hundred years.
In the city of Bianliang, there would be several such works appearing every year. Of course, some of them were praised because of the good atmosphere, and some of them were because the lyrics were really good. Yu Shaoyuan had been in the limelight in the capital recently, but his fame was still not as good as Zuo Xiliang and Fang Wenyang, who had been famous for a few years. However, when he was in the midst of his success, he really felt the power of heaven and earth working together. Ji Xianqing smiled as she sang the poem, but in her heart, she was a little vexed. This poem was even better than the Dragon Boat Festival poem that he had given her earlier, how could she take it out on the spot? If she kept it, she might be able to use it to fight with Li Shishi tomorrow.
In Bianliang, among the most famous poets, the truly powerful one was Zhou Bangyan. However, now that Zhou Meicheng had entered his official career, only Li Shishi, who had a deep personal relationship with him, could get it. If he performed well and gave Li Shishi a good piece of work, he might be able to hold on with Yu Shaoyuan's poem.
That was what he thought, but since he had already taken it out, there was nothing else he could do. Yu Shaoyuan was also quite proud of his poem. He was in high spirits as he humbled the crowd. Occasionally, he would look at Ji Xianqing with his eyes, but most of the time, he would look at Li Shishi from the corner of his eyes. While he was feeling proud, Fang Wenyang couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. However, the focus of the entire poetry gathering was still on these scholars. Ning Yi and the others took their seats. Very quickly, they found their place in this unnoticed atmosphere and happily participated in it.
"Greetings, Master Lu. I am your disciple, Yu Ho-chung. Two years ago, I listened to Master Lu's lecture on 'Mencius' at the Yue Shan Thatched Cottage and benefited a lot from it. Since we meet again today, please accept a bow from your disciple … "
Passing through the crowd from the side, Yu Ho-chung went to the front and found a teacher he had attended before. Among the knowledgeable people in front of him, five of them were the most famous. There were also Master Mo, Qin Mowen and Xue Gongyuan of the Juanwen Club; Lu Mingfang, who was famous for his commentary on the Mencius; Pan Hongda, who had set up schools everywhere and had disciples all over the world; and Yan Zhu, the Grand Scholar, who was the Director of the Directorate, had profound knowledge. Yu Ho-chung had listened to Lu Mingfang's lectures before. Although Lu Mingfang did not remember him, he still smiled and greeted him with kind words. Afterwards, he symbolically asked about his studies and achievements, encouraged him, and then invited him to sit nearby.
This kind of poetry gathering was like this, chatting and making friends, expressing oneself at will. There were high and low levels of knowledge among each other, and not many people would really force each other to do so. Yu Ho-chung's knowledge was not as good as the people present, but in all fairness, even though others sometimes thought that he was benefiting from Shishi's glory, most of the time, he still liked to participate in this kind of gathering. As long as there weren't too many complications, being in the middle of it, he also felt like he was a great scholar, a great scholar, living a wonderful life of making friends all over the world. Even if he couldn't produce a few earth-shattering works, he would still have a lot of face when he returned to the gathering and talked to the officials of the Ministry of Revenue who were of the same level as him.
Previously, he had been a little wary of Ji Xianqing's side and whether or not she would clash with Shishi's side. Now, it seemed that the atmosphere was harmonious, so it didn't seem like it. Turning his head, he saw Chen Sifeng greeting a few people he knew. At the end of the corridor, Ning Yi was also chatting and laughing with the people beside him. It seemed that he had already blended into the atmosphere and wasn't being watched by many people. When Shishi arrived at the front, she saw Yu Shaoyuan's new poems while everyone was chatting and laughing. After casting a surprised gaze, she couldn't help but praise Fang Wenyang and the others' poems. It was an ordinary and joyous poetry gathering.
If everything were to go on like this, this poetry gathering would surely become a legend for a long time in the future. At this time, Yu Ho-chung and Chen Sifeng had more or less relaxed their vigilance. Shishi felt a little strange, but she couldn't figure out what would happen in such a short period of time. Most of the participants of the poetry competition came purely for the gathering. They enjoyed the cool morning before the Dragon Boat Festival and looked at Yu Shaoyuan and the others who were in high spirits. Occasionally, they would laugh and say a few words, feeling rather happy. As for the rich kids who came with the intention of watching the show, they were first enjoying the atmosphere of the poetry gathering.
Among the crowd, sitting next to Ning Yi was a young man named Zheng Kaiqing. He was well-known in his hometown and had been in the capital for two to three years. He was familiar with the circle and had made a name for himself. Even though he wasn't as famous as Yu Shaoyuan and Fang Wenyang, being invited to the poetry gathering was a sign of his status. Originally, it was because the person next to him was a good friend of Li Shishi. After greeting him and chatting for a while, he found that the other party's words were appropriate, generous, and had a rather good temperament. So he started chatting and commenting on the poems occasionally.
After a while, Zheng Kaiqing left for a while. When he came back, he was about to sit down and chat with the other party about some interesting things when he heard someone in front of him say, "Is this Jiangning's Ning Liheng?"
Zheng Kaiqing saw that the person was looking over, but he still didn't know what was going on. The person added, "Shishi's friend, could it be Jiangning's' A Night of Dancing Fish and Dragon's' Ning Liheng?"
Zheng Kaiqing had also heard of 'A Night of Dancing Fish and Dragon' and 'When the Moon Appears'. At this time, the person next to him stood up, cupped his hands and smiled, "Yes, I am …" At this moment, Zheng Kaiqing couldn't help but feel that there were crouching tigers and hidden dragons in the poetry gathering.
As for Ning Yi's poems, although they could suppress the whole audience, they hadn't gone through the accumulation and sublimation of time. They still couldn't reach the point where everyone could admire them. Even if there was singing in the brothel and it was all the rage for a while, it wouldn't be as famous as Zhou Bangyan's many years of business. Not long after, the people took out the poems again. Someone mentioned that Ning Yi was' Jiangning's Number One Scholar '. It gave people the impression that it had happened suddenly, and that there was a big shot sitting here who could be mentioned in the same breath as Yu Shaoyuan and Fang Wenyang. However, after a few words, Ning Yi's words were humble and his behavior was polite, which made many people feel good about him. They also thought that he didn't want to be in the limelight for the time being, or that he didn't have any good works yet. They just paid attention to him, and it was impossible for him to focus all their attention on a few good poems that had been around for a long time.
But even so, this' Shishi's old friend 'had more or less attracted attention. Zheng Kaiqing, who was next to him, carefully paid attention to Ning Yi, looking forward to seeing if there would be any good works. But then a good friend called him over to see a poem. After he went over, he vaguely heard someone in the crowd saying, "That guy is just fishing for fame …" There was a circle of people in the poetry contest, but they weren't guarded against him. He paid a little attention and only heard a small group of people talking about the problem of Ning Liheng's fame being fake.
"I heard that it was written by a monk, and he used it to change his reputation …"
"Isn't it a Daoist …"
"Over in Jiangning, it's already been exposed …"
"Look at him, he hasn't come out with any poems this year. Who has heard of his new poems …"
"Jiangning's Number One Scholar is Cao Guan, right … I heard that it's just something he claimed to be spreading …"
Bianliang was a place where talents from all over the world gathered. Although Jiangning was a big city, the so-called 'Number One Scholar of Jiangning' was nothing in the scope of 'all over the world', so people didn't have much respect for him. At this moment, there were all kinds of doubts. Zheng Kaiqing listened to some of them and looked back. He was a little puzzled. Could that Ning Liheng really be a liar fishing for fame?
In such a poetry contest, if a person who was Li Shishi's friend and didn't have any talent appeared, then it was nothing. People wouldn't feel anything or be hostile towards him. But if a person without talent appeared and performed as well as Yu Shaoyuan and Fang Wenyang, and gained fame, then it would give people a different feeling. At this moment, there were already people asking something. Before Zheng Kaiqing could hear it clearly, a voice suddenly shouted, startling everyone, "Brat! Do you still remember this old man?! "
*****
In fact, most of the time, Ning Yi was still full of tolerance and was willing to be kind to others. It wasn't a burden for him to participate in this kind of social occasion. He was also willing to see these literati in high spirits under such circumstances. In his opinion, those who could pour their heart and soul into their own field were all worthy of respect.
In such an occasion, it was nothing more than a flowery sedan chair with people supporting him. Ning Yi was happy to stay in a corner. Even if his identity was exposed and his identity as the 'Number One Scholar of Jiangning' was brought up, he was more willing to be praised. Even if people asked for his opinion, he would agree with many of the poems on this matter.
Under such circumstances, on the other side, Yu Ho-chung and Chen Sifeng had actually each written a work. Ning Yi's responses were generous and appropriate. He had a good temperament, so even if he didn't write poems, no one would say anything bad about it. Not long after, someone passed over the manuscript of Yu Shaoyuan's second poem. Ning Yi took a look. It was' Remembering Your Charm ':
"Chu Xiang old custom, remember Bao Miao Shen Liu, cherish the memory of loyalty. Who carries the Miluo Thousand Zhang Snow, wash some souls away. Win over children, red silk wraps around one's arm, tell stories year after year. Dragon boats compete to cross, the flag beats the drum arrogantly. Who recite the romantic words of the poet, the peach willow, the boudoir of the boudoir is laid. Chewing on the elegance of the merchant, the fight is like the entertainment of the year. In the green apricot garden, a pot of wine is used to pour the sadness. Southern smoke is solved, the wind blows the sleeves of the lord. "
This poem was very good, and even a few elders said that this poem alone was enough to enter the Imperial College. Someone asked, "What does Liheng think?"
Ning Yi then replied, "It is indeed a good poem."
Someone then said, "Why doesn't Liheng compose a poem as well and compete with Young Master Yu to see who is better and who is worse."
The person who spoke was a lady. Ning Yi raised his head and saw that it was Princess Zhou Qing of Prince Chong's Residence. At this moment, she was smiling at him. When Zhou Pei came to visit him the day before, she said that her cousins treated her well. She also mentioned the name of the Princess when they were eating. Hence, Ning Yi had a good impression of her. At this moment, she asked Ning Yi to compose a poem. The people around them agreed, "Young Master Ning is able to compose a poem like 'A Night of Dancing Fish and Dragon'. If he were to compose a poem now, it would definitely be a good one."
Someone laughed, "I can't wait for this poetry competition to become a legend."
On the other side, Yu Shaoyuan's eyes turned gloomy. He raised his head and cupped his hands, "I want to see Brother Ning's talent. At the same time, I can ask Brother Ning for help. "
Ning Yi shook his head and laughed, "Brother Yu is talented. This poem of 'Remembering Slave' is indeed a good one. I can only admit defeat and will not embarrass myself."
On Yu Shaoyuan's side, because this poem might be recommended to the Imperial College, he had been waiting for Ning Yi. At this moment, when he heard Ning Yi concede, it meant that he wanted to give the fame to him. For a moment, he didn't know whether to stop or force him, but his face was already showing a smile. At this moment, someone next to him said, "You are Ning Liheng?"
Ning Yi answered almost subconsciously, "Yes."
That person said again, "Are you really Ning Liheng?"
These two questions were asked a bit abruptly. Ning Yi frowned, only to see that the person in front of him had already slammed the table and stood up, "Brat! Do you still remember this old man! "
The person in front of him was Xue Gongyuan of the Juanwen Society. At this time, Ning Yi naturally also remembered him. On the night when he first arrived in Bianliang, he was the old man who criticized him and Yunzhu at the entrance of Fan Lou and was scolded by him. He felt a bit helpless and also a bit funny, secretly scolding himself for bringing this upon himself. His mouth naturally pretended not to know anything, "This old man, why do you say this?"
"Hey, you forgot, a few days ago at the entrance of Fan Lou, you and a woman were openly pulling and pulling on the street, it was very evil! You are disgraced! I pointed this out, and you actually said such evil words. I can recognize you now! "
When he said this, everyone was in an uproar. Ning Yi frowned and cupped his hands, "Old man, you must have remembered wrongly, right? There is no such thing, you must have made a mistake. "
This matter seemed a bit sudden, Xue Gongyuan spoke with certainty, but Ning Yi appeared to be extremely innocent and very sincere in a moment. Shishi saw this and had already remembered when she called Ning Yi over, but at that time, it was not good to let Ning Yi leave. She could only hope in her heart that the distance between Xue Gongyuan and Ning Yi would prevent Xue Gongyuan from recognizing him. But now that she saw Ning Yi's performance, she couldn't help but cover her mouth to stifle her laughter. This matter was very sudden, and those who knew about it didn't do it. She didn't think that it was a conspiracy by Ji Xianqing and the others.
However, after Ning Yi denied it, Xue Gongyuan was so angry that he slammed the table again, "Brat! You actually dare to deny it! Just now, they told me that you were a swindler fishing for fame, but this old man didn't believe them. Now that this old man has recognized you, you actually dare to pretend to be kind. At this moment, this old man can conclude that you are a reckless and unrepentant person. That so-called Jiangning scholar's reputation must be a lie. Today is Bianliang, not Jiangning. This old man must not let you cheat this reputation! "
After he finished speaking, the Grand Scholar Yan Lingzhong shook his head, "Master Xue, this matter has not been decided yet, so it's not good to be so arbitrary."
Someone in the crowd said, "I think he's a swindler …" It was a rich young master who was very close to Zhou Qing.
When these voices came out, the rest of the people started to make a ruckus. Shi Shi sat there, but suddenly frowned and glanced at Ji Xianqing beside her. On the other side, Ning Yi also suddenly frowned.
Things … Something didn't seem right.
If this incident was just an accident caused by Xue Gongyuan, Ning Yi could probably only think that he was unlucky and that it was a sudden coincidence. However, this might not be the case now. From what they were saying, it seemed that someone had already told the people in front about Ning Yi's situation. Suddenly, there were so many doubters and denouncers in the crowd. This did not conform to the normal development of events.
Ning Yi's number one scholar, if he were to be placed in Bianliang, perhaps because of the rumors, there would be doubters. This was not surprising. However, in such a short period of time, it had changed to such a state, and it seemed that what Xue Gongyuan, Yan Lingzhong, and the others had conveyed was a one-sided view of Ning Yi's fishing for fame. It was almost impossible to say that it was purely the natural development of rumors.
For a moment, he became vigilant. On the other side, Xue Gongyuan slammed the table and repeated what happened that night. People like Yan Lingzhong still maintained a conservative attitude, telling Xue Gongyuan to restrain himself and give Ning Yi a chance to defend himself and prove himself. Someone in the crowd said that Ning Yi did not write any poems this time.
In front of him, Yu Shaoyuan cupped his hands and said in a clear voice, "I am willing to believe in this Brother Ning. Master Xue, everyone, why don't you give him a chance? Brother Ning, you are known as the number one scholar in Jiangning. Could it be that this poem of mine, "Remembering Your Charm", is unable to enter Brother Brother Ning's eyes and arouse any interest in poetry? "
On the other side, Ji Xianqing stood up and said, "I also feel that we should give Young Master Ning a chance. After all, he was also brought here by Miss Shishi. Everyone, it's not good to not give Miss Shishi any face, right? "
At this moment, she had finally pulled Ning Yi and Li Shishi together. However, ever since the beginning, Shishi had been sitting there with a small fan covering her mouth, as if she was thinking about something. At this moment, she looked around, then looked at Ning Yi and said, "Everyone, this is too overbearing. In terms of poetry, Big Brother Ning had already written one before. However, he had written it for his wife at home, and Shishi had promised him not to say it. "But no matter what Big Brother Ning thinks, it doesn't seem good for everyone to suddenly act like this …"
She had already sensed that things were not simple, and was even wondering why things had turned out like this. On the other hand, she did not know how Ning Yi was going to deal with it, and her words were somewhat hesitant. If Ning Yi was willing to make the "Huan Xi Sha" public, it would at least resolve this situation of doubt. However, if Ning Yi was willing, or if he was not willing to use this "Huan Xi Sha", he would not be able to think of a better poem on the spot. All of this was going through her mind.
However, when she mentioned that Ning Yi had written a poem, everyone might have been looking forward to it, but now that they couldn't say it out loud, the voices of doubt immediately rose up. Someone said, "Miss Shishi is very good to her friends, we all know that. However, under such circumstances, it's not good to cover it up for her …"
Someone else said, "What do you mean by not saying it? If Miss Shishi were to casually say that it was written by this person, would everyone believe it?"
After all, there were still many people in the crowd who were on Shishi's side. "Could it be that you don't believe Miss Shishi's words?"
As such words surged forth, the originally lively poetry meeting suddenly became a trial meeting where a liar was caught, and it became even more lively. However, as Shishi and Ning Yi swept their gazes across, they could roughly sum up the people who were determined to add fuel to the fire, and were able to slightly analyze the outline of the situation. In the crowd, those who had originally come with the intention of watching the show knew that the show had already begun, and looked at Ning Yi, who was standing on the side, and became even more excited. In such an occasion, standing in the midst of everyone's doubts as the person being interrogated, no matter what, was at a disadvantage. Even Shishi, who was standing on the side, was a little nervous. Of course, Ning Yi also understood this. Feeling the thorny situation, he smiled and shook his head.
"If I write a poem, will it be able to prove my innocence?"
Xue Gongyuan roared, "You can also write poems! Don't you dare insult poetry! No matter what you do, you can't cover up the fact that your conduct is improper … "
Someone in the crowd said, "Of course it's not just writing a poem. Look at that night when the fish and dragon danced, what Jiangning's number one scholar is so talented. At the very least, it has to surpass young master's Nian Nu Jiao!"
"If it's better than this Nian Nu Jiao, then the one who should enter the Imperial College is this Young Master Ning …"
"If he writes well, then he naturally has the qualifications …"
"His writing is natural. In my opinion, it's just slightly better …"
In such a situation, the most troublesome thing was the noise. If one was done, there would be a second. The standards that everyone said were ever-changing, and they could always deny it. Even a truly talented person might not be able to perform well under such a situation. In the future, if word of this got out, their reputation would still be ruined. And to find a big liar at such a poetry meeting, it was a breathtaking development. Everyone was enjoying it, adding fuel to the fire. Someone had already said to Shishi, "Miss Shishi, although you have a good heart, you don't have to participate in this matter. Don't be deceived by this liar."
Lu Mingfang said, "What you said is true. Although you are a good friend, you shouldn't cover up and connive at this time. He Zhong, this person is also a good friend of yours. What do you think? "
Yu Ho-chung was already in awe of Lu Mingfang. At this time, he cupped his hands and said, "Disciple … disciple and he have not seen each other for a long time, and are not familiar with each other. If he … if he really is a person fishing for fame, disciple will naturally draw a clear line with him. But … "He felt that it was not good to say this. When he wanted to say something, Lu Mingfang had already nodded," Okay, you can go. "
On the other side, Li Shishi said, "I believe in Brother Ning."
In such a chaotic situation, almost everyone had already dispersed, and Ning Yi, who was standing there, was forced out. At the same time, at the side door that led to this side, Zhou Pei, who had rushed over, was already looking over anxiously, calming her breathing. She knew that even if she ran out now, it might not be of any use. The situation was so tricky that she was a little worried about whether Ning Yi could solve it. After all, at this time, even if he really wrote a good poem, it might not be able to solve all the problems. After writing the poem, they would still test other things, and there would be all kinds of difficulties. No one was an all-rounder, and there would definitely be things that they were not good at. If they followed their pace, in the end, they would not have any face left. Even if this was said out, the person who was tested would most likely be a class lower than others.
At the same time, she heard Ning Yi speak again on the other side.
"I have a strange temper. You want me to write, but I don't want to." He smiled, "I am very curious about what is going on. Shishi, you don't have to take out the poem … If I don't write it, what can you do?"
His answer was unexpectedly scoundrelly. If he did not prove it now, his reputation would definitely be ruined if it was said out. But now he had such an attitude. He stood there, and in terms of momentum, he did not seem to be at a disadvantage. Obviously, he did not live up to the expectations of this group of people.
Among the five people in front, Pan Hongda, who looked serious, obviously did not like Ning Yi's attitude. With a gloomy face, he said in a low voice, "Today, we are having a poetry gathering, but we did not expect such a thing to happen. But as for what I just heard, Ning Liheng, if you do not explain yourself today, I, Pan Hongda, promise you that in Bianliang from now on, don't even think about fame and riches. I will even report it to the imperial court, and make it difficult for you to do anything in Bianliang, and even put you in jail. Do you believe me?!"
Among these people, Pan Hongda was the most strict in his studies, and everyone knew that he had a bad temper. But they did not expect him to say something like this. It was just being questioned at the poetry gathering. At most, his reputation would be ruined, but how could he be put in jail? Ning Yi glanced at him, "Oh? What reason? "
The crowd at the side also frowned, feeling that they had gone too far. Shishi raised her head in surprise. Ji Xianqing frowned and said, "Elder Pan, these words are a little …"
"What do you know!" Pan Hongda glanced at her, "Hmph, do you know that this person is not only a scholar of Jiang Ning, but also a guest of the Kang Palace of Jiang Ning? He is the teacher of the Kang Palace's young prince, Zhou Junwu, and the princess, Zhou Pei!"
When these words were said, the crowd burst into an uproar.
*****
The next chapter is being written. I'm wondering if everyone will vote for me and I'll change it in the morning …
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