"What did my father say to you just now?"
When they came out of the Hall of Diligent Government, they saw Li Yi holding Yong Ning's hand and humming a light and nameless tune. It was obvious that he was in a good mood. So, MIngzhu walked up to him and asked.
"You will know when we go to the Hall of Political Integrity." Li Yi replied casually and whispered something in Yong Ning's ear. The little girl's eyes instantly lit up.
Li Mingzhu's expression changed slightly. She instantly understood what he was referring to, and her heart that was hanging in the air finally relaxed.
Li Xuan's expression was also slightly excited. He immediately looked forward to the competition.
"This is a serious matter. Your Majesty, please reconsider!"
"County Li is indeed talented in mathematics. But today's competition can't be treated as a child's play!"
"Your Majesty, please take back your order. We can't lose again!"
…
…
Hearing the news just announced by Emperor Jing, several high-ranking officials in the imperial court changed their expressions and stepped forward to persuade him.
They had long been accustomed to Li Yi's ability to surprise him at the critical moment. How could they not know that Li Yi was 100% confident when they saw his expression just now? At this moment, they didn't bother to explain to the officials. They waved their hands and said, "I have made up my mind. You don't need to say more. It's almost time. Follow me to the Hall of Political Integrity."
"Your Majesty …"
Several officials still wanted to say something, but Emperor Jing had already walked out of the hall.
"Your Majesty, you are too hasty. Could it be that County Li's attainments in poetry are higher than Wei Siye's? I'm afraid that he will lose today …" The Minister of the Ministry of Rites said with a worried expression.
A trace of despair even appeared on the faces of the officials behind him. How could a young man in his twenties compare with Wei Siye, who had studied poetry for decades? His Majesty's momentary play would make the Jing Kingdom pay a heavy price.
Wei Siye, on the other hand, didn't show any disappointment or anger. Instead, he seemed relieved.
After all, in a situation where he would lose more than he would win, he would also have a lot of psychological pressure. Of course, it would be good if he won, but if he lost, Ma Zhongcheng would be an example to him. He would be reviled by the people of the capital and even the entire Jing Kingdom. Just the thought of it was frightening. If it was not necessary, who would be willing to bet their reputation on this match?
That Li Xianzi was still too young, and youthful vigor often came at a great price.
It was rare that Prime Minister Qin didn't express any opinion on this matter. Among the people present, even Dong Wenyun didn't know County Magistrate Li better than him.
If even Wei Siye did not have the confidence to win, then His Majesty's decision was probably the most correct one.
…
…
The Hall of Legislative Affairs was where all the officials attended the morning court. However, from yesterday onwards, the morning court session was no longer the most important activity of the Hall of Legislative Affairs. There was nothing more important than winning the contest against the Qi Kingdom.
More than ten core officials and Emperor Jing were discussing important matters in the Hall of Legislative Affairs, while the others were waiting outside the Hall of Legislative Affairs.
When Li Yi and the others arrived, there were already many people outside the hall.
It was not time yet, so the doors of the hall were not opened. When the three of them walked to a secluded corner with few people, Li Xuan, who had been talking to MIngzhu in a low voice, suddenly froze. Then he walked to the side with a happy expression, patted a young man's shoulder, and said in surprise, "Brother, we meet again."
The young man turned his head and looked a little surprised. When he saw Li Xuan, he showed a puzzled expression. Soon, he understood and said, "You are the one from the Jadeite Courtyard …"
Li Yi and MIngzhu walked over. When he saw the young man, he was also a little surprised. Last time in the Jadeite Courtyard, because there were no seats, Li Xuan took the initiative to share a table with him. Although they didn't talk much, Li Yi had a good impression of him. It was indeed surprising to meet him in the Imperial Palace this time.
"Why are you here?" Li Xuan looked at him and asked curiously, "Are you also an official of the Imperial Court? Why haven't I seen you before?"
The young man was speechless and didn't know how to answer.
MIngzhu looked at Li Xuan in surprise. The crowd in the distance looked over and there was also a small commotion.
Li Yi looked at the young man and the people behind him. He turned his head and looked around. Seeing the expressions on the officials' faces, he thought to himself, It can't be such a coincidence, can it?
"The Third Prince of the Qi Kingdom?" Li Yi looked at him and asked uncertainly.
At this special time, he was excluded by the officials of the Jing Kingdom. These people clearly saw him as their leader. Other than the famous Third Prince, there seemed to be no one else.
"Brother Li, we meet again." The young man smiled and cupped his hands in salute to them.
Li Xuan was stunned and didn't recover from the surprise for a moment.
Li Yi saluted the young man and pulled on Li Xuan's sleeve, pulling him to another place. This was not a suitable occasion to get close to the young man.
"The person with them seems to be the Eldest Princess of the Jing Kingdom. Do you know them, Third Prince?" After Li Yi and the other two left, an old man came up and asked.
The young man smiled and said, "I've met them once. They are two interesting people."
He didn't continue on this topic and asked, "The second round of the competition is about to begin. Brother Xiu Wen, are you ready?"
The other young man leaned against a pillar and was engrossed in a book. He didn't answer. The Third Prince of the Qi Kingdom shook his head. The poetry addict was indeed a poetry addict …
On the other side, MIngzhu looked at Li Yi and Li Xuan suspiciously. Before she could ask the question in her heart, there was a sudden commotion. Not far away, Jing Di, accompanied by Xiang Qin and the others, slowly walked over.
The officials looked excited and followed Jing Di into the main hall. The Third Prince of the Qi Kingdom looked at the young man behind him and said, "Let's go."
The young man stood up and closed the book in his hand. He looked in the direction of the main hall and smiled.
"I hope today's competition will be interesting …"
…
…
The court was strangely quiet.
It wasn't because they were worried that the noise would affect the competition, but because of the decision His Majesty had just announced.
The candidate for this competition was not Wei Siye, but Li Xianzi!
His Majesty's actions had undoubtedly killed off their last glimmer of hope before the competition even began!
If the envoy of the Qi Kingdom was not in the hall, the golden hall would have been in chaos.
The crowd looked at Li Yi with confusion, pity, and even resentment. But no matter what kind of emotion they had, they had no hope for the result of today's competition.
"Li Xianzi?" An imperceptible light flashed in the eyes of the Third Prince of the Qi Kingdom, but it quickly disappeared.
As for the young man, he looked slightly regretful. He waited for the Third Prince to draw a stick from a bamboo tube. When he saw the word "Dusk" on it, he closed his eyes and pondered.
Naturally, this poetry competition would not be free to express themselves. There were dozens of sticks in the bamboo tube, with different contents written on them, such as expressing one's feelings and expressing one's feelings. Whichever one was drawn, the two would use it as the topic and compose a poem respectively. Comparing similar poems, it would naturally be easier to distinguish who was better.
Of course, everyone had their own style of poetry. In order to eliminate chance and ensure fairness, three lots would be drawn for this competition.
The moment the young man closed his eyes, Li Yi had already walked to the table and dipped his brush in ink. Under the shocked expressions of the officials and the envoy of the Qi Kingdom, he wrote decisively.
"So fast?"
"Could it be that he was prepared?"
"That's not possible. The stick was drawn by the Third Prince of the Qi Kingdom. Before this, no one knew the topic, unless …"
"Cough, cough. Lord Zhu, be careful with your words …"
…
…
The officials seemed to have thought of something in their shock. Their expressions became strange. They looked at each other and then returned to normal.
When the envoy of the Qi Kingdom saw this, he naturally thought of something. The expression on his face became somewhat uncertain.
Only the Third Prince's expression was indifferent. When he had drawn the lots, he had already checked them carefully. Every single lot had a different content written on it. Unless he had prepared dozens of excellent poems that could surpass Zhao Xiuwen's within a day — but that was simply impossible.
At this time, he did not care about the poems. He was thinking about something else. His gaze on Li Yi became deeper.
After a while, Li Yi put down his brush. Immediately, a eunuch came forward and posted the poem he had written on the paper.
At this time, Zhao Xiuwen of the Qi Kingdom had not opened his eyes.
The officials naturally looked over at him. They were first shocked by the elegant semi-cursive script. It was said that the County Magistrate of Chang 'an had great attainments in calligraphy at such a young age. At this moment, they realized that the rumors were true.
It must be said that at this moment, a glimmer of hope was ignited in the hearts of the officials.
Then, when they read the poem, their hope was mercilessly extinguished again.
"It's not easy to reach such a level in such a short time."
"It's also an excellent piece of work."
"But it's a pity …"
…
…
Among the hundreds of officials in the Imperial Court, aside from the military generals, those who could be called 'civil officials' were all outstanding individuals. Even if they weren't like Wei Siye, who had spent his entire life studying poetry, how could they not have profound attainments in poetry?
Not to mention that they had prepared in advance, if they had really improvised on the spot, it was rare to be able to write such a poem in such a short time. At least, most of them could not do it. But the person in front of him had the title of "the best poet in a millennium". If it was only to this extent, it was impossible for him to beat him.
Looking at the officials' sighs, Jing Emperor's expression did not change. After glancing at Li Yi, he found that he was talking to Yong Ning in a low voice. He felt more at ease.
At this moment, Zhao Xiuwen finally opened his eyes.
He walked to his table, picked up his brush, and dipped it in ink. The officials' hearts also twisted.
He looked up at the poem that had been posted. His eyes lit up because of the handwriting. Then he shook his head and lowered his head to write.
After a moment, Zhao Xiuwen looked up again.
This time, the brush in his hand could no longer fall.
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