Chapter 018 Whatever you fear will come true
"The garden is filled with fragrance and the flowers are in bloom. The golden cups on the banquet table are filled with sweet wine."
"Drunk and reciting poetry are all joyful, and those sitting here are all exiled immortal officials."
When Zhu Jin finished reading this poem, the students in the inner courtyard applauded.
“Good poem!”
"Brother Zhu is indeed a young talent!"
"With Brother Zhu's literary talent, he will definitely pass the provincial examination next year!"
At the same time, Duke Chengguo Zhu Yong nodded and smiled, and asked a middle-aged man beside him: "Marquis Fengcheng, what do you think of this boy's poetry?"
The lineage of Fengcheng Hou also rose from the Fengtian Jingnan Campaign and lived in Nanjing for generations. During the Zhengtong period, the second generation of Fengcheng Hou, Li Xian, was passed down. In history, he would succeed Xiangcheng Bo Li Long as the garrison commander of Nanjing, and was considered one of the most powerful nobles stationed in Nanjing.
"Well written. The poem is rich and majestic, and has a free and easy blessing meaning. It is very suitable for today's banquet."
"Thank you for the compliment, Lord Fengcheng."
After hearing Li Xian's words, Zhu Jin also took the initiative to thank him, with a proud look on his face. After all, it was not easy to show up in front of so many nobles, not to mention being praised.
After hearing the praise from Marquis Fengcheng, the maid Xue'er leaned over and whispered in Chen Qingtong's ear.
"Miss, is Zhu Jin's poem really well written?"
"Generally, the Marquis of Fengcheng is always polite."
Chen Qingtong replied with disdain that it would certainly be an exaggeration to call Zhu Jin's poem a doggerel, but there was nothing outstanding about the whole poem and it could only be considered barely acceptable.
As for the praise from the Marquis of Fengcheng, on the one hand, it was purely out of courtesy. As an elder noble, it was impossible for him to refuse the younger generation's face in such an occasion. On the other hand, Zhu Jin was the grandson of the Zhu clan elder, and could be regarded as a close branch of , so Chengguo Duke Zhu Yong had to give him this face.
So many times, when we comment on poetry, what we are actually talking about are the ways of the world.
"What is Mr. Shen's level of poetry? Can he show his knowledge today?"
Xue'er asked with her big curious eyes blinking. She knew that the young lady invited Shen Yichen to the banquet just to show off her knowledge in front of everyone like Zhu Jin did.
It is said that the prefect of Yingtian and the governor of Nanzhili are present today. They are the chief examiners of the prefectural and provincial examinations. If he can get their appreciation, his path to the imperial examination will be much easier. But I don't know how talented Mr. Shen is in writing.
Facing Xue'er's question, Chen Qingtong was subconsciously stunned for a moment, as if he really didn't know much about Shen Yichen's level of knowledge. However, judging from his private school grades and the fact that he didn't even pass the exam, Shen Yichen's knowledge shouldn't be that good.
At the beginning, I simply thought that today's family dinner was an opportunity, and I forgot to consider whether Shen Yichen had the ability to seize the opportunity!
"Well, I'm not sure either..."
Chen Qingtong replied in a low voice, sounding very guilty.
"What if Mr. Shen doesn't have enough knowledge?"
Xue'er also saw that Chen Qingtong was feeling guilty, and Shen Yichen was still studying at a private school outside the courtyard, so his knowledge must not be that good.
It’s okay if you can’t make a splash at a family dinner, but the worst thing is to make a fool of yourself and leave a bad impression, which would be counterproductive.
Sometimes, what you fear will come true. Xue'er had just asked what to do when Zhu Jin, who had just finished composing a poem, said, "It is better to share happiness with others than to enjoy it alone. I heard that Brother Shen Yichen, a student from the private school in the outer courtyard, is very talented. Why don't you compose a poem to cheer you up?"
Shen Yichen, who was waiting to eat, suddenly heard Zhu Jin call on him, and instantly felt like he was screwed. No wonder he took a special look before writing the poem, it turned out that he was waiting for an opportunity to embarrass himself.
Not only Shen Yichen was extremely unhappy, but Duke Chengguo Zhu Yong, who had a smile on his face, also looked gloomy after hearing Zhu Jin's words.
Shen Yichen was an illegitimate child who was not included in the family tree. His appearance in such an occasion was likely to attract criticism. Moreover, Zhu Jin emphasized the word "schoolboy", which was almost equivalent to telling everyone that Shen Yichen had not even passed the examination for a student, which really brought shame to the Chengguo Mansion.
Moreover, Zhu Yong knew very well what Shen Yichen's level of knowledge was. Wouldn't this make him look bad in public?
"My dear Shen, are you still a student?"
Jiangning County Magistrate Zhou Shun couldn't help but ask in surprise. He thought Shen Yichen was most likely a scholar, or even a juren, but at the very least he would be a tongsheng.
But no one expected that this kid, who was not even a student, had sneaked into the family banquet of Duke Chengguo’s mansion?
Faced with the question, Shen Yichen could only nod awkwardly and admit it, then stood up and said, "Brother Zhu, thank you for your kindness. I am not well-educated and I am afraid I can't write any good poems, so as not to disturb the elegance of you gentlemen."
Shen Yichen has always been aware of his own level. It is not a problem for him to show off the things he has memorized . Original poetry is really difficult for modern people. At present, the best he can do is to write a doggerel poem.
Rather than bringing humiliation upon myself, I might as well just find an excuse to get away with it.
However, Shen Yichen did not expect that he had already given in. After the second son Zhu Ji, who was sitting opposite him, gave him a look, Zhu Jin still pursued him and said, "Brother Shen, you are too modest. Are you unwilling to show off in front of all the adults?"
Previously, Shen Yichen had used the name of Marquis Taining to make Zhu Ji suffer a loss. He had already made up his mind that he would not let Shen Yichen go today no matter what.
Now, using Zhu Jin's words, I will put Shen Yichen on the fire and make sure this kid loses face to avenge myself!
Facing Zhu Jin's aggressiveness, Shen Yichen also understood that it would be difficult to dodge this time, so he simply hit back: "I am telling the truth. When it comes to writing poems, I am indeed not as good as you, Brother Zhu, in flattery."
When Shen Yichen said this, Zhu Jin had a smile of victory on his face. It seemed that this maid-born son understood his identity.
Unexpectedly, Chen Qingtong suddenly burst into laughter, which led to the guests at other tables also laughing one after another. Many people even changed their eyes when they looked at Zhu Jin.
The reason for the laughter is that Shen Yichen's words "flattering" appear to be self-deprecating, but in fact have the effect of double entendre, implicitly satirizing Zhu Jin's poems.
The reason lies in Zhu Jin’s last sentence, “All those sitting here are banished immortals.” The original meaning of banished immortals is the state of immortals after being demoted to the mortal world. Later, it was extended to refer to people with extraordinary talent and elegance. Talented literati such as Li Bai and Du Fu were once called “banned immortals.”
Zhu Jin said that all the officials present were exiled immortals like Li Bai and Du Fu. Isn't that just flattery?
It is normal to put this kind of boasting in poetry. At most, the listeners will feel embarrassed that it is a bit too much. But when it is directly exposed like this, the taste is completely different.
All those present were the best in the Ming Dynasty's imperial examinations. How could they not understand Shen Yichen's sarcasm? It was normal for them to laugh out loud, but not laughing out loud only showed that they had good self-control.
Along with the laughter, Zhu Jin also realized Shen Yichen's insinuation. The smile on his face instantly turned the color of liver, and his body began to tremble with shame and anger.
Zhu Jin was probably the first person in the Ming Dynasty to become a laughing stock in front of all the nobles and ministers in Nanjing...
