Chapter 019: Tooth for Tooth
"Shen Yichen is not a simple young man..."
Taining Marquis Chen Ying sighed. When he saw Shen Yichen confronting Zhu Ji before, he felt that he had extraordinary aura, and now his guess has been proved.
"Indeed, your quick reaction and accurate counterattack are very consistent with my temperament."
Duke of Wei Xu Xianzong echoed the sentiment. This group of people were all shrewd people. He had seen that from the moment Zhu Jin started to provoke and target them. He just didn't expect Shen Yichen to fight back so beautifully.
Hearing the praise from his colleagues, Duke Chengguo Zhu Yong felt complicated.
Although he vaguely noticed that Shen Yichen had changed a lot due to what happened a few days ago, it was almost impossible for him to suddenly change his impression and understanding of Shen Yichen based on his long-term impression. Zhu Yong still looked down on this son born of a maid.
All of this was turned upside down at today's banquet. Shen Yichen's current performance could no longer be described as a change, it was like he was a different person.
Zhu Yong didn't know whether he should be happy about Shen Yichen's change. After all, apart from the blood relationship between father and son, he didn't have much affection for this son, so he had mixed feelings.
"Shen Yichen, you..."
Faced with this scene that could be described as "public ridicule", Zhu Jin's mentality was completely broken. In anxiety and anger, he pointed directly at Shen Yichen and wanted to curse him.
But at this moment, a student in brocade clothes stood up, grabbed Zhu Jin's arm and shook his head, stopping his impulsive behavior.
Then he turned to look at Shen Yichen and said, "Junior Shen is very intelligent. As a former classmate, I admire him. It is true that when you are away for three days, you should look at him with new eyes."
"In that case, I also have a humble poem that I would like to ask for your advice, Junior Brother Shen. I wonder if you would agree to my suggestion?"
If Zhu Jin was just setting up Shen Yichen before, then now this Jinyi student is almost openly issuing a declaration of war to Shen Yichen.
In an ordinary scholar's family banquet, such overly aggressive provocation might be stopped. But today, most of the people present were military generals and relatives of the nobles. And unlike the middle and late Ming Dynasty, where the nobility was inherited, many of them had fought in the battlefield.
Some powerful military officers and nobles who were interested in watching the fun even clapped their hands on the table and cheered, waiting for Shen Yichen to "accept the challenge".
"It's troublesome. Shen Yichen's poetry is definitely not as good as his."
Chen Qingtong muttered softly, worry written all over his face.
"Miss, how can you know if you haven't competed yet? Didn't Mr. Shen handle it very well just now?"
Xue'er was very puzzled. Shen Yichen sarcastically said that Zhu Jin had the upper hand and did not look weak, so why did the young lady "fear before the battle"?
"You don't know, this man's name is Zeng Mengjian, and he passed the imperial examination at the age of 20. If his father had not passed away, he might have become a Jinshi by now."
"Even so, his chances of passing the Yichou Imperial Examination in the tenth year of Zhengtong are almost certain. The inner court teacher even thinks that he can get a top three score."
"so smart?"
After listening to Chen Qingtong's explanation, Xue'er also inexplicably worried about Shen Yichen. After all, only the top three in the imperial examination can be called the top three. It is conceivable how difficult it would be for such a gifted person to beat him.
Not to mention Xue'er, even Shen Yichen himself is now thinking about how to back out. Zeng Mengjian was a top student in the outer courtyard private school and was admitted to the inner courtyard private school with absolutely excellent grades. He can be called a top student in the Ming Dynasty!
But many times, you can't just retreat if you want to. There is no doubt that the other party will not let you go easily if they don't get back at you today. Now that things have come to this, at least you have to lose the battle. Shen Yichen is not a person who will give in.
"Okay, I'll let Brother Zeng teach me."
"I don't deserve it."
Zeng Mengjian politely returned the greeting with his hands raised, acting like a gentleman, but in fact, a strong sense of tension had already emerged between the two of them.
"When I am drunk, my heart is full of passion, and I can't stop laughing and talking."
"Poetry and books keep my heart far away; the harmony of zither and qin makes the rhythm even more magnificent."
"In the middle, I borrowed the fan of Liu Hou, and on the left and right, I wrote the words of Shao Fu."
"I have new poems to write in return for my old friends, but I am afraid Liu Xiang cannot read."
Zeng Mengjian composed a seven-character regulated verse in a blink of an eye. Compared with Zhu Jin's previous style of writing, which was rather flashy and vulgar, this poem was bold and straightforward, expressing his aspirations, and making people feel majestic.
"What a great poem, with the legacy of the Tang and Song dynasties!"
An official in his fifties who was sitting at Shen Yichen's table applauded with satisfaction after hearing Zeng Mengjian's poem, and it was obvious that he appreciated it very much.
"Sun Tixue has a sharp eye, and this boy has great talent."
An official nearby also praised him and called him Sun Tixue. If Shen Yichen remembered correctly, the current Yingtian Prefecture Tixue official was named Sun Ding, who also served as the Imperial Censor. It seemed that this was the one.
Wow, the chief examiner of the county exam, Zhou Zhixian, was sitting next to him, and the chief examiner of the academy exam, Sun Tixue, was sitting at the same table. If nothing unexpected happened, the chief examiner of the prefectural exam, Yingtian Fucheng, should also be at this table, so all three chief examiners of the academy exam were gathered together!
If I leave them with the impression that I am not well-educated today, then my chances of becoming a student next year will probably be ruined, let alone taking the imperial examination to become a scholar and gain fame.
"Duke Chengguo, there are really many talented people in your school. No wonder you were able to pass the imperial examination at a young age."
At the main table, Taining Marquis Chen Ying complimented Zhu Yong at the right time. He was very clear about the purpose of today's banquet. It seemed that Zeng Mengjian's talent would be favored by many people.
"Yes, if this boy's eight-part essay can reach this level, then he might win the first prize in the Yichou Examination."
Li Long, the Earl of Xiangcheng, echoed this, and then he joked to Chen Ying with a smile, "Marquis Taining, no wonder you sent your daughter to study at the Duke of Chengguo's Mansion. It seems that I will also have to send a grandson to the Duke of Chengguo's Mansion one day."
Facing the guests' compliments, Zhu Yong also waved his hands to be modest, but he was also a little proud in his heart. Zeng Mengjian was indeed very knowledgeable, which indirectly proved the strength of the Chengguo Mansion's private school.
You have to know that most of the nobles in the Ming Dynasty were military generals who were granted titles. In the eyes of literati, they were uncultured and rough. If the Chengguo Mansion could achieve a flourishing literary style, wouldn't it be both civil and military?
Amidst all the praise and compliments, Zhu Qingyu suddenly stood up and flattered: "Senior Brother Zeng is truly a rare talent. I admire this poem very much. Especially the last sentence, which is the finishing touch!"
As soon as Zhu Yuqing said this, the inner courtyard students burst into laughter. Just like Shen Yichen's last sentence in satirizing Zhu Jin's poem, Zeng Mengjian's last sentence in this poem was also satirizing Shen Yichen.
The poem "But I'm afraid Liu and Xiang are illiterate" is a quote from Zhang Ji's "Burning Books and Pitfalls" in the Tang Dynasty. The original sentence is "Liu and Xiang did not know how to read."
The original meaning of this sentence was that the literati were satirizing Qin Shihuang's burning of books and burying of scholars to control speech, which was meaningless. However, it was overturned by Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, two people who had not read much.
Zeng Mengjian modified this line of poetry and used it on Shen Yichen, satirizing him for not studying, which just happened to echo his current identity as a "schoolboy".
It can even be said that the reason why Zeng Mengjian's poem received such high praise is that, in addition to being well written, he also used his own method to treat the person in his own way, demonstrating his extremely high level of academic achievement.
