Chapter 037 Top Writer
"What the number one scholar said is even right!"
“Talented scholars, beautiful women and beautiful scenery are the perfect time for creation.”
"Our Ming Dynasty is full of talented people, and today's poetry gathering will surely produce masterpieces that will be passed down through the ages."
The literati and scholars present all expressed their support and approval, and many of them were already rubbing their hands, waiting for this opportunity to make themselves famous!
Seeing the enthusiastic response from the literati below, Lin Zhen stroked his beard and felt very satisfied.
Then he turned to Sun Tixue and said, "Grandmaster, please set the questions."
Although Lin Zhen was the top scholar and the chief judge of the poetry competition, he had retired after all.
The ancients believed in the doctrine of the mean, and one person should not be allowed to steal all the limelight. Sun Tixue was the grandmaster of the educational administration, and in a broad sense he could be considered the "teacher" of all the students taking the imperial examinations in Yingtian, so he deserves a few words.
"Well, since the top scholar has invited me, I will accept the invitation."
After that, Sun Tixue stood up and said to the scholars present: "In ancient times, there was the Qushui Liushang in the Xiyuan Gathering. How about we imitate the ancients and have a Feishangling in our Winter Solstice Poetry Gathering today?"
"I wonder what word the Grand Master used as his command?"
There was a bold scholar in the audience who started asking questions before Sun Tixue finished speaking.
"Today, two great Qinhuai ladies are here, both of whom are beauties who can be called the oiran. So, let's just use the word 'flower' as the order and start from the first table on the left."
As soon as they heard that Sun Tixue had posed the word "flower", some of the quicker-witted scholars had already begun racking their brains to think of poems.
The so-called Fei Shang Ling is mostly called Fei Hua Ling in later generations. Those who have watched CCTV's "Chinese Poetry Competition" should know that there is a similar Super Fei Hua Ling competition segment in basically every season.
However, there is another kind of game in ancient times called "Nian Zi Liu Shang". Only when a certain word appears in the poem to be answered can it be called a certain order. For example, if the word "flower" is agreed upon, it is called Fei Hua Ling, and if the word "moon" is agreed upon, it can only be called Fei Yue Ling.
There is also a more formal name, which can also be called "Yue Zi Liu Shang Ling".
The Feihualing that is beginning now is the opening program of the Winter Solstice Poetry Festival. It does not participate in the poetry judging and is more like a warm-up.
Of course, if you are knowledgeable enough, you can also use Feihualing to stand out, and the effect is actually the same.
Compared to the scholars at other tables who were ready to go and waiting to take the order to show their talents, the two people at Shen Yichen's table looked worried.
"Shen Yichen, what do you think we should do next? How should we continue with this flower character?"
According to the rules, at least one scholar from each table had to stand up and compose a poem with the word "flower". This meant that one of the two people at Shen Yichen's table had to stand up and take the flying flower order.
"how could I know."
Shen Yichen was also very confused. This thing seemed simple, but it was actually not easy. The main reason was that the scholars attending the meeting today had too high a level of knowledge, which could easily raise the overall quality of Feihua Ling too much.
Objectively speaking, after several months of study, Shen Yichen's poetry writing has improved, but it is not good enough for this kind of occasion.
Once compared, the difference will most likely be immediately apparent, and it will still be embarrassing in the public eye.
Now that I think about it, it’s a good thing that I didn’t choose to say hello to Lin Zhen when I came here, otherwise wouldn’t the reputation of this top scholar be ruined in my own hands?
"Okay Shen Yichen, didn't you agree to help me before? Are you going back on your word now?"
Li Da was now furious. Shen Yichen had said before that he would cover up something, but when the time came, he said he didn't know.
If I had known that each table had to accept the flying flower order, I would not have chosen the last seat in the corner. I might have been able to get away with it easily if I had chosen a seat where there were more people!
"Don't judge others by your own standards. Don't worry, I'll take over soon!"
Shen Yichen is not the kind of person who goes back on his word. Since he has heard Li Da's reason for attending the meeting, he naturally has to fulfill his promise.
Anyway, Shen Yichen’s image has never been good before, so it’s not a big deal if he loses face again.
When Li Da heard Shen Yichen admit it, his expression changed instantly and he immediately hugged him affectionately.
"Shen Yichen, you are so loyal. I didn't misjudge you! If you have anything to say in the academy, please talk to me. Your business is my business!"
Shen Yichen pushed Li Da's hand away with a look of disdain and said, "My dear brother, we can't mess up the seniority!"
While Li Da and Shen Yichen were bargaining, a scholar at the first table on the left stood up and bowed to Sun Tixue at the main table, saying, "Grand Master, I am a student of Yingtian who has been invited by you. I would like to take this order."
"Well, you came up with a poem so quickly. You are really quick-witted."
Sun Tixue started to praise him, saying that this was the advantage of winning the first prize, not only would it attract the attention of the entire audience, but even the judges would look at it with higher regard.
Of course, in addition to this, Sun Tixue had also seen Zeng Mengjian's poems at the family dinner of Duke Cheng's Mansion. Even though he was eventually outshined by Shen Yichen, he still had a very good impression of his talent, so he appreciated it.
"Thank you for the compliment, Grand Master."
After thanking him, Zeng Mengjian stood still and said, "A red flower shines brightly in the clear pond, and the flower's shadow sways on the moon's brow."
"Yes, the poem is reflected in the scenery, but it has great talent."
Sun Tixue was indeed quite optimistic about Zeng Mengjian and gave him a high evaluation. In addition, the first person to step forward and accept the order objectively took less time to think than others and was more worthy of encouragement.
"See? This is Zeng Mengjian! Before, I said he was a great talent, and some people dared to refute me. Now, do you dare to refute the Grandmaster?"
The middle-aged scholar at the neighboring table who had been arguing before can now be said to be very proud. Who would dare to disobey a candidate who has been certified as a talented candidate by the Grand Master?
As expected, with the approval of the grandmaster, the scholars who were arguing at the same table could only smile awkwardly to express their agreement.
Li Da naturally heard what the people at the next table said. He nudged Shen Yichen with his arm and said, "Hey, did Zeng Mengjian lose to you at the family dinner?"
"Um."
"He seems to have some talent. Don't let him overshadow you this time."
"Why, are you helping me position myself?"
Shen Yichen was speechless. Since when did Li Da become on the same side as him?
"Of course, when he was in the outer courtyard, this grandson relied on his knowledge to look down on everyone. Although you are also annoying, you are still much better than him."
Hearing this, Shen Yichen was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. The enemy of his enemy was his friend. He never expected that one day he would share the same hatred for the enemy as Li Da.
With Zeng Mengjian's sample at the first table, the scholars waiting behind were even more eager to try.
Soon the order was passed to the second table, the third table, and the fourth table. Some people who were particularly utilitarian even rushed to stand up and take the order in order to compete for the opportunity to be in the spotlight at each table.
Shen Yichen had no interest in the works of these people, but when a scholar in his thirties stood up to introduce his works, he perked up.
"My dear friends, I am a candidate from Yanzhou Prefecture, Zhejiang Province. My surname is Shang, my given name is Lu, and my courtesy name is Hongzai. I have come to Yingtian to perform this ugliness. I hope you will forgive me."
Shang Lu? Could he be the second top scholar in the Ming Dynasty?
During the 267 years of the Ming Dynasty, there appeared two people who won the top three places in the imperial examinations: Huang Guan in the Hongwu period and Shang Lu in the Zhengtong period.
However, Huang Guan was stripped of his title of No. 1 scholar because he was loyal to Emperor Jianwen Zhu Yunwen and chose to die in the river after the Jingnan Campaign, which angered Emperor Chengzu Zhu Di. As a result, the only person who had the right to win the title in the Ming Dynasty was Shang Lu during the Zhengtong period.
“I didn’t expect that Shang Jieyuan would come to participate in the Winter Solstice Poetry Festival!”
"Isn't Shang Jieyuan studying hard in the Imperial College? Why did he come to Yingtian Prefecture?"
"Shang Jieyuan has been studying hard for eight or nine years. He should set out to participate in the next spring imperial examination next year and come out of seclusion."
"If I had known that Shang Jieyuan was here today, why would I fight for first place?"
Not only Shen Yichen was paying attention to Shang Lu, the other scholars present were also talking about him, and it could be seen that he was very famous.
In fact, this is true . In the tenth year of Xuande reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty, Shang Lu, who was only in his early twenties at the time, easily won the top spot in the imperial examination. He became famous at a young age.
For comparison, think about Zeng Mengjian, who was the third place in the provincial examination at the age of 20 and was admired by countless people in Nanjing, not to mention the first place winner.
Many people believed that this young champion would surely win the imperial examination the following year. Some radicals even believed that with Shang Lu's knowledge and talent, it was not impossible for him to win the top three prizes.
But reality is often ruthless and cruel. In the imperial examination, Shang Lu not only failed to win the top three places, but also failed directly, which surprised many people.
When a scholar encounters this kind of situation, he would be very disappointed and would want to try again to prove himself. However, Shang Lu's determination was so strong that he did not choose to take the exam again or give up. Instead, he entered the Imperial Academy to study for ten years!
It is understandable that those who are not capable enough study hard for ten years, but it is rare in the world for someone who has the title of Jieyuan to be able to calm down and improve himself and not take the exam unless he is absolutely sure.
In the end, hard work paid off. Shang Lu passed the imperial examinations again in the tenth year of Zhengtong and became the "Three First Prizes" and "Top Prize", achieving the highest honor for a scholar!
The tenth year of Zhengtong is two years from now. If Shen Yichen succeeds in the imperial examination, theoretically he can even be in the same year as Shang Lu. Then, won't he be able to witness the birth of the top three candidates in the imperial examination with his own eyes?
"The twin flowers lean against the wind, seeming to speak tenderly; the dew-covered flowers are yet leaning against each other."
Just as Shen Yichen was daydreaming, Shang Lu's Flying Flower Order had already been made, and instantly the whole hall was filled with exclamations!
Twin flowers, twin petals, coquettish and yet pure...
These fourteen characters use flowers to describe people, which is very vivid and makes the flowers come alive. It also fits the topic set by Sun Tixue and corresponds to the Qinhuai Shuangjue presented today. It is really a work of ingenuity.
Compared with Shang Lu, the flying flower orders that the literati had received before were nothing compared to goods. There is no hope for survival if people are compared to each other!
"Is this the knowledge of the top scholar? It's really terrifying!"
"That's amazing! In the Yichou Imperial Examination in the tenth year of Zhengtong, Brother Shang will definitely win the first place!"
"Today's participants have a total of ten talents, and Brother Shang probably accounts for eight of them!"
Not to mention these scholars, even Shen Yichen was filled with admiration after hearing it.
He didn't expect that Shang Lu could actually make a flying flower order come alive!
However, Shen Yichen soon discovered an important problem, that is, after Shang Lu took over, it seemed that his table would be the next to take the turn.
Before, I thought I had no chance of survival compared to others, but it turns out that I am the clown. With Shang Lu as an example, I am really screwed now...
