Chapter 068 Miss Idol
When the name Shen Yichen came out of Li Min's mouth, the faces and expressions of the nobles and ministers present were different.
At the family banquet of Duke Cheng's mansion that day, many of the people present had witnessed Shen Yichen's talent in writing poems. However, the rumors about this mansion examination also reached the ears of this group of people.
Logically speaking, at a time like this, Li Min should have chosen to avoid suspicion and protect himself, but he actually supported Shen Yichen so much. How confident must he be in his talent to dare to do so?
If Shen Yichen fails to write good poems today, I'm afraid cheating in the imperial examination will not be just a rumor, but will become a real crime!
"Oh, is Shen Yichen also attending today's flower viewing party? This boy has become very popular recently, and I want to see if he can replicate his talent at the Duke Cheng's family banquet that day."
Duke of Wei Xu Xianzong's words also made many people nod in agreement. The shock given by "Linjiangxian" that day was still fresh in their memory after a long time. I wonder what other amazing works this Shen Yichen will come up with.
"I am a little curious about what Duke Wei said. It's a pity that I was not in Nanjing that day and could not witness this boy's graceful performance of Linjiangxian."
Cheng'an Hou Guo Sheng had a look of longing on his face. He had also read Shen Yichen's "Linjiangxian". The artistic conception of watching the ups and downs of life with a smile made him feel deeply moved.
After all, most nobles have never experienced the experience of being stripped of their titles, punished, and then reinstated. Therefore, Guo Sheng has a deep liking for Shen Yichen. If he sees him today and finds him handsome and beautiful, it is not impossible for him to choose him as his son-in-law.
The more the nobles praised and favored Shen Yichen, the more frightened Li Min became, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
This situation is already difficult to back down from. If Shen Yichen doesn't perform well today, the consequences will be serious.
"Marquis Cheng'an, there is no need to feel regretful. Lord Li has chosen Shen Yichen as the first choice and values him so highly. It seems that Shen Yichen's knowledge is truly amazing. Today, perhaps he will have the opportunity to compose another stunning poem and allow everyone present to relive the same scene."
"I hope so."
Cheng'an Marquis Guo Sheng nodded and turned his gaze to the bulletin board in front of Jingmiao Hall again.
The nobles and ministers all admired the talent of the lyricist, except Taining Marquis Chen Ying, who felt complicated emotions after hearing the name Shen Yichen.
To be honest, Chen Ying had no ill feelings towards Shen Yichen. On the contrary, he was very optimistic about and admired him. He even did something like "calling a horse a zebra" in order to help him.
But unfortunately, this boy's birth was too low. Not to mention a legitimate son with hope of inheriting the title, he was not even a bastard's son. He was just a maid's son who was not included in the family tree.
According to this starting point, even if he eventually obtained the recognition of Duke Chengguo and was granted the title by the emperor, under normal circumstances, he would only be able to become a military officer of the third rank, such as a commander or a deputy commander.
Taining Marquis Chen Ying's standard for a good future son-in-law is that even if he is not a super-rank lord, he must at least be a first-rank official or a cabinet minister. To put it bluntly, there are so many third-rank military officers in the entire Ming Dynasty, but can this be considered an official?
If a man has no power, what can he use to protect his wife, children and family prosperity?
His daughter is the only daughter of the Marquis of Taining. If she marries such a minor official, when she meets a noble lady or a lady of honor in the future, will she have to bow her head and salute her?
If he had a son, Qingtong could still rely on the reputation of his mother's family in the future and would not be at a disadvantage. However, Chen Ying knew very well that his title would most likely be passed on to a branch of the family.
Without her natal family, Qingtong can only rely on the prosperity of her husband's family for the rest of her life.
Originally, if Shen Yichen had lived a life of mediocrity, his feelings for his daughter Qingtong would have faded with time. But after half a year, this boy won the first prize in the Winter Solstice Poetry Contest and attracted the attention of scholars and writers all over the world.
He also won the first place in the county and prefectural examinations successively. If nothing unexpected happens, according to the unspoken rules of the imperial examination, it is a foregone conclusion that he will pass the academy examination and become a scholar.
The better Shen Yichen performed, the more it shook Taining Marquis Chen Ying's previously firm ideas. Should he break up the couple, or give this boy a chance?
But marriage is no joke, especially when it comes to betting on one's daughter's life. Chen Ying really isn't sure how far Shen Yichen will go in the future.
Inside the curtain of the fan pavilion, the young ladies from noble families came to the veil one after another, wanting to see through the veil to see the calligraphy works of the young masters and scholars on the bulletin board.
"Sister Chen, the poems of Xu Donghai from Yingtian Prefecture seem to be very good. What do you think?"
"The poem is very good, but it is too young and not suitable for children."
"Miss Guo, the work of the Duke of England seems to have been praised by the lords. Would you like to take a closer look?"
When Cheng'an Marquis's legitimate daughter Guo Yongxin heard her sisters' recommendation, she shook her head and replied, "Although Zhang Zhong is talented, he suffers from a disability, which is a bit regrettable."
At the same time, Xu Yan, the daughter of the Marquis of Xing'an, also recommended to Chen Qingtong: "Sister Qingtong, I see that the legitimate son of the Duke of Cheng, Zhu Ji, is also in the crowd. I have heard that he is handsome and has a lot of popularity. What do you think?"
Xu Yan also knew that Chen Qingtong was the apple of Taining Hou's eye and she had to marry someone of a suitable status. Although Zhu Ji was not the eldest son, he could be considered a legitimate son now, and he was also Chen Qingtong's classmate, so they could barely be called childhood sweethearts, and they were a good match in every way.
"Not interested in."
Chen Qingtong didn't even think of taking a look, he was completely immersed in his job of feeding the fish.
"What about Wei Zhuo, the first in the Hangzhou case? He is a man of great talent and good looks. His father is the vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel in the capital. He has a bright future ahead of him."
Hearing that he was the first in the provincial examination, Chen Qingtong muttered subconsciously : "If I could be the first in the provincial examination, would I have to wait until now to choose him?"
"Oh, who does my sister want to choose?"
After all, Xu Yan had been married before, so she immediately realized that there was something else Chen Qingtong was saying, and immediately asked a follow-up question.
"Shen..."
Chen Qingtong was throwing fish food and wasn't paying much attention. He subconsciously wanted to say Shen Yichen's name, but as soon as he said the word Shen, he felt something was wrong and took back the last two words Yichen.
"Sister Yan, it's nothing."
"Who is the Young Master of the Shen Family?"
After hearing this, Xu Yan began to think. Among the noble officials present today, there seemed to be no senior official with the surname Shen.
Since he is not the son of an official or a noble, he should be a talented scholar attending the meeting, plus Chen Qingtong mentioned the first place in the provincial examination.
Suddenly Xu Yan thought of someone who perfectly met all the criteria.
"Shen Yichen!"
Maybe because she was too excited, Xu Yan directly called out the name, and the young ladies from official families who were originally admiring the poetic talent in front of the gauze were now all attracted to him.
"Who is Shen Yichen?"
"I know Shen Yichen, the champion of the Winter Solstice Poetry Festival. The song "Jinmingchi" vividly describes the tenderness of a woman."
"So it's him. I think the 'Linjiangxian' that is praised by scholars is also written by him."
"That's right, even the newly promoted Yingtian Prefecture case champion is him."
The young ladies from official families talked about it a lot and soon dug up all of Shen Yichen's past experiences.
If "Linjiangxian" has a great influence among literati and scholars, then "Jinmingchi" has left a deep impression on the ladies of noble families, just like Liu Yong in the Song Dynasty.
Shen Yichen is now popular with both men and women!
"Qingtong, do you have feelings for Shen Yichen? Did he come to the flower viewing party today?"
Guo Yongxin came over at this time and asked a question.
"No, don't listen to what Sister Yan says."
Chen Qingtong quickly denied it. In the Ming Dynasty, it was almost impossible for an unmarried woman to publicly admit that she liked a man.
"What a pity. I also want to see what kind of work Shen Yichen would produce if he participated."
Guo Yongxin had never seen Shen Yichen in person, but she knew as much about him as the other young ladies present. It could even be said that besides Chen Qingtong, she was the one who paid the most attention to Shen Yichen's past experiences.
"Sister Yongxin, are you curious too? It seems that Mr. Shen is really eye-catching. It would be best if he could come and participate today."
Xu Yan echoed, then looked towards the garden, trying to search for Shen Yichen.
However, there were many young men and scholars present, and the fan pavilion was covered with a layer of gauze to block the view, so it was almost impossible for the young ladies from noble families to see Shen Yichen in the crowd.
Therefore, there is no way to confirm whether Shen Yichen participated in this flower-viewing party.
"If Master Shen were to participate, he would definitely be the best in the whole venue. He is a man of great talent."
Xue'er couldn't help but praise him at this time. She had witnessed with her own eyes the dazzling image of Shen Yichen at the family dinner of Duke Chengguo's Mansion.
"Really? I seem to be looking forward to it more and more."
A smile appeared on Guo Yongxin's lips, but when Chen Qingtong saw this expression and tone, he felt a little upset.
It seemed that the other party had more than just admiration for Shen Yichen.
The young ladies from official families were all talking about Shen Yichen, and the situation among the young masters and scholars was not much better.
There are already several excellent works on the notice board, but Shen Yichen has yet to start writing. Add to that the rumors of cheating in the imperial examination at the Chengguo Mansion private school, and I wonder if this kid has run out of ideas and can't write any good poems?
At this time, a scholar who thought he was talented came to Shen Yichen with a proud look on his face and said, "Isn't this the new champion of Yingtian Prefecture? In such a grand occasion, why don't you write a good piece of work for us to read and appreciate?"
The words of this scholar instantly made all the young masters and scholars present turn their attention to Shen Yichen, and most of them had malicious eyes.
Facing this sudden question, Shen Yichen was not mentally prepared. After a moment of hesitation, he felt the other party's unfriendly attitude, so he replied coldly: "I haven't written it yet."
However, in the eyes of others, this kind of answer seems like a guilty conscience after cheating, and they dare not create it on the spot.
“Is it unwritten, or can’t be written?”
So the visitor did not intend to let the matter go, but continued to ask questions aggressively.
After someone took the lead, more people who questioned Shen Yichen's knowledge could no longer hold back and gathered around, ready to tear off the mask that this boy used to deceive the world and steal fame.
Shen Yichen felt the aggressive gazes of the crowd, and finally he understood that the flower-viewing party was probably a Hongmen Banquet for him.
Is the next situation I will face going to be a situation where everyone attacks me?
