The King of Chu, Zhu Muchen, was sitting on the lotus pond. The King of Han, the King of Zhao, and some meritorious nobles from their respective factions were sitting on either side of him.
This scene looks like the King of Chu is standing high above him like stars holding the moon, but in fact it is the two princes who have trapped him tightly, leaving him no room for maneuver.
However, Zhu Muchen didn't take this move to heart. There was no panic in his movements, and he had the composure to take it calmly even when the mountain is overwhelming.
Even those nobles couldn't help but respect him from the bottom of their hearts after seeing this gesture.
King Zhu Gaoxu of Han saw all this scene, and he sneered secretly in his heart: "Zhu Muchen, just take advantage of it now, and you will look better later."
Immediately, the King of Han raised his glass high and said in a loud voice: "Since the King of Chu is already here, let's start the Lianyuan Literary Meeting."
Then an old man walked slowly from behind the screen. He was wearing Zhan Shifu's clothes.
Zhu Muchen was also slightly startled when he saw this.
Zhan Shifu is an educational institution that teaches princes. It is essentially under the direct command of the emperor. It is impossible for the King of Zhao and the King of Han alone to invite this Zhan Shi. From this point of view, Zhu Di was also involved in this excitement.
Zhan Shi stopped in front of them, first bowed respectfully to the three princes, and then turned around to announce that the Lianyuan Literary Meeting had officially begun.
He was a little nervous at this time, and there were even beads of sweat on his forehead.
How could he, who was in the third rank of Zhengshi, not know that this literary meeting was not simple?
The emperor asked him to be the referee, but he really put a hot potato in his hands.
Although the three princes appear to be enjoying themselves on the surface, no one can guarantee whether the two princes sitting there will make any move?
The danger involved is no less dangerous than a sword fight on the battlefield.
King Zhao looked at the back of Mr. Zhan and narrowed his eyes slightly. Although he was smiling, he was complaining secretly in his heart.
Originally, they had prepared a bachelor to be the referee of this literary meeting. Who would have expected that the old man would suddenly change the person? Wouldn't this put the two brothers in the same situation as the King of Chu?
The old man's meaning is very obvious: If you want to try how many pounds the King of Chu weighs, you can.
It just so happens that he can be happy to see it, but if he uses petty tricks to affect fairness, that won't work.
After Zhan Shi, who was over fifty years old, finished speaking, he gave the first question of this literary conference.
"Since all the talented scholars are in the Lotus Garden at this time, let's take the lotus as the theme for our first exam question."
"Each of you write a poem, the theme of which is related to the lotus. There is no restriction on the type of poem. I will judge and score it afterwards."
The talented people in the audience first saluted Mr. Zhan, and then everyone sat neatly in front of the prepared documents and began to think deeply.
At this moment, a young woman came to Zhu Muchen holding a wine pot. She exuded a faint fragrance, and the clothes she wore were a little thin, and a few rays of spring light were faintly visible.
Even Zhu Muchen was in a daze when he saw the woman's appearance clearly.
He did not expect that the King of Han and the King of Zhao would enjoy life so much. Even the maids who usually served tea and water were so beautiful.
After pouring the wine into the glass, the maid did not leave immediately. Instead, she came behind Zhu Muchen and began to press his shoulders without asking. Her movements were very gentle, and she even used her silver bell-like voice to ask about the strength.
Not suitable.
Beauty is confusing, but Zhu Muchen is very vigilant.
He showed his courtesy when he had nothing to do, and he was either a traitor or a thief. This was on the territory of the King of Han and the King of Zhao, so this man must have been arranged by them.
Of course they wouldn't commit an assassination in public, but they were prepared for anything. Fortunately, he had put on a set of chainmail under his clothes before he came.
Even if they really wanted to commit an assassination, he wouldn't be afraid.
King Han saw Zhu Muchen's eyes narrowing slightly, thinking that he was enjoying the massage from the maid, and he felt happy.
Very good, now the King of Chu is completely obsessed with women, this is a great time.
Then the King of Han winked and looked at the talented man below. After receiving the signal from the King of Han, the talented man stood up directly holding the wine glass and looked at Zhu Muchen.
"The common people have long heard that the King of Chu is a talented man with countless talents. Today, when he saw it, he realized that the King of Chu is indeed well-deserved. The common people dared to compete with the King of Chu for a poem, so that they could see the talent of the King of Chu."
As soon as this statement came out, everyone was shocked!
Poetry competition is when two people write the same poem, and then let the referee score it and judge the level. This is the most direct and simple way to compare the talent of two people. The level of talent is immediately obvious, and the winner is decided on the spot.
The old officer Zhan frowned and scolded: "How dare you, the King of Chu is an honored guest at this cultural gathering. How can you, a common man like you, be able to fight about poetry when you talk about it?"
At this time, not to mention the meritorious nobles and talented people in the Lotus Garden, even those watching outside the Lotus Garden couldn't help but pay attention to this matter.
"Did you hear that a poor student asked the King of Chu for a poetry contest? This man is really brave."
"Hey, I guess the King of Chu will not pay attention to him at all. Naturally, a prince will not take a mere commoner in his eyes."
There was constant discussion below, but Zhu Muchen remained silent.
The King of Han came out first to smooth things over, "Old Zhan, don't worry about it. Since ancient times, it is not uncommon for guests to write poems at literary gatherings. This talented man from a poor family did this out of his admiration for the King of Chu."
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"Why don't you ask the King of Chu what he wants? Are you willing to compete with this talented man for a poem?"
The old man Zhan looked at King Chu with a melancholy expression. Since King Han had already spoken, he had no choice but to turn around and look at King Chu, waiting for him to make a decision.
Zhu Muchen secretly sneered in his heart, is this the "Hongmen Banquet" arranged for him by the King of Han and King Zhao? As long as he refuses at this time, I am afraid that this matter will stir up a thousand waves like a stone, and his reputation among the poor talents will plummet.
And if he agreed, he would be falling into their trap. It was just a trap, so how could he stop him?
Just as Zhu Muchen was about to stand up and respond to the duel, he saw the maid next to him suddenly take two steps forward.
She scolded softly: "How dare you come to compete with the King of Chu in poetry? You are really a frog in the well, and you don't know your own abilities."
"You don't need King Chu to intervene, I will come to meet you."
After saying that, there was a sudden surprise all around.
This woman actually wants to compete with the King of Chu in poetry? You must know that the talented people who can come to participate in the literary festival are all well-read poetry. Those who can openly compete with the King of Chu in poetry must be very talented. A woman is so courageous.
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When King Zhao heard this, he stood up and laughed "haha".
"It's interesting. A woman actually wanted to compose a poem for the King of Chu. It's really interesting. Could it be that you fell in love immediately after seeing the heroic figure of the King of Chu?"
When the maid heard what King Zhao said, her face suddenly turned red and she was full of shyness.
When the people in Lotus Garden saw her acting like this, they naturally thought that she had been longing for the King of Chu for a long time.
King Zhao walked to the center of the lotus platform and said with a smile: "This situation is very happy. I have agreed to this fight poem. You two should write it down quickly."
Then someone brought up a new piece of paper and asked the maid to polish it and write on it.
There were more and more people watching the excitement inside and outside the yard, but Zhu Muchen still couldn't move the boat.
The King of Han was really smart and actually used a chain trick. At this time, he was sure that this maid was the person arranged by the King of Han.
At this time, when King Zhao opened his mouth, he gave Zhu Muchen no reason to refuse.
Seeing that Zhu Muchen was still unmoved, the King of Han and King Zhao just thought that he had been frightened and had no way to deal with it, so they allowed things to continue as they happened.
After a while, the poems written by the maid and the talented man were completed. The attendant handed the poems they wrote to the hands of King Zhao and Zhan Shi for them to read respectively.
After reading it, everyone was very surprised!
There was a huge difference in the level of the two people. The woman's poetry far surpassed that of the poor scholar in all aspects.
Even Mr. Zhan was full of praise for it.
King Zhao looked coldly at the talented man and said calmly: "Now that we have judged, your poems are far inferior to this woman, what else do you have to say?"
The talented man's face turned red, and he looked like he couldn't afford to lose. He shouted angrily, "It was the King of Chu who I asked for a poetry contest earlier. What do you mean by sending a woman out to humiliate me?"
"Does the King of Chu himself not dare to come out to compete with me in poetry? He only dares to hide behind the woman?"
The King of Han stood up suddenly and scolded him sternly: "How dare you, who gave you the courage to talk to the King of Chu like this? It is a serious crime to commit the following crime. Come on, please suppress him."
The king of Han took advantage of the situation.
Zhu Muchen had a clear view of everything. Faced with this series of sudden changes, someone else might not be able to cope with it, but for him, it was still unknown.
Zhu Muchen stood up slowly and laughed loudly and said: "Why is the King of Han so excited? It's just a poem contest. This talented man admires me and did this. What's the harm in me writing a poem?"
Then Chu King Zhu Muchen held the ink pen like a dragon flying and a phoenix dancing, and a poem was completed in an instant.
The lotuses emerging from the water reflect the green waves, and the cool terraces are full of evening fragrance.
If you are confident in your chest and have no worries, why not have birds outside the door?
In the end, Zhu Muchen wrote the poem "Middle Reaches of the Lotus Garden". As soon as this poem came out, all the talented people were eclipsed. Lao Zhan held the poem in his hand as if he had found a treasure.
"This poem by the King of Chu is sure to overwhelm everyone. He is so talented that he can be called a contemporary Li Taibai."
With the conclusion of Lao Zhan's case, Zhu Muchen's poetry successfully won, which was not surprising to him at all. After all, this was a poem written by Xiao Qing, a great poet of the Qing Dynasty.
The face of King Zhao of Han changed greatly.
I wanted to make Zhu Muchen look embarrassed, but unexpectedly I set up a stage for him to show off. It was really unlucky.
A literary meeting ended with Zhu Muchen's absolute victory.
The crowd outside the Lotus Garden dispersed, and the King of Han waved to the talented men in the courtyard. They each held their own documents and left in dejection.
Behind the screen, Zhu Di and Zhu Zhanji were enjoying Zhu Muchen's poems. Zhu Di couldn't help but admire: "The King of Chu is really talented."
