"A little Confucianism can spark a lot of discussions among Yangzhou's talented people. Today's trip is worthwhile and fruitful! Yangzhou is indeed a place of outstanding people and places."
The old man laughed heartily, and then commented on all the whispers before. When he mentioned Xia Shang, he asked a few more questions: "What is your name?"
"Xia Shang."
"What's the business of the family?"
"Some small business."
"How can a family of merchants produce such a talented person? How rare it is."
Xia Shang hugged the other party and bowed deeply, saying nothing.
This move of the old man has already shown who stole the limelight from the previous policy.
He was not the most talented man in Yangzhou, nor was he one of the "Seven Beauties of the South of the Yangtze River," nor was he a member of a prominent family, but he was a little-known businessman.
For a moment, everyone looked at Xia Shang with their own thoughts. Those who hated him became more hateful, those who were angry with him became more angry, and those who showed no emotion actually liked him a little more.
"Xia Shang... surnamed Xia... small business... is he the one?"
The most inconspicuous little girl was full of curiosity, holding back her shyness and secretly took another look.
Xia Shang always felt that there were eyes staring at him. When he looked sideways, he met Liu Ruyan's eyes. Liu Ruyan was so frightened that he immediately lowered his head and his face turned red to the root of his neck.
Xia Shang didn't know what the other person was thinking, so he touched the side of his face and thought to himself, how scary is he?
Just as he was thinking about it, the old man said: "Okay, I'm tired, I'll leave it to you to handle the rest."
While he was talking, the kind-hearted old man behind him walked forward with a warm smile, helped the old man slowly out of the pavilion, and quietly disappeared from everyone's sight.
The old man left, and everyone in the pavilion breathed a sigh of relief.
Without the old man in charge, the prefect naturally took the main seat.
"What is a rare poetry gathering without poetry? Do all the great scholars here have a suitable topic to test the younger generations who are coming in?"
"Who asked the second question?" Ouyang Teng then asked.
The white-haired old man who had been talking to Ouyang Teng turned his eyes to the only woman sitting in the hall: "Miss Feng has come thousands of miles away, and she is the only descendant between us. Girl, this second question should be answered by Miss Feng!"
Miss Feng?
Xia Shang turned to a corner, but he didn't notice that there was a young woman there. She was about twenty-four or five years old. She had a good-looking appearance, with regular features and simple and decent clothes. She was a cute girl with a good look, but there were Liu Ruyan and Lu Qin here.
Two beauties, and more beauties outside the pavilion, made this Feng girl's beauty somewhat compromised.
Xia Shang didn't know Miss Feng's identity, but to be able to sit here and be equal to many great scholars, she must have extraordinary talent and great reputation.
Then look at other people's expressions.
Liu Ruyan and Lu Qin both had expressions of admiration, while Su Heng and Ouyang Changhao had expressions of yearning.
This adds even more mystery to this woman.
The Feng girl bowed and saluted: "Master Lu, you are joking. In such a situation, who would it be for me, a female prostitute, to interrupt?"
"Hey! That's wrong. Today is a gathering of literati. Only talents and learning are discussed, regardless of gender. And the old man has appointed you to accompany me to the south. The honor and appreciation are no less than those of us. How can I not interrupt? Miss Feng, even though
Come up with a question."
After some humility, Miss Feng stood up and said: "Let's use 'Jiangshan' as the title, regardless of poetry or rhyme."
…
Liuzhuang Poetry Club is in full swing.
However, there is an undercurrent surging in Yangzhou City.
The guards at the four barracks all noticed something was wrong.
Since early this morning, people in white clothes and long swords have been coming out of the city from time to time. Their expressions are cold and as cold as ice.
The city defense patrol has obtained information that these men in white are all demons of the White Sect.
The Baiyi Sect, like the Red Flower Society, is a non-governmental organization.
It's just that the White Clothes Sect and the Red Flower Society are different.
The Red Flower Society had caused some troubles in Kyoto and was declared a rebel by the Supervisory Office.
The Baiyi Sect is relatively low-key. So far, nothing out of the ordinary has come to the attention of the emperor, so it is not taken seriously by the court.
In fact, the White Clothes Sect was established earlier than the Red Flower Society. It seems that its birthplace is in Yangzhou City, so the White Clothes Sect is deeply rooted in Yangzhou City. Officials working in Yangzhou have heard of it more or less, and they also know that they are doing it behind the scenes.
Something happened, but I didn't have any orders from above and didn't want to cause trouble.
In the past, the White Clothes Sect only made small fuss in the city, but this was the first time they went out of the city on such a large scale today.
There must be something fishy here.
Outside the west gate of Yangzhou City, another patrol camp of a thousand people was temporarily stationed recently. The patrol officer felt uneasy, so he sent a man to the patrol camp to report the news, hoping to hear what the superiors from the capital thought of it.
The sentinels left the city and left a long string of horse hoof prints on the official road.
The patrol camp was only two miles away from the city gate, so the sentry thought that the communication should be smooth and unobstructed, so he looked distracted along the way.
Who would have thought that this short two miles would become his road to hell!
Suddenly there was a flash of silver light, and the general showed a frightened expression, and the next moment his head fell to the ground.
Until the last moment, the sentry rider did not know how he died. In the blink of an eye, the horse galloped away, leaving a corpse lying in the yellow sand of the official road. The donated blood slowly spread under the scorching sun.
Turn black...
The eyelids of the human head were still open, and a pair of white clothes walked over quietly. From the lower body, no difference could be seen. I only heard someone say:
"The Dog Emperor has come to Yangzhou in person. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Today's operation can only succeed and not fail. We must guard every intersection to ensure that not a single mosquito can fly out of Liuzhuang."
"yes!"
…
The storm is about to come, but the sun is still shining brightly in Liuzhuang, and the scene of talented people and beautiful ladies is full of joy.
The theme of "Jiangshan" made many talented people in Yangzhou very happy.
Why isn't this a great opportunity to express your feelings?
For a time, various poems and lyrics were published one after another.
In Liuzhuang, some people were chanting loudly, while others were whispering, just like a hundred flowers blooming and a hundred schools of thought contending.
Outside the small pavilion, two enemies, Jiang Nan and Jiaqian, gathered together again and started arguing about the bet.
"Your husband is inside, and my husband is inside too."
"It's just right. Grandpa Huang is not in it. Let's ask our respective gentlemen to compare."
"More than ever, am I still afraid of you?"
The two women left immediately and strode into the pavilion, interrupting everyone's chat.
"Jiangnan?"
"Jia Qian?"
Xia Shang and the Feng girl were both stunned.
Jiang Nan and Jiaqian shouted in unison: "Sir."
Then they each walked to their respective gentlemen.
Jiangnan stood behind Xia Shang, but Jiaqian stood behind Miss Feng.
It turns out that this Feng girl is Princess Jiaqian's teacher.
Everyone didn't know why and they were all curious.
Jia Qian then said to Miss Feng: "The student made a bet with Jiang Nan over whose husband was more knowledgeable. Jiang Nan was not convinced by her husband's knowledge and insisted that her husband was more powerful, so the student asked her husband to compare with her husband to see who was better.