Who would've thought that this poetry conference wasn't entirely a "child's play" gathering? To think someone embodying immense righteous qi like that elder would attend.
However, judging by the old man's demeanor, he seemed more like a prominent figure disguising himself for a leisurely outing. Given the intensity of his righteous qi, every scholar and poet present should have revered him. How could they let him sit alone in a corner, quietly drinking tea?
Gu Ning'an withdrew his gaze as Sun Xuan, having basked in the flattery, finally announced his opening couplet:
"From the south to the north, our hearts meet by fate!"
As soon as the opening couplet was declared, the attendees eagerly sprang into action to match it.
"Dwelling on the past, sorrow breaks my heart!"
"Spring departs, autumn comes, flowers delight the soul!"
One after another, scholars and poets rushed to respond to Sun Xuan's couplet.
In the crowd, Wei Hai patted Li Xunshan's shoulder and asked, "Why are you just sitting there? Get up and match it—and throw in a jab at him while you're at it."
Li Xunshan shook his head. "This poetry conference is mainly about composing poems. I'll skip the couplet matching and focus on poetry."
Hearing this, Wei Hai nodded, then turned to the old beggar with a grin. "Old Wen, you can recite the Great Qian Law Code by heart. Matching a couplet should be easy for you, right? Help me come up with one—I want to sneak in an insult for that pretty boy."
The old beggar twitched his lips, thought for a moment, then replied, "Confined to a deep well, reveling in fragrant flattery."
"Brilliant!" Wei Hai gave a thumbs-up, then stood up abruptly and shouted, "Hey, hey, hey! What kind of nonsense couplets are you all matching? Watch this!"
The room fell into a dead silence.
Everyone's gaze turned toward the burly man standing there with his chest bared.
Wei Hai pointed at Sun Xuan and asked playfully, "What was your couplet again?"
He couldn't even remember the opening couplet before standing up to match it?
Sun Xuan felt a wave of disgust but maintained a polite smile. "From the south to the north, our hearts meet by fate!"
"Confined to a deep well, reveling in fragrant flattery!" Wei Hai shouted, then sat down, laughing uproariously.
Sun Xuan nearly lost his composure. He couldn't fathom why this rough, unfamiliar man would craft a couplet mocking him.
The atmosphere turned awkward after that.
Everyone present wasn't foolish; it was obvious that the rough man's couplet was ridiculing Sun Xuan as a toad in a well, basking in the flattery of others' "fragrant praises."
While the remark also indirectly mocked those who had previously flattered Sun Xuan, the primary target was still Sun Xuan himself.
As a result, the scholars and poets, though indirectly insulted, weren't particularly offended. Instead, they were eager to see how Sun Xuan would handle this blatant provocation.
Tch-tch-tch!
Soft chuckling broke the silence in the pavilion.
With most of the attention focused on either Wei Hai or Sun Xuan on the second floor, it didn't take long for the crowd to trace the laughter to its source—Ren Yue.
Realizing her laughter was inappropriate, Ren Yue quickly picked up her tea, covered her face with her sleeve, and pretended to drink.
Sun Xuan, already simmering with anger, felt even more humiliated by Ren Yue's laughter. His face burned, as though he'd been slapped in public.
"Such vulgarity!" Sun Xuan sneered coldly, snapping his fan shut and fanning himself furiously.
While Wei Hai wasn't great at couplets, his verbal sparring was another matter entirely.
Seeing himself openly insulted, Sun Xuan responded with feigned politeness, his tone dripping with sarcasm:
"Oh, my, my, what a great scholar we have here! Such a tiny heart for such a 'talented' man."
Then, turning to Ren Yue, he added mockingly, "Miss Ren, sitting so close to him, haven't you caught a whiff of the stench coming from his mouth?"
Tch-tch-tch!
Despite trying to maintain her composed facade, Ren Yue's shoulders began shaking uncontrollably. Coupled with the muffled laughter, it was obvious to everyone that she was amused.
Snap!
Sun Xuan folded his fan with a cold, indifferent expression, but just as tension hung in the air, he did something unexpected—he cupped his hands toward Wei Hai and bowed.
"This gentleman… the poetry conference must go on. If I, Sun Xuan, have offended you in any way, I humbly apologize and hope you won't hold it against me."
With that, he turned to the audience and bowed again.
"I have finished my couplet. May the next talented scholar present their opening line."
From the floor, Wei Hai watched Sun Xuan for a moment before lowering his voice and muttering, "I underestimated this guy. He knows how to retreat to advance—a petty man who plays the long game."
The old beggar nodded and added, "But, I must say, Miss Ren's expression and her laughter don't quite align with the intense admiration for Sun Xuan mentioned in the letter…"
Hearing this, Li Xunshan's body stiffened. Without saying a word, he quietly glanced at Ren Yue on the stage.
An hour later, the couplet-matching segment finally came to an end.
Manager Mo promptly took the stage to announce the criteria for selecting the day's champion.
The rules were the same as before: participants would compose poetry, and the entire audience would vote to decide whose poem was the best.
As for today's topic, it would be proposed by the female companions of the gentlemen in the second-floor private rooms, with the final selection decided by drawing lots.
After explaining, Manager Mo signaled a servant to bring out a wooden box. Reaching in, he rummaged around before pulling out a folded piece of rice paper.
"Interesting, very interesting!" Manager Mo exclaimed after reading the content. He turned to the crowd below and teased, "Can you guess who came up with this topic?"
"Master Wang Liang's companion!"
"I bet it's Master Jia Lianbo's lady friend!"
"It has to be Miss Ren Yue!"
The crowd erupted with guesses, though many remained silent.
Manager Mo pointed at someone in the audience and smiled. "This gentleman is correct—it was Miss Ren Yue who proposed the topic!"
The topic read: 'A Talented Man and a Beautiful Woman.'
Whoosh!
The crowd responded with murmurs of understanding, with many nodding as though saying, Of course! Numerous people began showering Ren Yue with compliments, remarking how fitting the theme was.
"The time limit is one cup of tea. Once you've composed your poem, feel free to recite it, and the Flowing Pavilion will have someone record it," Mo announced before stepping down. The entire building fell silent once more.
"Ahem!" Sun Xuan cleared his throat, clasping his fists and bowing. "I, Sun, have already composed my poem!"
"That was fast! How could he have finished so quickly?"
"Well, that's why they call him the greatest scholar in Jiangling Prefecture!"
The murmurs of amazement filled the hall as people marveled at Sun Xuan's speed. As he began to recite, the room quickly quieted down.
"Before the Flowing Pavilion, couples unite,
Behind the jade screen, true love takes flight.
Talented scholar and fair maiden align,
A perfect pair, envied not by divine."
After finishing, Sun Xuan bowed again. "I, Sun Xuan, am but an amateur. Please forgive my inadequacies."
His words acted as a signal, and instantly, the room was filled with applause and praise, from both the stage and the floor below.