Imperial College.

Yu Gongming gnawed on a cucumber while reading the scriptures, and when he saw something he was proud of, he would subconsciously take a bite of the cucumber. In the Imperial College, which pays so much attention to the scholarly style of study, this guy is definitely a breath of fresh air.

Wei Zhengchun quickly ran to Yu Gongming's side and handed the invitation to Yu Gongming.

"Yu Gongming, stop looking. Someone invited us to attend a poetry and wine conference. Let's pack up quickly and get ready to go."

"Invitation? I don't know anyone in Yindu. How could anyone invite me to attend some poetry and wine conference?"

Yu Gongming put away the scriptures, opened the invitation, and looked at it carefully. Not to mention it was quite exquisite.

Wei Zhengchun spread his hands and said, "Today is the Zhonghe Festival. It is probably caused by some literati, but I haven't been to Yin Capital City for so long, so it's good to relax a little."

"I don't want to go. They are all noble and elegant literati. Why should I, a country man, go there? I don't know how to write poems and drink wine." After saying this, Yu Gongming did not forget to take a bite of the cucumber in his hand.

Wei Zhengchun grabbed Yu Gongming.

"Because of this, I have to take you there. I have a few brothers in Yindu. I just want to introduce you to them. When you enter the officialdom in the future, you will be more or less taken care of."

"Ah? Then I'd rather..."

"What's more, let's go." Wei Zhengchun pulled Yu Gongming and walked out.

"Hey, don't pull it, let me finish the cucumber..."

…

The city of Yindu was bustling with activity, and the boss of Zhenbaozhai was beaming with joy. Someone was sitting in the village preparing to hold a poetry and wine gathering at Zhenbaozhai to celebrate the Zhonghe Festival.

As the owner of Zhenbaozhai, I was very happy for a long time, and specially prepared fine Yichun wine and delicacies for this purpose.

You must know that those who came this time were all influential scribes in the Yin capital literary circle. The mouths of scholars are much more powerful than the swords in the hands of generals.

Serving these scribes well will only benefit them and not harm them.

No, a group of elegant bachelors wearing long robes, holding folding fans and sachets at their waists, chatting and laughing, came to Jubaozhai holding invitations.

Among them are bachelors who have long been famous in the literary world, such as Li Shaofu, who wrote poetry at the age of seven. He became a disciple of Wutong layman and devoted himself to studying poetry for thirteen years. After completing his studies, he was famous for his poem "Lotus Leaves in the Moonlight"

Give poetry the greatest talent.

There were also literati students who studied in the Imperial College, such as Yu Gongming and Wei Zhengchun.

Wei Zhengchun is dressed like a scholar, with his long hair tied behind his back and a long gown. Although he does not have a folding fan, his hands are clasped behind his back, which makes him look extraordinary.

But Yu Gongming was different. It looked like he just casually wore a white robe and went out. His hair was hung casually behind his back, and a piece of white silk was tied around his waist to prevent the clothes from falling off.

When he came to Zhenbaozhai, he acted as if he had never seen the world, touching here and looking there, which made countless students laugh secretly.

However, compared to Wei Zhengchun and Yu Gongming, one person's entrance attracted countless people's attention.

That was Ning Xiaochuan. Ning Xiaochuan was already handsome, and he was known as a handsome man before he became a dandy in the capital of Yin.

He was dressed in a green shirt, with a jade pendant pinned to his beaded jade belt. His appearance was dignified and his eyes were clear. All the students present were shocked, but when they thought that this man was notoriously domineering, their eyes became a little more contemptuous.

Seeing that the students around him were avoiding him, Ning Xiaochuan didn't say anything. He said he didn't agree with each other, and he didn't expect them to look good on him.

At this moment, Wei Zhengchun saw Ning Xiaochuan walking in with an invitation in his hand. He was slightly surprised. When did Fifth Young Master Ning become so elegant?

"Fifth Young Master Ning." Seeing Ning Xiaochuan approaching, Wei Zhengchun directly pulled Yu Gongming towards him.

Ning Xiaochuan turned around and saw Wei Zhengchun, grinning, "Hey, Old Wei, you, a busy man, are here too."

"I was just about to ask you, why are you here? You're not really here to listen to these poems, are you?" Wei Zhengchun said with a joking look on his face.

Ning Xiaochuan laughed loudly, "You are making fun of me. By the way, this person next to you is..."

The so-called gentleman's speech is more delicate and clear than that of bamboo and ink. To put it bluntly, it means restrained and reserved, and pays attention to demeanor.

But Ning Xiaochuan burst out laughing without any concealment. The laughter resounded throughout the Zhenbaozhai in an instant, attracting the looks of disdain and disdain from countless literati, who even secretly mocked: "Vulgar people are too shameful to be around."

Wei Zhengchun quickly introduced, "I was just planning to introduce you to you after attending this conference. Since we have met, let me briefly introduce you to the great talent of the Imperial College, Yu Gongming."

"Yu Gongming, this is Ning Xiaochuan, the fifth young master of the Liguo family, the fifth young master Ning I told you about on weekdays." Wei Zhengchun introduced generously.

Yu Gongming immediately raised his hands and saluted, "Yu Gongming has met Mr. Ning."

Ning Xiaochuan nodded, looked at Yu Gongming's outfit, and said curiously, "The people coming to the conference this time are all celebrities from the Yindu literary world. Brother Yu, you are dressed like this, isn't it a bit indecent?"

Yu Gongming laughed after hearing this, "I'm not a scholar to begin with, so why should I imitate others and belittle myself?"

Ning Xiaochuan also burst out laughing after hearing this, "This disparagement is quite reasonable. Old Wei, your friend is quite interesting."

"Hahaha." Wei Zhengchun also laughed. The hearty laughter of the three people immediately aroused the displeasure of many scholars, and many even walked away directly.

Soon, a scholar came to Ning Xiaochuan with a straight face, cupped his hands and said: "Three gentlemen, all of them are scholars. The so-called gentleman is like bamboo, clear and upright; the gentleman is like orchid, elegant and restrained; the gentleman is like plum, beautiful."

It's not vulgar; a gentleman is like a pine, standing unyielding. On such an occasion, for the three of you to speak so loudly, wouldn't it violate the title of a gentleman?"

"Are you talking to us?" Ning Xiaochuan pointed at himself and said playfully.

The man raised his head reluctantly, pretending to be arrogant and arrogant, "Of course, if you three listen to the advice, you can forget about it. We are not narrow-minded people."

Ning Xiaochuan nodded thoughtfully after hearing this, "Master, which of your ears have heard that we claim to be gentlemen?

Also, won’t people be allowed to laugh at the Poetry and Wine Conference? Furthermore, where did you get to be a wild dog and dare to bark in my ear?”

"You, I... I'm ashamed to argue. Scholars should speak with integrity, have a correct heart, be righteous, and act responsibly. You don't know a good heart. I advise you with good intentions, but you speak so vulgarly and don't listen to people's kind words.

It’s really a stubborn stone that cannot be persuaded.”

Although the young man in front of me was retorted, he still said a lot of truth.

Ning Xiaochuan snorted coldly: "How can this young master not hear good or bad words? Why? After reading a few books, you consider yourself a scholar?

There are hundreds of thousands of books written by sages in the world. How many have you read? Don’t think that wearing a white shirt and wearing a sachet means you are a scribe. Now you are showing your elegance in front of us. Maybe we will be on a flower boat on the bank of the Fu River that day.

We met by chance, right?"

"You...you dare to humiliate scholars like this. Do you know that after you say these words, you are challenging the Yindu literary world and students all over the world!" The scholar pointed at Ning Xiaochuan's nose and said.

Ning Xiaochuan sneered, and then said: "Don't think of yourself as so noble. You can't represent the Yindu literary world, let alone the students in the world. I have no other intention in saying this, it's just aimed at you!"

"you……"

The man was so angry that he couldn't say a word for a long time.

Wei Zhengchun, who was standing next to him, said: "Plum blossoms, orchids, bamboos and pine are the four virtues of a gentleman. Since you know the way of a gentleman well, why should you stand up and teach others.

There are gaps in a gentleman's heart, and there are rules and regulations in dealing with things. You are so bold and shameless in criticizing others in the name of a gentleman. In fact, you are just trying to gain fame and show off yourself. Am I wrong?"

The man pointed at Wei Zhengchun, "The heart of a villain...I...I..."

"If you want to scold me, just do it."

Yu Gongming said slowly and leisurely: "The rules for doing things lie in the heart, and the rules for being a human being lie in words and deeds. A gentleman is like bamboo, upright and unyielding, but you are here to seek fame and reputation, which is against the conduct of a gentleman."

A gentleman is like an orchid, restrained and steady, but you are so arrogant here, which is contrary to a gentleman's words; a gentleman is like a plum, with a good fragrance, but you are like a country shrew again, pointing at others, which is against the virtues of a gentleman.

A gentleman is like a pine, evergreen forever, and his sincerity will never change. However, you are here pretending to be a scholar, but in fact you are just a vulgar person. This is against the heart of a gentleman. In this case, what face do you have?

here!"

After saying this, even Ning Xiaochuan cast an admiring look at him. The man was so embarrassed that he wanted to say something but didn't know what to say for a long time.

Yu Gongming continued, "I am not a gentleman, and you are not a gentleman, but I know how to be a human being better than you, or in other words, you are not worthy of being a human being at all."

Ning Xiaochuan laughed again, and this time he clapped, "Okay, what an unworthy person!"

After hearing what Yu Gongming said, some people around him also clapped along with Ning Xiaochuan. The man became even more ashamed and turned around and left Zhenbaozhai.

"Brother Yu, it's okay. In just a few words, that person ran away." Ning Xiaochuan praised.

Yu Gongming cupped his hands, smiled, and showed his big white teeth, "I just happened to have read The Gentleman's Theory. Besides, he had a guilty conscience and was not good at studying. He didn't know how to refute, so he retreated with no face left."

On the seat next to him, a man nodded while drinking tea, stood up slowly, walked through the crowd with a folding fan in hand and walked to Ning Xiaochuan and the others.

"A gentleman knows words and good deeds. He uses bamboo to judge words, orchids to judge actions, plum trees to judge virtue, and pine trees to judge heart. This is what a gentleman is like."

The man in front of me has sharp eyebrows and starry eyes, he is majestic, and his behavior is even more extraordinary. It is obvious that he is not pretending, but he has truly been influenced by a great education.

Yu Gongming and Wei Zhengchun, who were standing next to them, also saw it. Yu Gongming cupped his hands and said, "You're showing off your shame."

"I'm sorry, I have a seat next to you. I wonder if you can invite the three of you to take a seat and wait for the meeting to begin?" The man folded his fan and stood with his hands folded.

Ning Xiaochuan stretched out and said, "I'm sorry, we also have seats. Thank you for your kind invitation."

The man was rejected, but he was not angry. He nodded and smiled, "I was rude. So, you three, please excuse me. Let's talk about it after the poetry and wine meeting is over."

"Okay, let's talk about it after it's over." Ning Xiaochuan said disapprovingly.

If an ordinary person had been told this by Ning Xiaochuan, he would have probably walked away long ago, but this man didn't. Instead, he nodded silently and left.

This behavior made Ning Xiaochuan frown. Scholars are most concerned about face. This person is definitely not a simple scholar!


Chapter completed!