Lin Daiyu said calmly and clearly: "Sir, please give me a question."
Jia Yucun smiled and said:
"Spring is blooming outside the house, and catkins are flying. You can write a poem with catkins as the theme."
Lin Daiyu nodded slightly and said:
"Students take orders."
The maid on the side quickly brought pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and helped Lin Daiyu unfold the paper and grind the ink.
Lin Daiyu walked to the desk, dipped her pen in the ink, and after a moment's thought, she started writing quickly, and stopped writing after less than half a quarter of an hour.
"Teacher, the student has finished writing." Lin Daiyu whispered, which shocked everyone in the audience.
"I didn't expect Yu'er's talent to be so quick!" Jia Zheng sighed, "Let me see, what kind of poem did you write?"
With that said, he stood up and strode to the table.
Jia Chen, Jia Dairu and Jia Yucun also came forward one after another.
When he saw the beautiful running script on Xuelang paper, Jia Zheng's eyes lit up and he murmured: "It turns out to be a poem." Then he recited:
"Tang Duoling:
The powder falls on Baihuazhou, and the fragrance lingers on Swallow Tower.
A ball, one by one, into balls.
Wandering is like a person's life is thin, empty and lingering, talking about romance.
Even the grass and trees know how sad they are, and their youth turns gray!
Sigh: Who will give up and who will take back in this life?
I don’t care if I marry Dongfengchun, just go with me and hide it.”
After finishing the recitation, Jia Zheng sighed in admiration:
"It's a good Tang Duoling. The words are exquisite and the writing is brilliant. However, there is a touch of sadness between the lines. Yu'er, you have to relax and don't be sentimental, which will hurt the spring and the autumn."
Lin Daiyu bowed and bowed: "Yuer, please follow your instructions!"
Jia Dairu echoed: "Lao Chen is jealous. Although Yu'er is a female, she is much better than Lao Chen's students."
After saying that, he suddenly thought of Jia Chen and quickly added: "Among the old students, perhaps only Chen'er can rival Yu'er."
Now, Jia Chen has become a banner to prove his teaching ability. If Lin Daiyu really outshines all his students, then there will be no place for his old face.
A proud smile appeared on Jia Yucun's lips, and his purpose of using Lin Daiyu to show off his talent had been achieved.
But just now Jia Chen had a cold attitude towards him, and Jia Yucun was resentful. It was a suitable opportunity to embarrass Jia Chen, so he took over Jia Dairu's words and said with a sly smile:
"What Mr. Xueli said is true. Since Brother Chen has memorized the Four Books and Five Classics by heart, I guess his poetry and articles must also be good.
There are pens, inks, paper and inkstones here. It’s a good time to ask brother Chen to write a poem about catkins. How about asking my second uncle and Master Xueli to comment on it?”
As soon as these words came out, both Jia Zheng and Jia Dairu frowned. Although Jia Chen memorized the Four Books and Five Classics, he had never shown his talent for poetry. If he didn't write well, wouldn't he be laughed at?
Jia Zhenggang wanted to find a reason for Jia Chen to refuse, but Jia Chen calmly said:
"Then I will write a humble composition as my brother wishes, and ask everyone to comment on it."
After that, he picked up the brush, splashed ink, and wrote a poem:
"Linjiangxian·Hanliu"
Where are the flying catkins and flying flowers, destroyed by layers of ice and snow,
A sparse tree grows colder at dawn.
Love him like the bright moon is good, and being haggard is also relevant.
Finally, after the silken threads have shaken, they turn to teach people to recall the Spring Mountains.
The dream of wearing a skirt is intermittent and difficult.
How much hate the west wind can blow away the crooked eyebrows."
"Okay! What a great song, Linjiangxian! This guy is a great talent!" Jia Zheng clapped his hands and praised it, all his previous worries and doubts gone.
Jia Dairu smiled so hard that he lost his teeth and his eyes, and the wrinkles on his face shrank into walnuts, "He is indeed the old man's favorite disciple. He is extremely talented and full of literary talent. Compared with Yu'er's Tang Duoling, he is not inferior in the slightest."
The corner of Jia Yucun's mouth twitched a few times. This time, he failed to make Jia Chen embarrassed, but allowed him to show off his talents. It was really a waste of money.
But to be fair, Jia Chen's poem is indeed extraordinary. Even he, a Jinshi who prides himself on his talent, would find it difficult to write such an exquisite poem.
What's more, Jia Chen wrote almost without thinking, and finished it in one stroke. Such agile poetic talent is really amazing and has to be admired.
Jia Yucun curled his lips and agreed reluctantly:
"Brother Chen's poem is comparable to Yu'er's Tang Duoling. Among brothers, it is true that a famous teacher gives birth to a great disciple. The master in the academy is worthy of being a great scholar of the generation."
Jia Dairu knew in his heart that he was not worthy of the words "a great scholar", but he was still in an extremely happy mood. It was really a worthwhile life for him, an old boy, to be praised so highly by a Jinshi.
Of course, he also knew very well that this was all due to Jia Chen. This talented student had made him proud.
Lin Daiyu said modestly:
"Brother Chen's lyrics are obviously better than mine. Yu'er admires her so much and is amazed."
Jia Chen secretly thought, this poem is Nalan's poem, and it can compete with Li Houzhu's poem, so it is naturally extremely amazing.
"Sister Lin, you don't have to be too modest. You have a beautiful heart, talent and beauty, and you are completely comparable to talented women such as Li Qingzhao and Xie Daoyun."
Jia Chen did not hesitate to express his praises, which was not an exaggeration, but Lin Daiyu had a talent for singing poems, which was comparable to that of Yi An.
Lin Daiyu pursed her lips and smiled slightly:
"Brother Chen is joking, how dare I compare to Li Xie, two great poets?"
Jia Chen smiled brightly and said:
"Sister Lin still looks better when she smiles. You should smile more in the future. You are originally a direct relative of the Rong family. Our ancestors have always been sympathetic to the poor and weak. Naturally, they will care more about you as their direct granddaughter. The second master will definitely treat you as his own.
Just like a daughter, she can live up to Uncle Lin's support for thousands of miles."
This sentence was said very skillfully. It not only advised Lin Daiyu not to be sentimental, sensitive and negative, but also reminded Jia Zheng to treat her well and not to betray Lin Ruhai's trust.
Lin Daiyu was so smart. She immediately heard that Jia Chen was reminding Jia Zheng to take good care of herself, and her heart felt warm. This cousin was only a few years older than her, but he was mature and considerate, and he was a considerate and good person.
Thinking about this, Lin Daiyu couldn't help but feel a little fond of Jia Chen.
After hearing this, Jia Zheng smiled and nodded:
"What Chen'er said is absolutely true. Yu'er, please relax. My father and I are brothers and close friends, so we will definitely live up to his trust. Just treat this place as your own home. Whatever you need, just be with the old lady and me."
My uncle and aunt said, don’t be a heretic anymore.”
Looking at the elegant and refined Lin Daiyu, who is both talented and beautiful, Jia Zheng became more and more fond of her. He secretly sighed in his heart, how wonderful it would be if this was his biological daughter?
What made Jia Zheng even more regretful was that Jia Chen was not his biological son. When he thought of Jia Baoyu, a scoundrel who had no time to live and neglected his studies, he became very angry.
Compared with Jia Chen, this unfilial son is like a sparrow compared to a phoenix. He is not even worthy of carrying someone's shoes!
Jia Yucun warned hypocritically:
"Yu'er should take more care in the future. I can't stay with you as a teacher. I think you have an old lady and uncle and aunt to take care of your food and daily life, so I can rest assured."
Lin Daiyu saluted and said:
"Thank you for your concern, my mentor. In the future, Yu'er will no longer be able to serve you, so I should take more care of my mentor."
Jia Chen suddenly asked:
"I wonder where the old lady arranged for Sister Lin to live?"
Lin Daiyu said:
"The old lady arranged for me to live in the blue gauze cupboard in the conservatory of the suite."
Jia Chen asked knowingly:
"I heard that Brother Bao also lives in the Nuan Pavilion. In this case, wouldn't Sister Lin have to live in the same room with Brother Bao?"
He asked such a sensitive question in public not because he wanted to embarrass Lin Daiyu, but because he wanted to preserve her reputation.