In the cabin, many talented people gathered together and chanted poems.
Some people frowned and thought with a grimace on their faces. Seeing others constantly splashing ink on the paper, he was so anxious that he was sweating profusely, scratching his ears and cheeks, but there was still no ink in his mind.
The pieces of rice paper with poems written on them were placed on the table in the center. The Jiangning celebrities above took over and were responsible for reviewing them. If there were any that were slightly better, they would nod with a smile on their faces, stroking their beards and saying something.
: "Very good!" Then it was handed over to the attendants beside him, who would select these acceptable poems and send them to the second floor. Mr. Wenshan and Prince Ning would make the decision.
If they meet some students who are illiterate in arts and sciences, the examiners will look like they are having a hard time doing it too. In the eyes of these students who are about to cry, they will casually throw away the poems. Then they will still smile and encourage them, saying
He said something about studying well and invited him to come back next year.
A poem floated onto the stage like snowflakes. Only a few were selected and sent to the second floor.
Some poems are of great literary talent, but have no depth. The emotions are only superficial, and they feel like moaning for no reason. But more poems are written indiscriminately. Not only are there no literary talents, but even the most basic
The arts and sciences are not clear.
Looking at these bad works that can make people laugh, these examiners still maintained a good attitude. They took the lyrics very politely, and then resisted the urge to vomit, and looked at their students helplessly in front of them against their will.
, smiled and nodded, then rolled his eyes and threw the poem aside.
There was a busy scene in the entire cabin.
Standing in a corner at the back, Lu Heng looked at the familiar scene in front of him. He admired in his heart, it really looked like how he had taken exams before.
Putting down the bottomed tea cup, Liu Qingqing on the side filled him with tea very gently.
After the woman put the teapot down, she smiled and said to Lu Heng, "Uncle, why don't you go up and show off?"
Lu Heng took a sip of tea, shook his head and smiled.
"Uncle, why don't you speak?" The woman smiled slightly, looking at him with her beautiful eyes, waiting for his answer.
Lu Heng smiled slightly, shrugged, and sighed: "Hey, if I want to participate, then I won't have anything to do without these people!"
Liu Qingqing looked at Lu Heng's serious look. She was stunned for a moment. Then after she realized what she was doing, she burst into laughter. She rolled her beautiful eyes at him and said with a chuckle, "Uncle is bragging!"
Seeing Liu Qingqing's happy and angry expression, Lu Heng laughed loudly and was in a good mood.
It took half an hour before the preliminary results were announced.
Just as Zhang Wenshan expected, out of the ten places, students from Jiangnan only accounted for three. The remaining seven places were all occupied by students from Tokyo.
One of the Tokyo students gently shook his folding fan and glanced disdainfully. The depressed-looking Jiangnan snows around him sneered: "Tch, I thought I would meet a decent opponent when I came to the Qinhuai Poetry Festival.
Unexpectedly, they are all embroidered pillows!”
The other talented people from Tokyo who came with them touched the mustaches on their lips and nodded in agreement with a smile: "Yes, they are all a bunch of idiots. Huh, besides visiting brothels and drinking wine, what else can you do?
What? Gee, I didn’t expect that such a group of people would participate in the Qinhuai Poetry Fair. It seems that there is no need to continue the Qinhuai Poetry Fair!"
As soon as this statement came out, many students looked at him angrily.
However, these two talented people from Tokyo smiled indifferently and without even looking at the Jiangnan students, they threw off their sleeves and walked towards the second floor.
"It's too much, it's simply unreasonable!"
"With such arrogant words and arrogant attitude, they simply have no regard for the teachings of saints. It's simply too abominable!"
"Hmph, if I had some inspiration today, how could I allow this guy to be so arrogant here!"
After the Tokyo talents left, those Jiangnan students angrily spoke nonsense at their heels. The anger in their voices and the justice in their expressions made them seem to be representatives of the literary world of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Lu Heng couldn't help but shake his head and smile when he saw these Jiangnan students being overly ambitious and incompetent!
Alas, he is really a useless scholar.
These students usually didn't know how to study hard, but at this time they didn't even have the courage to confront them face to face. Only after they left did a group of people pretend to be righteous. For those who didn't know, they thought the two people who went upstairs were public enemies.
Woolen cloth.
Lu Heng came today just to accompany Liu Qingqing to watch the excitement. He had no intention of participating. Now, the excitement is almost gone.
When he saw the students hugging each other at the door, he was ready to take Liu Qingqing home.
At this time, it was almost Haishi. It was already dark outside, and the sounds of laughter and play of the girls on the flower boats had gradually become thinner. Outside, the only sound that could be heard was the sound of waves lapping against the side of the boat when the wind blew.
In the cabin, the candles in the lantern were changed several times. Occasionally, a breeze blew into the cabin, and the candles in the lantern swayed gently. The dim light flickered on and off.
"It's late at night, let's go back!"
Lu Heng yawned and rubbed his sore eyes. He turned his head and said to Liu Qingqing beside him with a smile.
Liu Qingqing turned her head and saw the sleepy look on Lu Heng's face. She chuckled and said, "Today is the most important gathering in Jiangnan literary world. Why is uncle acting like this?"
Lu Heng smiled, picked up the teacup, and wanted to take a sip to dispel his sleepiness. However, he found that the tea in the teacup had already gone cold.
Putting down the tea cup in disinterest, he smiled and shook his head: "It's really not interesting. Look at those students making noisy noises, just like the peddlers in the market! Hey, if I had known this, I wouldn't have come.
Got it!"
Liu Qingqing pursed her lips and smiled. She stood up and went to get a new pot of tea. While adding water to the tea cup, she chuckled and said, "If those students hear what uncle said, I'm afraid there will be another turmoil!"
Lu Heng picked up the hot tea and blew it for a while. He smiled and said, "I'm just saying this because I know you well. I don't even bother to care about those people!"
"Glib tongue!" Liu Qingqing rolled her eyes at him angrily, exuding a charming demeanor.
After Lu Heng finished drinking tea, Liu Qingqing picked up her skirt and stood up. After taking a look at the second floor, she chuckled and said, "In that case, let's go home!"
She just took a step forward, but stopped again. She said with some regret: "It's just that in previous years, at the end of the poetry festival, there would be an oiran on stage to perform. I'm afraid I won't be able to see it today!"
Lu Heng, who had just stood up, shook his head in confusion after hearing these words, then sighed and sat down again.
"In that case, why don't we wait?" Lu Heng looked at Liu Qingqing with a questioning tone.
"Isn't uncle sleepy? Why do you want to stay again?" Liu Qingqing turned her head, looked at Lu Heng in surprise, and asked in confusion.
Lu Heng turned his head and glanced at the second floor, then turned his head and looked at Liu Qingqing, who was standing in front of him, wearing a light blue skirt, looking like a fairy, and said seriously: "Well, since there is an oiran on stage,
Then it doesn’t hurt to take a look?”
After saying that, Lu Heng thought of teasing her. He smacked his lips, shook his head and said, "I almost missed the beauty of this beautiful time!"
Lu Heng raised his head, smiled faintly, and winked at Liu Qingqing.
After her thoughts were read, a blush appeared on Liu Qingqing's charming face.
She lowered her head, her pretty face turned pink, and said in a soft voice: "Oh, since uncle wants to see it, then I will accompany him!" After she finished saying this, she lowered her head and avoided Lu Heng's eyes.
. He pursed his lips and smiled, sat down gently, and lowered his head deeply, for fear of meeting Lu Heng's smiling eyes.
The breeze blew into the cabin, the candlelight flickered, and a strand of Liu Qingqing's hair was a little messy at her ears and temples.
She stretched out her fingers and gently lifted her hair. Inadvertently, she revealed the faint pink color on her pretty face.
Not long after, Prince Ning's bodyguard, Zhan Xiong, came down with several guards. He first searched the crowd.
Then he saw Lu Hengzheng and his sister-in-law sitting aside, drinking tea and joking. Zhan Xiong's eyes suddenly lit up, like a sharp sword drawn from a sheath.
After striding over, he smiled and clasped his fists at Lu Heng and said, "Mr. Lu, please come up, please!"
Lu Heng turned his head and showed a helpless smile to Liu Qingqing.
Liu Qingqing glanced at him secretly, lowered her head and pursed her lips to snicker.
After following Zhan Xiong to the second floor, Lu Heng stood outside the crowd and waved to Prince Ning who was looking over. He did not go in. Instead, he took Liu Qingqing to find a seat and sit down.
"If you have any orders, Master, just let me know!" Zhan Xiong also knew the relationship between Lu Heng and Prince Ning. At this time, seeing that he just said hello to Prince Ning, he sat down. He didn't mind either.
.just asked Lu Heng with a smile.
Lu Heng thought for a while and then said to Zhan Xiong: "I'm a little hungry. Does Guard Zhan know where there is food?"
Guard Zhan didn't expect that Mr. Lu would actually make such a request. He was stunned for a moment, and then he called one of his subordinates and said, "Go and give Mr. Lu some snacks and drinks!"
"That's it, thank you very much!" Lu Heng cupped his fists and said to Zhan Xiong with a smile.
"You're welcome, sir!" Zhan Xiong hurriedly bowed in return.
After Zhan Xiong and others left, Lu Heng sat at the last table, holding a large piece of snack in his hand and stuffing it into his mouth, while looking at the front, the students shaking their heads nervously in front of Zhang Wenshan
Recite poems and write poems in pairs.
But the old man Zhang Wenshan seemed to owe someone a hundred taels of silver. He always frowned and his face looked a little ugly.
Beside her, Liu Qingqing carefully filled Lu Heng's cup with tea.
She put down the teapot and looked at the uncle beside her eating like crazy without any image. She lowered her head and snickered.
After several rounds of answering questions, the talents gradually got better.
After the maids served the drinks, the talented men gradually revealed their talents beyond others through the drunkenness and the sound of the piano played by the women next to them.
As long as Zhang Wenshan throws out a question, talented people will soon pick it up.
For a time, as they drank and drank, their literary talent flourished.
Among these people, Lu Heng was a little surprised to see Su Zhengwen among them.
At this time, he and a scholar wearing a luxurious purple gown were talking happily and dancing, very happily.
The scholar wearing a purple gown and a fair face was chatting and laughing with Su Zhengwen while drinking. The two seemed to get along very happily.
Lu Heng just looked away, but he seemed to have discovered something. Then he glanced at Su Zhengwen, who was standing with the Tokyo talent.