Chapter 2: Crashing the Party with Father

Liangzhou has no water, so the romantic scenes of flower boats swaying and drifting on lakes, which often appear in later novels, naturally do not exist here. However, the Longyan Dynasty has a flourishing literary culture, and there are many scholars and poets in every region. For the sake of the various annual literary gatherings, the Liangzhou Prefecture built a Poetry Society, which is effectively a place with the nature of a tavern; after all, for the ancients, poetry without wine lacks much joy.

Every year at the Poetry Gathering, countless scholars flock to it.

The scholars of this era are all after one thing: fame.

In times of chaotic circumstances, fame is equivalent to a future.

There are many success stories of scholars and talents in previous years who became famous in one fell swoop at the Poetry Gathering, entered the inner circles, and directly attained official status. Under the administration of Liangzhou, there are thirty cities and a population of over five million; almost everyone who is even slightly literate has come.

I heard that the inns next to the Poetry Society have long been packed; those who arrived late can only stay in the stables.

Arriving early today, the Poetry Gathering has not yet begun.

At this moment, several gorgeously dressed young masters arrive together.

"Great Talent Qin, why is your complexion so withered today? It pains this younger brother!"

"Ah! Talent Zhang, I dare not, I dare not. Last night I happened upon a fine verse, as if gifted by heaven. I was filled with trepidation and spent the whole night studying it; by the time the poem was finished, it was already dawn. I am ashamed, I am ashamed..."

"Oh? Might you recite it for us to appreciate?"

"The general stands at the east of the city, the brave men gather to draw their bows. The flags unfurl to meet the wind, the cannons boom, boom, boom!"

The crowd exclaims in admiration, and applause thunders.

"A good poem, a truly good poem!"

"It is indeed naturally formed, Young Master Qin has great talent!"

The crowd laughs and chats, entering hand in hand.

Liu Zheng listens, dumbfounded, somewhat admiring the thickness of these people's faces; is it true that in every era, scholars rely on mutual commercial flattery?

"Did you hear me? Leave quickly, don't think about sneaking in!"

The servant glares viciously at the two.

To satisfy his son's wish, Liu Dahao smiles fawningly: "This brother, why be so rigid in your conduct? We are just going in to take a look, rest assured, rest assured, it's a small matter, a small matter..."

While speaking, he takes out a money bag and secretly stuffs it into the servant's hand.

The servant touches it, the silver quickly enters his pocket, and he coughs: "I understand. The Liu Township Marquis must want to come and apologize to the Prefect. This heart is evident. But remember not to cause trouble, go on in."

The two quickly agree and finally sneak in.

The scale of this Poetry Society is truly not small. The hall can seat thousands of people. Tables, snacks, and rice wine have long been prepared here. Scholars prefer to sit on the floor. At this time, there are already hundreds of scholars and talents, each looking high-spirited and full of confidence. Many are full of intoxication, reciting poems and singing to each other. At a glance, there are those overflowing with literary talent, those fishing in troubled waters, those dashing and elegant, and those unrestrained and unconventional. The scene is very lively.

They find a corner to sit down.

Liu Zheng watches, clicking his tongue in wonder.

Last night, this "Liu Zheng" was actually able to "urinate" in front of so many people? This psychological quality and thickness of face are truly quite remarkable.

Soon, thousands of people arrive one after another.

"The Prefect has arrived!"

At this moment, Prefect Chen Ping and his party arrive fashionably late, and everyone stands up with fanatical eyes. There are three Counselors from Chen Ping's residence, and among them is a woman wearing an apricot-yellow dress.

This is the Prefect's daughter, the talented woman Chen Ruoshi. She is only sixteen, yet she has already grown into a graceful and elegant young woman of peerless beauty. Her whole body possesses an air of nobility and lightness. In a place like Liangzhou, her skin is still like congealed fat, her face like white jade, her eyebrows like distant mountains, and her eyes like autumn water; every smile and glance is full of charm.

Even Liu Zheng, who is used to seeing modern beauties, is stunned at this moment.

This is the talented woman whose bottom he touched?

Worth it!

One million taels of silver, it was worth it!

What's more, those talents and scholars are all like they've been injected with chicken blood, cupping their hands and saying in unison: "I (this commoner) XXX pay my respects to the Prefect, and to the Prefect's daughter!"

Each reports their own name, afraid that others won't hear it; it is very lively.

Chen Ping laughs: "Everyone, no need for formalities. Since we are at the Poetry Society, we are all fellow poetry lovers and colleagues. Just enjoy yourselves!"

"Poetry and wine together, a happy event for the world!"

The crowd roars in agreement and takes their seats one after another.

At this time, a Counselor beside Chen Ping stands up and says: "Young masters, today's Poetry Gathering is different from the past few days. As everyone knows, the Prefect's daughter is in her prime, loves poetry and songs, and greatly admires the talents and Scholars of the world. She wishes to use this Poetry Gathering today to find a good match and husband. You young masters must work hard!"

The whole hall is in an uproar.

Choosing a husband at a Poetry Gathering?

This gimmick is a bit big, but all the talents and young masters who have some confidence in themselves are so excited their faces turn red.

To be able to marry Chen Ruoshi, doesn't that mean a smooth rise in one's career?

What's more, Chen Ruoshi herself holds various titles such as the number one beauty and talented woman of Liangzhou.

Liu Zheng did not expect this to happen. He originally only wanted to come to the Poetry Gathering to "amaze everyone with a single feat" and gain Chen Ping's favor to keep his cheap father's title. But now it seems he has clearly come to crash the party? He cannot help but secretly look at Chen Ruoshi over there. This woman is indeed extraordinary; facing the fanatical gazes of so many people, there is not a hint of shyness on her face, and she remains smiling elegantly, quite having the demeanor of a noble lady.

Liu Zheng feels ashamed; he actually desecrated such a beauty, he deserved to be beaten and punished!

A scholar in white stands up, graceful and dashing, and smiles: "May I ask, my lord, how will the judging be done?"

"Wow! Young Master Bai!"

"Could it be the number one talent of Liangzhou, Bai Chufeng?"

"Heavens, he already has official status, and he actually came too?"

Everyone sees this person and exclaims one after another.

Bai Chufeng opens his folding fan and smiles proudly, not caring about the fiery gazes: "As the saying goes, a fair lady is a good match for a gentleman. Since Miss Chen is still unmarried, I naturally have a chance as well."

"I wonder if I, not being a native of Liangzhou, have a chance?"

At this moment, another dashing and elegant young master stands up.

"This is..."

"His Highness the Crown Prince!"

This person has a significant background; he is the son of the Feudatory King of Hanzhong, Prince Yong, Xie Kangcheng!

Chen Ruoshi, sitting over there, has eyes that brighten slightly, and Chen Ping nods and smiles frequently; it seems he is very satisfied with both of them.

The entire venue was buzzing with noise.

With such a great master here, what chance did they have left?

The Counselor said, "The competition is divided into three rounds. The first round: the Prefect will set the topic, and poems must be composed on the spot. Those who finish first will be selected, up to the top one hundred! The second round: Grand Academician Wang will set the topic, selecting the top ten. The third round: Miss Chen will set the topic herself, selecting the winner!"

"What if Miss Chen doesn't fancy the winner?"

Someone asked.

The whole crowd nodded; this was also a possibility.

After all, there were no shortage of sexagenarians present.

As for whether the winner might not fancy Chen Ruoshi?

That was almost not worth considering.

The Counselor continued, "If the winner is not the one Miss fancies, then the Prefect will reward the winner by granting one request that can be fulfilled!"

Hearing this, the scholars and talents present were incredibly excited, one after another rolling up their sleeves and rubbing their palms.

Liu Zheng secretly asked Liu Dahao, "Old man, if we win, should we marry her or take back the title?"

Liu Dahao looked at his son in astonishment, not noticing his form of address, and gasped, "Zheng, has your brain ailment not fully recovered?"

What kind of person his son was, didn't he know?

Buying a few poems at a Private School or in the red-light district to put on a show was fine, but letting him participate in this kind of competition—wasn't that a pipe dream?

"Zheng, didn't we agree to just watch the fun? At worst, we can eat our fill when no one is looking and then leave. Your father doesn't have a single coin left in his purse; before your mother returns, our family won't even have enough to put food on the table! Don't stir up trouble, don't stir up trouble!"

Liu Dahao, with a pastry in one hand and Nang Bread in the other, gorged himself while advising him.

He looked exactly like a starving ghost reincarnated; where was the demeanor of the richest man?

They were already like rats crossing the street; it would be fine if Chen Ping didn't see them, but if he did, wouldn't it be another round of humiliation?

Liu Zheng curled his lips, look at that lack of ambition!

"The first round, begin!"

The Counselor said.

Prefect Chen Ping smiled and said, "It snows often in Liangzhou, so let us take 'snow' as our topic. Everyone, you may begin!"

Some people at the scene were overjoyed. Topics like wind, flowers, snow, and moon were as simple to these poetry enthusiasts as Han Meimei and Li Lei were to those learning English. Who didn't keep a few of their own masterpieces tucked away?

A white-haired old man stood up, shaking his head:

"Startled by the cold of the quilt and pillow, I see the window bright again.

Deep in the night, I know the snow is heavy, hearing from time to time the sound of bamboo snapping."

"Good!"

The whole venue shouted.

Liu Zheng also nodded; it was indeed a good poem.

This old man was likely here to seek a future.

That Bai Chufeng smiled faintly and walked out slowly:

"Joining the army far beyond the sword, I have no home to send my clothes to.

Three feet of snow at San Pass, returning in dreams to the old weaving loom."

The crowd was slightly stunned, then immediately cheered loudly. This poem was even better than the previous one; Liangzhou often fought with the Barbarians, and it captured the patriotic spirit of the frontier soldiers.

Especially Prefect Chen Ping, who nodded repeatedly; it seemed he held this poem in high regard.

This top talent of Liangzhou was truly extraordinary.

Seeing Bai Chufeng show his prowess, Xie Kangcheng gave a slight huff, looking as if he were brewing something, and then shook his head:

"Rising at dawn to open the door, snow fills the mountains; the clouds are light after the snow, the sunlight cold.

The eaves have yet to drip, the plum blossoms frozen; a kind of pure isolation, not to be taken lightly."

This poem also drew praise from many. A cold and lonely temperament came rushing toward them. It even made Chen Ruoshi take an extra look at Xie Kangcheng.

"Does my son want to try? You wait a moment; your father knows a few old scholars from the Private School here. I will go over and buy a few for you to choose from. To get into the top one hundred, there is still time, there is still time..." Seeing his son eager to try, Liu Dahao thought about what he could do, trying his best to minimize the damage, and started to get up as he spoke.

Liu Zheng was left between laughter and tears, grabbing his cheap old man.

At this time, those talents were scrambling to recite their works, and the three Counselors above, along with Chen Ping and Chen Ruoshi, were each making their evaluations.

Some got their wish, while others were regretfully eliminated.

Seeing that one hundred poems were about to be collected, Liu Zheng stood up and gave a loud cough.

However, no one noticed him...

Seeing that group still scrambling, he angrily smashed the wine cup in his hand, fully displaying the playboy style of a Liu Family young master. Now everyone looked over in unison. Some people, seeing it was Liu Zheng, all wore angry expressions.

Especially the usually detached Chen Ruoshi, who was so angry she stood up, her slender fingers pointing angrily at Liu Zheng: "You lecher..."

"Evil thief, you still dare to come?"

"Men, take him down for me!"

Liu Zheng took a deep breath and opened his mouth to recite.

"On the river, a cage of nothingness."

Everyone was stunned, then immediately burst into uproarious laughter.

This playboy wanted to write poetry?

"But what is this?"

"A lecher can write poetry too?"

There were few people present who didn't know Liu Zheng, this spendthrift, so they all spoke rudely, shaking their heads and mocking him. Even a few old men from the Private School were stomping their feet and cursing Liu Zheng for insulting the literary tradition; it seemed yesterday's events had left an indelible impression on these scholars...

When Chen Ping saw Liu Zheng, his face was also gloomy.

"On the well, a black hole."

Liu Zheng continued to read.

This line of poetry, which was almost Vernacular Chinese, made many people burst into laughter. Could such doggerel even be considered elegant?

"Yellow dog on its body, white."

"White dog on its body, swollen."

The entire venue.

Suddenly fell silent.

Pairs of shocked, incredulous eyes looked at Liu Zheng in silence.