A Penniless Scholar
Standing on the stage, Shen Jingchuan was completely unaware that his two poems had already captivated the hearts of all the women in the audience. He bowed to the crowd below the stage, then looked up and solemnly bowed towards Prince Jing on the second floor.
Prince Jing nodded slightly and said in a loud voice, "Young Master Shen, please come upstairs for a chat."
Shen Jingchuan didn't hesitate, calmly walked up to the second floor, and bowed as he stepped forward:
"This humble subject Shen Jingchuan, greets Your Highness Prince Jing."
Prince Jing laughed heartily, then stood up abruptly, looked him up and down, and repeatedly praised him:
"Excellent! Excellent! I never expected that our Great Qian would have such a person as you. Not only is your talent astounding, but you are also handsome. It's rare, truly rare!"
The four Confucian scholars behind him also stood up in unison. Yan Chongli, who had been standing to the left of Prince Jing and had not Yan Chongli until now, stroked his long beard and slowly began to speak:
"The younger generation is truly formidable. The essence of poetry lies in the expression of genuine emotion, and both of your poems are heartfelt and have reached a pinnacle. This Wild Goose Mound Lyric,' can be considered the greatest love poem of all time, and it will undoubtedly be remembered for generations to come."
Prince Jing smiled and patted Shen Jingchuan on the shoulder, introducing him to Shen Jingchuan:
"Young man, you probably don't know this, do you? This is none other than the Great Qian Confucian scholar Yan Chongli, whose praise is far more valuable than my own evaluation. I have never heard of such high praise from him before."
Shen Jingchuan quickly replied modestly, "Sir, you flatter me. I am truly humbled."
Yan Chongli looked at him and asked gently, "Young Master Shen, may I ask which school you studied under?"
Shen Jingchuan quickly bowed and replied, "Sir, I have never had a teacher. I learned everything from my father when I was young."
Yan Chongli nodded slightly, thinking to himself that it was due to a family background in scholarship. He couldn't help but wonder, there were only a handful of great scholars with the surname Shen in the capital, so which family did Shen Jingchuan come from? The other three old scholars beside him also exchanged glances, all secretly guessing about Shen Jingchuan's background.
Seeing their expressions, Shen Jingchuan added directly:
My father passed away many years ago, and now I live alone.
Everyone looked apologetic upon hearing this and remained silent for a moment. Yan Chongli, however, had a sudden flash of inspiration, leaned forward slightly, and spoke sincerely:
"I shouldn't be so presumptuous. With your talent, I might not even be worthy to be your teacher. But I truly cherish your talent. I wonder if you would be willing to become my disciple?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than another elderly scholar beside him slapped his thigh and laughed:
"You old Yan, I was just about to speak when you cut me off, making me too embarrassed to say anything."
Shen Jingchuan's mind worked incredibly fast; how could he miss such a tremendous fortuitous opportunity? He immediately took half a step back and bowed deeply in respect.
"Master, I, Shen Jingchuan, pay my respects. I have never formally become your disciple and am unfamiliar with etiquette; please forgive me."
Yan Chongli quickly reached out to support him, his smile widening as he said, "No need for formalities, no need for formalities, it's the thought that counts."
Prince Jing, standing to the side, also laughed loudly and bowed to Yan Chongli in congratulations:
"Congratulations, Mr. Yan, on taking in such a talented young man today. This will surely add another chapter to the literary world's celebrated stories."
On the women's side, Princess Zhaohua, Xiao Mingshu, gently pinched Yan Shuyao's arm with her fingertips, leaned close to her ear, and chuckled softly, "Little girl, are you satisfied now? Your sweetheart has become your junior brother in the blink of an eye."
Yan Shuyao's cheeks flushed instantly. She gently pulled away and whispered reproachfully:
"Princess, you're talking nonsense. I'm ignoring you."
Xiao Mingshu covered her mouth, her shoulders trembling slightly with laughter.
Seeing her laughing so heartily, Commandery Princess Chang'a Xiao Mingliu of Chang'an quickly came over and asked, "Third Sister, what are you laughing at? You seem so happy."
Xiao Mingshu raised an eyebrow, glanced at Yan Shuyao, whose head was lowered and ears were flushed, and smiled at Xiao Mingliu, saying:
"Nothing, I was just laughing. It seems that a certain arrogant and talented woman is about to fall from grace."
On the other side, the Prince Jing's Heir showed no smile. He glanced sideways at Shen Jingchuan, who was surrounded by the crowd, and leaned close to the ears of the two young masters from the Aristocratic Clan beside him, whispering a sneer:
"He's just a poor scholar who wrote a couple of poems. Even if he gained the appreciation of that pedantic Confucian, it's like a pheasant perched on a phoenix tree—he'll never become a phoenix."
Upon hearing this, the two young masters from prominent Aristocratic Clan beside him quickly turned away. Because Prince Jing was nearby, they dared not act rashly. They covered their mouths with their sleeves and chuckled in hushed tones.
Seeing that the commotion below the stage had subsided, Jin Niang cleared her throat and raised her voice:
"Ladies and gentlemen, the first two questions are finished. Now we will begin the third question. For this question, we would like to invite Mr. Yan Chongli to pose the question."
Yan Chongli stepped forward, leaned on the railing, and nodded slightly to the crowd below, his voice steady and powerful:
"Since I've set the topic, I won't delve into those romantic notions. We scholars shouldn't only have thoughts of flowers and moonlight in our hearts; we should also cherish our country, its mountains and rivers, and our lofty aspirations to defend the borders. Today's third topic will focus on border warfare; poetry, prose, and essays are all welcome. Feel free to express your thoughts."
As soon as the topic of frontier life was announced, a chorus of low sighs rose from downstairs. Most of those present were scholars from the Central Plains, few of whom had actually been to the frontier. Their usual exchanges were mostly about romance and poetry, and no one had expected a military theme. Caught completely off guard, each of them held their pens, frowned, and pondered, unable to put pen to paper for a long time.
Shen Jingchuan stood awkwardly by the second-floor banquet, unsure whether to sit or stand, feeling utterly constrained. As a commoner, he stood out starkly among the nobles and scholars, so he stepped forward and bowed, saying:
"Your Highness, Master, now that the third question has been opened, I will return downstairs to answer it."
Yan Chongli nodded slightly and waved to him:
"Go ahead. Come back after the poetry gathering."
Just as Shen Jingchuan was about to turn around, Prince Jing called out to him with a smile:
"What's the rush? Now that you've joined Mr. Yan's school, you're one of us. There's no reason for you to stand. Someone, bring you a seat."
Shen Jingchuan looked at Yan Chongli, and seeing that the gentleman nodded in acknowledgment, he thanked him for his seat and quietly sat down behind Yan Chongli.
Prince Jing glanced at the worried faces of the crowd downstairs, then turned to Shen Jingchuan and casually asked:
"Young Master Shen, here's a question for you. Do you have a plan in mind? Will you compose a poem or write a lyric?"
The first two songs had already caused a sensation, but that was going too far; it was time to leave some room for others. Shen Jingchuan then bowed and replied:
"Your Highness, I don't have any ideas yet. Please allow me to think about it slowly."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the Prince Jing's Heir scoffed, glancing at him sideways with a tone full of contempt:
"I thought you were so capable, but it turns out all you can do is write sentimental love poems. You can't handle serious topics like defending the country?"