Expressing Ambitions Through Poetry

Don't dwell on it, Ban Ruo. She bit her lip, thinking: one is an outdated, tactless old woman, the other is a vibrant, city-wide adored courtesan. Even a blind person would know how to choose. How could you possibly choose wrong?

Yu Lou looked up, a complex expression in her eyes…

Lin Su raised his hand, handing the "Flower Understanding" fan to her. "Sister Yu Lou, my brother asked me to bring you a poem."

Yu Lou's eyes suddenly welled up. "Write it down quickly!"

Lin Su turned to a nearby table, picked up a brush…

Everyone's eyes were filled with ridicule. He knows how to hold a brush?

Lin Su's brush moved, like a dragon and snake dancing, and he finished quickly…

"Read it aloud!" Young Master Jin said with a smile. "Let's see what kind of poem our Second Young Master Lin can write!"

The elegantly dressed beautiful woman accepted the poem with a smile. Suddenly, her smile froze. She slowly read, "I ask the river's tide and the ocean's pattern, how do they compare to your feelings and my heart? It's a pity the tide is more trustworthy than you; only in longing do I realize the sea is not deep."

After finishing, her face was full of disbelief. But she offered no evaluation. For the previous poems, she had added a concluding remark, implying that since the young masters praised Ban Ruo, Yu Xiang Tower would rely on their patronage in the future. But for this poem, she had no concluding remark…

A person sitting at the very top among the scholars, whose eyes had been half-closed, suddenly snapped open.

Zhang Xiu's folding fan, halfway through its swing, suddenly stopped.

The smile on Young Master Jin's face completely froze.

Five renowned courtesans, who had already hidden themselves in the adjacent room, exchanged glances and saw surprise in each other's eyes…

The entire hall fell silent.

How is this possible?

How could it be such a magnificent poem? The structure was exquisite, the meaning boundless. Every word held a bone-deep tenderness, a heartfelt affection. Such a brilliant poem, even if presented at the most elite literary gathering in the capital city, would surely hold its own.

In a remote corner of the wine house, a Tong Sheng looked from one person to another and quietly asked the young scholar beside him, who was already out of sorts, "Brother Deng, this poem… what do you think?"

The scholar sighed, "It's a pity the tide is more trustworthy than you; only in longing do I realize the sea is not deep… Truly a line that astonishes the world, one poem that silences the hall…"

Suddenly, someone nearby coughed lightly. The scholar startled and quickly stopped speaking…

Even though he stopped abruptly, some people still heard it, including Ban Ruo. The smile on Ban Ruo's face had already stiffened. She had gathered the flowers of the entire hall, but had missed one. And it was precisely this one she had missed. A poem that silences the hall – she too was talented and had discerning taste. This poem, in terms of its weight, was far heavier than all the fifty-odd poems she had received combined. If this poem was a fine wine, the others were merely a cup of swill…

The feeling in her heart was far from pleasant.

Yu Lou took the manuscript of the poem and gazed at it for a long time. After a while, she slowly looked up and said softly, "Third Young Master, please give your brother a message."

"Sister Yu Lou, please speak…"

"My young master is still ill, yet he still remembers Yu Lou. Yu Lou shall personally visit the Lin manor to wash my hands and prepare meals, to ensure my young master's health and well-being!"

The entire hall erupted in an uproar!

This statement had truly set the tone.

"Wash my hands and prepare meals" meant she was joining the Lin family!

Even though Lin Jialiang was not present, he had won the beauty with just a poem!

Zhang Xiu's face turned ashen!

The group of people who had participated in the courtesan competition also wore displeased expressions.

Thus, the Ci Lou Banquet came to a perfect conclusion. Under the guidance of the elegantly dressed woman, the beauties left one by one, and the two generations of courtesans also departed almost simultaneously.

Ban Ruo and Yu Lou now shared the only tacit understanding of the entire banquet – as they left, their last glances were all directed at Lin Su. However, the meaning behind their gazes was entirely different.

One other person also looked at Lin Su; it was the zither player. Her gaze was exceptionally bright…

The middle-aged man sitting at the head seat said, "It's rare for the Ten Beauties of Qu Prefecture to gather. Since we are all here today, why not take this opportunity to discuss a re-evaluation of the Ten Beauties, what do you say?"

As soon as this was said, those preparing to leave sat back down.

Re-evaluating the Ten Beauties? This was a monumental matter, truly a grand event in the literary world of Qu Prefecture. Anyone even remotely connected to literature would not want to leave.

Lin Su's heart stirred. A new title?

Today's Ci Lou Banquet was, of course, a trap set by the Zhang family, with the objective of suppressing the Lin family!

What were the steps?

Step one: Zhang Xiu intended to take Yu Lou as his concubine, using her to step on Lin Jialiang – Yu Lou's ambiguous relationship with Lin Jialiang was known even to Lin's mother, so these people had no reason not to know. How could Lin Jialiang maintain his dignity if Zhang Xiu took Yu Lou?

Now, Yu Lou had extricated herself, causing Zhang Xiu's plan to fall through.

The other side immediately deployed the second move: re-evaluating the Ten Beauties of Qu Prefecture.

What was the purpose of this move?

It was now clear: these people intended to use this opportunity to strip the Second Young Master, Lin Jialiang, of his title as one of the Ten Beauties of Qu Prefecture!

The title of Ten Beauties of Qu Prefecture was merely a designation, seemingly an empty honor, but in reality, it had a profound impact on one's literary reputation. Originally one of the Ten Beauties, being expelled today – how would one accept it? If one's resolve was even slightly weak, such a blow could be enough to make them lose all motivation, tarnish their literary path, and thus truly sever their Literary Path.

Fine, Lin Su thought, let's see how you perform…

"Mr. Lei's proposal aligns perfectly with my student's wishes." Zhang Xiu's ashen face slowly relaxed. "Qu Prefecture has always possessed profound heritage and literary elegance, accounting for one-third of Great Cang's springtime beauty. The title of Ten Beauties of Qu Prefecture, what a glorious reputation! Only those with both excellent literary reputation and profound heritage can bear it. A public re-evaluation today, where the truly talented ascend and those who falsely claim fame descend, is indeed necessary. I request Mr. Lei to preside over this grand event and create a beautiful chapter in the literary world."

He bowed deeply.

Mr. Lei gently shook his head. "How could this old man possess such virtue and ability? To dare to judge the talents of Qu Prefecture? I beg you all to find another worthy individual to undertake this great responsibility…"

Everyone chimed in, urging Mr. Dongyang not to be so modest. They pointed out that most people present had only just begun to develop their Literary Roots, and even they themselves were merely Xiucai, having only forged a Literary World. Mr. Dongyang, however, was a Juren, having already forged a Literary Mountain...

"Exactly, exactly. In the path of literature, one's rank takes precedence. Even half a step can make one a teacher..."

Lin Su knew all of this; he had just read it in "Miscellaneous Talks on the Literary Path"...

The path of literature was divided into seven tiers: Literary Root, Literary World, Literary Mountain, Literary Heart, Literary Path, Literary Realm, and Sage...

Literary Root was the first tier of the literary path. It could be obtained in two ways: either through the Tong Sheng examination, where the Sacred Hall bestowed Literary Roots, or by possessing immense fortune, allowing the Sacred Hall to bestow Literary Roots directly.

If there were shortcuts to obtaining Literary Roots, there were none beyond that point.

Those who obtained Literary Roots could participate in the Provincial Examination. Those who passed were called Xiucai and were bestowed Literary Worlds.

Xiucai could participate in the Metropolitan Examination. Those who passed were called Juren and were bestowed Literary Mountains.

Juren could participate in the Palace Examination. Those who passed were called Jinshi and were bestowed Literary Hearts.

Lei Dongyang had already reached the Literary Mountain, which meant he was a Juren.

If measured by academic qualifications, a Juren was one level higher than a Xiucai. Therefore, it was only natural that he would be the judge.

After a long period of refusal, Lei Dongyang finally accepted. He took a sip of wine and spoke:

"The world is as beautiful as brocade, and you all possess great aspirations and high spirits. Let us express our ambitions through poetry, and use these poems to select the Ten Beauties of Qu Prefecture. Do any of you have any objections?"

"Poems expressing ambition are essential for everyone. Naturally, we have no objections."

"No objections..."

A crowd of people voiced their agreement, all without any objections...

Lin Su observed coldly, Damn, this is a very targeted scheme...

A poem expressing ambition needed to be filled with high spirits...

The second brother had been through the wringer for the past month. How could he possibly be full of high spirits?

Writing something like "Ten years of life and death, vast and dim" would be more fitting!

After the scholar above Lin Su declared no objections, all eyes turned to Lin Su.

Lin Su spoke, "Why are you all looking at me? Do you need me to express my opinion?... Hmm, actually, there is one question I'd like to ask..."

Mr. Lei, who was above, said, "Third Young Master Lin, please speak."

Lin Su asked, "My elder brother was originally among the Ten Beauties of Qu Prefecture. Today, he is ill and cannot attend. May I ask, sir, will you be judging only nine beauties, and then adding my elder brother to make ten, or will you directly disregard my elder brother and arbitrarily select ten?"

"Since it is a re-evaluation, the original Ten Beauties naturally do not count."

Lin Su nodded, "Taking advantage of my brother's illness to quickly re-evaluate the Ten Beauties. Look at how you're exploiting this loophole... Hmm, I see. You are quite wary of my elder brother."

Hahaha...

Everyone burst into laughter...

"Wary? Hahaha, what is Lin Jialiang? Including him among the Ten Beauties of Qu Prefecture was purely to make up the numbers..."

"Exactly! We included him out of respect for the Marquis of Dingnan. Where is the Marquis of Dingnan now?"

Those words were quite harsh. Lin Su raised his gaze and stared at the speaker. He had heard the introduction earlier; this person was Young Master Guiyang.

Young Master Guiyang opened his folding fan, "What? Third Young Master, are you not satisfied? If you're not satisfied, it's fine. You can go back now and have your elder brother come over. I will personally ensure he is utterly disgraced!"

"There's no need to invite my elder brother!" Lin Su said, "I'll play along with you all. Isn't it just about writing poetry? I did learn a few things from my elder brother, after all. I wouldn't dare claim to be on par with the masters, but I can manage to play along."

"You?"

Hahahaha, no one could hold back their laughter.

Even Xiao Yao, having eaten her fill, looked at him in surprise. Brother, did you get drunk after just one cup of wine? You can write poetry? How come I never knew?

"If Third Young Master wants to write poetry, why don't we indulge him this once?" Zhang Xiu said with a smile.

"Oh, yes, yes. There's no rule saying a good-for-nothing can't write poetry..."

"Then let him write. I truly didn't expect such an amusing event to occur at a grand literary gathering..."

Sheets of paper were brought to the tables.

Lin Su picked up his brush. Someone tugged at his sleeve. He turned and saw Xiao Yao. Xiao Yao leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Brother, why don't I quickly go back and ask Second Young Master to write? Xiao Yao has eaten enough and can run fast..."

Lin Su said, "What are you getting into? Go gnaw on your chicken leg!"

Oh!

Xiao Yao sat down by a pillar, obediently picking up her chicken leg...

Swish, swish, swish...

The brush danced like dragons and snakes, a beautiful sight. The entire hall was filled with people wielding brushes...

Time ticked by, and finally, Lin Su also began to write, putting down a large amount of text