Wang Li said, "Let's wait here for the outcome, then head down the mountain once we have it."
"Good! Today, we'll discuss poetry and prose, but we can't just talk. Each of us must prepare a poem related to this moment and write it here before we leave. Once we've composed more poems in Pearl City, we can publish them as a collection," Zhang Qingfeng said.
"Good!" The other generals' eyes lit up. Fang Yun's literary fame was blazing like the midday sun, and now he had a World-Passing Wonder Poem to his name. If they could publish a collection alongside him, posterity would surely remember them.
Fang Yun smiled and nodded.
Time slowly passed. It was not until the afternoon that Zhang Qingfeng held his Official Seal and said, "The court session is over. There was considerable controversy."
"Tell us," Fang Yun said.
"You composed world-passing poetry, a deed of unparalleled merit, and you ought to receive a generous reward. But a few people demanded that all rewards be revoked, claiming that 'the nation lies broken' in 'the nation lies broken, yet mountains and rivers remain' curses the Chu Kingdom with destruction. Others argued that the broken nation clearly refers to territory already lost. It is a fact that Chu has suffered devastation, and the line does not mean the country has been destroyed. They insisted that you deserve a generous reward, or the whole world would be in an uproar."
"They're like rabid dogs!" Wang Li could not help cursing. Anger showed on the other generals' faces as well.
Zhang Qingfeng continued, "This world-passing poem will soon be reviewed by the Sacred Academy. Unless something unexpected happens, you will receive an enormous amount of military merit. And that is Sacred Academy military merit, which is exceptionally precious. If