flstandardbreds Chapter 173 The Villainous Female Supporting Character's Mind Was Read 28
Chapter 173 The Villainous Female Supporting Character's Mind Was Read 28
Lin Shuwan, dressed in men's clothing, entered Qingyuan smoothly with Gu Yanli.
The gathering is held every two years, with no fixed date, but generally follows a cycle of the four seasons.
Last time it was set in autumn, but this year it's winter.
Because it is winter, the season when plum blossoms are in full bloom, new plum trees have been transplanted in Qingyuan Garden, and this year's theme is to compose poems for these plum blossoms.
Visitors can admire the artwork in the front yard before putting pen to paper.
If one cannot write a poem immediately, it is permissible to have a friend write one for them.
However, each person can submit a maximum of two poems, in order to avoid too many guests.
Once written, hand it to the servant who is attending to you.
They would hang the poems they had written on both sides of the corridor.
The placement of items is not based on status or age, but only on the order in which they were submitted.
Below the poem, writing brush and ink will also be placed.
If you like this poem, you can add a stroke below it; five strokes make one correct character.
As this gathering draws to a close, the five poems with the most correct characters will be selected for all guests to comment on, exchange ideas, and learn from.
If you have any objections, you may raise them at this time.
This also helps prevent cheating.
After the gathering, someone would deliver the poems to be printed and included in the previous poetry collection for preservation.
The authors of those five poems will also receive this book of poems as a gift for being selected.
Whether or not we can obtain the poetry collection is secondary.
Due to the popularity of the Qingyuan Gathering, the literati who are fortunate enough to be selected will also gain more fame.
Once you gain recognition, things will be smoother whether you want to go into politics or develop your career in the literary world.
This was another reason why the teacher suggested he come here.
After submitting his two poems, Gu Yanli and Lin Shuwan strolled around the garden together.
Guests could enjoy the plum blossoms, play chess, sip tea around a stove, burn incense and play the zither, or discuss poetry and literature, each finding their own pleasure.
As they walked, they came to the two poems written by Gu Yanli.
"Having washed away the makeup, one sees snow-white skin; one must let true beauty flourish."
The sandalwood heart has already turned into dragon's saliva, why bother with otter marrow to heal the jade cheeks? (Note 1)
"How wonderful! The plum blossom is noble and pure, surpassing all the superficial and ostentatious decorations."
"I actually think the second one is more exquisite—"
Clad in this icy forest, I stand apart from the fragrant peach and plum blossoms.
Suddenly, a delicate fragrance filled the night, spreading spring across the vast universe. (Note 2)
"To blend in with the world and not to maintain a pure and noble character (Note 3), to brave the snow and frost, the plum blossom alone does not compete with other flowers for beauty."
"Of noble character and lofty aspirations, though different from the common people, he is willing to engage with the world."
"Who wrote these two poems? They are so elegant and refined!"
"The signature is Gu Yanli."
"Gu Yanli? Who is Gu Yanli? I don't think I've ever heard of him."
“Yanli is his courtesy name. You should have heard of his name. Gu An is the last disciple of Suli Jushi.”
"It turns out to be him!"
"With such outstanding literary talent, it's no wonder that the lay Buddhist Su Lu took him as his last disciple."
"Moreover, he also won the top score in this provincial examination."
"Not only that, he also won the minor triple crown before."
"If you calculate it that way, he has already won four yuan. Do you think he might win six yuan in a row?"
"I think it's a bit difficult."
"I don't think so. The person who can write such exquisite sentences must be extraordinary!"
"Writing poetry is different from taking the imperial examinations; they should not be confused."
"Whether he can achieve six consecutive top honors remains to be seen, so why bother arguing here and disturbing the tranquility of Qingyuan?"
"However, he had never been famous before. To be able to recognize his talent from the vast sea of people is truly worthy of the title of 'Humble Hermit'!"
"I heard that he was the fifth disciple of Su Li Jushi, and was introduced by Song Huaiyun."
"To be able to hang out with Young Master Song from the Duke of Cheng's mansion, he must be of extraordinary status. Which family's young master is he?"
"He seems to be living in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion."
……
"I know I know."
Lin Shuwan listened to the commotion for a while, and finally couldn't resist anymore.
Before Gu Yanli could react, she leaned in and said, "My aunt's son's wife's uncle's aunt works as a cook in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. She told me a lot about Gu Jieyuan's private affairs."
"Tell us about it!" The crowd surrounded Lin Shuwan with great interest.
"Ahem, I heard that Gu Yanli is a distant grand-nephew of Old Madam Lin." Lin Shuwan lowered her voice, feigning suspense.
“What’s so special about that? I know that too,” one person shouted.
"Stop arguing, I haven't finished yet!" Lin Shuwan frowned at him, annoyed that he had interrupted her.
The man cupped his hands in apology and said, "I apologize for my rudeness. Please continue."
Seeing this, Lin Shuwan lowered her voice with satisfaction and continued, "I heard that he had a miserable life before, and only started learning to read last year in preparation for the imperial examination."
"Hiss—" Everyone gasped.
"How is this possible? He only studied for less than two years, yet he was able to pass the imperial examinations four times in a row and write such a masterpiece!"
"If this is indeed true, how can we, who have studied hard for so many years, save face!"
Gu Yanli stood behind Lin Shuwan, touched his nose, and looked slightly embarrassed.
Less than two years is a bit of an exaggeration.
He must have studied diligently and read extensively in his previous life to achieve what he has today.
But when he thought that not everyone could have such an experience of being reborn after death, he felt relieved.
"How could this be? You're not lying to us, are you?!"
Lin Shuwan retorted, "Of course it's true! Mr. Song from Zhaowenzhai can testify!"
"But is it Mr. Song Jin?" someone asked.
Lin Shuwan nodded: "Exactly."
Another person suddenly realized: "Mr. Song is a close friend of my father. When he came to my house last year and chatted with my father, he seemed to mention that he had recently met a genius. When my father asked who it was, he smiled but did not say anything, saying that he would know in the future. Could it be that the person Mr. Song was talking about is Gu Yanli!"
"The timing is perfect; there really are such gifted people in this world."
Lin Shuwan listened to their exclamations with satisfaction, then revealed, "That's not all!"
The crowd had already believed Lin Shuwan's words to a large extent, and immediately pressed her for an answer: "Stop keeping us in suspense, tell us quickly."
Lin Shuwan pointed to the poem hanging on the wall and said, "Look at his handwriting now, isn't it still quite inferior to his literary talent?"
"That's true." Everyone nodded in agreement.
"It seems that Gu Jieyuan isn't good at everything. At least his calligraphy is not as good as mine," one person said smugly.
Another person retorted, "But he only started learning to read last year, so he must have started practicing writing characters from that time."
"Thinking about it this way, the calligraphy is already excellent."
"My aunt's son's wife's uncle's aunt said that she had seen Yan Li's calligraphy practice books before! They were absolutely awful to look at," Lin Shuwan said, shaking her head and sighing.
Gu Yanli was speechless. If he wasn't worried about being discovered, he wouldn't have bothered to hide his abilities.
"This calligraphy was truly mastered in a year; Heaven seems to favor one person so much!" one person exclaimed.
Seeing that the atmosphere was just right, Lin Shuwan revealed the purpose of her visit: "However, his achievements are also related to one person."
……
……
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(Note 1: Taken from Su Shi's "Re-composing Yang Gongji's Ten Quatrains on Plum Blossoms, No. 7" from the Song Dynasty)
Note 2: Taken from "White Plum" by Wang Mian of the Yuan Dynasty
Note 3: "To blend in with the world and not to be arrogant" is selected from Sima Biao's "Continuation of the Book of Han" in the Western Jin Dynasty.