binnovel Chapter 107 Qingming Shooting Willows
Chapter 107 Qingming Shooting Willows
Chapter 107 Qingming Shooting Willows
Xiaoyaojin was originally a ferry crossing on the Fei River. Xiaoyaojin has Xiaoyao Lake, which contains three islands, with the North Island being the largest and the South Island the smallest. The landmark building of Xiaoyaojin, Xiaoyao Pavilion, is built alongside the island.
This Qingming literary gathering will take place in the Xiaoyao Pavilion.
Inside Xiaoyao Pavilion, a misty rain shrouded the scene, through which rows of willows swayed gently in the breeze. Perhaps it was the Qingming Festival, but the view evoked a particularly somber mood.
Inside the pavilion, three or five scholars were gathered together, with a dozen tables scattered throughout the building, chatting and laughing.
"Brother Ye Ru, with your arrival, we might just be extras."
Kong Hexuan saw Ye Ru leading Wang Hu and the others approaching from a distance, and waved happily.
"Brother Kong, what are you saying? Don't belittle yourself. I had some things to attend to on the way and was delayed. I'll punish myself with three cups of wine later to make amends."
Ye Ru smiled apologetically.
"Brother Ye Ru, you've arrived. You'll be sitting at the same table with us today."
Meng Qingyang walked in, holding a wine glass, and waved it at Ye Ru.
"Brother Meng, are we not just sitting here casually?"
Ye Ru clasped his hands in a fist salute to Meng Qingyang and then suddenly said in a low voice.
"Chief Ye, you are unaware of the following: at this Qingming literary gathering, the Miscellaneous School, the School of Diplomacy, and the Legalist School will all target you. I heard from my family that the Left Prime Minister visited all three schools three times, and during those visits, all the conflicts were directed at you. I am afraid that when you go to the Liuan Secret Realm, those people will come to cause you trouble."
When Ye Ru sat down next to Kong Hexuan, the latter's expression suddenly turned serious as he replied.
"So, in order to protect you, we brought you here."
Ye Ru looked around. The place seemed chaotic, but it was vaguely divided into several schools of thought. The Miscellaneous School, the School of Diplomacy, the Legalist School, etc. formed one school; the School of Confucius and Mencius, etc., formed another school; and the School of Military Strategists, the Mohists, the School of Craftsmen, etc., formed yet another school.
"I see, thank you all for your kindness."
A warm feeling welled up in Ye's heart, and she said gratefully.
Although he wasn't afraid of these noble families, he was still deeply moved that Kong Hexuan and the others had gone to such lengths for him.
The gentleman is magnanimous, but the villain grows sorrowful.
"Alright, everyone's due date has passed, so let's begin this Qingming literary gathering. This gathering can also be considered a tribute to the heroic souls in the Lu'an Secret Realm."
After a while, Kong Hexuan stood up, picked up a glass of wine, and then addressed the crowd.
"Alright, how should this literary gathering be conducted?"
"It was a man of many talents!" a man of many talents exclaimed.
"Since it is Qingming Festival, we should carry out Qingming activities, but the weather is not cooperating and it has started to drizzle."
"Do you all see the willow trees around us? How about we hold a willow-shooting contest, one of the traditional Qingming Festival activities, to decide who will be the champion?"
Kong Hexuan pondered for a moment, then spoke loudly.
"Since we are going to pay homage to our ancestors, we should respect them. Let's have a willow-shooting contest."
A scholar dressed in the attire of a wealthy family nodded and said.
Ye Ru nodded. Shooting willows is a game for practicing archery skills, and it can also be said to be an epitome of archery among the Six Arts.
The rules were that everyone could recite poems and use them as a basis for shooting; whoever could hit the red dot in the middle of the willow tree would be the winner.
This shooting competition, ostensibly a test of archery among the Six Arts, is actually a contest of who can write better poetry and prose.
"Brother Ye Ru, let's have a contest and see who can hit the red dot in the middle, shall we?"
Han Lu picked up his wine glass and walked over, then toasted Ye Ru with a fake smile.
“Brother Ye, don’t compare yourself to him. Han Lü is proficient in archery, one of the six arts of Legalism. Comparing yourself to him is like throwing an egg against a rock.”
Kong Hexuan pursed his lips and said in a low voice.
"Yes, Chief Ye should participate in this willow-shooting exercise. Moreover, I must apologize to you for my rude remarks a few days ago. This cup of wine is my apology."
Li Chi walked over, picked up a glass of wine, and drank it all in one gulp.
Li Chi's actions surprised Ye Ru slightly. He thought that Han Lu must have secretly instructed him, otherwise there would be no way the other party would apologize.
Sure enough, Li Chi then said, "Master Ye is the one who created poetry that is renowned throughout the world. These mere Six Arts are absolutely nothing to him. Why don't you let us broaden our horizons so that we can boast about them when we go home in the future?"
Ye Ru smiled slightly, picked up his wine glass and drank. The other party apologized first, forcing him to accept it. If he didn't accept it, it would be judging a gentleman by the standards of a petty person, and it would inevitably damage his literary reputation in the capital in the future.
Then Li Chi threw out this sentence, taking the opportunity to flatter and undermine himself. If his archery skills were really no better than Han Lu's, then there would be more to make a fuss about.
"You're still a long way from ruining my literary reputation."
Ye Ru took a deep breath and murmured to himself.
Dong Qi was also stunned. He didn't expect that Han Lu and Li Chi would be so shameless as to be determined to strike at Ye Ru during this trip.
He was also a little uneasy. Although Ye Ru was good at poetry, he was, after all, from a poor family. Although Confucius advocated education for all, poor families could not even afford books, let alone learn archery and the other five arts.
"If I return to the capital, I will find a way to stop him."
Meng Qingyang also said in a low voice.
Ye Ru smiled and shook his head.
"Brother Ye, your silence means you agree? What a talented person you are! Today, I, Han Lu, will have a chance to learn from you."
After Han Lu finished speaking, he sent someone to Zhang Liao's military review platform at Xiaoyao Ford to retrieve two crossbows, and then handed one to Ye Ru.
"Brother Ye Ru, let me go first, so that I won't be too embarrassed to show my skills when you amaze everyone."
Han Lu looked at Ye Ru and then spoke first.
Ye Ru nodded, his nonchalant demeanor prompting Han Lu to sneer:
"I don't believe you, a student from a poor family, could possibly master all six arts."
As the words left his mind, Han Lu recited the poem while drawing his bow and nocking an arrow:
"Ten thousand miles of yellow sand gather dust, the general rises with arrow under the moon..."
Han Lu recited a poem about a powerful bow, which drew cheers from the crowd. As the poem fell, it transformed into a streak of red light, which then disappeared into the arrow and was finally released with a powerful shot.
The arrow, imbued with talent and further enhanced by the primordial poetry, finally pierced through halfway with a resounding clang.
"Brother Han, your archery skills are superb, and your poetry is unparalleled. I fear you are truly the foremost master of willow-shooting."
The strategist Su Liu clapped his hands and shouted his approval.
Such archery skills were extremely precise. Everyone knew that at least half of them were inferior to him, as the opponent had managed to shoot the arrow so deeply.
"Ye Ru has fallen into the trap. It's all over."
Kong Hexuan sighed and looked up at Ye Ru.
"When I return to the capital, I will stop Li Chi and others from damaging Ye Ru's literary reputation."
Dong Qi sighed softly and said.
"Brother Ye Ru, it's your turn to show your skills."
Han Lu gave Ye Ru a provocative look, then clasped his hands in a fist and said.
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone turned their expectant gazes toward Ye Ru.