binnovel Chapter 223: Settling the Storm
Chapter 223: Settling the Storm
Chapter 223 Calming the Storm
In the arena, many people held their breath, their gazes lingering on the two men, their talents stirring as if they were secretly competing.
"Let the poetry contest begin!"
Wu Huazi waved his hand.
“Brother Zou, as the elder, you should write first. Please.”
Ye Ru gestured for Zou Tianshu to follow, and the latter nodded.
"Then it would be disrespectful for me to refuse."
After speaking, Zou Tianshu pondered for a moment, then began to write:
"A gentle breeze blows for thousands of miles, desolate and lonely, amidst the vastness of heaven and earth and the sea."
As Zou Tianshu wrote, Wu Huazi read aloud, and at the same time, a vast talent began to slowly emerge from his paper, seemingly possessing a magnificent aura.
"The theme of this poem should be carefree and unrestrained. From this poem, one can feel that Zou Tianshu's poetic skill must be extremely high."
Yu Mengyang closed his eyes and carefully savored the poem before speaking.
"However, poetry comes from the heart. Although this person's poem is good, it does not match his own thoughts. If it could achieve a fusion of emotion and scenery, and harmony between self and object, then this poem would be a masterpiece."
Zhang Shuling's brows furrowed. Although the poem conveyed a leisurely mood, it also revealed a great ambition.
"Brother Zhang, Brother Yu."
At that moment, a gentleman walked over and then said.
"So it's Brother Linghu. The little squabble between the two at the literary platform actually managed to get you here in person?"
The two turned their heads and immediately bowed respectfully.
This man, named Linghu Qingfeng, was the Dean of the School of Etiquette at Yingtian Academy, which taught the Six Arts of Gentlemen. He held a high position and wielded great power, but he never showed favoritism to any side.
"A mere skirmish? One is an Onmyoji from a branch of the Yin-Yang School, and the other is the top scholar in the national examination and the first of the five ranks. Even if it's a minor skirmish, it's still a literary contest worth watching."
Linghu Qingfeng smiled slightly, glancing at the two of them, seemingly lost in thought.
At this moment, Zou Tianshu was still writing. After finishing the first two lines, he flipped his hand, and an ink block appeared in his palm. Everyone who saw this ink block exclaimed in surprise:
"I never expected Brother Zou to possess amethyst ink ingots!"
"The amethyst ink ingot was mined from a demon tribe and is considered a high-grade ink ingot. Brother Zou is actually willing to use it to deal with such a poor scholar?"
The discussions among the many knowledgeable students piqued the interest of the professors as well.
"Amethyst inksticks, these are good things. They have two uses. First, they can be incorporated into ink to make the written verses more expressive and thus enhance their quality. It seems that Zou Tianshu is self-aware enough to know to use this ink to help improve the quality of his poem, making the best use of his strengths and compensating for his weaknesses."
Linghu Qingfeng nodded, a hint of appreciation flashing in his eyes, and then said:
"I just don't know how Ye Tongsheng will decipher this poem."
"Judging from Ye Tongsheng's expression, he did not seem flustered, so he must be quite confident."
Zou Tianshu ground the ink, then dipped his brush and wrote swiftly. As he continued writing poetry, a vast, purple power began to burst forth in all directions:
"Let the boat roam freely, drifting with the waves and chasing the bright moon."
After the poem was completed, a burst of talent suddenly erupted, eventually transforming into a four-foot-long stream of talent that spread outwards, startling everyone around.
The poem was astonishing.
"It's actually a poem by a master poet! Not bad at all. This poem depicts the poet's carefree and unrestrained life, and its style is very similar to that of Tao Yuanming, the master of reclusion throughout history."
Linghu Qingfeng stroked his beard and praised.
"Is Mr. Linghu's evaluation of Zou Tianshu a bit too high? Tao Yuanming's poetry and prose are unparalleled throughout the ages, especially his landscape and pastoral poetry. No one has ever surpassed him in history."
Yu Mengyang frowned, then said softly.
"Although this poem is refreshing and rhymes beautifully, it pales in comparison to Tao Yuanming's work."
The four-foot-tall talent filled the sky, causing many people to exclaim in amazement. Generally speaking, if a scholar could write a poem that could astound the sages, that would be enough to prove his talent. Although he used the amethyst ink, the flaw did not detract from the overall excellence.
"Brother Ye, this is just a trivial skill, not worth mentioning."
After Zou Tianshu finished writing, he looked up and smiled at Ye Rudao.
"Brother Zou is indeed a man of exceptional talent. I admire him greatly. If this poem could be revised, it might even reach the world's attention."
Ye Ru bowed and said casually.
"Oh? Thank you for your kind words, Brother Ye. Your poem is enough. Please surpass it first."
Zou Tianshu shrugged, his words laced with sarcasm. In his view, Ye Ru's words were nothing short of showing off his knowledge.
"Tch, how dare they comment on the poem that amazes the saint? They really don't know what's good for them. If they can't write one later, they'll be shooting themselves in the foot."
Those strategists and Legalists in the crowd said disdainfully that Ye Ru's words were nothing more than bluster and cowardice.
"Since the theme of Brother Zou's poems and essays is tranquility and carefree life, then I will temporarily avoid the limelight and compose a poem in response to Brother Zou."
"Write lyrics? You can't even write poetry well, yet you want to write lyrics? You're just being incredibly presumptuous."
"Do you really think that by defeating a mere scholar from Yuzhang Academy, you can surpass Brother Zou? How laughable."
Upon hearing this, many students from the Canglan Academy scoffed again.
"If he can write a poem about cultivating virtue, I'll consider him impressive and won't fight with him in the future. It's a pity, though, that he might not even be able to write a poem about cultivating virtue."
Despite the ridicule of the crowd, Ye Ru's expression remained unchanged. After a moment's contemplation, a line from a poem by Su Shi expressing his own open-minded optimism came to mind, and he immediately wrote:
"Do not listen to the sound of rain pattering through the trees, why not chant and stroll leisurely? A bamboo staff and straw sandals are lighter than a horse, who's afraid? Let the rain and mist of life take its course."
The first stanza describes the sound of rain pattering on banana leaves, which suddenly rang out in the sky, but there was no rain and no banana leaves around. This feeling surprised all the students present.
"This poem actually has both meaning and imagery, and from the very beginning, it has overshadowed the brilliance of Zou Tianshu's poem. It can be said to be a masterpiece."
Linghu Qingfeng's eyes lit up, and he said.
"If I'm not mistaken, this poem is at least a poem of primordial chaos. Whether it can become a masterpiece depends on the second half."
Zhang Shuling said with a serious expression.
Ye Ru continued writing. This poem was written by Su Shi after he encountered rain on his way back from visiting the fields at Shahu. The title of the poem is Ding Feng Bo. Although it is about a small incident in life, such as encountering wind and rain on a journey in the wild, it is profound in its simplicity and extraordinary in its ordinary scenes. It also shows Su Shi's broad-mindedness and detachment and expresses his extraordinary ideals for life. It was one of the poems that Ye Ru liked back then.
"The first line, 'Do not listen to the sound of rain piercing the forest and beating the leaves,' on the one hand, depicts the sudden rain and strong wind, and on the other hand, the word 'do not listen' points out that external things are not worth worrying about. That's good."
Yu Mengyang commented on the previous sentence, noting that he particularly loved leisurely and carefree verses, which greatly helped his improvement in playing the zither.