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Chapter 136 Bowing to a Master by the River!
The banks of the Jianghuai River were brightly lit.
The poetry gathering continued.
But it had changed from a performance by many to a solo show by Jiang Chen.
His talent was like a newly sharpened blade, and all who stood in its path submitted to his brilliance!
Perhaps it was the alcohol taking effect,
Or perhaps it was the feeling of being revered and admired by the crowd, but Jiang Chen's excitement grew even more intense, and he couldn't stop himself!
"Yu Meiren (Poppy)"
"When will the spring flowers and autumn moon end? How much is known of the past!"
"In the small building, the east wind blew again last night; I cannot bear to look back at my homeland in the moonlight."
"The carved railings and jade steps should still be there, but the rosy cheeks have changed."
"I ask you, how much sorrow can there be? It is like a river of spring water flowing east."
…
"Deng Youzhou Tai (Ascending Youzhou Tower)"
"I do not see the ancients before me, nor the followers after me."
"Thinking of the boundlessness of heaven and earth, I am alone and shed tears!"
…
Jiang Chen recited one poem after another!
His astonishing poetic talent was like the water of the Huai River flowing backward, and endless, peerless poems drowned those present!
At this moment, no one dared to raise their head, and no one dared to speak.
In thousands of years and across vast lands, only such a peerless genius had emerged!
One man, suppressing the world!
At this moment, the scholars in the crowd who were usually hailed as talented men were simply ashamed and wanted to disappear!
Some with thinner skin even covered their faces with their sleeves!
Compared to the Jiang Yan before them, what was their meager knowledge worth? They weren't even worthy of carrying Jiang Yan's shoes!
Amidst everyone's shock,
Jiang Chen recited peerless poems non-stop, without any thought, as if the Star of Literature had descended.
From the first to the hundredth, again and again, he shocked the world.
Zhang Zifang was already numb with shock, and even had the urge to prostrate himself on the spot.
Compare poems?
Compare with whom? Jiang Yan?!
Wasn't this just humiliating himself, slapping his own face?!
Not to mention the Shui Diao Ge Tou (Song of Water Melody), even the most ordinary-looking quatrain was cleverly conceived, with strange rhymes, yet easy to understand and highly memorable.
Such verses, not to mention him, even those great scholars who led a school of thought would find it difficult to create!
To put it bluntly, even if all the scholars of the Great Wei were tied together, they probably couldn't beat one finger of Jiang Yan!
As time passed, Jiang Chen picked up the last pot of wine, his eyes slightly blurred, preparing to end with a famous poem that would be sung for thousands of years.
He raised his head and drank wildly, his eyes inadvertently sweeping over Yang Muxi on the riverbank, and he immediately had an idea!
"Que Qiao Xian (Magpie Bridge Fairy)"
"Fine clouds playfully drifting, shooting stars carrying grief, across the vast Milky Way in secret."
"A single meeting amidst the golden breeze and jade dew surpasses countless encounters in the mortal realm."
"Tender feelings like water, a promised time like a dream, who can bear to look back on the road home across the magpie bridge!"
"If love between two hearts can last forever, why need they be together day and night?"
This poem perfectly captured the essence of 'love'!
In just four lines, it told of life and death.
From the highest heaven to the deepest earth, they only recognized one person, and even if they could only be together for a short time, they would never change their minds!
How could such feelings not move everyone?!
After a brief silence, the crowd suddenly erupted in thunderous cheers.
The women who had attended the poetry gathering were even more frenzied, even disregarding their modesty, throwing personal items such as handkerchiefs and earrings at Jiang Chen.
They had been completely conquered by Jiang Chen.
Their hearts had been lost on the man before them, never to be recovered!
Those self-righteous talents were also subdued by Jiang Chen.
Some emotional people even knelt on the ground, shouting "Poet Immortal" at the top of their lungs, looking like madmen!
But Jiang Chen didn't pay any attention to these people who worshiped him.
His deep black eyes stared at Yang Muxi, filled with a strong possessiveness.
Locked by this burning gaze, Yang Muxi's heart beat like a drum, her pretty face as red as the evening霞, and she looked away in a panic.
"Why, why is he always looking at me when he writes love poems?"
"'A single meeting amidst the golden breeze and jade dew surpasses countless encounters in the mortal realm,' could this line be about our previous meeting?"
Unknowingly, Yang Muxi's icy heart was shattered, and Jiang Chen stirred up waves within her.
At the same time, the entire Huai River was completely boiling, with cheers rising everywhere!
The shock of those poems was too great, making people couldn't help but admire him.
Jiang Chen withdrew his gaze and threw away the empty wine pot in his hand.
He understood the principle of knowing when to stop, and he couldn't push Yang Muxi, a woman like her, too hard.
He looked at the front playfully and joked, "Brother Zhang, it's your turn, please!"
"We agreed to compete in a hundred poems, don't break your promise."
At the Jixia Academy, dozens of students showed bitter smiles. How could they compare?
But Zhang Zifang was not one to be intimidated.
He curled his lips into a wry smile, barely managed to control his emotions, picked up the wolf毫 brush on the table, and made a gesture to write.
But his mind was blank, he couldn't remember anything, and even the hand holding the brush was trembling.
After a moment, he solemnly put down the brush, looked at Jiang Chen, and his eyes were filled with undisguised admiration.
He frankly admitted defeat and said, "Brother Jiang, I admit defeat!"
"Your talent, even if I study hard for another hundred years, I will not be able to catch up."
Saying this, he paused, and a hint of determination flashed in his eyes.
He flicked his sleeves and knelt down, and in full view of everyone, gave Jiang Chen a great gift.
"If Young Master Jiang doesn't mind, I, Zhang Zifang, am willing to worship you as my teacher and learn poetry from you!"
As soon as the words fell, the audience was silent!
This talented man, who was famous all over the world and even praised by the prime minister, wanted to become a student?
Under everyone's shocked gaze, Jiang Chen stood in place.
After examining Zhang Zifang for a few moments, he said indifferently, "Poetry is just a minor skill, what's the use of learning it?"
"A real man should be born into this world to establish a career, to establish a heart for the world, to establish a life for the people, to continue the unique knowledge for the past sages, and to create peace for all ages!"
He stepped forward, with a hint of doubt: "Zhang Zifang, your learning is already difficult for ordinary people to achieve, why do you have to hide in this small academy and waste your years?"
"Now that His Majesty has started the imperial examination, paving a path to the sky for the children of poor families, why don't you take this opportunity to join the court and help the world and the people, which can be considered worthy of your learning."
Zhang Zifang showed a bitter smile at the corner of his mouth: "Brother Jiang, it's not that I don't want to, it's that I really can't!"
"The aristocratic families of this Great Wei monopolize power, and corrupt officials are rampant. It is not something that a small scholar like me can change... If I really become confused and devote myself to it, I am afraid that it will involve my family and friends."
His words resonated with many people.
In the crowd, someone shouted, "Your Excellency, His Majesty is tyrannical, likes beauty and enjoyment, and allows treacherous officials to be in power."
"Even the prime minister, the head of all officials, is a mediocre man who doesn't care about anything and only cares about his own wealth. We are insignificant people. Even if we want to change, what can we do?"
The speaker spoke very quickly, and his words were very careful, as if he was afraid of causing trouble.
And after his words fell, there were echoes all around.
"That's right, the current court has long been controlled by aristocratic families, and corrupt officials are rampant. There is no place for clean officials to stand. How difficult it is to change!"
"Alas, I have the will to kill the enemy, but I don't have the strength to turn the tide!"
Listening to these lamentations, Jiang Chen frowned instantly…