431: Chapter 431 The Great Talent

"Husband, a mouse is stirring."

Inside Tianxiang Restaurant, Xiao Qingxuan sensed something and whispered.

Lin Xiao was watching Xie Juner tune her instrument strings; several young ladies from noble families, each with their own talents, planned to play a piece together and perform a dance to entertain him, the Prince of Zhenbei.

"My wife, these clowns are not worth ruining our good mood. Let us not waste such a beautiful evening."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Qingxuan smiled in relief. "My husband is absolutely right; I was too impatient."

Since she could remember, she had almost always been listening to all directions and watching from all angles, remaining constantly vigilant.

Yet she hadn't realized that with her current cultivation level, she no longer needed to be so guarded.

They were just the five great eunuchs; let them jump around for a few more days.

"Speaking of which, the topic for the first piece has been out for so long, why is there still no movement inside the Qushui Banquet?"

"I am still waiting to see how these top scholars of the current age will write the two characters 'Zhenbei'."

Lin Xiao, however, had no interest; it was nothing more than insipid writing filled with sycophancy and flattery, enough to make his skin crawl just thinking about it.

Xiao Qingxuan saw the man's lack of interest and suddenly realized something: "That's right, my husband must look down on these people's poetry."

"After all, the poems you wrote while marching to boost morale are the truly timeless verses worthy of the Zhenbei Army."

Lin Xiao felt a bit awkward hearing this; he had indeed borrowed some frontier poems, but mostly he had just used them because they felt appropriate for the situation and he was moved by them.

The reason he didn't want them spread around was, of course, because he hadn't written them at all.

Meanwhile, inside the Qushui Banquet.

A group of scholars and literati were all deep in thought, staring at the two characters "Zhenbei".

Su Wansha found it amusing to watch the two men in front of her hesitate to set their brushes to paper.

"My teacher is truly something... this topic is just too difficult."

Su Wansha couldn't help but sigh; taking 'Zhenbei' as a topic was one thing if written well, but if there was any improper wording that offended the Prince of Zhenbei, whether they could leave the Northern Territory alive would be a question.

Conversely, if one wrote about the Prince of Zhenbei too well, it could easily provoke the dissatisfaction of other powerful figures.

Mastering this balance was certainly not easy.

Of course, the more difficult the topic, the more it could showcase one's personal ability.

Just as the eyes of most people were gathered on the so-called number one talent, Lv Sheng, a young-looking scion of a noble family wearing brocade robes stood up first.

"Master Li Jingyi, this junior has already finished; I ask for your guidance."

Master Li Jingyi looked over and recognized the person. "So it is Young Master Cui Yan of the Jianghuai Cui clan. If I recall correctly, you are a disciple of Master Xu Huaian, right?"

"Exactly! Today I am accompanying my teacher to the banquet," Cui Yan said with an arrogant expression.

Master Xu Huaian stroked his beard and said with a smile, "This kid just passed the Jieyuan exam last year. He is young and impetuous, and his poetry level is truly average, but his mind is quick. Brother Li, you might as well listen to him."

"Oh? To pass the Jieyuan exam at such a young age, success in the metropolitan examination is just around the corner."

Master Li Jingyi offered a casual compliment and raised his hand. "Young Master Cui, please proceed."

Cui Yan walked outside the table quite proudly, looked around, and then recited loudly:

"The northern wind rolls across the ground, the frontier clouds are cold, the banners of Zhenbei gather and flutter..."

After the poem was recited, there were a few scattered shouts of "Good" at the scene.

But the three, including Master Li Jingyi and his teacher Master Xu Huaian, didn't show much reaction.

Seeing this, Cui Yan retreated to the side with some embarrassment.

However, the other scholars present became a bit apprehensive.

"Young Master Cui's poem is actually not bad..."

"Yes, I feel mine is about the same..."

For a moment, many people silently put down their brushes, deciding not to make a fool of themselves.

"Young Master Lv, do you have any poems?"

Seeing that the first piece had fallen flat, Master Li Jingyi had no choice but to take the initiative and ask Lv Sheng.

Lv Sheng stood up and said, "Elder Li, this junior is visiting the Northern Territory for the first time. I do not know much about the Zhenbei Army or the Prince of Zhenbei."

"If I were to write a poem on the spot, I fear it might be ill-considered. I wonder if I might use a poem I have already completed?"

Master Li Jingyi smiled. "Of course. Many of the poems at the Qushui Banquet were created beforehand."

"You are quite honest. Many people clearly come prepared but claim it is an impromptu creation..."

Once these words were spoken, many people on the scene felt quite embarrassed. They had indeed brought many cheat sheets, having "guessed the topic".

Lv Sheng immediately turned around, had his page bring over a tray, and set his brush to paper...

"Beacon fires light up Baishui, the Northern Army dons armor and marches out of Yanshan.

Frosty blades shatter the courage of the royal court, armor like snow reflects the faces of frontier generals.

The wilderness is cleared of frontier dust, the sound of drums and horns fades, smoke from villages rises deep by the Cangshui.

From now on there are no barbarians in the northern frontier, year after year mulberry and hemp fill Wu Mountain..."

As he wrote, he recited, and soon cries of "Good" spread throughout the venue.

Master Li Jingyi also showed a look of satisfaction; at least the first piece hadn't fallen flat.

If it really hadn't worked, he would have had to step in himself.

"Although Young Master Lv is visiting the Northern Territory for the first time, he has quite an insight into its mountains and rivers in his poem," Master Xu Huaian said.

"This junior also admires the achievements of the Prince of Zhenbei, and only after looking at the map of the Northern Territory did I write this 'Leaving for the Northern Frontier'."

Seeing this, Master Li Jingyi said, "If everyone has no other poems to display, shall we choose this one by Lv Sheng for the first piece?"

The people at the scene had no objections and sighed in admiration; he was truly worthy of being Meng Sansi's prize disciple, the number one talent reputation was well-deserved.

"Wait!"

At this moment, Su Wansha hesitated for a while but still stood up.

"Elder Li, this student feels that this poem is not suitable to be made public as the first piece."

The scene fell silent, and then there was an uproar!

Who is this person? How dare she challenge Lv Sheng?

The key is, the three great scholars didn't object, what are you objecting to?

"This seems to be a young woman?"

"What do you mean seems to be, she is!"

"A woman, attending is one thing, but how dare she question Elder Li?"

The two men in front of Su Wansha both showed looks of astonishment and wanted to persuade Su Wansha to sit down quickly, but Su Wansha ignored them.

Master Li Jingyi was not angry; he looked at Zhu Ming on the side with a playful gaze.

He had actually noticed that Zhu Ming brought Su Wansha, but he just hadn't asked.

"Hehe... everyone, please calm down. That is my student, Su Wansha," Zhu Ming introduced.

Everyone was shocked again upon hearing this.

Zhu Ming's student? One must know, among the great scholars of the world, Zhu Ming was famous for being strict when taking disciples.

A woman, actually able to become a disciple of Zhu Ming? It made many people envious and curious.

"Wait, Su Wansha? Why does this name sound a bit familiar?"

"It seems the head manager of the Northern Trade Alliance is named that!"

"Oh! Isn't that Boss Su!? I was eating at her Baiyu Pavilion during the day!"

"Forget about Baiyu Pavilion, the key is she is the concubine of the Prince of Zhenbei!?"

The scene suddenly boiled over. The two men sitting in front of Su Wansha were so scared their faces turned pale. Fortunately, they had been quite well-behaved earlier and hadn't looked down on this woman.