The Beacon of Kyushu

But the scholars in the cabinet all sat upright, listening attentively, waiting for the emperor to ask questions at any time, so as to show their talents in front of the elites and leave a good impression on the emperor and their peers, so as to make their future official career smoother. Only Zhang Yong held the pot in one hand and the cup in the other, pouring and drinking by himself. Even if the wine accidentally spilled when pouring and stained his clothes, he didn't care and continued to drink, as if he ignored the elites in the cabinet.

Li Hang was sitting closest to him. Seeing Zhao Guangyi looking at him with a frown, he hurriedly pulled Zhang Yong's sleeve and whispered, "Brother Zhang Nian, the emperor is looking at you. You'd better pay attention to your manners."

Zhang Yong seemed to be drunk. He ignored Li Hang's good intentions, threw his sleeves and laughed, "Hahaha, today... today is the Qionglin Banquet. The... the official said that everyone present is equal, no... no distinction between high and low! If you want to be bashful and pretend to be polite, that's your business. I, Zhang Yong, want to drink, that's... that's my business. Is there any law in the Song Dynasty that stipulates that Jinshi cannot get drunk at the Qionglin Banquet? If there is, please point it out to me. I... I would rather not drink at all in my life!"

Li Hang sighed helplessly and said indignantly: "Brother Zhang Nian, since you insist on doing this, I can't do anything about it. Just take care of yourself."

Zhang Yong smiled and said, "Haha, I didn't ask you to care about me, but you insisted on doing it. Now that you don't care about me, I can continue to drink to my heart's content!" As he said that, he simply picked up the wine jug and drank from it mouth to mouth, enjoying it very much.

Zhao Guangyi stared at Zhang Yong and thought to himself, "Zhang Yong is so addicted to alcohol and so unruly, he has a bit of the feeling of Li Bai of the previous dynasty. But although Qinglian Jushi is unruly, his poems are shocking and will be famous for all eternity. I wonder if Zhang Yong's talent can be comparable to Li Bai's."

Zhang Yong saw Zhao Guangyi still staring at him, and couldn't help but smile. He raised his cup and said, "Your Excellency, I am a humble student of yours. I can not only write poems and couplets, but also wield swords. If your Excellency is interested in watching, I will show you my ugliness."

Without waiting for Zhao Guangyi to nod, Zhang Yong stood up unsteadily, holding a chopstick covered with oil, and staggered into the arena. His eyes were blurry and his steps were untidy. He was not holding a sword, but his sword moves were still calm and unrestrained, and his sword intentions were even more sharp and unparalleled, sometimes like drifting snow, sometimes like a surging river, which made the brave pleasing to the eye and the timid flee. While dancing with the "sword", he chanted loudly: "The vast world gave birth to all spirits, and Duke Zhou and Confucius left their names. Yi Yuzhi has not yet been adjusted, and the autumn wind draws the sword to the east gate. I don't know who is the golden tortoise pawning wine, and I raise my eyebrows when I see you. There is nothing to ask about now, why go home when I get drunk!"

When he finished saying the last word "return", he suddenly leaned back and fell to the ground, motionless. Everyone was shocked to see this, even Zhao Guangyi was startled and hurriedly shouted: "Quick, go get the doctor!"

Unexpectedly, Zhang Yong suddenly started snoring just as Zhao Guangyi finished speaking. Although his snoring was not very loud, it was particularly offensive in such a grand occasion and such a panic atmosphere.

Zhao Guangyi pointed at Zhang Yong and was so angry that he couldn't speak for a long time. After a long time, he suppressed his anger and ordered the eunuchs who served him to carry Zhang Yong out of the Qionglin Pavilion. He looked at Zhang Yong's figure being carried away, and said hatefully in his heart, "Zhang Yong, Zhang Yong, you are indeed somewhat similar to Li Bai in talent and character. Well, since you have learned from Li Bai, I might as well follow the example of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and don't have to give you gold and release you, but you are destined to have no chance of high official positions and generous salaries in the court in this life." Zhang Yong was just carried out, and a second-class candidate outside the pavilion was desperate to come in. The guards outside the pavilion were not willing to let him come in casually. If it was on normal days, they would have drawn their swords for the safety of the officials. Today, they did not dare to draw their swords without permission at the Qionglin Banquet, so they could only keep scolding him.

But the candidate still did not give up, holding up a few golden scales in his right hand, and shouted: "Your Majesty, I, Wang Qinruo, have a treasure to present to you in person. I hope you will be gracious and let me in to see your face!"

Wang Qinruo's shouting soon reached the cabinet and Zhao Guangyi's ears. Zhao Guangyi was very angry at Zhang Yong's arrogance. If it was an ordinary Jinshi, he would never make an exception to meet him. But Wang Qinruo entered the cabinet not to see the emperor, but to present treasures. How could it not arouse his curiosity?

He could only rub his temples and said to the guards outside the pavilion: "Since Mr. Wang has treasures to present to me, let him in." Upon hearing this, the guards hurriedly made way and allowed Wang Qinruo to enter the pavilion respectfully.

Everyone has a sense of curiosity. As soon as Wang Qinruo entered the majestic Qionglin Pavilion, countless pairs of eyes in the pavilion cast expectant glances at him, wanting to see with their own eyes what the treasure Wang Qinruo mentioned was. When Wang Qinruo saw that everyone was looking at him, not only was there no trace of nervousness on his face, but a smug smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, as if this was exactly what he wanted to see the most.

As the king of a country, Zhao Guangyi was not as interested in treasures as he was in the person who presented them. Therefore, Zhao Guangyi never focused on the golden scales in Wang Qinruo's hand, but focused more on speculating about him. Wang Qinruo was not yet thirty years old, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, a straight nose and a square mouth, and a pair of big and thick ears, which seemed to reveal his honesty. But the sinister and treacherous traces in his eyes could not be hidden from Zhao Guangyi no matter what.

Wang Qinruo walked up to Zhao Guangyi, bowed deeply and said: "Your Majesty, I am Wang Qinruo, with the courtesy name Dingguo, from Xinyu, Linjiang. I have studied poetry and books since I was young. I remember Du Zimei once said, 'Make the king as wise as Yao and Shun, and make the customs pure.' I couldn't help but feel quite emotional. If you ask me why I feel emotional, it is because the current emperor is far more wise than Yao and Shun, and the people in the Song Dynasty are all rich. I haven't done my best, but my Song Dynasty has prospered to this point. If your Majesty allows me to make more progress, my Song Dynasty will surely surpass the Han and Tang dynasties and achieve the first prosperity since the Three Dynasties! By then, who in the world will not appreciate your virtue, and who in the world will not remember your kindness?"

Lü Mengzheng, Li Hang and others were all loyal ministers, and in order to leave a good impression on Zhao Guangyi, they did their best to sing praises. But compared with Wang Qinruo, they were nothing compared to him. Not only did they not flatter, but they even seemed dry and insincere.

Zhao Guangyi nodded slightly and looked at the golden scale in Wang Qinruo's palm, "Dingguo, what is that golden thing in your palm? I guess this is the treasure you want to present to me." (End of this chapter)