Cultivating Immortality, Starts with Green Plum

Chapter 43 What if? (4000 words, two chapters in one)

Three days before the party.

Young Confucian scholars were sitting in the yard.

Sitting in front of them was the current leader of the "Reform Faction" and Emperor Wu's most favored minister - Xiao Mochi.

"Do you have any questions about what I just said?" Xiao Mochi looked at the young officials in the court with a smile, "If you have no questions, I hope you can cooperate."

These young Confucian scholars looked at each other.

They are the officials who will receive the Qi delegation in three days.

Chen Nanshuang stood up and bowed to Xiao Mochi: "Mr. Xiao, is it really necessary to do this?"

Xiao Mochi smiled slightly: "In my opinion, it is necessary.

Today, the classes in Wu State have become solidified, and everyone’s interests are intertwined. You are in me and I am in you.

To break this balance, we must find a breaking point.

Any breaking point is fine.

We must let those people in the court know that the world today is no longer what they think it is, and rules are meant to be broken.

There may be banquet games such as flower-receiving, couplet-making, or poetry-writing.

I want you all to lose to each other.

Finally, I will create an opportunity for him to perform at the banquet and face the natural literary talent of Qi State."

"But."

Zhou Liu stood up.

"Mr. Xiao, do you really have such confidence in Xu Ming? It is true that Xu Ming's "Ode to the Goose" is amazing, and it is also true that Mr. Zhang praised him highly, but sir, Xu Ming has to face that natural literary talent."

Another scholar stood up: "Yes, Mr. Xiao, if the poem he wants to write is just good, this is far from enough. At the very least, the poem written by Xu Ming needs to resonate with literature and Taoism, even if it is just a little bit."

Zhou Liu and the others expressed what everyone was most worried about.

Everyone lowered their heads, worried.

They didn't mind deliberately losing to the envoys from Qi at the banquet.

They also didn't mind building up momentum for a little kid at the banquet and becoming his stepping stone.

As long as it can make Wu State better and stronger, they are not afraid of death. What does a little fame matter?
But they are afraid.
I was afraid that Xu Ming would not be able to bear this burden, and that Wu State would be looked down upon by others, and everything would be in vain.
Some people even came up with an idea, thinking that they should rack their brains to write a poem and then let Xu Ming read it out.

But as soon as this idea came out, they dismissed it.

This method of cheating is impossible.

The resonance between literature and morality will not deceive people, and only the author can evoke it.

Moreover, if such a thing were discovered by those conservative old-fashioned people, he would be caught and even an innocent child would be put into endless trouble.

“I can’t guarantee that.”

Just as everyone was in deep thought, Xiao Mochen slowly spoke.

“I’m taking a gamble on this one.

I’m betting that young friend Xu Ming can make a big splash, I’m betting on my own vision, and I’m betting on Mr. Fang’s vision.

If you lose the bet, the worst that can happen is that you'll be laughed at.

But if the bet is won.”

"."

Xiao Mochen didn't continue speaking, but everyone knew what Xiao Mochen meant.

If Xu Ming wins the bet in this matter, he will not disappoint Mr. Xiao and Mr. Zhang and will have written a good poem!
Even if he cannot surpass that natural literary talent, as long as he can resonate with the literary world, this matter will become a public opinion.

And this public opinion will become a thorn in the side of the "reform faction"!
If a bastard's son could achieve such a goal, how many bastards were buried in the Wu Kingdom?
The sons of merchants from Wu State were not allowed to take the imperial examinations. Aren’t there any talented people among these people who were buried?
Even someone as talented as Xu Ming couldn't take the imperial examination? How could others have the nerve to take the examination?

The imperial examination system must be changed.

Once the imperial examination system changed, the "rules of our ancestors" were no longer iron laws.

Those stubborn defenses can be torn apart bit by bit.

"If we fail, we will probably be questioned by the emperor." A scholar smiled calmly. He had already accepted the proposal.

"I just hope that young friend Xu Ming will not lose too much to that natural literary talent, and that Mr. Zhang will not be too picky about his eyes." Another scholar also said with a smile.

"Who says that young friend Xu Ming will definitely lose? What if he wins?" Chen Nanshuang put forward an unrealistic fantasy.

"Hahaha, if Young Master Xu Ming wins, what's wrong with giving the pair of jade lions from my family to Young Master Xu Ming?" said the Minister of Rites.

"Young friend Xu Ming has won. I don't want my Suzaku Inkstone anymore."

"I'll follow a snow-melting pen, too."

The scholars talked about their bets one by one. They just hoped that Xu Ming could write a good poem. Even if he couldn't win, it didn't matter. As long as he could get the recognition of Wen Dao, he would be qualified.
But
What if.
What if Xu Ming really wins?
"Young friend Xu Ming, please stand up."

Xiao Mochen smiled and stretched out his hand to Xu Ming.

Everyone looked in Xu Ming's direction at the same time.

"Sir." Xu Ming stood up.

Xu Ming was also very surprised. He thought he was just playing a supporting role, but he didn't expect that Xiao Mochen would let him participate directly.

Xiao Mochi smiled and said, "When you were six years old, you wrote the poem "Ode to the Goose". In the past two years, Mr. Fang has praised you highly. I wonder if you, Xu Ming, can write a poem for Miss Zhu."

Hearing that someone wanted to write a poem for her, Zhu Cici, who was sitting at the banquet, raised her head and blinked at Xu Ming with her beautiful almond-shaped eyes, her big watery eyes full of anticipation.

"That student made a fool of himself."

Xiao Mochen had already said this, Xu Ming knew that he naturally couldn't refuse.

On the Wu State side, all the scholars were nervous.

The people of Qi were also very curious about what kind of child could receive such praise from Mr. Zhang.

You know, Mr. Zhang's reputation is well-known even in Qi State.

But no matter what, they all felt that this child named Xu Ming, no matter how talented he was in poetry, could not compare to Ci Ci, and even the poems he wrote could not surpass Zhong He.

"Everyone is writing seven-character poems. I'm not very good at them. I wonder if Miss Zhu would allow me to use lyrics?" Xu Ming looked into Zhu Cici's big eyes.

"Yeah." Zhu Cici nodded obediently.

"Thank you very much."

Xu Ming smiled slightly, walked to Zhu Cici, picked up the wooden sign with the girl's name on it, raised his eyes again and looked at the pretty little girl.

Seems to be thinking.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for the child's words.

"After reading all the pain of parting at the end of the world, I return without a way, and the scattered flowers look like this. The flowers look at each other without saying a word, and the spring in the green window is twilight with the sky."

Xu Ming recited the first verse slowly.

Every word was spread throughout the banquet.

Many people sat up straight at once.

Judging from the first stanza alone, this poem is already a masterpiece.

If the second stanza plays out normally,
"I will tell my longing under the lamp, with a ray of new love and thousands of old hatreds." Xu Ming continued to read out. Fang Jingchun, who was sitting in the seat, was already stunned. Suddenly, there was a strong feeling in Fang Jingchun's heart.

Is there going to be a masterpiece that will be passed down through the ages?
No way? He is only eight.
"The most important thing is that I can't keep it in the world, Zhu Yan recites the mirror and the flower recites the tree."

As the last sentence was spoken, Fang Jingchun's heart skipped a beat. The strong premonition in his heart had come true.

The minds of everyone present were blank, and this poem kept echoing in their ears:

"After going through all the pain of separation, I didn't expect to find the flowers scattered like this when I returned. We looked at each other under the flowers without a word, and the spring and the sky were both fading by the green window.

When I tell my love story under the lamp, I will have a new love and thousands of old hatreds. The most unforgettable thing is that the red face leaves the mirror and the flowers leave the trees.

"The most unretainable thing in the world is the beauty of the mirror and the flowers and trees."

As a scholar was muttering to himself, suddenly, the scholar raised his head.

The door of the banquet hall was blown open, and gusts of wind blew into the room, making each person's official robe whistle in the wind.

"The spirit of literature and morality." Fang Jingchun sat up straight again.

The spirit of literature and Taoism enveloped Xu Ming.

Xu Ming felt refreshed.

The whole person looked like he had taken a clean bath, and then was lifted up by the wind naked, flying thousands of miles happily.

[You wrote the poem "Dielianhua·Reading the Pain of Parting at the End of the World", which aroused the luck of literature and Taoism, noble spirit +1000, attractiveness to opposite sex +10, temperament +50. ]

Looking at the attribute points that appear in my mind.

I can understand the noble spirit and temperament.

But what the hell is opposite sex attraction???

"hiss"

The aftereffects of this poem are not over yet.

Xu Ming felt that the Eternal Spiritual Root in his Dantian had grown two centimeters taller, and its leaves were greener. There was a breeze constantly surrounding the Eternal Spiritual Root, gently blowing the leaves for a long time.

A quarter of an hour later, the atmosphere of literature and art in the room gradually stopped, and Xu Ming exhaled deeply.

"The most unretainable thing in the world is the beauty of the mirror and the flowers of the tree." In front of Xu Ming, the nine-year-old girl smiled sweetly, "Thank you, this is the most beautiful poem I have ever seen."

"I'm glad that Miss Zhu likes it." Xu Ming bowed like a little adult.

"emmm"

Zhu Cici poked his chin with his finger and thought cutely, but in the end, Zhu Cici shook his head.

"But I can't write you a poem as good as this now. Can I owe you this first and give it to you later?"

"of course can."

Xu Ming smiled, thinking that this little girl was both gentle and elegant in her innocence, and had a kind of lively beauty in her elegance, which was completely different from Qingwan's charm at such a young age and Xue Nuo's arrogance at such a young age.

Zhu Cici owed a poem, but in the girl's view, it was just a poem and she would definitely pay it back.

But in the eyes of others, it was an admission of defeat.

The natural literary talent of Qi State is no match for a bastard son of Xu State Mansion.
This poem will definitely flow out.

Everyone tonight will become the background for this young man.

No one wrote poetry in the second half of the banquet.

After the poem “What cannot be retained in the world is the red face leaving the mirror and the flowers leaving the trees” was published, no one dared to perform the poem again.

Everyone couldn't help but look at Xu Ming who was sitting next to Xu Pangda.

He still sat upright, his expression still calm.

The scholar's gentle temperament makes people feel dazed.

Is this really an eight-year-old child?
The scholars of Qi were all suppressed, while the scholars of Wu drank happily.

After the banquet, except for a few kids like Xu Ming, almost everyone left drunk.

"Take a walk?"

Just when Xiao Mochen was saying goodbye to Fang Jingchun, Fang Jingchun spoke.

Xiao Mochi was stunned for a moment, then nodded elegantly: "Okay."

"The wind blows briskly across a thousand miles." Fang Jingchun chanted.

The next moment, a gust of wind blew, wrapping Xiao Mochi and flying away from the courtyard.

The moonlight was like water, sparkling as the two of them strolled along the banks of the Shuiyue Lake in Wudu.

Xiao Mochen and Fang Jingchun didn't say anything, they just walked silently along the lakeside.

"How dare you?" After a long time, Fang Jingchun put his hands behind his back and turned to look at Xiao Mochen.

Xiao Mochi smiled and shook his head: "Mochi doesn't understand what Mr. Fang means."

Fang Jingchun stroked his beard and smiled: "Let your Wu country's scholars lose to us in the flower-catching game, and then let your Wu country's scholars lose to us in the poetry-writing game. All of this is to pave the way for little friend Xu Ming.

It is true that old man Zhang has good vision.

But how can you guarantee that he can write such a good poem tonight?"

Xiao Mochi still smiled and shook his head: "Xu Ming's performance actually exceeded my imagination."

Fang Jingchun was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Hahaha, that's right, Xu Ming doesn't need to write such a good poem, he just needs to not lose badly.

Unexpectedly, not only did he not lose badly, but he also wrote a poem that has been passed down through the ages.

'The most unretainable thing in the world is the red face leaving the mirror and the flowers leaving the trees'

What a beautiful poem!"

Xiao Mochi was silent.

"I heard that you are reforming the law?" Fang Jingchun asked Xiao Mochen.

Xiao Mochi nodded.

Fang Jingchun frowned slightly:
“After tonight, friend Xu Ming’s fame will spread throughout Wudu, and that poem will spread throughout the world.

You can use it to write articles and attack those conservative dignitaries in the court, and use it as a breakthrough point to carry out your reforms.

But Xiao Mochi, have you ever considered that a child like this, who is only eight years old, would be pushed to the forefront by you?"

"Junior knows." Xiao Mochen nodded.

Fang Jingchun looked directly into Xiao Mochi's eyes and said, "Let a child join the game? How could you bear to do that? Why is the status of Wu country's bastards so low? What happened in your Wu country 150 years ago? Don't you know?"

Xiao Mochi's eyes did not evade the slightest: "I will protect the safety of little friend Xu Ming, and if nothing unexpected happens, little friend Xu Ming will become the leader of the Wu Kingdom's literary world when he grows up."

Fang Jingchun shook his head: "Mo Chi, you are too impatient."

Xiao Mochi sighed helplessly: "I just hate that I'm not fast enough."

Fang Jingchun: "You."

Xiao Mochi stood still and bowed deeply to Fang Jingchun: "Mr. Fang, I would like to ask you for a favor."

(End of this chapter)