Linxia

Chapter 129, Fire First

"The prefect has said that today's activity, poetry and inscriptions, is not limited to the subject matter, format, or rhythm. Anyone interested can participate."

Over there, some powerful and wealthy children a little further away had already picked up their pens and produced their best unpublished works, hoping to show them off in front of Prefect Pu.

"Young Master, are you going to participate too?" Gu Yuyan joked. She knew that Fang Lin was not good at poetry from what they had just said. After a pause, she continued, "But I can write for you. If you are not satisfied, you can ask Sister Wenjun. Sister Wenjun is especially good at poetry. Maybe she can help you win the first prize."

She has a somewhat eccentric personality, but she does not have bad intentions. After their previous conversation, they have now become a little closer, and she took the initiative to stand on Fang Lin's side and offer help.

"Yuyan!" Shi Wenjun scolded lightly. Even though she was angry, she still had a kind of light anger. But then she said, "Yuyan, you are too kind. But if you need it, Wenjun is willing to help."

If these words were heard by the sons of powerful people over there, they would probably be heartbroken. In the past, she had always looked down upon the poems they handed over, but today she is taking the initiative to help.

"No need to pretend, I'll do it myself!"

Fang Lin thought for a moment and realized that this was the opportunity to promote the Romance of the Three Kingdoms that Prefect Pu had mentioned. He also knew what to write. The first poem in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms was: The Yangtze River rolls eastward...

After finishing the work, he paused with his pen and signed it "Bo Nan Shan Ren", which was the pseudonym of the original author Yang Shen. There was no such person in this time and space. Even if he had brought this work to this place, even if no one else knew about it, he could not feel at ease writing down his own name. He just wrote "Bo Nan Shan Ren" and let future generations interpret it.

Including "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", it is not convenient to write Luo Guanzhong's real name, so he is written as Hu Hai San Ren. Dong Zugao and Pu Zhifu both thought it was a pen name, and only he himself knew what it meant.

This was already the final stage. Some people who did not participate in writing poems and inscriptions had already left one after another. Fang Lincha realized that Fang's father and mother were bored waiting, so he asked his second daughter to pass on this poem and called the family to get up.

"Uncle, Aunt, Young Master, Sister Tian, ​​are you leaving?"

"Yes, the results of the poetry activity haven't come out yet!"

"I'm here more to spend time with my family, eat rare delicacies, and see mysterious and beautiful scenery. I've done everything I should do. There's no point in staying any longer... I came here with excitement and I'll leave when the excitement is gone. The result is not important." Fang Lin said goodbye to the two girls, and left with Fang's father, Fang's mother, and Tian Xuan.

Shi Wenjun looked at Fang Lin's back as he left, calm and composed, with an indescribable grace, and thought to herself: "The ancients said that those who want to achieve great things must be calm when facing great things. This temperament of Master Fang must be the calmness of not changing one's expression even when Mount Tai collapses in front of you!"

Gu Yuyan was already looking at the lyrics. After seeing them, she first praised the calligraphy, then looked at the content, and a look of surprise gradually appeared on her pretty face: "This lyrics..."

She was able to distinguish good poems from bad ones. She was stunned for a moment when she read it. Suddenly, she looked up and looked at Fang Lin's back as he left casually. Her eyes were extremely complicated: "How can there be such a person in the world?"

"What a remarkable man." After Shi Wenjun had looked at him, she also nodded slightly.

To be honest, they have seen a lot of men in the world, those who are like the peacock spreading its feathers to show off, those who directly spend money to get a kiss, those who are hot and cold and play hard to get, those who have lustful intentions and weigh the pros and cons... But they have never seen a man like Fang Lin, who is not surprised by praise or criticism, is free and easy, is not confused by the looks of others, has a simple and pure filial heart, does not belittle himself because of his background, does not bully the weak because of his talent, and has the style of a famous scholar in ancient times.

"It is said in the book that those who achieve great things must have great courage, but I have never seen it before. Today I seem to have seen it." Gu Yuyan also thought to herself.

At this time, the son of a powerful official over there handed in his poems and essays and came over here, wanting to get to know Fang Lin. Unexpectedly, the whole family had already left. But it was worth it, as he saw a good poem.

Not long after, this song "Linjiangxian" was ranked first, sung by Shi Wenjun: "The rolling Yangtze River flows eastward, and the waves wash away all heroes. Right and wrong, success and failure are all in vain. The green mountains are still there, and the sunset is red again.

The white-haired fisherman and woodcutter on the river bank are used to seeing the autumn moon and spring breeze. A pot of muddy wine makes us happy to meet. So many things in the past and present are all turned into jokes. "

There was a clear sound like big and small pearls falling on a jade plate. At this moment, the sun set in the sky, marking the dividing line between day and night. Outside the lake were green mountains, and in the distance the river was flowing slowly. There were three or two lonely sails, which looked like fishing boats.

In the desolate and magnificent scene, the wind suddenly rises, rolling the waves. In this scene, one can better appreciate the open-mindedness and calmness in the lyrics.

Gu Yuyan already knew that this poem was good, and now she heard it, she thought it was even better, especially the line "a pot of wine to celebrate our reunion", which reminded her of what happened at the beginning and made her blush slightly. But on second thought, the embarrassing thing seemed to have turned into a funny thing, which was worth cherishing and remembering.

Those children of the rich and powerful were not people who could not afford to lose. They recognized his talent. Moreover, based on what they had seen and heard from him before, they all remembered the name 'Fang Lin'.

On the side of Prefect Pu, many nobles were silent for a moment after hearing the poem, and then they all applauded. It was not only because Prefect Pu set the stage that they flattered him, but they were also moved by the quality of the poetry.

Most of them are older and can better understand the emotions conveyed in the lyrics.

"To be honest, my nephew wrote a popular novel, and this is the opening poem. I have read that book as much as Water Margin, so I wrote a preface for it. I think his name will be remembered in history because of this book!"

At this point, the groundwork was almost done, and Prefect Pu made a grand recommendation. Everyone was suddenly enlightened and shocked. They heard how Prefect Pu boasted that it was "no less than Water Margin" and "my name in history depends entirely on this book". He even wrote the preface himself and used his own reputation to endorse the book. It was obvious that he was very confident. They couldn't help but look forward to this popular novel.

……

That night, I enjoyed my little home.

In a spacious private room paved with sandalwood, whale oil candles burned quietly, making the room as bright as day. Shi Wenjun, dressed in a plain white dress, rolled up her sleeves and copied the poem "Linjiangxian".

Gu Yuyan came over, looked at Shi Wenjun, and asked with a turn of her eyes: "Sister Wenjun, are you interested in that person? Why do you think about him so much?"

"You mean Mr. Fang? He is indeed different, a man you can trust." Shi Wenjun glanced at the sisters and said so.

After hearing this, Gu Yuyan felt a sour feeling in her heart for some reason. She shook her head slightly to dispel it and asked jokingly, "What if... I mean, if Mr. Fang wants to redeem Sister Wenjun, would Sister Wenjun be willing?"

"Of course I am willing." Shi Wenjun nodded affirmatively.

Such an attitude shocked Gu Yuyan: "Sister, you..."

It's no wonder that she reacted like that. She knew how many dignitaries and children of officials wanted to redeem Shi Wenjun, but Shi Wenjun didn't choose any of them. She actually valued Fang Lin, with whom she had a brief contact today.

"But sister, you...just met Master Fang today!"

"So what? Some people can get along well with each other for a long time, while others can feel like old friends after just a short meeting, knowing that they are the ones you can trust for life. It doesn't matter how long you have known each other, but what matters is the character of the other person that you observe with your eyes and heart."

Shi Wenjun paused and said, "You think those high-ranking officials and officials' sons spend a fortune and make a lot of promises, so what? They are just after beauty. When the novelty wears off or my looks fade, they will abandon me like a worn-out shoe. There are also scholars with real talent and knowledge, who pass on poems and show their literary talent. They want me to redeem myself and share the joys and sorrows with them, and gain both money and love. But they don't even look at what kind of person they are. Most of them are unfaithful and can only share the joys and sorrows with me... How can I entrust my life to these people?"

"I am not afraid of sharing hardships, but I must approve of his character. However, it is so rare to find a man in the world who can be approved by me. Today I saw a man who already has a wife. He is also loyal."

As she spoke, she sighed softly. The wind blew in from the window, blowing her skirt up, making her look even more independent.

"That's true, but even if Mr. Fang...how can he protect my sister?" Gu Yuyan argued.

"Are you really confused? Or are you pretending to be confused? Let's not talk about the relationship between Master Fang and Prefect Pu, just talk about Master Fang himself. Do you think a person like Master Fang will stay under someone else for long? But he is like a latent dragon in the abyss. Once he gets going, he will soar into the sky. He is like a phoenix in the south mountain. If he doesn't sing, he will be amazing. People like him are like a needle in a bag. No matter where he is, no matter what era he is in, he will achieve great things."

"Yes!" After hearing this, Gu Yuyan thought of the person in the evening who was chatting and laughing calmly and was not surprised by fame or criticism, and agreed with this statement.

"Don't think too much, it was just an assumption."

Shi Wenjun looked at Gu Yuyan and touched her forehead with her white finger. Her beautiful face showed the independent temperament of a heroine. "Besides, even if we are in a dirty place, why should we belittle ourselves? We can survive with our talent and wisdom without relying on men."

Such grace made Gu Yuyan stunned for a moment, and she threw herself into his arms: "My dear sister, your grace makes my heart beat! You are right, how can we girls be worse than men? But if sister were a man, it would be so great, we can live together."

As she spoke, she arched back and forth in Shi Wenjun's arms. Her snow-white body stood upright, trembling in the dim light, and looked more delicate than porcelain, more translucent than jade.

Shi Wenjun pushed the sisters away helplessly and said, "Let's talk about something practical. Compared to Mr. Fang's people, I am more interested in the popular novel written by Mr. Fang that Prefect Pu mentioned."

"Yes, I am looking forward to it too." Gu Yuyan murmured, looking at the brilliant starry sky outside the window and the lights all over the city, knowing that there would be a place for that person here in the future.

……

In the following days, at the Qixi Festival banquet, Fang Lin's "Linjiangxian" and Prefect Pu's comments were spread together, causing quite a stir in Huai'an Prefecture City. In particular, the comments were not inferior to those of "Water Margin", and Prefect Pu personally wrote the preface...

Prefect Pu is a recognized good official in the city. After the incident with Master Zhuo San, his reputation has risen to a new level. Now he uses his own reputation to endorse the work, which has whetted the appetite of countless people and created expectations. "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is becoming increasingly popular before it is even released.

……

(End of this chapter)