Marrying a Wife and Concubine Together: After Rebirth, I Remarried the Scumbag's Father on the

Chapter 1342 Poetry Contest

"The poem on the 23rd is quite rare, with its ornate language and perfect parallelism," Lord Li said slowly.

Then, changing the subject, he pointed to Rong Zhiyu's poem and said, "But number seven's poem has a profound artistic conception. It uses the bright moon to express feelings, not only capturing the beauty of the night but also implying a stable state of mind. Every word is full of genuine emotion, making it far superior. Number seven advances in this round!"

A round of applause rang out in the hall. The young man in the brocade robe turned ashen-faced, glared fiercely at Rong Zhiyu, and then turned and left.

Rong Zhiyu's expression remained unchanged; he merely bowed slightly to the platform before returning to his seat. Zhan Mu smiled and raised his glass: "Zhiyu, your writing is excellent; you truly live up to expectations."

Rong Zhiyu took a sip of tea and said softly, "It was just luck. The next competition is the key."

The first round of competitions continued, and very few contestants advanced.

Soon it was time for the second round. The remaining ten talented scholars stood together in the center of the hall, and Lord Li announced the topic loudly: "The second round is to write a poem about wine and autumn. There are no restrictions on the style. You have half an hour to complete it. You must write about the mood of drinking wine on an autumn night. The one with the best artistic conception will advance to the final round!"

This round of competition has become much more difficult, requiring participants to consider both core images and express their state of mind. Many talented individuals looked troubled and hesitated to put pen to paper.

Rong Zhiyu gazed at the night outside the window. The autumn wind brought a chill, and he suddenly recalled the days when he drank and discussed poetry with his classmates at the academy. Now, things had changed, and he couldn't help but feel a little sentimental.

He picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, pondered for a moment, and then wrote a seven-character quatrain: "A refreshing autumn breeze enters the high tower, and the wine in the cup soothes the traveler's sorrow. Geese fly across the sky, carrying distant thoughts, and chrysanthemums bloom by the eastern fence, reflecting clear eyes. Half a lifetime of wandering has risen and fallen with the clouds, and a song of flute accompanies the flowing moon. Drunk, I am unaware of the cold autumn night, my heart is filled with the hills, and my ambition is hard to put to rest."

The poem conveys both the pleasure of drinking on an autumn night and the poet's own wandering circumstances and unwavering aspirations; the words are concise and the imagery expansive. Half an hour later, the talented scholars submitted their poems one by one, and Lord Li reviewed them one by one, his brow furrowing and relaxing at times.

After a long while, Lord Li raised his head, his gaze falling on Rong Zhiyu, his tone full of praise: "Of all the poems in this round, only number seven's poem perfectly blends wine and autumn, with the mood and scenery complementing each other. Both the talent and the scope are excellent. Number seven will advance to the final round!"

These words immediately caused an uproar in the hall.

Everyone was surprised that this simply dressed young man in a blue robe could stand out in two consecutive rounds, and they all cast curious and admiring glances at him. Rong Zhiyu remained calm, but a faint, almost imperceptible determination flashed deep in his eyes.

Zhan Mu was overjoyed and patted him on the shoulder: "Zhiyu, keep up the good work, the first place is just around the corner!"

Rong Zhiyu nodded and slowly walked to the center of the hall, preparing for the final showdown.

At this moment, a window in a private room on the second floor was slowly pushed open, and a woman dressed in a light purple dress stood by the window with delicate features. It was none other than Zhan Miao.

She had been watching the competition in the hall closely, and when she saw Rong Zhiyu's poem, a look of amazement flashed in her eyes. She whispered to the maid beside her, "This young master Rong is indeed a rare talent."

The maid replied with a smile, "Miss is right. Judging from Lord Li's praise of him, he is sure to win first place today."

Zhan Miao smiled, his eyes narrowing, and his gaze fell once again on Rong Zhiyu in the center of the hall, quietly waiting for the final round of the competition.

Lord Li on the high platform cleared his throat and announced in a loud voice: "In this final round of the competition, I will present you with a first line of a couplet. You must be able to provide the second line within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. The second line must be perfectly matched in terms of parallelism and meaning. You will be the winner today. Listen carefully, the first line is: The bright moon reflects the bright pearl, the pearl shines and the moon is bright, together illuminating the clear scenery of the human world."

The first line of this couplet uses "bright moon" and "bright pearl" as its themes, which not only fits the name of Mingzhu Tower but also depicts a beautiful night scene. The antithesis is ingenious and the artistic conception is beautiful. It is by no means easy to come up with a well-matched and brilliant second line.

Everyone in the hall gasped in shock, and they all felt a chill for Rong Zhiyu.

Rong Zhiyu pondered deeply, repeatedly savoring the words of the first line. What should "bright moon" correspond to? And what should "bright pearl" correspond to? The words should match in both grammatical order and imagery.

He looked up at the window. The bright moon hung high, the autumn wind carried fragrance, and the cries of wild geese came from afar. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him.

He looked down at the brush in his hand, his wrist flicked, and the ink flew onto the rice paper. Before half an incense stick's time had passed, he put down the brush, bowed to Lord Li on the high platform, and said, "This student has provided the matching line."

The waiter immediately presented the second line of the couplet to Lord Li. Lord Li took it and his eyes lit up. He couldn't help but read it aloud: "A gentle breeze caresses the clear wine, the wine is strong and the wind is refreshing, together we express our feelings!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the hall fell silent for a moment, then erupted in thunderous applause.

Everyone was full of praise. The second line and the first line were perfectly matched. "Gentle breeze" matched "bright moon", "clear wine" matched "bright pearl", "fragrant wine and clear breeze" matched "bright pearl and bright moon", "shaking our feelings together" matched "shaking the clear scenery of the world together". Not only were the words and phrases in harmony, but the artistic conception also complemented each other. One describes the beauty of the night, and the other expresses the ambition of the talented man. It can be called an absolute masterpiece!

Lord Li stood up, his gaze fixed intently on Rong Zhiyu, his tone full of admiration: "Excellent! What a fine line, 'A gentle breeze caresses the clear wine, the wine is strong and the wind is refreshing, together we express our feelings'! The antithesis is perfect, the artistic conception is lofty, far exceeding my expectations! Today's poetry competition at Mingzhu Tower, the first prize is undoubtedly yours!"

After saying this, Lord Li gestured to the waiter to present the reward of one thousand taels of silver. The heavy silver ingots were placed on a mahogany tray and presented to Rong Zhiyu, gleaming with a dazzling light.

Everyone in the hall congratulated Rong Zhiyu, their eyes filled with admiration. Even Zhan Miao in the private room on the second floor nodded slightly to him, his eyes full of praise.

Rong Zhiyu looked at the silver in front of him, a hint of relief flashing in his eyes before he regained his composure. He bowed deeply to Lord Li on the high platform: "Thank you for your kind words, Lord Li. I am unworthy of such praise."

Lord Li smiled and waved his hand: "You are truly deserving of this title. At such a young age, you possess such talent and a refined mindset. You are sure to have a bright future. If you are interested in an official career, you can come to the Hanlin Academy to see me anytime. I would be happy to introduce you to someone."

Rong Zhiyu's heart stirred, and he quickly thanked him: "Thank you for your kindness, Lord Li. If I have the opportunity in the future, I will definitely pay you a visit."

He knew that Lord Li's recommendation was a rare opportunity, but he had more important things to do at the moment, so this matter had to be put on hold for the time being.

After receiving the prize money, Rong Zhiyu looked at Zhan Mu and said, "Brother Mu, thank you for taking care of me at the academy. Today, I'd like to invite you to drink and listen to music at Mingzhu Tower!"

Zhan Mu naturally wouldn't refuse, and he immediately ordered someone to serve wine.

Just then, Zhan Miao came down from the second floor with a maid and said, "Brother, would you mind if I had an extra pair of chopsticks?"

Zhan Mu asked in surprise, "Meow, what are you doing here?"