bookrandom Chapter 80 Who Else But Me!
Chapter 80 Who Else But Me!
There was an uproar at the scene!
"Silver frost and jade dew, a full moon, the land and rivers share the beauty of the moon that lasts for a thousand autumns."
"Golden osmanthus and red maple leaves, a gentle breeze for thousands of miles, Beining welcomes the winds from all corners of the world."
The two lines are perfectly matched in terms of rhyme, number of characters, phrasing, and even artistic conception.
Most importantly, the person who came up with the second line used the word "Beining," which refers to the city of Beining.
Such quick wit and talent immediately amazed all the Confucian scholars present, who couldn't help but turn their gazes towards him.
"It is the King of Chu!"
"It's our prince!"
"The prince has actually come! That's wonderful, this is going to be a good show!"
"..."
The newcomer was Qin Xuan, smiling broadly and with a gentle, warm demeanor.
He wasn't wearing his military uniform today; instead, he had specially changed into a scholar's robe.
His black hair was casually tied up with a bamboo hairpin, with a few strands of long hair flowing in front of his forehead. He had sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, and a resolute face. He exuded both a touch of elegance and an air of imperial authority.
The onlookers knelt down and shouted in unison.
The Confucian scholars of Beining City were overjoyed, and some even shed tears of excitement.
Beining City lacks literary heritage, so both students and teachers are generally less learned than those from other places.
But ever since Qin Xuan produced two masterpieces that will be remembered for all time, the Confucian scholars of Beining City have become more confident, and their academic atmosphere has changed from lazy to diligent and ambitious.
"Your Highness, these two are going too far..."
One of the Confucian scholars, like a child who had suffered a loss outside, complained to his parents.
Qin Xuan smiled faintly, his gaze falling on Yuan Huai and Zhao Qixuan.
"One of you is a lecturer, and the other is a teaching assistant. How dare you bully ordinary students here at the Inviting Moon Pavilion?"
The matter of the Inviting Moon Pavilion was actually secretly reported by Zhuge Xuan when the conflict first broke out.
However, Qin Xuan hesitated because it was a contest between students, and as a prince, he couldn't very well take action himself.
Unexpectedly, the other party showed no martial ethics; instead, a lecturer from Mingya Academy and an assistant instructor from the Imperial Academy appeared, which was akin to the powerful bullying the weak.
This is like everyone agreeing to a competition between students, but the other side sends a teacher to participate, wins, and then acts all smug. How can we tolerate that?
"Today is a private gathering of friends to exchange literary works. There is no question of official positions or status. Since you, Beining City, dare to display an absolute masterpiece for all time, you should be prepared to be challenged by the whole world."
Zhao Qixuan truly lived up to his reputation as a mad scholar; even facing Qin Xuan, the King of Chu, he remained completely unafraid.
He narrowed his eyes, a smirk playing on his lips, and said sarcastically, "King Chu, since you've provided the matching line for Brother Yuan's couplet, I wonder if you can match mine..."
"The green hills never grow old, but their peaks turn white with snow."
Before Zhao Qixuan could finish speaking, Qin Xuan blurted out, then asked in a playful tone, "Is it difficult?"
Zhao Qixuan's expression changed immediately. He had never expected that Qin Xuan could come up with such a fitting second line so quickly.
"Green hills against clear waters, white hair against wrinkled face, how wonderful, how wonderful!"
One scholar couldn't help but applaud, saying that couplets require similar parts of speech, and Qin Xuan's second line was simply perfect.
"Hmph, King of Chu, you also studied at the Imperial Academy, so it's not surprising that you could come up with this second line. I have another line here; only if you can match it will I be truly convinced."
Yuan Huai gave a cold laugh and, without waiting for Qin Xuan's reply, spoke:
"The sky is the chessboard, the stars are the pieces; who dares to play?"
Upon hearing this first line, the people around gasped in surprise, for it was so grand and imposing, using the sky as a chessboard and the stars as chess pieces. Who was playing the game? Naturally, it could only be the emperor.
Therefore, the rhetorical question at the end of the first line is actually a veiled criticism of Qin Xuan, the King of Chu, for not being qualified enough, since he is not yet the emperor.
"Brother Yuan's couplet is truly wonderful, I admire it greatly!"
Zhao Qixuan laughed heartily, taking the opportunity to boost Yuan Huai's morale.
The Confucian scholars of Beining City immediately became anxious and subconsciously looked at Qin Xuan one by one.
This couplet not only needs to be perfectly matched, but also cannot lose to the other in terms of momentum and metaphor, making it truly difficult to match.
"The earth is the pipa, the road is the silk; who can play it?"
Just when everyone thought Qin Xuan would at least ponder for a moment, he had already given the second line of the couplet.
"How is that possible? His mind is far too quick!"
Yuan Huai was taken aback, his eyes filled with disbelief.
He had pondered this first line of the couplet for nearly half a month before daring to challenge Beining City.
He thought that once he presented his first line of a couplet, no matter who it was, they would have no choice but to admit defeat.
But now, Qin Xuan gave the second line almost without thinking, and in terms of his most prized strengths—impressive tone and metaphor—he was not at a disadvantage in the slightest.
"I'll give you another horizontal inscription—'Who else but me!'"
Upon hearing this, Yuan Huai was struck dumb.
His eyes widened, a surge of anger welled up inside him, and he opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.
Looking at his face again, it was now completely pale, with only a look of terror in his eyes.
The sky is the chessboard, the stars are the pieces; who dares to make a move!
The earth is made into a pipa, the road into silk threads; who can play it?
Who else would I be!
Only a dignified King of Chu could utter such domineering words so naturally.
The people around were stunned, and then burst into thunderous applause.
"Your Highness the King of Chu is truly remarkable. Such a couplet is unprecedented in history."
"That line, 'If not me, then who?' is absolutely chilling. I felt as if I were watching a king composing a couplet."
"With such imposing presence, how could a mere lecturer compare?"
"..."
Yuan Huai slumped back into his chair, his face ashen.
He knew he had lost, and lost utterly. He could even foresee that in a few days, this couplet would spread throughout the entire Great Qi, and even the whole world.
Not only did he fail to suppress Beining City, but he also directly enhanced the reputation of Beining City and the King of Chu.
"King Chu is truly a man of great talent; I, Yuan, concede defeat."
Yuan Huai spoke in a low voice, not daring to look Qin Xuan in the eye.
Qin Xuan smiled faintly: "Because of the constant wars, there are very few scholars in Beining City. I would like to thank Yuan Jianglang for making Beining City famous this time."
The more you kill, the more you destroy. Yuan Huai was so angry that he coughed repeatedly, and then he couldn't catch his breath and fainted.
"Matching couplets is just a pastime, but I didn't expect that Yuan Jianglang's health is so poor. It seems that you'd better not run around too much in the future, or I'm really afraid that you'll die on the road."
Qin Xuan's smile vanished, replaced by a chilling sarcasm.
How dare you come to my Beining City to bully people! Even if the Grand Master of Ceremonies came, let alone a mere lecturer like you, I would make him so angry that he would vomit blood.
"Your Highness, you are also a scholar. Now that you have won, why are you being so aggressive?"
Zhao Qixuan questioned in a cold voice.
"He fainted from anger, who can you blame?"
"Aren't you known as a mad scholar? Come, let me see if you really deserve the word 'mad'!"
Qin Xuan's eyes turned cold, and a terrifying aura suddenly erupted, forcing Zhao Qixuan to take two steps back, his face turning pale.
He was ultimately just a Confucian scholar; how could he possibly compare to someone like Qin Xuan, who had risen from the ashes of countless battles?
Zhao Qixuan felt deeply humiliated and said through gritted teeth, "I also have a couplet, please enlighten me, Your Highness."