The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 147 Poetry Gathering at Wenhua Hall

Yelu Hongji was seen dressed in formal attire, escorted by his attendants, with Yelu Yanxi beside him.

After the greetings, Yelu Hongji pressed his hands together and said, "You are all talented people from the Liao Dynasty. There is no need to be polite. Please sit down."

Afterwards, he also went to relax behind the long desk, while Yelu Yanxi sat on a small chair beside it.

Yelu Hongji glanced at the people in front of him, and finally landed on Zhao Ti. He smiled and said, "This time the Zhao envoy came to discuss state affairs, claiming to be a talented writer, good at poetry and lyrics. I wonder if the talented people of my Liao Dynasty are also like this? Why not hold a poetry meeting to exchange ideas?"

One of the scholars, who was wearing the uniform of a seventh-rank official, stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I have long heard of the great poets of Song, but I have never heard of the talent of the Zhao envoy, nor have I seen any of his poems circulated."

Another scholar stood up and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, I have not heard of him either. Not to mention you, I know almost all the poets in Song who are somewhat famous, but the envoy from Zhao is not among them. I have heard of the envoy from Su for a long time, and I admire him very much."

As he spoke, he clasped his fists towards Su Shi, who stood up to return the gesture.

"Oh?" Yelu Hongji nodded. "So... the Zhao envoy actually has no reputation? The so-called literary talent is just a self-proclaimed title?"

The other scholars who came to the capital stood up one after another, and said in their speech: "Your Majesty, I have never seen a poem or a word from the Zhao envoy."

Zhao Ti sat behind the desk, picked up the teacup and took a sip, then said calmly, "That's because you are ignorant and overwhelmed. I don't even know a single word or sentence of yours."

"You..." The scholar on the opposite side immediately glared at him when he heard this.

Yelu Hongji nodded: "Messenger Zhao."

Zhao Ti said: "The foreign minister is here."

Yelu Hongji said: "The Zhao envoy thinks that his writing is brilliant, but the Liao scholars do not agree. So I think we should just have a direct poetry contest today."

Zhao Ti thought to himself that the other party was really shameless. There were so many people better than him, and they didn't even care about their dignity in order to show that the Liao Dynasty's culture and morality were stronger than the Song Dynasty.

"Foreign ministers are free to do as they please, Your Majesty will set the rules."

Yelu Hongji said: "The Zhao envoy can rest assured about fairness. There are many Han officials in our dynasty, including some who are prime ministers. Xiao Wuna and I will judge the matter. We will also let the Han prime minister Wang Shiru, the deputy prime minister Han Zirang, and Zheng Zhuan to comment on the quality of the poems and essays. There will be no unfairness."

Zhao Ti smiled slightly when he heard this and looked at the people sitting at the desk on the side. Xiao Wuna was the Prime Minister of the Northern Palace of the Liao Kingdom and was named King of Lanling.

On that day, Yelu Yixin framed Yelu Yanxi's father, Crown Prince Yelu Jun. Xiao Wuna spoke out in rebuttal, and later asked Yelu Hongji to ask Yelu Yanxi's attendant to protect him. After Yelu Yixin's conspiracy was exposed and he was defeated and killed, he was granted the title of king. After several years of hard training, he was now in charge of the affairs of the Northern Palace.

Zhao Ti said: "I am not worried about this. Since I am a talented writer, my poems are incomparable to others. Good and bad can be identified at a glance. If it is unfair, people all over the world will see it and make their own judgments."

As soon as he said this, one of the scholars on the opposite side immediately stood up and said, "Messenger Zhao, you are too arrogant. What do you mean by being incomparable to others? Can you tell good from bad at a glance? Does that mean that what you do is good, and what we do is bad?"

Zhao Ti smiled and nodded: "You understand it quite well, that's what I mean, maybe you usually do quite well, but compared to me, it can only be called bad."

The scholar moved his lips, wanting to make a few more remarks in rebuttal, but he was at a loss for words. He threw his sleeves and sat down angrily.

Yelu Hongji showed a slight displeasure: "Emissary Zhao, since we have decided to have a competition, I will tell you the rules of the competition."

Zhao Ti said, "Your Majesty, please wait a moment. I heard that your country has a lottery event at the poetry festival. You can place a bet to see if you win or lose."

Yelu Hongji said: "It is true. Who told the Zhao envoy about this?"

Zhao Ti glanced at Yelu Yanxi and said, "I heard what the emperor's grandson said. He also said that he would bet on anything and would never regret it. A Khitan man's word is as good as gold. Once it is spoken, it is hard to catch up."

Yelu Hongji glanced at Yelu Yanxi, who rubbed his head and said, "Your Majesty, my grandson did say that I also placed a bet with the Zhao envoy. If I win, the Zhao envoy will give me the eagle I got during the autumn hunt."

"Okay, okay!" Yelu Hongji nodded and said with a smile, "Then I wonder what the Zhao envoy wants to pledge to my Liao scholars?"

Zhao Ti said: "I have gold, silver and jewelry here, each of which is very valuable. If anyone beats me, you can pick whatever you want and take it all. If several people beat me, we can divide it equally. Each person will get a few hundred gold. If I win..."

"What does Envoy Zhao want if he wins?" Lu Hongji asked.

"If I win..." Zhao Ti said with a smile, "You scholars can never compare to my wealth. If you want a few hundred gold coins, I'm afraid my life will be difficult. I will go to the palace and pick a horse. It's only a hundred or so taels of silver. It's nothing if it doesn't hurt."

Unlike the Song Dynasty, many ordinary people in the Liao Dynasty also had horses at home, while ministers and aristocratic families mostly had war horses. This is also the reason why the Song Dynasty was able to buy private horses on the border, because there were so many of them.

If Liao went to the Song Dynasty secretly to buy horses, it would be extremely difficult because there were really no horses.

Although the people of the Song Dynasty and Liao Dynasty used copper coins for daily transactions, gold and silver were used more often in the market, or for barter. Most of the horse purchases between the Song Dynasty and the Western Xia were also made with silver. The market price of a high-quality war horse was about one hundred taels of silver at that time.

Yelu Hongji smiled when he heard this: "The Zhao envoy has a good idea."

Zhao Ti said: "I want to bring back more horses to present to our emperor in order to win his favor."

Yelu Hongji shook his head and said, "I don't think this is necessary. Your country has proposed a condition of hundreds of war horses for the market. It would be inappropriate to put more than that as a prize. If the Liao scholars lose the poetry competition, I will pay for their horses as a condition mentioned before. If they win, I will also reward them. However, the Zhao envoy must give up those conditions. I wonder if you can make the decision?"

Zhao Ti smiled when he heard this. If he won, it would be equivalent to Yelu Hongji agreeing to open the market on the condition of war horses. If he lost, then he would give up this condition and open it directly. This was almost the same as his plan.

Under normal negotiation, even if Yelu Hongji finally agreed, there would probably be many twists and turns in the process, which would take a long time. So he started talking about literary talent from the very beginning and introduced Yelu Hongji to the poetry meeting.

He was originally thinking of finding a way to bring up the matter of horses during the poetry gathering, but Yelu Yanxi came to him to bet on eagles, and even said that one could place bets on prizes at the poetry gathering, so he took this opportunity to propose betting on war horses.

He estimated that Yelu Hongji would either wait until he won a war horse and use it to offset the conditions for the market, or speak out in opposition and directly put forward the war horse as a prize, probably one of the two.

"You can make the decision." Zhao Ti said at this time.

"It would be fine if Envoy Zhao makes the decision." Yelu Hongji showed joy on his face. He didn't want to give war horses to the Song Dynasty from the bottom of his heart. Although it wouldn't be a big deal even if the deal was made, it would break the century-old rule and the agreement with Western Xia.

But he also wanted the rare treasures of the Song Dynasty very much. He had been thinking about how to strike a balance in his mind these days. Unexpectedly, Zhao Ti proposed a lottery and asked the scholars to bet on horses.

There was no way he would agree to give the Song Dynasty one more war horse, even as a prize. He thought it would be better to directly transfer the war horses that met the market conditions, thus solving the difficult problem.

He didn't think Zhao Ti would win. Not to mention that the intelligence Yuan Xiaoxian brought back from Tokyo said that the King of Yan of Song was not good at literature. Even though he had studied Song poetry in recent years, he had never seen the other party's name.

As a man who had never written poetry, he didn't believe that he couldn't beat so many scholars from the capital!

"Then we will divide it into five games. I will set the questions, and the game will be best-of-five. Does Envoy Zhao have any opinions?" Zhao Ti smiled and said, "It's up to your majesty to decide."

Yelu Hongji stroked his beard, glanced at everyone in the hall, nodded and said, "Then let's start. I'll give you a topic. It's autumn now, all flowers are withering, only chrysanthemums are blooming. Let's write a seven-character quatrain on the topic of... Ode to Chrysanthemums."

A seven-character poem about chrysanthemum? Zhao Ti thought about it and smiled faintly.

The scholars all smiled, and it was obvious that they had already had an idea in mind. Regardless of whether Yelu Hongji had deliberately omitted the topic before, this kind of topic of chanting chrysanthemums was the most common theme in autumn, and everyone would think of a few words about it when the season came.

Yelu Yanxi then asked: "Your Majesty, what style do you want to make?"

Yelu Hongji said: "Singing about chrysanthemums is naturally more bold and unrestrained."

At this time, a scholar stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I have it!"

Yelu Hongji said: "My dear minister, you have a quick mind, please tell me quickly."

The scholar looked at Zhao Ti with a smug look on his face, and then he began to chant: "The cold rain deceives the branches but their will is not yet dead. In the cold autumn, I bloom alone but my rhyme remains. When all the flowers wither, I am still in full bloom. I smile at the frosty sky and am proud of the nine states."

"Not bad, not bad!" Yelu Hongji nodded. This seven-character quatrain was neatly written and also heroic, except that the wording was a little poor. But it was still acceptable.

Then another scholar stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I will also compose a poem."

Yelu Hongji nodded, and as the scholar finished reciting, seven or eight more people stood up. Finally, Yelu Yanxi said, "Then I'll write one too!"

Yelu Hongji said: "My grandson has literary talent. Write it for me to hear."

Yelu Yanxi stood up, looked at Zhao Ti, and said loudly: "The frosty sky is full of wind howling, and the cold autumn is blooming alone. I don't compete with the spring for charm, but stand alone and proudly lead the trend."

"Well, the emperor's grandson did a great job!"

"Yes, this poem about chrysanthemum by the emperor's grandson is the best chrysanthemum poem I have heard in decades."

"I think this poem should not be called Ode to the Chrysanthemum. It would be best to just call it Chrysanthemum Aspirations, using the chrysanthemum to express one's aspirations!"

Yelu Yanxi bowed and smiled, "Thank you for your compliments, everyone."

Zhao Ti also laughed, but shook his head.

Yelu Yanxi looked at him and shook his head, and said, "What do you think, Envoy Zhao?"

Zhao Ti said: "None of the poems can be called heroic. They are just so-so. How can there be any heroic spirit in them?"

Yelu Yanxi's face changed and he said, "The Zhao envoy said that the poems we wrote are not heroic enough?"

Zhao Ti laughed and said, "Not only is it not heroic enough, it is totally irrelevant and extremely empty and boring. Such a simple poem about objects can be written like this. Is this what a scholar from the capital should be like?"

"You..." Yelu Yanxi said angrily, "You haven't even written it yet, so why are you saying our poems are not heroic enough?"

"Yes, yes, you haven't even done anything, and yet you come to laugh at us?" a group of scholars shouted angrily.

"Emissary Zhao." Yelu Hongji's face was not looking good, and he said in a deep voice: "Since you say that the scholars of Liao Kingdom did not do well, then please ask the envoy Zhao to write a poem."

"Ode to the Chrysanthemum, huh?" Zhao Ti nodded and looked at the scholar opposite him: "I'll let you know what it means to be heroic and what it means to be poetic in nature!"

"You, you do it quickly..." Yelu Yanxi said angrily.

Zhao Ti smiled, stood up and walked out of the case, paced a few steps, and began to chant:
"I don't bloom when the flowers bloom. If I do, I will scare them to death. I will fight with the west wind and wear golden armor all over my body!"

What? Everyone was stunned when they heard this. No one said a word, and they were all stunned and a little stupid.

The other party's poem about chrysanthemum is full of murderous intent. Although the words are extremely simple and the sentences are even a bit rough, the meaning is clear through the poem, and it is full of murderous intent and heroic spirit.

This poem is almost as good as the one about chrysanthemum written by Huang Chao, a great thief in the late Tang Dynasty, but it is also different. Huang Chao's poem has a bandit spirit and a strong intention of rebellion, but this poem is just the opposite. It is grand and has a sense of leading the people from a high position.

Yelu Hongji took a breath. There was no need to compare these poems about chrysanthemums. The difference was obvious at a glance. The Liao Dynasty had lost.

He looked at the scholar beside him, revealing a hint of coldness: "I will give you a second question. The second question... is to write a seven-character poem. This time, don't be heroic. Make it graceful, fresh, or leisurely and emotional!"

The scholars looked at each other. They had often written such regulated poems and had drafts in mind. One of them stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I will go first."

Yelu Hongji looked at him calmly and said, "Think carefully before you act. Best of five games, this is already the second game."

The scholar shuddered at the words, but he believed in his own poem very much. He cleared his throat and began to chant: "In the autumn night, the chrysanthemums are half yellow, and their graceful swaying makes me sad. The cold fragrance adds to my melancholy, and my thin shadow reflects the cold light. Under the moon, I pity the aging flowers, and in the wind, I sigh that the years are like frost. I miss the old dreams from afar, but it is hard to express my feelings. There are a few lines of tears on the pillow."

He just recited, and everyone around him showed admiration, even Yelu Yanxi nodded and praised a few words, but then Yelu Yanxi said: "Your Majesty, your grandson will write a poem."

Yelu Hongji agreed, and Yelu Yanxi immediately began to chant: "The drizzle is like silk in late spring, and the light chill has not reduced the heavy door. The wind shakes the weak willows and adds to the deep hatred, and the swallows chirping on the carved beams stir up old traces. The flowers in the lonely garden are gradually falling, and the grass is beginning to grow on the sad path. I lean on the railing and look at the endless road to the horizon, and the longing for separation enters my dream soul."

"Good!" The scholars immediately cheered, and Yelu Yanxi said proudly: "This poem is the result of my hard work. It is the best regulated verse I have written at the moment."

After saying this, he looked towards Zhao Ti, who shook his head. Yelu Yanxi was annoyed and asked, "Does the envoy Zhao think this is not good again?"

Zhao Ti smiled slightly: "Not only is it not good, it is extremely bad."

Yelu Yanxi's face turned pale: "Then you come and write it. I want to see what kind of graceful and leisurely seven-character poem you can write!"

Zhao Ti asked, "Is there no one left to do it?"

All the scholars shook their heads, thinking that it was impossible to surpass Yelu Yanxi's poem.

Seeing this, Zhao Ti smiled and said, "Since there is no one here, I will do it."

(End of this chapter)