Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 294 I am the Bright King

The servants and maids outside the door, serving dishes and wine, peered curiously into the inner hall.

The inner hall was filled with laughter and chatter just moments before, but suddenly it's so quiet.

While observing quietly, they saw Yang Weizhen, a famous scholar from Hangzhou, trembling with rage.

Judging from his appearance, it seemed as if he would pick up a wine jug and smash the person who came in front of him on the table at any moment.

Fortunately, he managed to hold back in the end.

A renowned scholar is, after all, a renowned scholar; his ability to endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens is absolutely maxed out.

After taking a few heavy breaths and gradually calming down, Yang Weizhen looked directly at Lin Dao and said, "Your words are so arrogant; you must be a man of great talent."

"In that case, please write a few of your finest works so that we may read them."

A group of renowned scholars echoed his sentiments, urging Lin Dao to immediately write a poem to prove himself.

Many things cannot be made public.

Everyone must have received favors, or rather, gifts, from Master Xue to help promote his daughter's reputation.

This has been the case for many years, and it has long become an unspoken rule.

You little brat who popped up out of nowhere, daring to challenge the rules, you're asking for it!
As long as Lin Dao dares to write poetry and tries to show off and slap people in the face with his poems, he will fall into the trap set by the literati.

The scribes have their own mouths; they can say whatever they want.

If someone wants to praise you, even if your entire piece is full of scatological nonsense, you can be lauded as a masterpiece, enough to secure a stable job.

If someone wants to belittle you, even if you write a masterpiece that will last for a thousand years, they will still have plenty of excuses to belittle and humiliate you.

"This scene."

Facing the angry gazes of so many people, Lin Dao joked as if nothing had happened, "How similar it is to when Wang Bo wrote 'Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng' back then."

When Wang Bo attended the banquet at Tengwang Pavilion, he happened to stumble upon the host inviting many famous scholars to help his son-in-law gain fame.

Everyone gave him face, praising the host's son-in-law's outstanding poetry.

But Wang Bo didn't give him any face and wrote "Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng" in public.

As a result, this timeless masterpiece was still questioned on the spot.

This is Wang Bo!
It's the Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng!
So what if it's a timeless masterpiece?
When they want to step on you, they simply deny it!

In movies, TV shows, and novels, characters often rely on borrowed literary elements to show off, slap faces, and win the hearts of beautiful women.

In reality, it's never that easy!

In the face of interpersonal relationships and social interactions, most of the time, one's so-called abilities don't even have a chance to be demonstrated.

Everyone knows the story of when Wang Bo wrote "Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng".

Looking back now, this situation does indeed have that meaning.

In fact, many people think this way.

“This person has exceptional insight.” Holding a round fan, Xue Huiying whispered in her sister’s ear, “He has seen through the thoughts of all these famous figures.”

"Hmm." Over here, the older sister, Xue Huiying, peeked out from behind her fan, staring at Lin Dao with great curiosity.

Such an extraordinary man was something the girl, who had been confined to the building for over a decade and used as a tool for her father to gain fame, had never seen or even heard of.

The unique feeling brings a strong attraction!

"Your words are truly perplexing."

Feeling humiliated, Yang Weizhen unleashed his full power: "You said the poems of the two Miss Xues were mediocre."

"You can't just say things like that!"

"Since you've said it, you need to provide proof."

Otherwise, you are slandering me!

The assembled scholars all echoed, "That's right, let us see your skills."

"If you don't have the ability, what right do you have to criticize others?"

"Show me the proof!"

Faced with the pressure from the crowd, Cao Miaoqing nervously gripped Lin Dao's arm.

If you offend these people, you won't be able to survive in the literary circles of Hangzhou—not just Hangzhou, but the entire Jiangnan literary scene.

These people control the discourse in the literary world, and when they want to promote someone, they can praise even the most trivial things to the skies.

When they want to trick you, they can shove you into a mud pit.

Lin Dao patted her little hand and gave her a reassuring look.

"The idea of ​​proving oneself a trap is indeed ancient."

His expression was calm, with a smile playing on his lips. "If I were to enter the literary world, wouldn't you all make things difficult for me and ruin me in the future?"

"I don't know much about poetry and literature," he said calmly. "However, my wife is a woman of great talent, recognized by the world."

"Her talent is truly comparable to that of Ban Zhao and Cai Wenji."

"The poems of these two Xue family daughters are far inferior to those of my wife."

Cao Miaoqing's beautiful eyes were filled with disappointment.

"You have a wife?"

"Yes, there are many ladies," Lin Dao nodded in agreement. "However, they all live in their respective hometowns and cannot come over."

In several different time periods, Lin Dao had quite a few talented women around him.

But there is only one who can truly be compared to Ban Zhao and Cai Wenji.

Xie Daoyun.

She not only enjoyed writing poetry, but also liked to have Lin Dao help her critique and comment on it.

Lin Dao didn't want to listen, so she tried to explain in various ways.

This is why Lin Dao was able to discern the quality of poems.

"Your wife?"

Yang Weizhen frowned. "Who is your wife?"

Lin Dao glanced at him but ignored him.

Given Xie Daoyun's status in the literary world, Yang Weizhen, who became famous during a time when there were no powerful figures in the literary world, was not even worthy of carrying her shoes.

Anyway, Yang Weizhen never went to school.

"correct."

Yang Weizhen suddenly remembered, "I wanted to ask you this last time we were at the Book Fragrance Courtyard."

"Who are you anyway~~~"

Only after these words were spoken did everyone come to their senses.

The person in front of me had no idea who he was.

"My surname is Lin."

"Famous way."

His courtesy name was Zihou.

Yang Weizhen raised his hand to rub his forehead, shaking his head. He'd had a bit too much to drink. "Lin Dao, Lin Zihou? Never heard of him...wait a minute..." "I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before..."

While he was still pondering this, the officials on the other side all changed color and stood up.

Zhang Tianyou's also changed color.

He frowned slightly and looked at Lin Dao with some uncertainty.

"Brother Lin."

"Your name does resemble that of the leader of the Red Turban Rebellion, the False Ming King."

"There's no resemblance whatsoever." Lin Dao raised his wine glass. "I am the Ming King."

These words shocked everyone in the room!

Everyone was stunned, staring at Lin Dao in disbelief.

At this time, the uprisings that sprang up in various places almost all used the banner of the Red Turban Army.

In other words, Lin Dao is the nominal leader of all the righteous armies in the world.

Who is he?
He is the number one traitor!

Everyone was stunned, truly stunned.

No one could have imagined or believed that the rebel king, the most wanted criminal, would actually appear here!

"Master Xue".

Lin Dao swirled the wine in his glass and gestured to the dumbfounded Master Xue, "Didn't we say we were going to discuss your daughter's marriage today?"

"In that case, we should serve Daughter's Red Wine!"

Daughter's Red Wine is an essential item for wealthy families when their daughters are born or married.

When a daughter reaches one month old, the father will brew "Daughter's Red Wine" using glutinous rice.

Carefully filling the jar, sealing it, and burying it deep under the osmanthus tree in the backyard is like a father's love that is deeply hidden.

When their daughter gets married, they will take out the buried wine and use it to entertain relatives and friends.

This liquor, buried for over ten years, is called Daughter's Red.

The traditional method of brewing Daughter's Red wine has long been lost.

In the modern world, the so-called "Daughter's Red" wine is just an industrial product; it's just a name attached to it.

Lin Dao had also encountered people marrying off their daughters in other times and spaces.

I've never actually drunk a Daughter's Red wine that can be stored for over ten years.

At this time, Master Xue wanted to arrange a marriage, and Lin Dao also wanted to taste the flavor of Daughter's Red wine.

However, at this moment, no one in the inner hall was thinking about anything related to "daughter's red" or "daughter's green."

Everyone stared at Lin Dao in disbelief.

Zhang Tianyou took a deep breath. "Brother Lin, don't speak recklessly."

"To claim the identity of a false Ming King is no joke!"

He still couldn't believe that the Ming King would dare to walk right into a trap and come to Hangzhou.

As a leader of a rebel army, one should be hidden away in pavilions, towers, palaces, and halls.

He was surrounded by countless palace maids and eunuchs, and armored soldiers on the outside.

How could it possibly be here!

Lin Dao put down his wine glass, leaned back in his chair, and slumped into the chair.

He chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Why is it always me who has to prove this and that?"

“When I tell the truth, nobody believes me.”

As they were talking, the Xue family steward came scrambling in to report.

"Master! Master! Something terrible has happened!"

"Bullshit!" The banquet had been turned into a complete mess, and Master Xue was already furious.

Hearing the butler's nonsense only fueled his anger.

"I'm perfectly fine, sir!"

"Yes, yes~" Realizing he had said the wrong thing, the butler quickly slapped himself a few times.

Then he said, "Soldiers! A lot of soldiers have arrived outside the mansion!"

Master Xue's heart tightened, and he hurriedly looked at Zhang Tianyou.

Zhang Tianyou frowned and looked at the group of officers.

Everyone shook their heads.

Even if they really coveted the Xue family's wealth, they couldn't possibly make a move before the Zhang family fell from grace.

If they were really going to take action, they wouldn't have come to the banquet.

Amidst the confusion, Lin Dao's voice could be heard.

"Don't think about it, they've come to see me."

Lin Dao stood up, straightened his clothes, and looked at the steward. "Is this the Red Army scouts?"

The butler blinked and nodded subconsciously.

Lin Dao stepped outside. "It's Hu Ci who's come looking for me."

"I let him go before so that he would bring people back to find me."

"It's been a while since I've stretched my muscles, so this is a good time to relax before I leave."

Cao Miaoqing hurriedly followed.

Then, it was Zhang Miaojing who chased after them, lifting the hem of her skirt.

Immediately, everyone in the hall stood up and followed them out.

Even the Xue sisters, along with their maids, chased after them.

There's no way around it; watching the drama unfold is a long-standing tradition.

Lin Dao's self-proclaimed title of "King of Light" particularly piqued everyone's curiosity.

In the end, only two people remained in the hall.

Guan Hanqing, who had been invited to tell stories, looked at the last guest and asked a question timidly.

"Are you still going to tell stories or not?"

The guest took out a silk handkerchief to wipe his mouth and replied with a smile, "Of course I'll say it."

"It is truly my honor to have the privilege of listening to your solo performance."

Guan Hanqing smiled and bowed respectfully, "May I ask your esteemed name, sir?"

The guest returns the gift.

"My name is Shen Fu, courtesy name Zhongrong, and pen name Wanshan."

"I am the third son in my family, and everyone calls me Shen Wansan."

(End of this chapter)