Top Scholar

Chapter 392 The second half

The four lines of the poem about bamboo and rocks resonated deeply, instantly silencing the entire audience.

Everyone felt that the poem was powerful and resounding, and that the bamboo in the rock was a perfect reflection of Su Lu's state of mind at that moment.

It also shows the world his determination to never bow down to the eunuch faction, let alone collude with them!

"What a wonderful poem! A truly exquisite poem!" Yan Song exclaimed, clapping his hands in admiration.

“My virtuous brother Hongzhi compares himself to bamboo in a rock, which fully demonstrates his integrity and outstanding character. He is truly a gentleman of the world!”

"Hongzhi's previous poem, 'Fallen petals are not heartless things,' was already a masterpiece, and now this poem, 'Bamboo and Rock,' is even more vigorous and upright, fully displaying the spirit of a scholar! Both poems are truly like spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums, each with its own unique charm!" Xiao, the supervisor, echoed his praise, his face beaming with pride.

"These are all exceptional pieces, unlike anything we've seen in the last ten years!"

"I originally thought that Jieyuanlang's literary talent lay more in classical texts and that he was not good at poetry. I did not expect that he has made great progress recently. With such style and literary talent, it is hard to find a match in the current poetry scene..." Liu Changshi said with a look of shock.

“No, no,” Governor Lu shook his head, showing no sign of having just been slapped in the face by the Imperial Guards, and said, “Hongzhi is simply focused on his studies and has no time for composing poetry. But he has a heart full of passion and his pen is divinely inspired. Once he is inspired to write, it will surely be a wonderful poem!”

"Well said!" Xiao Tixue stroked his beard and nodded, excitedly saying to Su Lu, "The poetry scene of our Great Ming Dynasty has been silent for too long. Since Hongzhi has such unparalleled poetic talent, there is no need for him to hold back his brilliance any longer! I hereby declare the ban lifted! From this day forward, you may write poems to your heart's content and produce more fine poems for the Great Ming Dynasty!"

“Yes, otherwise the poetry scene of our Great Ming Dynasty would truly be like a long, dark night, causing despair…” Magistrate Hou also deeply agreed.

"That's really true..." These words were met with another round of sighs, and when everyone looked at the top scholar again, their eyes were filled with more expectation and respect.

That's because his integrity and poetic talent made the image of the top scholar even more radiant.

Upon hearing this, Su Lu sighed inwardly, never expecting that he too would embark on the path of plagiarism. Moreover, this time his psychological barrier was much lighter, and he could almost speak fluently... unlike last time, when he was hesitant and embarrassed, like a novice.

As expected, once you start plagiarizing, you'll do it again. It's true what they say: plagiarism is fun for a while, and the fun continues...

Of course, he had no other choice. The Embroidered Uniform Guard would return, so he had to find a way to make a name for himself. The more famous he was, the more hesitant the enemy would be to act against him, and the greater his chances of surviving this long night would be.

"Alright, esteemed teachers, elders, relatives, and friends, I am truly sorry for making everyone worry today." Su Lu clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute to the assembled guests, while the three grooms bowed together, saying, "We hope you will forgive us!"

"Haha, don't mention it. We're just bystanders, it doesn't matter. Just don't let the three grooms spoil their wedding night!" the guests laughed.

"Don't worry, they won't. Just pretend they're here to make a ruckus at the wedding night," Su Lu said with a loud laugh, which made everyone laugh along with him. They were all impressed by the magnanimity of the top scholar.

In fact, Su Lu had finally removed the biggest burden from his heart, so he was in a much lighter mood and could even joke, "Can you stop farming just because you hear crickets chirping? Time for the wedding night!"

"Haha, great!" the guests roared with laughter. "The bride must have been frightened tonight, go and comfort her!"

"Don't worry, we won't make a ruckus in the bridal chamber tonight..." the young people laughed. Tonight was just too exciting; let the godparents enjoy the tranquility of their wedding night.

At this moment, Su Man whispered a reminder to Su Lu, who nodded gratefully and said to everyone, "Please wait a moment, my two brothers and I will be right back."

~~
Outside the residence of the top scholar, the people of Hejiang remained there, unwilling to leave for a long time.

Although the Imperial Guards didn't take anyone away, they were still worried about Jie Yuanlang's safety.

Just then, Steward Tian's voice rang out from the main gate: "Fellow elders, the three grooms have come to offer you a toast!"

Sure enough, Su Man, Su Tai, and Su Lu, dressed in bright red auspicious robes, stood side by side on the steps, holding white porcelain wine bowls.

When the eldest brother, Su Man, raised his bowl and bowed, he said calmly, "Fellow villagers! Tonight should have been a joyous occasion for the Su family, a time for guests and hosts to enjoy themselves. However, due to an unexpected incident, we have disturbed our neighbors, causing you all to stay up late and worry about us. The Su family feels deeply ashamed! On behalf of the whole family, my two brothers and I offer our respects to all our fellow villagers!"

Su Tai echoed in a booming voice, "I, Su Tai, am not good with words, but I will always remember everyone's kindness tonight. Thank you all!"

Su Lu concluded by saying loudly, "Thank you for your support, fellow villagers. I know you were worried that my brother would suffer, and you are upholding the righteous path! My brother and I are deeply grateful and thank you all for being our strongest support! This bowl of wine is a toast to all our elders and fellow villagers, to the righteous spirit of heaven and earth, and to the Yangtze and Chishui rivers that nurtured us! May our land be safe and sound, may evil never prevail over good, and may we all enjoy lasting peace!"

"To everyone!" The three brothers then tilted their heads back, emptied their bowls, and drank heartily.

In the blink of an eye, the three bowls of Jieyuan Lang wine were finished at the same time. The three men raised the empty bowls high, bottom to top, not a single drop of wine spilled.

"Good! Good! Good!" The crowd below cheered loudly, deeply feeling the sincere affection of the three grooms.

"Gentlemen, it's getting late. Let's let the groom go to the bridal chamber!" Steward Tian said with a smile.

"Hurry up! Don't keep the bride waiting!" The neighbors readily agreed to let them go.

One of the old men, who was rather frivolous, laughed and said, "Perform well and calm the bride down."

"Don't talk nonsense. The three gentlemen are all celestial beings descended to earth. Why would you, a mere mortal, need to lecture them?" The neighbors laughed and joked loudly, and the air became cheerful again, sweeping away the gloom from before.

~~
The moon hangs high in the sky, and the fragrance of osmanthus permeates the backyard of the scholar's residence.

The corridor was decorated with red ornaments and colorful decorations, and large red "囍" (double happiness) characters were pasted on the windows. Equally bright red lanterns hung high in the corridor, illuminating the entire backyard with warmth and joy.

The aunts and female relatives had all left, and the maids and servants moved with utmost care, afraid of disturbing this hard-won tranquil wedding night.

Under the eaves, three bridal chambers stood side by side, each with auspicious couplets pasted on the door and gold-flecked Korean paper covering the window frames. The flickering candlelight cast the graceful silhouette of the bride.

Surrounded by his classmates, the three grooms arrived at the flower-adorned gate in the backyard. As they parted, each of the brothers, according to custom, presented a poem for the wedding night—

Zhu Zihe first said: "Cloud-like hair, flower-like face, golden hairpins swaying, warm hibiscus tent, spending a spring night."

"You're too ordinary, how can you liven things up for the groom?" The classmates shook their heads, saying it wasn't enough.

"My sister is inside..." Zhu Zihe said with a helpless bitter smile, "Please, let me be a decent human being."

"Alright, we understand you have your reasons." The classmates laughed and said, "Then let Young Master Bai give us a powerful performance."

Baiyun Mountain, who dared to present a lewd riddle at the Lantern Festival, smiled without any difficulty and said, "Then I will give you three a riddle—standing is a novice monk with hands clasped, sitting is a lotus petal in bloom, boy, stop being naughty, that's where you were born!"

"Hahaha, this is great!" The group of eighteen or nineteen-year-old youths were overjoyed and their flirtatious nature was aroused, and they no longer held back.

“Then I’ll give the groom a riddle,” Xia Bangmo said with a laugh: “Something is always six inches long, sometimes soft, sometimes hard. Soft as a drunkard staggering east and west, hard as a monk whirling up and down in the wind. Born with two sons by his side, it has fought with the beauty several times.”

"Hahaha!" The young people burst into laughter, and the atmosphere of their wedding night was instantly lively.
Liu Henian then wrote: "In the quiet of the secluded courtyard, the spring night is delightful, and my heart is filled with countless thoughts that seem to melt away. The flowers and leaves have broken the stamens, and the willows droop and sway their branches."

"Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful!" The scholars laughed so hard they almost fell over.

"The Zen Master Shuiyue, also known as Yutong, has not descended from Bamboo Forest Peak for a long time. Alas, a few drops of Bodhi water have been poured into the two petals of the red lotus," Xiao Tingjie said with a smile.

"I am like a pipa, leaning against your embrace, ready for you to play melodies with your fingers," Lin Zhihong said.

"Turning and turning on the pillow is fine, your supple waist bends naturally for everyone..." Feng Xun said. He sounded like someone with experience. He was indeed older and already married.

"..."

Listening to the group of scholars reciting countless poems about wedding nights, Su Tai was dumbfounded. He thought to himself, "What are these scholars doing all day? Aren't they supposed to be virtuous gentlemen who 'do not look at what is improper, do not listen to what is improper, do not speak what is improper, and do not do what is improper'?"

Where did all these fancy things come from? So you only remember 'molestation'?

Su Man blushed as he listened. He was a Confucian scholar who didn't even know what "making a gun with one's hands" meant, so how could he bear this shock?

But that's the effect we're aiming for in this part...

Only Su Lu remained calm and said to everyone, "Alright, alright, let's go now that we've said everything. Let's not eavesdrop today."

"Alright, alright, Godfather, don't worry. We won't do anything that goes against human ethics." The adopted sons chuckled and cupped their hands in a smile.

"A single encounter in the golden autumn breeze and jade dew surpasses countless meetings in the mortal world!"

"Thank you." Su Lu slammed the hanging flower gate shut.

The three brothers went to the courtyard, bowed to each other, and said goodbye. The eldest brother sighed, "I never thought we'd be able to consummate our marriage tonight. Cherish it."

"Eldest brother, please go first." The two brothers then reached out and pointed to the bridal chamber in the middle.

"Okay." Chun Ge'er took a deep breath, cheered himself up, and walked towards his bridal chamber, pushing open the door to go inside.

"Second Brother, please." Su Lu then pointed to the bridal chamber on the left.

"Okay." Su Tai nodded and grinned at Su Lu, "See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow." Su Lu smiled and nodded, watching his second brother go inside.

He then took a deep breath of the osmanthus fragrance and pushed open the door to the bridal chamber on the right.

After the three went inside, the backyard returned to quiet.

But soon, the agile Li Qiyu scaled the wall and tiptoed in, pulling open the latch of the hanging flower gate to let his brothers in.

It's fine not to make a ruckus in the bridal chamber, but how can you not eavesdrop? Especially when three bridal chambers are together, you won't get another chance like this!
Whom do you listen to?

"Of course it's my godfather's."

"Isn't that against human ethics?"

"That's exciting... What about you?"

"I'll listen to the boss and see if his wife will tear him apart."

"Then I'll listen to the second brother."

"What?"

"It's fierce!"

P.S. My old back pain flared up again. I got a massage today and it's a little better, but it still hurts. It's really affecting my writing. I've only finished two chapters so far. I'll read them tomorrow morning...

(End of this chapter)