destiny eternal calamity

Chapter 144 A Utter Defeat

"Mingyuezi, today's poetry contest is not for literary fame, but simply to add to the fun!"

On the West Gate Tower, a man spoke loudly.

Li Wei looked over and saw that the man was tall and thin, standing against the wind on the west gate corridor.

It was Qian Su, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

Although Long Yin said that if Li Wei was not prepared, he could ignore it.

But just take that with a grain of salt.

If Li Wei truly dares not accept the challenge, he will likely be disgraced after today.

"Please go first, Vice Minister Qian. I am not prepared and need to think about it for a moment."

Li Wei responded.

He then walked onto the veranda of the gate tower, where guests at both the east and west gates could see him.

Some of the noble ladies had heard of the young poet Li Wei before, but had never met him, and all turned their attention to him.

The women were all captivated by Li Wei's handsome appearance and Ling Fengzi's proud demeanor.

"It's a pity she's already engaged." It was unclear which noblewoman said this first, but the other women all echoed her sentiment.

It was as if they would take Li Wei as their son-in-law if he were unmarried.

The young ladies were too shy to speak, but most of them were beginning to develop feelings for each other.

There's no other reason than that Li Wei is not only handsome, but also possesses an inherent arrogance.

That arrogance stemmed from his memories of his past life and the confidence brought by the system; it wasn't something that could be cultivated casually.

These tall buildings naturally housed young masters from prominent families who had never seen Li Wei before. Seeing these noble ladies acting as if they were infatuated with him, they naturally disliked Li Wei.

Among them are two special individuals:

One is a fat young man on the eastern gate—Long Luo, the second son of the Prince of Zhenbei.

Just moments ago, Long Yin had put his father in a very difficult position, and now his elder brother, Prince Long Yu, was still full of worry, but he showed no fear, only staring blankly at Li Wei in his line of sight.

So he was Li Wei! What a pleasant surprise!

The second is Meng Zhaorui, the third son of Duke Weilie, a young man suffering from kidney deficiency on the western gate.

This time it was him, not his elder brother, who was taken to the West Gate Tower by Duke Meng Rang, but there was a reason for it.

[Fine, fine, so it was you! Tonight I'll humiliate you, then kick you out of the princess's residence and slowly torture you.]

】

"Father, I have something to say."

Meng Zhaorui was only at the Qi Sea Realm and did not yet know the art of telepathy. Since he did not want others to hear what he wanted to say, he spoke to his father in this way.

Upon hearing this, Meng Rang activated a Yuan Power restriction, signaling him to speak.

"Father, the person who hit me that day was Li Wei!"

Meng Rang was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

Since my son was beaten by Li Wei that day, then the woman he wanted to flirt with must be Li Wei's fiancée, Lin Peiyao.

He glanced down and, sure enough, spotted a pretty young girl at a table next to Lin Yishui.

The girl's eyebrows and eyes bear some resemblance to those of Lin Yishui and his wife.

This femme fatale has indeed returned to the capital.

"Please, please don't pursue this matter any further!"

Meng Rang said sternly.

Because of Lin Peiyao, this troublemaker, even the Crown Prince was deposed. What's more, Li Wei and Lin Peiyao have already been betrothed by the Emperor, and this rebellious son of theirs is practically dancing on a knife's edge.

"I know, Father, but aren't we planning to drive him out of the Princess's residence?"

"That's true. Once he loses power, you can do whatever you want. For now, it's best to be careful."

Meng Rang pondered for a moment, then removed the Yuan Power restriction.

At this moment, Qian Sugang, who was standing in front of them, finished speaking a long preface, the gist of which was that he had pondered for a long time before coming up with this piece.

Then, a loud recitation echoed from the corridor of the West Gate Tower.

"The fifteenth night of the first lunar month."

"The fire trees and silver flowers blend together, the star bridge and iron locks open. Dark dust follows the horses, the bright moon follows the people. The courtesans are all beautiful as plum blossoms, and the songs they sing are like falling plum blossoms."

The imperial guards do not forbid the night's curfew, nor should the jade water clock hasten the passing of time.

Upon hearing this, Li Wei thought to himself that Qian Su truly deserved to have been the top scholar in the imperial examination, as he was able to write such high-level poems.

I originally wanted to rely on myself, but now it seems I have no choice but to copy.

"Minister Qian has excellent poetic talent!"

"This poem strikes a perfect balance between delicacy and richness, flowing seamlessly from beginning to end."

"It has a natural charm, truly a genuine scene of the Lantern Festival, and cannot be moved elsewhere."

The high-ranking officials of the imperial court on the western gate praised it one after another.

After all, this poem is indeed well-written; it is of a quality worthy of being passed down through generations.

The group of noble young men in the square were also discussing among themselves, feeling that Li Wei was definitely going to lose this time.

Hearing their discussion, Lin Peiyao's heart clenched again.

This is a battle of wits, I can't just let my master forcibly interrupt it, can I?

Moreover, since the opponent has already made a move, regardless of any reason, Li Wei will be at a disadvantage if he does not fight back.

"Master, do you think Brother Li Wei can win?"

"Difficult. This poem is indeed good; it's the best Lantern Festival poem I've ever seen."

"7

Bai Ran shook her head again and said.

Although she was a demon, she had lived for over two thousand years and naturally had some knowledge of human poetry and literature.

It could even be said that he was highly accomplished.

Seeing her evaluation, Lin Peiyao knew that this poem was sure to be a timeless masterpiece.

It would be almost impossible for Li Wei to write a better poem on the spot.

The others present, including Long Bilin and Xiao Shuying, thought the same thing.

After all, they really knew that Li Wei was almost completely unprepared.

When I wrote the poem about the bright moon last time, the topic of the bright moon was actually set by Li Wei himself, so I could have prepared in advance.

Xiao Shuying was also quite knowledgeable about poetry. She recalled the Lantern Festival poem that Li Wei had written for her before attending the banquet: "The lantern market is like rain of stars, and the fragrant carriages crush the dark dust. Fish and dragons dance with the moon in their mouths, and the sounds of flutes and drums can be heard through the curtains. The moonlight condenses in the blue sky, and the shadows of plum blossoms are close to the vermilion gate."

Why seek a fairyland? A smile fills the wine cup.

His writing is excellent, but not as natural and timeless as Qian Su's poems.

Of course, this is not Li Wei's fault, after all, he wrote this poem to make the beauty smile.

With such a level of skill, it would be a pipe dream to defeat Qian Su's poetry.

Li Wei paced back and forth on the veranda in front of the gate tower, looking as if deep in thought.

Half an incense stick later, seeing the scholars in the square begin to mock him, he cleared his throat.

"Gentlemen, I have composed a poem."

"The lyrics and music for this piece, like the lyrics for 'Bright Moon,' are both my own compositions. I have tentatively named it 'Lantern Festival,' and I will release the lyrics and music in the Da Li Weekly later."

The square immediately fell silent.

"The east wind at night releases a thousand trees of flowers, and blows down stars like rain. The road is filled with the fragrance of precious horses and carved carriages. The sound of phoenix flutes moves, the jade pot shines, and fish and dragons dance all night. Moths, willows, and golden threads, laughter and fragrance linger. I searched for him a thousand times in the crowd, and suddenly, turning around, I found him where the lights were dim."

Li Wei naturally used his inner energy when he recited, making sure everyone present could hear him clearly.

At this moment, all the guests with even a modicum of cultural refinement fell silent.

Simply put, it's so well written.

After a long while, someone started it, and thunderous applause erupted in the square.

"Excellent, excellent, Li Aiqing! You truly deserve to be called a young poetic genius!"

Long Yin was overjoyed and praised him while clapping his hands.

Long Luo and the Meng family father and son were dumbfounded.

They never expected that Qian Su's poem, which she had spent a month preparing, could be lost so thoroughly.