The low-key prince summons trainees from the Imperial Household Department at the start of the game.

The Crown Prince personally set the topic; such an honor is not something everyone can experience.

Everyone turned their gaze to Su Shi; some were envious, some were expectant, and a few people in the corners showed gloating expressions.

Composing a poem on the spot is already extremely difficult, but writing lyrics on the spot is even more difficult, let alone in front of the Crown Prince. A slight mistake could make one a laughing stock for life.

Su Shi, however, remained calm and unhurried.

He cupped his hands in greeting to Zhou Cong, then slowly walked to the window, gazing at the peach grove, clear water, and distant mountains outside, remaining silent for a moment.

The pavilion was completely silent; even the sound of the wind blowing through the peach grove could be clearly heard.

Then he turned around, returned to his desk, and picked up his pen again.

This time, instead of writing rapidly with his wrist suspended, he slowly licked the tip of his brush on the inkstone, ensuring the tip held just the right amount of ink, before putting pen to paper.

His movements were very light, as if he were afraid of disturbing something on the paper, but the moment the brush touched the rice paper, he was calm and composed, completing the task in one go.

"The flowers have faded, leaving only small green apricots. Swallows fly by, and green waters surround the houses. The willow catkins on the branches are blown away, leaving few behind. Where on earth are there no fragrant grasses?"

After the first stanza was written, Zhou Cong stood behind him, his lips slightly moving as he silently recited it aloud, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

The first stanza depicts the scene at the end of spring: the flowers have faded and the red petals are gone, swallows fly over green water, and willow catkins and fragrant grasses appear as ordinary images, but the line "There are fragrant grasses everywhere under the sky" is introduced.

The overall structure of the poem becomes clear and open.

It is no longer about lamenting the passing of spring and the coming of autumn, but about having a broad and open mind and a magnanimous spirit.

Without pausing, Su Shi shifted his focus and completed the second stanza in one go.

"Swings inside the wall, paths outside. Passersby outside, a beautiful woman laughs inside. The laughter fades, the sound grows quiet. The affectionate are troubled by the heartless."

With the last stroke, he placed the pen on the pen mountain and took a step back.

No one spoke in the entire Guanlan Pavilion.

Sun Bo'an, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, stood behind Zhou Cong, his hand, which was twirling his beard, frozen in mid-air, his eyes fixed on the calligraphy.

His lips moved slightly, as if he was repeatedly savoring the beauty of a certain phrase, or as if he wanted to say something but couldn't find the right words.

Zhang Mao, a secretary in the Ministry of Rites, took off his glasses, wiped them with his sleeve, put them back on, and looked at them again. He then gasped in shock.

Finally, Zhou Cong let out a long breath.

He didn't applaud or cheer; he simply turned slowly to look at Su Shi, his gaze filled with an unprecedented solemnity.

The look he gave Su Shi just now was one of admiration.

He now looks at Su Shi with a solemn expression, admiring the talent of a scholar.

He solemnly realized that the person in front of him was no ordinary talent, but a great talent worthy of being passed down through generations.

"There are plenty of fish in the sea," Zhou Cong murmured, then repeated, "but the affectionate are often troubled by the heartless."

He shook his head, his tone tinged with emotion, "I have been reading poetry for twenty years and thought I had seen many good poems."

"But today's poem, 'Butterfly Loves Flowers,' is expansive in the first stanza and melodious in the second, with perfect control and naturalness. Young Master Su, both of your poems and lyrics today are masterpieces to be passed down through generations."

He paused, then took a jade pendant from his waist and placed it on the table. The jade was warm and lustrous, and the carving was exquisite; it was clearly a royal item.

"This jade pendant is something I always keep with me. I am giving it to you today not as a reward, but as a gesture of friendship. I wish to make friends with you."

The room erupted in uproar.

The fact that the eldest prince befriended a scholar in plain clothes by using his personal jade pendant was something that everyone present understood.

Su Shi glanced down at the jade pendant, then looked up at Zhou Cong.

He did not refuse, but held the jade pendant in both hands and bowed respectfully: "Your Highness's kindness is beyond my comprehension. However, Your Highness addresses me as a friend, and I dare not presume to do so."

"I will take this jade pendant as encouragement from Your Highness. I will certainly live up to Your Highness's expectations in the upcoming imperial examination."

This answer was perfectly flawless.

He accepted the jade pendant but maintained an appropriate distance.

This showed respect for the eldest prince without directly currying favor with him.

Even more ingeniously, he defined the jade pendant as "encouragement for the imperial examinations," implying that he would enter officialdom through the proper path of the imperial examinations, rather than by currying favor with powerful figures.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Cong's eyes showed even greater appreciation.

The outcome of this poetry gathering at Guanlan Pavilion was decided the moment Su Shi threw down his pen.

Several other talented men then took to the stage to compose poems, many of which were excellent, but none could compare to Su Shi's two poems.

As dusk settled, the flower-viewing banquet ended in a lingering atmosphere. The peach blossoms by the lake glowed with a golden-red light under the setting sun, and the petals were blown down by the evening breeze, scattering on the water and drifting towards the island in the center of the lake.

Anyone who has visited Yuyuantan Park today knows that next year's third-place banquet will likely be much less lively.

Because Su Shi had already raised the bar to a level that was beyond the reach of most people.

Among the onlookers, an old man and a young man stood far away under a willow tree by the pond, watching the entire poetry recital from beginning to end.

The young man, dressed in a gray cloth robe, had a thin face and a solemn expression. He neither clapped nor cheered from beginning to end, but his gaze never left the large sandalwood table in Guanlan Pavilion.

The older monk, dressed in an old black robe, had a serene expression and a faint smile on his lips. Occasionally, he would lower his head and twirl the faded sandalwood prayer beads in his hand.

"Zizhan's move was even more brilliant than we expected," the young scholar finally spoke, his tone as calm as if he were commenting on a policy essay.

The black-robed monk beside him nodded slightly, his gaze still fixed on the direction of Tanxin Island, as the Crown Prince's entourage slowly withdrew from Guanlan Pavilion.

Su Shi was still in the pavilion, surrounded by a group of scholars who were still engrossed in their conversation. They were talking about something that made the crowd laugh and clap at times.

"The jade pendant is the first step. Next, His Highness will definitely find another opportunity to contact Zizhan, whether it's exchanging poems or asking for advice on writing. In short, this connection has been established."

Daoyan paused for a moment, his fingers holding the prayer beads. His gaze swept lightly over a peach blossom petal drifting on the surface of the pool. "Jiefu, did you notice that when His Highness asked about Zizhan's background just now, Zizhan only said that he was a traveling scholar from the Great Bao'en Temple, without mentioning anything else, let alone the existence of you and me?"

Wang Anshi nodded slightly: "Whether you mention me or not is not important. What is important is that at today's poetry gathering, Zizhan has become famous."

"When the news reaches the inner court, the Grand Tutor's office will know, the Grand Commandant's office will know, and the ladies of the palace will also know."

"At that time, everyone will investigate his background. He is a traveling scholar from the Great Bao'en Temple, living in the temple, studying hard in poverty, and has no background. The cleaner he is, the safer he will be."

Dao Yan stopped speaking, but turned his gaze away from the surface of the pool and walked towards the mountain gate.

Wang Anshi followed behind him; the two, one a monk and the other a layman, walked slowly away along the path in the peach grove.

Behind them, lights gradually illuminated the Yuyuantan Lake, reflecting a dazzling array of colors on the spring water.

On Tanxin Island, the sounds of laughter and chatter could be faintly heard from Guanlan Pavilion. Su Shi's loud laughter echoed across the spring water, bold and unrestrained, as if everything that had happened that day was just another ordinary gathering of poetry and wine.

Deep within the imperial city, in the Ninth Prince's side hall, Zhou Xing sat by the window, turning the pages of "The Geography of the Great Zhou" in the last rays of twilight.

When Chunlan came in and lit the lamp, he looked up and smiled at her, then lowered his head to continue reading.

Hidden between the pages of the book was a thin, translucent piece of paper, which Lu Changfeng had delivered through Wang Mazi's pancake shop this evening.

The note was filled with neat, small handwriting detailing the entire process of the Yuyuantan Flower-Picking Banquet.

Su Shi won first prize with two poems, and the eldest prince personally bestowed a jade pendant upon him. Several officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Academy were present to witness the event, and Su Shi's talent and fame spread throughout the literary circles of the capital.

A line of small print was attached to the end of the note.

"Furthermore, Mr. Yao sent a message through a messenger: 'Using a hen to lay eggs, the first step has been completed, and the rest will proceed as planned.'"

Zhou Xing folded the note into a small ball, put it in his mouth and swallowed it with his tea, then turned the page of his book and continued reading as usual.

The evening breeze blew through the window, causing the candlelight to flicker slightly. He lowered his head and turned a page of his book, the smile on his lips flashing briefly in the shadow of the candlelight.

The real battlefield will be next year's spring imperial examination.