I just wrote a love poem, how did that make me so powerful?

"The clouds part, the sky broadens, the river flows on; a thousand years of splendor are captured in a single glance. If Hengyang asks who should be chosen, let no one fail to live up to the boundless ambition within one's heart."

Chen Shijin took a look and his expression immediately changed.

His poem describes "misty waves on the river," while Mr. Zhang's poem describes "clouds parting and the sky widening." One is restrained, the other expansive; the difference in their scope and style is immediately apparent.

The last two lines of his poem say "Hengyang has always been home to many talented people," politely stating a lot of things that didn't actually happen;

Mr. Zhang's last two sentences were a direct counter-question: "If Hengyang were to ask who would be the candidate for the imperial examinations," throwing the question back to everyone present, his tone even more forceful than Mr. Zhang's.

When the two poems are placed together, Chen Shijin's reads like a fairly well-written greeting letter.

Mr. Zhang's work, however, was a proper social obligation...

Moreover, he wrote it on the spot, in less than half a cup of tea's time.

Time, improvisation, and atmosphere—every aspect weighed heavily on him.

Chen Shijin gripped the paper tightly, his fingers trembling.

His lips moved slightly, but he ultimately said nothing.

Upon seeing this, the Prince of Jin's smile deepened, and he slowly spoke.

"Young Master Chen's poem... well, it shows some effort. However, compared to Mr. Zhang's, it falls a bit short. Is there anyone else willing to give it a try?"

His gaze swept over everyone in the hall, finally lingering on Xiao Mingyuan's chubby face, with an undisguised provocation.

There was a moment of silence in the hall.

Chen Shijin's face turned bright red, and he stepped back. Zhou Kang and Sun Decai comforted him in hushed tones, but everyone could hear the embarrassment in their words.

When no one answered...

Li Yan took a step forward and raised his hand to greet the two princes.

He didn't look at Chen Shijin, but simply bowed to Mr. Zhang.

"I am not very talented, but I also have a poem. Please give me your guidance, Mr. Zhang."

He unfolded a piece of paper, on which was written Xu Qing's poem from before:

"The sun sets beyond the mountains, the great river flows into the sea. To see a thousand miles further, climb one more story."

After reading it, Mr. Zhang's composure vanished.

He stared at the four lines of poetry for a long time, then slowly raised his head to look at Li Yan, his eyes glistening with tears: "This poem... did you write it?"

Li Yan frankly stated, "It was not written by a junior, but by a scholar from my Hengyang County."

He didn't say anything else, but everyone present noticed that Chen Shijin's face became even more unpleasant when he said those words.

Chen Shijin, with his mediocre skills, dared to come out, while someone with such high skill remained hidden behind the scenes.

Now, in front of the Prince of Jin and the Prince of Zhao, Li Yan took it out, which was tantamount to slapping him in the face again.

The Prince of Jin's smile vanished completely.

He glanced at Mr. Zhang, who shook his head slightly...

It means: I couldn't write this poem on the spot.

The Prince of Jin's expression shifted several times before he finally forced a smile: "Good, good, Hengyang County is indeed full of hidden talents. However..."

He then changed the subject, saying, "It's just a poem. Who doesn't have a few hidden gems? Shouldn't a true talent be able to compose a poem on the spot, given a topic?"

Mr. Zhang understood and took a step forward.

"As Young Master Li has said, it wasn't written by him. Although the poem is top-notch, it doesn't fit the meaning of this competition. So I'll set a topic for you... Take Phoenix Terrace, which isn't far away, as the topic. You have half a cup of tea's time to compose a poem, either five or seven characters."

This question is very tricky.

The phoenix is ​​a legendary creature, and Phoenix Terrace is also just a rumor.

Writing poorly can easily become vague and empty, and with the time limit of just half a cup of tea, the difficulty is further increased.

The local intellectuals looked at each other, but no one said a word.

Chen Shijin forced himself to start writing, but stopped after writing half a sentence, the pen tip hovering over the paper, unable to fall for a long time.

Seeing this, the Prince of Jin's lips curled up again. His gaze swept around the room, finally settling on Xiao Mingyuan...

"Young master, Miss Su's gaze towards you was quite unusual; you must be a talented scholar yourself. Why don't you give it a try?"

Xiao Mingyuan's heart skipped a beat, but he remained completely calm. He almost burst out laughing: Just as expected, Xu Qing had predicted it all; everything was under control!

One of the questions predicted was about the famous local scenic spot: Phoenix Terrace!

He put down the pastry in his hand, patted the crumbs off his hands, slowly stood up, and smiled broadly on his chubby face.

"Mr. Zhang, is that it? Since you really want to be my defeated opponent, I'll grant your wish!"

He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the Prince of Jin's increasingly somber face, before continuing.

"Phoenix Terrace, is it? Listen up!"

Xiao Mingyuan pretended to pace back and forth, deep in thought.

The hall fell silent instantly, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

All eyes were fixed on him.

Xiao Mingyuan took his seventh step, striking the pose of a fat pufferfish that he was already used to.

With a sweeping gesture, his gaze extended into the distance:

"Phoenixes once roamed the Phoenix Terrace, but now the phoenixes are gone, the terrace is empty, and the river flows on."

Old dreams are buried in secluded paths amidst flowers and grasses; the robes and hats of past dynasties have become ancient mounds.

Three mountains half-hidden beyond the blue sky, two rivers dividing Hengyang Island.

The floating clouds always seem to obscure the sun, making the capital city invisible and causing sorrow.

Mr. Zhang listened to the poem and quickly wrote it down on a piece of paper.

He read it once, then again, and on the third reading, his hands, which were lightly resting on the edge of the table, began to tremble.

He didn't speak.

The expression on the Prince of Jin's face changed from nonchalant to stiff.

He opened his mouth, but then froze...

The Crown Prince of Zhao paused mid-air, his hand holding the teacup hanging in mid-air, his gaze fixed on the poem, which he did not look away from for a long time.

He softly recited, "The floating clouds always obscure the sun, and the capital city is nowhere to be seen, causing sorrow," then gently put down his teacup, glanced at Xiao Mingyuan, and took a deep breath.

No one in the entire hall spoke.

Until a very faint "tap" sounded from the corner...

That was the sound of a chopstick being knocked onto the table.

Xu Qing looked in the direction of the sound and saw two young people sitting at an inconspicuous small table in the corner.

A man dressed as a servant sat there, head bowed and eyes lowered.

The other was dressed in a slightly worn scholar's robe, with a handsome face, and was fiddling with the teacup in front of him.

The one who accidentally knocked the chopsticks off was the one dressed as a servant.

He quickly bent down to pick up the chopsticks, his movements somewhat flustered, but Xu Qing noticed...

The hand that picked up the chopsticks was fair and slender, with neatly trimmed nails, not at all like a hand that does rough work.

But he didn't look at it for long and looked away.