After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

Liu Zhenxi was over fifty years old when he passed the imperial examination twice during the Longchang era. His Wei stele calligraphy was magnificent and renowned throughout the north and south.

His poems and essays are also elegant and beautiful, with a unique style, and he is known in the literary world as the pioneer of the Longchang era.

In terms of status, he could be considered the literary master of the Southern Dynasty, but he believed that he was not as good as the great scholar of the Northern Dynasty, so he did not accept the title, fearing that it would make the Southern Dynasty look weaker.

Today's grand gathering between the North and South has invited him to serve as the chief judge, and from the bottom of my heart, I have mixed feelings.

Despite the long-standing division between North and South, our cultural heritage remains connected. Just now, I had a conversation with several elderly gentlemen, including Mr. He and Mr. Qian, who are all over seventy years old. They all shed tears, and I felt a sense of desolation and sorrow.

"Master Liu, congratulations!" someone echoed, raising their wine cup.

"color!"

The elders composed themselves, raised their glasses with the talented men on either side, and drank the wine in one gulp.

After one drink.

Yoo Jin-hee smiled and dismissed the singing and dancing performance.

The first round of the competition is about to begin, and I'm getting ready to head to the main building to host it.

The scholars on the left were all from the North, and each of them wore a melon-shaped hat. The renowned scholar from the Northern Dynasty pointed at the hat and laughed, saying, "It's to cover up your ugliness." After this self-deprecating remark, the Southern Dynasty people could no longer laugh at him and simply pretended not to see it.

"There aren't many good poems in the main building tonight."

He Weng, who was also a judge from the Southern Dynasty, smiled.

Liu Zhenxi stroked his beard, pointed to the group of Southern Dynasty scholars on the right who were enthusiastically exchanging papers, and laughed, "Xu Yang, Ning Er, and the others are all here. How can the main building produce any good poems? Literature is a gift from heaven; it would be strange if good poems came out every day."

The judge from the Northern Dynasty, a renowned scholar named Elder Chen, smiled and said, "The poems that Master Liu just presented, and the talented scholars from both the North and South wrote, are all quite good. The quality of today's poetry gathering will not be a laughing stock."

"Haha." Old Crane nodded at Old Chen. "If you really don't have many good poems, I'm afraid you, Chen Dongshan, will have no choice but to take action."

Old Chen chuckled, "I'm getting old. It's best to leave the courtesan's heart to the young men."

After a few jokes, the judges were in a good mood.

In the south there is Xu Yang, and in the north there is Nalan Que. Just now they set the questions, and the talented scholars composed poems. Most of them were above average. These two are the best among them. One from the north and one from the south, that's quite good.

If there aren't many good poems throughout the night, these seven judges will truly become a laughing stock.

"Tonight has not officially begun, so it's hard to say who will win or lose, but whatever the outcome, it will be a blessing for the literary world of our Han people." Liu Zhenxi made the final decision, setting the tone for the night.

"good."

"nature."

The judges, from both the North and South, nodded with a sigh. This poetry gathering was no easy feat; indeed, it should transcend regional differences and focus solely on the Han people.

The group exchanged glances, preparing to get up and head to the main building to host the competition.

Just then, a slightly hurried sound of footsteps rang out outside the small building.

"Master Liu—"

A renowned literary figure strode over, carrying several sheets of paper in his hand.

"Hehe, I've got some good words tonight." The veteran looked quite pleased with himself.

The talented scholars on both sides, who were working on refining their poems, glanced over curiously.

The tall Xu Yang stood up and joked, "Master Wen, if you have any good poems, just recite them. Don't just show them to Master Liu."

Wen Sigong smiled and said, "Don't rush, don't rush. Let Liu Gong take a look first."

Upon seeing the visitor, Liu Zhenxi chuckled and said, "Lord Wen, has the main building produced a fine poem?"

"Yes, yes." The visitor handed over several sheets of paper. "The excellent works that Du Mu praised are all quite good, especially the first one."

talking.

Wen Si Gong bowed to the three judges from the Northern Dynasty and said with a smile, "The great master of the Northern Dynasty is indeed remarkable. In addition to Young Master Nalan, he has also cultivated a worthy disciple named Lu Jing, who has truly written a fine poem."

"Do not blame the north wind blowing from the west... The yellow sand whistles and swirls with dust... A traveler on a lame horse recalls his twilight years... The sound of lone iron cavalry is broken..."

Liu Zhenxi smiled and read aloud Lu Jing's poem "Huanxi Sha".

"good!"

"Well written!"

Immediately, the judges and literary elders at the head of the table, as well as the talented young men on both sides, all applauded and cheered.

Nalan Que, on the left, smiled faintly: "Junior Brother Lu is an expert in history, and his poetry is not well-known. But today he has composed a fine poem." After saying this, he stood up, raised his cup, and thanked everyone for their praise on behalf of his junior brother.

The talented scholars from the South politely raised their glasses: "Another fine poem tonight!"

This poem, "Huanxi Sha," is desolate and grand, undoubtedly a masterpiece.

Placing it in the main building would certainly make it stand out from the crowd.

However, if placed in the elegant tea house tonight, it would be somewhat lacking, at best ranking in the middle, so the praise from the talented scholars was genuine.

With good poems as a backdrop, the quality of today's poetry gathering is even more evident.

Old Man He sincerely praised, "The Northern Dynasties produced a great many talented people."

Mr. Chen, who was from the North, took the letter and read aloud several other excellent poems by talented Southern scholars.

"Although they are not as good as Lu Jing, they all have their merits." Liu Zhenxi smiled and encouraged the scholars from the south.

It was already early evening, around 9 PM, and the courtesan was in place. People from the main building came to invite her.

"Everyone, let's set off then." Liu Zhenxi smiled and twirled his beard.

Everyone immediately responded with laughter. The talented man was unconventional and unrestrained. Some popped an orange into their mouths, some put on their shoes, and some stretched.

Just then, a young servant in blue robes came running over with a piece of paper in his hand. He bowed and said that it was a poem, "Sheng Sheng Man," sent by Senior Du Zi.

"Ha," Liu Zhenxi gave a helpless wry smile to the elders who had stood up, "This eccentric scholar... 'Sheng Sheng Man,' well then, gentlemen, shall we slow down and savor this poem first?"

Everyone chuckled and said, "Then let's slow down a bit."

Open the note.

Liu Zhenxi glanced at the words above, her expression shifting, first pausing, then hardening.

His lips moved slightly, and after muttering a few words, he pondered for a while, his expression gradually becoming complicated. He muttered a few more words, then his smile faded, and he simply stopped.

Several elders around him noticed that Master Liu had stopped, and their eyes showed doubt, wondering how well the poem was written.

Yoo Jin-hee frowned.

He glanced up at the servant in blue, "Was this done over at the main building?"

"Yes, Lord Liu."

Liu Zhenxi's brows remained furrowed as she looked down at the words on the note.

Seeing Liu Zhenxi's expression and actions, the elders' doubts deepened. "Master Liu, what do you think of this poem?"

"Could it be that things are really bad, and Lord Liu has begun to doubt Du Muyou's judgment?" Duke Wen joked.

Such teasing is not entirely without reason. If it is a good poem, then like Lu Jing's poem, one can just recite it directly. Why hesitate for so long?

"This word, this word..."

Liu Zhenxi murmured and repeated a few words, her expression tightening at first, then relaxing after a few breaths.

"Gentlemen, this word..."

"Hey, Master Liu, you can read it," Old Crane said, feigning displeasure. "Even though the poem is terrible, Du Mu still sent it to me because he was worried about this frivolous courtesan. I think—"

He smiled at the elders and talented scholars of the Northern Dynasty, "My friends in the Northern Dynasty won't laugh at the Southern Dynasty for having no one to rely on!"

The renowned scholars and talented men of the Northern Dynasties chuckled, "Old Crane, you jest! You jest! The literary traditions of both the North and the South are equally valued. How can we disregard an entire tradition because of one person's words?"

But Liu Zhenxi didn't join in. After hesitating for a long time, he finally complained and handed the poem to He Weng: "Old He, why don't you read it?"

Old Crane chuckled, wondering why Master Liu was so afraid of looking ugly.

He took the note, glanced at it, and then read it aloud:

"Searching and searching—"

"desolate……"

"So tragic and miserable... so sad... so sad."

The old crane's eyes widened, but his voice grew softer.

The scholars present initially appeared relaxed and carefree, but upon hearing the first line with its increasingly powerful repetition of words, their expressions gradually froze. As the old man's voice rose and fell, the expressions on their faces became increasingly strange and varied...

Liu Zhenxi stroked her beard, unconsciously putting more effort into it. She looked at the talented men from both the north and south with a hint of sympathy in her eyes, her feelings becoming extremely complicated and indescribable.

With such words already mentioned, how can I possibly begin writing tonight?