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

"Uh... everyone," Ning Nan stood up, gave a refined laugh, "what brings you here?"

Ning Nan stood tall and straight, his shabby white clothes making him stand out among the crowd, but his imposing presence and calm gaze caused the eyes of the other talented men to narrow slightly.

That look doesn't resemble that of a scholar or a talented man; it's more like that of a warrior in the making.

Shangguan Xiuyi stood up without making a sound, raising an eyebrow and staring at the person opposite him.

The Imperial Guards already carried a certain murderous aura from the imperial prison, and he also had a touch of the air of a prince or nobleman, which made everyone's momentum unconsciously weaker.

Xu Yang stood at the front of the group. Tall and handsome, and being in the south, he, as the top scholar of Nanjing, was practically a host. He naturally took the lead and acted as the head of the group.

Brother Ning.

Xu Yang, holding his fan, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and asked rather seriously, "May I ask if the poem 'Sheng Sheng Man' was written by Brother Ning?"

"no."

"If that's the case, then I, Xu..." Xu Yang raised his chin, his expression serious, but before he could utter his provocative words, his face suddenly froze. "No?"

Everyone was dumbfounded... No?

Ning Nan shrugged and pulled out the same line he had just used, but with some modifications. He said it was written by a female hermit known as Yi'an Jushi and had nothing to do with him.

Tonight, I'm just offering this as a token of my appreciation to a young lady," he said, pointing to the young lady Ning across from him.

It's harmless to joke among friends that the phrase came from a dream, but if you say it to outsiders, it might be seen as deliberate mockery, which is unnecessary.

Ning Nan spoke calmly, but Ning Beizhi pursed her cherry lips and blushed upon hearing this. She lowered her eyes and secretly glanced at Xu Yang... Hmm, I also have a part in this.

Unfortunately, her flirtatious glances were wasted on a blind man. Xu Yang and the others only glanced at her and moved their gazes away without saying a word. Upon seeing this, the girl's face stiffened, and her smile turned somewhat sour. Jiang Sixue held her hand.

Xu Yang actually stole the show tonight, after all, the girl Qingyue from the Northern Dynasty sang his lyrics in the second round, which were bold and vigorous, winning a lot of applause.

However, given the masterpiece "Sheng Sheng Man" that precedes it, everyone understands.

Tonight, these talented men are destined to become mere foils for someone else.

Before coming, everyone tacitly agreed, but someone said, "How about we meet this talented Ning?" Everyone chimed in with their own ideas and hurried over together.

On the way, I naturally imagined many scenarios, such as the talented Ning having already left and disappeared without a trace, leaving only a beautiful story about the poetry gathering.

For example, if the person is still alive, but upon meeting them, they become extremely arrogant and continue to humiliate everyone in front of others, and your own poetry is inferior to theirs, then you will lose face immensely.

Of the various possibilities, the best scenario is that Ning Caizi's poem was also a stroke of genius, that his talent was not so exaggerated, and that he was a kind and humble person who interacted with them, exchanging poems and creating a beautiful story of poetry gatherings.

Of course, there are also some hidden thoughts, such as, "This person's poems are just forgeries, bought, and he actually has no talent. He was tested by someone and immediately found out..." Such thoughts naturally exist, but no one would say them out loud.

But when faced with reality, the word "absurd" couldn't help but pop into everyone's minds.

Many people muttered things like, "Is he just making fun of us?", "Did he really not write this?", "This poor student doesn't seem to be a student of Bailu Academy", or "He's not from the Imperial Academy either".

Nalan Que, wearing a melon-shaped hat that was black on top and red on the bottom, frowned and said, "If Brother Ning feels that admitting this poem is your work will cause some people to question it, I think there's no need for that. Such a poem is priceless... Neither Nalan nor Brother Xu, nor even the elders, could think of any great master who had ever written a poem with such grandeur, so elegant and graceful, forming its own unique style..."

Ning Nan waved his hand and laughed, "There's no need for that, it really wasn't me."

Someone called out from behind, "Where is Li Qingzhao?"

"Li Yi'an, the recluse, lived a life of leisure and freedom," Ning Nan shrugged. "I, Ning, don't know either."

Xu Yang stepped forward, his eyebrows almost standing on end: "Brother Ning, are you making fun of me?"

His tone rose, his speech quickened, and a hint of anger lingered in his voice: "I, Xu, began learning poetry at three, picked up a pen at four, wrote essays at six, and by nine had read all the poems and prose in the world! From south to north, for a thousand years, I have never heard of any Yi'an Jushi! Brother Ning! The art of poetry has spanned millennia, with countless virtuous and ambitious individuals following one after another, wielding their pens to shape the world—it is the very essence of the Han Chinese literary lineage… Xu Yang urges Brother Ning to show some respect and not to spout nonsense to fob us off!"

Xu Yang clasped his fists, his eyes were a little red, and he spoke very harshly. Nalan Que frowned, but most people's faces were flushed, and they applauded his words.

"good!"

"good."

"A poetry madman is a poetry madman..."

Ning Nan quietly observed Xu Yang, who was filled with righteous indignation, and then glanced at the group of talented scholars who shared the same hatred for the enemy. He couldn't help but frown and say:

"As far as Ning is concerned, it's just for your amusement..."

He pointed to the nearly empty jade plate on the table, "Why not just eat another piece of Dongtang? What's the point?"

"Uh..." Xu Yang and the others froze for a moment.

Ning Nan's eyes were cold as she continued in a low voice, "For me, poetry expresses one's aspirations, but is not the aspirations themselves. Since I have said that the poems and lyrics were not written by me, then they were not written by me... Before, at that screen, the eccentric senior Du criticized Miss Ning's works for being irregular in form and unorthodox in lyrics. I think that the form and lyrics are all superficial; the soul and talent within are far more important."

"The Qin and Han dynasties valued fu (a type of classical Chinese prose), the Wei and Jin dynasties valued parallel prose, the Tang dynasty valued regulated verse and quatrains, and the Zhao dynasty valued verse with varying line lengths. Over the past thousand years, the form and rules of poetry have been constantly changing."

"But the spirit within the Han people remains unchanged!"

"I find it highly inappropriate to use poetic meter to denigrate people..."

"Furthermore, national misfortune is a poet's fortune, for lines born of hardship are the most poignant... In my opinion, the poet's misfortune is the nation's fortune..."

Ning Nan sneered at Xu Yang, whose face was gradually turning pale, "Just now, Brother Xu spoke of literary tradition and dragon energy. Then let me ask you, does this literary tradition continue because of the poetic rules you've admired since you were three years old, or because of that enduring heroic spirit? Have you ever seen a sage compose poetry?"

Have you ever seen a sage compose poetry?

His words were like a thunderclap, striking the very heart of the world!

Xu Yang's eyes widened slightly. He opened his mouth, his face first turning red, then pale after a few breaths. He seemed to want to say something, but it stuck in his throat. His eyes suddenly became confused. The scholars behind him were also speechless. Some of them opened their mouths, but then swallowed their words.

Nalan Que and the others from the north, wearing melon-shaped hats, were stunned. Their eyes flickered, and they seemed to be thinking about something. Their grip on their fans tightened a little.

Ning Nan glanced at the crowd.

Qiao Feng is invincible, so everyone just needs to focus on fighting Qiao Feng. Once they defeat Qiao Feng, they will automatically become invincible... These talented people probably have similar ideas.

"Xu Caizi," Ning Nan said, putting his hands behind his back and shaking his head, not giving them the chance. "Don't misunderstand me. Don't think that I'm denying that the poems are my work because I'm afraid of being harassed by you. When it comes to poetry, I've never been afraid of anyone in my life! ... I'm just telling the truth. Of course, I really can't be bothered with you." He scoffed.

Just then, a soft footstep sounded.

"A nation's misfortune is a poet's fortune; lines born of hardship are the most skillful... Well said!

A rather calm and steady cheer came from over.

Ning Nan turned his head to look.

A few old men.

The one in the lead was dressed as an ordinary scholar, with a gray beard.

Uh... that old man Liu.