The Reversal of Heaven Begins with The Smiling, Proud Wanderer

The poem Lin Mu presented to Si Lili at Zuixianju some time ago has already spread throughout the capital, moving countless young women. He could never match that timeless masterpiece.

"Fan Xian, I'm having a poetry contest with you, don't try to change the subject!"

Guo Baokun blushed and said, "Just tell me if you dare to compete or not?"

"Don't dare."

Fan Xian's answer was crisp and clear, which surprised Guo Baokun.

He glanced at the other man with feigned impatience and said, "Young Master Guo, what's the point of you always arguing with a country bumpkin like me from Danzhou?"

These words took everyone by surprise, and Guo Baokun was momentarily at a loss for words.

Before he could even exert any force, his opponent had already collapsed and admitted defeat.

If you continue to argue, you will only appear petty and lacking in manners.

It truly felt like punching cotton, so frustrating.

Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Li Hongcheng scanned the entire room and finally fixed his gaze on Lin Mu. He said, "I have long heard that Young Master Lin is quick-witted and proficient in poetry, lyrics and songs. Since you are here today, why don't you write a poem first for everyone to appreciate and comment on?"

"In that case, I, Lin, will make a fool of myself!"

Lin Mu calmly got up, walked to the table, picked up a brush and dipped it in ink.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he wrote Du Fu's "Ascending the Heights" with flowing strokes.

Li Hongcheng then read aloud:

"The wind is fierce, the sky is high, and the monkeys howl mournfully; the islet is clear, the sand is white, and the birds fly back."

The endless fall of the trees, the endless Yangtze River rolling in.

Wandering With Melancholy, a century on stage alone and sick.

Hardship and bitterness have made my hair white, and I have just stopped drinking. "

The poem was completed with a stroke of the pen, and the entire room fell silent.

The scholars and literati who had previously looked on with anticipation were now all horrified.

Guo Baokun nearly spat out the wine he had just taken a sip of. He hurriedly covered his mouth with his sleeve, choking until his face turned red, but he dared not make a sound.

Fan Xian leaned back lazily in his chair, looking at the familiar verses, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He was very familiar with this poem; it was a masterpiece by the poet Du Fu, and can be considered the best seven-character regulated verse of all time.

He had also wanted to seize this opportunity to make a name for himself, but considering his plans to annul the engagement and stay away from the court, he had no choice but to suppress his impulse and let Lin Mu take the lead.

[This fellow villager is really good at copying! He's already written all the poems I'll be using later, what am I supposed to copy now? So annoying!]

Li Hongcheng stared blankly at the still-wet ink on the manuscript, and after a long while, he took a deep breath and exclaimed in admiration: "What a magnificent 'The boundless falling leaves rustle down, the endless Yangtze River rolls on'! This poem is powerful and poignant, with profound artistic conception; only a great talent could have written it!"

The room erupted in cheers and exclamations of praise.

The scholars who had initially intended to laugh at the poem were now all convinced and stepped forward to examine it closely.

In the pavilion in the backyard, servants had already copied down the poem and hurriedly delivered it to the Second Prince, Li Chengze.

Li Chengze held the poem and read it carefully. He felt deeply moved. The overwhelming sense of sorrow in the poem even touched him, a member of the royal family.

"A thousand miles of sorrow in autumn, a hundred years of illness—a few short lines encapsulate a thousand years of grief. Today's poetry gathering presents such a poem, worthy of being recorded in history!"

At the poetry gathering in the front yard, amidst the stunned expressions and admiring gazes of the crowd, Lin Mu slowly walked back to his seat and calmly said, "I've finished writing. Feel free to do as you please. Whoever can write something better before dark will be considered the loser."

Upon hearing this, Fan Xian felt even more uneasy.

He was using all my words!

With Du Fu's "Ascending the Heights" now a timeless masterpiece of seven-character regulated verse, these people can forget about ever writing poetry again!

Guo Baokun stood there, dejected, finally understanding what it meant to be "a frog in a well looking at the moon in the sky."

Having seen such poems, I realize that what I wrote before was utter nonsense and I'm ashamed to show it to anyone!

Li Hongcheng clapped his hands and laughed, looking around at everyone: "Is there anyone else who wishes to display their talent?"

The whole room was silent.

With such a gem before us, who would dare to show off their meager skills in front of an expert?

That's like a sparrow fighting a rooster—it's just asking for humiliation!

Seeing no one respond, Li Hongcheng laughed and said, "Since that's the case, today's poetry competition winner is none other than Young Master Lin! Someone, bring me my Purple Jade Inkstone and present it to Young Master Lin!"

The poetry contest has now concluded, and the winner has been decided.

A system notification suddenly sounded in Lin Mu's mind:

[Ding! Side quest: 'Poetry Gathering at Prince Jing's Mansion' has been completed. Reward: Poet Immortal Sword Preface - Taibai's Journey!]

[Poet Immortal's Sword Preface - Taibai's Journey: Originating from the Golden Light World, created by the Azure Lotus Hermit Li Taibai, it consists of only four moves: Flying Sword Slashes Through Floating Clouds, Traversing the Four Seas, Lying Amidst Clouds and Pine Snow, and White Bones Across a Thousand Frosts.]

【Do you want to receive it? 】

Lin Mu's mind stirred slightly, and he chose to accept it.

Instantly, a set of exquisite sword techniques appeared in his mind:

"Flying Sword Slashes Through Floating Clouds"—Taken from Li Bai's poem "Ancient Style," the sword's momentum is like a flying sword piercing through floating clouds, symbolizing a sharp sword intent that transcends worldly concerns;

"Conquering the four seas and traversing the vast expanse"—this embodies Li Bai's bold and unrestrained poetic style, with sword techniques that are expansive and powerful, the sword energy flowing freely as if traversing the four seas.

"Lying amidst clouds and snow-covered pines"—this imagery is drawn from reclusive poetry; the swordsmanship is as light and graceful as walking among the clouds, using softness to overcome hardness in defense.

"White bones lie across a thousand frosts?"—This alludes to the imagery in Li Bai's frontier poems, depicting a sword strike that is both chilling and deadly, emphasizing a single, fatal blow.

This sword technique belongs to the category of artistic conception martial arts. It emphasizes the intent of the sword rather than fixed moves, and has an extremely high potential, but requires a very high level of comprehension to grasp its essence.

For Lin Mu, it was a decent addition, but not enough to excite him too much.

When the music ended and everyone dispersed, Li Hongcheng personally escorted Lin Mu and Fan Xian to the door.

"Young Master Lin is truly a man of great talent. It is my great fortune to have seen this poem today. I will certainly pay you a visit to seek your guidance another day."

The crown prince took his hand and saw him off, his tone even more respectful than before.

Lin Mu returned the greeting with a cupped-hand salute, his attitude neither humble nor arrogant.

He knew that the second prince was in the backyard, but he had no intention of going to pay him a visit.

The two had no real connection to begin with, so they'd rather spend their free time listening to music in brothels and enjoying themselves.

Fan Xian remained silent, but he felt uneasy, as if his limelight had been stolen.

Si Lili and Fan Ruoruo looked at Lin Mu with admiration, which made Fan Xian feel even worse!

……

Deep within the palace, Emperor Qing was practicing archery.

The main purpose was actually to test the protective capabilities of the breast protector.

Ever since Ye Qingmei shot and killed his two royal uncles with a sniper rifle.

Li Yunqian developed a psychological trauma, fearing that one day he too would die from this terrifying "hidden weapon".

Over the years, he has never dared to leave the capital, and he has frequently polished his arrows and forged protective armor, just in case.

It can be said that Li Yunqian is the strongest among the four grandmasters, but also the most cowardly.

That's incredibly sneaky!

Just then, Eunuch Hou rushed in excitedly, his face beaming with smiles: "Your Majesty, good news..."

Emperor Qing drew his bow to its fullest extent and shot an arrow, but failed to pierce the iron armor.

He lowered the longbow expressionlessly and said calmly, "What good news?"

Eunuch Hou bowed immediately: "Your Majesty, at the poetry gathering at Prince Jing's residence, Lin Mu wrote a poem that is absolutely unique."

He then presented the transcribed copy of "Ascending the Heights".

Emperor Qing took the poem, glanced at it, and said expressionlessly, "It's a good poem, but it's a bit too gloomy."

He casually tossed the poem aside and asked, "What about the second brother?"

"Your Majesty, after Lin Mu finished writing the poem, he left with Fan Xian and did not go to see the Second Prince."

Grandpa Hou lowered his voice.

Emperor Qing's eyes flickered slightly, and he asked again, "Where is the Crown Prince?"

"His Highness the Crown Prince is at Guangxin Palace visiting His Highness the Eldest Princess."

Emperor Qing snorted coldly: "He certainly knows how to fawn over others."

After a moment's thought, he pointed to the poem manuscript: "Take this poem to him and let him read it carefully."

Emperor Qing was not satisfied with the Crown Prince's performance.

Little did he know that after using someone else to do his dirty work, he would turn around and wipe out the Empress's entire family of relatives.

Later, they euphemistically called it "training the crown prince."

They continuously elevated the status of the second prince, Li Chengze, and put pressure on the crown prince, Li Chengqian.

In Li Chengqian's eyes, who lacked an omniscient perspective, Emperor Qing favored Li Chengze and intended to depose him.

Although he appeared to be diligent and conscientious, he dared not show off his talents!

It was this invisible suppression that gradually twisted Li Chengqian's mind, leading him to harbor rebellious intentions.

Having Emperor Qing as a powerful, ruthless father who also enjoys playing mind games is truly unfortunate for Li Chengqian and Li Chengze.

Chapter 81: Divine Physician, Please Stay

Fan Xian's performance at the poetry gathering was unremarkable, failing to showcase any impressive talent. Emperor Qing was not pleased upon learning of this.

He felt that Fan Xian should not be so mediocre, and must have something unique about him, because Fan Xian was Ye Qingmei's son.

Emperor Qing intended to cultivate Fan Xian into a loyal minister. In his eyes, Fan Xian was not only a pawn, but also a key step in uncovering the secrets of the temple.

Such a seemingly lazy and unambitious Fan Xian is definitely not what he wants.

"You're so young, yet you lack ambition and are unfit for important tasks. Or are you hiding your talents? And why are you hiding them? Who are you trying to protect yourself from?"

Emperor Qing muttered to himself, a hint of coldness in his voice.

Guangxin Palace.

Crown Prince Li Chengqian, who was visiting Princess Li Yunrui, was in a good mood. He gazed in the direction of Prince Jing's residence, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Even though Lin Mu suddenly appeared at today's poetry gathering, his poem "Ascending the Heights" amazed everyone and left Guo Baokun and others breathless.

But what does that have to do with him?

His main target right now is Fan Xian; the more mediocre Fan Xian is, the more at ease he feels.

As for Fan Xian, perhaps due to the butterfly effect brought about by Lin Mu, he did not meet Lin Wan'er in the kitchen as in the original plot.

Not long after returning to the Fan residence.

Wang Qinian from the Control Yuan arrived quietly, handing over a file, his tone respectful yet cautious: "Young Master Fan, these are the documents you requested to investigate."

Fan Xian took the document, his gaze sharpening.

The sign clearly stated that Teng Zijing's family had been killed by men sent by Guo Baokun.

He was naturally unaware that the file was actually a carefully forged document by Wang Qinian.

It is widely believed that Teng Zijing died after failing to assassinate Fan Xian. Wang Qinian used this as a pretext to fabricate the news of Teng Zijing's death and confuse the public, pretending to protect Teng Zijing's family from Fan Xian's revenge.

In fact, Teng Zijing had already secretly settled his wife and children in a secluded farm outside Kyoto.

All of this seemed to stem from Wang Qinian's "good heart," but in reality, every step was under Chen Pingping's control.

Although Wang Qinian had some good deeds, he did not have the power to mobilize the resources of the Control Yuan and to secretly arrange for the resettlement of Teng Zijing's family.

Teng Zijing's assassination attempt on Fan Xian was also a scheme orchestrated by Chen Pingping.

Chen Pingping had long anticipated that Fan Xian was exceptionally skilled, and with a master like Wu Zhu by his side, Teng Zijing would be no match for him.

Forcing Teng Zijing to join the Censorate and become the only person who could be transferred near Danzhou, and then being used by the Princess's faction's spies... all of this was to force Fan Xian to return to the capital.

Chen Pingping made arrangements for Teng Zijing's wife and children early on, ordering Wang Qinian to acquire land and arrange their lives—seemingly benevolent, but in reality, it was to create a "loyal and kind" persona for Wang Qinian so that he could gain Fan Xian's trust in the future.