blogombal Page 19
Page 19
"What? A courtesan? Such exquisite poetry was actually given to a courtesan?"
A look of deep sorrow instantly appeared on Zhang Shen's face, as if a precious treasure had been carelessly discarded.
Yang Gong, on the other hand, seemed quite calm. After all, who hasn't had feelings of admiration for a beautiful woman when they were young?
He said softly, "It's always been a beautiful story that talented men love beautiful women, and there's nothing wrong with that. Let's look at the next poem."
Yang Gong's gaze fell on the poetry book, and he softly read aloud:
"Clouds resemble her clothes, flowers resemble her face; the spring breeze caresses the balustrade, and the dew is heavy."
"If we don't meet atop Mount Qunyu, we'll meet beneath the moon on the Jade Terrace."
"What a poem, what a poem!"
Zhang Shen couldn't help but clap his hands in praise.
"This poem is incredibly imaginative, flowing naturally like clouds and water, without any trace of artifice."
Every word in the poem is exceptionally beautiful, and every line is like a blooming rare flower.
Reading this poem is like feeling a spring breeze on your face, surrounded by blooming flowers, with the face of a beautiful woman appearing and disappearing in the distance.
Without much description, it naturally evokes the image of a peony that could topple kingdoms.
That beautiful woman with skin as white as ice and bones as jade.
What a beautiful poem!
Who exactly did this?
Li Mubai smiled slightly and said, "I only received these two poems this morning; they were both sent from the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau)."
It is said that it was written by Wei Changxuan, Wei Yuan's nephew.
"What? Wei Yuan's nephew, Wei Changxuan? Isn't he just a martial artist?"
How could someone possibly compose such exquisite poetry?
Zhang Shen's face was filled with shock and embarrassment.
As a senior member of Yunlu Academy, he found it hard to accept that a martial artist with only a rudimentary skill in martial arts could far surpass many of the students in the academy in poetry.
Yang Gongze fell into deep thought, and after a moment said, "This second poem doesn't have a title yet. I wonder if Wei Changxuan has a poetry teacher?"
Li Mubai frowned slightly and said, "I've never heard of him having a poetry teacher. However, something that happened this morning is probably related to him."
"Oh? What is it?" Zhang Shen and Yang Gong asked at the same time.
Li Mubai slowly said, "This morning I heard that last night at the Jiaofangsi, the son of Vice Minister Zhou of the Ministry of Revenue was first seriously injured by Wei Changxuan, and then disappeared after leaving the Jiaofangsi."
Also missing were the heir of the Earl of Pingyuan, the son of the Minister of War, and many other sons of officials.
Only a handful of young masters who had spent the night at the brothel last night escaped unharmed.
Upon hearing these words, Yang Gong and Zhang Shen's brows furrowed instantly.
"Who would dare to wipe out so many sons of top officials overnight?"
Who could bear such consequences?
Yang Gong was full of doubt, unable to understand who had such audacity.
"Could it be that demons are rampaging through the capital?"
Zhang Shen guessed, after all, in his opinion, ordinary people would never dare to do such a bold thing.
Li Mubai continued, "I heard that the court officials whose children have gone missing all rushed to the palace this morning, demanding that His Majesty arrest Wei Changxuan."
Yang Gong and Zhang Shen exchanged a glance, both looking puzzled.
"Indict Wei Changxuan? What does this have to do with him? Did he do it?"
Yang Gong asked.
Li Mubai nodded and said:
"There is indeed some connection."
Wei Changxuan had a conflict with these sons of officials last night.
Therefore, these officials all believed that Wei Changxuan had murdered their offspring and were determined to make him pay the price.
Chapter 24: The Massacre! What an accurate judge of character!
Upon hearing Li Mubai's words, both the purple-robed scholar and Zhang Shen frowned.
Their expressions were full of surprise and confusion, and they almost spoke in unison:
"How is this possible? Even if Wei Changxuan has his uncle Wei Yuan backing him up."
Even this kid wouldn't dare to so recklessly and wantonly slaughter a group of top-tier officials' sons!
Li Mubai agreed with Yang Gong's remarks.
He couldn't help but nod, his face full of agreement, and echoed:
"It seems that this incident must have some hidden secrets, and there must be other unknown factors at play behind the scenes."
Zhang Shen slowly reached out, picked up a chess piece, and kneaded it repeatedly between his fingertips. His eyes gradually deepened as he fell into deep thought.
After a moment, he calmly said, "Let's see if Wei Yuan can withstand this storm."
If he can't hold on, then we can step in and help Wei Changxuan; it won't be too late.
Yang Gong then offered his suggestion:
"That's right, let's wait and see for now."
"Our students at the academy, regardless of the changing political landscape, are solely concerned with the rise and fall of the literary and poetic world."
Li Mubai nodded slightly, agreeing with the idea that this method was feasible, and replied, "That's exactly right, let's hold back for now."
……
At this moment, the air in a printing shop on a bustling street is filled with the fragrance of ink.
After careful discussion, Wei Changxuan and Hu Dehai finally finalized the printing price.
After reaching an agreement, Hu Dehai instructed his employees to start printing immediately.
Before long, several sample copies were printed and respectfully handed to Wei Changxuan for his review.
Wei Changxuan took the sample book, gently opened it, and a faint scent of ink wafted out.
He carefully examined each page and found that the handwriting was clear and neat, the layout was well-spaced, the paper was of excellent quality, and the workmanship was impeccable.
After confirming everything was correct, the deal was successfully negotiated.
Both parties agreed that Wei Changxuan would come to pick up the goods one day later.
Afterwards, Wei Changxuan left the printing shop with Xu Lingyue and several other women.
"Brother Xuan, may I take a look at these storybooks?"
Xu Lingyue blinked her big eyes, looking expectantly at the novel in Wei Changxuan's hand.
A hint of curiosity and interest appeared in his eyes.
"Of course, these were just printed."
"Lingyue, if you're interested, feel free to take a look."
Wei Changxuan's lips curled up slightly, revealing a gentle smile.
He took out two books, "Snowy Day" and "Mystery," from a stack of storybooks and handed them to Xu Lingyue.
Just then, a crisp system notification sounded in Wei Changxuan's mind:
"Congratulations, host, you have gained 400 Shock Points!"
"Congratulations, host, you have gained 400 Shock Points!"
"Congratulations, host, you have gained 400 Shock Points!"
……
This series of rapid notification sounds left Wei Changxuan momentarily stunned.
Before he could even react, he had already gained 1200 shock points.
"Nothing particularly significant happened today, so where did all this shock value come from?"
Wei Changxuan was filled with doubts and pondered to himself.
After much thought, the only reasonable explanation is...
Perhaps it was those poems I wrote last night that got out.
Moreover, it became known to some people of high status, great power, and great influence.
This caused the shock level to suddenly surge.
"This is truly an unexpected delight!"
However, this is just the beginning. As those poems continue to circulate among the literati, officials, and dignitaries in the capital, there will surely be even more shock points to be gained!
It seems I should participate in more poetry gatherings and similar events to earn more "Surprise Points" if I have the chance.
Wei Changxuan secretly made plans in his heart, and a hint of excitement appeared on his face.
However, just as Wei Changxuan was immersed in joy,
Suddenly, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from the street in the distance.
A group of night watchmen dressed in uniform were seen galloping towards him on horseback.
The one leading the group was none other than Yang Yan, one of his uncle Wei Yuan's adopted sons.
"Huh? Night watchmen? The one in the lead is actually Brother Yang Yan!"
It seems they're after me.
What happened?
Wei Changxuan frowned slightly, a hint of doubt and wariness flashing in his eyes.
"Brother Xuan, we've finally found you!"