Four rounds of poetry(1)

"When--" But it was the deacon who sounded the green gong and said loudly: "The winners of the first five groups of drinking orders have been decided. It is really a great pleasure for you gentlemen to express your ambitions and express your feelings through wine, so I invite you all Feel free to drink."

 This drinking order seems simple, but in fact it is not. First, you must have the ability to drink, and secondly, you must be talented and learned. Each order is a poem, and you must complete it in a circle. If you persist until the end, you must have written at least four or five poems. Lin Wanrong was so confused that he didn't realize how difficult it was to write poetry. He only felt that he was so happy that he could say whatever he thought. When I won the first place in my group, my mind became clearer and I still felt very happy.

 According to the rules, the first place winner in each group's drinking order can advance to the next round. The rest of the people lost the qualification to enter the main ship. Although it was a bit regretful, there were also predetermined poems on the flower ship, and they could also write poems to meet friends. It turned into a real poetry competition. The talented men don't have to think about promotion, and there are fine wines and delicacies here. Everyone is open-minded, and beautiful poems and lines are endless.

 The deacon pulled the five victorious groups aside, clasped his fists respectfully and said: "Congratulations to all the talented men, for winning this round today, you can enter Miss Luo's flower boat and talk some poems and songs with Miss Luo. If you win Miss Luo's favor, , you can return home with a beautiful woman in your arms, and your career will be just around the corner."

 Lin Wanrong was already 60 to 70% drunk and said with a smile: "You can become famous by just writing some poems? This is very interesting." Several other talented people listened to his disdain and looked at him angrily, but they saw that he was slightly drunk. , and don't want to argue with him.

 The deacon said: "The five talents on the other boat have all been promoted successfully. In addition to our Young Master Hou Yuebai from Jinling, there is also Prince Zhao. The other most famous one is the talented Wu Xue'an from Beijing. Everyone on our boat Although you are not as famous as them, I see that your talent and learning are also extraordinary. You may not be able to beat them. Someone will come to pick you up in a moment and get on the flower boat in the center. I wish you all good luck."

 Lin Wanrong was so drunk that he no longer bothered to care who the others were. Under such circumstances, reaching the top ten was considered a moderate victory.

 Yan Shenghui, who was drunk on the ground, walked over to him, took his hand and said: "Third brother, Brother Fool is incompetent and can't accompany you any longer. You must marry Miss Zhenluo back home. For those of us who have no rights, A powerless scholar should be ambitious."

 This Yan Shenghui was very upright. Lin Wanrong thought, it would be better to recommend him to Xu Wei, which would be a chance for the two to get acquainted. He laughed and patted Yan Sheng on the shoulder and said, "Brother Yan, wait for my good news."

 While they were talking, the flower boat that everyone was riding on came close to Luo Ning's boat, and the gongs and drums on the boat were beating in unison. Firecrackers shook the sky, a covered bridge was built between the two boats, a carpet was laid, and the shortlisted talents were invited to enter the boat.

 Most of the remaining talents were honest scholars. When they saw this scene, they were envious and high-fived them one after another to encourage the talents they knew well.

 Lin Wanrong knew no one else on the boat except Yan Shenghui, but the other nine people in the same group with him were impressed by his heroic spirit and waved frequently: "Third brother, we must come back victorious." Lin Wanrong smiled. He waved his hand and followed everyone across the covered bridge.

 Luo Ning's boat is indeed very majestic. There are flying eaves and pavilions, jade railings, red and green knots, lanterns and colorful lanterns, making it very lively. Five talented people on the other boat were already waiting for them. Lin Wanrong took a quick glance, and sure enough he saw the young prince Zhao Kangning standing at the head of the five people with a smile on his face, but he didn't even look at the five people. Behind him is a smiling young man, who is also very handsome. He is shaking a folding fan and is very charming. He is talking to the young prince, as if he does not take others into consideration.

 Young Master Hou Yuebai, who had not seen him for a long time, stood in third place, hesitantly, staring closely at the two in front, as if he had regarded them as his biggest opponents. Others, etc., are beyond their reach.

 Lin Wanrong walked at the end of the five, and none of the three Zhao Kangning paid attention. The ten people were divided into two teams and both walked inside.

 Walking into the main gate, I saw a screen standing in front of the two teams. There was only a small door in the middle of the screen that could allow one person to enter. The two teams of talented people entered side by side, but they didn't know who should go first.

 This is called "entering the pass", and it is an obstacle deliberately testing the talents. Although this sect is small, it doesn't matter who comes first, but the arrogant talents will not give in easily and will have to fight.

 Zhao Kangning, the leader of the other team, smiled and said: "There is a wall in front of the people, and the door is in the center of the wall. If I don't get in first, the yellow dog must not ride on the wall."

 The expression of Lin Wanrong, the leader of the talented team, changed. Zhao Kangning was using a poem to curse, meaning that if anyone dared to enter in front of him, he would be a yellow dog sitting on the wall. The talented man who took the lead was afraid of Zhao Kangning's power. He was scolded but did not dare to say a word. Zhao Kangning smiled disdainfully and stepped on the wall to enter.

 "Slow down, slow down." Lin Wanrong strode forward and said with a smile: "Little prince, do you still recognize me?"

 Zhao Kangning glanced at him and his expression changed immediately: "You, you, didn't you die among thousands of cannons?"

 Lin Wanrong's face turned pale. Damn it, why did I say that Tong Cheng was so brave? It turns out that you, the bastard, was behind him. He smiled sinisterly and said: "Little prince, do you really want me to die? Hehe, I, Lin, have nine lives, how could someone obtain them by using some means?"

 Lin Wanrong laughed loudly and chanted loudly: "If you ride on the wall, ride on the wall. If you don't learn from your arrogance. If you enter without a teacher, go home and teach your mother!"

 Zhao Kangning once said that if he meets Lin San again, he will treat him as a teacher. How can he enter without the teacher? Lin San's limericks even taught his mother a lesson, but he still made sense. Zhao Kangning's face turned red and white, but what he said that day was seen by many people present, and they could not quibble.

 Lin Wanrong snorted secretly and was about to step in when he heard the handsome man behind Zhao Kangning say: "Wait a minute -"

 Lin Wanrong looked back at him. The man clasped his fists and said, "I'm at Wu Xu'an in the capital. I wonder if you are——"

 "Wu Xue'an?" Lin Wanrong frowned and said, "I've never heard of it! My bandit's name is Lin San."

 "Are you Lin San?" Wu Xue'an said in surprise. He glanced at Zhao Kangning. Seeing that he didn't speak, he said coldly: "You are too arrogant. How can the young prince be trained by a commoner like you?"

 Lin Wanrong chuckled and said: "Whether I can train you or not is not up to you, it has to be decided by the young prince himself. Young prince, are you right?"

 Zhao Kangning gritted his teeth and scolded Tong Cheng half to death. He also said that Lin San would be killed by thousands of cannons to make the prince feel at ease. Who would have thought that now that Tong Cheng had become a ghost, Lin San was standing in front of him alive.

 Zhao Kangning didn't say a word, but Lin Wanrong smiled heartily and said: "It's just for the wall, so why not give you three feet? The Great Wall is still there today. The first emperor of Qin is nowhere to be seen. Brother Wu Xue'an, right? This entry is the same as Hearing the Tao is the same. Although you have entered the door but failed to learn the Tao, it is useless for you to read the poems and books. Let me let you advance in this door."

 After he finished speaking, he backed away with a smile and let the door out. Wu Xue'an glanced at Zhao Kangning, not knowing what to do. Prince Ning gritted his teeth, cupped his fists and said, "Mr. Lin, please go first!"

 Lin Wanrong smiled slightly and said to the leader: "Brother, let's go in."

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 "Sister Ning, the ten newly selected talents are coming soon. Go and have a look." Qiao Qiao said to Luo Ning who was sitting in front of the mirror in a daze.

 Luo Ning shook her head: "Go and see what they are doing. This is all a farce arranged by dad and has nothing to do with me. I was asked to hide it from everyone, which made Brother Lin misunderstand me. He is not even willing to come now. You must be angry with me. Qiaoqiao, what do you think I should do?"

 Qiaoqiao glanced at Luo Ning up and down. She bit her red lips and said, "Sister Ning, you care so much about your elder brother, could it be that--"

 Luo Ning said hurriedly: "Qiaoqiao, don't misunderstand me. Brother Lin and I are just good friends. Other things have not been involved yet -" At this point, her face turned red, trying to deceive her. Sisters in the boudoir, this feeling is not ordinary and uncomfortable.

 Qiao Qiao sighed softly and said, "Although my eldest brother appears to be shrewd, he is confused about women's thoughts -"

 Luo Ning snorted: "How can he be confused? He is clear in his heart, but he pretends to be confused on the surface. It's extremely annoying and hateful."

 Qiaoqiao shook her head and chuckled: "No matter whether he is really confused or pretending to be confused, he is the nemesis of our women. When I first met my eldest brother, I liked listening to him talk every day. He never said anything serious. I like him very much. I think about him and miss him every day. I have to see him to sleep well. Sister Ning, do you feel this way? "

 "It's exactly - ah, no, no -" Luo Ning hurriedly denied, her face flushed with shame, and she couldn't help but lower her head slightly.

 Qiaoqiao felt a little sour in her heart and tried to hold back her tears and said: "Sister Ning, if you care about your elder brother so much, if your elder brother finds out, he will definitely be very happy. Even if you risk your life, you will come back in a hurry." ."

 Luo Ning seemed to be choked when she heard her words. She looked up hurriedly and saw tears in the girl's eyes, but she gritted her teeth desperately to prevent them from falling. Luo Ning hurriedly said: "Qiaoqiao, what's wrong with you? ?"

 Qiaoqiao sighed and said: "Brother, this person is very harmful to others. Sister Ning, if you really like him, I will talk to him. He is hard-spoken and soft-hearted. I hope you will get your wish."

 Luo Ning didn't dare to speak anymore and whispered a few words in Qiaoqiao's ear. Qiaoqiao was so shocked that she covered her cheeks with her little hands and said shyly: "Sister Ning, you are so bad, how can you eavesdrop like that? I hate it. Damn brother."

 Luo Ning felt sour and bitter in her heart, and said angrily: "He did some evil things in my boudoir. This brother is the worst person in the world."

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 Is this the scene of the finals? Lin Wanrong entered the main cabin of the painting boat and carefully looked at the scene in front of him. The wall lamps hang high and the paintings are picturesque. They are already filled with high-ranking officials and celebrities from Jinling City. There was a large charcoal stove in the middle. The red charcoal fire was warming the wine. The maids and servants were constantly walking around. It was extremely lively.

 A master had already sung: "The top ten talents of the Jinling Poetry Competition have been produced. All talents are invited to take a seat——"

A swish sound. Everyone's eyes turned to the door. The talented man walking in front had never seen such a scene where celebrities gathered and everyone's eyes were focused on him. His hands trembled slightly unconsciously. Lin Wanrong was in fifth place. He was not afraid of this kind of scene. He had experienced countless things in the past, and this time he had developed a boldness on the battlefield. Others should be afraid of him.

 "Brother Lin, Brother Lin——" Lin Wanrong heard a woman's rough voice shouting. Turning around, she saw that the person was Liu Yue'e, who used to help the Xiao family in Hangzhou City. She was waving vigorously at her now, even happier than she had been shortlisted.

 "Sister Liu——" Lin Wanrong waved and said hello. Smiling slightly, since the Liu family has been invited, naturally someone from the Xiao family should also come.

 He looked around and heard someone shouting: "Lin San, Lin San -" Looking around, he saw that in the second to last row, the young master Ciao was standing on a chair and waving desperately to him, his face The excitement was palpable.

 Lin Wanrong waved vigorously, smiled, walked over and said, "Master, why are you here? Didn't you also participate in this poetry competition?"

 Guo Wuchang said angrily: "Forget it, I gave hundreds of taels of silver to the judges in that area, and finally got on the flower boat. Unexpectedly, the wine business failed in the first round. Alas, if I had known better, I would still have followed. By your side, I think I can get into the top ten."

 Lin Wanrong laughed and talked to the young master. It's like going back to the old days, but now Xian'er has become his wife, but the eldest lady and himself are gradually going far away. Life is really fickle.

 "Lin San, I heard that you made cousin Yuruo angry last night?" Guo Wuchang approached him. secretly.

 "No, it's just personality differences. Let's separate temporarily and let everyone calm down." Lin Wanrong said with a smile.

 Guo Wuchang also sighed slightly: "To say that my cousin's character is too strong, she dares to teach anyone. Thinking about the contribution you have made to our Xiao family, it is a great achievement. If we continue to make trouble like this, we will still I really don't know what the consequences will be. Why is my cousin so confused? "

 Lin Wanrong sighed slightly and said: "Let's not talk about this anymore. How is the second lady?"

 Guo Wuchang said: "Cousin Yushuang is looking forward to your return every day, but as soon as you come back, you and Yuruo quarrel, so the eldest cousin has to let the people in the house hide it from her. Alas, poor Yushuang, you are here every day I was drawing a circle on the calendar to count the days, but I didn't know you were outside the gate, how did it end up like this?"

 Lin Wanrong felt a little sad. He looked at the seat next to Guo Wuchang. The young master seemed to understand his thoughts and said: "This is the seat of cousin Yuruo. She said she would come. I don't know how it came to this time." We haven't seen her yet. We don't know that you are among the top ten in this poetry competition. If we had known, I would have called Side, Xiao Feng, and everyone in the house to cheer you up."

 Although Young Master Biao was uneducated and incompetent, these words were heart-warming. Lin Wanrong patted him on the shoulder and smiled slightly. He glanced at the empty seat next to him and sighed silently. He didn't know what was going on. It was such an uncontrollable scene.

 "Lin San, work hard, marry this talented girl from Jinling home, bring tea, water, laundry and cooking, torture her, and make her look down on us men." Young Master Biao said angrily.

 Lin Wanrong chuckled, and before he could speak, he heard someone shouting: "Brother, big brother--" Dong Qingshan's excited voice came from the side. He turned around and saw Qingshan and Luo Yuan running towards this side. Come.

 Lin Wanrong stepped forward and said, "Qingshan, Xiaoluo, how are you?"

 Dong Qingshan hugged his arm and said: "Brother, brother-in-law, you are back."

 Lin Wanrong nodded and said: "Qingshan, where is Qiaoqiao? Why haven't you seen her?"

 Qingshan said: "Sister is helping Miss Luo in her room. Miss Luo has worked too hard these days and is a little sick." Is this girl Luo Ning sick again? Alas, women are like this. If they have too many worries, they will get sick easily.

 Luo Yuan said: "Brother, what have you been doing these days? You've tanned a lot."

 Lin Wanrong smiled and said: "I went to do something very important. Xiao Luo, how is your sister?"

 Luo Yuan shook his head and said: "It's not that good. I'm frowning all day long. My dad is really like that too. It's not like he doesn't know that my sister's vision is as high as the sky. It's very tacky to hold such a poetry contest to attract marriage."

 Qingshan said: "That's right. Miss Luo's fairy-like figure is not comparable to these poor people. Brother-in-law, I think you should work harder to defeat these guys, marry Miss Luo home, and become Xiao Luo's brother-in-law." ."

 Lin Wanrong laughed loudly. Qingshan, a brat, always spoke so directly. The three brothers were talking and laughing when they heard a master call: "Please take a seat in front of the stage for the first ten talented people."

 Lin Wanrong walked to the stage, found an empty bench, and looked down, only to see that the Jinling celebrities below the stage were all looking at the people on the stage. The most attractive people on the stage were Zhao Kangning, Wu Xue'an and Hou Yuebai. As for Lin Wanrong, the dark horse, only Mr. Ciao, Liu Yuee and others are optimistic about him. Others naturally think that this person is just a foil at best.

 The master walked up to the front desk and said loudly: "The Jinling Poetry Competition, the Poetry Competition, begins now. In addition to the celebrities from Jinling, there are also the Governor of Jiangsu, Lord Luo, the Commander-in-Chief of the Capital, Lord Cheng, and Jiangsu Xuezhengtong. Sir and local officials."

 Lin Wanrong glanced at it and saw Luo Min sitting on a high platform in the distance, smiling at him. Next to him was Cheng De, with an old face and an expressionless face.

 The master said loudly: "The practice of this poetry competition is that ten will enter six, and six will enter four. Two of the four will be selected, and the two will compete for a total of four rounds of elimination." This arrangement makes sense. As the saying goes, Wen Wu Second, there is no first place in martial arts. In this kind of fighting poem, it has no meaning to get the top three. Only first place is the goal that everyone pursues.

 "In the first round, please ask Mr. Xuezhengtong to propose the question." The master said loudly, and everyone cheered.

 The scholar-gentleman stood up and clasped his fists around him and said: "Today is a gathering of talented people. It is a grand event in the poetry world. So I would like to invite you to write a poem title. The four gentlemen of plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum, headed by plum blossom, will invite all the talented people to write a poem in the snow." Let's write poems."

 Everyone in the hall was a bit talented, and when they heard that the first round was about singing plum blossoms in the snow, they secretly complained. Because there are countless poems about plum blossoms since ancient times, and all of them are famous for being classics. Classics are the most difficult to surpass. It is really difficult to write a good poem about plum blossoms in such a short period of time.

 All the talents thought for a while, and Hou Yuebai, a talented scholar from Jinling, stood up first and said: "Student Hou Yuebai sang a poem about plum blossoms: Warm and frightening plum blossoms, the fragrance comes first, and thousands of treasures come in spring to follow at night. The lingering winter snow, when you meet the peace again, you are already a beauty in the famous garden. ."

 good! As soon as Hou Yuebai finished chanting, the crowd burst into cheers. Mr. Hou was the first to chant, and he was from Jinling, so everyone naturally wanted to give him face.

 Not to be outdone, the young prince stood up and said: "Student Zhao Kangning also sang a poem about plum blossoms: in the spring cold, in the courtyard, a few plum blossom trees complain about the east wind, and the clear stamens have not yet emitted the dark fragrance far away."

 good! This time, it was the black-faced Cheng De who shouted first. Luo Min, who was next to him, secretly laughed. You, the black-faced thing, can't even recognize a few words, so how can you understand the meaning?

 Wu Xue'an, a talented scholar from Beijing, had already made up his mind. The third one stood up and said: "Wu Xu'an, a student from Beijing, wrote a poem about plum blossoms: The sky is too pale for snow, so I just embroider plum blossoms with my own hands. When winter comes next year, I will bloom in another place."

 The first three of them are indeed known for their talent, and they can sing poems about snow and plum blossoms with ease. Although they are not yet masterpieces, they are already excellent poems. The rest of the people looked at what these three people had done and felt a little ashamed of themselves. There were only three of the six people at the back. They followed the first three talents and recited some plum blossom poems, but they were far inferior to the first three. The other three people didn't get a word, so needless to say, they were eliminated.

 Lin Wanrong accompanied the last one. He drank too much, but he was also dozing off and yawning endlessly on the stage. Everyone couldn't help laughing when they saw it. If this talented man didn't have a world-shaking talent, he must have a world-shaking disease.

 Young Master Biao, Dong Qingshan and others were secretly anxious as they watched this. This was the knockout round. If nothing else, even if you couldn't write an eternal quatrain, you still had to recite a poem praising plum blossoms.

 The remaining nine people have finished the competition, and the last step comes to Lin Wanrong. He looked at the seat next to his young master, but it was still empty. He sighed silently and stood up.

 "Sister, sister—" Luo Yuan ran into Luo Ning's room panting and shouted: "Good news, good news—"

 Luo Ning stared at the face in the mirror and sighed quietly, as if she didn't hear his words, but Qiao Qiao asked: "Luo Yuan, what's the good news——"

 "Brother Lin, Brother Lin—"

 "Brother Lin, what's wrong?" The small mirror in Luo Ning's hand fell to the ground with a snap, and the two women said anxiously: "Brother, what's wrong with him?"

 "Brother, he participated in the poetry competition and broke into the top ten!" Luo Yuan said loudly.

 "Brother--" the two women exclaimed at the same time, with tears falling down. They supported each other and hurriedly walked out.

 As he walked to the attic, he heard Lin Wanrong's voice through the curtain: "I can't recite these poems with the word plum in them -"

 "Brother——" After hearing this, Luo Ning fell straight back and fainted.