Chapter Seventy-Three The Battle Continues

  If we talk about peach blossom poems, if we talk about using poetry to express one's own feelings of disillusionment with the world and yearning for freedom and seclusion, from ancient times to the present, is there any poem that can surpass this one?

  Many people think of this poem when it comes to peach blossom poetry - "Peach Blossom Hut Song", a classic written by Tang Bohu in his later years.

  Nowadays, Tang Bohu is still a famous romantic and talented young man in Suzhou, and he naturally doesn't have the mood to write such a poem as "Peach Blossom Hut Song" after experiencing the vicissitudes of life and seeing through the worldly dust. And coincidentally, Jiang Xia carelessly plagiarized it.

  Sun Mo-wen heard Jiang Xia say that he also had a poem, and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. As the saying goes, "each profession has its own expertise", Sun Mo-wen originally estimated that Jiang Xia's skills in couplets were so deep, so his skills in reciting poetry wouldn't be too great. He didn't expect Jiang Xia to actually be able to compose a poem within seven steps.

  Now it's up to everyone's quality, Sun Mo Wen was very confident in his own poetry, so he smiled and said: "Oh? I didn't expect you to have a good work too, then please let you say it out loud for everyone to appreciate and distinguish the high from the low."

  Jiang Xia smiled slightly and recited it out loud.

  "In the Peach Blossom Valley is a peach blossom hut, under the peach blossom hut lives a peach blossom immortal. The peach blossom immortal plants peach trees and picks peach blossoms to exchange for wine money."

  Waking from wine, I sit before flowers; drunk, I sleep beneath the flowers. Half awake and half drunk, day after day; flowers fall and bloom, year after year.

  May I die in a tavern, not bowing to chariots. The rich enjoy the dust of carriages and horses' hooves, while the poor savor wine cups and flower branches.

  If wealth and honor are compared to poverty and lowliness, one is on flat ground while the other is in heaven. If poverty and lowliness are compared to carriages and horses, he gets to drive them while I get to be at leisure.

  Others laugh at me for being too eccentric, I laugh at them for not seeing through. Not having seen the graves of heroes from the Five Tombs, no flowers, no wine, just a hoe to cultivate the land."

  As soon as the poem came out, the entire gate of Ji Xian became quiet. The surrounding people who were originally noisy and didn't know how to distinguish between good and bad poetry saw that everyone was silent, so they also followed the atmosphere and became quiet.

  Stillness, extreme stillness. So still that everyone's heartbeat and breathing can be heard clearly.

  "Good! What a great poem, this poem should be passed down for thousands of years!" Wang Wenbo, the grandson of the Left Servant of the Ministry of Revenue, exclaimed excitedly and loudly, then couldn't help but lead the applause.

  The entire Imperial Academy erupted into applause, and even the girls who had just shouted in support of Sun Mo-wen were discussing it among themselves. Unlike ordinary illiterate commoners, they had their own appreciation for poetry.

  "I wish to die in a tavern, not bowing on horseback. How wonderful to have a carefree spirit, how wonderful to be so free and easy..."

  "It's just that, and also this sentence: Waking from wine, I sit in front of flowers; drunk, I sleep under the flowers. Half-drunk, half-awake, day after day; flowers fall, flowers bloom, year after year. Such a carefree life is truly enviable. I've decided, I must embroider this poem on my pillow, and every night, sleep with it as my headrest."

  "Alas... I don't even know what this young master's name is. He has such talent, yet never shows it off; this is truly a talented scholar, both introverted and low-key. You see, he actually looks more handsome than that Sun Mowen."

  "Right, right, and still very tall."

  Listening to the discussions of those girls beside him, Jiang Xia's waist became even straighter. He looked at Sun Mo-wen with a faint smile and asked: "Brother Sun, I just made a fool of myself, would you please give me some advice?"

  Sun Mo Wen's fists were clenched tightly, his joints were slightly pale. He had not expected, never expected that the Guozijian, known as a gathering place for the wealthy and powerful, would still hide such a master. He didn't want to admit defeat, but he couldn't help but acknowledge that Jiang Xia's poem was much better than his own.

  Sun Mo let out a sigh and said in a barely audible voice: "Brother, you're indeed formidable... I've lost."

  "What? Lost?" Jiang Xia said with a smile: "Why are you still standing if you've lost?"

  At this moment, the two deans and many teachers in the doctoral hall couldn't think of a solution. At this time, one of the deans, Ma Chao, became angry, shouting loudly: "How? Are you scared by just five juniors? If we hide here and don't go out to fight, the entire Imperial Academy will become a laughing stock. If this matter reaches the emperor's ears, no one will be spared!"

  "Sir... Sir Ma." A guard from the Imperial Censorate suddenly rushed into the doctor's hall.

  Ma Chao was already in a bad mood, and now seeing a small guard daring to intrude into the doctoral hall, Ma Chao immediately shouted loudly: "What's your name? Who let you in? Is this doctoral hall something you can enter at will? What's the matter, speak up, can't you see I'm busy?"

  The guard was scolded before he could even react, and after being stunned for a moment, he said: "Outside, the Xun Wenxue Society has compared with our Guozijian. The Xun Wenxue Society has already lost two rounds, and Sun Mowen and Li Yunqing are both kneeling at the gate of our Jixian Gate, kowtowing?"

  "What?" Ma Chao's jaw almost dropped to the ground, and he asked in a shocked tone: "Are you kidding me? The Xunwen Literary Society lost two games? We won at Guozijian?"

  "The little man is staring at the door, seeing everything clearly, without any mistake." The guard replied.

  Ma Zhao excitedly clapped his hands and said with great joy: "Good! Heaven is helping me, let's go take a look together."

  "Yes, sir." All the teachers also let out a sigh of relief and followed Ma Chao out of the doctoral hall.

  As he passed by the guard, Ma Chao patted his shoulder and said: "If we win this time, your monthly allowance will be tripled."

  The guard was overjoyed and loudly thanked Marquis Chao as he rode away.

  At the entrance of Guozijian, Sun Mo-wen and Li Yun-qing finally couldn't bear to lose their bet, so they ended up kneeling on the ground, kowtowing and shouting "I surrender!" three times. The entire Guozijian's students felt extremely pleased.

  When Sun Mo Wen and Li Yun Qing stood up, two of the five great sons also stood up. One of them said: "Killing someone is just a matter of beheading, you humiliated these two so much that it's 'what can be tolerated and what cannot be tolerated'. If you have the ability, let's compete in one game, the bet remains unchanged."

  "And I'm not backing down from our bet either!"

  Jiang Xia looked up at the two of them and asked: "Who are you two?"

  "Dan qing sheng hua, Wang Qian Xun."

  Translation: "The painting gives birth to flowers, Wang Qian Xun."

  "Painting iron as silver, Mo Zhongyu."

  "The name does sound quite loud." Jiang Xia responded lightly, actually he also wanted to lift his own name and show off a bit, but seeing that there were too many people around, in order to maintain his good image, he ultimately chose to give up.

  Otherwise, Jiang Dage's reputation as "handsome and elegant, jade tree in the wind, seven times steel plate piercing golden gun unbroken young master" would probably scare many people to death.

  "It's actually Wang Qianxun, the king of raw chicken, and the lecherous Mo Zhongyu. I'm truly sorry."

  "It's Sheng Hua and Yin Gou!" Mo Zhongyu corrected heavily.

  "Never mind, never mind," said Jiang Xia with a wave of his hand. "A name is just a code name, after all. Even if you call yourselves 'Killer Maniac' or 'Great Hero', it won't change the fact that you'll lose to me in no time. Want to compete? Draw your lines."

  "Compared to calligraphy and painting, the method is very simple. For now, let's have those seven girls write seven topics, draw one each within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. After I finish drawing, I'll ask Brother Mo to inscribe a poem on my painting, while you will inscribe a poem on your own calligraphy and painting. We'll compete in both calligraphy and painting at once." said Wang Qianxun.

  Jiang Xia looked at him with a faint smile, shook his head and whispered: "I know that one by one can't beat you now, so I'll come two against one. I finally understand what's the most powerful thing about your Xun Literature Society."

  "Brother Jiang, what's their most powerful move?" Liang Wenhuan couldn't help but lean over and ask.

  Jiang Xia smiled slightly, "Naturally, it's the most powerful facial skill, basically already at the level of being immune to swords and guns, water and fire."

  "Hmph! Sharp teeth and a sharp mouth are useless if you don't dare to compare. Just say it out loud." Mo Zhongyu coldly snorted.

  Jiang Xia smiled and shook his head, saying: "As long as you don't cry when you lose later, that's fine."

  "Bring it on," said Jiang Xia, raising his hand, "Prepare the Four Treasures of the Study and a long desk with Xuan paper."

  "Hurry up and get ready."

  Hearing the echoing voice, Jiang Xia turned his head to see that it was a group of doctors from Guozijian and the Dean he had met earlier. Jiang Xia quickly bowed to them and said: "Student Jiang Xia, attending to all teachers."

  "Hmm. Jiang Xia, remember to take it seriously and don't lose the prestige of our Guozijian." said Suiye Ma Chao.

  Jiang Xia nodded and said: "Don't worry, sir, I will definitely make a name for myself at the Imperial Academy."

  Having said that, someone has come over with the four treasures of the study, a long desk and xuan paper.

  Outside the gate of Ji Xian Men, everyone set up their desks and stationery. Jiang Xia went to the seven girls and took a topic from them. When she opened it, she saw that there were five words written on it: "Deep Mountain Hidden Ancient Temple".

  After getting the topic, Jiang Xia and Wang Qianxun started thinking respectively.

  Wang Qianxun thought for a moment, staring at the rice paper in front of him. Anyone familiar with painting knows that composition is the most important part before starting to paint. Especially Chinese painting emphasizes layout and planning, good composition can bring vitality to the picture, which is the skeleton of painting, and also the factor that determines whether one's painting skills are mature or not.

  Wang Qianxun stared at the canvas, obviously thinking about how to compose it.

  And Jiang Xia slowly closed his eyes, as if an image had already begun to appear in his mind.

  Suddenly, a hint of a smile appeared at the corner of Jiang Xia's mouth, and this hint of a smile startled Wang Qianxun, who thought that Jiang Xia had already made up his mind.

  In fact, only Jiang Xia himself knew that he had thought of a thousand moves he made at the beginning.

  That year, at the age of eighteen, he disguised himself as a second-generation ancestor to go to a famous domestic black-hearted collector. He lost heavily in the casino opened by the collector and finally signed an IOU with over one million high-interest debt.

  In the end, Jiang Xia reluctantly took out a famous painting that he had supposedly stolen from his home. The painting was actually "The Step of Yu" by Yan Liben, one of the top ten Chinese paintings passed down through history, which could be said to be worth a city. However, what Jiang Xia handed over to the collector was a fake version painted by himself from memory, except for the silk mounting which was specially made from a Tang Dynasty painting, everything else was fake.

  But in the end, this painting actually deceived the collector for over 20 million.

  Jiang Xia was still in a daze when Liang Wenhuan suddenly called out, "Hurry up, Jiang! He's almost finished drawing and the incense is about to burn out!"