Three Wives and Four Concubines in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Page 19

Zhu Xin, who was drinking on the second floor, was startled and subconsciously looked at the person next to Li Wensong. He had a strong premonition that it was Gu Yu.

Upon hearing that it was a name no one had ever heard before, the crowd began to murmur even louder, all asking about Gu Yu's background.

Li Wensong had already regained consciousness. When he saw Kong Chengli looking at him, he quickly nudged Gu Yu to get up.

Gu Yu sighed inwardly, but forced a polite smile and stood up, saying loudly, "Gu Yu of the Imperial Academy greets you all."

The sound of jade stones drowned out the whispers inside the building, like the murmur of a forest and the murmur of a spring, immediately drawing everyone's attention.

Upon closer inspection of his appearance, everyone in the hall who could see him seemed to breathe more lightly, with only a few breathing even more heavily afterward.

Those on the first floor could only hear the noise, and couldn't help but picture a gentle and refined young man, just like Kong Chengli, in their minds.

Zhu Xin listened to the hushed praises beside him, as if he could see Gu Yu getting further and further away from him. His expression changed several times, but he finally reaffirmed his original idea.

However, before he could even speak, several students from the Imperial Academy who were usually jealous of Gu Yu's mediocre grades but his close relationship with Kong Chengli and Li Wensong spoke up from the crowd.

"...He's always had mediocre grades in school, how could he have surpassed so many top scholars to win first place?"

"I heard he's very close to Kong Chengli and Li Wensong, their relationship is quite unusual..."

"Look how handsome he is..."

"…Wow…"

Those who were unfamiliar with the situation immediately perked up upon hearing this inside story and gestured for him to say more.

Soon, it seemed that almost everyone upstairs and downstairs knew a bit of the "truth": Kong Chengli was using his literary fame as a stepping stone to promote Gu Yu's fame.

Gu Yu had already sat down without changing his expression, ignoring everything. Kong Chengli on the stage was also unmoved. After having someone send Gu Yu's paper up, he spoke again:

"Next, Brother Wang will recite this poem for everyone."

He sat down to avoid suspicion. Wang Shouyi was taken aback, then rose and went to the center of the platform. After the crowd quieted down, he recited loudly: "River Snow, a thousand mountains, no birds fly; ten thousand paths, no human tracks..."

Wang Shouyi's voice was clear and melodious, which made his recitation of the poem even more powerful. Everyone present was a learned person with considerable literary attainments, and they were quickly immersed in the poem's imagery.

In the last two lines, Wang Shouyi's tone shifted from high-pitched to calm, and his voice gradually became more simple and honest.

"...An old man in a straw hat and raincoat, alone in a small boat, fishing in the cold river snow..."

The immersive recitation left the twenty people on stage with something to savor, and they finally couldn't help but start exchanging ideas.

"Thousands of mountains and countless paths, desolation and extinction, not a single word mentions winter or snow, yet it depicts the breathtaking scenery of mountains sealed by heavy snow, embodying the idea of ​​Wang Wei's poetry containing painting and painting containing poetry."

"I think the most exquisite part is still 'Snow on the Cold River.' The snow in the river perfectly captures the scene of heavy snow without revealing the details, leaving the reader to savor it. It's truly brilliant!"

"Yes, yes!"

"Ah, I think the word 'loneliness' is used cleverly. It contrasts perfectly with the previous two lines, truly ingenious."

"..."

The contestants on stage were among the strongest, and they recited the poem almost perfectly. Those in the audience who hadn't thought of this before couldn't help but applaud and were beginning to waver in their previous belief that it was just hype.

Zhu Xin gritted his teeth, looked at Gu Yu who had become the focus of everyone's attention, and finally stood up and shouted:

"Brother Gu, your grades at the Imperial Academy are usually mediocre, not even making it into the top twenty. What happened today...?"

Gu Yu looked over upon hearing the sound, her face darkening instantly. She lost all desire to speak and turned her head away.

Zhu Xin's lips twitched, and he looked at Li Wensong and said, "I heard that Brother Li and Brother Gu are very close. I've heard that you are a talented poet. Could it be that Brother Li has been teaching you every day...?"

Hearing these meaningful words, and looking at Gu Yu's face, everyone saw a knowing look on her face.

Li Wensong's eyes widened, and he stood up, ready to berate him. Zhu Xin spoke first:

"Of course! I greatly admire this poem. I wonder if Brother Gu has any other masterpieces for us to appreciate? It would be good to let outsiders know that Brother Gu was merely copying the works of King Zhuang in the past, and was by no means a charlatan who stole the dragon and replaced the phoenix to seek fame and reputation."

This statement almost explicitly implies that Gu Yu did not write the poem himself, but rather that someone else wrote it for him. If not handled properly, it could become a stain on his reputation and be condemned by the literati, especially given Gu Yu's status...

The thought sent a chill down Li Wensong's spine. He knew Gu Yu was improvising, perhaps just a flash of inspiration. How could she possibly write a masterpiece under such pressure?

Kong Chengli also wanted to speak up in support, but his status as Gu Yu's friend made it difficult for him to do so, especially since several people on stage were staring at him with ambiguous smiles.

Although they admitted that their work was inferior to Kong Chengli's "River Snow," Kong Chengli, in his pursuit of fame, simply confiscated their poems without even reading them, which still made them somewhat unhappy.

All the test papers had scores in the eighties or above, but you, Kong Chengli, just threw them into the trash can, took out a paper and said that all of yours were garbage.

Although after watching the results and calculating the scores, I realized that they were indeed more impressive by a percentage, I was still very unhappy.

Seeing someone nitpicking, even though they wouldn't actually do such a thing, watching the show is still somewhat satisfying.

Chapter Thirty-One: Stealing the Wine

Gu Yu's face darkened. He really didn't want to stand out, but fate had other plans, and he was being thoroughly controlled by that person in the palace.

I only intended to make a brief appearance to earn some initial success and then stop while I was ahead, without being too flashy. But who knew this idiot would stick to me like glue, making me really itchy to get my hands on him.

Just as he was about to speak, a beautifully dressed maid came down from upstairs, carrying a tray with three cups of wine on it. The previously noisy room fell silent, and everyone turned to look.

The maid stood gracefully in the center of the room and said, "Where is Gu Yu from the Imperial Academy? The Princess greatly admires him and has specially bestowed upon him three cups of wine."

"Give me some of my family's wine as a reward..."

Gu Yu was speechless for a moment, but after hesitating for a moment, he got up and walked over. Although he wasn't good at drinking, no one believed he couldn't drink three cups.

If we don't go, it would be disrespectful to the princess, and on this occasion, doing so would only make enemies.

Li Wensong raised his hand, but still couldn't grab Gu Yu's sleeve. His expression was strange; he couldn't bear to watch what was about to happen, but he also felt a strange sense of anticipation...

After thanking the maid for a few words, Gu Yu picked up a cup of wine, examined it for a moment, and then downed it in one gulp.

After drinking the wine, Gu Yu's face turned red, which made the maids facing him stare in disbelief.

Shaking his head, Gu Yu stood there somewhat dazed. The maid blushed and brought him another cup.

Seeing the wine at her lips, Gu Yu subconsciously took it and drank it all in one gulp. Her eyes lit up and she stopped swaying.

Seeing that there was another glass of wine on the plate, Gu Yu didn't need the maids to serve him anymore. He picked it up and drank it all in one gulp.

Regardless of the atmosphere just now, everyone present could only applaud out of politeness. Only Kong Chengli and Li Wensong covered their faces with their hands, sighing inwardly.

"Ruined…"

Looking around at Gu Yu's radiant appearance, everyone stared blankly, but no one dared to meet his eyes.

Because Li Wensong couldn't see him from behind, Gu Yu saw Kong Chengli on the high platform in front and went directly up the small staircase connecting the second floor to the platform.

Kong Chengli felt a chill run down his spine and became secretly on guard, determined to subdue Gu Yu before he made any strange moves, otherwise being hung from a tree and whipped when he got back would be the least of his worries!

Seeing the pot of wine on Kong Chengli's table, Gu Yu's eyes lit up. He leaned over, picked up the pot with one hand and hooked Kong Chengli's chin with the other, and said with a wicked smile, "Brother Chengli shouldn't mind sharing a pot of wine with me, hmm?"

The two men looked exactly like a dissolute young master harassing a respectable woman, but looking at their faces alone, it seemed like the roles should be reversed. The crowd gasped, then grew even noisier, whispering amongst themselves.

Kong Chengli was stunned. He never expected Gu Yu to do this while drunk. It wasn't until Gu Yu tilted his head back, finished a pot of wine, and picked up another pot next to him that he realized what was happening.

With his mind a complete blank, and looking at the noisy crowd, Kong Chengli couldn't think of any words for a moment.

Fortunately, a classmate surnamed Zhu, who was more jealous than envious, stepped forward and ended the strange atmosphere on the field.

"Brother Gu, with your actions, could it be that you already have a plan in mind?"

Those who had been captivated by her beauty suddenly remembered their original purpose and fell silent.

Kong Chengli breathed a sigh of relief at first, then looked at Gu Yu with concern. How could Gu Yu possibly write a good poem when he was drunk and acting so wildly?

Gu Yu recognized the voice, turned around, her face darkened, and she immediately cursed, "You dare to ask me? You deserve to be played with like a rabbit, you pervert!"

"hiss--"

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd, and seeing what incredible news had emerged, they felt their trip had been worthwhile.

Zhu Xin's face turned purple, but he couldn't speak, only able to gasp for breath.

Gu Yu stopped looking at him and instead looked around before saying, "Poetry is a minor art. I advise you all to focus on the classics and experience the world; that is the right path!"

Upon hearing this, a disgruntled out-of-town scholar behind him sneered, "Since poetry is considered a minor art, does Brother Gu perhaps think he has already mastered it completely?"

He was already famous for his poetry in the state, and not only did he come to the literary gathering where talents gathered, but Kong Chengli's actions made him feel that he had lost face.

Gu Yu had clearly won the first prize, but now he was saying that poetry was a minor art, which made Gu Yu quite unbearable. This was truly intolerable!

Gu Yu glanced back and saw that he had a handsome face, but his temperament was slightly weak. She ignored him and said loudly, "To prove my innocence, please give me a question!"

The top scholar sneered and spoke first: "Brother Gu just wrote about snow in the distant landscape, why not write another poem about snow in the close-up view of a city or village?"

Gu Yu took another sip of wine and, without pausing, began to recite:

"The cold hues of the lonely village at dusk, and the mournful winds blowing across the fields."

The stream is too deep to bear the snow, and the mountain is frozen so that the clouds do not flow.

Gulls and egrets are hard to distinguish in flight, and sandbars are indistinguishable from the horizon.

Several plum trees by the wild bridge, all covered in white blossoms.

After a brief silence, the crowd erupted.

"In ancient times, Cao Zhi could compose a poem in seven steps, but today Gu Yu can compose a poem with just one sip of wine. That's terrifying!"

"Could it be that the question set by that top scholar just happened to be the right one? Composing a poem over a cup of wine is too exaggerated!"

"What's even more remarkable is that this is a masterpiece; if it were truly spoken spontaneously..."

"..."

The top scholar who set the question stood there dumbfounded, staring incredulously at Gu Yu's back. He only came to his senses when he heard someone below guess that it was just a poem that Gu Yu had written.

He became even more furious and vowed to embarrass Gu Yu.

"Hehe... Brother Gu is truly talented. How about... since we've already written about snow during the day, how about composing a poem about snow at night?"

Kong Chengli's face darkened, and he was about to get up to stop it when a thought suddenly struck him. He looked upstairs and was stared at by someone. His expression changed, and he obediently sat down again, silently praying for Gu Yu.

Gu Yu dropped the empty wine pot in his hand, turned around and looked at him for a moment, chuckled, and walked past him to pick up the wine pot on his table, taking a big gulp by himself.

The scholar's face changed drastically, and he trembled with rage, feeling as if Gu Yu had ripped his face off, thrown it on the ground, and trampled it to pieces.

Gu Yu's blatant disregard for his attempt to seize the wine was clearly not intended to create a memorable moment, but rather to openly belittle him.

Now that everyone here is a genius, if he were to compose another good poem later, his literary reputation would be completely ruined!

Watching Gu Yu drink the wine from his pot, the top scholar's eyes widened in fury, but he felt a growing fear in his heart and a strong desire for Gu Yu to fail.

Gu Yu drank it all in one gulp, her face flushed, and her once bright eyes were now slightly glazed, all of their usual sharpness gone.

Coupled with her incomparably handsome face, she stood on the stage like a peerless beauty, silencing the entire audience.

"Already surprised by the cold of the quilt and pillow, I saw the light through the window. As the night deepened, I knew the snow was heavy, for I heard the sound of bamboo breaking."

Kong Chengli secretly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he was safe, and then looked coldly at the out-of-town top scholar.

Just then, a servant brought him a pot of new wine, and he laughed loudly, "Gentlemen, these three excellent works are truly unique, and we cannot help but drink to our hearts' content! Please!"

Ten students from the Imperial College raised their glasses first, followed by a few other open-minded individuals. Finally, all twenty people on the stage celebrated together.

"Cheers!"

The scholar watched as Gu Yu drank the wine on his table, his face a kaleidoscope of colors, until a trickle of blood escaped from the corner of his mouth. He collapsed without uttering a word.

Servants immediately carried him down to the hospital, and this incident did not spoil the lively atmosphere.

With the loss of a top scholar, everyone finally acknowledged Gu Yu's talent and stopped mentioning the rumors from earlier.

Zhu Xin had already sat down, feeling extremely frustrated. He kept muttering Gu Yu's name and kept drinking, until he quickly passed out drunk.

"Gu Yu... Gu? Wait...?"

Chapter Thirty-Two: Leaving Halfway Through

Gu Yu drank with increasing gusto, making Kong Chengli, who was sitting next to him, increasingly restless. He was just about to move on from this topic and have someone go up and ask for the second question.

Unexpectedly, the maid from before came down again and went directly to Gu Yu.

“Young Master Gu, my princess greatly admires your talent and would like to invite you upstairs for a chat.”

Before Kong Chengli could even consider the consequences of sending Gu Yu, this drunkard, up there, Gu Yu blurted out decisively, "I'm not going!"

The people on the nearby stage fell silent, staring in disbelief as Gu Yu drank by himself.

Princess Leshu was the posthumous daughter of the late Prince Yizhong. The former crown prince and the sixth prince were born of the same mother and had a deep bond. Therefore, after the sixth prince ascended the throne, he also bestowed the title of Princess Leshu upon his own niece despite the pressure from the former emperor.

At that time, the retired emperor had just abdicated, and all the officials were still watching his every move. However, since the retired emperor had tacitly agreed to the matter, everyone knew that he still cared about their relationship.