Kiyomi Tsuki et son renard - Chapitre 24
"Distinguished poets and literary giants, I wish to make friends with you through poetry. Anyone who is willing to come up on stage, please do so!" His words revealed the arrogance and swagger of a scholar.
The area was filled with people, all making noise, but no one went up to challenge him. The man on the stage became even more arrogant, looking around. Suddenly, he saw Tian Xiri staring straight at him, and he said loudly, "Brother, please come up and talk to me."
Xi Riwei, standing to the side with an air of anticipation, whispered, "Yu Di, why don't you go up and give it a try?"
Xi Ri hurriedly shook his head and smiled bitterly: "No, no, I'll just watch from down here. I'm not some scholar or a candidate for the imperial examinations."
"Shh..." Nalan said from the side, "Brother Yu, don't say you're not a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations), or you'll be thrown out by these arrogant Juren. They hate it when people who didn't take the exams this year come to cause trouble. Brother Yu, you should go. It doesn't really matter to you whether you win or lose."
The man kept staring intently at her, while the crowd around her pointed and laughed, mocking her for being afraid.
The man laughed loudly, "Brother, you look quite handsome, why are you acting like a shy young lady? Haha, are you not good enough for this kind of occasion?"
Xi Ri's expression darkened upon hearing this, and Fu Jin became even angrier, shouting at the person on the stage, "Hey, watch your mouth! How dare you say my Yu Di is like a young lady!" He shoved her, "Go ahead, what are you afraid of? Yu Di will show him what you're capable of."
He remained hesitant and indecisive.
The man laughed loudly, pointing at Xiri and saying, "Everyone, look at him, doesn't he look like a young woman?! Haha..."
Everyone present burst into laughter upon seeing Tian Xiri's exceptionally handsome appearance. Fu Jin, exasperated, said to Tian Xiri, "Brother Yu, go up and have a match with him, and show him his arrogance!"
Japan hesitated for a moment, but the person on stage was so sarcastic and unreasonable that she felt a surge of anger and walked onto the stage.
Upon reaching the stage, Xi Ri clasped his hands in greeting and said, "My name is Li Yu. Please enlighten me, young master."
The man didn't stand on ceremony and immediately said, "I'll say the first line, and you'll give the second."
Xi Ri said, "Please."
The man said, "I was so drunk that I didn't realize the day had ended."
Xi Ri pondered for a moment and said, "Sometimes I gaze at the lone cloud high in the sky."
"Great!" A chorus of cheers erupted from below.
The man then said, "With one sound, all the animals fell silent."
Another day, he said, "The four seats are silent, and the stars are fading."
"Great! Great poem!" Exclamations erupted from all around.
The man blushed slightly and hurriedly said, "Willow catkins fly by, each one a red petal."
Xi Ri was taken aback.
A chorus of boos erupted from below.
Fu Jin shouted at the stage, "What willow catkins are red? You're clearly being unreasonable."
The man didn't seem to care. He cupped his hands and smiled smugly at the people below, saying, "My willow catkins are red, let's see what he has to say."
Xi Ri frowned, pondered for a moment, and said, "The setting sun shines on Peach Blossom Village." The setting sun shines on the willow catkins, so they naturally appear red.
"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent poem!" The audience erupted in applause and cheers.
"Brother Yu is amazing!" Fu Jin shouted loudly.
"Thank you, thank you." Xi Ri clasped her hands in thanks to the people below the stage and was about to leave when the man blocked her way, saying, "Since you won, I will take off my clothes and give them to you." Without waiting for Xi Ri's reply, he was about to take off his clothes on the spot. Although it was late summer, the weather had been dry and unusually hot these past few days, so people wore very little clothing when they went out. Xi Ri was only wearing an outer garment, and the man was obviously no exception.
When she saw him about to take off his clothes and give them to her, she felt embarrassed and said, "No need, young master, you should wear these clothes yourself. I am unworthy to accept them."
Upon hearing this, the man's thick eyebrows suddenly shot up, and he angrily retorted, "Don't you know the rules? The loser has to take off their clothes and give them to the winner. Losing is losing, and you winning is winning. Do you look down on me?!"
What? Xi Ri was momentarily stunned. How could there be such a strange rule? She suddenly looked down at Nalan below the stage and saw him nod, his eyes telling her that such a rule did indeed exist. Xi Ri felt a little dizzy. Looking at the man glaring at her and the shouts of dissatisfaction from the crowd below for breaking the rules, Xi Ri finally accepted the man's outer robe with a heavy heart. The man turned and left.
Xi Ri also wanted to step down from the stage, but as soon as she did, she was stopped by someone who said, "Young master, are you really a candidate here to take the exam? Don't you know that the winner cannot step down from the stage unless they lose or persist until the hour of You (5-7 PM) to become the victor?"
"What...?" Upon hearing this, Xi Ri looked at Nalan and Fu Jin below the stage. Nalan nodded and smiled, while Fu Jin nodded at her smugly, expressing his appreciation and affirmation. Xi Ri suddenly felt extremely regretful. Why did she come here for no reason? Now she was stuck, unable to move forward or backward.
There was still more than an hour until dusk, and she couldn't afford to lose in that long period. She would never dare to take off her clothes in front of all the candidates, no matter what.
That's what she thought, but it was just wishful thinking on her part. Among this group of scholars, there were many hidden talents, and there were always people more capable than herself. Whether she could successfully pass this test today was still unknown. Now she could only take it one step at a time.
Facing those who questioned her, Xi Ri smiled and said, "Brother, I just wanted to temporarily store this trophy with my friend." She held up the clothes in her hand and pointed at Fu Jin. Fu Jin was smiling smugly when he saw Xi Ri pointing at him and asking her to help store the trophy. He immediately came forward happily, took the clothes from Xi Ri's hand, and said with a smile, "Brother Yu, well done!"
All I could do back then was smile bitterly.
Next, they competed in playing the zither, calligraphy, and reciting poetry. Fortunately, luck was on his side, and he narrowly won each time.
Just as the cold sweat on his forehead was being wiped away and he was happily anticipating the approach of dusk, a person suddenly entered the entrance of Cuifeng Tower. The person was dressed in white, with a blue folding fan gently waving in his hand. As he stepped into the hall, he instantly attracted everyone's attention. He glanced indifferently at all the candidates present, revealing an extraordinary arrogance. His gaze locked onto the stage, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
Looking up, Xi Ri felt as if the blazing sun had been maliciously moved into Cui Feng Lou by someone. She felt dizzy and her vision blurred. She couldn't help but cover her forehead and groan in pain. Why did God have to torment her like this? Long Ming, Long Ming, why did you have to come now of all times?
Not only was the sun moved into Cuifeng Tower, but the moon was also moved in, and after Longming, Minglu also entered Cuifeng Tower.
One day, I suddenly felt hot all over and then cold all over again. I had never felt so uncomfortable before.
×××××××××××
Sorry to keep you all waiting, ^_^, Longming Boy has finally appeared.
The Examination Hall Before the Autumn Imperial Examination (Part 2)
When Minglu first saw her standing on the stage, he was slightly surprised. Unfortunately, she didn't seem to be looking at him. Her gaze was fixed on the man in front of him, and her expression was complicated. Minglu was curious and walked straight to the front. When he looked back, he couldn't help but be slightly taken aback.
Seeing Minglu staring at him in a daze, Long Ming felt a little smug. He smiled calmly and turned his gaze back to the stage, where he saw Tian Xiri with a look of utter disbelief. His teeth were slightly showing, his mouth was split open, and he had a standard grin with a blank stare. He laughed.
She's still the same as ever; every expression and every movement can easily make him laugh.