Chapter Fifty-Three Poor Chubby

  "Since Miss Lihua has spoken, I will naturally give you face. Let's not mention this matter for now and get to the point quickly. Today, if we can't have a martial arts competition, let's have a literary one instead. We must make Wang Yan admit defeat with his heart and mouth." Gao Ajunfeng said as such.

  "Hmph!" Wang Yan didn't say a word, but let out a heavy hum, full of disdain.

  Seeing the two no longer entangled, the woman in black hurriedly said: "Thank you to both young masters for giving me face and putting aside your differences for now. Later, I will play another tune as a thank you."

  "Good!" Everyone cheered, and being able to enjoy the beautiful music of the black-clothed woman again was a great pleasure in life. To know that this black-clothed woman only performed once every three days, playing only one piece each time, it can be seen that having an extra chance to listen was extremely rare.

  "Good, I'll come first, I'll come first!" As the cheering voices of the crowd subsided slightly, Gao A Junfeng couldn't wait and loudly shouted.

  The crowd quieted down, and the woman in black looked towards Gao A Junfeng's direction and said: "Gao A Gongzi with a heart!"

  Gao A Junfeng coughed loudly several times, adjusted his breath, and then recited in a loud voice: "Black silk face, shining together. Delicate eyebrows beautiful eyes, like paintings and scrolls. Soft jade hands, gently plucking and strumming. The sound is like a clear spring, crisp and resonant. Fish sink and geese fall, flowers close and moon hides. Magnolia covers its face in shame, swallows envy the lake!"

  When Gao A Junfeng finished reciting, his two followers Hu Jun and Wang Meng immediately applauded. The crowd downstairs also cheered, after all, Gao A Junfeng was the son of Gao Anaxiang, with such an identity and status, even if he farted, many people would shout that it smelled good.

  "Pffft!", Wang Yan spat out a mouthful of tea and started coughing violently, his handsome face turning bright red.

  "Is this also called poetry?" Listening to the applause and laughter from downstairs, as well as Gao Junfeng's triumphant laughter, Wang Yan felt utter disdain.

  "Gao Gongzi is too kind, this humble girl's talent is like a willow tree, how can it compare to Zhao Feiyan?" The black-clothed woman smiled and said, "I wonder if there are any other young masters who would like to present their excellent works?"

  "I'm coming! I'm coming!"

  ……

  Next, one after another, people started reciting poetry on the spot. For some reason, however, the quality of the poems was not satisfactory, and even compared to Gao Jun's peak, they were only mediocre, with some being even worse. All that could be heard was Wang Yun scratching his ears and cheeks, feeling like vomiting. Unfortunately, Wang Yun himself was not good at this, and he couldn't vent his anger by speaking out.

  Poetry was indeed not popular during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, especially in the north, where there was almost no development. However, looking at the famous poets in history can give us some insight. This is mainly because the north experienced many wars, intense ethnic integration, and minority rule, which to a certain extent suppressed the development of Han culture.

  "Brother Wang, please take a look." Watching Wang Yan's gloomy face as he poured tea water mouthful by mouthful, he couldn't help but laugh with joy, using his hand to dip in the tea water and write a line of words on the table.

  Wang Yongzheng was taken aback for a moment, and as he read the letter written by Gao Xing, his eyes suddenly became bright and shining, his face flushed with excitement, as if he had been injected with chicken blood.

  "Gentlemen, please listen to my composition!" Wang Yan imitated the manner of Gao A-jun's peak, coughed a few times, and made enough gestures. Under the repeated urging of the guests downstairs, he finally said in a loud voice: "Rainbow-colored clouds shine on the windowsill, inside the house is a man."

  "What the heck is this? Can this even be called poetry? I'm dying of laughter!" Gao Aijun mocked Wang Yong, bursting into loud laughter, and his two loyal followers naturally didn't fall behind, joining in.

  The guests downstairs were not so arrogant, but they didn't think much of Wang Yun either. After all, they were all regulars here and had some understanding of Wang Yun's abilities. Wang Yun was a clever person, but he wasn't good at writing poetry. As for Gao Aijun, it was even more unnecessary to mention him - the teacher in school hated him the most, not only because he couldn't write poetry, but also because reciting an article was as difficult for him as climbing a mountain.

  As for Gao A Junfeng's laughter, Wang Yanhuan ignored it and hummed to himself: "The body is about eight feet tall."

  As soon as this sentence came out, Gao Jun's smile became even more joyful, and even the woman in black slightly furrowed her brow.

  "Crosswise." Wang Yan's voice suddenly rose.

  Apart from Gao A Junfeng's laughter, all the other sounds in the Drunken Moon Building suddenly disappeared. Just as Gao A Junfeng was puzzled, he heard Hu Jin stop him, saying: "Young Master, don't laugh anymore."

  "What's wrong?" Gao A Junfeng asked in surprise.

  The entire Drunken Moon Building fell silent all at once, looking extremely eerie, yet also like the eve of a storm.

  "Wang Yan, you bastard! How dare you insult me?"

  In a short while, a shrill roar of anger shook the entire Drunken Moon Building, causing people's eardrums to ache and their eyes to blur.

  "Gao Ajunfeng, what nonsense are you spouting? When did I ever scold you?" Wang Yan suddenly stood up, standing at the door of the room, glaring in Gao Ajunfeng's direction.

  "How dare you mock me for being fat, are you looking for death?!" Gao A Junfeng bellowed.

  "Hey, has this young master given his name yet? Some people are really funny, they actually look for trouble themselves!" Wang Yun said with a sneer, speaking in a sarcastic tone.

  "You——" Gao Ajunfeng was furious, knowing that Wang Yun was mocking him, but he was helpless. If he really wanted to find fault with Wang Yun, it would be tantamount to proving the saying "looking for a scolding", which would be extremely embarrassing.

  Seeing Wang Yun and Gao Ajunfeng not getting along, Gao Ajunfeng was suppressed, his anger bursting forth. The woman in black then spoke up: "Young Master Wang, your poem is indeed clever, but it doesn't showcase your true talent! I hope Young Master Wang will present a better work, so that I can learn from it!"

  "Wait a minute, miss." Wang Yan's face turned bitter as he walked back to his seat and cast an expectant gaze at Gao Xing, saying in a low voice: "Xing, brother, quickly help me think of a solution. I really can't come up with this poem!"

  "Big Brother Wang, Miss Lihua asked you to compose a poem, how could you let me substitute for you?" Gao Xing sat there, leisurely sipping his tea.

  "Ah, Brother Xing, considering we've shared a drink at the same table before, won't you help me out?"

  "No way, one must be honest."

  "You - you really won't help?"

  "Will not help."

  "Xingdi, just help your brother out this once!" Wang Yun's hands gently grasped Xing's excited shoulders, leaning lightly against his chest, and said in a soft voice, her eyes gazing up at him with a hint of entreaty that seemed capable of melting stone.

  "Plop", with a joyful leap in his heart, the tea water in his mouth was splashed out without leaving any leftovers, all spilled on Wang Yun's body.

  "Ugh, you're making me all hot and bothered!" Wang Yun lightly pounded his chest with excitement, rolled his eyes, and said in a high-pitched voice.

  His whole body suddenly broke out in a cold sweat, and an evil chill arose from the bottom of his heart, instantly spreading throughout his entire body, making him feel somewhat terrified.

  He happily put down his teacup and suddenly pushed Wang Yun away, jumping up to plead: "Big Brother Wang, I'll help you, don't do this anymore!"

  "Hmm! That's more like it!" Wang adjusted his clothes and smiled with satisfaction.

  "Wang Yan, are you empty-headed and have no poem to recite? If so, then admit defeat at once. I, Gongzi, am magnanimous and won't hold it against you!" After a moment of waiting, Wang Yan still didn't utter a word, and Gao Ajunfeng began to get impatient.

  "Fart! This young master is highly talented and learned, how can you compare to me?" Wang Yun loudly rebuked.

  "You——"

  "Let the young master calm down, we all know how much endurance Wang Yan has. Let's wait for him to make a fool of himself." Just as Gao Ajunfeng was about to get angry, Hu Jun stopped him again.

  Gao A Junfeng was a hot-tempered person, and he was also arrogant by nature. He relied on his father's power to act wildly and tyrannically. Wang Lin was oppressed by his father in the court, so naturally, Wang Yun would not give Gao A Junfeng a good face.

  "Alright, brother?" Wang Yun said with a straight face and a confident tone, but in his heart, he was actually at a loss. He had only met Gao Xing twice before, although they seemed to hit it off immediately, and from their conversation, he knew that Gao Xing's words were not ordinary. However, he had no idea about Gao Xing's skills in poetry. It was just that the few sentences Gao Xing used to mock Gao Aijun earlier had amused him, and since he himself didn't know how to do it, he placed his hopes on Gao Xing.

  Delighted, with a confident smile, he dipped his brush in tea and began to write rapidly on the table. Wang Yan looked on, reciting aloud: "Clouds think of clothes, flowers think of faces, Spring breeze stirs the fragrance, dew condenses into honey. If not for the gathering at Jade Mountain, I would have met you under the moon by the Jade Terrace. One branch of red blossoms, dew condensed into fragrance, clouds and rain on Wu Mountain, a heart-wrenching sight. Who in the Han palace is comparable to this? Pitiful Flying Swallow, leaning against her new makeup. Famous flowers, both delightful, bring joy to all who behold them. Explaining the endless longing of spring breeze, leaning against the railing by the Fragrant Pavilion."

  This poem was originally written by Li Bai as "Clear and Peaceful Melody", used to praise the beauty of Yang Guifei, but now it is shamelessly plagiarized.

  Wang Yun finished reciting, and for a moment the hall was silent. This time, however, it was because of the stunning beauty and flavor of this poem, especially the black-clad woman, whose pair of dark eyes burst forth with sparkling lights, her eyebrows and eyes full of shock and delight.

  The woman in black was the first to wake up, and she exclaimed with joy: "Prince Wang is indeed deeply hidden and has such a wonderful work, I almost missed it!"

  "Wang Yan, is this really what you did? How is that possible? Quickly say, where did you steal it from?" Gao Ajunfeng heard in his ears, extremely piercing, and couldn't help but ask doubtfully.

  "Fatty farted, the smell is unbearable! Gao A Junfeng, don't measure others' gentlemanly belly with your own petty mind!" Wang Yan now feels quite proud of himself, but he's also extremely shocked in his heart.

  He is not an uneducated rustic, although he is not good at writing poetry, it does not mean that he cannot read. Gao Xing was only thirteen years old, but the poems he wrote had a grand style, extraordinary talent, and his attainments were not far from those of the great poet Xie Lingyun. This made Wang Yan admire Gao Xing more and more, and at the same time secretly rejoice that he had not befriended the wrong person.