Chapter 10 Xun Yu's Recommendation

  "Miss, Mr. Qin has already passed by, today many scholars come to the mansion for a literary gathering, let's go take a look too." suggested Xiaolan who was sitting idly in the embroidery building.

  Cai Yan, who was wiping the guqin with her own hands, said, "You little girl, how can we women appear at a literary gathering?"

  Xiao Lan'er said boredly, twirling her long hair with her fingers: "Hmph, I think those so-called geniuses who came are probably not even as good at writing as Miss is."

  "You're just saying nice things to make me happy." Cai Yan smiled. At this moment, she was thinking about what Qin Feng was doing in the front courtyard garden. It's worth knowing that a literary gathering is very rare, and if it gets a good reputation, it will be very helpful for the future.

  "Miss, come on, let's go. We'll just sneak a peek from the side, and see if Mr. Qin is there too. Don't you want to witness Mr. Qin's eloquence?" Little Lan ran over and tugged at Miss's arm, entreating her.

  Cai Yan also wanted to go and take a look, to observe the literary talents of those scholars, as well as Mr. Qin Feng...

  ……

  "Mr. Cai, I've been too bold." The man proposed, bowing deeply from a distance.

  Cai Yong stroked his long beard and laughed, saying: "Hehe, no matter. Wen Hui is naturally good at reciting poems and writing essays. I wonder which young hero will come to compose a poem to help with the wine excitement?"

  Cai Yong and these seniors also wanted to see what talents would emerge among the younger generation. This literary gathering was opened for this purpose, generally organized by seniors to allow juniors to showcase their writing skills, so that they could gain some reputation before retirement.

  The article is not entirely false, but most people are self-aware. This time, the literary master Cai Yong's conference was attended by many famous scholars, and those who were inferior chose to observe quietly.

  "Today, we have Chen Gongzhang, Kong Wenhui, Liu Gongan and Xun Wenruo, four talented men who have arrived. We are not skilled enough to present our humble work. Can the four gentlemen compose a poem for us to appreciate their elegance?" The scholar who had just made the proposal looked around and said this, then bowed to Cai Yong and the others.

  This is a purely literary gathering, a banquet for drinking and discussing literature, without any pretentiousness. The four people proposed by the proposer are all recognized as great talents, and there is no intention to belittle others. So the rest of the scholars heard it and unanimously praised it.

  Lu Zhi smiled and said: "Today we are gathered here drinking wine and holding a literary meeting, it's really rare. So you go first."

  Liu Zhen, Liu Gonggan. One of the later Jian'an Seven Sons, if it weren't for this name, Qin Feng would not have known that there was such a person.

  Then a scholar with a thin face and a spirited appearance stood up, bowed his hands and said: "I'll make a humble contribution."

  Ordinary people, when composing poetry, usually take a long time to ponder before they can come up with a poem that rhymes and has the right tone. Improvisational poetry is the most challenging test of one's literary talent. The garden fell silent as everyone's eyes focused on Liu Zhen, waiting for him to compose a good poem.

  Liu Zhen fell silent for a moment, and then saw several mountain sparrows flying in the distance. He had an idea in his mind and recited: "The wild green sparrow flutters, nesting in the thorny bush. In the morning it eats grains from the flat fields, in the evening it drinks from the winding pool spring. It emerges from Penglai, and arrives at the edge of Dan Hill."

  "As expected of Liu Zhen!"

  "Liu Gonggan's talent has made progress compared to previous years."

  "Not bad, not bad!" The crowd cheered and raised their glasses to toast Liu Zhen's success.

  It sounds like a rhyme, looking at the expressions of these scholars, this poem should be good. Qin Feng also took a sip, he was from the Academy of Drama in his later years, and had a unique understanding of acting, but as for poetry... he could only recite a few!

  "Haha, I've made a fool of myself." Liu Zhen was still very satisfied with this poem and sat back down after finishing speaking.

  Cai Yong and Lu Zhi nodded in praise.

  The article is not the first to say that, on the spot, poetry must be divided into high and low. At this time, a person stood up, with a strong voice saying: "So I will also make a poem, to help you all with your wine excitement."

  Qin Feng saw his heroic spirit and extraordinary appearance, and thought for a moment: just now when recommending poetry, he mentioned Liu Zhen, Xun Yu, Chen Lin, and Kong Rong. Xun Yu was by his side, and Liu Zhen had already finished. This person must be either Kong Rong or Chen Lin!

  "Zi Jin Xiong, this is Chen Lin, Chen Gongzhang!" Xun Yu explained to him.

  "Ah!" Qin Feng secretly took note of Chen Lin's appearance, this person was extraordinary. Later, when Cao Cao saw the article "For Yuan Shao's Proclamation to Yu Province", he felt a chill run down his spine and broke out in a cold sweat, and his headache suddenly cleared up. What a talented person!

  "In the bright daytime, a good friend invites me to go for a stroll. In the midst of a grand banquet, black cranes float on clear springs, and colorful trees display their green luxuriance." Chen Lin finished speaking in one breath, then drained the wine in his cup in one gulp, with an extraordinary boldness.

  "What a great poem!"

  "This is exactly what we expected for today's banquet."

  "A crane floats on a clear spring, and a beautiful tree shines with green leaves! A good sentence should be as elegant as a big white sail."

  Chen Lin was very pleased and looked at Liu Zhen. The latter bowed his hands in courtesy, Chen Lin hastily returned the courtesy and went back to her seat.

  Cai Yong, Lu Zhi, Ma Rizhen and others exchanged a glance, saying in unison: "This young man will surely become a great figure in the future."

  It goes without saying that the other party can shock Cao Cao with just a few words, how can ordinary people compare? Qin Feng wanted to see Xun Yu's literary talent, so he said: "Wen Ruo brother..."

  "No hurry, no hurry, there's still one more..." Xun Yu said with a smile.

  As soon as Xun Yu's voice fell, a middle-aged man stood up, with a dignified and proper face, a small goat beard, and curved eyebrows that looked gentle.

  As soon as he stood up, the scene fell silent.

  This man is none other than Kong Rong, also known as Kong Wengou. He was a renowned Confucian scholar of the late Eastern Han dynasty and succeeded Cai Yong as the master of literature. As the leader of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, he was the 20th direct descendant of Confucius. For thousands of years, the Kong family had been revered by emperors of various dynasties, with each generation producing outstanding talents. Unfortunately, in a time of turmoil, he was eventually killed by Cao Cao.

  Kong Rong's gentle appearance, first with a bow, recited: "Rocky and majestic is the mountain peak, brilliant and resplendent is the heavenly road. High and bright are the cloud gates, far-reaching and cold is the pure landscape. Lofty and noble are the scholars of successive generations, their roots firmly established in this place."

  "Good poem, for Wenju brother, it's a rare and precious masterpiece."

  "Yes, yes, it would be even better if it could be embellished a bit more."

  "How wonderful! The poem is magnificent and extraordinary, as if it has a deep emotional resonance." The crowd applauds.

  Qin Feng studied performance and didn't know much about classical literature, so he couldn't make out what was going on. Seeing everyone else praising it, he followed the crowd and raised his cup to drink along with them.

  He was thinking of listening to Xun Yu recite a poem, someone who could be called "my Zhongshu" by Cao Cao must have written something amazing. So he said: "Wenruo brother, it's your turn this time."

  "Let the younger brother proceed with caution and avoid rashness." Xun Yu smiled at him with a deep meaning.

  Qin Feng was extremely perplexed - what was this kid trying to do, and why did it have a hint of conspiracy?

  Xun Yu stood up, bowed his hands and said: "I have never been good at reciting poems, but today I recommend someone who will definitely not disappoint everyone."

  Xun Yu's literary talent was well-known to everyone, but upon hearing these words, they looked at each other in confusion.

  Geniuses with an IQ of 95 or higher won't write poetry, Qin Feng thought to himself, you little brat is really good at joking, who would believe it if I said it out loud? Recommend one person? I've already looked through the list of guests, where are the geniuses? Are there any hidden dragons and crouching tigers that I don't know about?

  "Oh! Who is Wen Ruo talking about?" Cai Yong couldn't help but ask.

  Xun Yu was a great talent, and everyone in Luoyang knew that from a young age he had the reputation of being a king's assistant. He was so highly praised by him, this person must be extraordinary. So although Cai Yong and others were very suspicious, they still quietly waited for Xun Yu to say the name of this person.

  "Haha, Cai Lao, the person I'm talking about is none other than Qin Feng, Qin Zi Jin." Xun Yu said with a smile.

  As everyone's eyes gathered, Qin Feng was shocked. He thought to himself, "Xun Yu, you little scoundrel, how could you be so unreasonable? You didn't even consult with me! I'm not capable of composing poetry, but singing a few popular songs wouldn't be a problem. What am I supposed to do now?"