Chapter 1083 - 1085 Tang Feng’s True Skills_1
Chapter 1085: The True Mastery of Tang Feng
As she reached the door, Bai Ruozhu stopped again, realizing it would be inappropriate for her to look at the other guests, as it wasn’t in keeping with the rules of receiving patrons.
Seeing her hesitate, Bai Zepei thought she wanted to check out the excitement and got up, saying, "Let’s walk along the corridor to see the other people’s poems, so I can learn as well."
The competition involved collecting poems from all participating guests and hanging them on a stage in the middle of the main hall. There were people with rich voices that would read out the poems in a modulated tone for guests who couldn’t see clearly to listen to the content, then judges would select the top three.
Of course, if the judges’ decisions were unfair, the audience could raise objections, and then everyone would examine the poems together to see whether the judges’ evaluations were flawed.
Bai Ruozhu pondered for a moment, nodded, and followed her older brother out. Perhaps from the corridor, she could see the person in the private room next door, whose voice she suspected to be his without a doubt.
He was the famous Tang Feng from Jiangnan, the foremost among the four great talents who, at the tender age of eighteen, had outshone all others to rank first among the scholars of Jiangnan.
Of course, he had another identity, shared with Bai Ruozhu: that of a transmigrator.
Being a transmigrator, she should be thrilled to meet someone from her own time. However, Bai Ruozhu was somewhat concerned due to Tang Feng’s cunning. They were both taking advantage of modern items to seek benefits for themselves, and there was surely the potential for competition over resources. Could conflicts arise in the future?
From where she and her older brother stood on the corridor, they could clearly see everything happening in the main hall below, and looking down gave them an even clearer perspective.
Below, the hall staff had started reading the competition’s poems. The first poem, whose author was unknown, turned out to be a limerick that drew laughter from everyone; they quickly had him take down the lighthearted verse to save the embarrassment.
The staff member chuckled as he began the second poem. His voice was loud and well-modulated, and he read the poem with such gusto that it was enjoyable to listen to. At the end, he announced the author’s name—it was An Gu.
"An Gu was my schoolmate, I didn’t expect him to be here today," Bai Zepei commented, "He did a good job with the poem."
"I’ve seen this poem before and almost sold it to the Restaurant," Bai Ruozhu said with a laugh as she recounted the day’s events to Bai Zepei, who couldn’t help but chuckle, "So this Poetry Conference was all because of him. I wouldn’t have guessed he’d dare to dine and dash. It’s a pity he has such careless taste in friends."
Bai Ruozhu didn’t know who An Gu’s friends were, but knowing that An Gu had left without paying, indeed showed little regard for his reputation. She looked down from the corridor and quickly spotted An Gu, who was accompanied by two gentlemen. They were shaking their heads and wagging their tails, reading along with the poem, appearing quite suave.
Unfortunately, Bai Ruozhu did not fancy such posturing and couldn’t help but twitch the corners of her mouth.
Bai Zepei followed her gaze, let out a light chuckle, and said, "Those two are aristocrats from the Capital. An Gu’s family is of modest means, and he’s always trying to get into their circle, but they’ve often taken advantage of him. Losing oneself for that is pointless."
Bai Ruozhu nodded, agreeing that what mattered in friendship was the heart. If the circles were different and the other side looked down upon you, why force oneself to mix with them?
At that moment, the hall staff read out another poem, and after he finished, the Restaurant erupted in applause for the masterpiece.
"This poem was written by Master Tang Feng," the staff member continued.
A buzz of conversation arose below.
"Tang Feng, is that the foremost scholar of Jiangnan? I’ve heard his mother is a learned woman, and he’s been writing poetry since he was just a few years old, already speaking eloquently—truly enviable."
"It might indeed be him, he should have already become a licentiate, coming to the Capital to prepare for next year’s Imperial Examination."
"Truly a man of talent, casually composing such exquisite poetry, so full of artistic conception."
"..."
Bai Ruozhu felt somewhat stifled in her heart. During the Eight Academy Competition, her second brother had not been much worse than Tang Feng—in fact, he even won against Tang Feng in some subjects. Yet, Tang Feng’s reputation in the Capital far exceeded that of her second brother.
It was simply because her second brother was a child from a common family, previously unseen by the public eye, whereas Tang Feng’s mother was a female scholar, often engaging in poetry battles at the Tea House with literati coming and going. Thus, he grew up in such an environment, and his literary fame spread far and wide with ease.
Thinking this way, Bai Ruozhu’s heart ached for her second brother. He was a true native of ancient times. How could he compete with Tang Feng, who was filled with modern era poetry and verses?
Furthermore, with Tang Feng’s reputation so immense and her second brother still relatively unknown, she feared that when it comes time for the Palace stage of the Imperial Examination, the emperor might favor Tang Feng somewhat more, right?
At that moment, someone stepped out of the private room next door. Bai Ruozhu turned to look, and sure enough, it was Tang Feng, whom they hadn’t seen for many days.
Tang Feng, upon seeing the Bai siblings, showed no surprise, likely having heard their voices earlier.
He greeted them, saying, "Master Bai, Miss Bai, we meet again."
As he spoke, his gaze lingered on Bai Ruozhu’s eyes, his smiling eyes also carrying a hint of self-assurance. Bai Ruozhu suddenly remembered—the poem she had just heard seemed entirely new to her; she had never seen it in her past life, even though she had read many ancient poems and verses. If Tang Feng hadn’t sourced the poem from an obscure poet, then he must have written it himself!
"My humble work has brought laughter to Miss Bai," Tang Feng said with a smile.
Bai Zepei looked at Tang Feng somewhat puzzled. Why had he addressed these words specifically to his younger sister? Was it because Ruozhu’s poem during the Jiangnan Competition had left such a lasting impression on Tang Feng?
But Bai Ruozhu understood Tang Feng’s meaning. He was saying that he had written the poem himself, not stolen from another’s work. Additionally, was he reminding Bai Ruozhu that today he would not "cheat"?
This made Bai Ruozhu’s cheeks burn with embarrassment. The poem she had composed during the competition was "Lime Poem," certainly not her own magnum opus.
At this time, the waiter read out Bai Zepei’s poem, which also earned a round of applause. Even when his name was mentioned, many people discreetly inquired about who Bai Zepei was, wondering why they had never heard of him before.
Tang Feng smiled at Bai Zepei, saying, "Brother Bai is indeed talented."
Bai Zepei returned the gesture, "Young Master Tang is too modest. Your poem obviously has a slightly superior artistic conception to mine."
After the first round of the Competition concluded, Tang Feng’s poem took first place, Bai Zepei was second, and the third place went to an officer from the Imperial Court. An Gu’s poem did not make the top three.
At a table in the Main Hall, the two sitting with An Gu did not hesitate to taunt him, saying, "An Gu, you always boast of your vast knowledge in poetry, yet it seems rather ordinary now. Failing to rank in the top three in the first round, no wonder that day’s guest declined to buy your poems."
"Yes, losing to Tang Feng is one thing—he’s the top talent of Jiangnan, and it’s normal that you can’t match him. But how could you lose to Bai Zepei, a man from the countryside?" another person said.
An Gu’s face turned red with anger, "I—I haven’t given it my all yet. I’ll perform well in the next round for sure."