Kill the enemy and get a wife? I'll single-handedly slaughter my way through the Northern Barba

Zhen Bing was exceptionally talented, especially known for his quick thinking and poetry.

Having received permission from King Li Yan of Qin, he paced back and forth in thought.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, an idea came to him, and he began to explain it in detail.

"Fine wine from Xinfeng costs ten thousand coins a jug; how many years have the chivalrous men of Yujing roamed?"

"We meet with high spirits and drink together, our horses tethered by the willows by the tall building."

The three princes, Li Yan, Li Zhen, and Li Ji, were all born into the royal family and were all accomplished in appreciating poetry.

Li Yan nodded secretly. Zhen Bing's poem was well-structured and had a lively and open-minded spirit.

It's not the best, but it's still above average.

It's not easy to write something in such a short time.

On the Northern Barbarian side, Wang Xun, the Minister of War, and Gu Lie, the Minister of Rites, both showed expressions of amusement.

In their view, Zhen Bing's poems were conventional but not particularly outstanding.

Today, in order to win, they have secretly prepared a trump card, and with Zhen Bing's skill level, he is certainly no match for them.

The thought of Daqian making a fool of itself made the two ministers' lips curl into a smile.

Zhen Bing was preoccupied with composing poems and did not notice the expressions of the other two.

"Born into the Imperial Guard, he first served under General Huo Qubing in the Battle of Yuyang."

"Who knows the hardships endured on the frontier, yet even in death, the fragrance of chivalry lingers!"

As soon as the second half of the poem was recited, those in the know in the Great Qian Dynasty couldn't help but be impressed.

Judging solely from the first stanza of the poem, Zhen Bing's poetry is rather mediocre.

However, the second half of the poem is exceptionally brilliant, especially the line "Even in death, the fragrance of chivalry lingers," which is excellent in both style and artistic conception.

This suddenly elevates the entire poem to a higher level!

"Slap! Slap! Slap!"

Prince Li Zhen of Jin clapped his hands and cheered for Zhen Bing.

"Lord Zhen's poetry is truly unique; who says a chivalrous hero can only be a cold, aloof wanderer?"

"The chivalrous heroes of our Great Qian Dynasty ride horses, drink wine, make friends, and roam the world!"

"Able to punish evil and uphold justice, and serve the country with integrity, they truly deserve the title of 'hero'!"

The King of Qin, the King of Zhou, and others also praised and commended Zhen Bing.

King Zhou, Li Ji, beamed and said, "Lord Zhen's poem is excellent in its use of allusions, perfectly incorporating the 'fragrance of chivalry'—brilliant! Brilliant!"

Upon hearing this, Zhen Bing cupped his hands in greeting and bowed to the princes.

"Thank you for your praise, Your Highnesses and esteemed officials."

"I was simply following the two gentlemen northward and witnessed the soldiers fighting fiercely at Zhenyuan Pass, which moved me to write this."

"If we're talking about 'chivalry,' then the soldiers who defended the country at Zhenyuan Pass are the ones who truly deserve to be called 'chivalrous'!"

"Your Highness, it is your country's turn."

Zhen Bing spoke with a certain arrogance.

He felt that his poetry was good enough, and that no one in the northern barbarians would surpass him in the short term.

Nan Muhe was not familiar with poetry, nor did he know whether Zhen Bing's poetry was good or not.

However, judging from the reactions of both sides, it's easy to guess that Zhen Bing is quite capable.

"I have never been good at composing poems or writing essays; all I know is how to wield a spear and a staff."

"Minister Wang, do any of our Northern Barbarians possess the talent to rival Lord Zhen?"

Nanmuhe looked at Wang Xun, who understood and stood up.

"Your Highness, there are countless talented men in our Northern Barbarian lands."

"Perfect timing. The Vice Minister of Rites, Zhamu, is present today. Let him have a contest with Lord Zhen."

Zhamu?

Everyone looked in the direction Wang Xun pointed.

Zhamu is twenty-five or twenty-six years old this year. He is handsome and refined. At such a young age, he has already been appointed as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. His future is limitless.

He slowly rose, a smile on his face: "I am honored by Minister Wang's high regard. I, Zhamu, would like to compose a poem to compete with Lord Zhen."

"I've made a fool of myself!"

Lin Feng looked at the Northern Barbarians singing in unison and secretly shook his head.

The northern barbarians are clearly putting on a show, provoking trouble first and then having a contest; this Jamu is probably no ordinary person.

"Those northern barbarians are incredibly cunning!"

A clear and pleasant voice rang in Lin Feng's ears, and he was slightly startled and looked back.

"Miss Liu?"

Liu Ruyan, disguised as a servant, had somehow appeared behind Lin Feng.

"Shh!"

Liu Ruyan bent down and leaned closer to Lin Feng, whispering, "Lin Feng, this is troublesome. That Zhamu is no ordinary Northern Barbarian official."

Li Ping'an, sitting next to Lin Feng, couldn't help but ask curiously, "Oh? What's so special about Zhamu?"

Liu Ruyan bit her lip lightly and said, "That guy's nickname is 'Poet Ghost,' and he has quite a reputation in the literary circles of the Northern Barbarians."

"My music hall has also bought several of his poems. His poems are eerie and very special."

Zhamu's poems have a ghostly quality, yet they are unique in that they think what others dare not think and write what others cannot write.

The fact that such a character appeared here is clearly a deliberate arrangement by the Northern Barbarians to embarrass the Great Qian Dynasty.

Lin Feng frowned slightly upon hearing this. Wouldn't that mean things are dangerous for Daqian?

"The three feet of water in the scabbard of our ancestors once entered Wutan to slay a demonic dragon."

"The slanting moonlight shines through the gaps, the dew is cold, and the silk ribbon, laid flat, cannot be blown away."

Zhamu, the Vice Minister of Rites from the Northern Barbarians, recited the poem aloud, and his words were refreshing and original.

The first two lines of the poem describe a strange and magnificent scene: a precious sword slays a demonic dragon, its sharpness even cutting through the cold air on a dewdrop!

It instantly evokes the image of a divine sword gleaming with cold light.

Zhen Bing's expression changed slightly after hearing just these two sentences.

This person is extremely talented!

Zhen Bing frowned and looked at Yin Li, the Minister of Rites, and Cao Kun, the Minister of War.

Zhen Bing has done everything he could, but today he is probably no match for Zhamu.

"The skin of a dragon's embryo is covered with the thorns of an old caltrop, and the tail of a grebe is adorned with white flowers."

"This is truly the heart of Jing Ke; let it not be seen by the words of the brothel."

Zhamu became more and more enthusiastic as he composed his poem, and walked step by step toward the entrance of the main hall.

"The silk threads, like gold, hang in the air, their divine light seeming to cut through the jade of Lantian."

"The Western White Emperor is terrified, and the howling ghost mother cries in the autumn countryside!"

After finishing a poem, Zhamu stood still, his expression one of great excitement.

"Your Highness Nanmuhe, Your Highness Prince Qin, I have made a fool of myself!"

Qin King Li Yan's smile was somewhat forced, while Nanmuhe burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! The poem flowed flawlessly in one go! No wonder you're a literary genius and a poetic prodigy in our Northern Barbarian literary world!"

"Gentlemen, I am not knowledgeable in poetry, so I invite you all to appreciate and analyze it. Minister Yin, you are of high moral character and prestige, would you please do so?"

Yin Li was the oldest among those present, and his prestige and talent were enough to convince everyone.

Upon hearing this, Yin Li stroked his beard for a moment and said leisurely, "Lord Zhamu's poem is quite unique. It is about swords but it exudes a chivalrous spirit."

"The precious sword once slew a demonic dragon, but now it is sheathed. However, the sword is unwilling to remain silent and still dreams of one day being unsheathed to perform its deeds and eliminate all injustices in the world."

"Ostensibly a poem about swords, it's actually a poem about chivalry! The word 'chivalry' never appears once in the entire piece, yet it subtly matches the theme set by His Highness the Prince of Qin. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!"

Yin Li stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Your Highness Prince Qin, Your Highness Nanmuhe, Lord Zhamu's poetry surpasses Lord Zhen's."

Zhen Bing looked at Zhamu with a complicated expression.

He prided himself on his exceptional talent, but he paled in comparison to Zhamu, and for a moment felt quite ashamed.

He could only lower his head and bow to the King of Qin in shame to apologize.

Upon hearing this, Nanmuhe burst into laughter: "Hahahaha! Elder Yin truly lives up to his title as the Minister of Rites of the Great Qian Dynasty—his words are insightful and thorough!"

"Your Highness, I think the contest should have a winner by now, shouldn't it?"

Nanmuhe's gaze swept over the people of Daqian, a smug look on his face: "Who else wants to compete with Lord Zhamu?"

No one spoke up on the Daqian side, but there were many people who could compose poetry, such as Prince Li Zhen of Jin and Prince Li Ji of Zhou.

And then there are so many civil officials that anyone can do, but the problem is that their poems and lyrics can't compare to those of Zhamu, which is just embarrassing.

Who would want to embarrass themselves?

King Qin, Li Yan, looked rather displeased. He said in a deep voice, "Is there not one of you willing to compete with Lord Zhamu again?"

There was complete silence. The officials either kept their eyes straight ahead or looked away, none daring to meet Li Yan's gaze.

Seeing this, Zhamu was overjoyed.

He strolled towards the prize for this literary contest, his jade lotus crown gleaming under the lamplight.

Zhamu reached out to take it, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness Prince Qin, for bestowing this crown upon me. It seems that the literary world of my Northern Barbarians is slightly superior to that of your country!"

Upon hearing Zhamu's words, King Qin, Li Yan, turned green with rage.

But Li Yan was helpless; what could they do when their side couldn't compete with the other side?

"Wait a minute!"