The Prodigal Son

Upon hearing Zhao Luan's imperial edict, the assembled officials couldn't help but be secretly astonished.

When the late emperor was still alive, he would accompany the Empress Dowager, who was then the empress, to appreciate peonies every year, and there would almost always be a segment where they would compose poems and write essays.

Those who come out on top will all receive a reward.

This process also included the two years when the Empress Dowager was in power.

But this was the first time since Zhao Luan truly took power.

It seems that the relationship between His Majesty and the Empress Dowager has improved considerably!

OK!

Now that Beiqi is threatening with force, war between Da Ning and Beiqi is very likely to reignite.

The easing of the mother-daughter relationship is also a good thing for Da Ning.

As Zhao Luan and the Empress Dowager sat down in the waterside pavilion, everyone began to prepare.

"Lord Qin, won't you compose a poem?"

Yang Jichun glanced at Qin Yu: "His Majesty said there would be a reward."

"What can I reward you with?"

Qin Yu disagreed.

Yang Jichun lowered his voice and said, "A few years ago, the top prize was won by Minister Du of the Ministry of Revenue. The Empress Dowager publicly rewarded Minister Du with one hundred taels of gold and hundreds of bolts of silk..."

One hundred taels of gold?

That's ten thousand taels of silver!

This reward is indeed quite generous!

But am I the kind of person who's short of a little money?

Thinking this, Qin Yu shook his head again, "I can't do it! You should do it!"

"Lord Qin, please don't be modest."

Yang Jichun chuckled, "I was truly impressed by the poem Lord Qin wrote a few days ago! Especially the line 'I will climb to the summit and survey all the mountains below,' which not only has a profound artistic conception but also reveals Lord Qin's lofty ambition..."

Yang Jichun showered Qin Yu with compliments.

Qin Yu was speechless.

He strongly suspected that this guy had ulterior motives.

While they were speaking, some ministers had already begun composing poems.

"A rosy robe, sculpted from clouds, unfolds in the sunlight; heavenly fragrance wafts on the breeze..."

Qin Yu completely ignored the poems and chatted quietly with Yang Jichun at the back of the crowd.

According to Yang Jichun, because the Empress Dowager loves peonies, Ningguo has produced many excellent works with peonies as their theme in recent years.

However, the most famous line is that of Cui Xu, who also served as a compiler in the Academy of Literature: "Not vying with the plum blossom for its proud spirit, but only relying on its beauty to charm the emperor."

When this extremely satirical poem was first uttered, many people were worried for Cui Xu.

Fortunately, the late emperor was magnanimous and did not blame Cui Xu for this. Instead, he said frankly in front of a group of ministers: "I am not a perfect person, and I also have my own preferences!"

Afterwards, the late emperor appointed Cui Xu as an imperial censor.

Grateful for the late emperor's benevolence, Cui Xu composed another poem the following year when he accompanied the late emperor and empress dowager on a tour of the peony garden.

One of the lines, "The peony is renowned for its beauty and ranks first among flowers; its reputation is bestowed upon those who appreciate it in the medicinal garden," can be considered a vindication of the peony.

This incident became a celebrated tale of a ruler and his minister.

The two were so engrossed in their conversation that they paid no attention to the poems.

Qin Yu felt that listening to Yang Jichun recount these old stories was much more interesting than listening to those people recite poetry.

Just as the two were chatting animatedly, Lü Si stepped out from the crowd to the astonishment of everyone present, bowed to the Empress Dowager, and said, "I have a humble poem to offer to my aunt!"

"well!"

The Empress Dowager looked at Lü Si with a smile.

Her own son and two nephews had all died, so she was quite fond of her cousin Lü Si.

Lu Si cleared his throat and, meeting the surprised gazes of the crowd, recited a poem aloud.

"The rosy clouds and verdant green embrace the golden stamens, and the wind carries their fragrance throughout the capital."

"Even among a riot of flowers vying for beauty, the peony alone reigns supreme in spring."

When Lü Si's poem was published, the court officials were astonished.

Is this a poem written by Lü Sineng?

Did Lü Si know that this segment would take place today and make preparations in advance?

Yes, that should be it!

After a brief moment of surprise, everyone cheered again.

"What a beautiful poem! What a beautiful poem!"

"I never expected Young Master Lü to be so talented!"

"Though all the flowers vie for beauty, the peony alone reigns supreme in spring! This single line is enough to be remembered for eternity..."

Regardless of whether Lü Si copied or bought this poem, it is indeed quite good.

The Empress Dowager and His Majesty are both so happy today, there's no need to spoil their mood, is there?

Hearing the cheers all around him, Qin Yu couldn't help but secretly curl his lip.

Doesn't Lü Si know his own limitations?

Qin Yu strongly suspected that his father, Lü Chunqiu, had written it for him.

Or perhaps Lü Si paid someone to write it for him!

"Excellent, excellent!"

The Empress Dowager looked at Lü Si with satisfaction, then turned to Zhao Luan and asked, "Luan'er, what do you think of Lü Si's poem?"

"Your daughter thinks Mother could ask Qin Yu!"

Zhao Luan smiled, her eyes glancing at Qin Yu, who was hiding behind the crowd. "Qin Yu and Lü Si have never gotten along, and both are quite talented poets. Let's hear Qin Yu's opinion; it might be more accurate!"

Qin Yu's eyelids twitched, and he secretly cursed in his heart.

That she-devil!

Even though I've been so low-key, she still thinks about me?

If she couldn't express it well, she would definitely make her write a better poem!

"Yes, I have also heard of Qin Yu's poem."

The Empress Dowager nodded and smiled, then her gaze fell on Qin Yu. "Qin Yu, what do you think of Lü Si's poem?"

Seeing that he couldn't avoid it, Qin Yu simply stepped out from behind the crowd.

Lu Si glanced sideways at Qin Yu, secretly pleased with himself.

He also wanted to hear what Qin Yu had to say!

If Qin Yu dares to say it's bad, make him compose an even better one right away!

He didn't believe Qin Yu had any poetic talent!

If Qin Yu fails to pull it off, then we can expose him!

"Your Majesty, Lü Si's poem can be summed up in one word: excellent!"

Qin Yu bowed and replied, "If you ask me, of all the talents in the world, if there are ten measures, Lü Si possesses nine!"

As Qin Yu finished speaking, the assembled officials looked at Lü Si with strange expressions.

Most people know very well what kind of person Lü Si is.

And this is enough to claim nine bushels?

He'd be lucky to have nine buckets of diarrhea!

Lu Si's face turned green, and he glared at Qin Yu through gritted teeth.

This isn't a compliment at all!

This is making fun of yourself in public!

It's practically an open admission that this poem was plagiarized!

The Empress Dowager naturally sensed that Qin Yu's words were not flattering, and asked with a half-smile, "Are you trying to praise Lü Si to his death?"

"This isn't it!"

Qin Yu shook his head and said seriously, "If we're talking about praising someone to death, we should say that if there are ten measures of talent in the world, Lü Si alone possesses twelve measures, and the world still owes him two measures."

"Cough cough..."

As Qin Yu finished speaking, some ministers couldn't help but cough and stifle their laughter.

That bastard Qin Yu really knows how to insult people.

Lu Si's face turned pale, and he glared at Qin Yu with eyes blazing with anger: "I heard that you wrote a fine poem a few days ago, which even His Majesty praised highly. Today, the Empress Dowager is enjoying a stroll in the peony garden. Why don't you also compose a poem to add to her enjoyment?"

"My poem was plagiarized!"

Qin Yu flatly refused, "I also wish to present a poem to entertain the Empress Dowager, but alas, I lack the ability!"

Hey!

As long as I don't take the bait, I don't care what tricks you use!

Qin Yu's straightforward public admission that the poem was plagiarized left Lü Si feeling as if he had punched a cotton ball.

"Shameless!"

Lu Si muttered a curse at Qin Yu and stepped aside.

Qin Yu didn't take it seriously.

Enjoy! Enjoy!

The female demon rewarded Lü Si with silver so that she could swindle money from him!

Zhao Luan glanced at Qin Yu sideways, secretly amused.

You can dodge the first day of the month, but you can't dodge the fifteenth!

Since I already guessed that you were hiding your true strength, how could I not have a backup plan?

We'll see!

This was just a minor incident; afterwards, everyone continued composing poems.

It's unclear whether the crowd was intentionally letting Lü Si win or if they genuinely couldn't compose good poems, but the later poems were mostly rather bland.

After about 15 minutes, no one wrote any more poems.

As expected, Lü Si's poem won first place.

Zhao Luan announced in public that he would reward Lü Si with one hundred taels of gold and give him a pass, allowing him to enter the palace at any time to speak with the Empress Dowager.

Lü Si was overjoyed and thanked Qin Yu, even giving him a provocative look.

Qin Yu secretly curled his lip. This idiot, has he forgotten that he has an imperial gold medal?

Seeing that it was almost time for dinner, the Empress Dowager prepared to have everyone seated.

Zhao Luan smiled slightly and suggested to the Empress Dowager, "Mother, with so many learned scholars present today, why don't we play a drinking game using the word 'peony' again?"