Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

"Are you really going to gamble?"

At the foot of the Star Gazing Tower, the Third Prince and the Prince of Bei Jing were busy appreciating everyone's works and ranking them, while the Crown Prince was only participating symbolically and seemed rather leisurely.

He had already noticed the commotion on Jia Lian's side, and was somewhat surprised to hear about the betting agreement between Jia Lian and Zhou Xing. He didn't know much about Zhou Xing, but Jia Lian should just be a martial artist. Even if he got into a fight with someone out of spite, it should have been a physical altercation, not a competition for rankings on the display screen.

Can he get up there?

Seeing that Jia Lian and the other man insisted, the Crown Prince was also happy to watch a high-stakes gamble, so he waved his hand generously and said, "Alright, I can agree to be your witness."

But if the final result comes out, and any of you dare to deny it or make fun of me, then don't blame me for being impolite.

Jia Lian and the other man hurriedly said they dared not.

If it was a dispute within a small circle before, it has now spread far and wide in front of the Crown Prince.

Everyone rushed over to see what was going on.

"Has Jia Lian gone mad? A military officer like him, competing with Zhou Xing from the Imperial Academy in poetry and prose?"

"Yes, Zhou Xing is a frequent attendant to the Third Prince. Even the Third Prince praised him for his exceptional talent, calling him a standout among the royal family. Has Jia Lian lost his mind?"

The Third Prince and the Prince of Beijing also put down what they were doing and turned their attention to it.

The Third Prince frowned. He had met Jia Lian a few times and did not think Jia Lian was a brute or a fool.

How could such an unwise decision be made?

Prince Bei Jing asked with curiosity, "Could it be that Brother Lian is also skilled in poetry?"

Jia Lian cupped his hands and smiled, saying, "I can't compose poetry."

"Hahaha, that's hilarious! He can't even write poetry and yet he's betting against someone like this, and the other person is Zhou Xing! Isn't he in a latrine? Hehehe."

"It's none of your business. Maybe they just think they have too much money at home and want to share some with the Zhou family."

The words of the bystanders also reflect everyone's thoughts.

Zhou Xing was overjoyed. As soon as he saw that the Crown Prince's attendant had finished drafting the agreement, he couldn't wait to sign and affix his seal. Then he said to Jia Lian, "What, do you want to admit defeat?"

Even if I were willing to forgive you, I'm afraid you couldn't bear the responsibility for mocking His Highness the Crown Prince.

Seeing that the guy had already signed the agreement and everything was settled, Jia Lian stopped pretending and smiled at Shui Rong, saying, "Although I can't write poetry, I'm more than capable of dealing with a good-for-nothing like him."

The prince then took a look.

As he spoke, Jia Lian also wrote down his name with a stroke of his pen.

Although Jia Lian didn't study hard in the past, he was, after all, the legitimate son of the Duke's mansion and had received a good education from a young age.

The characters are written in a fairly standard manner.

Jia Lian had practiced a little over the past two years, so he wasn't so ugly that he would be laughed at at first glance.

"Alright, who wants to go first?"

The Crown Prince didn't care who won or lost; he just felt that these two fools had put on a show, which added some fun and livened up the atmosphere of the literary gathering, and that was a contribution in itself.

"There is a proper order of seniority, so let Lord Jia go first."

Zhou Xing suddenly became very polite.

He thought that Prince Bei Jing and the Crown Prince seemed to have a good attitude towards Jia Lian. If he made the first move, the two of them might deliberately lower their evaluation and ranking of him in order to give Jia Lian a chance.

Let Jia Lian go first. As long as Jia Lian can't do it, or does something completely nonsensical, he can win without a fight.

When the time comes, I will take the lead as the victor and present my masterpiece. The Crown Prince and others will feel that they have been tricked by Jia Lian, and they will surely praise me. Perhaps I can use this opportunity to win the championship!

Zhou Xing felt proud of his shrewdness and cunning.

Jia Lian smiled slightly, not bothering to consider Zhou Xing's thoughts. Seeing that the atmosphere was right, he walked to the writing desk and casually began to write.

On the Star Gazing Tower, the Empress Dowager and Zhaoyang's maids, as well as several noble ladies of the royal family who had come with her, were also observing.

They were all very curious, wondering what had happened and why everyone was rushing forward.

Could it be that someone has created something extraordinary?

Curious, he sent people down to investigate.

Inside the rear palace, Princess Zhaoyang was talking with the Empress Dowager when she suddenly saw her maid excitedly bringing in a manuscript, but she didn't pay much attention to it.

Previously, the Crown Prince and the Third Prince had also sent people to bring up several copies, but after she looked at them, she felt they were not very interesting.

Because she had read her grandmother's poems and felt they were better than those of so-called talented men, she naturally didn't feel any surprise.

"Princess, aren't you going to look? This was specially copied by the Third Prince; he said it's very well written and Your Highness will definitely like it."

The maid saw what had happened downstairs and therefore gave a special reminder.

"Bring it here, let me see it."

"Yes." Seeing the Empress Dowager beckon, the maidservant hurriedly handed it over with even greater respect.

A foot-long roll of paper was opened by a pair of exceptionally elegant and beautiful hands adorned with indigo gold finger guards.

Princess Zhaoyang also hurried over to take a look.

It is a song called "Butterfly Loves Flowers".

Having witnessed countless partings and sorrows, I return to find the flowers scattered and fallen. We gaze at each other beneath the blossoms, speechless, as spring fades and the sky grows cold by the green window.

Just looking at the first part, Zhao Yang's heart stirred slightly. Although the words were not ornate, it did feel different from the previous ones.

Without thinking too much, I quickly looked down.

"I long to tell you my love under the lamp, a new joy amidst a thousand strands of old sorrow. What is most fleeting in this world is youth, beauty fades from the mirror, flowers fall from the tree."

Zhao Yang frowned slightly; it sounded like the author was quite old.

Before she could fully ponder the emotions involved, she suddenly noticed the person beside her tremble, and she quickly looked over.

My great-aunt, her face full of emotion, parted her crimson lips slightly and murmured, "The most beautiful things in life are fleeting; youth fades from the mirror, flowers fall from the tree—such beautiful lines, so touching."

As he spoke, he unconsciously placed one hand on his chest, as if...

Seeing her so moved, Princess Zhaoyang immediately lost her doubts and began to carefully appreciate the meaning of the poem.

Let's go back to the foot of the observatory.

As soon as Jia Lian wrote the first part, many people began to ridicule him.

"The language is ordinary and commonplace."

"Another mediocre piece, forcing a sentimental tone, utterly vulgar."

"Ha, this handwriting is really not very good."

"Hmph, Lord Jia is a military officer. It's already quite an achievement for him to write like this. Heh, what more do you want? You don't really think he's a man of both literary and martial talents, do you?"

Among these people were Zhou Xing's group and others who had believed from the beginning that Jia Lian was bound to lose.

They naturally wouldn't seriously appreciate this masterpiece by a later master of Chinese studies, or perhaps they simply wouldn't be able to appreciate it given their level of understanding.

However, when Jia Lian wrote the second half of the poem with a slight smirk and a cold smile, especially when he finished the last stroke, those who had been gloating and mocking him realized something was wrong.

Why is the surrounding noise so quiet?

It turned out that some people with discerning taste had quickly recognized the extraordinary qualities of Jia Lian's poem and expressed their admiration or surprise.

Since the Third Prince and the others above also had no expectations, they naturally didn't go over to watch.

Upon seeing this, Prince Bei Jing hurriedly stepped forward, personally lifted Jia Lian's poem, examined it, and then looked at Jia Lian with an almost incredulous expression.

However, he dared not neglect the Crown Prince and the Third Prince, and hurriedly took the manuscript over for the two princes to review.

The Fourth Prince turned back at this moment and, seeing the situation, asked Jia Lian, "Why are they like this? Your writing is very good? I think it's just average."

Jia Lian smiled at the Fourth Prince and replied with a smile, "If Your Highness thinks it's just average, then it is just average."

The Fourth Prince nodded, quite satisfied with Jia Lian's honesty.

Zhang Su hurriedly said, "Your Highness, you mustn't speak nonsense. His poem is more than just good. Especially the last line, 'The most fleeting thing in the world is beauty; youth fades from the mirror, flowers fall from the tree,' even I found it refreshing and deeply amazing."

In my opinion, it is probably...

Perhaps because he had seen with his own eyes who wrote it, Zhang Su lacked confidence in his speech.

He silently recited it to himself, then gritted his teeth and said, "Even if it were placed in the Tang or Song dynasties, it would probably still stand out."

Countless people have written this poem throughout history, but based on my limited knowledge, I believe that even just these two lines by Brother Lian would likely rank among the top ten, no, the top five.

Since this poem was newly written, Zhang Su dared not give it too high a rating, for fear of being attacked by those who admired the Sage of Poetry and the Master of Lyrics.

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In his heart, he felt that only the lines "I will not regret growing thinner and thinner" and "There are plenty of beautiful flowers everywhere under the sky" could compare to it!

"Top five isn't that high," the Fourth Prince said, pursing his lips. He couldn't bear the thought of Jia Lian deviating from the ranks of a warrior and leaving him.

Zhang Su's lips twitched, and he really wanted to shout: "Big boss, don't you even know who the geniuses who wrote 'Butterfly Loves Flowers' were before!"

Thinking of this, Zhang Su couldn't help but look at Jia Lian with suspicion.

Did he really write such a sentence?

Could it be an imposter?

The reactions of the crowd were exactly what Jia Lian had expected. He had anticipated this situation when he decided to bring out the master's masterpiece.

The only thing that embarrassed him was the prejudice and distrust people had towards him, which perhaps affected the reputation of this poem.

The Third Prince considered himself exceptionally talented, so even though Zhou Xing was his man, he was still amazed by this masterpiece by the renowned scholar Wang Guowei and gave it extremely high praise.

Then he immediately had someone copy it and sent it to the Empress Dowager to curry favor.

The Empress Dowager must be in a bad mood today. She may even be misled by the Crown Prince into thinking that he has plotted against her.

Having such a newly composed poem to please her is beneficial to him.

Chapter 228 Butterfly's Thoughts on Flowers