Poet Immortal, Poet Sage, Duke of the State!

"The eight kings of zither, lute, pipa, and lute, each king reigning supreme?"

On the streets of the capital, Chen Chang'an looked at Qing Shuang, who was panting heavily, and had already gotten used to what was happening before him.

Qing Shuang nodded vigorously and asked urgently, "Young Master, can you match it?"

Although Chen Chang'an didn't know exactly what had happened, Qing Shuang kept running back and forth, always looking like she was in a real hurry, so it must be very urgent for her.

Chen Chang'an didn't waste any words and nodded, saying, "The second line is: 'Demons and monsters, four little devils dwell on the side.'"

"Demons and monsters, four little devils dwelling by the side, demons and monsters, four little devils dwelling by the side..."

Qing Shuang kept muttering to herself, even though she didn't know how to write "魑魅魍魉" (chī mèi wǎng liáng), but those Grand Scholars certainly did.

Having experienced the previous two incidents, he placed absolute trust in this young master.

Before returning to the palace, she looked at Chen Chang'an and asked, "By the way, young master, where do you live? I'll return the money to you when I get back."

Chen Chang'an pointed to a peeling wooden door deep in the alley: "It's there."

"Alright, young master, please go home and wait. I'll be right back!"

After Qing Shuang finished speaking, she flew up again and her figure quickly disappeared.

Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Murong Gu stood in the hall, holding a brocade, looking around, the smile on his lips impossible to hide.

The incense had already burned halfway, and the scholars from Da Ning were sweating profusely. Several talented men huddled together and whispered a few words, then shook their heads, none daring to step forward.

"What's wrong?"

Murong Gu put away the brocade, put his hands behind his back, and swept his gaze across the assembled civil officials. His tone became increasingly composed: "Weren't you quite pleased with your country's performance of the first two couplets? Why isn't anyone stepping forward now?"

He turned around, cupped his hands in greeting to the Emperor of Da Ning, and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, if Da Ning truly cannot come up with a matching reply, it would be more swift and decisive to concede defeat."

The Emperor of Da Ning remained silent, his face ashen.

The court officials all looked humiliated and lowered their heads in shame.

Behind the curtain, Princess Zhaoyue's gaze frequently drifted towards the doorway.

At the critical moment, a clear voice came from the palace entrance.

"Who says we can't beat each other!"

Upon hearing that familiar voice, all the court officials turned their heads in unison, and the moment they saw Qing Shuang, their eyes blazed with boundless hope.

coming!

She's here again!

Qing Shuang strode into the hall, her chest still rising and falling slightly, her forehead still damp with sweat, but her steps were steady. She raised her chin slightly and looked straight past the civil and military officials, landing on Murong Gu.

"Who says Da Ning can't come up with a matching couplet?"

Murong Gu frowned slightly. The first two couplets were answered by this woman. Could she possibly answer this one as well?

Qing Shuang took a deep breath, and facing the assembled civil and military officials, she loudly and deliberately recited, "The eight kings of zither, lute, pipa, and lute, each king above the last, the second line is..."

She paused, then her voice suddenly rose: "Demons and monsters, those four little devils dwelling on the sidelines!"

The Hall of Supreme Harmony was silent for three full breaths.

Then, Grand Secretary Zhou suddenly raised his head, and a sharp light suddenly burst forth in his old, cloudy eyes.

"Demons and monsters..." he murmured, his voice trembling, "The four characters 'demons and monsters' are all composed of the 'ghost' radical... four 'ghost' radicals, corresponding to eight 'king' radicals..."

"The eight great kings of zither, lute, pipa, and lute, each king above, while demons and monsters, and four little devils dwell on the sidelines!"

"This couplet is absolutely brilliant!"

"Wonderful, wonderful!"

The Grand Secretaries, their faces filled with excitement, couldn't help but speak.

"Using four demons against eight kings...using those residing on the border against those above!"

"What Eight Great Kings? They're just a few brats!"

"Haha, that's right, that's very right!"

The civil and military officials were stunned for a moment, but finally they realized the mystery behind it.

The four little devils were hiding on the side...

Everyone turned to look at the Yan envoy. Behind Murong Gu were two deputy envoys and Grand Academician Chang, making a total of four including himself.

They called themselves the Eight Great Kings, but were scolded by Qing Shuang as the Four Little Devils.

This is the best rebuttal to that arrogant first line of the couplet!

Laughter suddenly erupted, with several military generals laughing so hard they were doubled over. Even some of the most dignified old ministers couldn't control their expressions, and the Emperor of Da Ning on the dragon throne couldn't hold back his smile and chuckled softly.

At this moment, all the humiliation suffered at the hands of the Yan state over the past few days was swept away!

This couplet will surely become a timeless masterpiece!

This event will surely become a memorable story for future generations!

Qing Shuang looked at the court officials with a blank expression.

It seems that the young master of Yan has found the perfect match for the third couplet.

Not only did they get it right, they got it very well.

But the courtiers' reaction was a bit excessive, as if they had been tickled...

At the side door, the guard silently slipped back, quickly walked to the Emperor of Da Ning's side, and whispered, "Your Majesty, Miss Qing Shuang went to see a young man. These couplets should have been composed by that young man..."

Emperor Da Ning tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling on Qing Shuang, then slowly shifting towards the outside of the palace gate, lost in thought.

After a moment, he nodded slightly, his lips moved, and he whispered, "Such a talented man has saved the country from peril and restored the face of me and Da Ning. Investigate his identity; I will reward him handsomely!"

"As you command."

The guard clasped his hands in acceptance of the order, then turned and withdrew.

Inside the main hall, Murong Gu stood there dumbfounded.

How could this happen?

The literary world of Yan has long been in decline. It was already lucky that they could come up with that word-splitting couplet a few days ago. How could they possibly come up with three couplets in a row today? And the couplets they presented were even beyond the ability of Grand Scholar Chang to match.

The two deputy envoys from Yan behind him were both red-faced and speechless, their lips trembling. The arrogance they had shown when mocking Da Ning had vanished completely.

The moment Qing Shuang uttered the second line of the couplet, Grand Scholar Chang closed his eyes, his old face showing endless despair.

The four characters 魑魅魍魉 can be broken down into four ghosts, which, when combined with the characters 琴瑟琵琶, can be broken down into eight kings, making the composition flawless.

The phrase "ghosts dwelling on the border" was not only an insult to the four of them, but also to the Yan state located in the north.

The states of Yan and Ning bordered four tribes.

Ningguo has a powerful patron behind him.

This person... is far inferior to him.

Han Boyuan regained his composure, walked into the hall, and announced in a deep voice: "The Yan Kingdom has failed to respond to Da Ning's couplet. Da Ning has successfully countered the Yan Kingdom's first line. In the third round, Da Ning wins. In the three rounds, Da Ning has two draws and one win. Da Ning wins!"

"good!"

"You dare to challenge my Great Ning?"

"Does the Great Ning really think it has no one left?"

……

As soon as Han Boyuan finished speaking, cheers erupted from the assembled officials like a tidal wave.

Their long-suppressed emotions were finally released at this moment.

Emperor Da Ning did not interrupt the jubilation of his officials. He watched all this with a smile, and only after the cheers subsided slightly did he slowly speak: "Envoy Murong."

He rose from the dragon throne, stared at Murong Gu, and said, word by word, "This bet was proposed by your Yan Kingdom. Now that the civil service examination is over, Yan Kingdom has lost. Now, it is your turn to fulfill your promise..."