I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

His past experiences gradually overlapped with the scenes unfolding before his eyes.

Tenshōin slightly raised the corners of his lips, a faint, self-deprecating smile playing on his lips.

At that very moment—

"Everyone!"

A loud male voice suddenly rang out, drowning out all the surrounding noise.

In an instant, the owner of that male voice... Ji Qingdeng became the focus of attention.

Doubt, curiosity, aversion... all sorts of gazes converged, pressing down on Qingdeng's shoulder like a hammer.

Qingdeng calmly put down his brush and continued in a loud voice:

"I have composed a simple haiku; would you like to enjoy it with me?"

"What? Haiku?"

Matsudaira Haruaki raised his eyebrows sharply, his face filled with disbelief.

He wasn't the only one whose expression changed drastically.

Tokugawa Iemochi, Prince Kazu, Katsura Rintaro, the "Hitotsubashi faction," and the court nobles led by Iwakura Tomomi... almost everyone, without exception, looked as if they doubted that they had heard correctly.

Not to mention them, even Tenshōin stared wide-eyed in surprise.

About five seconds later, Matsudaira Haruaki came to his senses.

He looked Qingdeng up and down a few times, then chuckled softly.

"I never imagined that the mighty 'Nioh' would have such an elegant side."

He paused here. Then, in a barbed tone, he continued:

"Lord Tachibana, it seems you have great confidence in your work. Then, please allow us to take a look at your masterpiece!"

As soon as Matsudaira Haruaki said this, the gazes cast towards Asahi Noboru gradually turned to one of disdain and sarcasm.

Many people tilted their heads and whispered to their colleagues:

“How could Tachibana Aoto, who only knows about war, possibly know how to write haiku?”

"Most of the haiku he wrote are at the same level as Makino Masakuni's 'Ah, plum blossom, plum blossom' that he just wrote."

"He probably wanted to help Prince Tenshōin out of that predicament, which is why he rushed to say that he had also written a haiku. Sigh, what's the point? If he had recited a terrible, nonsensical work like Makino Masakuni, it would have only made him a laughingstock."

……

It's no wonder that people questioned Qingdeng's literary talent.

Can "Nioh" Tachibana Aoden write haiku?

They had never heard of such a thing before!

Thus, this absurd scene was born—the opposing "Nanki School" and "Hitotsubashi School," along with the uninvolved Prince Kazu and the court nobles, actually reached a consensus at this moment—Seiden could not possibly write a decent masterpiece!

Perhaps worried that Aoto would lose face, Tokugawa Iemochi hesitated for a moment before asking Aoto in a tentative tone:

"Tachibana-kun, are you really... going to show your work?"

No sooner had Tokugawa Iemochi finished speaking than Tenshōin impatiently blurted out:

"Sheng Qing... Ju Jun! Stop fooling around!"

Faced with the questions from Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshōin, Aoto smiled calmly:

"Wouldn't it be a pity if the poems I've painstakingly written weren't appreciated by everyone here?"

Having said that, Qingdeng raised the poem in his hand.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he recited softly in a melodious tone:

"Mei no Ou."

"Who lives here?"

"Youna lamp."

In an instant, the once noisy banquet hall fell silent.

The sound of the wind coming from afar sounded strangely distant.

Yoshiki Hitotsubashi's face changed color, and he subconsciously turned to look at Haruaki Matsudaira.

Matsudaira Haruaki's face was also filled with shock and astonishment, and he got goosebumps all over his body.

Tokugawa Iemochi's expression also changed immediately.

He Gong could not hide the look of astonishment on his face.

The pair of beautiful eyes in the Tensho Academy were wide open to the extreme, staring blankly at Qingdeng.

Everyone in the room, without exception, turned their stiff necks, looking at each other.

They both found a similar look of shock on each other's faces.

The plum blossoms are in the sky, who lives there, the secluded lamp - who's house is deep in the plum forest, the half-star light leaks faintly.

A masterpiece by Natsume Soseki (1867-1916).

Even those who know nothing about Japanese literature should have heard of this person's name.

Even if you've never heard of this person, you must have at least heard the line that modern literary youth have overused: "The moon is so beautiful tonight."

This famous quote comes from Natsume Soseki.

Natsume Soseki enjoys a high status in the history of modern Japanese literature and is known as a "national great writer." He was highly accomplished in both Eastern and Western cultures, being not only an English scholar but also a master of haiku, Chinese poetry, and calligraphy.

The line “Who lives deep in the plum grove? A half-star lamp shines faintly in the dim light” is his representative work.

Before everyone could shake off the thought that "it can't be true," Qing Deng slowly stood up.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the beautiful scenery of the courtyard has inspired me with endless inspiration."

"Therefore, I not only composed a haiku, but also a Chinese poem."

"Please listen quietly."

*******

*******

Waaaaah, Aoto is frantically boosting Tenshōin's favorability! As a Sana supporter, I'm so heartbroken! (Laughing emoji)

Considering today's word count is acceptable, and it's still a scene from Qingdeng's show-off story, please be sure to vote for this book with a monthly ticket! (Crying leopard head.jpg)

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Leopard crying.jpg)

Chapter 503 Qingdeng, you're cheating again, aren't you? Take a break, okay? [6200]

Chinese poetry?!

Upon hearing the words "Han poetry," everyone seemed to awaken from a dream.

Chinese poetry is not the same as haiku.

Although there is no distinction between superior and inferior literary genres, for Japanese people, writing Chinese poetry is undoubtedly more difficult than writing haiku.

After all, if you want to write Chinese poetry, you must at least have a profound understanding of Chinese studies.

Any Japanese person who has received higher education can easily write a few haiku, although their skill level may not be very high.

But when it comes to classical Chinese poetry, not just anyone can write it.

Silence still dominated the entire banquet.

In this silence, everyone looked at each other, just as they had before.

This time, however, no one dared to whisper anymore, and no one dared to cast mocking or sarcastic glances at Qingdeng.

The shock they had just experienced and the aftershocks of Seido's haiku had not yet subsided.

Ignoring the atmosphere around him, Qing Deng slowly turned around and faced the plum grove not far away.

At this moment, everyone held their breath.

At that very moment, Qingdeng spoke in a powerful and resounding voice:

"A single Russian flower, a thousand new specks, yet it is all crushed into dust by carts and horses."

"The birdsong urges them homeward through the woods, while a lone figure stands by the railing, hands clasped behind his back."

"I wish to use the void as my fertile soil, and occasionally return to my courtyard to gather the remnants of winter."

"The pale blue sky is too thin to fill paper, and the traces of my fragrant feelings have already been written."

The poem is finished, the words are exhausted.

Qingdeng turned around expressionlessly and bowed slightly to the crowd.

"I've made a fool of myself."

Then, under everyone's stunned gaze, he leisurely sat back down in his original seat.

Ten seconds later, the distant sound of the wind still emphasized the tranquility of the banquet hall, as if only this room was cut off from the world.

Half a minute later, the banquet hall, which had been so quiet you could hear a pin drop, began to stir without much fanfare, like ripples on a lake.

One minute later, one of the "Southern Chronicles" members was the first to come to his senses and loudly proclaimed:

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

After someone took the lead, Qingdeng was immediately surrounded by praise, envy, and jealousy.

"The traces of her beauty have already been revealed... Truly a masterpiece!"

"This is impossible... Tachibana Seito actually knows how to write haiku and Chinese poetry, and at such a high level..."

"Tsk, not only does he possess exceptional swordsmanship, but he also has such outstanding literary talent... Is he omnipotent?"

……

Those who hadn't yet put pen to paper looked embarrassed and gradually put away their pens and paper—how could they possibly present their work? Wouldn't that be humiliating?

The impact of Qing Deng's Chinese poem on everyone far surpassed that of the haiku just now.