Zhang Zongshi sighed softly, "Zhang Longxiang, you're finally going to get some dog food."
Many scholars present looked at Zhang Zongshi in astonishment. These words were an insult to Zhang Longxiang for being a dog of Emperor Qing. However, if they thought about it carefully, Zhang Longxiang was not a false saint, but just a great scholar in the literary world. The Hall of Rites would not pursue the matter. Only if Zhang Zongshi said this after Zhang Longxiang became a great scholar would the Hall of Rites send people to investigate.
After Zhang Zongshi finished speaking, he realized that he had said something wrong and said self-deprecatingly, "Even Zhang Mingzhou had to submit a letter of surrender to come to Shengyuan Continent. I must also learn from him and submit a letter of surrender to the Governor-General."
Everyone smiled. They originally thought that Zhang Zongshi was rude, but after he laughed at himself, they felt that it was nothing.
"It seems that the meeting between the Governors before the literary meeting will be quite interesting."
"Qing Jun is indeed ruthless. He suffered a loss the first time he met Fang Xusheng, and he immediately created trouble the second time he met Fang Xusheng. Zhang Longxiang is now serving as an official in Qing State. I don't know how Qing Jun will ridicule Fang Xusheng when the time comes."
"This move of removing the firewood from under the cauldron is really a brilliant move, and it kills two birds with one stone. Since Zhang Longxiang is an official of Qing State, as long as he wins the literary competition against Fang Xusheng, it means that Qing State has won against Jing State, and all the previous attempts by Fang Xusheng to suppress Qing State will vanish into thin air."
"It's broken!" Zhang Zongshi suddenly exclaimed with a serious expression.
"Brother Zhang, what's wrong?"
Zhang Zongshi looked worried and said, "Since Zhang Longxiang has joined the Qing Kingdom, after this competition with Fang Xu Shengwen, no matter whether he wins or loses, he can go directly to the north to fight against the Cao Man, and then learn from Fang Xu Sheng to issue a declaration of war, and let Fang Xu Sheng fight him against the Yao Man to decide the outcome."
"If Brother Zhang can think of it, then the officials of Qing State can certainly think of it too. This is very likely to happen!"
"To the demon world, Fang Xusheng is more important than Zhang Longxiang. If both of them go to the northern frontier, the barbarians will definitely kill Fang Xusheng first at all costs. Zhang Longxiang will be relatively safe."
"Yes. I have heard that the Left Prime Minister and his party once tried their best to force Fang Yun to go to the north to fight against the monsters. However, it is said that this caused dissatisfaction among many elders in the Holy Academy. One elder from a noble family even lost his temper and cursed Liu Shan. In the end, the Left Prime Minister and his party had to give up."
"There are such rumors. The idea of arranging Fang Xusheng as the governor of the two states was also the idea of many elders in the Holy Academy. Many people from noble families also contributed. They didn't want Fang Xusheng to go to the north to fight the Cao Man to death."
"Alas... Now we can only hope that Zhang Longxiang still has a conscience."
Zhang Zongshi stood up, bowed to the people present, and said, "I am worried about Fang Xusheng and cannot sit still any longer, so I will go to Yueyang Tower in advance."
When everyone heard this, they felt sad, because just before that, Zhang Zongshi was sure that Fang Xusheng would win.
Seeing Zhang Zongshi leaving, some scholars followed him.
In less than a quarter of an hour, the originally bustling Wenyouju became deserted.
When the restaurant owner saw this, he handed the restaurant over to the waiter and went to Yueyang Tower in a carriage.
Amid the crowd heading to Yueyang Tower, the people of Qi from the "Zhenglou Society" were talking and laughing all the time, constantly discussing what was happening in Baling City.
"Li Fanming, you are so dishonest!"
"What's wrong with me?" Li Fanming said as he walked with the big rabbit on his back.
The big rabbit lay on Li Fanming's back, taking a nap on time, and was actually snoring softly, with his two ears gently moving.
"You are obviously a member of the Zhenglou Society, but you helped Fang Yun to shout for Nie Changju to get out of Xiangzhou. Without you taking the lead, I think it would take several days for Nie Changju to be condemned by thousands of people."
Li Fanming laughed dryly and said, "I couldn't help it. I will pay attention next time. I will definitely pay attention."
One of them laughed and said, “I hope you won’t be unable to restrain yourself when Zhang Longxiang competes with Fang Xu Shengwen.”
"Although Zhang Longxiang's poem was too flattering and my good impression of him has completely disappeared, I still can't wait for the two of them to compete."
"Don't be anxious. This kind of thing cannot be rushed. Not to mention that the literary gathering officially begins only after the moon appears. Just considering Zhang Longxiang's habits, the matter between the two of them is not over yet, so how can we compete in literature?" Prefect Yao said with a smile.
"Zhang Mingzhou's habit? Why?" Li Fanming looked at Prefect Yao curiously.
"Have you forgotten? Zhang Longxiang always liked to write poems continuously. Back then, he fought back against the Lumen Army in the literary world, from "One Topic on the Lumen Army" to "Four Topic on the Lumen Army". It is said that Lumen Hou was so angry that he slammed the table and shouted whether it would never end. I don't know whether it is true or not. After that, when the Lumen Army was on the march, Zhang Mingzhou would write a poem to ridicule the Lumen Army every time he arrived at a place, so that Lumen Hou had to forbid him to write poems, otherwise he would write poems all the way to Liangjie Mountain. So I said this matter is not over."
Li Fanming said: "Your Excellency's words make a lot of sense. I will send a letter to Fang Yun right away to let him be on guard!"
Prefect Yao pointed at Li Fanming and said to the crowd with a smile: "Look at this traitor!"
Everyone laughed.
Fang Yun sat in the car, read Li Fanming's letter, smiled, took out Zhang Longxiang's official seal, opened the discussion board, and began to write poetry.
The members of the Tower Fighting Society were making fun of Li Fanming, when Governor Yao suddenly said, "Zhang Mingzhou has written another poem! It's titled "Climbing Yueyang Tower." I'm afraid he has already climbed the wall of Baling City!"
The people nearby hurriedly took out their official seals to discuss the list. At the top of the list was Zhang Longxiang's new poem, and the second one was "Presented to Qingjun on Viewing Dongting Lake".
I heard about Dongting Lake in the past, and now I am standing on Yueyang Tower.
Wu and Chu are separated in the southeast, and the heaven and earth float day and night.
No word from friends and relatives, only an old and sick person left alone in a boat.
Fighting on the northern side of the mountain pass, I lean on the pavilion and tears stream down my face.
Li Fanming originally read the poem with a critical attitude, wanting to help Fang Yun attack Zhang Longxiang, but after reading it, he was speechless.
The rest of the scholars in Qi State were also shocked. Some even recited it several times in a row. Even Prefect Yao read it in a low voice.
One person said, "Old people are always wise. Magistrate Yao's judgment of people and things is far better than ours. After Zhang Longxiang saw Dongting Lake, he began to climb Yueyang Tower. Now it seems that the two poems are connected very naturally, but it was difficult for anyone to guess it before."
"Everyone, do you think this poem can protect the country?"
"This poem has the qualities of Mingzhou, and is still some distance away from being able to defend the country. However, it has already surpassed the previous poem, 'Presented to Lord Qing after Viewing Dongting Lake.' Among all the poems related to Yueyang Tower on Dongting Lake in history, the only poem of the same name, 'Climbing Yueyang Tower', written by Fang Xusheng when he first arrived in Baling, can be compared with it." Prefect Yao answered truthfully.
"Eh? I only paid attention to the poem before, but forgot the title. Since Fang Xusheng also wrote a poem with the same title, Zhang Longxiang's competitive intention has already been revealed."
"I remember Fang Xusheng's poem "Climbing Yueyang Tower" goes like this: From the tower, I can see the end of Yueyang, and the vast river opens to Dongting Lake. The geese take my sorrow away, and the mountain brings me a beautiful moon. I stay in the clouds, and the sky receives the wine. After I get drunk, the cool breeze blows my sleeves back to dance."
"The two poems have different styles and are difficult to compare. Fang Xusheng's poem is beautiful and open-minded, describing beautiful scenery, beautiful times, and beautiful events. Zhang Mingzhou's poem continues his usual style of grief and indignation. In fact... if we don't connect this poem with the previous flattering poem, this poem alone is probably slightly better than Fang Xusheng's poem. But if we connect it with the previous one, it seems to be a little inferior."
Prefect Yao nodded gently and said, "I think so too, which is why I feel that this poem is not good enough to stabilize the country. However, if we do not consider other factors, and do not involve the disputes between the literary society and the two countries, this poem is indeed a good poem. Li Fanming, you are very eloquent, why don't you say anything now? Tell me something."
.(To be continued.)