There was a small door covered with a curtain inside the hall of Li Chuyun's house. The maid served tea and water and then retreated. She did not go through the main door of the hall but lifted the curtain from the small door inside.
This maidservant was very obedient and docile in front of others, but when she saw a beautiful young lady in a cross-collared skirt in the inner room, she started to talk quickly and said: "One of the newcomers is named Luo, who is an old friend of Alang's master Li Chuyun. He also brought another general named Guo Shao. I heard that the man named Guo Shao was a general from Tokyo. If I hadn't heard them talk, I would never have thought that he was a general. He is so young."
The young lady frowned slightly: A military general also wants to come to compete in poetry
The maid laughed and said: Who knows, maybe the lady's reputation has spread to Tokyo
What's so funny? The girl scolded.
The maid quickly stopped smiling and said flatteringly: I forgot for a moment that Master Zhe had no good intentions when he brought so many people here to compete in poetry today.
It's good to know. My mother said, my father didn't say that he wanted to have a literary contest to find a husband, but he shamelessly meddled in other people's affairs. He spread rumors everywhere, saying that our Li family values scholars and Mr. Li is looking for a son-in-law with literary talent; he also brought a group of people to our house to show off his writing skills. Don't I know what Zhe is up to? My father didn't promise to choose whoever writes the best poems today.
The maid came closer and whispered: Last night when I was in the Madam's room, I heard Alang say that if he could meet someone decent today, he would just take advantage of the situation and marry you off to someone else, so that Master Zhe wouldn't have to worry about you all the time.
Ah, the Li family girl was shocked. Why are you saying this now
You had already gone to bed last night, but I forgot about it this morning. Ah Lang is right. The maid said apologetically, "It's better to marry anyone than that Mr. Zhe. I always find him annoying. He was talking about General Guo outside just now, and my wife heard it too."
Li said coldly: I think I have fallen in love with a general named Guo who just came from Tokyo. Why don’t you marry him yourself and ask him if he is willing to marry you.
The maid shrank her head and said angrily: "I am a slave, and it is such a good thing to marry a general. I am willing to work like a cow or a horse in my next life." She didn't care that Li was unhappy and gave her a cold look. She said briskly, "Why don't you go to the front and take a look, hide behind the curtain, open a corner and take a peek. I won't fool you. General Guo is really okay. Madam, we can't be too picky. Do you think scholars or warriors are better? There are both in the hall in front."
Li said coldly: "These scholars only know how to write poems and essays, but I get annoyed just watching them. Warriors are not good people either. They have been fighting for years and months, but they are just fighting for power and profit, and they don't care about the lives of the people at all." As Li spoke, he became a little discouraged and only blamed the world for being bad. Perhaps father is right. As long as he is not a treacherous or shameless villain, I will not contradict father."
At this time, loud voices were heard from outside. The voice of Master Zhe said: There is no limit to the topic, and there is no restriction on the form. As long as it is based on what you see and hear, it will be fine.
Another male voice said: That's great. Let me think about it.
The person who spoke just now should be General Guo, because he had said before that I was indeed a warrior and could not write poetry. Li could roughly guess it based on the maid's narration.
After a while, General Guo's voice came again: Mr. Zuo, on our way to Guanzhong, we passed Tongguan, and you didn't have any feelings
I am tired from the journey and have no time to think. What do you think of Tongguan
General Guo's voice said: "I feel a little sad about this trip to Guanzhong. How about we write a story about the past in Tongguan? Today we don't limit the genre.
Mr. Zhe said: Poems and essays can have long or short sentences, there is no limit.
That's good. I just happen to have one or two sentences. General Guo pondered for a moment, then chanted aloud, "The mountains and hills are like gathering, the waves are like raging, the mountains and rivers are inside and outside the Tongguan Road."
The atmosphere outside, which had been noisy just now due to the large number of people, immediately became quiet, so quiet that one could not feel that there were dozens of people sitting together here.
The young lady Li in the inner room raised her eyebrows slightly, and without noticing, she praised: "What a good sentence, it is majestic and concise, but it is not the slightest trace of carving, let alone being artificial. It is much better than the soft and frivolous moaning and piled-up erotic words I heard before."
The maid next to her didn't quite understand the good and bad of the poem, but she understood the lady's undisguised praise, and immediately looked at her with a smile. After a moment, Li noticed the maid's smile, and immediately frowned and stopped talking.
At this time, a sigh-like voice was heard from outside: Looking at the Western Capital, I am hesitant. Sad that the palaces of the Qin and Han dynasties have all turned to dust.
Li couldn't help but be moved. He was a young military commander. She couldn't help but stand up, not caring about scolding the maid just now, and ran straight to the door, lifted the curtain to see. At this time, cheers suddenly broke out outside, and people cheered.
But a tall young man wearing a long robe and a futou stood beside the table, looking thoughtful. At first glance, the young man was a warrior, with a brave look and a brave spirit, but at this moment, he seemed to be immersed in the mood and feelings of the sentence, and his resolute eyebrows showed a hint of melancholy, just like a poet who was concerned about the country and the people. Li's eyes gradually changed.
People were still cheering when he suddenly flicked his sleeves and said something as if he had been enlightened: When a country prospers, the people suffer; when a country perishes, the people suffer
Everyone fell into silence for a long time. Mr. Zhe looked embarrassed and was speechless for a moment. It seemed that one could hear a pin drop. No one spoke and no one dared to move. There was only a slight cough that was suppressed with patience.
At this time, Li accidentally touched an ash basin by the door, which made a clanging sound, which was immediately very clear. People outside heard the noise and looked sideways, only to see the curtain swaying slightly without wind, and no one was there.
Li ran away, her face flushed. She felt that this room was not safe either. She was afraid of being seen, so she went out from another door and ran into the yard. The maid quickly caught up with her, panting and asking impatiently: "Madam, is General Guo's poem the best?"
It's a long and short sentence, and there are one or two places where the sound is a bit strange. If you compose a song and give it a name, you can still sing it. Li said softly.
The maid insisted: I asked him if his long and short sentences were the best. If they were the best, Alang would be the boss.
Li spat and shouted in a delicate voice, "How can you be ashamed? Can you shout about this kind of thing outside?"
The maid turned her head and pretended to be worried: "From what my lady said, the poems written by General Guo should be the best. But what if Master Zhe insists that his poems are not good? Today's matter was brought up by Master Zhe. He is the one who hosted the poetry meeting, so naturally he should comment on the quality."
Li sneered and said: "Mr. Zhe can be shameless, but he can't be so shameless. If he dares to say that General Guo's long and short sentences are not good, he must find one among the group of people to compare. As for those idle and mutually flattering celebrities, I don't believe anyone can have such a broad mind and write something that can compare with one of the ten thousand Tongguan nostalgia."
As Li expected, no one in the front hall dared to challenge the long and short sentences of Tongguan Nostalgia. Many people praised it, and Master Zhe was very embarrassed. He neither said who was the best nor mentioned the selection, and soon left the table angrily.
Guo Shao still didn't understand what today's poetry gathering was about. He never thought that there would be a literary competition to find a bride. He thought it was just everyone getting bored and getting together to show off their knowledge.
After all, no one told him about this. If Guo Shao knew the details, he would probably understand why Master Zhe was so rude to a stranger today. There was no grudge between them. Even if it was a bad guy, he would not want to make a grudge with him for no reason. But Master Zhe's resentment was not without reason. It was indeed because Chen Yaojin showed up halfway. He was worried from the beginning that Guo Shao would ruin his good deeds, and sure enough, he really ruined his good deeds.
Guo Shao stayed at Li's house, and under Luo Yanhuan's matchmaking, he had another heart-to-heart talk with Li Chuyun. This was the real reason he came to Bingzhou, to win over talented people. Li Chuyun seemed to be doing better than Luo Yanhuan, but he also seemed to be unsuccessful. Such an unsuccessful but potentially talented person was very cost-effective.
Because with Guo Shao's strength, it is not his turn to win over capable people who have already achieved success or demonstrated extraordinary talent.
In the afternoon, Guo Shao and others reluctantly said goodbye to Li Chuyun. They were of course embarrassed to stay in Li's house, and Guo Shao had a place to stay, which was the post house outside Bingzhou. When they arrived in Bingzhou, they certainly would not turn down Ruan Ming's words: I am here to poach your girlfriend; Guo Shao's excuse was that he was visiting relatives and friends and was passing by, so he stayed in the post house.
Luo Yanhuan and Guan Gong Li Chuyun were old friends for many years and did not return to the inn until the evening.
When Luo Yanhuan saw Guo Shao, he said something shocking: Lord Li asked me to find out about Guo Dushi's family affairs and whether he had married and had children.
Speaking of this, Jingniang, who was sitting far away, immediately looked sideways.
Guo Shao glared and asked: What does he mean
It's nothing, I just found out about it, Luo Yanhuan said, today's poetry contest is intended for the Li family to compete for a bride. Whoever writes the best poem will be promised the bride of the Li family. Obviously, Guo Du's long and short sentences were unmatched by anyone present.
Guo Shao was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Zuo You, as if to say: You did a good job.
Zuo You said jokingly: "Since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the imperial examinations have required poetry writing first. I usually think that my lord has read a lot of books, and I thought that my lord could at least write a decent one, at least it wouldn't be too embarrassing. I didn't expect that your first move shocked everyone, and now even my little girl won't let you go."
Guo Shaodao: When did I say that I wrote those words myself
Luo Mengzi laughed and said: Brother Luo said that the Li family's young lady is well-known for her beauty. Now you are lucky enough to have her.