Confucianism under Heaven

Chapter 26 Battle Alliance

Chapter Twenty-Six: Battle of Links

The entire hall was silent. This "Sacred Scholar" was a third-class literary talent, yet he personally ruined his own literary reputation. Wang Xiaoyang was truly ruthless.

Seeing that Ye Ru was interested, Wang Xiaoyang said again urgently:

"If Ye Tongsheng doesn't dare, then forget it. Just pretend I never said it."

"Ye Ru, don't be fooled! Wang Bieqiu is a scholar who has passed the imperial examination!"

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Zhang's aged face showed a hint of worry, fearing that Ye Ru had fallen into Wang Xiaoyang's trap.

Ye Ru lost, which was not just a matter of tarnishing his literary reputation, but a matter of disrespecting the Emperor, and would be punished by His Majesty's decree.

Moreover, the Book Palace will collapse, and the Book Core will be destroyed, leaving him a cripple.

"Yes, Ye Ru, this guy is using trickery. We can't act rashly!"

Zhao Cheng and Qian Wei also shouted urgently.

The registrar and the county magistrate exchanged a glance, both sensing something amiss in each other's eyes.

Ye Ru, young and impetuous, might fall into Wang Xiaoyang's trap if provoked like this.

"Wang Xiaoyang's father became a member of the Qingyun County elite family by matching couplets. If Ye Ru agrees, it's all over."

"But judging from his expression, it's impossible for him to agree."

"A copy of Wang Xizhi's 'Huang Ting Jing'? Are you sure?"

Ye Ru sneered. He possessed the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries, so he was not afraid of these conspiracies and tricks.

Moreover, my own calligraphy is indeed not good. Although this copybook cannot compare to the original, it has been imbued with the scholarly spirit of Wang Xizhi.

"Well, Brother Ye Ru, do you dare to give it a try? Don't be a spineless genius who has been sent to the Holy Land."

Wang Xiaoyang thought Ye Ru wouldn't dare, and immediately mocked him again.

Surrounded by onlookers, Ye Ru knew that Magistrate Zhang and the others were watching. If he didn't show some real talent, he would hardly catch the eye of these officials.

After a moment, Ye Ru raised his head and smiled slightly at him:

"I'll keep you company."

"You certainly have guts. Father, you come up with the couplet."

Wang Xiaoyang couldn't help but praise him, then looked at Wang Bieqiu.

"Listen carefully, this couplet is also known as the Couplet Battle. There are three couplets in total, and you only have one minute to answer each one. If you can answer them all correctly, you win."

Wang Bieqiu explained the rules clearly, and then said loudly:

"The sky and water merge into one, and the water and sky are one color."

"A palindrome couplet? Or a medium-length palindrome couplet? I saw one in a scholar's examination question back then. How could the Wang family be so cunning!"

The registrar was greatly alarmed, as the examination questions for the Xiucai degree were several times more difficult than those for the Tongsheng degree.

Countless people were also discussing it, all looking at Ye Ru with schadenfreude, thinking that Ye Ru probably couldn't answer even if he racked his brains.

Ye Ru took a deep breath, lowered his head to think, and began flipping through the Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries).

Those close to Ye Ru sighed with dismay. This wasn't poetry; one had to consider tonal patterns and parallelism. A minute was far too short.

"Ye Ru is probably going to suffer a great loss this time."

Zhao Cheng said regretfully.

When there were ten seconds left, Ye Ru suddenly looked up.

"The sky and water merge into one color, the green willows dance in the wind, the wind and willows face each other."

"Look, isn't that willow tree outside just like Ye Ru described?"

Suddenly someone looked out the window; the willow trees outside were swaying and dancing.

"That's brilliant!"

Magistrate Zhang's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but praise it.

The imagery in the second line makes it feel as if you are actually there, making it even more vivid.

Wang Bieqiu and Wang Xiaoyang frowned:

“A temple is built on every inch of land, and a poem is written beside the temple. The poem says: ‘The bright moon sends the monk back to the ancient temple.’”

"Character-splitting couplets?"

Magistrate Zhang was furious, and those close to the Wang family became even more excited.

“Character splitting couplets are the most difficult type of couplet.”

Registrar Wen shook his head and lowered his head.

"It's over. Just wait for Ye Rushu Palace to collapse."

The county magistrate clenched his fists, a look of pain on his face.

"How about it? This word-splitting couplet was something my father found by chance in a mountain. Even a scholar wouldn't be able to match it in a minute!"

The whole room burst into laughter.

When Wang Xiaoyang saw Ye Ru lower his head, he assumed that the latter couldn't answer the question and laughed gleefully.

However, before the laughter could subside, a leisurely voice rang out, abruptly silencing the laughter and gradually turning the joy on the former's face into shock!

"Two trees form a forest, and a prohibition is posted beneath the forest, which reads: Axes and hatchets may not be used in the mountains and forests at the proper times!"

boom!

Poetic light emerged, shining on everyone's face, creating a comical scene.

"Poetic inspiration emerges; this second line is absolutely perfect, there is no better one."

Magistrate Zhang was greatly surprised. If this were put into a poem, it would not only be considered a display of virtue, but also an astonishment of sainthood. The other students also pondered this, but felt that their creative ideas were somewhat blocked.

"How is this going?"

"Ye Ru's couplet is a genius. He adapted Mencius's 'My Relationship with the State' into a couplet, using the sage's words."

After a moment, the registrar slapped the table and exclaimed in delight. He then picked up his pen and quickly wrote down the two couplets.

Suddenly, the poetic light intensified, leaving everyone in shock.

"good."

The county magistrate nodded in agreement, his eyes filled with admiration.

These students lacked talent, and with the power of the sacred path blocking their way, they naturally couldn't possibly think to this level.

But the county magistrates were different. As officials appointed by the imperial court, they had the nation's fortunes on their side, so their talents naturally increased. They immediately thought of Mencius's "My Relationship with the State".

"The last question!"

Wang Bieqiu took a deep breath, his eyes growing even colder:

"ink."

"How cunning Wang Bieqiu is!"

Magistrate Zhang looked at Ye Ru nervously. This kind of couplet, which consists of one to nine characters, is the most difficult.

Because, although it is called a couplet, it includes two parts. If one part of the couplet is wrong, then you lose!

Wang Bieqiu had this in mind, and repeatedly framed Ye Ru.

The character "墨" (mo) is only one character, but it has a profound meaning.

After thinking for a while, Ye Ru replied:

"spring."

"it is good!"

Countless people applauded, noting that the upper part of the character "墨" (mo) is black, while the upper part of the character "泉" (quan) is white. Each character represents a color, and their meanings are opposite.

The lower parts of the two characters are earth and water, both of which belong to one of the five elements.

Wang Bieqiu frowned:

"Han Fu" (Han Dynasty prose-poetry).

"Chu Ci" (Songs of Chu)

"The moon in the water."

"A flower in a mirror".

"East, South, West, and North."

"Spring, summer, autumn, and winter".

"The mountain scenery exudes a refined and elegant atmosphere."

"The lake's shimmering light illuminates the mind."

"Bamboo rain, pine breeze, and the melody of a zither."

"Tea smoke, paulownia moon, and the sound of reading."

As everyone watched Wang Bieqiu utter the first sentence, Ye Ru immediately replied with the next. At first, they were just astonished, but then their astonishment turned into shock, and in the end, everyone's face was filled with horror.

Wen, the registrar, was also covered in sweat. Writing this couplet had taken a lot of effort, especially since it was an absolute couplet. He had just been promoted to the rank of Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination), and his talent and thinking were not keeping up!

The entire venue was quiet, with only Ye Ru and Wang Bieqiu's voices echoing throughout the literary gathering.

"His calligraphy and painting have astonished the world throughout the ages."

"Ten thousand miles of clouds and mountains are like a painting."

Wang Bieqiu and Wang Xiaoyang's faces grew increasingly grim, with sweat dripping from the former's cheeks onto the ground.

"Silk and bamboo instruments harmonize perfectly with the music of the day."

"Mountains and waters shine brightly under the sun, giving rise to literary beauty."

"Our motherland is rising now, and we must seize the moment."

"A person who dares to take responsibility in this world does not care about their background."

Countless people stared at Ye Ru in shock, then held their breath. If Ye Ru could also complete this last cross-shaped couplet, then all ten couplets would be correct, and his literary reputation would definitely increase greatly!

"I refuse to believe you can complete this last cross!"