Chapter 46: The Second Poem

Of course, what was even more annoying was Shi Wushuang. Although Li Ye had not driven him out of the Dayuan Dynasty, this felt far more agonizing than being killed. First, he was defeated in literary talent, and then Li Ye claimed he was merely joking, which was clearly rubbing his face back and forth against the ground. Shi Wushuang felt an immense sense of humiliation, his face dark as he drank continuously, barely able to suppress the raging fury within his heart. If not for the mission from the Cloud Ridge Pavilion, he would have left long ago. However, he now needed to continue winning over the Third Prince and the Crown Prince, embedding more disciples of the Cloud Ridge Pavilion into vital official positions. He had no choice but to endure.

Qin Qingxue kept her eyes fixed on Li Ye, feeling utterly astonished by the poem he had composed. After today, Li Ye would undoubtedly secure a prominent place in the literary circles of Dayuan. Many talented scholars would look at him with newfound respect, or even gaze upon him with deep admiration. At the same time, she turned back and cast a worried glance at Shi Wushuang. For some reason, Shi Wushuang was entirely unlike his usual self today; he could no longer maintain his refined and gentle demeanor, becoming instead somewhat irritable and unable to control his emotions. Qin Qingxue could even sense a violent aura radiating from him, making her too afraid to speak another word to him.

Li Ruiming said with a delighted smile, "I truly never expected our Sixth Brother to astonish us all today with a single feat. Since when did you know how to compose such a piece?"

Li Ye waved his hand modestly and said with a smile, "Not at all, not at all. Perhaps it was due to the invitation from Princess Ruyue; my spirits were high today, and inspiration struck me out of nowhere, allowing me to write such a verse. To be honest, even I am quite surprised. It was merely a stroke of genius achieved by chance; please do not push me up among the great literary masters, for I am hardly worthy."

Princess Ruyue's eyes immediately lit up as she murmured, "A stroke of genius achieved by chance? That phrase has profound artistic conception!"

The crowd was once again startled, looking at Li Ye with profound amazement as they savored the words carefully. Li Ye took a sip of wine and was enjoying it slowly, completely unaware of the expressions of the others. Swaying his head slightly, he recited, "Essays are naturally crafted by heaven, a stroke of genius achieved by chance. Pure and without a single flaw, how could they ever require human toil?"

As soon as these four lines were spoken, the crowd fell into shock once more. He had effortlessly produced yet another poem. The first two lines, in particular, were utterly exquisite, perfectly describing the origin and reason behind a magnificent verse and leaving everyone in profound awe.

Princess Ruyue savored the four lines with delight, picked up her brush, and jotted them down. "Another marvelous verse! The Sixth Prince's literary talent is truly breathtaking; Ruyue is deeply impressed."

Everyone present exchanged stunned glances, staring at one another in speechless amazement. Li Ye had just spoken with modesty, only to immediately produce another poem destined to be passed down through generations. Such literary talent could only be described as defying the heavens. If he had merely written a fine poem through a sudden flash of inspiration, it still wouldn't prove his literary prowess was matchless. However, to produce two consecutive poems, both of which could be called peerless and worthy of entering the literary pantheon, was something an ordinary person could never achieve.

Shi Wushuang clenched his fists so tightly that his teeth were nearly ground to dust. He lowered his head, flames of fury almost erupting from his eyes. This was practically murdering him and then continuing to whip his corpse afterward. Both of these poems were enough to utterly crush him. If either of them were casually brought out, Shi Wushuang would have no confidence whatsoever in being able to surpass it. He simply could not comprehend why a prince who only knew how to do business, make money, and reek of vulgar copper coins could possess such peerless literary talent. He was the most pampered disciple of the Cloud Ridge Pavilion; how could his literary talent be overshadowed by a mere prince? He was deeply unwilling and filled with boundless rage, yet despite racking his brains, he could not come up with a single verse to rival them.

Clearly, no matter where he went, he should have been the protagonist and the center of adoration. With just a casual display of talent, countless young maidens would shriek with admiration and fall head over heels for him. Yet at today's tea party, Li Ye had completely stolen his thunder, drawing everyone's attention entirely to himself while leaving Shi Wushuang almost completely ignored.

Having finished his cup of wine, Li Ye finally sensed that something was terribly wrong. Why had it suddenly become so dead silent, with no one speaking? Opening his eyes, he saw that everyone's gaze was focused squarely on him. He asked in bewilderment, "What is this? Why are you all looking at me like that? Is there something dirty on me?"

Princess Ruyue, thoroughly defeated by Li Ye, said with a helpless smile, "Does the Sixth Prince not realize that you have just composed another poem capable of shocking the literary world?"

"Ah? When?"

Li Ye suddenly snapped to his senses. Inadvertently, he had just slipped and recited the first half of a poem by the senior poet Lu You. The first four lines, in particular, were classics among classics. Now he really had no way to explain himself. Having composed two poems in a row, who would ever believe him if he claimed his literary talent was mediocre? Li Ye could only laugh it off awkwardly and said, "An accident, this was purely an accident. I don't know how it happened, but it just slipped out!"

"Sixth Brother, your literary talent is simply too heaven-defying! You usually keep it hidden so well. No, you must be punished with three cups of wine, and you must compose a few more poems today. Furthermore, you must explain what books you usually read. Have you been secretly studying diligently behind our backs?"

Li Ruiming fired off a series of questions, suddenly feeling utterly estranged from this brother of his, as if he were only meeting him for the very first time today. Recently, Li Ye seemed to have completely transformed into a different person, capable of both leading troops in battle and composing poetry and prose. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him skilled in both the pen and the sword. Was this really the same useless brother from before?

"Third Brother thinks far too highly of me. I merely read the occasional book. Reaching my limit with two consecutive poems, how could I possibly have the ability to conjure a third one?"

In the Crown Prince Li Zheng's eyes, a flickering light danced as he wondered what thoughts were churning within his mind. The more outstanding Li Ye appeared, the more disadvantageous it was for him. The Third Prince was currently sparing no effort to win Li Ye over, whereas he himself, in order to curry favor with Shi Wushuang, had long since fallen out bitterly with Li Ye. In particular, when Li Ye led troops on an expedition against bandits, he had used his authority to assign five thousand old and feeble soldiers to Li Ye. If Li Ye ever wanted to investigate, he would undoubtedly discover that it was his handiwork. Should Li Ye be recruited by the Third Prince, he would gain yet another formidable enemy. Once recognized by the scholars, one's influence at court was immense. The Crown Prince would never allow such a thing to happen. He was already pondering how to win Li Ye over, and if he couldn't win him over, he would simply have to eliminate him.

Among those attending the tea party were also many young ladies from other high-ranking official households, as well as influential young talents within the literary circles. All of them looked at Li Ye with completely new eyes, their impressions of him radically altered. So long as a person possessed sufficient talent, they could gather a massive following of admirers and win the favor of numerous young ladies. With sufficiently good literary talent, there was a chance to place high in the imperial examinations, and combined with family influence, one's future prospects would be boundless. Not to mention a prince like Li Ye—so long as he didn't court his own destruction, he was guaranteed to become a prince of the realm in the future. How many young maidens' hearts and dreams was it to marry such a man?