CHAPTER 434: 339. LUCK

Analects, half-understood;

Doctrine of the Mean, half-understood.

All are half-understood.

Qi Zhenwu, seated at a high rank, advised, "Young brother from the Chen family, no need to be too modest. Today’s gathering is merely for fun; no need to compete for rank. If not, we will allow you to use borrowed rhymes, and even if it’s not neat, it doesn’t matter. If you truly lose, just drink three cups of wine; no need to recite the ’Initiation into Sound and Rhyme’.

Today, Mr. Qi invited Chen Ji here for a special reason. Qi Zhenwu indeed felt it inappropriate for Chen Ji to lose face, hence he lowered the requirements.

Yet, he never thought that Chen Ji couldn’t even understand what the ’five micro rhymes’ were.

Even if he could write, Chen Ji should not write anymore. In fact, he could write a famous piece that resonates through the ages, stunning everyone, and then say, "My poems weigh like a thousand jun, not to be trifled with in such childish games." As long as the piece he recited was excellent enough, then he would be right.

But he had once publicly said in Luocheng City that ’Broken Formation Song’ was composed by Prince Jing, and that he couldn’t write poems.

Chen Ji cupped his hands to Qi Zhenwu and said, "Thank you, Lord Qi, for your concern. But when I was an apprentice, I rose early in the morning to fetch water and sweep the ground, during the day I cut and weighed medicine. At night, my senior brothers snored loudly, and the master was miserly, sometimes even unwilling to let us light oil lamps... Indeed, at the Medical Hall, there was no leisure to read the classics."

When Chen Ji said this, there was no trace of shame in his expression, nor did he seem to regard apprenticing at the Medical Hall as something disgraceful, he concealed nothing.

The young girl playing the pipa suddenly raised her head, carefully scrutinized him again, then lowered her head back down and began playing a tune of ’Breaking Formation Song’.

The crowd saw Chen Ji’s resolution and didn’t know what to say.

Qi Zhaoning idly remarked, "It’s dull, waiting for an hour in vain, might as well go to the Imperial Music Bureau to watch ’Four Dreams of Bianliang’ again."

At this time, Shen Ye softly said, "I’ve heard that Young Master Chen gave up literature for military pursuits, presumably with a resolve to expand the territory. Regardless of going the literary or military route, both are serving the court, there’s no difference. Since he is unwilling to participate, let’s not force it... Why not just skip the poetry then."

As he spoke, Shen Ye smiled and exchanged glances with Chen Ji, slightly nodding in politeness.

Lin Chaojing was not willing to relent, "Brother Shen, today is the Literary Meeting, even you, the scholarly champion of Huqiu Poetry Society, are here. Without comparing poetry and song, what’s the point? Since Chen Ji is unwilling to write, how about I compose one?"

He then supported his right sleeve with his left hand, picked up a brush, and wrote on the table: "Night snow seals the mountain, hunters ride fat; the lonely village’s fire dies, the dog’s bark is faint.

At the gates in the morning news reports capturing the chieftain, binding the white-haired with blood to return."

This time, the room fell silent, no one dared to praise.

Before Chen Ji could react, Qi Zhenzhuo erupted in fury, slammed the table, and stood up: "What do you mean, you damn bastard, Qi Duo, fetch my sword!"

Qi Zhenwu also angrily said, "Qi Zhenzhuo, what are you doing?"

Qi Zhenzhuo pointed with two fingers as if holding a sword, angrily accusing Lin Chaojing, "Brother, this brat is mocking the border army soldiers for faking their achievements by killing civilians!"

The lonely village’s fire ends, binding the old with white hair; this poem narrates the border army slaughtering the civilian population in a lonely village, using the elderly’s white hair to falsely consider as battle achievements, every line directly pointing at the Guyuan border army’s false achievements.

Lin Chaojing leisurely placed the brush: "Why are you angry, Brother Qi, let me ask you, when you followed the Crown Prince to Guyuan to investigate the false military achievement case, did you confirm anything?"

Qi Zhenzhuo’s face turned an iron-blue as he remained silent.

Lin Chaojing further asked, "Let me ask again, it’s rumored that Chen Ji alone beheaded over a hundred Heavenly Strategy Army heads, something even a Grand Official in the Seeking Dao Realm may not achieve, how did he manage this? Doesn’t this attest to his fraudulent achievements?"

Qi Zhenzhuo furiously retorted, "What nonsense are you spouting?"

Lin Chaojing replied calmly, "Then tell me how he killed them?"

Qi Zhenzhuo’s face froze, at that time hiding on the rooftop, shivering, how could he know how Chen Ji killed so many Heavenly Strategy Army members?

And this pause on his face, in everyone’s eyes, precisely validated Lin Chaojing’s ridicule.

Qi Zhenzhuo no longer tangled with him, instead angrily reprimanded, "Disturbing the host, your Eunuch Party brother never taught you how to be a guest at someone else’s house? Or perhaps the Eunuch Party is so brazen, ignorant of etiquette?"

Lin Chaojing’s expression changed: "Qi Zhenzhuo, I’ve long severed ties with Lin Chaoqing of the Eunuch Party, there’s no connection anymore, the literary circle knows of this!"

Qi Zhenzhuo raised an eyebrow, "Your Lin Family originally comes from civil servant stock, if you truly severed ties with that Eunuch Party, how could you live such a luxurious life?"

People gazed at Lin Chaojing, his garb was a white slanted-collar coat with golden thread embroidery of the curved water pattern on the collar’s edge, head adorned with a gold silk amber triple beam crown, exuding nobility.

This Lin Chaojing always displayed extravagance, which is why he attracted many literary scholars around him.

Before the crowd could delve deeper, Qi Zhenwu seated at the main table slammed the desk, rose and said: "Qi Zhenzhuo, I’ve cautioned you many times, do not judge people by their family! Quickly, apologize to the young brother of the Lin Family!"

Qi Zhenzhuo turned his face away, "He slandered me first."

Lin Chaojing chuckled, turned to Qi Zhenwu, and cupped his hands: "Lord Qi need not mind, Qi Zhenzhuo and I were merely jesting."

Qi Zhenwu said gently, "Alright, the young are full of vigor, a little disagreement turns into a big quarrel, it’s quite normal. Close friends, who hasn’t argued? However, you all are newly awarded scholars after the Imperial Examination, with such temperament, how can you serve as pillars for the Ning Dynasty in the future? Let’s continue with poetry, bring up the poetry bell, if the poetry bell rings and none have composed verses, they’ll be penalized with wine... Young brother Chen Ji, you need not participate."

Chen Ji turned to quietly ask Qi Zhenzhuo, "Where are the brothers from the Yulin Army?"

Qi Zhenzhuo explained, "My brother-in-law is leading them in the East Courtyard drinking, we’ll go there once we’re done dealing here, ha, truly awkward being among these literary folks!"