Confucianism under Heaven

Chapter 74 "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River"

Chapter Seventy-Four: Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River

Ye Ru's calm words caused the entire audience to erupt in excitement, and all eyes turned to him.

"Did Ye Ru really participate in the Three Kings Tournament?"

"As expected of Yip Tong-sheng, he certainly has guts."

"I just don't know who will win the title."

……

Countless people whispered among themselves.

"Alright, since the three of us represent the three major private schools, let's begin the competition for the top spot. You should know the rules for determining the champion, right?"

Liu Juecheng said.

Ye Ru and the other man both nodded.

“Alright, I’ll start with a prize. This is a second-grade literary treasure, the Taihe Qin. I mainly cultivate Confucianism and Taoism, and secondarily cultivate the art of the qin. Therefore, this Taihe Qin is a family heirloom of our Liu family.”

A hint of mockery flashed across Liu Juecheng's eyes as he took out the Taihe Qin and handed it to someone.

"Since Brother Liu is so generous, I will naturally not be inferior. This brush is also a second-grade literary treasure. Everyone knows that regular script is divided into small regular script and large regular script. Small regular script originated in the Three Kingdoms period. The brushstrokes of the great Confucian scholar Zhong Yao were derived from Han clerical script. This brush is called the Wolf Wind Brush. It is made using the hair of the wolf king. The brushstrokes written with this brush are like flying geese playing in the sea, which is very vivid."

Zhao Qingfeng smiled slightly, took out a wolf-hair brush from his sleeve, twirled it a few times with his fingers, and then handed it to the middleman.

The student was extremely excited as he held the two literary treasures, after all, they were two second-grade literary treasures.

Countless people looked at the student with envy; even if they couldn't have him, touching him would be just as good.

"I wonder what impressive prize Brother Ye Ru has to offer? Don't bring out a calligraphy brush that you can find anywhere on the street, that would be quite embarrassing."

As Zhao Qingfeng and Liu Juecheng took out the prize money, Liu Juecheng looked at Ye Ru with a mocking expression and said sarcastically.

"I'd better not bring out my prize. If it alerts everyone, it might not turn out well..."

Ye Ru told Su Tongyao to step back, rubbed his temples, and said helplessly.

"To alarm everyone? Brother Ye Ru, you must be joking. I know you, back when you were still a student, your family was destitute and you had no books to read. I'm afraid you really just bought some junk from the market?"

Liu Juecheng smiled slightly and said.

These words undoubtedly drew sneers from the other students of Liufeng Academy. Although they had heard rumors that Ye Ru had fought against an entire class by himself, they did not know how he had won.

Su Tongyao looked worried and tugged at Ye Ru's sleeve.

"Brother Ye Ru, just pick one out. Whether you bought it at the market or picked it up on the road, we won't mind. It's just for good luck. We won't laugh at you."

One of the students spoke loudly, seemingly trying to embarrass Ye Ru.

"Brother Ye Ru..."

Qian Wei also tugged at Ye Ru's robe.

Zhao Qingfeng remained silent, still sporting his usual nonchalant expression.

"In that case, I'll make a fool of myself..."

Ye Ru sighed, and with a gentle wave, a golden light appeared and floated in the sky, causing many people to exclaim in surprise.

The paperweight floated in the air, its powerful light dimming the luster of both Zhao Qingfeng's and Liu Juecheng's writing implements.

"This kind of radiance indicates it's at least a third-grade literary treasure..."

call out!

However, before the words had even finished, another beam of golden light appeared, shining on everyone's faces and causing many to be slightly stunned.

"The second item is a third-grade literary treasure..."

boom!

However, another dazzling light appeared, causing everyone's breathing to quicken and the entire audience to be shocked.

The mockery of Liu Juecheng, Zhao Qingfeng, and the others froze on their faces, replaced by deep shock.

"Three Grade-Three literary treasures... Where did this guy get so many...?"

Zhao Qingfeng completely abandoned his carefree attitude at this moment, and instead had a solemn expression.

Liu Juecheng turned pale, took two steps back, and looked horrified.

Everyone fell silent, a deathly silence.

"Fang Zifeng, how come this student has three third-grade literary treasures? Did you lend them to him?"

The old man from Liu Feng Private School also looked shocked and said in a deep voice.

Do you think I look like someone who possesses three third-grade literary treasures?

Fang Zifeng helplessly shrugged, looking completely innocent.

This undoubtedly made everyone gasp in shock.

"Of these three third-grade literary treasures, I wonder which one is qualified to compare with Brother Liu's Taihe Qin?"

Ye Ru smiled slightly at him, which almost made Liu Juecheng so angry that he vomited blood.

Everyone else was speechless.

This one third-grade literary treasure is worth ten second-grade literary treasures.

"I really misjudged you today. It's no wonder that Brother Ye Ru became a student of the first level of the imperial examination. I wonder which literary treasure Brother Ye would like to offer as a prize?"

Zhao Qingfeng suppressed his shock and smiled.

"Since everyone is in such high spirits today, let's bet everything, Brother Liu, what do you say?"

Ye Ru turned to look at Liu Juecheng, whose face was gloomy, and said.

Upon hearing this, Liu Juecheng fell into deep thought. If he could defeat Ye Ru, then all three literary treasures would be his, which was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"Okay, as you wish."

Liu Juecheng quickly agreed.

"However, I have one more condition: if you two lose, you must admit that you are outmatched..."

"This is impossible!"

Liu Juecheng was taken aback at first, then shouted.

"But that's it..."

Ye Ru waved his sleeve, intending to take back the three third-grade literary treasures.

"Wait, I promise you!"

Liu Juecheng gritted his teeth and shouted sharply.

“Very well, let’s begin the process of determining the champion. Brother Liu, please explain the rules.”

A barely perceptible smile appeared on Ye Ru's lips.

Zhao Qingfeng fell into deep thought, feeling as if he and Liu Juecheng had both fallen into Ye Ru's trap.

"Alright, as everyone knows, Brother Ye Ru's poetry is unparalleled. Today, we won't compete in poetry; instead, we'll compete in writing an essay. We'll decide on one essay, and whoever finishes first will be the champion. How about that?"

Liu Juecheng pondered for a moment, then spoke.

"I'm free to do it."

Zhao Qingfeng sighed, inwardly cursing Liu Juecheng as an idiot.

He finally realized what Ye Ru had done; they had both been tricked.

Moreover, it inexplicably came with a second-grade literary treasure.

"As Brother Liu says."

Ye Ru nodded.

After thinking for a moment, Liu Juecheng said:

"With such a beauty by our side, how about we write a poem like Cao Zhi's 'Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River'?"

These words caused many people at Liufeng Private School to show strange expressions. It was common knowledge at Liufeng Private School that Liu Juecheng loved to write "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River". With this one poem, he had won the hearts of countless young girls.

If Liu Juecheng were to write this "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River," it would be like adding wings to a tiger.

Ye Ru knew that the "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River" was written by Cao Zhi during the Three Kingdoms period, imitating the description of the goddess of Wushan in Song Yu's "Ode to the Goddess" from the Warring States period. It narrated the story of his encounter with the goddess of the Luo River by the Luo River. The expressive techniques in the article borrowed a lot from the Song ode, making it quite difficult to memorize.