"Boy Li, are you really going to wear a mask?" the old beggar asked with a frown.
Opposite him, Li Xunshan was dressed in a white robe. He took off his Confucian crown and replaced it with high-knot hair. If it weren't for the black gauze covering his face, he would definitely be walking on the road. A handsome scholar who will attract women's attention.
"Cover it up. If you meet Miss Yue...Ren before the end of the poetry conference, I'm afraid I won't be able to participate in the poetry conference." After saying that, Li Xunshan looked at the old beggar and said with a smile: "Uncle Wen, You look really different now that you've washed yourself... When this happens, I'll pay to buy you some nice clothes."
Hearing this, the old beggar looked startled, then smiled and waved his hands and said, "No, once I put on my beggar's clothes, I can't take them off."
"Okay, okay, come in quickly, there won't be any seats left in a while." There was already a long queue in the direction Wei Hai raised his hand to point.
Many scholars in robes and many brightly dressed women entered in an orderly manner in front of the door of an attic called "Liujing Pavilion".
This "Liujing Pavilion" is the favorite place for literati in Jiangling Mansion.
This place has everything from the Four Treasures of the Study to calligraphy and paintings by famous artists.
Many scholars come here to drink tea and talk about poetry with their friends in their spare time.
In front of the door of Liuyu Pavilion, there were two beautiful women standing. They were responsible for handing out hand cards to those who were going to participate in the poetry conference.
The hand cards are divided into two types: the sky-character hand cards and the earth-character hand cards. The former is worth two taels of silver and can sit on the second floor, with an independent space blocked by a screen...the latter costs two taels of silver and only costs two taels of silver. If you can sit in the main hall on the first floor, you have to share a table with others.
However, the table was for four people, so Gu Ningan and the others just happened to sit together.
When paying the bill, Li Xunshan originally wanted to pay everyone, but Wei Hai took the lead and after paying the money, he forced Li Xunshan and the others in.
Passing through the interior of the pavilion, the air was filled with the faint aroma of ink. There were calligraphy and paintings by famous artists on display all around. Almost all the participants who were seated were well-dressed, so when Gu Ning'an and the others took their seats, it became particularly eye-catching.
After all, among them, except for Gu Ning'an, who was dressed the most normal, the other three were more or less weird.
Li Xunshan, masked in black gauze, Wei Hai with his arms open, especially the old beggar's ragged appearance, almost became the focus of everyone's attention.
However, the people present were all "literati". In order to maintain their own demeanor, at most there was something strange in their eyes, and no one opened their mouths to say anything casual.
About half an hour later, the entire main hall on the first floor of Liuyu Pavilion was full of people. Gu Ning'an and the others arrived relatively early, so they sat relatively close to the "Wen Tai".
clang!
The waiter rang the gong on the side of the stage, and the whole place fell silent instantly, and all eyes were focused on the "wentai".
"Everyone!"
"I am the shopkeeper of Liu Chuang Pavilion, don't learn from me!"
A bookish middle-aged man, wearing a black robe and a wolf-hair pen on his waist, strode onto the stage and introduced himself.
"Hello, Mr. Mo!" "Mr. Mo's clothes are really elegant!"
Under the desk, many scholars sitting in the main hall stood up to say hello, and their words were full of compliments.
Obviously, the shopkeeper of Liujing Pavilion is worthy of being flattered in the eyes of these scholars.
Shopkeeper Mo held his fist in front of the audience and returned the greeting: "I am lucky enough to be able to hold the Jiangling Mansion Poetry Conference for the second time in Liu Ting Pavilion."
"I hope that today you can each show your special skills and leave a lasting legacy for our Jiangling Mansion!"
The audience once again burst into applause, prompting Shopkeeper Mo to lower his hand and say: "Next, let me invite me, the most talented person in Jiangling Mansion, who was also the leader of the last poetry competition - Mr. Sun Xuan, Mr. Sun. A good start to today’s poetry conference!”
As soon as these words came out, everyone's eyes were focused behind the screen in the center of the second floor. In their opinion, only Sun Xuan was qualified to take the good seat.
Sure enough, the two maids, one on the left and one on the right, opened the screen, and immediately revealed a man wearing a Confucian crown and robe, holding a golden folding fan.
This person is Sun Xuan, Mr. Sun.
Sitting on the nanmu chair behind him was a woman with a beautiful face and lively eyes. When he saw the woman, Li Xunshan couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Seeing how he frequently changed his sitting position and felt uncomfortable no matter how he sat, even though the old beggar and Wei Hai had never seen what Miss Ren looked like, they were sure that the beautiful woman was Ren Yue...
"Have a cup of tea." Gu Ning'an pushed a cup of tea towards Li Xunshan.
Hearing this, Li Xunshan said his thanks in a panic, picked up the tea cup with one hand, put it under the mask and drank it in one gulp.
After drinking the tea, Li Xunshan's excitement seemed to have calmed down a lot. At least his hands were no longer shaking so much when he put the tea cup down.
"Everyone, before I write the first couplet, Sun would like to introduce my female companion to you." At this point, Sun Xuan turned around and pointed at Ren Yue and said with a smile: "Miss Ren Yue."
Hearing this, Ren Yue did not get up and step forward. She just nodded slightly as a response.
Seeing this, Sun Xuan also felt that he had lost face. He turned around and bowed to everyone in the audience: "Miss Ren is thin-skinned. Sun Xuan is here to salute everyone on her behalf. I hope you will be full of talent and wonderful writing."
At the same time, after the screen on the second floor was removed, all the young masters with very different figures, looks, and even temperaments all echoed Sun Xuan's words.
"I'm not telling you where Mr. Sun Xuan and Miss Ren will go. They are truly a match made in heaven!"
"That is to say, I am afraid that Mr. Sun can take the lead today."
...
Compliments were heard from upstairs and downstairs, and compared to their previous attitude towards Shopkeeper Mo, they were even more enthusiastic.
Wei Hai spat in a low voice: "Tch, isn't he just a pretty boy? He looks very weak at first glance, otherwise how could he have such a fair face?"
The old beggar picked his nose and said, "What's the difference between these so-called talented men and the flatterers in the market?"
"The poetry conference...is an insult to politeness!"
"It's really boring to watch them flattering after waiting for a long time." As he spoke, Gu Ning'an picked up a piece of candied fruit and put it in his mouth. After looking around, his eyes fell on an old man sitting in the corner.
The old man sat alone, wearing a plain robe, with his pale temples meticulously combed behind his ears, and his whole body exuded an elegant temperament.
The most important thing is that his body is surrounded by a rich sense of righteousness...
