Youshi.
The sun sets.
The sun shines slantingly on Jinghu Lake, dyeing the lake surface golden.
The cruise ship stopped in the middle of Jinghu Lake, and it looked even more magnificent under the sunlight.
There is a high platform on the deck of the cruise ship. There is a mahogany round table in the center of the high platform. There are eight round stools around the round table. Several colors of exquisite pastries and four bottles of fine wine are placed on the table.
Although the drinks and cakes had been placed, no one came to the table.
But the eight round tables under the stage were filled with talented people from the capital, and every talented person looked at the round table on the stage with warm eyes.
The rules of the Jinghu Poetry Society are very simple. Three great scholars from the capital will be invited to each session. Three great scholars decided on eight poem topics before the poetry meeting and put them in their brochure bag.
After the poetry meeting begins, one person from each table will be assigned to draw. The talented people at this table will compose poems based on the chosen poems, limited to one stick of incense.
After burning incense, the poems written by the talented scholars were commented on by three great scholars. After the comments, the best poets from each table took their seats on the high platform.
The eight people sitting on the high platform will finally decide the winner of this Jinghu Poetry Meeting.
The rules are also very simple. Every great scholar will write a topic on the spot, and the eight talented people have a quarter of an hour to compose poems.
A quarter of an hour later, the scholar will comment on the spot.
Finally, three great scholars combined the three rounds of poems by eight talented scholars to select the top poet of this Jinghu Poetry Meeting.
If each of the three great scholars has a candidate and the Shi leader cannot be determined, there will be another round of competition. The three great Confucian scholars jointly drafted a topic, and the talented people competing for the top poetry had half a moment to compose poems. In the end, the top poet today was selected based on the poems they wrote.
The eight tables are divided into two rows, front and back, and Li Zhonghong sits at the head of the second table in the front row.
From time to time, he looked back at the fourth table in the back row, because there were only nine people at that table, and no one sat at the lower table.
Li Zhonghong sighed secretly in his heart, feeling very sorry for Su Shi's future.
If he could recite the second line in front of Su Shi, his expression would be very wonderful. It's a pity that Su Shi was cowardly and didn't dare to participate in the poetry meeting, which made him have a lot less fun.
However, speaking the second couplet in front of many talented people in the capital will naturally cause a sensation, and Li Zhonghong's reputation will surely spread throughout the capital after tomorrow.
Su Shi never expected that the person who finally fulfilled him would be me, Li Zhonghong.
Thinking of this, Li Zhonghong couldn't help but feel proud, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Brother Li is unhurried and smiling. He seems to be confident. Brother Zhonghong must have won this top poem."
Zuo Zongyuan couldn't help but laugh when he saw Li Zhonghong was in high spirits and his brows were beaming.
Although Li Zhonghong believed that he was doing his part, he still behaved modestly and cautiously: "Today there are so many talents, it will definitely be a battle between dragons and tigers. Who can sit on that high platform is still unknown."
Then he smiled and said: "Brother Zongyuan is also very talented. There must be a seat on the high platform today for brother Zongyuan."
Zuo Zongyuan chuckled and said, "Zhonghong, please stop teasing me." As he said that, he couldn't help but glance sideways at the empty seat and sighed, "But I'm a little regretful today, that Su Shi is coming."
Zuo Zong originally thought that Su Shi would come, but he had not seen any signs of him until now, so he lost confidence in his judgment.
Li Zhonghong couldn't help but sigh: "I heard that Brother Qin Yue and Qin have been looking for Su Shi everywhere since he got on the ship. He has been searching for nearly an hour with no results. It seems that Su Shi doesn't dare to come."
At this time, in the room on the second floor of the boat facing the deck, a sad look looked at the vacant position through the window, looking extremely disappointed.
At this time, a brisk and cheerful voice sounded behind Qin Nan.
"Sister Nan, the poetry meeting hasn't started yet, please sit down and rest for a while." The voice paused for a moment, then said with concern: "I saw you were not in good spirits just now. Are you feeling well somewhere?"
Qin Nan turned around and smiled reluctantly, then shook his head gently and silently returned to his seat.
The voice continued: "It's a pity that Sister Nan is a girl and cannot participate in the poetry meeting below. If Sister Nan can participate, then there will naturally be a sister on the high platform, and it will not be surprising even if she wins the poetry championship."
The talented girls at the same table all echoed, so Qin Nan had to brace himself to respond.
Su Shi was standing in the cabin on the first floor, his eyes full of helplessness, because the poetry meeting had already begun, but there was no movement in the cabin, which made him unable to find it.
At this time, a boy appeared in the cabin. Su Shi seemed to have grabbed a life-saving straw and hurriedly rushed forward to meet him.
When the young man saw Su Shi, although he didn't know his identity, he knew that the people who could board the ship today were extraordinary people, so he stood aside in panic to avoid bumping into the noble man.
Su Shi came to him and asked, "This little brother, does he know which room Miss Qin Nan is in?"
When the boy saw Su Shi walking straight towards him, he was inevitably a little uneasy and at a loss. However, when he heard the noble man's kind tone, he felt a little more at ease. However, Su Shi's words made him confused, and he looked up at Su Shi blankly.
"Master, are you looking for someone?"
Su Shi said happily: "That's right, does the little brother know?"
The boy shook his head and said, "I am only responsible for cleaning and other chores. Your uncle is responsible for the reception."
Having said this, the young man looked at Su Shi hesitantly and asked, "Is the young master looking for a female guest?"
"yes."
The boy hurriedly replied: "The female guest that the young master is looking for should be in Jinghua Pavilion on the second floor."
Su Shi pointed to the top with his finger: "Second floor? Jinghua Pavilion?"
The boy nodded and said, "What the young master said is that all the female passengers boarding the ship today will be accommodated in the Jinghua Pavilion on the second floor."
"Thank you, brother." Su Shi bowed his hand to the boy, and then walked to the second floor.
After going up to the second floor, Su Shi saw a burly man guarding the stairs between the second and third floors. He hurriedly asked the man, "Where is Jinghua Pavilion?"
The burly man was shocked when he saw Su Shi leaving and coming back, because if Su Shi wanted to continue climbing the stairs, should he stop him or pretend not to see it.
While he was hesitating about making arrangements, he heard Su Shi asking about Jinghua Pavilion, and then he breathed a sigh of relief. He hurriedly pointed forward and replied, "Master, go ahead. It's at the end of the corridor."
Su Shi thanked him hurriedly, and then walked in the direction of his finger.
When they reached the end of the corridor, Jinghua Pavilion appeared in front of Su Shi, but the door was closed tightly at this time, and there were two maids standing outside the door.
The two maids were only thirteen or fourteen years old. They were pretty and almost identical in appearance and demeanor. They were obviously twin sisters.
When the twin sisters saw a man coming alone, apart from being curious, they couldn't help but stare at Su Shi warily.
Before Su Shi could reach them, the maid on the left took a few steps forward, saluted him, and said in a gentle tone: "This Jinghua Pavilion is full of female guests, please stay here."
