After Yingzhu and Fusu bowed slightly, they sat down in their seats. Only then did the dinner officially begin.
"Hey! Lao Xin, who are those two?" Fan Xian asked.
Xin Qiwu shook his head and said, "I haven't seen him before, and I don't know him either."
"Serve the meal!"
Following the father-in-law's loud shout, one after another delicacies were brought up by the palace maids.
After eating and drinking briefly, Emperor Qing coughed a few times, and everyone present put down their bowls and chopsticks, except of course Fan Xian.
"Fan Xielu."
Fan Xian was still eating and drinking, and Xin Qiwu, who was sitting next to him, hurriedly reminded him: "Master Fan, I'm calling you."
"Call me?" Fan Xian put down his chopsticks and asked.
"hold head high."
"Call me, what do you call me?"
"You are the Xielu Lang of Taichang Temple, this is your official name."
Fan Xian immediately stood up and walked out, bowed his hands and said, "Your Majesty."
"You have never knelt down several times before. I thought you would still stand this time." Emperor Qing said slowly.
Fan Xian put his hands together and said with a smile, "Wouldn't that make people angry?"
Emperor Qing waved and motioned for him to come forward.
"The look in your eyes is dazed. You're quite greedy, aren't you?"
"Your Majesty, the scene is so big, I can't help but feel a little nervous."
After hearing this, Emperor Qing chuckled a few times and said, "Yun Zhilan, he was the one who killed your two apprentices. Even though he is young, he is quite capable."
Yun Zhilan looked at Fan Xian and said with great disdain: "Killing me is the best thing you can do."
"Sigu Jian's apprentice is a bit arrogant, I can feel it. Fan Xian, a message came from Honglu Temple saying that you did a good job this time. The war started and ended with you. I don't want to praise you in public. , come, have a drink with me."
Xin Qiwu quickly stepped forward and handed the wine glass to Fan Xian. Emperor Qing and Fan Xian raised their glasses to each other and drank it down in one gulp.
Fan Xian was about to turn around and retreat to his seat when Zhuang Mohan on the other side said, "Your Majesty, is this young man Fan Xian?"
"Mr. Zhuang, have you heard of him too?"
"Read his poetry."
"Well, although this person is young, he does have some poetic talent. Mr. Zhuang should give more support to the younger ones."
Zhuang Mohan sighed and read slowly: "The wind is strong and the apes high in the sky are screaming in mourning. The white birds are flying back from the clear sand in Zhugzhou. The endless falling trees are rustling. The endless Yangtze River is rolling in. The sad autumn of thousands of miles is a frequent guest. I have been sick for hundreds of years and I stand alone on the stage." , Difficulty and bitterness hate the frost on the temples, and the new wine glass becomes turbid."
"What a wonderful poem. There is no poem in my life that can compare with it. The first four lines of this poem are excellent."
The eldest princess sitting next to Zhuang Mohan suddenly said: "But everyone says that the most essence of this poem is the last four sentences."
"The last four sentences are naturally quatrains. Alas, it's a pity that they were not written by Mr. Fan."
Zhuang Mohan's words immediately caused an uproar.
"Then you mean that this poem was plagiarized by Fan Xian?" the eldest princess asked.
"yes."
After hearing this, Emperor Qing smacked his lips and said, "I also find it very strange, where did he get such a great talent. Fan Xian, what do you have to say?"
"Mr. Zhuang can say whatever he likes. Anyway, Mr. Zhuang is of high moral character and his empty talk counts." Fan Xian said while drinking wine.
The second prince walked out at this time and testified on behalf of Fan Xian.
"Father, my sons and ministers can testify that Fan Xian's poem was written at the Poetry Club of Prince Jing's Mansion, and the palace editor Guo Baokun was also present at the time to testify."
"Is Guo Baokun here?"
"Your Majesty, I am here." Guo Baokun stood up hastily.
"Is this poem written by Fan Xian?" Emperor Qing asked.
Guo Baokun hesitated for a moment and stammered back: "Uh... yes."
"In that case, Mr. Zhuang deliberately set up a trap." The eldest princess said.
"Maybe I was deceived by some villain, that's why I had this misunderstanding." The second prince said immediately.
Zhuang Mohan sighed and said, "It's a coincidence that the last four lines of this poem were written by my master when he visited Tingzhou. Originally, it was a good thing that such beautiful lines could be reappeared in the world, but Mr. Fan used others to write them. Isn't it appropriate to invite names in poems? Literary people are established in a world where virtue is more important than talent. The first four sentences of this poem are Mr. Fan's literary talent and his own excellence. So why should he covet fame and seek advancement at the expense of others? What about this work to gain fame?"
"I hesitated again and again whether to tell the truth, but if I think about it carefully, telling the truth will also help Mr. Fan to return to his lost ways. As the saying goes, you can't establish anything without breaking it, and you can re-establish your morality and cultivate your heart. Mr. Fan, this is also true for me. There is no ill will in my love for talents. I hope Mr. Fan will reflect on himself!"
Fan Xian didn't care about the looks of others around him or what Zhuang Mohan said. He just sat in his seat and ate happily, eating food and wine.
"Fan Xian, do you have anything to say?" Emperor Qing asked.
Fan Xian stopped what he was doing, looked up at Zhuang Mohan and asked, "Mr. Zhuang, is your surname Du?"
"My master's surname is not Du."
"Well, it'll be fine then." Fan Xian said and continued to drink alone.
"Mr. Zhuang has a reputation of respecting teachers and respecting principles. I don't think he will make random claims in the name of teacher. But people's hearts are unpredictable. Seeing the reputation of a late student rising, it is not known that he will be unwilling to make up random things to ruin people's futures."
Zhuang Mohan turned to look at the speaker and said, "Eldest Princess, do you suspect that I am a thief who is trying to frame him?"
"I don't dare. It's just that our Qing Kingdom is different from Northern Qi Kingdom. Laws are the first priority in everything. Sir, if you want to accuse people of crimes, empty words are not enough."
"That makes sense. Since I want evidence, I will show it to you." As he spoke, Zhuang Mohan silently picked up the scroll beside him and opened it to show it to everyone.
"Please see, this was written by my master back then. Does this count as evidence?"
Emperor Qing waved, and the serving eunuch immediately stepped forward to take the scroll from Zhuang Mohan's hand, and brought it to Emperor Qing so that Emperor Qing could take a closer look.
Both the officials from the Qing Kingdom and the Northern Qi Dynasty were all talking about it in the palace. The only ones who did not join were Dongyi City and Da Qin.
Yun Zhilan lowered his head and drank by himself, while on Da Qin's side, Ying Zhu stared at Fan Xian with interest.
"Fourth brother, how come you've been looking at Fan Xian since the moment he came in? You admire him very much?" Fusu asked with a smile.
"Brother, he...is a great talent no less than Ning Yi."
"Oh? Have you known him before?"
"That's right. I'm thinking of bringing him back to Daqin if possible."
"Even if it is difficult, Qingguo's literary skills are weak, and the poem he wrote gave Qingguo hope. Today's scene will most likely test him."
The corners of Ying Zhu's lips raised, he nodded and said: "He is a smart man, but the situation today is different and has changed. It depends on how he breaks the situation."
Fusu didn't understand the meaning of Ying Zhu's words, but he still agreed: "If you can successfully solve today's dilemma, it can indeed be cultivated."
