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墨書 Inktalez
"Your Majesty!
Your Majesty!"
The crowd rose in unison, bowing to Su Qianxue. Jiu Zhu also slightly cupped his fists in greeting, while Hong Qianjun and Mu Jinkun followed suit.
"Today, I am not here as the Da Zhou Emperor for this banquet! Just call me Miss Su!"
Su Qianxue scanned the room, her demeanor regal, resembling a noble golden phoenix. In comparison, even Jiu Zhu, dressed in palace attire, seemed somewhat overshadowed.
"I do not wish for this banquet to be widely known! Since everyone is here, let us take our seats! General Lin, Luo, please come over!"
Su Qianxue walked to the main seat and sat down. Jiu Zhu, Hong Qianjun, Mu Jinkun, and Jiang Han accompanied her, while Lin Qingyue and Luo joined along with Piao Xue, Ling Xue, and Yan Dong. That made ten people already; if Cen Ya came as well, it would be a bit cramped.
Jiang Han stood up and pulled a chair from another table over to place next to Mu Jinkun. He gestured for Mu Jinkun to scoot over a bit.
Mu Jinkun was taken aback; he glanced at Jiang Han and then nodded reluctantly, shifting over slightly. "Come on, Cen Ya, sit here! I've brought your utensils too!"
Jiang Han took care of Cen Ya as he sat down. This action drew an appreciative look from Su Qianxue. In such a large gathering, being able to attend to his subordinates showcased Jiang Han's grace.
Seeing everyone settled, Jiu Zhu began arranging for the dishes to be served. The prominent figures were seated at one table while the other military officials were scattered across two or three other tables.
Then Jiu Zhu turned to Su Qianxue and Jiang Han and said, "Those poems we discussed earlier must have been penned by Shopkeeper Jiang. If that’s the case, let us have a contest!"
In the entire Great Zhou Dynasty, there was no one else who could compose such poetry but Jiang Han. Even if he tried to conceal it, he could not hide it any longer; after all, Mu Jinkun had already sent an invitation to him.
"I am here today merely to accompany you," Jiang Han stated. "Miss Su will take the lead! Of course, I will occasionally step in if needed; if you have any matters to discuss, just approach Miss Su!"
Su Qianxue revealed a bold expression as she looked at everyone and declared, "If you all wish to compete, then let us begin!"
Bang!
Bang!
Mu Jinkun glared at Jiang Han with displeasure as he grabbed two bottles of white liquor.
He continued, "This competition is simple, just two scenarios!
If our side wins three times, and in the end, Miss Su, you lose, then your Imperial Examination must use our questions, and it must be publicized! All the scholars of the Great Zhou Dynasty must know about this!
Upon hearing this, Su Qianxue's expression turned unfriendly. If you manage to pull this off, what face would our Great Zhou have left? I fear that all our scholars would flock to your Xia Kingdom.
This is a huge gamble!
On a smaller scale, if we win any round, this Shopkeeper Jiang will have to drink a bottle of white liquor! He must finish it in one go without stopping!" Mu Jinkun said sternly.
As he spoke, he couldn't help but recall the scene of kneeling at Jiang Han's shop, begging for forgiveness. "Jiang Han, just wait. Today, I will make sure you drink until you're half dead."
The alcohol consumed in ancient times was mostly Rice Wine and Huangjiu, with an alcohol content rarely exceeding twenty degrees. Most Huangjiu was only around ten degrees, so for them, twelve or thirteen degrees of white liquor was not much different from poison.
"What if you lose?" Jiang Han asked with a smile.
"We can't possibly lose," Mu Jinkun waved his hand dismissively, his attitude resolute.
"How about this: betting your life is unlikely since your life is already at stake with the upcoming city defense war in three days! But there should still be a punishment. If you lose, you must strip naked and run ten miles in the capital."
Jiang Han grinned wickedly at Mu Jinkun. "What do you think?"
Mu Jinkun's cheeks twitched at the thought; seeing Jiang Han like this made him furious. After pondering for a moment, he nodded and said, "I agree!"
"Ah, Jiang Han! Just wait! Tonight I will make you drink until you're half dead! Three days from now, I will make you wish for death but be unable to find it."
Hong Qianjun saw that bets were placed and couldn't help but speak up: "In that case, since we're all here for the banquet, let's get started!"
" Shopkeeper Jiang, if you lose, remember it's one bottle of white liquor—down it without stopping!" Mu Jinkun warned Jiang Han.
"Mu Xian, if you lose and have to run naked for ten miles, I will gather the citizens of the capital to watch," Jiang Han replied with a mischievous grin. "If a Top Scholar from Xia Kingdom ends up like that here, it would be quite the spectacle! If word of this spreads across the world, it would be an extraordinary tale!"
If it were any other Confucian scholar facing such a situation after losing, it would be unlikely for them to simply run away; they might even take their own life. But Mu Jinkun had such thick skin that he could endure this humiliation. Moreover, this matter concerned the dignity of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Su Qianxue felt at ease, naturally not thinking there was any problem, and took it for granted!
Seeing Jiang Han like this, Mu Jinkun couldn't help but say, "Ah, then let's do it!"
The first challenge was to write couplets, followed by all sorts of examination topics. How about that?
"Miss Su, what do you think?" Jiang Han looked at Su Qianxue.
Su Qianxue nodded slightly, showing her complete trust in Jiang Han.
Mu Jinkun immediately suggested, "Then let's each write a couplet! Since this banquet is about the Langya Prince, how about we write a couplet related to the Langya Wangfu?"
"Jiang Han, you go first!"
Seeing Mu Jinkun's assertiveness, Jiang Han chuckled lightly, "After I write this couplet, you might not get another chance!"
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely sure! And you need to capture the grandeur of the Langya Wangfu; it can't be too derogatory, or it would lose the essence of the couplet!" Mu Jinkun said confidently.
Before they began the examination topics!
Mu Jinkun still wanted to showcase his talent. "I may not be able to compete with you in poetry, Jiang Han, but surely I can outdo you in couplets?"
Upon hearing this, an idea for a couplet from a Qing Dynasty poet dedicated to Kong Fu flashed in Jiang Han's mind. He made slight modifications and recited it aloud:
"With the nation at peace, wealth and honor fill the residence!
Together through the years, danger lurks in the royal palace!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell into stunned silence as everyone turned to look at Jiang Han.
Mu Jinkun's cheeks twitched repeatedly. How could this guy be so talented?
Lin Qingyue was astonished and kept sizing up Jiang Han. Why had she never noticed before that Jiang Han was so skilled in poetry?
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