Chapter Thirty-One: Gathering to Drink

  Xu Xian felt a bit bored, so he came out alone to visit some scenic spots and clear his mind. Who would have thought that he'd run into something like this? If only he had known earlier, he wouldn't have come. Now, since he still needed to borrow someone's boat to get back, he might as well join in for the time being. He said, "Sorry to intrude," and took a seat at the edge of the gathering.

  Jin Shengjie, however, would not let him off the hook. "I came to Hangzhou and invited all the famous scholars, but I only heard that your family lives in Qiantang, so I didn't invite you. Today is truly a great coincidence, let me toast you first."

  Xu Xian also didn't say much, and smiled as he drank.

  Jin Shengjie smiled and said, "Now it's your turn."

  Xu Xian said with a strange tone: "What's it got to do with me?"

  "Recite a poem, as previously agreed before the banquet. To enter the banquet, one must first recite an entry poem, and the topic is this heavy snow. Moreover, there can't be a single word 'snow' in the poem. Mr. Xu is so talented, surely it's no problem for him!" Jin Shengjie, however, deliberately wanted to test Xu Xian, and at the banquet, he just ate and drank without reciting any entry poem. The people around didn't expose him but instead watched the excitement on the side.

  Xu Xian sighed in his heart: I knew it.

  He didn't decline, but instead said: "The poem is here." Everyone at the banquet was greatly surprised. Although this topic couldn't be said to be extremely difficult, it wasn't something that could be easily composed on the spot either. Jin Shengjie was also curious about what kind of poem Xu Xian would come up with.

  Xu Xian played with the cup in his hand, a strange smile on his face: "A black hole on the lake, a dark cave on the well, white fur on a yellow dog, and a swelling on a white dog."

  "Hahaha" The crowd burst into laughter, Wenwu was not the first, and Wu was not the second. Among those present, who would be willing to acknowledge that Xu Xian was the leader of the four young talents of Jiangnan? Seeing him arrive, the arrogant and unruly Jin Gongzi was so polite, and it wasn't just Xia Ziqi who felt discontent in his heart. At this time, they couldn't help but laugh loudly and vent their anger.

  Xu Xian played with the wine cup in his hand, looking at the laughing faces of the crowd, and lazily cast his gaze towards the snowflakes outside the pavilion. The vastness of the world, these smiles, and these people, were all insignificant compared to it. He himself was unaware, but a sense of detachment had begun to spread within him, gradually seeping into his bones.

  "Good!" A loud shout of approval broke the laughter, and Jin Shengjie slammed his hand on the table, startling everyone. "Not a single word is wasted, the meaning is fully conveyed, and it's witty and intelligent without being common. Brother Xu is indeed a great talent."

  Xu Xian said, "This Jin Shengjie has some talent. The poem he recited can be considered the ancestor of humorous poetry. Although it doesn't follow the rules of tone and rhythm, its ability to be passed down for thousands of years is enough to prove its value." At this moment, he just cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and said, "Thank you."

  Watching everyone drinking and laughing, Xu Xian couldn't help but think of Pan Yu, only now the protagonist had changed to Jin Shengjie. However, he didn't have Mingyu's smooth and pleasant nature, nor did he make everyone feel like they were basking in a warm spring breeze. Instead, he was wild and unruly, as if he had thorns on his body. Although good at joking, he often failed to consider others' feelings during play, but with several loud laughs, the atmosphere became very lively.

  However, he and Pan Yu have one thing in common: everyone wants to curry favor with him. The Xia Dynasty does not suppress commerce, but rather encourages it. Although the status of merchants cannot be higher than that of scholars, they are second only to them. Jin Wancheng, the richest man in Jiangnan, is not just an ordinary merchant, and the term "official-merchant collusion" did not originate in modern times.

  A group of men, even scholars, when chatting together and drinking, the topic inevitably turns to that aspect. Oh, in their words, it's called "dreaming of flowers and sleeping with willows", all with flushed faces.

  Xia Zi Qi said: "Brother Jin, I've long heard of the great reputation of Yangzhou's top ten beauties. You must have tasted them all, one by one!"

  Another red-faced scholar responded, "Not just ten beauties, haven't you heard that even Su Wan, the famous courtesan from Yangzhou last year, has become one of Brother Jin's people? It is said that Brother Jin did not participate in this year's First Snow Trial because of this. If he had participated..." He originally wanted to say "he would have been the number one scholar in Jiangnan", but was worried that Pan Yu would hear about it and froze, then quickly added: "He must be above those four little scholars."

  Jin Shengjie blinked his eyes and joked: "Are you afraid that I am the leader of the Four Great Talents of Jiangnan?"

  Xu Xian, the current leader of the four young prodigies of Jiangnan, burst out laughing.

  Xiazhi immediately shot back: "Why is Brother Xu laughing? Jin Gongzi's talent is something we all admire."

  Xu Xian smiled and shook his head: "I absolutely did not mean to mock Brother Jin, it's just that I suddenly remembered something."

  Jin Shengjie asked curiously: "What's up?" He was a good talker, more interested in interesting things than poetry.

  Xu Xian cleared his throat and said, "Huang Feng and the old mouse have sworn an oath, please let me be a witness. I had no choice but to rank third. Friends ask me: How can you rank below the mouse?"

  "What's wrong?"

  "They each have their own strengths, one is good at digging and the other is good at stabbing. I can only give in to them."

  Jin Shengjie burst out laughing, Xia Ziqi and Hong Lian Xiucai's faces turned bright red with shame, glaring fiercely at Xu Xian. Xu Xian didn't mind, poured himself a cup, and slowly drank it down.

  Someone else chimed in to mediate: "Brother Jin has been lingering in Yangzhou for a long time, and only today did he come to Hangzhou. I don't know how the scenery compares, which one is better or worse than Hangzhou?"

  Jin Shengjie thought for a moment, seemingly nostalgic for the past wind and rain, with a look of intoxication on his face: "A thousand pieces of gold to buy a smile, night after night singing till dawn. Either getting drunk to spend the beautiful dream tonight, or writing lyrics to hum softly with cherry lips, it's truly like heaven. This Hangzhou is called the paradise on earth, but it's nothing more than those green hills and clear waters, which are inferior to Yangzhou's scenery in many ways. I'm afraid this Cai Feng girl is also a famous name that can't live up to its reputation!"

  Everyone present is from Hangzhou, the more ancient times, the less convenient transportation, the stronger regional concept. When Jin Shengjie said this, everyone's face was not given, but no one refuted, and for a moment, it was a bit cold.

  But then someone sighed and said: "Even if Dou E's poem is well-written, and Hong Lou Meng is a good book, it's hard to express deep emotions." Xu Xian was shaking his head and making a lamenting gesture.

  Jin Shengjie was startled and just about to say something when he heard a young servant in green clothes call out, "Miss Cai Feng has arrived."

  Everyone stood up straight and looked over, and indeed saw a painted barge emerging from the snow and stopping by the shore. A woman in green came out and said: "It's heavily snowing outside, please come aboard."

  Jin Shengjie smiled and said: "This Cai Feng young lady's bearing is quite grand, it seems that this banquet of ours will have to be changed three times."

  Xu Xian stood up and said: "Jin Gongzi, I won't go anymore. Can I borrow your boat to take me back?"

  Jin Shengjie however came over and pulled at Xu Xian's sleeve: "How can that be, listening to your three sentences, they are extremely subtle, I still want to ask for further guidance!"

  "When wine meets a bosom friend, a thousand cups are not enough; when words do not meet, half a sentence is too much." Xu Xian and this group of people basically belong to the category of "words not meeting", but Jin Shengjie, who was full of sharp edges on his body, seemed to be more interesting. But he didn't think about joining in the fun, and insisted for a while. Jin Shengjie had to order his subordinates to send Xu Xian ashore, but just as Xu Xian was about to board the boat, he was pulled back by him.

  "Turn back and Jin Shengjie raised an eyebrow, 'If there's a poem for taking a seat, naturally there's also one for leaving the seat. Brother Xu, if you can recite it, then that's that. If not, I'll have this boat sail far away, and you can't follow me to finish this banquet.'"

  Xu Xian knew that this young master had gotten into a stubborn mood and was impossible to persuade, "What kind of chanting method do you want?"

  Jin Shengjie smiled and said, "Since you say that Hangzhou is good, then take Hangzhou as the topic. You must make me satisfied, or else I won't let you go." Anyone can come up with a poem about Hangzhou, but making him satisfied is truly a thousand difficulties and ten thousand hardships. Scholars value their reputation, if they can't even compose a poem about Hangzhou, it would be a great shame.

  Xu Xian hesitated for a moment, waiting for the scholars who were eager to board the painted barge, but since Jin Shengjie, the host, didn't board the barge, how could they? The cost of inviting Cai Feng's barge was absolutely not cheap.

  Cai Feng asked from behind the curtain in the painting boat: "Qing Luan, why haven't they come up yet? Do I need to go invite them?"

  The blue phoenix turned her face and whispered, "Miss, it's that cheating Xian, he's being forced to recite poetry. Let's wait and see how he loses face." She had a deep grudge against both Pan Yu and Xian.

  Xu Xian thought for a moment and smiled: "The poem cannot be recited." Taking advantage of Jin Shengjie's daze, he broke free from his hand and jumped onto the boat.

  "Alright, alright, send this commoner away." He then ordered the boatman to set off. Qing Luan clapped her hands and laughed, "Indeed, he's a country bumpkin."

  The boat slowly sailed away, and Xu Xian stood on the deck, laughing: "There is a poem."

  Everyone's attention was drawn to him once again. Xia Ziqi couldn't help but think of the first time he saw Xu Xian, who had been calm and composed back then, but hadn't left a deep impression on him.

  In the wind and snow, the figure with flying clothes had become so free and easy at some point.

  "The southeast shape wins, the three Wus are all cities, Qiantang has been prosperous since ancient times. Smoke willows and painted bridges, wind screens and green curtains, ten million households are scattered. Cloud trees surround the dam sand. Furious waves roll up frost and snow, the heavenly moat is endless. The market is lined with pearls and jade, the households are full of silk and satin, competing in luxury."

  Deep lakes and lush mountains are beautiful. There are three autumns of osmanthus, ten miles of lotus flowers. The shepherd's pipe plays in the clear sky, the song of the water chestnut floats at night, and the playful fish swim with the lotus girls. A thousand horses surround the high bank. Riding on a drunk horse, listening to the Xiao drum, reciting and appreciating the misty haze. On an extraordinary day, I will draw a beautiful landscape, return to the Phoenix Pool and boast about it.

  The chanting voice passed through the wind and snow into everyone's ears, and the person on the boat was seen to be far away in the sound of the wind and snow and the chanting voice, finally vaguely seeing him bow his head and disappear at the bow of the boat.

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