#41 - Something is not right

“Fifth Brother, we should go now, Fifth Brother.”

In the evening, Xu Pangda came to Xiaochun Courtyard to pick up Xu Ming.

“Coming.” Xu Ming responded, then said goodbye to his mother and walked out of the courtyard.

Stepping out of the Xu mansion, a special carriage was already waiting.

Sitting in the carriage, Xu Pangda was still reading the Analects, looking very nervous.

Xu Ming: “Third Brother, there's no need to be so nervous. Such a short time won't allow you to read much.”

Xu Pangda scratched his head: “That's true, but I just want to read as much as possible to make up for the gap between us.”

Xu Ming shook his head: “The more you read now, the more confused you'll become. Third Brother, you need to believe in yourself and just do your best.”

“Oh.” Xu Pangda, who always listened to Xu Ming, nodded.

But after a while, Xu Pangda looked at Xu Ming and couldn't help but ask: “Fifth Brother, what exactly is a 'natural literary boldness'? Could it really be the reincarnation of the Star of Literature?”

“Who knows?” Xu Ming shook his head.

Xu Ming also wanted to see what this 'natural literary boldness' looked like.

Before long, the carriage gradually stopped, and Xu Pangda and Xu Ming, led by servants, entered the Sifang Pavilion.

This banquet wasn't about everyone sitting at a table to eat, but rather sitting on the floor with a small table in front of them.

According to the rules, the host had to arrive at the Sifang Pavilion first, and then invite the guests over.

When Xu Ming and Xu Pangda arrived, the reception team was also complete, and the servants went to invite the Qi State delegation to come.

In less than half an incense stick's time, the Qi State delegation, which had been prepared, took their seats one after another.

Dishes were brought up by the maids and placed in front of everyone.

A bookboy like Xu Ming wasn't qualified to sit at the table and could only sit beside Xu Pangda.

Looking at the delicacies in front of him, Xu Pangda was drooling a little, but because his Fifth Brother couldn't eat, Xu Pangda felt it wasn't good for him to eat either, so he didn't touch his chopsticks.

At the banquet, the adults chatted about poems, songs, anecdotes about literati, and who had written a good article, all while eating.

As they ate, dancers came up to dance and warm up the atmosphere.

It must be said that these dancers danced really well. Xu Ming felt they were much better than the dance performers he had seen in short videos on the internet in his previous life.

After the dancers finished, everyone talked about potential collaborations between Wu and Qi, such as students from Wu going to Qi for further studies, and the academies of the two countries engaging in exchange and cooperation.

Later, when they felt there was nothing more to talk about, a scholar from Qi suggested that everyone play the 'Flower-Matching Game'.

The general rules of the Flower-Matching Game are to determine the starting verse, which can be a poem or a line of verse, but the verse must contain a specific word or phrase.

The way to continue the game is for the person to take their turn and say a verse containing the specific word or phrase. The verse can be a complete poem or verse, or just part of a sentence.

Usually, it starts from the starting verse and continues one by one until no new verses can be added. If a person can't come up with a new verse, they are judged to have lost the game.

The loser has to drink a penalty cup of wine.

Although it was just a simple game, and very refined.

But everyone present represented the face of their country, so naturally, they didn't want to lose.

As the Flower-Matching Game began, Xu Ming saw that, apart from Xiao Mochizuki, the scholars of Wu were drinking wine and their faces were getting redder and redder.

It wasn't just because of the wine, but also because they were angry and embarrassed.

Especially when it was a scholar from Qi's turn to add a verse, this scholar said, “I'm a little thirsty, I'll punish myself with a cup first,” and then he drank a cup, before saying the verse he had come up with, which was even more humiliating.

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But the scholars of Wu couldn't get angry. If they got angry, they would be even more embarrassed.

The Qi delegation was filled with a relaxed and happy atmosphere, while everyone on the Wu side seemed to be approaching a red-hot state.

Xu Ming felt as if he could hear one warning after another in his ears.

The old Mr. Fang from Qi, who was sitting in the seat of honor, took a sip of wine lightly. He felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't say what was wrong.

Fang Jingchun looked at Xiao Mochizuki beside him. Xiao Mochizuki noticed Fang Jingchun's gaze, just nodded lightly, and returned a smile.

Fang Jingchun looked at the scholars of Wu again, and they were all intentionally or unintentionally looking in one direction.

In that direction sat a little fat man, and beside the little fat man sat a bookboy.

Fang Jingchun knew that the little fat man was called Xu Pangda and was the top scorer in the Wu capital's children's examination.

As for that bookboy.

Who would care about a bookboy?

“Your Majesty.”

In the Yangxin Palace, Eunuch Wei quickly walked in and knelt beside the Wu Emperor.

Consort Hua, dressed in a light negligee, was brewing tea for the Wu Emperor.

“How is the banquet going?” The Wu Emperor slowly opened his mouth.

Ever since the banquet to entertain Qi began, he had been waiting for news.

“Your Majesty, the Qi envoys are having a very pleasant conversation with our Wu, but...” Eunuch Wei looked embarrassed.

“Don't keep me in suspense.” The Wu Emperor picked up his teacup and took a sip.

“Your Majesty, this is a secret report from the Listening Wind Pavilion.” Eunuch Wei quickly presented it.

The Wu Emperor opened the secret report and read it carefully. It recorded the general course of the banquet.

The more he read the secret report, the tighter the Wu Emperor's brow furrowed.

Consort Hua, feeling that the Emperor was in a bad mood, also became nervous, fearing that she would be implicated.

At the end, the Wu Emperor smiled:

“These people in the Qi delegation, apart from Fang Jingchun and those two child prodigies, have not been prominent in Qi for many years. None of the first-class young generation in the Qi literary world have come.

And the people Xiao Mochizuki brought are all the most famous disciples of the younger generation in my Wu.

And what happened? These guys were actually constantly being toasted with wine!

Wei Xun, you have been with the late Emperor since you were young, and now you have been with me for ten years. What do you think of this matter?

Eunuch Wei's forehead was dripping with cold sweat. He organized his words and answered cautiously: “It's a little… a little strange. Even if my Wu's literary world can't compare to Qi's best, when facing these people, even if my Wu's disciples lose, they shouldn't lose so badly.”

“It's more than a little strange.” The Wu Emperor rubbed his eyes. “What exactly is this Xiao Mochizuki up to behind my back?”

Suddenly, as if thinking of something, the Wu Emperor raised his head and his eyes narrowed: “Wei Xun, during the banquet, the Xu family's boy and the son of the Minister of Rites each brought a bookboy, right?”

“Yes.” Wei Xun nodded, and then his eyes lit up, and he immediately understood the Wu Emperor's meaning, “This servant will immediately investigate whether Xu Ming is at the banquet!”

Wei Xun ran out of the Yangxin Palace, scrambling and crawling.

Looking at the tightly closed door, after a long time, the Wu Emperor couldn't help but laugh:

“This Xiao Mochizuki ah!

This Xiao Mochizuki ah”