Chapter 527 - 527 The Water is Shimmering on a Clear, Sunny Day, the Mountains in the Distance are Shrouded in Mist and Rain (2)
527 The Water is Shimmering on a Clear, Sunny Day, the Mountains in the Distance are Shrouded in Mist and Rain (2)
She stole a glance at Han Muye beside her. He had a calm expression.
They turned around and saw two Confucianists standing behind them.
One of them was thin and fair. It was obvious that it was a woman wearing a green Confucian robe.
The other was taller and had spirit in his eyes. The Great Spirit surged from his body. It was obvious that his cultivation in Confucianism was not weak.
“I’m Baili Tongyun, and I’m composing poems here with a few of my classmates. We can’t tell who’s better at the moment, so we want to ask the two of you to be the judges.”
The thin scholar cupped her hands at Han Muye and Mu Wan.
Evaluate poems?
Mu Wan smiled and shook her head. She turned to look at Han Muye. “Senior Brother, I really can’t do this. Can you do it?”
Can I do it?
Can a man say no?
Han Muye laughed and said, “Junior Sister, do you think I can do it?”
With that, he pulled Mu Wan and strode towards the Spring Tide Pavilion.
“Senior Sister Baili, can they do it? This is a bet that involves Master Liu Gonglin’s composition.”
The young man next to Baili Tongyun spoke in a worried voice.
“Let’s wait and see. Maybe they can really tell whether the poems are good or bad.” Baili Tongyun shook her head and followed him to the Spring Tide Pavilion.
Han Muye walked out of the pavilion and looked up at the plaque.
“Yes, these three words are written interestingly. It’s really not bad to ask this person to write a name for our shop.” Han Muye’s gaze landed on the signature and he smiled.
“Huang Tingshu, is he that great scholar of calligraphy whose words are perfect and highly valued? He is said to have turned half of the river outside the city black with his ink.”
Mu Wan shook her head and said softly, “How can we get such a great scholar’s calligraphy?”
Han Muye chuckled and said as he walked into the pavilion, “Isn’t this person worth a thousand gold coins per word? Let’s pay 10,000 gold coins for him to write a few more words.”
Mu Wan lowered her head and smiled.
Baili Tong Yun and the young man shook their heads.
The people in the pavilion also heard what he said, and many of them frowned.
“Baili, are these the judges that you found?” In the pavilion, a girl in a purple dress glanced at Han Muye and Mu Wan, then at Baili Tongyun.
“Even if they’re not instructors at the Academy, they should be Confucian cultivators. They…” The girl shook her head and said lightly, “I’m afraid they can’t even appreciate all these poems fully.”
As she spoke, she turned to look at the people around her and said, “I suggest that we ask Teacher Tao Yicheng to judge for us.”
Hearing her words, some people in the pavilion nodded while others shook their heads.
“Hehe, if Fifth Miss Qin wants me to judge, I’m willing to do so. I wonder if Miss Baili can accept it,” a fat middle-aged man standing by the pillar in the pavilion said with a smile.
“Instructor Tao is indeed proficient in poetry. However, Baili feels that it will be better to find someone who is not familiar with either of us.” Baili Tongyun shook her head.
There was a hidden meaning in her words.
Mentor Tao chuckled and took a step back.
He was not familiar with Baili Tongyun, but he was familiar with the Qin Family.
Baili Tongyun looked at Han Muye and Mu Wan and said, “Since the two of you have come to the Imperial City Academy for a tour, it will be interesting to be judges.”
She walked to the long table and spread out the poems on it.
“These poems are unsigned. You just have to choose what you like.”
Hearing Baili Tongyun’s words, Fifth Miss Qin frowned, but didn’t say anything else.
Han Muye walked to the long table, and Mu Wan also walked over to read the poems.
Baili Tongyun was right. It was indeed interesting to encounter something like this.
It was rare for someone to be a judge at the Imperial City Academy’s Poetry and Literature Conference.
“The sun is setting, and the lake water is red.
“Is this the scenery of Jade Swallow Lake? I think it’s not bad. The handwriting is also good,” Mu Wan said softly.
Hearing her words, some of the Confucianists smiled.
“This poem is considered good?” someone on the other side said softly.
Mu Wan looked embarrassed and turned to look at Han Muye.
Although she was a cultivator, she was not proficient in Confucianism.
She couldn’t appreciate the deeper meaning behind the poem.
Han Muye raised his hand and unfolded another scroll.
“Beautiful scenery by the bluish green flowing water, clear springs in the mist of the two mountains. Looks like they’re both written about Jade Swallow Lake?”
Mu Wan lowered her voice this time and looked up at Han Muye. “Senior Brother, tell me.”
Hearing her words, someone behind her muttered in a low voice, “As expected, she’s not a Confucianist. She can’t even judge if this poem is good or bad.
“It’s Senior Sister Baili’s fault. She found these people to judge the poems.”
Scholars look down on each other.
However, scholars looked down on outsiders even more.
The Imperial City Academy was the holy land of Confucianism. Even the old man who swept the streets could recite a few poems.
For today’s evaluation of poems and literature, they had found two people who did not understand poetry. Who would approve of the results of the evaluation?
Fifth Miss Qin and the people around her were already sneering.
Han Muye looked at the embarrassed Mu Wan.
He had come to Jade Swallow Lake to have fun with Mu Wan. How could he let these outsiders ruin their mood?
Then I’ll give you a good review!
“The language is too ornate and padded with fancy phrases,” Han Muye said calmly, causing everyone’s expressions to stiffen.
Many people looked at each other with strange expressions.
Baili Tongyun and the young man behind her were also surprised.
Teacher Tao’s gaze landed on the words in Han Muye’s hand and he looked up at Han Muye.
“You mean this—” Someone spoke up from behind.
However, before he could finish speaking, he heard Han Muye’s voice.
“Junior Sister, look. This poem says that the lake water is beautiful. The words are flat and indistinguishable. It even uses the words ‘yi’ and ‘bi’. Also, ‘yi shui’ and ‘liang shan’ don’t rhyme.”
Han Muye pointed at the words. “And these words. Look at the vertical strokes. They’re superficial, and the horizontal strokes are floating. There are a few words that are deliberately left out. This kind of writing is the result of a poor foundation.”