NOVEL WEB Chapter 89.2
Next, the dance and music performance was arranged, and everyone enjoyed the performance while drinking and eating mooncakes.
After the performance, Lin Beifan laughed and said, “Today is a day of great joy; let’s not talk about state affairs, only about the beauty of life! It’s rare that all the Ministers here are well-versed in literature. Why don’t we have a poetry contest to sober up? Take turns composing poems! Whoever writes the best verse will be handsomely rewarded by me! If not, they must drink a penalty cup. How about it?”
Everyone cheered in agreement.
With rewards for good poetry and no real punishment for the less successful attempts, everyone was very willing to participate.
“I shall pose the challenge!”
Lin Beifan, seeing the flower beds blooming with a riot of colors not far away, smiled and said, “Let’s take flowers as our theme! Starting from my right, Uncle Chai, you go first!”
“Me? Alright then, this old man shall humbly present his attempt!” Chai Yulang laughed heartily and immediately composed a poem, to which everyone applauded and cheered.
However, he felt that due to the rush, his work was not good enough, and so he punished himself with a drink.
In this way, the turn passed around, with everyone thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Soon, it was everyone’s turn, and among them, five people received rewards from Lin Beifan.“Your Majesty, you possess vast knowledge and unparalleled talent, the myriad stars pale in comparison to you. Why not compose a poem yourself so that we, your officials, may learn!” At this moment, Li Linfu spoke up.
“Yes, Your Majesty, on the day you descended from the Ziwei Enclosure, our learning could not match even one ten-thousandth of yours. We beg you to compose a poem so that we may broaden our horizons!” Yan Song said with a bow.
“Please compose a poem, Your Majesty!” the officials chorused.
Everyone had made up their minds that no matter what poem Lin Beifan wrote, they would praise it.
Lin Beifan was eager to try: “Very well! I shall compose a poem!”
He looked towards the flower bed not far away and smiled.
“One petal, two petals, three and four petals, five petals, six petals, seven and eight petals!”
“Nine petals, ten petals, countless petals, flying into the blossoms, they disappear from sight!”
As soon as the words were spoken, everyone immediately began to clap in unison: “What a great poem! Such a wonderful poem!”
Lin Beifan asked, “What’s so good about it?”
“Your Majesty, every single word in this poem is used brilliantly, used to perfection!”
“One leaf, two leaves, three, four leaves, five leaves, six leaves, seven, eight leaves… The first section of this poem shows a clear progression and is simple and easy to understand, but then comes a twist in the last line that which suddenly elevates the thought!”
“Why do they disappear as they fly into the blossoms? Because they are all flowers, and when there are many flowers, they compete in splendor and beauty! Your Majesty, not a single line in the poem describes the flowers, yet it makes one feel the abundance, the goodness, and the beauty of the flowers!”
“This poem should be considered a classic, to be memorized by the people!”
Everyone was speaking with such earnest nonsense that it was very confusing to listen to, yet they seemed very powerful.
Lin Beifan couldn’t help but burst into proud laughter: “My esteemed Ministers, you flatter me, haha!”
Just then, a snicker came from a distance.
“Haha! You call that poetry? A 6-year-old child could do better!”
Everyone’s faces changed: “Who dares to be so presumptuous here?”
Turning their heads towards the source of the voice, they saw an old man squatting on the distant city wall. His hair was grizzled, revealing a shiny bald forehead, and his clothes were simple but had many pockets. The man looked quite down-and-out yet very spirited, with a somewhat cynical air about him.
The Imperial Guards quickly assembled, their swords pointing at the old man.
The Innate master present had already silently gathered all his True Qi, ready to strike at any moment.
The Grand General stood with his sword across his horse, barking, “Who are you? How dare you act so presumptuously here?”
“Who am I? You’d better listen well!”
The old man stood up, hands on his hips and head held high, proclaiming with pride, “I am the world’s number one thief—Empty Hand Master!”
“Ah? Empty Hand Master?”
“Is he really the world’s number one thief—Empty Hand Master?”
Everyone was extremely shocked.
Lin Beifan was also surprised as he recognized the person.
The Empty Hand Master, whose martial arts skills were quite ordinary within the ranks of the Innate, possessed exceptional thievery and movement skills. He frequently infiltrated heavily guarded imperial palaces to steal treasures without ever failing, which earned him the reputation of being the world’s number one thief!
“What are you doing here, Empty Hand Master?” the Grand General demanded.
With a playful laugh, the Empty Hand Master replied, “I originally planned to steal something from the imperial palace, but then I overheard that foolish emperor reciting an utterly nonsensical poem, and I just couldn’t help but reveal myself! Please, don’t hold it against me!”
“Coming here to steal?” Everyone became even more anxious.
If he truly managed to steal something from the imperial palace, they would all be utterly disgraced.
Lin Beifan said disdainfully, “You claim my poetry is nonsensical? What a joke! You, a mere thief who knows only how to steal, do you even have the appreciation for it? Do you even know what poetry is?”
The Empty Hand Master felt ashamed and angry, retorting.
“Boy, don’t look down on people! Although I am a thief, I am also a cultured person, commonly known as a ‘gentleman thief’! If I were to take the imperial examination, I could at least obtain the title of a ‘successful candidate (jinshi)’, but I just disdain to participate, that’s all!”
“Is it disdain? Or is it that you can’t pass?” Lin Beifan was even more contemptuous.
The Empty Hand Master grew even more enraged, “How about we have a contest then, and you’ll see who is stronger and who is weaker?”
Lin Beifan shook his head, “No contest.”
“Why not?”
“Comparing myself to you is simply degrading myself!”
Lin Beifan said with disdain: “I am the majestic Son of Heaven, the ruler of a nation, wealthy across the four seas. What sense does it make to compete with a trivial thief? If I lose, I’m worse than a thief! If it’s a draw, I’m no better than a thief! If I win, I’m only more formidable than a thief! No matter how you look at it, it’s not a good thing to say!”
Everyone burst into laughter.
The Empty Hand Master was so angry that he was fuming: “F*ck! You foolish emperor, your words are too annoying! I’ve traveled far and wide for many years, and I’ve never met someone as sharp-tongued as you! No, today I must compete with you properly to show you that I am also a cultured person!”
“There’s a saying that goes, the more you lack something, the more you care about it!”
Lin Beifan chuckled coldly: “The fact that you’re so concerned about proving your status as a cultured person only shows how much culture and upbringing you lack. That’s why I can’t be bothered to compete with you! Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and I’m in a good mood, so I’ll gift you a mooncake. Now scram!”
With that, he grabbed a mooncake from the table that he had already bitten into and threw it over as if bestowing food to a beggar.
The Empty Hand Master caught it smoothly and exploded in anger: “F*ck! Are you treating me like a beggar?”
Lin Beifan also became furious: “Don’t insult the beggars!”
Empty Hand Master: “You damn it…”
At this moment, Empty Hand Master was truly enraged!
He threw down the mooncake he was holding and, with a whoosh, appeared in front of Lin Beifan, angrily saying, “No matter what, you must compete with this old man today, otherwise I will not leave, I will impose myself in your imperial palace!”
The others were immediately shocked: “Quick, protect His Majesty!”
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