20demayo Chapter 31 God Man
Chapter 31 God Man
"Wait!" A merchant interrupted the Peony Fairy, saying, "Please, Fairy, give us the source of the first line of the couplet first, and then give us the second line so that everyone can see it. Otherwise, simply declaring it a failure will probably not convince the public."
The Peony Fairy pondered for a moment and said, "I obtained this first line by chance; it came from outside Li Xiaowei's residence."
There was only one Lieutenant Li in Cangzhou City, and that was Li Polu.
Even though Li Polu was only a sixth-rank military officer, he was still someone the merchants present could not afford to offend.
The merchant who had spoken earlier changed his expression slightly, clearly not expecting that the couplet was related to Lieutenant Li.
In order not to offend Li Polu, he chuckled twice and awkwardly praised, "Lieutenant Li is a man of great talent, far surpassing my own."
Liu Shan was stunned. His father-in-law was so talented? How come he didn't know?
Even... the father-in-law himself might not know.
However, literary figures and writers stepped forward.
They were all self-important fellows, yet their lives were as fragile as paper. One of them, a tall, thin scholar-like man, stepped out from the crowd, his face humble, and bowed to the Peony Fairy, saying:
"Fairy, I am not talented, but I would like to try to compose a matching couplet and seek your guidance from you and my fellow practitioners. The first line is: Mice, regardless of size, are all called old; The second line is: Insects, regardless of thickness, are all called long."
Upon hearing this, the Peony Fairy's eyes first lit up, then dimmed again.
Everyone present felt that this poor scholar was not worthy of the Peony Fairy. However, rules are rules. Since the scholar had provided the matching line, he should become a guest of honor.
At this moment, Zhang Tienan suddenly pleaded in a low voice, "Brother Liu, this first line comes from the Li residence, and it must be the work of Li Xiaowei or Li Wanqing. Please tell me the second line so that the scholar can see his true colors."
Liu Shan was slightly taken aback and asked, "If I'm not mistaken, Brother Zhang truly likes her, doesn't he?"
Zhang Tienan did not answer directly, but a resolute glint flashed in his eyes.
Seeing this, Liu Shan already knew the answer.
He pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Why don't I tell Brother Zhang the second line of the couplet, and then Brother Zhang can say it? Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Upon hearing this, a hint of gratitude flashed in Zhang Tienan's eyes, but he declined, saying, "This is not the way of a gentleman. I appreciate Brother Liu's kindness."
Liu Shan laughed and said, "The couplet comes from the Li family, and I am the son-in-law of the Li family. If my identity is recognized after I provide the matching line, wouldn't I be suspected of cheating?"
“Uh…” Zhang Tienan thought about it and realized that it was indeed the case. He clasped his hands in a fist and said, “Please teach me, Brother Liu.”
At this moment, everyone's eyes were focused on the scholar, who already had a smug look on his face.
The Peony Fairy gently raised her jade hand, preparing to announce the result.
At that very moment, a clear voice suddenly rang out: "This second line is good, but not the best choice."
The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw a young man in blue slowly rise up, his brows revealing a hint of confidence.
"Nonsense!" The scholar's face darkened. "Tell me, what's wrong with my second line?"
Zhang Tienan recited what Liu Shangang had taught him: "Insects come in all shapes and sizes, and we say they are all long. It is certainly a vivid description, but not everyone knows what 'long insect' means."
He asked Liu Shan, "Do you know what a 'long worm' is?"
Liu Shan certainly knew, but at this moment, he had to shake his head and pretend he didn't know.
Zhang Tienan then looked at Zhao Tingxiao and asked, "And you? Do you know?"
Zhao Tingxiao actually knew this, but he still shook his head in agreement.
Seeing this, the scholar showed a hint of panic and stammered, "The long worm is a snake."
Zhang Tienan smiled slightly and said, "I have a second line for you all to appreciate. The first line is 'Mice, regardless of size, are all called old,' and the second line is 'Turtle, male or female, are all surnamed Wu.'"
As everyone carefully examined the samples, murmurs of praise soon rose from the crowd, clearly indicating that they had discerned the good from the bad.
The scholar's face grew increasingly grim upon hearing this: 'turtle' versus 'mouse,' 'existence' versus 'absence,' 'male and female' versus 'size,' 'general surname' versus 'all names'...
At this moment, the scholar's face turned ashen. He knew that his second line was indeed far inferior to Zhang Tienan's.
Peony Fairy's gaze lingered between the scholar and Zhang Tienan before finally settling on Zhang Tienan, her eyes revealing admiration. "In this round, the young master in green wins."
The scholar was unwilling to give up. He gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, and cupped his hands, saying, "Fairy Peony, besides this couplet, the Li family should have two other couplets. Please show them to me, and I will fight him to the death."
Ok?
Liu Shan was very surprised. How did this scholar know there were two more couplets?
Was he involved in the wedding pranks?
Thinking of this, Liu Shan's expression turned hostile.
Zhang Tienan hesitated for a moment, but after seeing Liu Shan nod, he nodded in agreement.
Despite her reluctance, the Peony Fairy presented the second and third sets of couplets.
"The lotus bud in the pond clenches its red fist, which one is it punching?"
"If Heaven had feelings, it too would grow old."
After pondering for a while, everyone fell completely silent.
These two couplets are almost perfect.
The scholar racked his brains but came up with nothing, and soon he was covered in sweat.
On the other hand, Zhang Tienan saw the second couplet written on Liu Shan's hand.
He stepped forward two paces and calmly recited: "The first line reads, 'The lotus bud in the pond clenches its red fist, which one does it strike?' The second line reads, 'The lotus leaf on the water stretches out its green palm, what does it want?'"
The entire room fell silent for a moment, and after a brief pause, everyone cheered.
A hint of approval flashed in the Peony Fairy's eyes, and she finally revealed a genuine smile. "This young master is quick-witted; I admire him."
At this moment, Zhang Tienan leaned close to Liu Shan and whispered, "Brother Liu, what should be the matching line for the third first line? Tell me quickly."
Upon hearing this, Liu Shan pretended to be angry and said, "If you can match these three first lines of a couplet, you can face Li Wanqing. What exactly are you trying to do?"
"No, no," Zhang Tienan waved his hands repeatedly and said with a simple smile, "Brother Liu, don't worry, Li Wanqing is my sister-in-law, she will be for life."
Liu Shan nodded in satisfaction.
The scholar couldn't answer, and left in shame and anger, covering his face.
Seeing this, the Peony Fairy smiled and said, "Gentlemen, this young master is exceptionally talented. I am willing to be his confidant and enjoy the moonlit flowers with him... That's all for tonight, please go back."
These words caused a sensation throughout the venue, and Zhang Tienan became the sole winner of the night.
Despite their reluctance, everyone had no choice but to leave.
Zhang Tienan sighed inwardly, feeling that although he had won the competition, it was somewhat of an unfair victory.
After greeting Zhang Tienan, the Peony Fairy returned to her boudoir ahead of time to make arrangements.
Zhang Tienan watched the Peony Fairy's departing figure and revealed his lecherous nature.
He leaned closer to Liu Shan again and asked in a low voice, "Brother Liu, the Peony Fairy loves poetry. Do you have any good poems to teach me?"
Liu Shan nodded slightly, having already conceived the words in his mind: "Beyond the mountains, green hills rise; beyond the towers, more towers stand. When will the songs and dances on the Cangjiang River cease? The warm breeze intoxicates the tourists, making them mistake Cangzhou for a fairyland."
Zhang Tienan was astonished and blurted out, "This is a wonderful poem! Brother Liu is truly a genius!"