Chapter 13: The Renowned Prodigy of the Capital
As soon as the woman's words fell, three maids tossed down three scenic cloths from the loft. Once the cloths were fully unfurled, everyone finally saw the three riddles clearly.
Shen Xuan looked up and saw the three couplets:
"The Big Dipper’s seven stars, fourteen points connecting sky and water beneath."
"Wangjiang Tower, watching the river flow; beneath the tower, the river flows; the tower eternal, the river eternal."
"Smoke veils the pond, willow trees."
Faced with these three couplets, many talented scholars present found themselves perplexed. Take, for example, the first line: The Big Dipper consists of seven stars, and their reflection in the water blurs into fourteen points. Crafting a perfectly matching couplet to this was incredibly difficult.
Even Kong Xuan, a well-read scholar, was stumped by the first couplet.
Just as everyone was racking their brains, the young lord Li Qiunian stepped confidently from the crowd, his gaze filled with haughtiness.
“Is the young lord ready to answer?” the beautiful woman asked respectfully.
Li Qiunian smiled confidently and nodded under the expectant gazes.
“May we know your answer, young lord?” she inquired.
“The Big Dipper’s seven stars, fourteen points connecting sky and water beneath.”
“The lone wild goose on the southern tower, a pair flying with shadows in the moonlight,” Li Qiunian answered without hesitation.
“Excellent! Wonderful!” The crowd erupted in admiration.
“No wonder he is known as the prodigy of the capital!” Hearing Li Qiunian’s second line, everyone was stunned. Such a difficult couplet answered in mere minutes was truly incredible.
“Though the couplet is well crafted, it seems somewhat lacking in harmony of imagery,” a scholar murmured after repeating the lines several times.
“Tch! If you think you can do better, step up! Complaining about imagery while standing idle is easy,” someone nearby snapped in displeasure.
“I only meant to say that Li’s couplet is so perfect, it’s hard to imagine a better second line,” the scholar hastily smiled and explained.
“The second line is indeed perfect. Young lord, could you perhaps solve the second riddle?” the beautiful woman gazed at Li Qiunian with admiration and asked.
“Of course!” Li Qiunian replied confidently.
“Wangjiang Tower, watching the river flow; beneath the tower, the river flows; the tower eternal, the river eternal.”
“Poetry Contest Pavilion, contesting poetic talent; atop the pavilion, contesting poetic talent; the pavilion peerless, the talent peerless.”
“Wonderful!”
“Li Qiunian truly possesses exceptional talent.”
As his words fell, the hall buzzed with applause and cheers. Li Qiunian’s eyes gleamed with pride.
“Very good! Now, young lord, have you managed to answer the third?” the beautiful woman smiled warmly.
“Well...” Li Qiunian’s expression stiffened. After a long moment of thought, he shook his head.
“As for the third, I must confess my limited knowledge; I cannot produce a suitable couplet in such a short time.”
Though the third was only five characters, “Smoke veils the pond, willow trees,” its layered meaning and connection to the five elements made it extremely challenging to match.
Though some felt disappointed, Li Qiunian’s success with the first two was already remarkable. Failing the last was understandable.
“Is there any other young gentleman present willing to give it a try?” the woman asked, unfazed.
Everyone exchanged glances, hesitant to embarrass themselves after Li Qiunian’s brilliant display.
Li Qiunian watched, satisfied. Even without the third, answering the first two was enough to secure his prominence. Perhaps Meng Qianwu would be impressed by his talent.
“Brother Shen, how do you think the last couplet should be answered?” Liu Ruifeng stroked his chin, gazing at the three couplets ahead.
But after a long wait, Shen Xuan remained silent.
Liu Ruifeng turned to find Shen Xuan, who had been sitting beside him, had vanished.
“Brother Shen!” Liu Ruifeng exclaimed, alarmed, searching around until he spotted Shen Xuan on the stage.
Shen Xuan bowed to the crowd and said, “I am willing to try.”
“You?” The beautiful woman furrowed her brow at the unassuming figure before her but, bound by the rules set by Hua Manlou, consented to let him try.
“Very well.”
“Who is this young man? Li Qiunian has already answered so marvelously; why would he dare step forward? Could he be the disciple of some great scholar?” someone in the crowd whispered.
“Haha, brother, you’ll kill me laughing. Disciple of a great scholar? I know this fellow—Shen Xuan, adopted son of the Prime Minister Qin’s household, and three years ago, he was notorious throughout the capital as a prodigal scion.”
A young man beside them burst into laughter, explaining Shen Xuan’s reputation amidst puzzled looks.
“What! A prodigal? Then why is he going up? That’s just seeking attention,” another’s face flushed red, realizing his mistake.
He then turned angry, sneering at Shen Xuan.
“Not only that, I heard he’s been running a street stall these past few days, selling—what was it? Skewers? Apparently quite popular.”
Another chimed in teasingly, “Running a street stall? That makes him a mere vendor! Such a person doesn’t deserve to stand among us.”
Li Qiunian, standing on stage and hearing the murmurs below, grew contemptuous, dismissing them with a sneer.
“What a good-for-nothing. I don’t know where he gets his courage—what a joke.”
“Please, young sir,” the beautiful woman invited evenly.
Unfazed by the gossip, Shen Xuan confidently recited the first couplet:
“The Big Dipper’s seven stars, fourteen points connecting sky and water beneath.”
“East Ridge’s Azure Dragon, five dragons piercing the sun through the clouds.”
At once, the hall fell silent, then erupted into excited chatter.
“Brilliant! Not only matching words perfectly but the imagery is fitting too!”
The scholar who had criticized Li Qiunian’s imagery now praised Shen Xuan repeatedly.
“Heh, didn’t you just say no better second line could be found? Why the change of heart?” the man teased.
“I—I never said that! Don’t slander me,” the scholar protested, glancing around and then straightening his face to regain composure.
“Tch, maybe he guessed it. I bet he can’t answer the second couplet,” some still doubted stubbornly.
“Quickly now, answer correctly—can you match the second line, young sir?” the beautiful woman’s eyes flickered with surprise and hope as she looked at Shen Xuan.