Chapter 151
Chapter 151
The difference in the quality of the two essays was stark, and the gap between the two poems was even wider. Tang Yun had been utterly defeated on all fronts, with no room for doubt or argument. It is often said that in matters of literature or martial arts, a clear winner cannot always be determined, but that only applies to ordinary circumstances. The moment a truly phenomenal work appears, any person of culture would read it and immediately declare, "There's no need to see the other!"
Take, for example, the lines: "Raise a glass and sing, for how long is this life of ours? Like the morning dew, it is fleeting, yet the days gone by were filled with sorrow." Even if one does not know these verses are a timeless masterpiece, reading them brings a sense of release and resonates deep within the soul. Such is the power of words, the power of a phenomenal work. In the face of such a piece, all others are inevitably cast into its shadow. A timeless masterpiece is not passed down through generations because of grand promotion, but because it strikes a chord in the human heart. The great tides of time wash away the sand and gravel, leaving only the golden treasures to be passed down through the ages.
"Truly a masterpiece for the ages. A truly phenomenal work!"
Prince Yingji said with a sigh. He didn't even finish reading Tang Yun's writing, merely skimming it before setting it aside. He did not wish to tarnish the profound impression left by Jin Mucong's poem. Lord Suo Xuan nodded.
"Is it that good?"
Duke Weiwu, Bian Wu, had initially been uninterested in grading the exams, but upon hearing the high praise from the two lords, his curiosity was piqued, and he took a look at the papers. He skimmed through the essay quickly, unimpressed. But when he came to the poem, *Returning the Tassel*, he found himself reading it carefully. Though the poem was less than a hundred characters long, he read it over and over again.
"Excellently written. A truly outstanding poem."
If even a warrior like the Duke could see its quality, then when the two young masters' exam papers were made public, everyone would instantly know who the victor was. Although they had not yet unsealed the names, both Prince Yingji and Suo Xuan knew this paper belonged to Jin Mucong.
"This essay and poem could not have been written by Jin Mucong himself."
Suo Xuan said, and Prince Yingji nodded in agreement. Suo Xuan continued.
"Could it be Shen Lang's work?"
"Most likely."
"The man possesses a truly astonishing talent."
Prince Yingji agreed.
"Indeed. It was astounding enough that he wrote a work like *Boundless Wind and Moon*, but to produce such an essay and poem now... To have such a man at the Count of Xuanwu's Estate seems like a waste of talent."
"This must mean Shen Lang predicted the exam questions, correct?"
Prince Yingji nodded. There was no other explanation. It explained why Jin Mucong had started writing furiously the moment he saw the topic, with no time spent planning or composing. He must have been so overjoyed that he wrote like a madman, afraid he might forget the memorized text. So, did this count as cheating? No, it did not. How could predicting the questions and preparing answers in advance be considered cheating? Even in the imperial examinations, if such a situation occurred, the candidate would have to pass. He hadn't brought a prepared answer sheet into the examination hall to copy, nor had Shen Lang passed him the text during the test.
Prince Yingji said, "We blamed Zhang Chong for nothing."
"Zhang Chong was certainly formidable, but unfortunately, his opponent was even more brilliant. So, what should we do?"
What was to be done? Jin Mucong defeating Tang Yun in the literary competition was news that would shake the entire State of Yue. The key issue was that this would mean the Count of Xuanwu's Estate won the dispute over Gold Mountain Island, which went against the King's wishes. Should they, then, betray their conscience and declare Jin Mucong the loser and Tang Yun the winner? If the examiners had been high-ranking officials still active in their careers, they might very well have done so. Thinking of their future prospects, what did a little gossip behind their backs matter?
But Prince Yingji was seventy-eight, and Suo Xuan was seventy-five. How much longer did either of them have to live? Wealth, glory, honor, and disgrace—they had experienced it all. The only things they cared about now were their posthumous reputations and the futures of their descendants. As the King's uncle, Prince Yingji had no concerns for his descendants' futures. His offspring were guaranteed lives of wealth and privilege; they should not, and could not, rise any higher.
To live even a little longer, one had to be without ambition.
Moreover, the exam papers of Jin Mucong and Tang Yun had to be made public. There were many intelligent people in the world. Even if their hearts were black, their eyes could see clearly, and they would easily recognize the quality of the two essays and poems at a glance. The difference in quality between the two was so vast that no amount of deceit could bridge the gap.
So, what was to be done? Declare this literary competition void and set a new topic for a re-examination? That was also impossible. They had already used the backup topic and had no other prepared. Neither Prince Yingji nor Suo Xuan could create a new topic, nor could they go to the capital and ask the King to do so. That would be a great embarrassment, tarnishing the King's prestige, and the losses would far outweigh any gains.
Furthermore, Prince Yingji was not an ardent supporter of the New Policies. This was because he was a royal with his own fief, albeit not a large one. As a member of the royal family, he was not within the scope of the New Policies' sanctions, but if the King was already moving against the old aristocracy, who was to say he wouldn't demand the fiefs of his own kin when the treasury ran even lower?
The Minister of the Chancellery, Marquis Suo Xuan, said, "I will leave the decision to Your Highness."
"Very well. I will take responsibility. I am just a has-been with nothing to do, an old man who has lived a little too long. I shall play the part of the stubborn elder this time, so do not worry about incurring the King's displeasure. I will unseal the names."
The seal was broken, and the name confirmed: the extraordinary paper was indeed Jin Mucong's. Prince Yingji took out the original exam paper and compared them character by character; not a single one was wrong. He was surprised to discover that Jin Mucong's calligraphy was not just good, or very good, but exceptionally beautiful. He wasn't the useless fool the rumors made him out to be.
"His calligraphy is quite masterful. In ten or twenty years, he could become a first-rate master."
Hearing this, Suo Xuan took the paper, glanced at it, and said, "There is certainly potential. The brushstrokes are not yet sharp, and it lacks a certain flair, but as they say, the greatest skill appears clumsy. Even a rigid style, when perfected, can mark a master."
Prince Yingji took a deep breath and said, "Jin Mucong may be dull-witted, but his unyielding and straightforward character is just like Jin Zhuo's. So, the result of the literary competition is decided."
"Understood!"
* * *
Outside, the rain poured down in torrents and the sky had darkened, but a large crowd still milled about, buzzing with anticipation for what they believed was an obvious outcome. The families of the Count of Jinhai and the Count of Xuanwu were present, along with many powerful nobles who had come to watch—especially those eager to feast on the corpse of the Xuanwu Estate. However, neither Shen Lang nor Tang Yun was there. Shen Lang thought waiting outside for the results was a foolish and unsophisticated thing to do, while Tang Yun was so certain of his victory that he felt no need to hear them announced.
In fact, Tang Yun found even the thought of people saying he had beaten Jin Mucong to be humiliating.
*'Is Jin Mucong even worthy of competing against me?'*
But Tang Lun, the Count of Jinhai, was eagerly awaiting the result. He was even dressed in military attire, weapon in hand. This was because as soon as the result of the third trial—Tang Yun's victory over Jin Mucong—was announced, he would immediately have to fight the tie-breaking match. The true winner of the Gold Mountain Island dispute would be decided by a duel between the heads of the two houses, the Count of Jinhai and the Count of Xuanwu.
Seeing the Count of Xuanwu still dressed in his formal robes, Count Tang Lun of Jinhai laughed and said, "Brother Jin Zhuo, why haven't you changed? Those robes are too loose for combat, are they not?"
The Count of Xuanwu simply clasped his hands and said nothing. He had never been one for idle chatter. The Count of Jinhai laughed even louder at the sight of him.
"Brother Jin Zhuo, you know your own limits well. To not even bother changing, knowing you are no match for me. We have crossed swords more than three times over the past decades, and every time, you were utterly helpless against my blade."
The Count of Xuanwu remained silent, his hands still clasped. The Count of Jinhai had always been an arrogant man, so his behavior was not unexpected. And since it was true that he had lost every duel, there was no need to argue. Being less skilled in martial arts than another was not something to be ashamed of. Onlookers chimed in, addressing the Count of Jinhai.
"Count of Jinhai, you should go back and wait. The result of the literary competition is a foregone conclusion; there's no need to wait here."
"That's right. Young Master Tang Yun is a Tanhualang, while Jin Mucong is a dim-witted fatty. Even if the sun were to rise in the west, he could never be Young Master Tang Yun's match. There's no need to worry about this competition."
"In truth, Young Master Tang Yun didn't even need to participate. The Count of Jinhai's Estate could have sent any ten-year-old child, and they still would have beaten Jin Mucong. For any scholar, it would be harder to lose to Jin Mucong than to win."
"Hahahaha."
Everyone burst into loud laughter, and Jin Mucong, hearing this, was on the verge of exploding.
*'It's infuriating, but I'll endure it. I'll endure it. When the results are announced, I'll slap your faces so hard they'll swell and utterly humiliate you. I, Jin Mucong, may not be much, but my brother-in-law is amazing. My brother-in-law belongs to my sister, my sister belongs to my father, and what belongs to my father is as good as mine. Therefore, my brother-in-law's ability is the same as my ability! I'm not ashamed at all. I just copied my own family's writing. How can you call that stealing?'*
Hearing the others' comments, Count Tang Lun of Jinhai beamed with delight.
"I know the outcome is set, but I wish to wait here for my duel with Brother Jin Zhuo. With this heavy rain and the day growing dark, the sooner we fight, the sooner the dispute over Gold Mountain Island will be settled, no? That way, everyone can go home early."
"Indeed. We've been here for two days; I think we've seen enough."
"Allow me to be the first to congratulate the Count of Jinhai on securing permanent ownership of Gold Mountain Island. From this day forward, the Tang Clan will surely prosper even more."
Just then, someone suddenly addressed the Count of Xuanwu.
"Count of Xuanwu, don't be too disheartened. Losing Gold Mountain Island forever isn't such a big deal. After all, it hasn't been in your hands for decades, has it?"
Was this meant as comfort? No. It was just someone gloating over another's misfortune. Judging by the flippant tone, the speaker was clearly not a nobleman.
"Once you lose Gold Mountain Island, the Hidden Yuan Society will publicly demand repayment of your debt. If the Count of Xuanwu can't pay, he'll have to give up Sorrowful Cliff Island. The revenue from the salt and iron on that island accounts for sixty to seventy percent of your finances. Losing it would cut off the Count of Xuanwu's Estate's cash flow. And with no cash flow, you'll have to reduce your army, and eventually, disband it entirely..."
Thanks to someone's propaganda, everyone now knew that the Count of Xuanwu's Estate was in astronomical debt and had even put Sorrowful Cliff Island up as collateral. There is a saying that a wall will fall if enough people push it, but this situation was different. It was more like the wall was already collapsing on its own, yet many were insisting on giving it a push. The Count of Xuanwu's Estate had not even fallen yet, but everyone was already kicking it while it was down.
"They're here, they're here..."
A sudden stir went through the crowd. Prince Yingji, Duke Weiwu, and Marquis Suo Xuan were walking out. The results were about to be announced, and everyone fell silent, craning their necks in anticipation. The fatty, Jin Mucong, held his breath and closed his eyes, waiting for the moment his name would be called. Count Tang Lun of Jinhai pretended not to care, but his ears were pricked. The Count of Xuanwu still stood there quietly, but his heart began to beat faster. Prince Yingji did not draw out the suspense and announced the result directly.
"The winner of the third trial in the Gold Mountain Island dispute, the literary competition, is Jin Mucong of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate!"
His voice was not loud, but the words sent massive ripples through the silent crowd, like a boulder dropped into a calm lake. Everyone was plunged into a deathly silence, the only sound being the patter of rain falling from the sky outside. They all looked at one another in disbelief.
*'Did I hear that right? Am I hearing things? I could have sworn I just heard that Jin Mucong won.'*