Volume One, Chapter Six: Entering the Conference Hall

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Su Yuan was discovered by him; if Su Yuan were to shine brilliantly in the literary contest, there would certainly be benefits for him.

“Thank you very much, sir! I will do my best!” Upon hearing this, Su Yuan nodded and expressed his gratitude to the middle-aged clerk.

“No need for thanks! No need! I’m a few years older than you, so if you respect me, just call me Brother Li. Don’t worry, even if you don’t get a good ranking this time, Brother Li will look out for you here in the capital!”

The middle-aged clerk was straightforward and unpretentious, quite talkative as well.

He led the way ahead, and as they walked and talked, they soon arrived at the literary contest seating area.

At this moment, nine people were already seated there, all appearing to be between twenty and thirty years old, dressed as refined scholars.

Seeing Su Yuan enter in ragged clothes, several of them frowned, their eyes filled with disdain.

The middle-aged clerk noticed their expressions and couldn’t help but sneer softly, a playful look on his face.

With the talent those few boasted, how dare they look down on Su Yuan? If time permitted, he would have liked to get Su Yuan a change of clothes.

But one should not judge by appearances; he believed that when Su Yuan astonished everyone, those people would be utterly ashamed.

“Brother Su, sit here! Don’t mind those people!” he warmly invited Su Yuan to sit down, then took a seat behind as a reserve.

He had initially thought of bringing the little girl along but reconsidered and let her sit beside Su Yuan for the time being.

Su Yuan placed the little girl beside him; she rested her small body on the long table in front, her face full of curiosity as she looked around.

Her big eyes were adorably bright, truly endearing.

Seeing her like this, Su Yuan affectionately ruffled her hair and then lifted his gaze towards the venue.

The contestants’ seats were in the far corner of the hall, an inconspicuous spot.

In front of them was another contestants’ area, where ten young men in splendid attire sat; these were famed talents of the capital and considered the main force of the literary contest.

Those like Su Yuan, selected from the common folk, were merely substitutes—essentially filling the numbers.

In the center stood two massive arenas: the one closer was for the literary duel, the other for martial combat.

The martial arena had yet to open.

The literary and martial contests would proceed in order: literature first, then martial arts; the latter would begin only after the former concluded.

Opposite the literary arena sat twenty celebrated literary talents from Daqing, who looked scornfully and mockingly at the contestants’ side, their eyes filled with contempt.

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Su Yuan filtered out their gazes and continued to survey the surroundings.

Near the Vermilion Bird Gate stood a huge spectator stand, currently hosting dozens of people.

Looking up, Su Yuan spotted his so-called “cheap” father, whose face bore a striking resemblance to his own, with a certain dignity softened by a faint smile.

To his left was Consort Lu, and beyond her, the Crown Prince Su Ming.

At that moment, Su Ming held a folding fan, his expression brimming with pride and self-satisfaction.

Seeing them, a flash of murderous intent flickered in Su Yuan’s eyes but was quickly suppressed.

Besides Consort Lu and her son, the Emperor of Chu was flanked by several concubines, princes, and princesses. Below were two spectator stands: the right side seated civil and military officials, the left housed the Daqing literary and martial envoys.

The young man leading the latter caught Su Yuan’s attention.

It was the Crown Prince of Daqing, Mu Yunchen, who had once forcibly taken away Su Yuan’s wife, Mu Xing’er. Su Yuan still remembered the murderous glare in his eyes.

When Su Yuan had tried to protect his wife, Mu Yunchen had clearly intended to kill him, not sparing even his daughter Su Xingmeng.

If not for his wife threatening to die and the fact that—even if deposed—he was still a Daqing prince, they might all have perished.

Behind Mu Yunchen, Su Yuan spotted Lu Xingkui, the imperial palace expert known as the “Chief Star Hand,” ranked first on the Daqing Earth List.

Seeing this man, Su Yuan’s eyes brimmed with tangible killing intent. If not for him seriously wounding Su Yuan, his daughter would not have suffered so much in these past six months.

He still recalled the disdainful, mocking look in Lu Xingkui’s eyes when he was struck down, along with the thick derision in that gaze.

It was a deliberate injury. Even if Su Ming had not colluded with him, Lu Xingkui would likely have attacked him anyway. Today, if the opportunity arose, he would repay this grudge.

At that moment, He Yuanshen stepped forward and loudly announced:

“Everyone, the literary contest now begins. This contest comprises two rounds: one of poetry and one of couplet matching. The rules are as follows...”

He was the contest organizer and host; announcing the rules was his duty.

After reading the rules, he glanced toward the substitute seats. Seeing the middle-aged clerk and the raggedly dressed Su Yuan sitting ahead, his heart steadied somewhat.

Due to the distance, his old eyes were blurred and he did not clearly recognize Su Yuan’s appearance.

Even if he had, given Su Yuan’s current disheveled state, he might not have recognized him at once.

The rules of the literary contest were simple: the first round was a poetry duel, with the Kingdom of Chu drawing topics from a box filled with prompts for the contestants to compose upon.

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Then, five esteemed scholars each from Chu and Daqing would judge, selecting the top three.

But the contest would not end there.

Discontented scholars from both kingdoms could challenge any of the top three at any time, choosing any one to confront!

If anyone defeated one of the top three on stage, they would replace that person’s ranking.

Of course, the second and third could also challenge the first; if victorious, the challenger would become first place!

Because the top three received generous rewards, with higher ranks earning more, the final arena battles were the most intense and thrilling duels of the literary contest.

As for the couplet matching round, it was also conducted as an arena duel: the challenger who drew the “defend the arena” lot would go first; if defeated, the victor would take their place. The last person remaining on the arena would be the ultimate winner.

Though this round was somewhat unfair, it most rigorously tested literary talent. A truly gifted scholar would hardly be overturned by underhanded means!

After He Yuanshen finished announcing the rules, the Emperor of Chu drew the topic and composed a poem about snow.

An attendant brought the Four Treasures of the Study to the contestants on both sides.

The little girl looked at the Four Treasures with wide, curious eyes.

She remained silent, appearing very well-behaved.

“Brother Su, this one’s a sure win!” The middle-aged clerk behind him showed a pleased expression.

Hadn’t Su Yuan’s assessment poem been about snow? If he used that, Su Yuan could definitely claim first place.

The nine other contestants nearby sneered at this, casting disdainful glances at Su Yuan, their faces full of contempt.

They had no knowledge of Su Yuan’s assessment, so they thought the middle-aged clerk was flattering him without cause.

One even muttered quietly, “A beggar dares to enter the literary contest? The world truly is in decline; even cats and dogs think they have talent!”

Hearing this, the middle-aged clerk was somewhat annoyed and looked toward the speaker, about to retort.

But thinking that a quarrel now would disrupt the contest, he suppressed his anger.