"The delicate shadows of flowers fill the garden with fragrance, and the golden banquet is full of fine wine."

"Everyone is happy when they are drunk and reciting poems, and they are all relegated to immortal officials when they are sitting in the middle."

When Zhu Jin finished reading this poem, the students in the inner courtyard applauded.

“What a poem!”

"Brother Zhu is indeed a young and talented person!"

"With Brother Zhu's literary talent, he will definitely be on the gold medal list in next year's provincial examination!"

At the same time, Chengguo Gong Zhu Yong nodded and smiled, and asked a middle-aged man beside him: "Fengcheng Marquis, what do you think of this son's poetry?"

The Fengcheng Marquis lineage also started in Jingnan, Fengtian, and lived in Nanjing for generations. It was passed down to the second generation Fengcheng Marquis Li Xian during the Zhengtong period. Historically, he would take over the Nanjing garrison position after Xiangcheng Bo Li Long, and he would be regarded as a garrison.

A relatively high-ranking and powerful person among the nobles of Nanjing.

"The writing is good. The poem is rich and noble, and has the meaning of free and easy blessing. It is very suitable for today's banquet."

"Thank you for your praise from Marquis Fengcheng."

Hearing Li Xian's words, Zhu Jin also took the initiative to express his gratitude in a very timely manner, with a proud look on his face. After all, it is not easy to show up in front of many honorable ministers, let alone receive praise.

After hearing Marquis Fengcheng's praise, the maid Xue'er quietly leaned close to Chen Qingtong and asked in his ear.

"Miss, is Zhu Jin's poem really well written?"

"Generally, people in Fengcheng are polite and courteous."

Chen Qingtong replied disdainfully that it was definitely too much to call Zhu Jin's poem a limerick, but there was nothing outstanding about it, so it could only be considered barely qualified.

As for the compliments from Marquis Fengcheng, on the one hand, they are purely polite. As the elder Lord, it is impossible to refute the younger generation's face on such an occasion. On the other hand, this Zhu Jin is the direct grandson of the elder of the Zhu family, and can be regarded as a member of the Zhu family clan.

As a close member of the family, Zhu Yong, the Duke of Chengguo, must be given the honor.

Therefore, many times, what is commented on is poetry, but what is actually being discussed is human nature and sophistication.

"What about Mr. Shen's poetry level? Can he show his knowledge today?"

Xueer asked with her big curious eyes blinking. She knew that the young lady invited Shen Yichen to the banquet just to show off her knowledge in front of everyone like Zhu Jin did.

It is said that the Yin of Yingtian Prefecture and the Academic Affairs Superintendent of Nanzhili are present today. They are the examiners of the government examination and the provincial examination. If I can get their appreciation, the road to the imperial examination will be more effective, but I don't know what Mr. Shen's literary talent is like.

Facing Xue'er's question, Chen Qingtong was stunned for a moment subconsciously. He didn't seem to really understand Shen Yichen's academic level. However, judging from the results in the home school and the fact that no children had passed the exam, Shen Yichen's knowledge should not be much better.

At first, I simply thought that today's family dinner was an opportunity, and I forgot to consider whether Shen Yichen had the strength to seize the opportunity!

"That, I'm not sure about..."

Chen Qingtong whispered back in a very guilty tone.

"Then what if Mr. Shen is not good at learning?"

Xue'er also saw Chen Qingtong's guilty conscience, and Shen Yichen was still studying at a school outside the courtyard, so his knowledge must not be much better.

It doesn't matter if you can't make a big splash at the family banquet. If you are afraid of making a fool of yourself and making a bad impression at the family banquet, that is really self-defeating.

Sometimes things are just what you're afraid of. Just when Xue'er asked what to do, Zhu Jin, who had finished composing poems, said: "It's better to be happy alone than to be happy together. I heard that Brother Shen Yichen, a student from a school in the outer courtyard, is talented and intelligent.

, why don’t you come and compose a poem to cheer up all the gentlemen?”

Shen Yichen, who had been waiting for the meal, suddenly heard Zhu Jin nodding at him, and instantly felt like a dog. No wonder he glanced at it before composing the poem, because he was waiting for an opportunity to embarrass himself.

Not only was Shen Yichen extremely unhappy, Duke Cheng Zhu Yong, who originally had a smile on his face, gradually turned gloomy after hearing Zhu Jin's words.

Shen Yichen is an illegitimate child who has not been included in the genealogy. Appearing on such an occasion is easy to attract criticism. What's more, Zhu Jin also emphasized the word "schoolboy", which is almost equivalent to telling everyone that Shen Yichen is not even a child. Passing the exam really brought the Duke of Chengguo’s face into consideration.

Moreover, Zhu Yong also knew how knowledgeable Shen Yichen was. Wouldn't this make him look embarrassed in public?

"Little friend Shen, are you still a schoolboy?"

Zhou Shun, the magistrate of Jiangning County, couldn't help but asked in surprise. He had thought that Shen Yichen was most likely to be a scholar. He might even be a scholar, but he would have to be a child at the very least.

As a result, I never expected that this boy was not even considered a child, but a schoolboy sneaked into the family banquet of the Duke of Chengguo?

Faced with the question, Shen Yichen could only admit it with an awkward nod, then stood up and said, "Brother Zhu, I appreciate you. I'm not knowledgeable enough, so I'm afraid I won't be able to write any good poems, so as not to disturb your gentlemen's enjoyment."

Shen Yichen has always known how good he is, so it's not a big problem for him to demonstrate what he has memorized by rote. Original poetry is really difficult for modern people, and currently he is only at the level of limericks.

It would be a disgrace to oneself, so just find an excuse to excuse yourself.

It's just that Shen Yichen didn't expect that he would give in. After Zhu Ji, the second young master sitting opposite him, glanced at him, Zhu Jin still pursued him and said: "Brother Shen, you are being too modest. Could it be that you don't want to be with us all?" Show it in front of adults?"

Previously, Shen Yichen used the name of Marquis Taining to make Zhu Ji suffer. He had already made up his mind that he would not let Shen Yichen go no matter what today.

Now, using Zhu Jin's words, Shen Yichen is roasted on the fire. He must disgrace this kid in order to repay the hatred in his heart!

Facing Zhu Jin's aggressiveness, Shen Yichen also understood that it would be difficult to escape this time, so he simply retorted: "What I'm telling you is all the truth. When it comes to poetry, I am indeed not as good as you, Brother Zhu. "

When Shen Yichen said these words, a victor's smile appeared on Zhu Jin's face. It seemed that the maidservant had understood his identity.

Unexpectedly, Chen Qingtong suddenly burst into laughter. With this, the guests at other tables also laughed one after another, and many people even looked at Zhu Jin with different eyes.

The reason why there is laughter is that Shen Yichen's words of "flattering and flattering" are superficially self-effacing, but in fact they serve as a pun, insinuating Zhu Jin's poems.

The reason lies in Zhu Jin's last sentence, "Everyone who sits in the middle is a banished immortal official." The original meaning of banished immortals refers to the state of gods after being demoted to the mortal world. Later, it was extended to refer to highly talented, pure and refined figures, such as Li Bai, Du Fu, etc. Extremely talented literati were once called "exiled immortals".

Zhu Jin said that all the officials present here are Li Bai. Isn't it just to flatter an immortal like Du Fu?

Originally, this kind of bragging was normal in poetry, and most people who heard it felt it was a bit too complimentary and embarrassed, but when it was directly exposed in this way, the taste was completely different.

There were all the outstanding people in the Ming Dynasty's imperial examinations. How could they not understand Shen Yichen's innuendo? It's normal to laugh out loud. Not laughing out loud can only mean that you have good concentration.

Along with the laughter, Zhu Jin also reacted to Shen Yichen's insinuations. The smile on his face suddenly turned into the color of pig liver, and his body trembled with shame and anger.
Chapter completed!