The newly appointed Song County Magistrate had to receive the esteemed visit of Li Prefect, who came to inspect the work. Fortunately, Li Prefect had given prior notice, and Song County Magistrate had made ample preparations in advance. Moreover, the two were old acquaintances from their time in the capital, where they had even worked together for a while, so there were no major hiccups.
However, it seemed that Li Prefect wasn't particularly interested in Baichuan County's Qiqiao Festival or the peculiar things on the streets. Perhaps it was because it was too hot outside, as he had been staying in the county office, drinking tea all the time.
In the afternoon, as the poetry gathering was about to begin, Song County Magistrate got up to explain the situation.
"Song, you are still so refined," Li Prefect said. "Coincidentally, I heard that several talented individuals from Yizhou Prefecture have come to observe the Qiqiao Festival. How about letting them join us?"
"Why not?"
"That would be great," Li Prefect smiled. "Let's go and appreciate the talents of Baichuan County together."
"Please, Your Excellency."
Song County Magistrate had a smiling face but in his heart, he thought, "What the hell."
At noon, Zhang County Lieutenant had already informed him that there were more than ten talented individuals from Yizhou Prefecture, reveling in a restaurant, making a lot of noise, and constantly belittling Baichuan County.
It seemed that these people were most likely intentionally summoned by Li Prefect.
There were many factions in the court, and each faction would strive to promote its own people. This was not uncommon. In the capital, Li Prefect belonged to the Prime Minister Faction, while Song County Magistrate's father belonged to the Academy Faction. In recent years, the ideologies of the two factions had gradually become incompatible, so it was inevitable that there would be hidden struggles.
The reason why Song County Magistrate was demoted to Baichuan County to become the magistrate was the result of factional struggles. Ultimately, the Prime Minister Faction was still much stronger than the Academy Faction.
However, Song County Magistrate had achieved remarkable political achievements in Baichuan County, and this had long been conveyed back to the capital. He had even received verbal praise from the Emperor. So, in another year or two, it was highly possible that he would be transferred back to a key position in the capital. Moreover, with the protection of the Ninth Prince, it was not impossible for him to soar to great heights.
Faced with such a strong competitor, Li Prefect naturally had some tricks up his sleeve.
On the one hand, he needed to show goodwill, but at the same time, he also needed to suppress Song County Magistrate a little, to let everyone know who was the top dog in Yizhou Prefecture.
Of course, even without this factional dispute, scholars tend to look down on each other. The scholars from Yizhou Prefecture, living in such a prosperous place, naturally looked down on a small county like Baichuan.
Li Prefect was well aware of this and probably wanted to use this opportunity to slightly suppress Song County Magistrate, who was currently in the limelight.
The two of them arrived at the newly built bamboo pavilion.
Song County Magistrate had invited dozens of artisans who had worked day and night to build the pavilion, which was just completed yesterday.
The bamboo pavilion was built at the foot of a mountain.
Behind it was a verdant forest, and in front was a winding river. The surroundings were filled with lush trees, creating an elegant environment.
They stepped into the building, where food and tea had already been arranged, and the scholars began to arrive.
Li Prefect and Song County Magistrate naturally sat at the main seat, with many small tables and cushions placed on both sides for the scholars to sit on.
The local scholars of Baichuan County, led by Wang Er, as the local landlord, sat in the seats to the east, while facing them were the talented individuals from Yizhou Prefecture.
There are various ways to enjoy a poetry gathering, with the most common being exchanging couplets and composing poems on the spot while everyone provides comments and selects the best ones.
Originally, this was an elegant affair, but it took on a different flavor with the arrival of the talented scholars from Yizhou Prefecture.
A scholar dressed in white stood up first and proposed, "I suggest we start with exchanging couplets. We'll take turns challenging each other, and if someone fails to respond or their response lacks elegance, they will be punished."
"How will they be punished? With money or alcohol?"
"As scholars, we shouldn't indulge in such trivial matters, and it wouldn't be appropriate to drink in front of the two esteemed gentlemen," the scholar in white replied. "Why don't we agree that the losing party will have a streak of ink drawn on their face? What do you all think?"
"Excellent idea! Let's do it!"
The proposal from the scholar in white immediately received unanimous approval from the group.
He then turned to Li Prefect and Song County Magistrate, cupped his hands, and asked, "What do the two esteemed gentlemen think?"
The idea of having ink drawn on their faces as a punishment was something Song County Magistrate had experienced when he was young, but he was concerned that the students from Baichuan County might not be as skilled. He was about to object when Li Prefect spoke first, saying, "Very well, young people should have some fun."
And so, it was decided that drawing ink on the face would be the punishment.
"I forgot to introduce everyone," Li Prefect said. "This gentleman here is Xu Youcai, a scholar from Yizhou Prefecture. Among the many students, he is quite outstanding and has a good chance of passing the provincial examination this year."
"Thank you for your praise, Prefect."
"By the way," Li Prefect asked, "I heard that Baichuan County produced a fourteen-year-old scholar this year. Who might that be?"
Song County Magistrate pointed to Wang Er and said, "It's him."
Wang Er respectfully walked out from behind the desk and approached, bowing. "I am Wang Er. I greet you, Prefect."
"Wang Er?" Li Prefect asked. "Don't you have a more formal name?"
"Well..." Wang Er blushed and replied, "I haven't chosen one yet."
Xu Youcai and the other Yizhou Prefecture students couldn't help but sneer. How could a scholar not even have a proper name? Truly a backward place.
"I heard he only managed to pass the examination by cheating. He was given a spot in the ranking," someone whispered. "Otherwise, how could he have made it?"
Xu Youcai suddenly realized the situation and looked down on Wang Er even more.
"Let's get started then," Li Prefect said. "Xu Youcai, since you all came from afar, you may go first."
"Yes."
Xu Youcai confidently stepped forward.
Exchanging couplets couldn't be premeditated; it had to be related to the surroundings. Xu Youcai took a look around and noticed several paintings hung in the bamboo pavilion, one of which depicted lotus flowers. An idea struck him.
He picked up the pen from the desk and quickly wrote down his upper couplet: "The painting depicts a lotus-drawing monk."
After finishing, he took a satisfied look before setting the pen down.
"I have come up with my upper couplet. Please respond," he said.
Someone immediately stepped forward and loudly recited the upper couplet.
At first, it didn't sound particularly remarkable, but after a moment, Li Prefect's eyes lit up.
"Haha, not bad at all!"
Song County Magistrate also recognized the brilliance of the upper couplet but felt somewhat worried inside.
This seemingly ordinary first line is actually a palindrome, meaning that even when read backward, it sounds the same as when read forward.
Upon reading it, the students of Baichuan County fell silent, their heads bowed as they pondered and struggled, seemingly unable to come up with an answer in the short term.
The Song County Magistrate looked at Wang Er, hoping that he could provide an answer. Otherwise, it would be embarrassing to fail right from the start.
Wang Er was also anxious at this moment. He could appreciate the brilliance of this first line, but he was at a loss for a good second line.
Xu Youcai, sitting across from them, leisurely waited for a while before saying, "Brother Wang Er, it has been quite some time. Have you figured it out?"
Wang Er shook his head.
Seeing that he couldn't come up with an answer, the Song County Magistrate sighed lightly.
With the first attempt ending in failure, it seemed that the students of Baichuan County would be losing face today.
"Well then, please draw a line of ink on your own faces," he said.
Wang Er picked up a brush and calmly drew a line on his face.
But others didn't handle it as smoothly as he did. Each of their expressions turned sour, feeling that the line of ink on their faces was caused by Wang Er.
"Aren't you the top scholar of Baichuan County? How can't you even come up with a matching couplet?" someone muttered quietly.
"A perennial prodigy, what kind of students can he produce?"
"He's only impressive in Baichuan County. In front of the talented scholars in Yizhou Prefecture, he's not even worthy of being their shoe."
...