HCB Chapter 424 Many eyes fell on Xie Jing.
Chapter 424 Many eyes fell on Xie Jing.
The students turned pale and bowed deeply, admitting their mistakes: "We know we were wrong and are willing to accept punishment."
Master Xu snorted coldly and scanned the entire room: "The rest of you, although you didn't agree, you didn't stop it either. Tomorrow when you go to school, all of you will stand there for two whole months!"
Everyone immediately lowered their heads and whispered, "The student accepts the punishment."
Xu Qing stood in the middle of the crowd and breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, he didn't speak up, so he can continue participating in the poetry gathering.
Despite this, he still felt an overwhelming sense of unease.
Her gaze involuntarily drifted towards Xie Jing, and a surge of indescribable resentment welled up in her heart.
What skills does Xie Jing have? He just puts on a nonchalant act.
How could I possibly gain the favor of the masters? Are they all blind?
Xu Qing dared not say these words aloud, keeping them to himself.
Just wait, at the poetry gathering, he'll definitely outshine Xie Jing!
There weren't many students at Wutong Academy today, only ten.
Five have left so far.
The rest of them dared not say anything more, standing obediently behind Master Xu, not daring to utter a single word.
Master Xu turned to Master Gu with a solemn expression and bowed deeply.
His tone was apologetic: "Mr. Gu, the students were ignorant and talked nonsense, which makes me feel extremely ashamed. I hope you won't take it to heart."
Master Gu stood still, waved his hand, and spoke calmly and composedly.
"Master Xu, you are too kind. These children are young and impetuous, and it is inevitable that they will speak without restraint. Besides, I have never taken it to heart."
Upon hearing this, Master Xu's face showed even greater remorse.
"They are blind and have misunderstood you, sir. It is truly my fault for not teaching you properly. What happened today is my dereliction of duty."
"Master Xu need not blame himself. Young people are inexperienced and inevitably speak their minds. As long as you teach them diligently in the future, they will naturally understand what it means to respect teachers and what the essence of learning is."
Master Xu nodded repeatedly.
As he spoke, he couldn't help but turn his gaze to Xie Jing beside him.
A sense of emotion swept through my mind.
Unexpectedly, Xie Jing would become a disciple of Master Gu.
Master Xu was well aware of Xie Jing's aptitude.
He is extremely talented, and his knowledge has already exceeded what I can teach.
With her own knowledge, it would be difficult for Xie Jing to climb higher.
Perhaps only a renowned teacher like Master Gu is truly suitable for him.
Afterwards, everyone walked together toward the venue of the poetry gathering.
Throughout the journey, Master Xu always lagged behind Master Gu by half a step, appearing exceptionally humble.
The poetry gathering was held in a small courtyard in the south of the city.
The garden is filled with all kinds of flowers and trees.
Although it is not the height of summer, some early-blooming flowers have already released their fragrance, and the air is filled with a faint floral scent.
Master Gu came in.
The crowd, who had been talking in hushed tones, immediately fell silent, stood up to greet him, and bowed in greeting.
Master Xu led Master Gu to the main seat, while the others respectfully attended to him.
Xie Jing had been following behind Master Gu, and now he took the opportunity to sit down behind Master Gu.
The location is slightly off-center, offering a panoramic view of the entire poetry gathering.
Many people's eyes fell on Xie Jing.
But most people were seeing him for the first time and didn't know him.
Everyone wanted to watch, but considering Master Gu beside him, they could only look for a while before looking away.
Sunlight filtered through the wisteria trellis, casting dappled shadows, and the poetry gathering officially began.
"Since today is a poetry gathering, let's have an impromptu poetry contest on the theme of 'Spring Evening in the Mountains.' Everyone, please take turns composing a poem and freely express your feelings. There is no word limit, but we encourage you to aim for lofty sentiments."
Upon hearing this, the people at the table felt somewhat uneasy.
After all, those selected for the poetry gathering were all talented, but none of them dared to underestimate Master Gu.
For a moment, everyone lowered their heads and pondered, fearing that they would be too slow to act and fall behind.
I was also afraid that if I answered too quickly, I wouldn't be able to write a good poem.
But there was one exception—Xu Qing.
He already had a plan in mind.
As soon as Master Gu finished speaking, he stood up from his seat and said, "I dare to offer my humble opinion first."
During this period, he studied poetry with his father every day.
I think I've learned it pretty well.
While at the academy, Xie Jing rarely wrote poetry; his essays were far superior.
After all, he's only human; he can't be good at everything.
This is where I can surpass him.
Everyone was surprised and envious that someone could be so fast.
Master Gu raised an eyebrow slightly and said calmly, "Alright, please read it."
Xu Qing's eyes were full of confidence, and he immediately began to recite.
"In the mountains, the warbling of orioles is rare as spring draws to a close; clouds swirl around the perilous peaks where grass grows lush and green. A stream flows across the deep ravine, and a thousand layers of verdant trees are bathed in the slanting sunlight."
After finishing reading, he glanced around, a hint of smugness in his expression.
The scholars present either nodded or whispered among themselves upon hearing this.
Clearly, while Xu Qing's performance didn't dominate the entire field, it was still quite impressive.
Master Gu did not immediately express his opinion, but picked up his teacup and took a sip.
"Not bad, the overall feel is acceptable."
Upon hearing this, Xu Qing's eyes dimmed instantly, a hint of resentment rising within them.
However, out of politeness, he still bowed and thanked them, then sat down silently.
Afterwards, many students recited their own poems.
But none of them are as good as Xu Qing's.
Xu Qing's originally gloomy mood instantly improved a lot.
In the end, only Xie Jing remained who had not yet composed a poem.
Master Gu turned his gaze and glanced at Xie Jing.
Xie Jingyuan initially refused, but then he saw Master Gu's expression.
Finally, she nodded.
He stood up, raised his hand in a salute, and said, "This student is willing to offer his humble advice, please instruct me, sir."
Master Gu put down his teacup, raised his hand, and gestured for him to begin.
Xie Jing was dressed in blue, his face was cold and stern, but he showed no fear.
He lowered his head and pondered for a moment before slowly speaking.
"In the mountains, the evening breeze is cool as spring fades, and the emerald shadows sway in the setting sun. No travelers can be found on the stream, only the sound of a lone crane passing by the smoke-shrouded mast."
His voice was clear and bright, and he read at a steady pace.
Every word flows as smoothly as a stream.
The imagery of a cool evening breeze, the emerald shadows of the setting sun, and a lone crane flying through the smoke instantly flows from the poem, seemingly within reach.
After a moment of silence, several scholars couldn't help but murmur their praise: "What a fine poem, with profound meaning!"
Xu Qing raised his head, a barely perceptible hint of gloom flashing in his eyes.
I originally thought my poem was a good one, but I didn't expect Xie Jing's poem to be even better.
Isn't he bad at writing poetry?
Master Gu nodded: "The style is natural and the imagery is elegant. Xie Jing, this poem is quite good."
A simple comment, yet it made it clear to everyone present that Master Gu was quite satisfied with the poem.
Xie Jing bowed calmly and said, "Thank you for your guidance, sir."
He then sat down quietly, his expression unchanged.
Halfway through the poetry gathering, Master Gu spoke up, saying, "The poems you all just recited were all quite good, each with its own unique characteristics."
"However, in the pursuit of knowledge, while poetry is important, prose should also be cultivated."