Chapter 40

Last time, we mentioned how Cheng Yaojin's poem made everyone laugh at him, which made him very embarrassed.

Looking around, Cheng Yaojin found that these people were either too powerful to offend, like Li Er and Changsun, or if he offended one, a group would come after him, like Changsun Wuji. If he did it again, it might even lead to a group of ministers ganging up on him. Of course, he could also divert the trouble, for example, by provoking the black-faced Wei Chi, so he could have a fight and escape. But that was the last resort. He hadn't had enough to drink yet, so how could he fight with Wei Chi, who was always the final act at every banquet?

Just then, he saw a little boy and a little girl enter from the main gate. He didn't know them, but he guessed they were the children of Prince Qin. He was about to praise them and use it as an excuse to leave, but unexpectedly, the little boy almost fell down and then laughed along with the ministers, leaving only the little girl looking at him in confusion.

He couldn't believe that even a child was laughing at him! Cheng Yaojin's temper flared up: "Hey, little boy, are you laughing at me too?"

"This..." Li Kuan felt truly wronged, as if he had been hit by a stray bullet while lying down.

"What, speechless because I caught you? You, a little boy, are also laughing at me? Today, if you can't come up with a poem better than mine, you're just making fun of me!" Cheng Yaojin's temper was uncontrollable, and everyone was stunned by his words: to take offense at a child, only a troublemaker like him would do such a thing, truly shameless.

It was then that Li Kuan realized this was the famous troublemaker. When he entered, he only heard the skewed poem, and although it mentioned "Old Cheng," he didn't think much of it. Now, seeing his behavior, he guessed this was probably him.

Cheng Yaojin was notoriously difficult to deal with, not just in military affairs but also in such situations. He didn't care about face, even with a child, he would still compete. But he never imagined that this wasn't a real child, but an adult's soul in a child's body, with a mysterious system.

"General, are you really going to take offense at a child like me?" Li Kuan looked at Cheng Yaojin with innocent eyes, a naive smile on his face.

Cheng Yaojin felt uneasy from his innocent smile, sensing something was off but couldn't put his finger on it. But now he was in a bind and had to push through: "Others laugh at me, they're all old, so it's fine. But you, a little brat who hasn't even grown hair, dare to laugh at me? Do you really think Old Cheng is easy to bully?"

"I have no such intention! I just think General's poetic talent is like a drum on a high mountain, heard for a hundred miles. It's like having six of the seven orifices open, about to reach the highest realm." Li Kuan, knowing this was a tough nut to crack, didn't hold back and answered directly.

Li Er, standing at the main seat, watched Li Kuan banter with Cheng Yaojin and felt a sense of comfort. The woman he once knew was also eloquent. If Changsun was the most considerate person, knowing his warmth and cold, then she was the one he confided in, with whom he could talk about anything. Now, her son was also beginning to show his sharpness, but she could no longer see it.

"That's right, my literary talent fills five carts and eight baskets!" Cheng Yaojin laughed heartily.

Not just him, but everyone who understood the conversation laughed, though they all knew who the laughter was directed at.

"Even if you flatter me, you still have to write a poem! I know you're Prince Qin's son, so your poem doesn't have to be better than Old Cheng's, just better than Changsun Wuji's!" Cheng Yaojin was very confident in himself.

"Is that so? I'll give it a try!" Li Kuan, inspired, had the idea of plagiarizing: if he plagiarized the famous poems from a hundred years later, what kind of poems would they write? Would there be no Li and Du, no Bai Letian, no Han Yu? Thinking about this, Li Kuan decided to try some poems, though it was a bit shameless, but if he didn't do such things after traveling through time, wouldn't he lose face?

Li Lizhi didn't understand the conversation between Li Kuan and Cheng Yaojin. She looked at her second brother in confusion, knowing that his words about the bearded uncle weren't nice, as his smile was the kind that appeared when he did something bad, which she knew all too well.

She tugged at her brother's sleeve, hoping he would tell her what everyone was laughing about: "Second Brother, what are you all laughing at? Lizhi wants to laugh too!"

The little girl's innocent words made those nearby laugh again. Li Kuan turned and rubbed her long hair: "Second Brother was praising the bearded uncle! His voice is very loud, like when Second Brother beat the drum yesterday, thump thump."

The little girl still didn't understand, but it seemed impressive, so she looked at her second brother with admiration: "Second Brother is the best!"

"Yes! Second Brother is the best, but Lizhi, we are good children, we can't praise Second Brother in front of others. We should praise him quietly afterward, or people will say we are proud. So remember, don't praise Second Brother in front of others!" Li Kuan often lowered his mental age to match the child's when he was with her.

"Okay! Lizhi will praise Second Brother later!" The little girl nodded seriously.

"Little boy, what are you mumbling about? Hurry up and write the poem, or you lose! Laughing at Old Cheng means you have to drink!" Cheng Yaojin, growing impatient, urged him.

"Since General can't wait, I'll start now!" Li Kuan straightened his clothes, adjusted his hat, and walked to the center of the hall, bowing to everyone: "I'll try my best today, I hope all the uncles and aunts will give me guidance!"

"Yes, to have such a demeanor at such a young age, truly worthy of being Prince Qin's son! Master Kong has done a great job!" Xu Jingzong stood among the ministers, but in the corner, as his reputation wasn't good. Although he was one of the eighteen scholars of the Tiance Mansion, he didn't have many close friends, not even as many as the scholarly Yao Silian, who was known as the shameless old man.

Prince Qin's sons all studied in the palace school, and Kong Yingda was their teacher, which everyone knew. So they all congratulated Kong Yingda, as teaching such a student was a great honor for a teacher.

"This..." Kong Yingda didn't know what to say. The second prince hadn't attended his classes for long, often missing due to poor health. In the past two months, he had only attended twice and left early both times to go fishing at the Taiye Pool. He had discussed with Empress Changsun whether to force the prince to attend, but she had been vague. Now, these people were praising him for his teaching, which made him feel very embarrassed.

But Kong Yingda didn't stay embarrassed for long, as Li Kuan began his poem: "I have an idea, please listen!"

Li Kuan walked to Li Er's main seat, picked up a wine cup, and looked at it: "Grapes and fine wine in a night-light cup."

The first line was simple, just describing a cup of wine, but no one spoke, as many famous lines started simply and then became grand.

"About to drink, the lute urges on horseback!" Li Kuan turned to the direction of the musicians, where several girls were holding lutes, used in the previous performance.

Although there were lutes on the scene, this line clearly meant more. The last three words, "urges on horseback," created a sense of urgency. Why couldn't they even finish a cup of wine before being hurriedly urged to mount their horses? Could it be...

Sure enough, when Li Kuan's last two lines came out, the entire poem changed dramatically: "Drunk on the battlefield, do not laugh, for few return from ancient wars!"

"Excellent! Drunk on the battlefield, do not laugh, and few return from ancient wars!" Li Er stood up from his seat, looking at his young son and laughing heartily.

This child truly understood him, just like his mother! Li Er thought to himself. Warfare was the main theme of his life, with countless battles and narrow escapes, which built his reputation as Prince Qin and his invincible spirit. But who knew that on the battlefield, he was also afraid, not knowing when he might die and never see his loved ones again. Many times, he wanted to get drunk after the battles, to fall asleep on the battlefield and let the fallen brothers enter his dreams, telling him their last words. But he couldn't...

Empress Changsun understood Li Er's thoughts best. Seeing him so moved, she knew this little second son had touched his soft spot. She sighed, then looked at the呆坐一旁的李承乾，还有正在努力往自己嘴里塞肉的小胖墩李泰，摇了摇头。

"豪气！真的豪气！没想到小小孩童能够做出此等诗词来！老孔，你真的教出这样的学生？" 姚思廉把老脸凑到孔颖达身前，带着戏谑的笑意。

这老家伙就是这点不好，总是喜欢揭人短处，所以他的关系仅比那个阴险的许敬宗强一点点。但他却不以为耻：“所谓君子不与小人相交，你们这些整天算计利益的家伙，早就把心中的孔孟之道丢弃了，老夫不屑与之往来矣！”

程咬金这会儿无言以对了，他虽粗鄙，但诗中的豪情他却能真切地体会到，因为战场征杀的缘故，他比那帮文臣更能理解其中的感情，他知道他输了，这首诗比他的“满坡敌人任我砍”高明多了。

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"Bravery! Truly bravery! I never thought a child could write such a poem! Old Kong, did you really teach such a student?" Yao Silian leaned close to Kong Yingda, a mocking smile on his face.

This old man had this one bad habit, always liking to expose others' shortcomings, so his relationships were only slightly better than the sinister Xu Jingzong. But he wasn't ashamed: "A gentleman does not associate with small-minded people. You all, who calculate benefits all day, have long abandoned the principles of Confucius and Mencius. I disdain to associate with you!"

Cheng Yaojin was speechless now. Though he was crude, he could truly feel the bravery in the poem. Because of his experience on the battlefield, he understood the emotions better than the ministers. He knew he had lost, and this poem was far superior to his "enemies covering the hillside, ready for my blade."

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