Jian Qinwan watched the crowd below being awed by Liang Xiao, and recalled his words in Yanzhou, her heart filled with complex emotions.
Others were jealous of him, yet dared not charge forward and kill him!
Did this fellow truly enjoy this feeling?
Thinking that Liang Xiao had not been charmed by Ye Qingyi's beauty this time, Jian Qinwan's good impression of him increased by a tiny bit...
With a complicated heart, Jian Qinwan turned to see what Liang Xiao was doing. The moment she turned, her body froze, her breath catching for an instant!
At the same time, almost everyone in the venue was gasping for breath. Even Ye Qingyi and Yi Rou felt a tremor in their hearts for no apparent reason!
On the wooden plank, above the piece of Xuan paper, a line of text was written in running script.
"Life between heaven and earth, like a traveler on a distant journey."
"This..." Even Luo Qingxue's heart was in turmoil without her realizing it, tears welling up in her eyes!
"Another timeless masterpiece! Just ten words, conveying such a vast, profound, and desolate artistic conception!" Gu Shaoyan, having recovered his senses, wiped away tears that had flowed without his knowledge and exclaimed in disbelief!
Mu Hong also sighed with emotion, "Indeed, it is a timeless masterpiece! This life we live between heaven and earth, suddenly feels like the hurried passage of a traveler on a distant journey... Alas! Marvelous! Utterly marvelous!"
The crowd, especially the talented scholars and ladies, praised it with tears in their eyes!
Even the Feathered Forest Guards in the distance, after hearing Mu Hong's explanation, could not help but pat their chests and sigh deeply!
Compared to the eternal heaven and earth, a human life was indeed fleeting, coming and going in a hurry. This line inexplicably made them feel sorrowful, yet also profound and distant.
Jian Qinwan stared blankly at the line of text, on the verge of tears. She glanced at Liang Xiao, her heart filled with trepidation: Would I, then, become a fleeting passerby in his life...
Her heart harbored a pride that was difficult to let go of, yet she also felt a timid reluctance to disrupt Liang Xiao and Luo Qingxue's marriage.
Gu Xiaoxiao and Mu Wanjun burst into tears on the spot, clinging tightly to their lovers' arms.
Even Zuo Wushang in the distance, who had been feeling melancholic, fell into deep thought, sighing repeatedly, "To have a son, one should be like Liang Xiao..."
Gu Shaoyan pleaded, "Such a large piece of paper, surely Marquis Anguo intended to write more than just this line? May we request you to complete it?"
The crowd, having regained their composure, finally realized the issue and unanimously requested Liang Xiao to complete the poem.
After much entreaty, Liang Xiao finally continued to wield his brush, completing the entire poem.
"The cypresses on the green mounds, the stones in the rocky streams. Life between heaven and earth, like a traveler on a distant journey. With a cup of wine, we entertain ourselves, seeking not to be meager. Driving our chariots, urging our weary steeds, we play in Wan and Luo. How bustling is the city of Luo, officials and nobles seek each other out. Two palaces gaze at each other from afar, with twin towers a hundred feet high. Let us feast to our heart's content, why then be filled with sorrow?"
The title of the poem: "The Cypresses on the Green Mounds"!
The crowd felt suffocated, "Another wondrous poem that can be included in the 'Great Qian Poetry Collection'!"
In a daze, these dignitaries and nobles seemed to see themselves frolicking in the prosperous land of Wan and Luo of yesteryear, indulging in pleasure, unaware of the source of their worries.
"Truly a poem that resonates deeply with me..." Gu Shaoyan was somewhat agitated, taking a deep breath and gazing at Liang Xiao's calligraphy.
Ye Qingyi, having regained her senses, sighed sadly, "Marvelous! Truly marvelous, I am impressed! This poem, I truly desire it..."
A commotion erupted below!
"Marquis Anguo, could you name a price? I wish to buy it to present to楼主 Ye..." A merchant, glancing at Ye Qingyi, eagerly asked for the price first!
The other dignitaries and nobles, unwilling to be outdone, all declared their desire to buy it for Ye Qingyi.
Ye Qingyi, having shed her youthful immaturity, was now charming and alluring, and had captured the hearts of countless people the moment she appeared on stage, her charm even surpassing that of Yi Rou!
Liang Xiao then let out a light chuckle and asked, "Do you all truly believe that my calligraphy can be sold?"
"The calligraphy! The calligraphy is excellent!" Mu Hong was the first to react, slapping the table in admiration!
Only then did the crowd realize, "This calligraphy... is perhaps also unparalleled through the ages!"
People finally broke free from the artistic conception of the poem, only to discover Liang Xiao's calligraphy.
Written in one go, deeply impactful!
Whether it was Zhuo Zifang or the calligraphers of the Great Qian dynasty throughout the ages, they were all left far behind!
It was enough to be recorded in history and form its own style!
"Please name your price, Marquis Anguo. I truly wish for this poem." Ye Qingyi requested.
This time, even she herself did not know if she was merely being polite to Liang Xiao or truly desired it...
"Please, Marquis Anguo, write it one more time. I also wish to buy it!" another merchant adorned with jewelry spoke up.
Liang Xiao laughed heartily, "If I were to say that this is the only complete rendition of this poem, and I pledge publicly that once this calligraphy changes hands, I will never write a second complete version again. What value do you think it holds?"
Written only once?
"The only masterpiece! Is it like that jar of 'One Drunk Hundred Years' that was sold to the Master of Qin back then?" The crowd exclaimed in shock!
"That would be a thousand pieces of gold per character!" Finally, someone could not hold back and exclaimed.
That poem, "Mulan Ci," paired with "One Drunk Hundred Years," sold for ten thousand taels, becoming a famous story of the time!
Initially, people thought the Master of Qin had overvalued Liang Xiao's calligraphy, until the national selection event concluded...
The Grand Champion of Great Qian! Champion in all five topics!
It was said that a certain powerful figure in Jiangnan had publicly declared that he would offer fifty thousand taels to acquire the Master of Qin's "Mulan Ci" as a family heirloom!
Undoubtedly, the Master of Qin, who was sitting on a mountain of gold, paid him no heed...
This powerful figure even specifically sent someone with two thousand taels of silver notes to the capital, requesting Liang Xiao to write another one!
Liang Xiao also paid him no heed...
The matter spread like wildfire, truly a thousand pieces of gold per character!
Because of this incident, people had reached a consensus: if Liang Xiao said he would only write a poem once, he would only write it once!
This "The Cypresses on the Green Mounds," they dared not say for sure if it was better than "Mulan Ci," but what if, like the Master of Qin's "Mulan Ci," it was the only one in existence?
Antiques in prosperous times, gold in chaotic times!
No one understood this saying better than the wealthy!
How many poems could Liang Xiao write in his lifetime? After Liang Xiao's passing, if this calligraphy were to be passed down through the ages, its price might even double or triple...
Even the only surviving spring landscape painting by the founding Prime Minister of Great Qian is now valued at over fifty thousand taels!
Gu Shaoyan and Mu Hong sighed regretfully.
Although they came from aristocratic families, matters involving tens of thousands of taels were not something they, as juniors, could decide. They also did not have time to send someone back to inform their elders to assess the value of this calligraphy!
"Marquis Anguo, will you sell it for ten thousand taels!" Duanmu Chao was the first to speak, stunning the entire audience!
Even the patriarch of the Duanmu family, a cunning old fox of this caliber, could not help but enter the fray, which meant this calligraphy was definitely worth the price!
Dugu She gritted his teeth and also offered a price, "Eleven thousand taels!"
Duanmu Chao was taken aback, daring not to speak out in anger.
The Duanmu family was a merchant family, and they usually relied on the Dugu family!
Dugu She also had his doubts. After all, this was a poem by a rival. He dared to make this decision, but the Dugu family would surely resell it after acquiring it...
Ye Qingyi's hands trembled slightly hidden in her sleeves. She was contemplating whether she should bid.
With the wealth of the Great Heng Kingdom, they could certainly afford the price, but it would offend other powerful figures!
Once the Dugu family took the lead, other wealthy individuals would have to weigh whether it was worth competing with the Dugu family for this calligraphy.
"No one can outbid us Dugu family, right?" Dugu She laughed heartily, a triumphant look on his face.
Relying on the Dugu family's power, they could buy Liang Xiao's calligraphy at the lowest price and then resell it at the highest price?
The crowd felt discouraged, yet also envious. From the stage, however, came Liang Xiao's laughter.
"Who said I was going to sell it!"
Dugu She's expression changed, "Marquis Anguo, what do you mean by that?"
Liang Xiao waved his hand, "Bring wine!"
As the crowd watched in surprise, Liang Yun personally carried a jar of wine onto the stage and placed it facing the crowd.
Everyone looked and was greatly astonished!
A piece of paper was affixed to the wine jar. On it was Liang Xiao's handwriting, but it only contained one line of the poem.
"The cypresses on the green mounds, the stones in the rocky streams."
Dugu She became enraged and finally laughed angrily, "Marquis Anguo, didn't you say this poem would only be written once? Isn't this contradicting yourself?"