Dad, we are so stable, should we do something?

Fucheng

The next day after Mr. He handed in the invitation, he went to the prefect's residence. The two of them went into the study together, dismissed the servants, and ordered someone to guard the door, not allowing anyone to enter.

"Sir, there is the latest news from the nobleman. The people they arranged are about to arrive in Jiangnan. They just need our cooperation. Don't cause trouble for yourself."

"What are you going to do over there?"

"I would like to ask you to spread the word that a lotus poetry gathering will be held in early June. This is the season when lotus flowers are in full bloom in the south of the Yangtze River. We should hold a poetry gathering to warm up for the summer celebration of Lake County. What do you think, sir?"

"Indeed, it is very suitable. I will invite Mr. Liu, a great poet in the city, to come. Let's choose the eighth day of June. I will have my servants send out the invitation."

"I heard that Mr. Su has the painting "Night Banquet of Han Xizai". You may also invite Mr. Su and Mr. Song this time. Maybe there will be a surprise. Then, sir, I will take my leave."

Two days later, the prefect sent out invitations to the city's talented students to come to the city to participate in the Lotus Poetry Festival, which was scheduled for the eighth day of June and would last for five days. Outstanding poems, songs, paintings, and poetry albums would be selected, and students would also be eligible for places in the city's academy.

Mr. Su and Mr. Song were close friends. It is unknown why they suddenly resigned from their posts in the capital and retired to Lin'an Prefecture a few years ago. They said they wanted to retire. It is said that they usually recite poems, drink tea and play chess together. The "Night Banquet of Han Xizai" in Mr. Su's hand was obtained by chance when they traveled that year, but the details are unknown.

Recently, the prefect came to visit Mr. Su, and Mr. Song was also there. The prefect directly asked Mr. Su and Mr. Song to attend the Lotus Poetry Festival together.

"Mr. Su, Mr. Song, I came here to invite you and Mr. Song to be the judges of this poetry gathering. Because of the summer festival in Hu County, many students from all over the country came to this poetry gathering. Because I admire your talents, I would like to invite you two. I wonder what you two think."

"Thank you very much for your kindness, Governor. We are also very interested in this poetry gathering. Brother Song and I will definitely go there when the time comes."

"Very good, very good. Thank you very much, gentlemen. But I have one more thing to ask of you, but I don't know whether I should say it or not."

"Sir, just say what you want to say." Mr. Song said directly.

"Then I will speak frankly. I would like to borrow your collection of "Night Banquet of Han Xizai" and invite all students to watch it at the dinner on the first day of the competition. Compared with other cities in Jiangnan, Lin'an Prefecture is not as rich as others, so I would like to borrow your collection to promote the reputation of Lin'an Prefecture. I wonder if it is convenient for you."

Mr. Su turned to look at Mr. Song, who nodded. Mr. Su then said, "This, this is nothing. Your Excellency is also trying to maintain the confidence of Lin'an Prefecture. The two of us are also from Lin'an Prefecture, so we naturally want to lend a helping hand to Your Excellency."

"Then I would like to thank you two gentlemen for your generosity."

"Hey, you're welcome, sir."

After the matter was settled, the prefect left. However, he was puzzled as to why Mr. Su and Mr. Song agreed to his request so readily, and they did not seem surprised at all. When the visiting card was delivered, the two gentlemen replied very quickly, which was different from the rumors that the two did not like to socialize with others. But thinking of Sima He's previous reminder, he realized that there must be something behind it, so he did not want to delve into it. He did not know what he was going to do at this time. He just wanted to hold a lotus poetry meeting, and he was doing it seriously.

Four students made an appointment to meet and talk at an inn in Hu County.

"Brother Li, Brother Xu, Brother Du, have you heard that the prefect of Lin'an Prefecture has issued a notice to hold a poetry gathering? I am going to go. Do you want to join me?"

"I was just about to tell you about this. We can still make it back before the Lake County Midsummer Festival, so why not? Brother Xu and Brother Du, are you coming too?"

"Of course, we came to you and Brother He with this intention."

"Yes, even in previous years, I rarely heard that the prefect had held a poetry gathering. I don't know why he suddenly wanted to hold one this year."

"I think it must be to recruit students like us. In previous years, there were not so many students coming to Lin'an Prefecture. Everyone went to Hangzhou Prefecture and surrounding prefectures. Few people came to Lin'an. Now because of the celebration in Hu County, students and tourists from all over the country are coming here. The prefect should want to take this opportunity to gain a good reputation."

"Yes, but it is also a good opportunity for us to make friends with each other. This time we are going to hold a lotus poetry gathering, but I don't know how it will be held. I heard that there will be a selection of poems. I guess the topic will definitely be related to the lotus. We can prepare more poems about the lotus."

"It may also be related to the Midsummer Festival. This is a hot topic now, and we will not ignore it."

"Yes, what Brother Li and Brother Du said are both possible. Anyway, we just need to prepare more poems."

"Then when should we set off?"

"It is better to do it today than to wait for a day. How about we set out together from the city gate at 15:00 tomorrow morning? I heard that many people are planning to go to the city together tomorrow. This way, we can arrive in the evening of the same day. What do you think, everyone?"

"Okay, let's do as you say, Brother He."

"Brother Du and I will go together. We will meet at the city gate at 11:00 a.m."

"Okay, then I'll go with Brother He. We're in the same inn, so it's convenient to go together. What do you think, Brother He?"

"Of course. We'll go together and meet Brother Li and Brother Du at the city gate."

"Then Brother Du and I will go back and prepare first."

"Okay. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

Nowadays, besides discussing the Midsummer Festival, everyone in Hu County is also discussing the Lotus Poetry Contest in the prefectural capital. In addition to the literati who plan to go to the prefectural capital tomorrow, there are also some tourists from other places who want to take this opportunity to see the poetry contest held by the prefect. It is said that it is semi-open. Others can also go in and listen.

"I heard that many students in the inn are planning to go to the poetry gathering in the capital. Should we join in the fun?"

"We can't write poetry, so what's the point of going there? We'll just be laughed at for nothing."

"No, I heard that this poetry gathering will hold a preliminary round to eliminate the bad ones, and this preliminary round will be held at the famous Tianxin Pavilion in the city. We can go there, so we can join in the fun. Since everyone is in Hu County, which is close to the city, we can go and see what's going on."

"Then when are we going?"

"Just like those students. They will leave tomorrow morning. There will definitely be a large group of students leaving together tomorrow morning. It will be very lively with a lot of people."

"Okay, then let's go back to the inn early tonight to rest and get up early tomorrow."

"Okay, after we drink this pot of wine, we'll leave. Cheers."

"Okay, do it."