Chương 79: Famous in Luoyang

Su Wanqing stood on the stage, speechless.

She gazed at the second floor, her beautiful eyes sparkling with admiration. It wasn't just appreciation for the good poem, but also the excitement of finding a kindred spirit and... a hint of indescribable admiration.

Such a poem, with such a broad mind and spirit, what kind of heroic figure must have written it?

She asked again in a soft yet incredibly firm voice:

"Young Master Cao, are these two masterpieces truly... your work? Wanqing... Wanqing wishes to come upstairs herself to play the zither for you, as a token of her respect."

This statement is practically an explicit implication.

At this point, Cao Cao's intelligence finally regained its superiority.

He can pretend to be a coin, but he can't afford the consequences of impersonating "Champion Marquis + one of his future bosses"!

Moreover, this matter cannot be kept secret. Someone may have seen Liu Ce coming in and going out just now.

He quickly waved his hands repeatedly towards the downstairs area and shouted loudly:

"Gentlemen! Master Su! There's a misunderstanding! A huge misunderstanding! This poem wasn't written by me, Cao Mengde!"

Amidst the puzzled gazes of the crowd, Cao Cao pointed to Yuan Shao beside him, then gestured towards the empty seat where Liu Ce had just sat, and loudly proclaimed:

"This poem was written by Liu Ce, the General of the Cavalry and Marquis of Champion, when he heard Su Dajia give him a topic while we were drinking here just now, and he wrote it down on a whim!"

After finishing writing, the Marquis left first due to urgent matters! My brother Benchu and I can both testify! These two poems are indeed the genuine works of the Marquis of Champion!

Yuan Shao immediately stepped forward, not even bothering to pick up his feather fan, and solemnly cupped his hands, saying:

"Every word Mengde said is true! The Marquis of Champion was just here, and he left before the ink of his poem was dry."

These two poems were indeed written by the Marquis of Champion himself! Shao and Mengde witnessed them with their own eyes; there is absolutely no exaggeration!

"What?! It was written by General Liu?!"

"That Marquis Liu Ce, who quelled the Yellow Turban Rebellion?!"

"Not only was he a skilled warrior, but he could also write poetry?! And write it so well?!"

"No wonder! Only those who have truly experienced the bloodshed of battle can write such soulful verses!"

"My God! So incredibly talented in both academics and martial arts?! Are they trying to kill us all?!"

"'I will not let the barbarian horses cross the Yin Mountains,' 'I will not return until Lou Lan is conquered'... This is clearly a reflection of General Liu's ambition!"

"No wonder he was able to achieve such unparalleled feats! His magnanimity and spirit, his literary talent and elegance... he is truly a celestial being!"

This news is more shocking than the poem itself!

How could a fierce general who swept through thousands of troops write such a frontier epic that is enough to be passed down through the ages?

This contrast, this strength, left everyone in disbelief, and then filled them with overwhelming admiration!

Su Wanqing stood on the stage, first stunned, then her face showed extreme regret, mixed with even deeper admiration and longing:

"It's... it's General Liu... the Marquis of Champion... I never imagined he was not only an unparalleled strategist on the battlefield, but also a man of exceptional literary talent..."

Wanqing... Wanqing is truly unlucky to have never had the chance to witness the Marquis's charisma and learn from him in person... This is a lifelong regret...

Although she was extremely disappointed that she couldn't meet the person in question, Su Wanqing was a person of her word.

She composed herself and gave a graceful bow to the second floor:

"Young Master Cao, Young Master Yuan, since the Marquis of Champion left behind a poem, and you two are conveying it on his behalf, Wan Qing's previous promise still stands."

"Please wait a moment, gentlemen. I will tidy myself up and then go upstairs to play a piece on the zither for you, as a way of thanking you for conveying my appreciation of your fine music." Of course, it was purely for listening to the music and drinking wine.

Actually, she mainly wanted to see the calligraphy of those two poems up close again and feel the lingering presence of the people who wrote them.

Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were naturally overjoyed.

Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, on the other hand, stood tall and proud under the gazes of countless envious, admiring, and curious eyes on the first floor (especially Cao Cao).

It was as if they had written the poem themselves, enjoying the glory that came indirectly from it.

That afternoon, the two poems, signed "Marquis of Champion, General of the Cavalry Liu Ce," spread like wildfire throughout the streets and alleys of Luoyang at an astonishing speed.

It first spread among students.

The first thing those students did after returning home from Zuichunlou was to copy down the poems, and then show off their copies everywhere.

"See that? The poem written by the Champion Marquis! Now that's a true talent!"

"Let me tell you, I was there! The moment Young Master Cao read it aloud, the entire room fell silent!"

"This poem is absolutely brilliant! I dare say, no one will be able to surpass it for the next hundred years!"

In the teahouse, several students sat around a table with copied poems spread out on it, praising them endlessly.

"Look at this line, 'Having fought a hundred battles, clad in golden armor,' how powerful it is! It gets the blood pumping just hearing it!"

"I still prefer 'The Moon Over Qin and the Passes of Han,' its profound meaning and lingering aftertaste!"

"General Liu is truly... amazing. He's a brilliant warrior, and he's also a brilliant poet. How are we scholars supposed to survive?"

Upon hearing the news, the military commanders also had the poem copied down.

Huangfu Song held the copy, looked at it again and again, and couldn't help but slap the table in admiration:

"What a beautiful poem! What a beautiful poem!

'We will not let the barbarian horses cross the Yin Mountains,' these words resonate deeply with us soldiers!"

Zhu Jun nodded in agreement: "General Liu is truly... a man of great talent. I only knew he was a good warrior, but I never imagined he was so eloquent."

Even Cao Cao's father, Cao Song, summoned Cao Cao to inquire about this matter:

"Were those two poems really written by Liu Ce?"

Cao Cao patted his chest and guaranteed, "Absolutely true! I saw him write it with my own eyes! Father, you don't know what the scene was like..."

After listening, Cao Song stroked his beard and sighed, "This boy... is extraordinary. He is skilled in both literature and martial arts, and will surely achieve great things in the future."

The reactions from the powerful and influential families were much more complex.

Yuan Wei took the poem copied by his servant and read it for a long time. He was amazed by its literary talent and spirit, but also became more wary of Liu Ce and reassessed him. A powerful member of the imperial clan who was both literate and martial was too much of a threat.

Yang Ci then said to his nephew, "Look at Liu Ce, and look at you! All you do is cockfighting and horse racing! From today onwards, you'd better study hard!"

The most lively crowd was the ordinary people in the city.

In teahouses and taverns, storytellers turned this incident into a tale, recounting it with great enthusiasm and spittle flying from their lips:

"It is said that the Marquis of Champion, Liu Ce, was not only highly skilled in martial arts, able to take the head of a general in the midst of ten thousand troops, but also had first-class literary talent!"

That day at Zuichun Tower, he casually wrote two poems that astonished everyone present! What poems? Listen up, esteemed guests—" Then he began to recite the poem with great emotion.

The audience listened with rapt attention, and applauded enthusiastically afterward.

"General Liu is truly a pillar of our Han Dynasty!"

"A true hero is skilled in both literature and martial arts!"

The news even spread throughout the palace: Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, was playing with glass beads in the Greenhouse Hall when Zhang Rang ran in with a piece of paper in his hand.

"Your Majesty, two poems have been sent in from outside the palace, said to be written by the Marquis of Champion."

"Oh?" Liu Hong became interested.

"Read it aloud."