Do you know: I, a commoner prime minister

Chapter 20 Ancient Absolute

Fei Guang smiled, cupped his hands in a salute, and looked at Zhou An, saying, "I heard from Kang He that Brother Zhou also enjoys taking a pleasure boat tour on the Qinhuai River. It just so happens that I also enjoy it. Let's go together another day if we have the chance."

Hai Simian frowned slightly upon hearing this and glanced at Zhou An.

The Hai family has an ancestral rule that a Hai family man may only take a concubine if he is forty years old and has no son. Anyone who wishes to marry a Hai family woman must also abide by this rule.

They couldn't even take concubines, let alone go to places like brothels.

Fei Guang chuckled inwardly at the sight. Everyone in Jinling knew that Hai Simian utterly despised those who frequented brothels.

Among his acquaintances, Hai Simian would never associate with anyone who had ever been to a brothel.

Although he didn't know what the relationship was between Zhou An and Hai Simian, since Zhou An was so disrespectful, how could he not teach Zhou An a lesson?

A smile crept onto Kang He's lips. Zhou An had really screwed him over that day.

The owner behind the red boat is the Xie family, a prominent clan in Jiangning Prefecture.

Although it cannot compare to the Hai family in terms of influence, the resources it controls are far beyond what the Hai family can match.

Moreover, many members of the Xie family hold official positions in the court, with the highest-ranking member currently serving as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

Fortunately, Zhou An mentioned the Hai family, so Hong Gu didn't pursue the matter further.

But he knew he wouldn't be able to complete the task Fei Guang had entrusted to him. Fearing Fei Guang's wrath, he exaggerated the situation and told Fei Guang that Zhou An was completely uncooperative and even when he mentioned Fei Guang's name, Zhou An still ignored him.

Upon learning this, Fei Guang was furious and wanted to find an opportunity to tell Hai Simian about Zhou An's trip to the painting boat.

But then he changed his mind.

Saying it to their face and seeing their expression gives you the thrill of revenge.

Zhou An hadn't thought much of it at first, but seeing the change in Hai Simian's expression, he realized something was wrong.

But after thinking about it carefully, he still couldn't figure out where the problem lay.

Could it be that Hai Simian has a grudge against the owner behind the Red Boat?

That doesn't mean you should be angry just because he went there.

After all, he didn't know any of this either.

"I heard from Kanghe that Brother Zhou is exceptionally talented, ranking second in the county examination. Why don't you try to leave a poem on this Wangjiang Wall?" Fei Guang said with a smile.

Although Zhou An didn't know the reason, he was sure it was related to what Fei Guang had just said. Seeing Fei Guang's smiling face, he felt even more disgusted.

"I'll pass on poetry, I'm not good at that. What I do think is that the entrance to Wangjiang Tower is missing a couplet. I wanted to write one for it, but alas, I'm not talented enough and can only write the first line. I haven't been able to write the second line yet."

Zhou An said calmly, "Young Master Fei must be exceptionally talented to be studying at Jinling Academy. Could you perhaps help me come up with a matching couplet?"

"couplet?"

Fei Guang laughed upon hearing this. Although he was a playboy, he was not unlearned.

He had recently passed the county examination, although his ranking was lower than Hai Simian's, but he was not someone a scholar from a small place like Qinghe County could easily fool.

"Since Brother Zhou has such an interest, then I will try to compose a matching couplet."

Fei Guang smiled and said, "However, Brother Zhou's couplet must be related to Wangjiang Tower; don't just come up with any random one!"

He didn't believe Zhou An at all when he said he wrote a couplet for Wangjiang Tower.

Fei Guang felt that Zhou An was in a fit of rage, mistaking him for an ignorant and dissolute young master, and trying to embarrass him with a couplet.

He didn't think Zhou An could come up with any couplets that would be difficult for him, but out of caution, he still insisted that they must be related to Wangjiang Tower.

If Zhou An were to hear a difficult couplet from elsewhere, he might not be able to come up with a matching one in a short time.

"That's natural!"

Zhou An smiled and nodded, saying, "However, I would like to have a small bet with Young Master Fei. I wonder if Young Master Fei dares to accept?"

"Huai De!"

Hai Simian tugged at Zhou An, who then realized that Fei Guang had come to deliberately sow discord.

Although he did have some reservations, Zhou An was also a guest of the Hai family, and he couldn't just stand by and watch Zhou An suffer a loss.

Zhou An gave him a reassuring look.

"This young master loves gambling the most."

Fei Guang laughed and said, "Tell me, what are we betting on?"

"My first line must be related to Wangjiang Tower. If Young Master Fei can't come up with a matching line, he should avoid me from now on, and vice versa. How about that?" Zhou An said.

"I'll take it!" Fei Guang said without hesitation.

Because it was already dark, there weren't many people around, but since Fei Guang and his group had arrived, some people came over to watch the excitement, and Fei Guang naturally couldn't refuse them.

However, he wasn't worried; whether the couplets mattered or not was not up to Zhou An to decide.

"Young Master Kang, that's good. My first line is: 'Looking at the river from Wangjiang Tower, looking at the river flowing. The river tower is eternal, the river is eternal!'" Zhou An smiled.

The first time he heard the name Wangjiang Tower, this couplet came to mind.

However, Zhou An had no intention of showing off. Couplets, like poems, no matter how well they were written, would not help with the imperial examinations except for gaining fame.

While fame is very important, it would be a joke if someone was so famous that they couldn't pass the imperial examinations.

Fei Guang was indeed annoying, so this was the only way to keep him away from me.

Today's events will soon spread throughout Jinling. No matter how shameless Fei Guang is, he has to keep his promise.

Zhou An had considered copying a poem or something, betting that his own poem might be left on the wall.

However, poetry is limited by location and time, and it's difficult to think of a suitable one immediately.

As soon as Zhou An uttered the first line, Fei Guang began to ponder it, and those who were watching the spectacle, including Hai Simian, also carefully read the first line and thought about the second line.

But the more carefully you read it, the more you can appreciate how wonderful the first line of the couplet is.

Wangjiang Tower is a place, and the flowing river is both a scenic view and a dynamic sight.

The two elements appear repeatedly, forming a cyclical rhythm. The final lines, "The river tower is eternal, the river flows eternal," elevate the scene before us to an eternal realm.

If it's just about perfect parallelism, it's actually not that difficult to create a matching couplet.

However, couplets also require artistic conception; if the second line lacks artistic conception, no one will agree with it.

Zhou An smiled as he looked at Fei Guang, not believing that the other party could come up with the answer.

This is a timeless perfect couplet, and although some so-called matching lines have appeared in later generations, they are not widely recognized.

Because the meaning of those second lines is too far off.

Even those couplets that could barely match, he didn't think Fei Guang could come up with them.

After waiting for a while, Zhou An smiled and said, "Young Master Fei, it's getting late. How much longer do you need?"

Zhou An's words brought Fei Guang and the onlookers back to their senses.

Someone couldn't help but say, "This first line is exquisite in both its rhythm and its imagery; I doubt anyone could come up with a matching line in such a short time."

"Who is this person? I've never seen him before?"

The onlookers were buzzing with discussion, but Fei Guang's expression grew increasingly grim.

"You didn't mention a timeframe before, and it's only been a short time, yet you're already urging me."

Kang He quickly said, "Besides, you said yourself that you came up with this couplet beforehand, so this bet is completely unfair!"

"I've only been in Jinling for four days, including today, so I'll give Young Master Kang four days. However, before you can provide the matching couplet, please keep our agreement!" Zhou An said calmly.

"good!"

Fei Guang's face darkened. "Until I can provide a matching couplet, I'll avoid you like the plague. Let's go!"

After saying that, he left with Kang and the others, giving Zhou An a deep look as he went.

Zhou An knew he had offended Fei Guang badly, but he didn't care.

Fei Guang's father was a sub-prefect, and Sheng Hong was also a sub-prefect.

Moreover, he also held official rank, so Fei Guang dared not do anything to him in Jinling City.

I'll be traveling back to Tongzhou by water anyway, so there's nothing to worry about.

If Fei Guang hadn't been so annoying, Zhou An wouldn't have wanted to cause trouble.