"Uh... I'm last?" Duan Yan Sheng sounded a bit awkward.
But it was only awkwardness.
He wasn't particularly strong in poetry among the Four Great Talents; his strength lay more in painting.
"How about that? Didn't I tell you today was my day to shine?" Qi Hao leaned close to Wu Xiao Meng, chuckling.
His laughter was filled with smugness.
This was being broadcast live nationwide.
In front of so many people, he had finally bested Wu Xiao Meng in poetry.
The feeling was truly exhilarating!
"Hmph, a villain triumphant," Wu Xiao Meng turned her head away, rolling her eyes dramatically.
However, she wasn't a sore loser. She had indeed been slightly inferior to Qi Hao this time.
A major reason was her lack of understanding of Chen Lie, the subject of the episode. Qi Hao, on the other hand, was a boy who had admired heroes since childhood, so he naturally had an advantage in this aspect.
"It's a shame Ting Yu didn't participate. Otherwise, I, Qi Hao, would have truly become famous overnight."
Qi Hao accepted the prize from the production team – a set of excellent stationery.
For a show like Hua Shi, prizes were naturally sponsored advertisements.
With Qi Hao's status, he didn't care about such trinkets, but he did care about fame.
By defeating Wu Xiao Meng, his poetic talent was now considered the foremost among the Four Great Talents of the capital, something that money couldn't buy.
"You think you're worthy of being compared to Ting Yu?" Wu Xiao Meng couldn't stand Qi Hao's smugness and couldn't resist retorting.
"Heh, we'll only know if we compete," Qi Hao replied, unfazed.
Just then.
The program was drawing to a close.
"As everyone knows, the Music God Ting Yu has written a theme song for our special program, 'Poetry World.' Now, let us invite singer Gong Ju Ren to bring us Ting Yu's new song!!"
After the host finished speaking.
Gong Ju Ren, who had been waiting backstage, went on stage.
"Ahhh! Finally!"
"We've watched the whole program just for this moment!"
"Although it's a pity Ting Yu didn't participate in the poetry competition, it's still great to hear a new song!"
"Qi Hao's poem was indeed impressive. Ting Yu making the right choice not to compete. We're here to listen to music, just as Ting Yu said, his profession is songwriting, not poetry."
"Let's just listen to the music. Why should the music industry compete with the literary circles?"
As Gong Ju Ren took the stage, the audience erupted into thunderous applause!
The bullet comments also flooded with his and Ting Yu's names!
Cultural programs like this usually had poor viewership because they were too serious.
But today's high popularity was largely due to Ting Yu's new song.
Furthermore, it was being sung by Gong Ju Ren, one of the hottest singers right now. This "Number One Fan King" of Ting Yu was incredibly strong in both his flattering and singing abilities.
Everyone was convinced that a truly brilliant performance was about to unfold.
"Let's begin!"
On stage, Gong Ju Ren nodded to the production crew.
The intro began.
It was tranquil, tinged with melancholy.
It was as vast and desolate as the cold moonlight cast upon the earth on a frigid night.
At the same time, song information appeared on the big screen.
"Night Scroll"
Vocals: Gong Ju Ren
Lyrics: Ting Yu
Music: Ting Yu
This song, "Night Scroll," was a song created by Xu Song after he took Yue Fei's poem "Xiao Chong Shan" and added a few more lines.
Su Yu chose this song naturally because Chen Lie's experiences were very similar to Yue Fei's, and the lyrics of this song were written by Yue Fei, making it the most fitting theme song.
Moreover, this song sang about the national hero differently from how people perceived him; there was no unyielding fighting spirit, only the sorrow of a hero in his twilight years.
The emotions were complex and deeply moving.
"A song like 'Night Scroll' makes many musicians re-examine their work."
This statement was the best evaluation of the song, and also the highest praise for Xu Song, who had continued ancient poetry!
The prelude's emotional build-up gradually reached its peak.
The audience was drawn into the cold, dark night.
On stage, Gong Ju Ren held the microphone and began to sing softly.
"Last night, the crickets chirped ceaselessly,
My slumber broken, dreams of a thousand miles, it was past the third watch,
I rose and walked alone around the steps,
The world was quiet, the moon outside the curtain was hazy..."
After the first verse was sung.
The audience hadn't even had time to savor the lyrics.
In the guest area.
Qi Hao, who had been beaming with smiles, suddenly froze.
The literary circle guests also stopped their conversations.
Their eyes were fixed on the lyrics on the big screen, their faces filled with shock and disbelief!
"With a white head for fame, the old mountains' pines and cypresses wither, blocking the return journey,
I wish to entrust my heart's thoughts to the zither,
Few understand my heart, if the strings break, who will listen..."
Gong Ju Ren stood quietly on stage, holding the microphone.
The lighting was dim, casting a frost-like glow on the stage, with the background plunged into darkness.
"How is this possible!!" Qi Hao was the first to react, leaping to his feet with a sudden movement!
The lyrics were so outrageous that he thought he was mistaken!
But his eyes could be deceiving, his ears could not.
"This... these lyrics!" Wu Xiao Meng felt a chill run down her spine, then goosebumps erupted as she shivered!
There was something wrong with these lyrics!!
The lyrics were written in the style of ancient poetry!
Simultaneously.
Shen Chun and Duan Yan Sheng also realized what was happening.
Their eyes were fixed on the lyrics on the big screen, their pupils contracting as they gasped for air!
"It's definitely ancient poetry! Ting Yu has adapted ancient poetry into these song lyrics!!" Those old veterans from the literary circle excitedly slapped their thighs!
"The structure of the upper and lower stanzas is clear, it's undoubtedly ancient poetry!"
"My heavens! Ting Yu has directly written an ancient poem and incorporated it into a song, it's incredible!"
From the very first line, they had sensed something was amiss with the song!
Now, it appeared that the entire main part of the song, both the upper and lower stanzas, was a complete ancient poem!
"Strings break, who will listen. What a line, 'who will listen'! Such beautiful words!!"
Someone who grasped the meaning couldn't help but exclaim.
Then, one by one, they held their breath, their faces flushed red as they studied the lyrics that had appeared.
From time to time, they uttered sounds of amazement.
To prevent these literary figures from influencing the viewers watching the live broadcast, the production team muted all their microphones.
But they didn't care, continuing to whisper amongst themselves.
"In dreams, I wielded sharp and gleaming iron armor,
Already carried by last night's long wind, flowing east with the waves,
Outside the city, horses shook their heads and stamped their hooves, Peng Ju gazed at the cold rain,
Only to lament that under heaven, the completed peace..."
As the chorus section began.
The sense of tragic indignation, combined with the frosty, cold night scene on stage.
Made the audience feel a subtle tightness in their chests.
At this moment, they felt as if they were conversing with that national hero, who had fought on the battlefield with imposing might, on a cold night.
But in their conversation, they discovered that this ambitious hero also had another side.
The Chen Lie in everyone's minds was unstoppable and invincible.
But the Chen Lie in Ting Yu's song was filled with the helplessness of "Few understand my heart, if the strings break, who will listen."
A hero like Chen Lie, facing corrupt officials, could also fail to achieve his ambitions.
The loneliness of having few confidants and the regret of years of effort going to waste.
The complex emotions conveyed through these words made the entire song incredibly moving!
This was an angle no one had ever considered before: the sorrow of a hero in his twilight years, the pain of an unyielding spirit!
The mountains were like a sea, the setting sun like blood!
...