‘Love for the Lotus’

Seeing that everyone had already regarded Mo Qingkuang as a loser, Wang Yu felt greatly relieved. 

Continuing, he said, "Brother Mo, do you also need some wine to liven up the mood? Come, let me pour you a drink myself. Please don't be shy." 

With that, Wang Yu personally poured a cup of wine and offered it to Mo Qingkuang. 

Mo Qingkuang looked at the imposing Wang Yu, feeling somewhat helpless for a moment. 

Why make it so ruthless when there's no grudge between us? We are genuine friends. 

"You can use this poem, it's made by me, and it shouldn't be too bad." At this moment, a clear voice whispered in Mo Qingkuang's ear. 

With it came another poem of decent quality and exquisite rhythm, praising lotus flowers. 

Mo Qingkuang turned his head and saw that Han Yan'er had quietly appeared beside him. 

The poem she had just given was probably the one she had composed herself. 

Although she harbored some grievances against Mo Qingkuang, Han Yan'er still didn't want to see the hero who had restored the empire's honor being humiliated by someone like Wang Yu. 

Moreover, there was a strange emotion stirring within her. 

Han Yan'er took advantage of Wang Yu's ostentatious display to secretly compose a poem about lotus flowers for Mo Qingkuang to present. 

Although it was quite different from the 'Picking Lotus' composed by Wang Yu, it was still a high-quality poem. 

Mo Qingkuang felt warmed in his heart. Princess Han cared about him after all! 

But with the Ancestor present, he certainly wouldn't let himself embarrass him. 

"Ancestor?" Mo Qingkuang called out in his heart. 

"Alright, follow me in reciting..." 

Mo Qingkuang took the wine glass handed over by Wang Yu and casually placed it aside. "I don't need this." 

It's unclear if he was saying this to Wang Yu or to Han Yan'er. 

Wang Yu was delighted to hear this. "Brother Mo, are you ready?" Wang Yu smiled, teasingly looking at Mo Qingkuang. 

Mo Qingkuang nodded. "I really can't compose poetry, but since Young Master Wang is willing to give pointers, I'll have to embarrass myself." 

"Let's hear it!" 

"Begin." Mo Fan said, "Flowers of water, land, grass, and trees, countless are the lovely ones." 

"Flowers of water, land, grass, and trees, countless are the lovely ones." Mo Qingkuang just acted like a parrot, reciting without any emotion. 

"Blue Flame Country loves chrysanthemums, since the days of Tianxuan, peonies have been loved by all..." 

Mo Fan recited a line, and Mo Qingkuang followed with the repetition. 

He didn't drink wine to liven up the mood, didn't stroll around in contemplation, and didn't even open the window to admire the view. 

Mo Qingkuang just recited calmly and plainly. 

But from the moment he uttered the first line, everyone felt that something was off. 

Just from what Mo Qingkuang was reciting now, it was clear that this was not something an ordinary scholar could casually produce. 

As Mo Qingkuang continued to recite, everyone's expressions changed rapidly, especially Wang Yu, who had been confident, his smiling face gradually stiffening. 

"Oh? Can this kid also compose poetry?" Dean Hua and Zheng Tao exchanged glances. 

They had thoroughly investigated Mo Qingkuang's life history. He shouldn't be capable of composing such poetry at all! 

With the line "I alone love the lotus, which grows in muddy water and remains pure," everyone's expressions became strange. Even those who didn't have much knowledge of poetry knew that this line would become immortal! 

And then came, "It can be admired from afar, but not profaned." 

Until the last line, "The love for peonies should be shared by all." 

The whole venue fell silent, as if everyone had been frozen in place by a spell. 

Mo Qingkuang could clearly observe the expressions of everyone. 

Those were the attitudes they had toward him before. 

Wang Yu's confidence, the mockery of the literary candidates, the sighs of the martial arts candidates. 

At this moment, they were all frozen. 

"Its name is 'Love for the Lotus,' everyone please enlighten me." Mo Qingkuang smiled humbly, nodded to the surroundings, and brought everyone back from their shock. 

Their gazes towards Mo Qingkuang were filled with astonishment. This 'Love for the Lotus' was the true ode to lotus flowers! 

Compared to Wang Yu's 'Picking Lotus,' which was also very good, this 'Love for the Lotus' was more in line with the theme of praise. 

'Picking Lotus' was more about using lotus flowers as a metaphor for various emotions. 

Undoubtedly, under the current circumstances and requirements, 'Love for the Lotus' surpassed it by far. 

Even the literary candidates couldn't find fault with it! Although at the end of 'Love for the Lotus,' Mo Qingkuang seemingly belittled Tianxuan's national flower, the peony, saying 'Love for the peony should be shared by all.' 

(T/N: I don't how the hell the above paragraph makes sense, but I'm gonna let it stay like this since it might have some hidden meaning. But my advice to you all is don't use too much brain cells while reading this part and just let it flow.) 

But they couldn't bring themselves to hate it. As the national flower, the beautiful peony loved by the people of Tianxuan, although beautiful, was not unique enough. 

Were not these elite offspring of heaven all extraordinary individuals? 

Mo Qingkuang's statement, 'Love for the peony should be shared by all,' touched on their sensitive spots. We also want to be unique. We are geniuses, why should we love things that ordinary people love? 

At this moment, they felt both joy and worry. 

Their worry stemmed from the fact that from the moment Mo Qingkuang recited "Rising from the mud but not tainted, washed by the clear stream but not enchanting," they knew they had lost! 

It was they who had brought shame upon themselves, insisting on such an unfair contest with Mo Qingkuang. 

But the result was that Mo Qingkuang actually produced a poem worthy of being passed down through the ages. 

Their joy was that if it weren't for their insistence, they probably wouldn't have had the chance to witness the birth of this masterpiece! 

Mixed emotions, shame and pride, were intertwined. 

"Excellent! Brother Mo is truly talented in both literature and martial arts!" Tang Yu was the first to applaud. 

The martial arts candidates followed suit, their applause resounding endlessly. 

Then, the literary candidates couldn't help but join in the applause. 

Finally, even the deans, Dean Hua and Dean Zheng, began to clap. 

From this, it could be seen that they all approved of this 'Love for the Lotus.' 

"Ancestor, is it really that good?" Mo Qingkuang was somewhat surprised. He knew that the Ancestor never did anything without certainty, but he didn't expect the 'Love for the Lotus' to have such a good effect! 

"Haven't you seen their reactions? What do you think?" 

"No! I don't believe it! You couldn't have written such an article! You must have plagiarized it, right? You definitely plagiarized it! Mo Qingkuang, admit it, you plagiarized it!" Wang Yu suddenly shouted, pointing at Mo Qingkuang with a crazed expression. 

He had been in a winning position, but suddenly faced a huge reversal. The masterpiece of the current prime minister, his pride and joy, was actually suppressed by Mo Qingkuang, an idiot who knew nothing. How could Wang Yu accept this? 

"If it's better than yours, does it mean it's plagiarized? Have you ever seen this 'Love for the Lotus' before?" Tang Yu sneered disdainfully. 

Looking around, he found that everyone's eyes revealed an unfamiliarity with the poem. 

Wang Yu felt desperate. It was as if he had caught the last straw to save his life, looking at Dean Hua with hope. "Dean, you are knowledgeable and experienced. You must have heard of this article! Mo Qingkuang must have plagiarized it, right?"

***

Hehe...how about, some stones?