After watching the guard take Ji Taixiang away, Cao Yi and Tan Yun continued to stroll. They were just doing nothing and were naturally leisurely. When they were having lunch, they found a restaurant that looked pretty good for dinner. Cao Yi said that he was doing market research to investigate the development behind Zuixianlou and see how good his peers were.

Because it was almost noon and it was the time to eat, there were a lot of people in the restaurant. Cao Yi asked, there was no elegant seat anymore, so he had to sit down in the lobby for dinner. The two had just ordered good dishes and were waiting for the waiter to serve them. When they heard two talented literati dressed in the next table next door, discussing the matter of Yangzhou literary world.

Cao Yi and Tan Yun looked at each other without saying a word. They calmed down and listened carefully to see what they were talking about.

"Have you heard that? A literary event occurred in Xiaoxiangfang a few days ago."

"What's the matter? I went to Runzhou before and just returned to Yangzhou yesterday." A young man in a green robe asked curiously.

"Then you missed the most sensational literary event in our Yangzhou City. Three days ago, the four talents in Yangzhou, Lu Xiaofeng and Wang Honghua, and our six courtesans in Yangzhou were all on the scene."

"What's the matter? What a big scene? It's been a long time since so many talented and beautiful women gathered together, right?"

"That's right. First of all, it's very rare for the six courtesans to gather together. It is said that the six courtesans are present this time, because it's for Diao Soo's sake."

"Diaosou? Is he here too? Diaosou hasn't appeared in public for a long time recently."

"No, but he was not present at Xiaoxiangfang three days ago. Although he was invited in his name, everything was arranged by his apprentice Duan Xinde."

"Hmm? Duan Xinde? Why is he doing this? What is the important thing?" The young man who said he had left Yangzhou and went to Runzhou before asked.

"No, although Diao Suo was not present, he still held this event in the name of Diao Suo. The reason was that Diao Suo lost to an outsider's young man by betting, and the young man's bet was to invite six courtesans to gather."

"Who is this amazing person? He can actually make a bet to beat Diao Su? What are they betting on?"

"Haha, you don't know this, but you know this person, and you have a very famous reputation."

"A young man from another place has a very famous reputation. I still know him? Who, I can't imagine at once."

"Cao Yi, Jiang Ning's first talented man!"

"What you are talking about is... Cao Yi, Cao Zhaozheng, who 'Ask the Blue Sky with the Wine' and 'A Night of Fish and Dragon Dance'?"

"Yes, it's him. He has been in Yangzhou for almost half a month. It is said that he is going to open a restaurant. You have heard of 'Taibai Zui' and 'Qinglian Wine' these days, right?" The talented man wearing a black robe and looking a little older asked the young man who had just returned from Yangzhou before.

"Qinglian"

The wine should be a bar? Taibai Zui said so, it is also a wine? I have never heard of these two. Could it be that the wine in the Zuixianlou?"

"Yes, it's the wine from Zuixianlou. I haven't tasted it yet, but it is said that these two wines are very delicious and are better than all the wines in Yangzhou!" The young man in black robe touched the glass at the young man in blue robe and spoke.

"Really? Is there such a good wine?"

"It's true. Diao Su's loves wine as much as his life, you always know that it is said that part of the bet with Cao Yi is related to these two kinds of wine, but did he lose the bet with Cao Yi?"

"What are they betting on? Diao Suo actually loses."

"In fact, it's not a bet between Diao Sou and Cao Yi. It's just that Diao Sou asked Cao Yi to tell all the five upper and lower couplets. If they were all neatly matched, then Diao Sou would lose to Cao Yi and promise Cao Yi a condition. Cao Yi mentioned that he would organize such a grand event where all the six courtesans gathered."

"Which five first couplets were asked by Diao Suo to answer the question?"

"No, these five top couplets were also produced by Cao Yi. At that time, he competed with Chu Mingxuan, one of the four talents in Yangzhou. You also know that among the four talents, Chu Mingxuan had the deepest and most powerful skills in pairs, while Duan Xinde had the most powerful lyrics. As a result, both of them lost to Cao Yi. Cao Yi and Duan Xinde competed to write lyrics and competed with Chu Mingxuan. As a result, both of them lost to Cao Yi at the strongest point of the two talents."

"This Jiangning's number one talent is so powerful? I just knew that his poems were amazing, but I didn't expect that his pairs would be so sharp."

"Yes, it's said!" The old talented man in a black robe looked around and lowered his voice slightly: "It is said that Chu Mingxuan had four first couplets in a row, and Cao Yi didn't think about it, and instantly paired the second couplet!"

"So powerful? Could it be that the four first couplets Chu Mingxuan published are all very simple?"

"How is that possible? Although Chu Mingxuan has been controversial in writing lyrics among the four talents, he is indeed one of the few strong players in Yangzhou in terms of pairs. This is the first time that he, the four talents in Yangzhou and Jiangning competed. He is not the only one who competed, but also represents the face of our Jiangning talent to a certain extent. He is naturally very serious. I will read out his four first couplets for you to tell."

Then the young man in black robe explained Chu Mingxuan's four first couplets, Cao Yi's four second couplets, and Cao Yi's next four first couplets, which was hard for him to fully remember.

"This... this Cao Yi is so strong? Every top line he has published is absolutely level, right?"

"Of course, it is said that Chu Mingxuan's teachers Wei Mu and Diaosou, the two literary elders, were not in line with each other. They believed that the four were the best teams of the ages, so Diaosou made a bet with Cao Yi that as long as Cao Yi could speak the second couplet himself, he would agree to Cao Yi with one condition, which is what I told you before."

"What do Cao Yi's four second couplets look like? I really want to know!"

The young man in green robe said anxiously.

"You want to know, many of us all in Yangzhou want to know?" The talented man in black robe curled his lips and said helplessly.

"What!? Didn't it mean that Cao Yi was right?"

"Yes, it's right, and Diao Sou, Chen Fei, Chen Gong, and the four talents of Chu Mingxuan, as well as Lu Xiaofeng and Wang Honghua, among the four talents of the previous generation, can all testify! However, it is said that Cao Yi sent four first couplets to Chu Mingxuan, and there is also a Qiangu Jue Team that he had originally had in Jiangning, which will be used as his restaurant at that time, which is when Zuixianlou opened."

"At that time, the second couplet will be announced?"

"No, at that time, these five first couplets will be posted, and then for all the talented people in Yangzhou. Except for those who have heard Cao Yi say that the second couplet cannot participate, anyone else can participate, and those people also promise not to leak the second couplet. It is said that no matter who it is, as long as you can use any of the five first couplets, anyone who is the first to issue the second couplet will immediately be rewarded with 10,000 taels of silver, and he will be given a free meal and drink in Zuixianlou for one month."

"So much? Ten thousand taels of silver and free food and drink for one month?" The young man in green shouted in surprise, and then realized that he was a little rude in the restaurant at this time, so he apologized to the people around him, and nodded to Cao Yi and Tan Yun's table.

"Yes, that's all, but others have the confidence. I see, it's great to just match the lower couplets in two or three years." The black-robed literati said with emotion.

The young man in green nodded in agreement: "I am a little bit smart, but I have no idea about these five lower couplets. These five upper couplets are indeed very difficult and can be regarded as absolute forever."

"That is to say, this is just the beginning. It was the conflicts and contempt that everyone had formed at Huamanlou Minyue at that time. Didn't Chu Mingxuan be completely defeated? Later, Xiaoxiang Fang once again raised a challenge like Cao Yi the day before yesterday!"

"Has Cao Yi agreed?" asked the young man in green robe.

"Cao Yi refused to agree at first because they were just like before, and they had a winning start. Whoever lost would agree to the other party's conditions within their ability. Cao Yi said at that time that he had won Chu Mingxuan's condition. It was enough, and there was nothing left to Chu Mingxuan do!" The black-robed literati said with a faint smile on his face.

"So arrogant? Isn't this a sure thing that I will definitely win the competition?" said the young man in green robe in surprise.

"Isn't it? You will think so. Can Chu Mingxuan, who was still on the scene at the time, still tolerate this contempt? He insisted on forcing Cao Yi to compete with him. The key is that this time it is not the couple he is good at, but the lyrics in the competition."

"This... Isn't Chu Mingxuan playing to his strengths and avoiding his weaknesses?"

The black-robed literati shook his head and said, "That's not what he said. Although Chu Mingxuan is not very good at writing lyrics most of the time, others still have five or six very good-quality lyrics at critical moments. Coincidentally, he did write an excellent lyric this time."
Chapter completed!