Volume One, Chapter 16: An Absolute
As Luo Changfeng and the others fretted, Su Yuan narrowed his eyes coldly and glared at Wu Honghui. Without hesitation, he retorted, "A lone horse stuck in the mud—let’s see how the beast frees its hooves!"
The moment his words rang out, the scene fell utterly silent. Everyone was stunned, their gazes fixed on Su Yuan with newfound admiration. They were not only impressed by his quick wit but also by the harshness of his insult—it was far more scathing than simply calling someone a monkey; he had outright called them a beast!
Laughter erupted from many around, and Wu Honghui’s face flushed with embarrassment and anger, almost to the point of spitting blood. Yet, it was hard to blame Su Yuan; if he hadn’t struck first, he would have been humiliated instead.
Snorting coldly, Su Yuan continued, "Sea water tide, tide after tide, tide after tide falls!"
At this challenge, all eyes turned to Wu Honghui in shock, their expressions filled with awe. This couplet was notoriously tricky, almost fiendishly so. Wu Honghui had unleashed his trump card at once—a pun-filled couplet where the seven "tide" characters in the middle sounded different but were the same character.
To respond perfectly would be extraordinarily difficult, especially under the constraint of only ten breaths—roughly thirty seconds! Such a brief window demanded exceptional talent.
Everyone assumed Su Yuan would be stumped, but the instant Wu Honghui finished, Su Yuan answered without hesitation:
"Floating clouds linger, linger on and on, linger and then vanish!"
Silence blanketed the crowd again, all eyes wide as they stared at Su Yuan in disbelief, unable to process what they had just witnessed. No one expected him to respond so effortlessly; his genius was unparalleled, unprecedented.
Even Wu Honghui stood dumbfounded, convinced his "King of Couplets" would silence his opponent. Yet, after two couplets, Su Yuan had defused them both with ease.
Emperor Chu and Mu Yunchen watched in stunned silence, doubting their own eyes. The emperor, especially, could hardly accept this was true—his seemingly mediocre son suddenly displayed such brilliance. Suddenly, a realization dawned on him: perhaps his son had long been hiding his talents.
This literary contest might just see Su Yuan claim first place. While such a result would bring glory to Chu, it also implied the emperor’s previous judgment was flawed.
Why would he choose the mediocre Su Ming as crown prince over this extraordinary son? A bitter feeling took root in his heart.
Meanwhile, Luo Changfeng and the others were breathless with excitement, fists clenched tightly, barely able to contain their urge to cheer. They had never expected Su Yuan to bring such a surprise. Was this truly the once unremarkable second prince? Soon, they reasoned that he had been holding back all along, only forced to reveal his genius by the pressure from the emperor and the crown prince.
Sighing, they grew increasingly puzzled by the emperor’s decisions.
The young girl, seeing her father’s prowess on display, clasped her small hands in excitement, eager to shout praises of his brilliance.
The crowd gradually recovered, erupting into cheers. Su Yuan’s performance had thrilled them beyond measure—it was their first time seeing Wu Honghui’s "King of Couplets" defeated so utterly.
Just then, Wu Honghui snapped back to himself, opening his mouth to issue another challenge. But before he could speak, Su Yuan raised his hand to stop him.
"Young Master Wu, it seems you have broken the rules. Couplets are exchanged turn by turn—you pose a challenge, I respond, then I pose one, you respond. But you have given two challenges in a row, and I have answered both. Now it’s my turn."
Su Yuan’s calm words left Wu Honghui red-faced and speechless.
The crowd scorned Wu Honghui openly; some even shouted insults.
"Exactly! How dare you call yourself the King of Couplets? Such dishonor! Even if the rules are unfair, you have no right to act so shamelessly!"
"So shameless! Afraid the second prince’s couplets would stump you? What a joke! I spit on you!"
Their jeers deepened Wu Honghui’s humiliation. Suppressing his anger, he reluctantly said to Su Yuan, "Please, Your Highness, pose your couplet."
A mocking smile curled at the corner of his mouth. "Although, I doubt Your Highness will trouble Wu to answer—after all, I am the King of Couplets."
His confidence, bordering on arrogance, amused Su Yuan.
“Oh? Is that so? Then let me see if your title is justified. Listen carefully… ‘Smoke locks the pond’s willow’—isn’t that right?”
The moment Su Yuan spoke, Wu Honghui’s smug smile froze. He opened his mouth, but no response came; he simply could not match this couplet.
Recalling his earlier boast, panic surged through him. He scratched at his head helplessly, much to the astonishment of onlookers.
None expected the so-called King of Couplets to be stumped by a single challenge from Su Yuan.
Watching Su Yuan’s effortless responses earlier, the crowd’s admiration deepened. Despite losing the chance to pose a challenge, Su Yuan answered graciously—true gentlemanly conduct, something scholars revered above all.
As reality sank in, those with literary talent recognized the true difficulty of Su Yuan’s couplet. Though brief, it embodied the five elements; to respond aptly, one had to match those elements precisely and maintain perfect parallelism. It was a hellish challenge.
All looked at Su Yuan with awe and respect. Compared to the King of Couplets, this second prince was a god among poets.
Su Yuan watched the pacing, anxious Wu Honghui with a faint smile. This couplet had remained unmatched for centuries until someone finally answered it long after.
Even if everyone present were given years or decades, few could rise to the challenge.
Time slipped by until the ten breaths were up. He Yuanshen spoke timely, “Young Master Wu, time’s up—you have lost.”
Wu Honghui finally snapped out of his daze, mouth opening to protest but swallowed his words. Defeat was defeat. He only lamented the brief time allowed; given more, he was certain he could have answered.