Chapter 196: Arrogance was promised, but you’re too arrogant, aren’t you?
And so, the competition continued.
Lin Beifan received a brush and began to elegantly write and splash ink on the Xuan paper.
In just a moment, a beautifully written and magnificent character appeared on the paper.
Everyone carefully examined it and couldn’t help but applaud.
“What a great character! Truly amazing!”
“This character is plump and powerful, with a grand and vigorous aura. It exudes a resolute temperament!”
“It seems to embody the spirit of a great nation!”
“This is an excellent character!”
…
The Empress couldn’t help but praise, “Sir Lin, your calligraphy is truly outstanding. It looks very dignified and magnificent, full of masculinity and aesthetics! I really like it!”
Lin Beifan respectfully replied with a smile, “Thank you, Your Majesty, for the praise!”
The Empress continued, “This character is different from what I’ve seen before. Is it a font you created?”
“Indeed! I call it Yanti!” Lin Beifan replied.
“Why is it called Yanti? Is there any significance behind it?” the Empress asked curiously.
Because it was a font created by the top calligrapher in the Tang Dynasty, Yan Zhenqing, it was naturally named Yanti.
However, Lin Beifan obviously couldn’t explain it like that.
“I created it in memory of a deceased friend. His surname was Yan, so I named this character Yanti! I hope to uphold his reputation and font for eternity!” Lin Beifan said with a tinge of sadness.
“I sympathize with your loss. It’s rare for you to be so thoughtful. Your friend must be aware of it from the underworld!” the Empress consoled.
“Thank you, Your Majesty, for your comfort. I feel much better now!”
At this moment, Liu Hai’s calligraphy and Lin Beifan’s calligraphy were displayed side by side.
It was clear to everyone that there was a significant difference between the two.
Although Liu Hai’s characters looked good, with neat handwriting that was pleasing to the eye, there were clearly traces of craftsmanship.
On the other hand, Lin Beifan’s characters were a newly created font that had reached the level of aesthetics.
In this way, everyone knew who the winner was.
“What great characters! I must vote for Mr. Principal!”
“I also like Mr. Principal’s characters!”
“It looks so comfortable to read. I vote for Mr. Principal!”
…
When the votes were counted, Lin Beifan had an overwhelming 73 votes, far surpassing Liu Hai’s 4 votes.
It’s possible that the 4 votes Liu Hai received were just encouragement.
Because Liu Hai’s performance was not impressive, some soft-hearted judges gave him their votes.
Lin Beifan was full of pride, while Liu Hai’s face turned pale, and the representatives from the Great Yan delegation looked gloomy.
“I’ve said it before, you’re all useless! You can’t play the qin, you can’t play chess, and now your calligraphy is also lacking! So just go back where you came from and stop embarrassing yourselves!” Lin Beifan arrogantly declared.
“You!!!” The Great Yan delegation was both angry and powerless.
They were all knowledgeable people who had read numerous literary works!
When Lin Beifan’s Yanti appeared, they knew they had lost!
No matter how beautifully they wrote or how neat their handwriting was, it couldn’t compare to Yanti.
In this case, what was the point of continuing the competition?
“Your Highness, what should we do?”
“Are we going to surrender again?”
…
Everyone was in a panic.
They had already lost two rounds in a row, and if they lost again, it would be three rounds.
The upcoming competition would be even more challenging!
If they lost in the literary battle, how could they face anyone when they returned?
“Don’t panic, everyone. We still have a chance to win!” the third prince said calmly and secretly celebrated in his heart, thankful that he had bribed Lin Beifan; otherwise, they would have really lost!
Now it was time to show off their acting skills!
“Watch me!” the third prince stepped forward and loudly exclaimed, “Principal Lin, your calligraphy is truly beautiful, even I greatly admire it! But, do you plan to continue using this font for the next competition?”
“Is there a problem with that?” Lin Beifan asked in response.
“Of course not, it’s your freedom! However, you’re just taking advantage of a loophole! Since your regular characters are not good enough, you had to use such a unique font. How mediocre!” the third prince sneered.
Lin Beifan seemed to be stimulated and exclaimed loudly, “You call me mediocre? What a joke! In the next round, I won’t use Yanti, but I’ll still win against you all! If I were to use it, then I admit defeat!”
The third prince was delighted and immediately responded, “Deal!”
The face of the Empress and the officials changed, “Sir Lin, you’ve gone a bit too far with your words!”
“Your Majesty, please rest assured! This lowly official dares to speak like this because I have absolute confidence!” Lin Beifan confidently said, “In the field of calligraphy, no one can defeat me! I will let them know what it means to have mountains beyond mountains and people beyond people! I will let them know that there are always greater talents, and one mountain is even higher than the next! I will let them know that they simply cannot compare!”
“You!!!” The Great Yan side was infuriated and their faces turned red with anger.
The Empress and the others shook their heads; it was obvious to them that Lin Beifan was being cocky.
However, if they had the same ability, they would be cocky too!
They just hoped that the other side wouldn’t make any mistakes!
“Alright, let the literary battle continue!”
The Great Yan side sent Ding Shaojie, their top scholar, into the competition.
He was under immense pressure at the moment.
Having lost twice in a row yesterday, another loss today would be a huge blow to him!
So when he saw Lin Beifan looking like he was facing a formidable enemy, he was sweating and his expression was very serious.
Lin Beifan had a smile on his face. “Brother Shaojie, don’t be afraid. You’ll get used to losing after losing a few times!”
“Hmph!” Ding Shaojie turned his head and refused to look at him.
Then the competition continued.
Lin Beifan picked up the brush and once again wrote with great flourish and splashed ink.
In just a moment, another beautiful character emerged.
Everyone took a look and were amazed once again.
“What a great character! This is completely different from Yanti!”
“Yes, this one is slender and firm, with a decisive and powerful force, strong bone structure, and a tight structure. It’s beautiful!”
“This is also a beautiful character. I really like it!”
…
Everyone praised it endlessly.
Lin Beifan smiled slightly and said, “I call this font Liuti.”
This was actually the font created by Liu Gongquan, the last great calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty, also known as Liuti.
When combined with Yan Zhenqing’s font, it was called “Yan Jin Liutian” (Yan tendon, Liu bone).
“Sir Lin, why do you call it Liuti?” asked the Empress, feeling very sad.
“This is mainly to commemorate a friend of mine with the surname Liu, who created this font! Unfortunately, the beauty has passed away, so I can’t see her anymore!” Lin Beifan said with deep sadness.
“Sir Lin, please accept our condolences!” the Empress comforted once again.
At this time, Lin Beifan’s characters and Ding Shaojie’s characters were placed together.
Everyone could see the obvious difference.
“Mr. Principal’s characters are still more beautiful. I vote for Mr. Principal!”
“I also vote for Mr. Principal!”
“So do I!”
…
When the votes were finally counted, Lin Beifan once again received more than 70 votes and had a large lead.
Lin Beifan scorned the Great Yan delegation, saying, “Indeed, not a single one of you can compete. I can still crush you with a different font!”
“You!!!” The Great Yan side was once again enraged.
The third prince’s mouth twitched; he wanted to be arrogant, but Lin Beifan was being too arrogant. Couldn’t he leave them with a little face?
Regret filled his heart!
If he had known, he would have reminded him last night to show some mercy and not be so arrogant!
“It’s okay, let him be smug. We’ll win back later!” the third prince comforted everyone.
“This is a statement that lacks self-awareness! Third Prince, don’t you feel guilty speaking like this? Doesn’t your conscience ache?” Lin Beifan’s mocking words came over…
Third Prince: “Damn!”
At this moment, he wanted to draw his sword and attack!
To hell with the Yan and Wu Competition!
First, he wanted to rip apart this bastard’s mouth!
With his hands on his waist, Lin Beifan proudly said, “You dare to challenge me? Even if I change my font, I can still easily crush you! Who’s next? Step forward, I won’t spare nameless ones!”
“Damn!” the Great Yan side exclaimed.
Even the Empress couldn’t bear to see it anymore. “Sir Lin, restrain yourself! Confucius taught us hospitality to friends who come from afar. They are guests, and we should show basic manners!”
“Your Majesty’s words are true!” Lin Beifan reined in his arrogance, but still looked down on everyone.
The literary battle continued, and the Great Yan side sent Tang Yong, their top scholar, into the competition.
But he still lost.
Because this time, Lin Beifan showcased Zhao font.
It was the font created by Zhao Mengfu, a great calligrapher from the early Yuan Dynasty. The font was slightly square, with well-rounded strokes, very upright, and had smooth and beautiful curves.
With such a font, winning was difficult.
Next, the Great Yan side sent their fourth person, who also cleanly lost.
The Great Yan side’s morale plummeted, and despair filled their faces!
Only the Third Prince, Yan Xinghe, remained.
If even he lost, the Great Yan side would be completely defeated!
With a serious expression, the Third Prince stepped forward.
Lin Beifan clasped his hands and smiled. “Third Prince, it’s been said that among the representatives of the Great Yan, your handwriting is the best and has its own unique style. I’m really looking forward to it!”
“I’m also looking forward to Principal Lin’s performance! Mr. Principal, what font do you plan to use next?” The Third Prince spoke while hinting with his eyes.
That’s about it!.
You’ve already won four rounds, showcasing four different styles of fonts. You truly deserve the title of a great calligrapher!
Even if you lose, it will still be a glorious defeat!
“This time, I will showcase Thin Gold font. I won’t disappoint you!” Lin Beifan smiled.
“I hope Mr. Principal won’t disappoint me!” The Third Prince looked deeply at Lin Beifan.
With that, both sides began to write.
Lin Beifan continued to write with his usual flourish and splashed ink.
However, the Third Prince, although holding a brush, did not start. His attention was fully focused on Lin Beifan, observing how he would make a “glorious” mistake.
At this moment, a sudden gust of wind blew in.
It even blew the paper on the desk.
Lin Beifan continued to write without noticing it, but accidentally wrote outside of the paper, making a mistake.
“Oops, it’s slanted!” Lin Beifan regretted deeply.
Others saw it and sighed regretfully!
If it weren’t for this mistake, this piece of calligraphy would have been perfect!
Unfortunately, fate was not in his favor. The sudden demonic wind caused Lin Beifan to make a mistake!
This round might be lost!
Seeing Lin Beifan’s regretful expression, although the Empress felt sorry, she still comforted him. “Sir Lin, don’t blame yourself. You’ve already performed very well today! Even if you lose, it’s not your fault. It’s just destiny, and We don’t blame you!”
Lin Beifan was full of gratitude. “Thank you, Your Majesty, for understanding!”
After completing the final few characters, he sighed and walked away.
The Third Prince was ecstatic in his heart!
An opportunity!
This was the opportunity created by Lin Beifan!
As long as he wrote well and perfected his calligraphy, he could still defeat Lin Beifan, couldn’t he?
Haha!
This round, we, the Great Yan, are sure to win!
The Great Yan side was greatly motivated, as if they saw a glimmer of victory!
“Your Highness, stay steady! We will definitely win!”
“Your Highness, keep going!”
…
