Seeing the enthusiastic crowds, Lin Yi quickly walked to the middle of the Qi Qiao grand stage, ordered Cheng Hu to arrange the distribution of sorghum rice, then briefly introduced the rules of the love poetry competition.
After preliminary selection, 10 talented literati were chosen, with five scholars from Hanlin Academy serving as judges scoring their poems. The examiners posed the subjects for poetry, with a full score of ten points. The highest and lowest scores would be discarded, and the average of the remaining scores determined the winner. Each round's victor would receive a handwritten inscription from Your Majesty.
The audience cheered and leaped for joy. Receiving a handwritten inscription from Your Majesty was indeed a matter to be boasted about for a lifetime, a fortune not even certain for those entering the court as officials.
