Chapter 83

The exam paper was blank! How could they answer it? Everyone racked their brains but could not figure out the mystery, scratching their heads and not knowing how to start writing.

Sitting in the Xuanzi room, Ye Yu faced the blank paper and fell into deep thought.

Although he had made full preparations before the exam, he did not expect the chief examiner to pull such a trick.

Ye Yu knew that Fan Chengda, historically, always acted in an unconventional manner, but he never thought that in this autumn examination, he would actually issue a paper without any questions.

What did this blank paper mean? For the first time, Ye Yu felt a bit at a loss, thinking that Fan Chengda was indeed extraordinary.

Everyone knew that he was very proficient in poetry, and many people had been practicing hard, but they did not expect such a blunder in the prefectural examination.

However, these were not what he should be thinking about at the moment. Instead, he needed to rack his brains to figure out how to answer the exam.

The questions could be blank, but the answers could not be left unwritten, otherwise, they would be destined to fail the autumn examination. Therefore, for a moment, all the candidates in the examination hall fell into unprecedented anxiety.

Most of the candidates were scratching their heads, not knowing how to answer. Among the more than a thousand candidates, only a few, after some thought, suddenly seemed to understand and began to write fervently, expressing their personal views on the exam paper.

Ye Yu was one of these few. He seemed to see through Fan Chengda's intentions and began to write on the blank paper with a full inkwell.

As time passed, the autumn prefectural examination was spent in tension and excitement. When the students walked out of the imperial college, their expressions were varied. Most of the candidates had submitted blank papers because they did not know how to answer, and their frustration and disappointment were indescribable.

However, Ye Yu belonged to another category. He was a bit nervous about this imperial examination because he did not know if his answers were correct. Being in this uncertain position was the most nerve-wracking and unsettling.

The results would be announced in mid-September, which was also the season when osmanthus flowers bloomed, hence the term "Osmanthus List."

Because the results were announced on the days of Yin and Chen, it was also called the "Dragon and Tiger List," both of which had auspicious and elegant meanings. It was now only the twelfth day of August, so there was nearly a month before the results were announced.

Therefore, although Ye Yu was somewhat anxious, he gradually relaxed. When he returned home on the fifteenth day of August, it was the Mid-Autumn Festival. The festive atmosphere helped him temporarily forget the worries of the imperial examination.

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the weather gradually turned cooler. One day, Ye Yu was writing in his study. At this moment, Qiulan walked in, and Ye Yu recognized her by her footsteps. He asked softly, "What did you and Yueyun buy on the street?"

"Here, this..." Qiulan said, placing the item in front of Ye Yu.

"Hmm? A folding fan?" Ye Yu was stunned when he saw the fan, thinking that it was already cool and there was no need for a fan.

But Qiulan said seriously, "Yes, Sister Yueyun is right. Now that you are a candidate for the imperial examination, you should have a fan to add a touch of elegance! So today, we bought this fan for you!"

Ye Yu laughed at this, thinking that this was a strange idea. Did scholars have to hold a fan? He found it as ridiculous as those who pursued fashion trends and wore torn jeans in the dead of winter.

Then Ye Yu showed a bitter smile and asked, "Even if you want to get me a fan, you don't need to buy two!"

"I and Sister Yueyun each bought one, and we came back to ask for your opinion and preferences..."

Hearing this, Ye Yu looked enlightened and opened the fan to examine it.

The fan surfaces were both painted with landscapes. Initially, Ye Yu only glanced at them casually, but just these two glances changed his expression. The craftsmanship of the paintings on the fans amazed him.

Looking at the signature on the fan, a few lines of cursive script flowed like clouds and water. A faint seal revealed the characters "Meng."

Meng? He had never heard of this name. He stared at the fan and asked Qiulan, "Where did you buy this fan?"

"From a stall selling calligraphy and paintings on East Street. It was an elderly man over seventy years old..."

"Street stall goods? Impossible! Did you really buy it from a calligraphy and painting stall on East Street?"

Ye Yu asked seriously, and although Qiulan did not understand why, she nodded affirmatively.

A street stall item could have such craftsmanship, which greatly surprised Ye Yu. Although his painting skills were not high, he had some discernment in calligraphy and painting.

The two fan surfaces, from the brushwork, were clearly from the same hand, with lively and natural landscapes. If he had to evaluate these two landscape paintings, their craftsmanship and brushwork far exceeded those of Shi Wansong from Linyi Mountain.

Could there be such a reclusive master in the small city of Chuzhou? Thinking of this, Ye Yu suddenly said, "Take me to see this person!"

...

With Qiulan's guidance, Ye Yu found the location of the calligraphy and painting stall. However, when he arrived, the elderly man selling the paintings was nowhere to be found. After several inquiries, he learned from a woodcutter that the elderly man lived in a cottage in the mountains outside the city.

According to the woodcutter, the elderly man was very reclusive and rarely spoke to others. He lived alone in a cottage in the mountains and only sold calligraphy and paintings on East Street occasionally. When he had the leisure, he would sell some calligraphy and paintings on East Street.

This piqued Ye Yu's interest, and he decided to visit this reclusive old man. Following the address given by the woodcutter, he indeed found a few thatched cottages not far outside the city.

Around the cottages were some fruit trees, and behind the cottages, there were many light yellow chrysanthemums. It was the season when chrysanthemums bloomed, creating a poetic natural scene.

This reminded Ye Yu of the line from the hermit Tao Yuanming, "Picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence, I gaze upon the southern mountains with ease."

At the gate, Ye Yu politely greeted the courtyard, but after calling several times, no one responded. He then gently pushed open the wooden gate and entered the courtyard.

In the courtyard stood a large boulder with numerous grooves, and below it was a thumb-thick iron rod. Ye Yu asked She Tongcheng to push him closer. When he picked up the iron rod, he was stunned. One end of the iron rod was worn down and shiny, while the other end was very smooth.

"Brother, why did you come in person to see an old man in the mountains? If you had just told me, I would have found him and brought him to see you..." She Tongcheng was puzzled and confused by Ye Yu's personal visit.

"An old man in the mountains?" Ye Yu carefully examined the iron rod and then looked at the boulder, muttering to himself, "Just by this iron rod, there are probably very few people in the world who can do this!"

She Tongcheng was taken aback by this. Although he could not see anything special, he never doubted Ye Yu's words and asked, "Apart from being worn down, I don't see anything unique about this iron rod..."

"Ha ha! This iron rod is actually..."

"Who are you, to intrude on my home without permission?" Just as Ye Yu was about to answer She Tongcheng's question, a white-haired old man carrying a hoe walked in.

Seeing the old man, Ye Yu, though white-haired, was particularly robust. He bowed respectfully and said, "I am Ye Yu, a junior, and I greet you, Elder!"

However, the old man seemed uninterested. He put down the hoe, brushed off the dirt on his clothes, and said unhappily, "I never see guests. Please leave!"

"Um..." Ye Yu saw that the old man was very cold, thinking that he was indeed a reclusive old man.

Seeing the reclusive old man about to enter the cottage, Ye Yu pushed his wheelchair a few steps forward and said urgently and respectfully, "I entered without your permission, and I apologize. But when I saw this stone wall, I could not help but disturb your peace..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the old man stopped and turned to look at Ye Yu, asking doubtfully, "Could not help it? Why?"

Ye Yu breathed a sigh of relief and pointed at the large boulder, saying solemnly, "The stone wall seems to have many grooves and marks, but I see countless masterful brushstrokes on it!"

"Nonsense!"

"This iron rod is the best proof! The Elder used the iron rod as a brush and the stone wall as paper. How could I be lying?" Ye Yu raised the iron rod confidently.

The old man's expression showed a hint of surprise, but he then snorted, "Painting should be done with a brush, not an iron rod."

In fact, when Ye Yu saw the worn-down end of the iron rod, he guessed that it was related to the grooves on the stone wall, which was why he thought the old man was not ordinary.

Seeing the old man deny it, Ye Yu did not want to press the issue and pushed his wheelchair to the front of the cottage. He wanted to talk to the old man again, but when he looked up at the bamboo eaves inside the hall, he saw an unfinished painting.

This painting made Ye Yu's heart race. He thought of someone! Recalling the faint seal on the fan, the two names gradually merged...

With an excited heart, Ye Yu asked sincerely, "May I know the Elder's name?"

"None of your business! I am tired. Please leave!" The old man remained cold and turned to go inside.

"Elder, I have come here sincerely to ask for your guidance. I hope you will accept me as a disciple!"

"Disciple?" The old man's sparse white eyebrows twitched slightly, and he looked at Ye Yu with a questioning gaze.

"Exactly!" Ye Yu answered straightforwardly.

The old man stared at Ye Yu for a while and then burst into laughter, "Ha ha ha! I am just an old man in the mountains with no special skills. Why would you want to be my disciple? Go back, little boy!"

Thud!

Ye Yu struggled to get off his wheelchair, ignoring She Tongcheng's help, and knelt on the ground, saying sincerely, "I, Ye Yu, sincerely ask for your guidance. I hope you will accept me as a disciple!"

"Can you paint?" The old man hesitated for a moment and then stroked his beard, asking softly.

"A little bit!"

The old man looked at Ye Yu meaningfully and said slowly, "Alright, I will give you a topic. Go home and paint according to the topic. If I am satisfied, I will accept you as a disciple..."

Before he finished speaking, Ye Yu eagerly asked, "Please give me the topic!"

---

The page turns, and the advertisement begins.

The page turns, and the advertisement ends.