Chapter 83

"Uncle Zhen, please sit down quickly." Li Yu hurriedly pulled Uncle Zhen into the seat and asked anxiously, "What exactly happened?" Uncle Zhen, whose real name was Chen Yong, ranked third in this year's provincial examination in Zhejiang. His future as a Jinshi and even his selection as a Shujishi to enter the Hanlin Academy were almost certain. This was enough to make even a high-born and wealthy man like Li Yu feel inferior...

The other scholars were also extremely anxious, including Li Qi, who gave Lin Qing'er an apologetic look and then gathered around Chen Yong, afraid of missing anything.

Seeing that she couldn't leave, Lin Qing'er helped Wang Xian sit down and gave him a worried look. Seeing him smile at her, she returned to the ladies' table.

Chen Yong then laughed and said, "Today, Scholar Hu was invited by the three provincial officials of Zhejiang to enjoy the lanterns at West Lake. For this, the Marquis of Xin Chang even mobilized the naval fleet..."

The scholars from Fuyang immediately understood, "No wonder..." Only Tang Yun, the Zhejiang military commander, could mobilize such a large ship. Hearing that the three major officials of Zhejiang were entertaining Scholar Hu on that ship, all the scholars were filled with longing, thinking to themselves that if they could be there... even just serving tea and water, it would be a lifetime of bragging capital.

"Because of the favor of the provincial governor, I had the honor to serve him," Chen Yong said calmly, "I heard Xu Tixue suggest that since Hangzhou is lighting lanterns tonight and most of the scholars from Zhejiang are gathered here, why not let them showcase their talents and have Scholar Hu evaluate them?"

"Scary..." The eyes of all the scholars were wide open. Who was Scholar Hu? The top scholar from twelve years ago, the current chief of the cabinet, the leader of the Gan Party after Scholar Jie's imprisonment, and the leader of the literary world! If he could give a good review, even an unknown person would become famous and renowned in the literary world, and their life would be completely different!

"This suggestion was strongly supported by Governor Zheng and Prefect Yu, and Scholar Hu could not refuse, so he agreed," Chen Yong continued, "The elders decided to have the scholars of our province write a poem on the theme of the Lantern Festival, with no restrictions on style or rhyme, and we would collect them for joint evaluation." He paused and smiled, "The elders will select ten outstanding ones and invite them to board the ship to enjoy the festival together."

"Wow..." The scholars were almost drooling, and some with rich imaginations even began to fantasize about their rapid rise to fame, becoming Jinshi in just a few years...

"Wipe your drool first," Chen Yong laughed and scolded, "I'm the first to inform you, so don't waste time. I'll be back soon to collect the submissions." Chen Yong's father and Li Yu's father were Jinshi from the same year, and the two families had a long-standing friendship, so this favor was granted.

After saying this, he bowed to everyone and went to other boats. The scholars were so engrossed in thinking that they didn't even stand up to see him off...

The ladies on the other side also knew the importance of this moment for their husbands, which was no less significant than the imperial examinations, so they all sat quietly, making no noise. Seeing her brother sitting there in a daze, Yinxing wanted to stay with him but was fiercely glared at by the other women, who also made shushing gestures.

Lin Qing'er hugged Yinxing, signaling her to be patient. At least the scholars' attention was no longer on Wang Xian, so they could wait a little longer...

Time is relative; for the women who were just sitting there, it seemed endless, but for the scholars who were struggling to compose their poems, it passed in a flash. Chen Yong soon returned, holding a stack of envelopes and smiling, "Do you all have your masterpieces ready?"

The scholars wiped their sweat and laughed dryly, "They are not worth seeing, not worth seeing." They then neatly copied their poems onto the paper, sealed them in envelopes, and handed them over. This was to prevent anyone from copying their work and causing confusion.

Chen Yong patiently waited, but noticed that one person's paper was still blank. He thought, "This must be someone who can't write poetry." But then Li Yu, who had been staring at him, saw Chen Yong looking at Wang Xian and said, "I haven't introduced you yet, this is Wang Yasi, who wrote 'Biting the green mountain, not letting go, regardless of the winds from all directions.'"

"Oh?" Chen Yong's eyes lit up, and he bowed and smiled, "So you are the 'First Clerk of Jiangnan' personally recognized by the cold-faced and iron-hearted official, I have heard much about you!"

Wang Xian, being a scholar, quickly stood up to return the bow.

"Why hasn't Wang Yasi started writing?" Chen Yong asked curiously.

The scholars chuckled inwardly, thinking that his sister Lin Qing'er hadn't prepared anything for him...

"Scholar Hu is evaluating scholars," Wang Xian smiled faintly, "I am just a minor clerk, how can I mix in with them?"

"Ah, Brother Wang is too modest," Chen Yong shook his head and smiled, "The founder of the Ming Dynasty was just a commoner from Huaiyou. Heroes are not judged by their origins, and those with talent will surely rise to the top."

These words greatly pleased Lin Qing'er and Yinxing, thinking that finally someone was speaking humanely...

"Yes," Li Yu added, "With Brother Wang's talent, passing the imperial exams is as easy as taking something out of a pocket. Since Brother Zhen has said this, you can't refuse anymore." The other scholars also urged him, partly to give Chen Yong face, but more to make Wang Xian look foolish.

Yinxing was so angry that she gritted her teeth. These people were too despicable, showing no sense of camaraderie. Just as she was about to scold them loudly, she heard Wang Xian say calmly, "Then I will embarrass myself."

After saying this, he extended his hand, and someone subconsciously handed him a pen, as if he were his servant.

Wang Xian then wrote swiftly and fluently. He then held up the paper, blew to dry the ink, sealed it in an envelope, and handed it to Chen Yong with both hands.

Chen Yong bowed to everyone and smiled, "I am almost the last one to collect, so please continue drinking and wait for good news." He then left the boat and boarded the ship on a small boat.

After Chen Yong left, Li Yu had a new table set up, but the scholars had no interest in drinking. Their minds were all on the grand ship above.

"Zili and Ziyu are studying in Hangzhou and often participate in literary gatherings. Their knowledge is much higher than ours," the scholars asked, "Do you know what level our Fuyang County is in the province?"

"When it comes to poetry, the scholars from the provincial capital are definitely better," Li Qi said uncertainly, "Shaoxing and Jiaxing are hard to distinguish, and the rest are a bit worse. Our Fuyang is better than the western part of Zhejiang, but compared to Hangzhou and the two Xings, we are still a bit inferior."

"There's no way around it, what poets do we have in our county? We are just making things up in our own rooms," the scholars said, "It seems we can only rely on Zili and Ziyu."

"I have some confidence in my literary skills, but poetry is not my strong suit," Li Yu shook his head and smiled, "Ziyu's poetry is excellent, and he is quite famous in Hangzhou."

"Ziyu, show us your masterpiece," the scholars urged Li Qi.

Li Qi couldn't refuse, so he cleared his throat and recited a "Sheng Cha Zi," which indeed won him a round of applause.

At the ladies' table, Miss Diao's face turned red with excitement, "My husband is really talented, even the famous Scholar Heshan says he is a master of poetry." She then covered her mouth and laughed at Lin Qing'er, "I bet this sister is unhappy again..."

"Sister, what are you saying?" Lin Qing'er said coolly, "I am of course happy for you if your husband is successful."

"Actually, Wang Xiazi is not bad either. Marry a man, and you get clothes and food. Sister, following him, you will have a good life, what more do you want?" Miss Diao smiled even more, "Isn't that right, sisters?"

"Yes, yes," the other ladies, who were on Miss Diao's side, laughed at Lin Qing'er, the wife of a minor clerk, "Sister Lin, when you become a rich woman, don't ignore us, the wives of poor scholars."

"You are too low," Lin Qing'er's face turned pale, clearly suppressing her anger, but Yinxing couldn't hold back and shouted, "Are scholars so great? Last year, three scholars in Fuyang County hanged themselves, two of them were poor scholars!"

"Ha..." Wang Xian and Lin Qing'er couldn't help but laugh. This little girl was really... surpassing her teacher. There were no scholars in Fuyang County who had hanged themselves, but she had indeed hit on the truth that most scholars failed repeatedly and lived in poverty.

The others' faces turned sour. Although most of them were from official families and would not end up like that even if they failed the exams, this little girl's words had shattered their sense of superiority. Yes, if they didn't pass the Jinshi exam, what was a scholar worth? What was there to be proud of?

Moreover, being in the "death group" of Zhejiang, even Li Yu couldn't guarantee that he could break through and be listed on the imperial examination list. He had confidence but didn't want to jinx it!

The surface harmony was torn by Yinxing, and the boat hall fell into an awkward silence. Only Miss Diao glared at Yinxing as if she wanted to eat her, because from "you are too low," she associated it with "a low person is pretentious." Miss Diao always dealt with refined people and prided herself on not using foul language. How could she tolerate such a humiliating and unanswerable attack? She wanted to tear this little brat's mouth apart, but that would ruin her ladylike image, so she finally lashed out at the poor Li Qi, "Li Ziyu, where is the boat you called for them? Make these vulgar people disappear quickly!"

"You are not vulgar," Yinxing pouted and said crisply, "All night, I've only seen you jumping around, fanning the flames, and stirring up trouble. If Li Dage married you, he might as well marry a monkey!"

This time, not only Wang Xian and Lin Qing'er, but even a few scholars who had always disliked Miss Diao's behavior, couldn't help but chuckle.

"I'll tear your stinking mouth apart!" Miss Diao, unable to control her anger, pounced. Lin Qing'er, not expecting her to attack, quickly stood up to block her, but it was too late.

But Lin Qing'er underestimated Yinxing's agility. She suddenly darted away, hiding behind Wang Xian. Miss Diao, not only missing her target, but also tripping and falling to the ground, hit her forehead hard on the floor, and blood gushed out immediately.