Chapter 62

When Xia Hongsheng, rubbing his head, had just woken up from a daze, he immediately felt a sharp pain in his brain, causing him to involuntarily take a deep breath. He raised his hand to rub his head, opened his eyes, and looked around, only to find himself in an unfamiliar place. His outer coat had been taken off, and he looked around but could not see it anywhere. Just then, the door creaked open, and a maid ran in. Upon closer inspection, the maid was holding his outer coat. Seeing that Xia Hongsheng had already sat up, the maid quickly greeted him and said, "Young Master, you are awake? Yesterday, you were so drunk that your clothes were stained with filth. The official ordered me to wash your clothes. I will help you dress now."

Drunk? Right! Yesterday, I was灌翻 (knocked out) by Wang Zike and that old general Qu Tongs. As he thought about it, his head ached again. Damn Sanlejiu! The aftereffects of this drunkenness are even worse than the liquor from my previous life! Yet, the alcohol content is not that high. Seeing the maid already approaching, Xia Hongsheng quickly waved his hand. Being dressed by a woman was a treatment he had never enjoyed, neither in his previous life nor after he traveled back to the Tang Dynasty. He was not used to it and felt somewhat embarrassed and blushed. Therefore, he quickly stopped the maid and put on his outer coat himself.

The maid, however, was trying to suppress a giggle, and said, "If you want to laugh, just laugh. I'm just a poor scholar, not a young master, and I'm not used to having others help me dress."

The maid giggled, then quickly covered her mouth, looking somewhat frightened at Xia Hongsheng.

Xia Hongsheng also smiled and asked, "Is this still in the General's residence?"

The maid quickly nodded and said, "Yesterday, you were so drunk that you were unconscious, so you had to stay here for the night..."

"Wahahaha... Jing Shi, I'm here!" A voice from outside interrupted the maid. She quickly took a step back and lowered her head as Wang Zike entered. She greeted him and then left.

Wang Zike stood in the room, looking at Xia Hongsheng with two large black circles under his eyes, a face full of schadenfreude, and said, "Haha, it turns out that Jing Shi's alcohol tolerance is really poor. Yesterday, Jing Shi didn't even finish a jar of wine before he passed out. In his drunken state, he even boasted that he would use vodka to drink us under the table, but he didn't know what vodka or alcohol is."

Xia Hongsheng, looking at Wang Zike's bright, bulbous eyes, felt a sudden chill and was startled. In his drunken state, he had mentioned vodka and alcohol. He was worried about what other inappropriate things he might have said in his confused state.

"Ah? Did I say anything else in my drunken ramblings? Did I say anything I shouldn't have, or offend General Qu?" Xia Hongsheng asked Wang Zike, feigning panic.

Wang Zike waved his hand and said, "No, Jing Shi, you only boasted about using that vodka to drink us under the table and said that we should drink alcohol directly. Oh, and Jing Shi recited a poem called 'The Wandering Hero,' saying that he also wanted to ride across the world, seeking justice and revenge, and become a great hero. Haha, I didn't know that Jing Shi was so interested in wandering heroes. Other than that, you didn't say much. You were already hugging a pillar and vomiting, and after you finished, you fell drunk to the ground. General Qu laughed and ordered the official to arrange for you to rest. Speaking of which, General Qu was really happy yesterday. I haven't seen him drink for many years since Sun Shennian visited him."

"Sun Shennian?" Xia Hongsheng scratched his head, suddenly remembering a name: "Sun Simiao?!"

"Ah, Jing Shi, how can you call Sun Shennian by his name! At the very least, you should call him Daoist Sun to be polite!" Wang Zike looked at Xia Hongsheng. "The last time my father invited Daoist Sun to treat General Qu, he forbade General Qu from drinking again... But let's not talk about that. Jing Shi, today is the day the poetry competition results will be announced. The remaining students from the academies are competing for the first place. It should be quite exciting. If you are rested, shall we go together?"

Xia Hongsheng naturally agreed. The two intended to first go and bid farewell to General Qu, but the official said that General Qu was still resting and it would be inappropriate to disturb him. So, the two left the General's residence together, and the steward arranged a carriage to take them to the academy. Unbeknownst to them, after they left, a man on horseback suddenly galloped out of the General's residence, hooves clattering, carrying a scroll, heading west.

When Xia Hongsheng and Wang Zike arrived at the academy, they saw that more people had gathered in front of it. This time, there were no restrictions, and the gates were wide open. The two joined the crowd that surged into the academy. By the pond, many of the desks had been removed. Taking advantage of his small size, Xia Hongsheng squeezed to the front, and through the gaps in the crowd, he saw that there were not many people left. From the Luozhou Academy, only Xu Qixian, Bai Jianzhi, and Master Wan remained. Next to them were the students from the academy who had been drinking at Yixiangju, including Zhou and another. A few students from other academies were also left, but Xia Hongsheng did not recognize them. The remaining number of students was less than a third of the initial number.

"Earlier, the headmaster used the water in this pond as a theme and asked the students to write a poem. The time limit has now ended. Please stop writing," a person at the front said loudly. Then, servant girls came and collected the papers from each student, placing them in front of the scholars.

The scholars began to review the papers together. The students waited nervously for the results, and the onlookers, not wanting to disturb the scholars, were also silent, creating a tense atmosphere in the courtyard. Among the students, some stared intently at the scholars, while others sat calmly, their reactions varying.

After a while, one of the scholars, holding a paper, said with a smile, "I find this poem quite good. Please listen: 'The water and sky sweep away the remaining dust, the solitary light of the lamp fades in the late spring. The rain's color is hard to find, the old days remain. The scent of incense and the ink are old. The journey ahead is endless, who says the present scene is not real. This journey should be known to be long, one day of wind and rain, one day of people.' What do you think?"

After the scholar finished reading, a student's face immediately lit up with joy, indicating that it was his poem.

"Good. I also found a poem. Please listen: 'A scroll of clear poetry and a cup of tea, listening to the wind and rain across the horizon. At night, the cold fragrance penetrates, the paulownia flowers should have fallen all over the ground.' This poem is about the rain, and it seems to be on topic."

"Good, even better than the previous one," the scholar at the head of the table nodded and said.

Several more poems were selected and read out, and the scholars evaluated them one by one. Immediately, several students looked despondent, realizing that their poems were not among those read out, and they were eliminated in this round.

The person who had been speaking and leading the session approached the scholars, whispered a few words, and then announced loudly, "Students, there is a pond here, and the water in the pond. Earlier, the water was the theme, and your poems were indeed difficult to choose from. However, as a grand poetry competition, there must be a ranking. The remaining students, do not be discouraged. Go back and study more, practice more, and aim to make a splash at next year's poetry competition. Life is full of disappointments, and nine out of ten things do not go as planned. For the next round, the theme will be 'Life is full of disappointments,' and the time limit will be one incense stick. Begin."

Upon hearing this, the students and the onlookers began to murmur, and the students all showed a look of difficulty, holding their pens and staring at the paper, but hesitating to write. Even Xia Hongsheng found this theme quite challenging. Life is full of disappointments, what should be written about? Xia Hongsheng understood that the students were supposed to write about their attitudes and feelings when facing setbacks and difficulties, and what insights they had. But not all the students might understand this.

"Students, you have all studied hard, and I'm sure you have all experienced moments of disappointment. Without going into the distant past, just from yesterday to now, eighty percent of the students have been eliminated. Each of them has studied hard and is a standout in their academy, yet they have failed here. Not only that, but there will be more failures waiting for you in the future. When that time comes, what will you do? Will you drink all day, indulge in pleasure, or grit your teeth and start over? Haha, you don't need to worry about this topic. This topic is about writing about your thoughts and how you will deal with setbacks and difficulties. That is the requirement."

The students, who were previously worried, now showed a look of understanding, took a deep breath, and began to write.

"Jing Shi, this topic is so difficult to write about. If it were you, how would you write it?" Wang Zike, after thinking for a while, turned to ask Xia Hongsheng.

"I wouldn't know how to write it," Xia Hongsheng shook his head.

Wang Zike, however, laughed and said, "Jing Shi, don't lie to me. Whether it's 'Full River Red' or yesterday's 'The Wandering Hero,' both are the best poems I have ever seen, and they are all from you. How could you not know how to write? It's just the two of us here, let me hear it."

"No!" Xia Hongsheng's attitude was very firm.

"Jing Shi, just recite a couple of lines for me, that's all!" Wang Zike persisted, making Xia Hongsheng quite annoyed.

Xia Hongsheng, unable to bear it, rolled his eyes at him and said, "There will be a time when the wind will break the waves, and I will hang my sail and cross the sea! Is that enough?"

Wang Zike's eyes suddenly lit up, and he clapped his hands excitedly, "Good! Good! There will be a time when the wind will break the waves, and I will hang my sail and cross the sea! Grand! ... Ah ah ah..."

Xia Hongsheng quickly covered his mouth, as he had shouted loudly in his excitement.

Xia Hongsheng quickly covered his mouth, but it was already too late. He immediately decided to abandon this troublesome teammate and turned to run!