Chapter 47

"Rolling Yangtze River flows eastward, waves wash away heroes. Right and wrong, success and failure turn to emptiness, green mountains remain, how many times has the sunset turned red. White-haired fishermen and woodcutters on the river, accustomed to autumn moons and spring breezes. A pot of turbid wine brings joy at the meeting, ancient and modern events, all become topics of laughter and talk."

Outside the county office, the candidates savored a poem, reading it with a sense of rhythm. It seemed as if the grand historical tide was sweeping toward them, the vast and misty river, the white-haired fishermen and woodcutters, talking and laughing, evoking a sense of ancient tranquility, making one close their eyes in reverie.

Three days after the county examination, the candidates who obtained the title of Scholar and were eligible to participate in the prefectural examination were announced on the list.

At the same time, to demonstrate fairness, the top ten examination papers were displayed for the candidates to view, and would be kept for ten days before being sent to the prefectural school. For the top ten, this was a great honor, and they were naturally elated.

With a poem "Linjiangxian," Ning Wuxie secured the fourth position, mainly because his scores in policy essays and classics were somewhat low. Among the top ten, all but Ning Wuxie scored full marks in classics, and Ning Wuxie ranked second to last in policy essays, with Li Gongtai ranking last.

Li Gongtai placed tenth, with good scores in poetry and classics, but only a medium grade in policy essays. Ning Wuxie received a slightly higher grade, just passing.

Even so, Ning Wuxie's name spread along with the poem "Linjiangxian." Good poetry was hard to come by, and though Tang poetry and Song lyrics were famous, lyrics were also popular in the Tang Dynasty. This "Linjiangxian" by Yang Shen of the Ming Dynasty began on a grand scale, with profound philosophy and deep meaning, making it Ning Wuxie's favorite poem about the Three Kingdoms, reflecting a detached and serene mindset.

"Great poem, truly a great poem, it must be copied down. It will be passed down for a thousand years!"

Li Gongtai slapped his thigh in amazement, startling the surrounding candidates. They all came to their senses, took out paper and pens, and copied it down to savor at home.

"Sir, I think this poem is quite rhythmic. Why don't I try to set it to music?" A beautiful maid behind Li Gongtai smiled, her eyes twinkling.

Li Gongtai's eyes lit up, and he stroked his chin. "Good idea, I didn't expect Ning Zhongyuan to be not only good at wooing women but also at writing poetry. He has a bright future. In the future, if he brings out a poem, he'll have a flood of beautiful women and famous courtesans coming to him."

"Third brother, let's go find Mr. Ning."

Li Gongtai, with two beautiful maids and guards who had copied the poem, swaggered down the street, fanning himself, as if he wanted everyone to know he was a playboy.

Soon.

"What? He left!"

Inside the Zhang residence, Li Gongtai jumped up from his chair, eyes wide, his voice shrill. Realizing this was a bit too rude, he quickly sat down and smiled apologetically. "Uncle Zhang, when did he leave?"

"Early this morning, after receiving the official document. He said he was preparing to travel for studies. Why, did Ning Zhongyuan offend you?" Zhang Qing was confused; when did Ning Wuxie and Li Gongtai become involved?

"Oh, early this morning!" Li Gongtai was slightly regretful, fanning himself and clapping his hands. "Uncle Zhang, which direction did they go?"

Zhang Qing frowned, hesitating for a moment.

"Uncle Zhang, Ning Zhongyuan didn't offend me, I'm just interested in him." Li Gongtai smiled, seeing Zhang Qing's concern.

Zhang Qing sighed in relief. "They left in a hurry this morning, I didn't ask, but they probably went toward the capital."

Toward the capital, huh?

"Thank you, Uncle Zhang. I have some matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave." Li Gongtai stood up and hurried away, leaving Zhang Qing deep in thought. What kind of person could stir so many important figures? He's no ordinary person.

I hope nothing happens, Zhang Qing smiled bitterly, watching Li Gongtai leave.

In the back courtyard of the residence, a young maid was puzzled, looking at her young mistress. What was going on?

Luo Ying tightened her chest, changed into a long robe, combed her hair, and tied it up, put on a false beard, and held a folding fan, gently fanning herself. She looked in the bronze mirror, and if one didn't pay attention to her Adam's apple and skin, she really had the air of a refined young man.

"Cough, cough... Little Peach, how do I look? Do I look like a man?"

Luo Ying coughed, lowering her voice to a neutral tone, making the young maid cover her mouth and giggle. "If Miss goes to Yixiang Garden, she'll surely make those beauties and courtesans gape in amazement."

"Go, little maid, why would this young master go to such a place?" Luo Ying closed the fan with a serious expression, patting the young maid's head, ignoring her pouting face. Luo Ying sat back in front of the mirror, taking out a brush and painting her face.

"This is the disguise technique my mother taught me. It's my first time using it!"

The young maid couldn't help but ask curiously, "Miss, where are we going? Why are you in disguise?"

"Hmph, we're going to chase that dead scholar!"

The young maid was puzzled. "Miss, why are we chasing Mr. Ning?"

Then, the young maid seemed to understand, nodding to herself. "Could it be that Miss has fallen for Mr. Ning?"

"Dead girl, what are you saying? How could this young lady like such a stinky scholar? If I were to like someone, it would be a great hero or a valiant knight, a famous figure. I could never like a stinky scholar!" Luo Ying gritted her teeth.

"But Miss, why are you chasing Mr. Ning? Little Peach thinks Mr. Ning is quite nice, handsome, righteous, and writes beautiful poetry. No wonder Sister Lanruo likes him." The young maid said with a bit of infatuation.

Luo Ying snorted, muttering, "She's just a courtesan. What kind of poetry is that? I need to ask him something clearly!"

The young maid wanted to say that it wasn't good poetry but good lyrics, but sensing her mistress's ill-tempered tone, she wisely chose to keep quiet. Whether it was good poetry or good lyrics, it was good enough.

"Miss, what if Father finds out? If we run away like this, what if Mother finds out..."

"Miss, what if we encounter bad people?"

"Miss, what if we can't find Mr. Ning?"

Luo Ying suddenly regretted bringing the maid, feeling like she was just making things harder for herself.

"Shut up, call me young master." Luo Ying glared at the young maid and walked toward the city gate.

The young maid pouted, feeling a bit wronged. "I'm just worried!"

As soon as she saw Luo Ying walk away, the young maid hurried after her, timidly asking, "Young master, which way should we go? What if we encounter bad people?"

"Young master, I heard there are demons and ghosts in the mountains. What if we encounter a ghost?"

Luo Ying really regretted it. Oh, God, send a demon to take her away!

PS: Thank you to Fei Guiying for the tip and the extra chapter. A shout-out for more tips, one apprentice for an extra chapter, clicks, favorites, and votes, I'll take it all. Throw your votes at me!