Autumn Mountain Journey

Shen Jingchuan and the Lin brothers, Lin Shan and Lin Yue, were queuing when a young man in a blue robe approached from behind. He stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said:

"Greetings, young master. My name is Su Yan from Chu. May I ask your esteemed name?"

Shen Jingchuan quickly returned the greeting with a cupped hand. "You flatter me. I am from this province, my name is Shen Jingchuan."

Su Yan's gaze swept over the four-wheeled carriage not far away, her eyes filled with curiosity:

"Brother Shen, please don't be offended. I just saw you get off this carriage, which is actually four-wheeled. The workmanship is exquisite and it moves smoothly. I have traveled to many places and have never seen such a carriage before. I wonder which craftsman made it?"

Shen Jingchuan nodded slightly:

"This carriage was developed in our own workshop. The only difficulty with this four-wheeled carriage is steering. My family's craftsmen figured out a way to solve it, and now the design is finalized. We're planning to mass-produce it, and it should be available on the market in a few days."

Su Yan's eyes lit up, and she took half a step forward:

"I see! Such ingenious ideas are truly rare. I wonder where they will be sold in the future?"

Before he could finish speaking, a young man in a blue robe, broad-shouldered and with a cheerful expression, stood in front of Shen Jingchuan line, cupped his hands in greeting, and smiled:

"Young Master Shen, please forgive me. My name is Zhou Tong from Chang'an. I just heard you mention that this carriage is going on sale. I saw it just now and I really like it. Could you let me know in advance?"

As he spoke, he turned to the side and patted his companion's arm:

"This is my closest friend; he came all the way from the Capital."

The man, dressed in a moon-white long robe, with refined features and a gentle, calm demeanor, stepped forward and respectfully bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.

"My name is Xu Mo. I greet Young Master Shen."

Shen Jingchuan quickly returned the greeting with a cupped hand:

"Greetings, Young Master Zhou; greetings, Young Master Xu."

"To be honest, we come from Yuxi Prefecture. The workshop for this cart is still under construction, and we can't produce many carts at the beginning, so production is limited. The first batch will be sold locally in Yuxi Prefecture. After the New Year, when the process is more streamlined, we might be able to set up a sales point in Chang'an. However, the process of making this cart is very complicated, and the production volume will not be able to increase for a while. I'm afraid you will have to wait a long time."

Upon hearing this, all three showed expressions of regret. Zhou Tong, being the most impatient, rubbed his hands together and said:

"Such a nice car, and we have to wait so long, it's really making us itchy to buy it."

He paused, then tentatively asked,

"Young Master Shen, would you allow us to come closer and take a better look? It would be even better if we could get in and experience it for ourselves."

Shen Jingchuan bowed slightly in apology:

"I'm truly sorry, Young Master Zhou, but there are women in the carriage, which is quite inconvenient."

The three understood immediately and stopped insisting, saying it was alright and that they had been presumptuous.

Shen Jingchuan then introduced the Lin brothers, Lin Shan and Lin Yue, to the three of them, and the group exchanged greetings.

Zhou Tong turned his head and pointed to the front of the line, saying:

"Brother Shen, are you also here to test your skills at the Poetry Appreciation Terrace? You seem quite distinguished; perhaps you're confident in your abilities?"

Shen Jingchuan smiled faintly, "I wouldn't say I'm confident; I'm just giving it a try."

"That's not easy." Zhou Tong shook his head.

"These three old gentlemen have very discerning eyes; ordinary poems simply don't meet their standards. To be honest, if you're really not confident, you can always pay some money to have someone else write it for you."

"There are only a few questions each year, so just prepare a few relevant ones in advance and copy them down when the time comes."

Shen Jingchuan was slightly surprised. "This can be ghostwritten?"

"Why not? This isn't an exam for the top scholar; the rules aren't that strict."

Zhou Tong chuckled and pulled out several folded sheets of paper from his pocket.

"Look, I've already prepared it."

He patted Xu Mo on the shoulder beside him, looking smug.

"This is all the work of my brother. He's a great talent from the Capital; he's more than capable of handling this assessment. If you don't mind, Brother Shen, I'll have him write a couple of poems for you on the spot. I guarantee you'll pass. We hit it off immediately, so no money needed."

Shen Jingchuan cupped his hands in thanks and said:

"Thank you for your kind offer, Brother Zhou, but there's no need for that now. If I really can't get through, I can ask you two for help then."

The line moved slowly forward, and the rules at the park entrance became clear:

Thirty people were divided into groups and entered the assessment room. Questions were given on the spot, and the papers had to be completed within fifteen minutes. Those who passed were given an admission badge on the spot.

Two rows of large locust trees stood at the entrance, their shade covering most of the queue. Although the late summer heat still lingered, it wasn't too unbearable.

Just then, Yue'er came over carrying a wooden tea tray with a teapot and three porcelain cups on it.

She walked over and poured a cup of tea for Shen Jingchuan, Lin Shan, and Lin Yue.

Shen Jingchuan picked up a cup and handed it to Zhou Tong, then picked up two more cups and handed them to Xu Mo and Su Yan respectively.

"Gentlemen, please have a cup of tea to soothe your throats."

He then turned to Yue'er and said, "Go and fetch three more cups."

Lin Shan stepped forward and took the tea tray from Yue'er's hands, saying, "Go and come back quickly, I'll look after things here."

Yue'er responded and turned to go back to the carriage to get the cup.

Before long, Yue'er returned with three clean cups. Shen Jingchuan picked up the teapot and poured a cup for Lin Shan, Lin Yue, and himself.

Su Yan couldn't help but say enviously:

"Young Master Shen's carriage is quite well-equipped, even with tea sets provided; it's very convenient for him to travel."

The line moved at a moderate pace, with each group moving every fifteen minutes. After more than a hundred people lined up, when it was Shen Jingchuan's turn, the four of them were in the fourth group.

Behind the desk in the shed sat three elderly gentlemen with gray hair and beards, reviewing the exam papers one by one. They casually stacked the unsatisfactory ones beside them and handed the satisfactory ones to a young scholar next to them. The scholar called out the names aloud while writing down the garden invitations, all in an orderly manner.

A pageboy led the thirty people into the examination hall, where rows of long tables were set up, each equipped with writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.

The group took their seats according to their numbers. Shen Jingchuan sat next to Su Yan, Zhou Tong, and Xu Mo in a corner towards the back.

After everyone was seated, a man in a blue robe walked into the tent and announced in a loud voice:

"I won't go into the rules. You have a 15-minute time limit. The theme is 'Autumn.' You may write a five- or seven-character poem, or even a short essay. Feel free to express yourself freely."

Upon hearing the word "autumn" in the prompt, Shen Jingchuan's heart skipped a beat. A humorous anecdote that had been widely circulated in later generations popped into his mind, and he couldn't help but secretly curl the corners of his lips. That's it, a famous line from the ages, more than enough to handle this assessment.

He picked up the brush, dipped it in ink, and paused slightly. He had only been in this world for a short time, and although he knew most of the traditional Chinese characters, he was still unsure about some when it came to actually writing them all.

There's nowhere to verify this right now, so I'll just write it down from memory. I'll use traditional characters for what I'm sure of, and secretly mix in simplified characters for what I'm really unsure about.

He practiced calligraphy for a few months in his early years; his skills weren't top-notch, but they were passable.

With a few strokes of his pen, the paper was soon covered with ink. He then tried to add a title, vaguely recalling the original poem's title but unable to remember it. So he simply wrote "Autumn Mountain Journey" on the spot, put down his pen, and leaned back in his chair.

Xu Mo, who was sitting next to him, had just finished writing. He glanced at Xu Mo and saw that Xu Mo had finished even faster than him. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and then he nodded slightly, his eyes showing approval.

Zhou Tong, sitting diagonally in front of him, was beaming with excitement. He had a poem about Ode to Autumn in his pocket, which was exactly what the topic was, and he was burying his head in his pen, copying it down furiously, though his handwriting was a little messy and crooked.

Su Yan held the pen and pondered for a moment before slowly putting pen to paper, her expression very focused.