The Three Great Scholars Bow in Apology

That's right, what Chen Zhao had brought out was none other than the world-famous masterpiece from his previous life—the Memorial to Yueyang Tower!

The Memorial to Yueyang Tower is a prose piece written by the Northern Song Dynasty man of letters Fan Zhongyan on the fifteenth day of the ninth lunar month in the sixth year of Qingli (October 17, 1046), at the request of his good friend Teng Zijing, the prefect of Baling Prefecture, to commemorate the renovation of Yueyang Tower. The entire text integrates narrative, landscape description, lyrical expression, and philosophical discourse, balancing motion and stillness, light and shadow, with concise language and harmonious rhythm—a work that has remained immortal throughout the ages due to its supreme literary standard.

Beyond the overwhelming, mountain-toppling momentum of its landscape descriptions, the essay also contains many famous lines that have been praised for centuries!

For instance, "Not to be swayed by external gains, nor saddened by personal losses!"

For instance, "When dwelling in the high halls of the temple, he worries for his people; when retreating to the distant rivers and lakes, he worries for his sovereign!"

And again, "To worry before the world worries, to enjoy only after the world has enjoyed!"

Chen Zhao's attitude was very clear: since he had to convince the three old men across from him, he had to strike immediately and unleash his trump card! He would use an overwhelming advantage to make them admire him to the point of prostration!

If he wasn't going to play, fine; but if he was going to play, he would play big! Was he afraid of the great man of letters Fan Zhongyan? Didn't they think that because he was young, he couldn't write a good essay? He wouldn't waste his breath on them; he would let Fan Zhongyan's essay do the talking!

Chen Zhao picked up the paper from the table and handed it to the three old men opposite him.

"I hope you will forgive my clumsy effort," Chen Zhao said with a faint smile.

Deng Tiejun took the paper first and began to read it in silence. Mu Tianque and Ma Qingtian blew on their teacups nonchalantly, their faces full of disdain.

He was just a little kid.

What kind of good essay could he possibly write?

And he had written it on the spot, without even any time to structure it. Even if it were a practice piece he had repeatedly revised and memorized beforehand, it was still nothing to worry about. Literature was a matter of both talent and accumulation; those without talent or accumulation could strain themselves until they turned blue in the face, and they still wouldn't be able to produce a good piece of writing!

Mu Tianque and Ma Qingtian had already prepared their rhetoric—the kind of rhetoric that would tear a younger generation's essay to shreds. Once they finished reading, they would start the roasting.

Deng Tiejun had also been full of indifference at first, but the moment he saw the first line, his expression changed drastically!

"When I gaze upon the magnificent scenery of Baling, it lies within the single lake of Dongting. It bridges the distant mountains and swallows the Yangtze River, vast and mighty, stretching without end; in the morning light and evening shadows, the atmosphere changes in ten thousand ways."

What powerful momentum!

Bridging the distant mountains, swallowing the Yangtze River! What an overbearing description!

The opening was as overwhelming as a mountain-toppling tide!

However, writing an essay required a phoenix-like head, a leopard-like tail, and a pig-like belly; just because the beginning was good didn't mean the rest would be. Although Chen Zhao was a young man, it wasn't surprising that he could write one good sentence. Deng Tiejun steadied his mind and continued reading.

Yet, with every sentence he read, the shock in his heart grew, and with every line, the expression on Deng Tiejun's face became more and more stunned.

By the time he reached the end, Deng Tiejun's face was flushed with excitement, and he couldn't help but shout out loud:

"Good! A good essay!"

"A marvelous piece! A truly marvelous piece!"

Nearby, Mu Tianque and Ma Qingtian, who had been thinking about how to lecture the younger generation, were startled by their old friend's reaction and looked at Deng Tiejun with shocked expressions.

Although Deng Tiejun was a calligrapher and painter, he also had deep attainments in classical literature; after all, while practicing calligraphy and painting, he had traced countless ancient steles and rubbings. He had always held rigorous standards for classical prose writing, and in his eyes, average essays were nothing but trash—after all, he had seen too many good essays, and his palate had become quite picky.

Yet, now, even the strictly-standardized and picky Deng Tiejun was loudly praising Chen Zhao's essay?

Mu Tianque and Ma Qingtian both realized something was wrong.

What was going on?

Could it really be that well-written?

How was that possible? It was just a child's essay; even if it were written well, it should only be at a level that was barely readable. How could the evaluation of a "marvelous piece" even come into play?

Mu Tianque and Ma Qingtian hurriedly snatched the paper away and read it with deep suspicion.

At the first glance at the paper, both old men frowned in unison.

The handwriting on the paper was truly terrible. You could call it ghost-drawn symbols or turtle-crawling script; in any case, it was awful to the extreme. Even identifying what was written required a great deal of effort. Even some elementary school students with good handwriting wrote homework that was eight times better than this trashy script!

However, after reading a few lines, the two old men's expressions began to change drastically.

As experts in classical literature, both old men had strong powers of appreciation, and as they read, they realized that this was indeed a majestic essay with overwhelming momentum!

In their excitement, the two old men couldn't help but read aloud:

"As for the spring breeze and bright scenery, the waves are calm, the sky and water merge, a vast expanse of emerald green!"

"Climbing this tower, one feels open-minded and relaxed, forgetting both favor and humiliation, holding a cup of wine in the wind!"

"The fragrant shore grass and orchids are lush and green. And sometimes, when the long mist clears, the bright moon shines for a thousand miles, the floating light leaps like gold, the silent shadows sink like jade, and the songs of fishermen echo each other—what joy could be greater than this!"

Finally, having finished the entire text, the two old men could not suppress the excitement in their hearts and exclaimed in unison:

"Good!"

Grand and sweeping, with overwhelming momentum!

The choice of words was exquisite, the artistic conception profound!

A top-tier, first-class essay!

Facing the praise of the several excited old men, Chen Zhao just smiled slightly, showing no reaction, and took a gulp of the tea in his cup.

Deng Zixin, standing to the side, looked at Chen Zhao with great admiration. To be able to drink tea so calmly in the face of the unanimous praise of three experts—this kid's composure was truly extraordinary!

In fact, Deng Zixin had completely misunderstood.

The reason Chen Zhao was focused on drinking tea was simple: he was taking advantage of the free refreshments!

Since I've gone to the trouble of coming to such a high-end restaurant, I naturally have to enjoy myself properly. The tea leaves are dancing up and down in the bowl, fluttering about; they certainly aren't some cheap variety and might even be quite valuable, so I should definitely drink more! After all, why pass up a freebie?

When the three old men looked at Chen Zhao again, their expressions had all changed.

Before, when they looked at Chen Zhao, their eyes held the gaze one might give a child—not exactly contemptuous, but certainly not the look one gives someone they truly regard.

Now, the expressions in the three old men's eyes were complex.

There was guilt, as they had, after all, tried to kick him out earlier.

There was shock; how could someone so young write such an excellent piece?

There was admiration; if it were them, they might not have been able to write this Memorial to Yueyang Tower themselves.

There was confusion; with such overflowing talent at such a young age, did he come from some prestigious family or a scholarly household?

Finally, Deng Tiejun stood up first, his face solemn and earnest.

"Mr. Chen." Deng Tiejun had even changed how he addressed him, switching to a respectful title. "I was blind before and questioned your literary attainments. I am deeply sorry, and I bow to apologize to you here!"

After saying this, Deng Tiejun bowed deeply!

Chen Zhao hurriedly stood up and bowed back to Deng Tiejun. "You are too kind! I am, after all, very young, so it is only natural to be questioned."

Mu Tianque and Ma Qingtian, who were standing nearby, also stood up and bowed deeply!

Chen Zhao quickly bowed in return; regardless of anything else, he was still a junior, and he couldn't quite handle such a grand gesture.

If anyone else from the literary world were present, they would likely be so shocked that their eyeballs would pop out.

Deng Tiejun, Mu Tianque, and Ma Qingtian were all highly respected scholars among those living today. The youngest, Deng Tiejun, was already over fifty, while Mu Tianque and Ma Qingtian were veteran authorities who had reached their sixties and seventies respectively. To think they would be so convinced by the writing of an underage boy that they would bow to him!