Wen Discusses Profit, Scholars Judge Men

"I still have some limited opinions on this Imperial Examinations."

As Wen Zhizhen spoke, she glanced around and, seeing that everyone was paying attention, felt relieved. Then she looked up at the building but didn't see Qiu Yan coming down. Her brows furrowed slightly, but quickly relaxed. She said, "These essays and policy discussions are difficult in some ways, but easy in others!"

"Oh?" Hearing that the question that had been bothering them so much seemed to be no problem at all in Wen Zhizhen's words, the candidates couldn't help but become curious and wanted to hear the opinion of this talented scholar from Jiangnan.

Despite the attention she received, Wen Zhizhen walked calmly to a chair and sat down.

The innkeeper, being quite perceptive, quickly had a waiter bring over a cup of tea. Wen Zhizhen took the cup, lifted the lid, blew on it, and took a small sip. It certainly whetted her appetite, but Qiu Yan still hadn't come down. She shook her head inwardly before finally speaking—

"We have received the Emperor's favor for generations, and we should know where the country's interests lie. In the future, as officials, we should be even more diligent and conscientious. This policy essay is an encouragement and reminder. In my opinion, it is truly a timely rain. Now that Prime Minister Wang has implemented reforms that benefit the country and the people, scholars should follow suit. Therefore, policy essays should naturally focus on this point..."

"Hmm? There seems to be a hidden meaning in his words?" Cao Hanqi's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"What hidden meaning could there be?" Zhou Guan sneered. "It's nothing more than trying to guess the examiner's thoughts and pointing out the relationship Metropolitan Examination and the reform. He doesn't need to remind us of that; everyone knows that. But knowing it is one thing, how many people can actually handle it in the examination room?"

On the other side, Wen Zhizhen continued speaking, answering questions from several candidates.

"To ensure the great benefit of the nation, one must first understand the conditions of rain, snow, and abundance or scarcity in Eight Directions, and keep abreast of the price fluctuations in various regions..."

These words enlightened everyone present, who felt that Wen Zhizhen's words were full of profound meaning. They frequently compared them with their own policy proposals, some feeling excited and others feeling depressed.

Some people even started a discussion about a particular sentence in his words, and all felt they had gained a lot.

"As expected of a talented scholar from Jiangnan, his knowledge far surpasses ours!"

"In my opinion, Wen Zhizhen has the talent of a prime minister. If he could enter the court, it would be a blessing for the country!"

"I've never even thought of these things before, let alone written them on a test. What's wrong with Wen Zhizhen's brain?"

"You didn't think of it, but I did think of it before, though I never realized they could be connected!"

The atmosphere shifted dramatically amidst the murmurs of discussion.

On the other side, watching Wen Zhizhen talking eloquently in the crowd, Xu Ran smiled broadly, her eyes sparkling with admiration, looking quite proud.

But a single sentence from Pang Qianru nearby completely ruined her good mood.

"Young Master Wen truly lives up to his reputation." Pang Qianru said, sticking out her tongue and licking her lips, as if preparing to enjoy a delicious meal.

Upon hearing this, Xu Ran immediately recalled Pang Qianru's schemes over the past few days and couldn't help but glare angrily.

But just as her gaze fell upon that, another voice rang out—

"Wen Zhizhen is known as a talented scholar from Jiangnan, and his reputation is indeed well-deserved."

"Sister Ji?" Xu Ran was startled and immediately looked in the direction of the voice, only to see Ji Zheng's delicate and beautiful face.

Noticing Xu Ran's gaze, Ji Zheng smiled slightly, "Sister, please don't misunderstand. I have no other intentions. I just think this Young Master Wen is truly exceptionally intelligent and adept at understanding people's hearts."

"Oh?" Pang Qianru immediately became interested, narrowed her eyes, and leaned closer. "Judging from your expression, have you figured something out again?"

Ji Zheng glanced at her, and without hiding anything, nodded and said, "The Wang Gong's reforms aim to replenish the national treasury, revitalize the military, and revive the Great Rui. Many of the New Law did not arise without foundation. I have heard people say that many of the New Law were improved upon based on the work of their predecessors. For example, the Equalization of Equal Transport Law originated from Liu Yan of the previous dynasty. Young Master Wen's views coincide with those of Prince Liu."

Upon hearing this, the people around quickly understood that the so-called "having heard of it" was probably an excuse, and that the woman had likely figured it out herself. As for the coincidence, they all understood without saying a word.

"In that case, Wen Zhizhen can be considered quite knowledgeable. If his policy proposal is also based on this, it will surely catch the eye of Prime Minister Wang and rank quite high," Luo Jiayun said in a low voice.

Pang Qianru looked Ji Zheng up and down, and finally smiled and said, "Indeed intelligent, with a sharp mind." This seemed like a compliment, but it was actually a veiled criticism that Ji Zheng was too scheming.

However, Xu Ran seemed somewhat unwilling.

Meanwhile, in a corner of the tavern, two middle-aged scholars drank wine, then put down their cups, each picked up a bite of food, and then one of them said, "Brother Feng, do you know the background of this woman? She saw through Wen Zhizhen's background at a glance."

The man addressed as Brother Feng shook his head and said, "If even Brother Yu doesn't know, how could I possibly know?"

These two scholars, one surnamed Feng and the other surnamed Yu.

The scholar surnamed Yu chuckled and said, "That's true. But now that we've seen him, we'll send someone to investigate when we get back. We'll find out then. It seems that Wen Zhizhen does have some talent. He can grasp the main points and key aspects of the imperial Metropolitan Examination and cater to the Wang Gong' preferences. But I wonder if he's just a theorist who only talks the talk. Also, without seeing Qiu Yan, it's hard to make a comparison."

The scholar surnamed Feng nodded and said, "That's true. We need to investigate the most likely candidates who Literary Staining of Examination Papers. Today, we came here to test Qiu Yan, but we didn't see him. Instead, we ran into Wen Zhizhen. So, our trip wasn't in vain."

"By the way," the scholar surnamed Yu took a sip of wine, "Are you settling in well at the Chancellor's Residence?"

"Serving as a staff member for Wang Gong, and realizing one's ambitions, is surely a good thing," the scholar surnamed Feng said with a smile, taking a bite of food. "However, as the New Party gradually gains a foothold, a trend of power struggles is emerging within its ranks."

"Oh? How so?" The scholar surnamed Yu looked slightly surprised. "I remember that after you submitted your theory on Market Exchange, you also said that the New Party was united in purpose. How long has it been?"

"It was precisely because of this method that the New Party gradually gained control of the court's finances, and when their interests were involved, the changes occurred," sighed the scholar surnamed Feng. "Half a month ago, on the Lantern Festival, I accompanied the Prime Minister to New Party banquet. It was there that I first met Pan Xiang, and I knew he was a man who couldn't stand being left out. Sure enough, after that, he began to cultivate his own power, which aroused resistance and imitation from other members of the New Party." As he spoke, a look of regret appeared on his face.

The scholar surnamed Yu shook his head and said, "This is only human nature. People the Essentials live in reality. Who in the world can be free from all kinds of constraints and rules and wholeheartedly seek the path of Human Path? And who can reform Human Path without any scruples? Even kings and prime ministers are subject to various constraints and have their own selfish motives."

As he spoke, he pointed to Wen Zhizhen, who was speaking eloquently, and continued, "Like this person, he seems to be very talented, and his paper is written about serving the country and the people, but it is nothing more than guessing the examiner's thoughts. However, if he can put what he wrote into practice, no matter what his purpose is, it will be good. I'm just afraid that he will only use this thought as a stepping stone."

The two discussed the political situation and high-ranking officials as if no one else was around, and even commented on Wen Zhizhen, who was not far away. If someone had overheard them, it would have at least stirred up a reaction from the scholars in the room, but strangely, the scholars around them not only did not react at all, but also seemed not to have seen the two of them.

And so, the inn's lobby became a gathering place for all sorts of people.

Wen Zhizhen talked with everyone about the Metropolitan Examination until evening. Seeing that Qiu Yan showed no intention of showing up, he shook his head and got up to take his leave.

The candidates and scholars then seemed to awaken from their reverie. They bid farewell to Wen Zhizhen, and some, remembering Qiu Yan, couldn't help but whisper among themselves. But since Qiu Yan was right there, no one said anything too harsh. However, Hu Qi and Dai Guo still couldn't help but look displeased.

Upon seeing this, the two middle-aged scholars also got up and left the table.

"It seems we won't be able to wait for him today. I wonder why Qiu Yan is studying behind closed doors. Could it be that Metropolitan Examination? What kind of essay could take so much effort? Unless..." A glint flashed in the eyes of the scholar surnamed Yu, and he exchanged a glance with another person.

"That's hard to say, after all..." The scholar surnamed Feng clearly had something to say, but he suddenly stopped halfway through his sentence. Then, he and the scholar surnamed Yu were both stunned. They looked around and calmed down after a few breaths, both of them frowning.

"What just happened? Why do I feel like someone's watching us?"

The two remained doubtful, but after searching everywhere without success, they had no choice but to give up, pay, and leave.

On the other side, Pang Qianru and the others waited for a long time without seeing Qiu Yan. Seeing Wen Zhizhen take her leave and Ji Zheng also leave a message, Pang Qianru's clear eyes darted around, and she said to Hu Qi, "I wonder when your young master will recover. In my opinion, we don't need to come and visit anymore. In a couple of days, I will host a banquet to make friends through literature and invite all the talented people in the city. Surely your young master won't refuse to show up then?"

"I will certainly convey this to my young master," Hu Qi quickly replied.

Not long after, Luo Jiayun, Zhou Guan, and the others also took their leave.

"Finally, they're all gone." After seeing everyone off, Dai Guo let out a long sigh of relief and went upstairs with Hu Qi, but they stopped abruptly after only a few steps.

Ahead of them, the door to Qiu Yan's room had opened, Qiu Yan, pale-faced, walked out.

"Young Master, what's wrong with you?" With Hu Qi and Dai Guo's cultivation levels, they immediately noticed Qiu Yan's aura. He seemed to have just recovered from a serious illness, extremely weak, and showed no signs of being Third Realm cultivator.

However, within this weakened aura, there was an inexplicable change; Qiu Yan's eyes gleamed, but both of them were so stunned by Qiu Yan's condition that they failed to notice this change.

Qiu Yan did not answer their questions, but instead asked, "How much silver do we have left?"

"Huh?" Hu Qi was taken aback and gave a number.

Qiu Yan frowned slightly and handed over a prescription. "Alright, go to the clinic to get the medicine according to this prescription."

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