Two poems

"Guessing the question?"

Xu Erlang asked in confusion, but he was very clever and immediately understood what Xu Qi'an meant.

Xu Xinnian calmly poured his elder brother a cup of hot water, then put on a coat for himself. Sitting down, he said, "No need. The great scholars from the academy have already predicted the exam questions for us."

After the establishment of the Imperial Academy, the students' minds were confined to the Four Books and Five Classics, losing the Spiritual Qi of their predecessors. The lack of poetry and lyrics Great Feng was one of the consequences of this.

However, there is one advantage: it's easier to predict exam questions.

The so-called "predicting exam questions" is actually the same operation as Xu Qi'an's teacher highlighting key points on the blackboard in his previous life. Because the scope and answering methods are limited, the imperial examination papers can be "predicted" to a certain extent.

Besides predicting exam questions, there's another shady tactic—buying exam questions.

Even more outrageous than buying exam questions is "pre-selection."

The so-called "pre-selection" meant that even if someone wrote utter nonsense, they could still pass the test and become a tribute student.

The specific method involved bribing the examiner and agreeing beforehand on how to use "secret codes," such as the first line ending with "old," the second line ending with "iron," and the fourth, fifth, and sixth lines ending with "666."

The examiner knew immediately that this was one of their own.

Anonymizing and copying cannot prevent such cheating methods.

Xu Qi'an heard about these clever tricks from Wei Yuan, and after hearing them, he exclaimed that the wisdom of the ancients should not be underestimated.

Unfortunately, bribing the examiners is not an option. Xu Xinnian is a student of the Cloud Deer Academy, which means he is destined to be out of the running for the top three scholars, and he may not even be able to achieve the highest rank.

Before meeting Zhong Li, Xu Qi'an was only thinking about how to help Erlang make cheat sheets and fool the invigilator. After racking his brains, he came up with a plan: to copy the article somewhere.

This method was inspired by netizens from previous lives. I remember someone bragging about himself online and saying that his girlfriend saw two words engraved on his penis: Jun Chou.

When asked what these two characters meant, a silly netizen smiled faintly, took a deep Dantian, and said, "It means: 'Have you not seen the Yellow River's waters come from the sky to dispel your eternal sorrows?'"

Although it was unreliable boasting, Xu Qi'an felt a strong connection to it. These things weren't important; what mattered was that Erlang could absolutely do the things described above.

With his cultivation level at the Self-Cultivation Realm, all he needs to do is say, "My Diaochan," and then he can write a 500-word essay on it.

The examiner will absolutely not notice.

However, given Erlang's pride, Xu Qi'an, who would never do such a thing even if beaten to death, slowly nodded, "What about poetry?"

Xu Xinnian frowned and replied, "I won't consider poetry; I'm not good at it."

His preparation focused on policy questions and classical texts, as did the other students. As for poetry, well, it was all a matter of fate.

"It's better to be prepared, right? Big brother came here to guess the poems," Xu Qi'an said.

"So, how does Big Brother plan to guess?"

"We'll draw lots." Xu Qi'an smiled mysteriously.

"Mom, I want to eat an orange."

From the connected inner room, the little boy emerged wearing a loose-fitting shirt.

"Why are you having oranges tonight? Don't you care about your teeth? The oranges are in the living room, go get them yourself." The aunt was worried about her son's future.

The little girl went out without a word. She finished eating the oranges in the corridor outside and went back inside to take a nap, completely satisfied.

The second uncle and aunt continued to discuss Xu Erlang's future. As they talked, the aunt regretted why she had sent Xu Xinnian to the Cloud Deer Academy.

Erlang was a genius from a young age, with an excellent memory. When Cloud Deer Academy was recruiting students, Second Uncle Xu took his son to Clear Cloud Mountain for the exam, and he passed on his first try.

"If only we had sent him to the Imperial Academy back then," the aunt said regretfully.

"That's a woman's view. Cloud Deer Academy is the true Confucian School," Second Uncle Xu scoffed.

Xu Xinnian cut a sheet of Xuan paper into more than a dozen small squares, wrote themes such as "flowers, birds, fish and insects" on them, and then casually scribbled them.

"Big brother, come on over."

Xu Xinnian thought his older brother was being ridiculous, but seeing his enthusiasm, he couldn't refuse. He just wanted to get rid of his annoying older brother as soon as possible so he could go to sleep.

Another reason was to see if his older brother could compose a poem on the spot, so he could also enjoy watching it.

Xu Qi'an closed his eyes and grabbed something casually.

"Two?"

Xu Xinnian noticed that his older brother had grabbed two slips of paper.

"Two it is fine, one extra can be a spare."

Xu Qi'an spoke, he unfolded the slips of paper, which read "Aspiration" and "Patriotism."

Xu Xinnian looked at his older brother with some anticipation.

"Um, I'll think about it. I'll give it to you tomorrow." Xu Qi'an scratched his head.

After saying goodbye to Xu Xinnian, Xu Qi'an returned to his room, lit a candle, sat at the table, looked up at the ceiling beam, and said:

"Aren't you a prophet? Can't you predict the questions for the imperial examinations directly?"

A disheveled woman, dressed in a simple linen robe, lay on the roof beam. She replied, "A prophet must know how to keep secrets. I am not a person of great fortune. If I were to reveal the questions for the imperial examination, I might die tomorrow."

"I'll protect you. Didn't the supervisor say I'm a person with great fortune?" Xu Qi'an urged.

"Since you're someone with great fortune, the question you draw will definitely be an exam question in the imperial examinations," Zhong Li said calmly. "Why should I take the risk?"

That makes sense. Xu Qi'an then asked, "Then why don't you let me guess the questions and interpretations of the classics?"

"The simpler the word, the easier it is to guess correctly," Zhong Li said.

Xu Qi'an didn't say anything more, racking his brains to think of the poems he had learned in junior and senior high school. Even after so many years, some of the poems were still clearly imprinted in his mind.

Of course, he couldn't remember classical Chinese texts or long poems, or he couldn't remember them completely. For example, he only remembered a few lines from Li Bai's "Bring in the Wine" – "The Yellow River's waters come from the sky".

But he probably would never forget a poem like "Spring Dawn" until he died.

"The most famous poem expressing one's aspirations is probably Cao Cao's 'Though the Tortoise Lives Long,' but considering Emperor Yuanjing's desire for immortality, writing this poem would probably have displeased him."

"There are quite a few patriotic poems, but the patriotic poems I remember were all born when the country was destroyed and the family was destroyed. Some of them are about iron horses and icy rivers entering my dreams, others about the country being destroyed but the mountains and rivers remaining, and still others about courtesans who don't know the pain of a fallen nation."

In the middle of the night, Xu Qi'an was fast asleep when he suddenly heard a muffled "thump," followed by the groans of a certain unfortunate woman.

He woke up with a start and instinctively grabbed the sword beside the bed.

"Sorry, I tripped and fell," Zhong Li said, enduring the pain.

How could you fall like that? You're supposed to be a fifth-rank Warlock! Xu Qi'an's lips twitched, and he let out a long breath. "It's nothing, just part of the misfortune?"

"That's still considered good. If you weren't here, I probably would have broken my leg."

The fifth disciple of the supervisor uttered poignant words in a calm tone. "It's alright, I'm used to it anyway."

After saying that, she silently got up and walked towards the door. "I'm going to meditate outside so as not to disturb your sleep."

Xu Qi'an watched her leave and closed the door.

She turned over and went back to sleep, but then the door opened again, and Zhong Li came back.

"Um?"

Xu Qi'an hummed in agreement, expressing his confusion and dissatisfaction.

Zhong Li said in a low voice, "I don't know which scoundrel threw orange peels in the corridor. I accidentally stepped on them and fell, hitting my head. I think it's safer to stay inside."

Orange peels can be slippery? How pitiful. Xu Qi'an was immediately filled with sympathy.

The next day, before dawn.

The Xu Residence was brightly lit. Aunt Xu, with dark circles under her eyes, personally helped Xu Erlang pack his examination supplies, including writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, as well as the pastries, steamed buns, dried meat, and water for the examination hall.

"Mom, you don't need to bring so much food. The exam only lasts one day, and we'll be out by dusk." Xu Xinnian quickly stopped his mother from stuffing food into his mouth.

The imperial examination consisted of three sessions, each lasting one day, with a three-day interval between each session, lasting a total of nine days.

After everything was prepared, Xu Pingzhi, along with his wife, daughter, and nephew, accompanied Xu Xinnian to the examination hall.

Xu Qi'an and Xu Pingzhi carried lanterns one after the other. Before long, the family arrived at the examination hall. Outside the examination hall, students taking the exams had gathered, and dozens of soldiers on both sides of the street maintained order, holding torches high.

"Erlang, these are poems written by my elder brother. Burn them after reading." Xu Qi'an handed over two slips of paper.

Xu Xinnian calmly accepted the letter, unfolded it without a word, and looked at it for a long time, almost unable to understand it. His elder brother's handwriting, especially the small characters, was unique.

What a beautiful poem!

But Xu Xinnian still couldn't help but admire it from the bottom of his heart.

If he can guess the question correctly, he might really shine.

After writing it down, Xu Xinnian tore the note to shreds. Just as he was about to say goodbye to his family, he suddenly heard someone chanting Buddhist mantras not far away.

Looking back, he saw a burly, bald man with his hands clasped together, giving him a mysterious smile.

"Do I know him?" A question flashed through Xu Xinnian's mind, but he returned a polite smile.

The bald man nodded slightly, then turned and left.

After watching Erlang line up to enter the examination hall, Aunt and Lingyue suggested going back to the mansion to catch up on sleep, Xu Lingyin suggested going to Cassia Moon Tower for breakfast.

Xu Lingyin's suggestion was ignored by everyone.

Xu Qi'an was worried about Zhong Li in the manor, fearing that if he returned too late, she would have already passed away.

As they returned home, dawn was breaking in the east.

Xu Qi'an pushed open the door and saw Zhong Li sitting cross-legged on the floor, her hair disheveled, making it impossible to see her features.

Why does this woman always have her hair down? I wonder what she looks like. All the disciples of the supervisor seem strange, except for the foodie girl, who seems the most normal. Xu Qi'an cleared his throat and said:

"You don't need to hide it; I can introduce you to my family."

"This will bring bad luck to your family. There won't be any major troubles, but there will be constant minor ones," Zhong Li said. "Misfortune constantly affects those around them, and they can avoid it by not knowing I exist."

Never mind then.

It was still far from dawn, Xu Qi'an planned to practice breathing exercises for a while when he suddenly felt a pang of anxiety. Someone had popped up in the Earth Book chat group.

"Can you turn around?" Xu Qi'an asked.

"Okay." Zhong Li obediently turned around and sat down with her back to him.

Having another person is inconvenient, so Xu Qi'an took out the fragment of the Earth Book and, by the light of the candle, read the message.

[Two: I plan to go to the capital.]

The first to respond to Li Miaozhen was surprisingly the rarely seen Daoist Jinlian: [Nine: Is the bandit suppression over?]

The bandit suppression is over? Then Brother Chun and the others should be back by now. Xu Qi'an was overjoyed.

[Second: Yes, Daoist Master. Number One, you haven't given me information about the younger generation of disciples of the Human Sect yet.]

She initially offered information about the Yunzhou case to Number One in exchange for the best disciples of the current generation of the Human Sect, but Number One inexplicably went silent for a long time.

To this day, the promise has still not been fulfilled.

A few minutes later, a message arrived from Number One, a long message: [The disciples of the Human Sect in this generation are not strong in cultivation; the highest-ranking "Pure Dust" disciple is only at the seventh rank. However, there is one person, I don't know if he can be considered part of the younger generation.]

[Part Two: Who is this person, and what is their cultivation level?]

[One: This person was born into a scholarly family and became the top scholar in the 27th year of the Yuanjing era. In the 29th year of the Yuanjing era, he suddenly resigned from his official post and became a commoner. He was both a teacher and friend to Master Lingyun, Luo Yuheng's senior brother, and was taught the Human Sect Swordsmanship and the Heart Sutra by Master Lingyun.]

This person was extremely talented. After abandoning literature to cultivate swordsmanship for three years, he entered the realm of sword heart clarity. He then challenged Zhang Kaitai, the Golden Rooster, and suffered a crushing defeat. After that, he went on a journey and was praised by Wei Yuan as the number one swordsman in the capital.

[He and Daoist Lingyun were not formally master and disciple, but they were in fact master and disciple; it's unclear whether he could be considered a disciple of the Human Sect.]

Born a scholar, he abandoned literature to pursue swordsmanship, becoming the capital's foremost swordsman, and having a master-disciple relationship with Daoist Renzong. What was with this strong sense of déjà vu? Xu Qi'an was taken aback, and after pondering for a moment, he thought of someone, but then felt it was too absurd.

At this time

[Four: Ah, I've already returned to the capital.]

"It really is him. Daoist Jinlian is up to no good. He knows that the Celestial Person and Human Sects are irreconcilable, but he still wants to drag them into the Earth Book fragments together," Xu Qi'an muttered to himself.

This is interesting. Number Four and Number Two are coming to Beijing to have a showdown. Wait, if it were just Li Miaozhen coming to Beijing, I'm confident I could handle it. After all, resurrection can be explained by a rebirth pill.

Moreover, Li Miaozhen and I have both experienced social death, so we won't be too entangled with each other.

If Number Four also comes to Beijing

Xu Qi'an's expression changed.

Just then, Number Five chimed in: [What a coincidence! I'm also leaving Southern Frontier for the capital tomorrow. Let's all have a drink together when I get there!]

Xu Qi'an: "???"

What's going on? Why is Number Five coming to Beijing too? With Number Five's intelligence, Number Four and Number Two definitely won't feel comfortable leaving her alone. They'll inevitably have to meet up offline sometime.

And I was also in the capital, and Li Miaozhen knew my true identity.

No, Erlang has to take the Erlang for this.

[1: What are you doing in Beijing on the 5th?]

[5: Traveling.]

Li Miaozhen suppressed her astonishment and joined the conversation. "[Two: Number five, remember not to reveal your identity as a Gu clan member. The people of Great Feng hate the Gu clan. The world is dangerous. Even if you are framed, if the government knows your identity as a Gu clan member, they will most likely ignore it."

[In the eyes of many low-life Jianghu people, it is only natural to take any measures against the Gu people.]

During the Battle of Shanhai Pass, the Southern Frontier barbarians and the northern barbarians formed an alliance, becoming the opposing camp to the Great Feng. In addition, in recent years, the Southern Frontier barbarians have frequently harassed the borders of the Great Feng in order to reclaim lost territory.

The two sides have a long-standing grudge.

The Gu tribe in Southern Frontier is also included in the category of "Southern Frontier barbarians".

Lina thought for a moment and realized that since she was neither afraid of poison nor violence, she had nothing to fear. But since Number Two had been so kind as to offer this reminder, she sent a letter of thanks:

Okay, I'll be careful.

Then, True Disciple a message: [Number Four, although we are both members of the Heaven and Earth Society, we must put aside our sect feuds. When we meet, I will not show any mercy.]

[Four: One must bear the responsibility for one's own life and death.]

"We're all group members, there's no need for this," Xu Qi'an said with a sigh.

After the group chat ended, Xu Qi'an retrieved the fragments of the Earth Book, looked up, and glanced at Zhong Li, who had her back to him.

Is this woman bringing me bad luck? Maybe I should go back to the inspection station and return it.

P. S.: I've finally finished writing a chapter! I'll correct the typos tomorrow. Time for bed.