Great Zhou Wensheng

Chapter 107 Jiangzhou Prefecture Academy, the Academy Master Gives a Lesson!
The ancient bell of the Confucian Temple rang four times, its sound resounding throughout Jiangzhou.

The Duke of Xue's Mansion.

"Clang-"

Upon hearing this, Prefect Xue Chonghu was aroused and pushed open the carved door. He rushed into the courtyard in his undergarments, not even having time to put on his outer robe.

Madam Xue hurriedly followed behind, tying her skirt, her hair half-undone. She followed his gaze and froze instantly—

"This is this"

Prefect Xue looked up at the sky, his pupils suddenly contracting.

High in the sky, the bright moon hung like a plate, its endless light showering down upon Jiangzhou Prefecture.

The moonlight solidified like a waterfall, transforming into a pillar of light that reached the heavens and enveloped the entire West Tower with its upturned eaves.

The glazed tiles shimmered and shone with golden light, as if a celestial palace had fallen to earth.

—A strange phenomenon has appeared in the residence of the Duke of Xue!

"The Moon Over the West Tower"

Madam Xue murmured absentmindedly, her voice trembling slightly.

But then, in the radiant moonlight, faint golden seal characters appeared, which were none other than the newly completed poem "A Spray of Plum Blossoms - The Moon Fills the West Tower".

Each word seems to be outlined with starlight, flowing and shining in the night sky.

The Duke of Xue's mansion was already in complete chaos.

"Oh my God!"

The old steward knelt down with a thud, "In my sixty years of life, this is the first time I have ever witnessed such a strange phenomenon as the poem of the Da family, so close at hand!"

The maids crowded under the corridor.

Chuntao pointed to the west building and exclaimed, "Look! Miss and Young Master Jiang are in the light!"

A beautiful couple stood by the railing, their clothes fluttering, looking like a pair of celestial beings.

Several young servants were so excited their faces turned red: "It really is Young Master Jiang! This poem is a masterpiece! It won't be long before it spreads throughout the entire Jiangnan region, and it might even become famous throughout the prefecture!"

Suddenly, someone slapped their thigh and exclaimed, "That goes without saying, it's definitely true!"

In the radiant moonlight, Xue Lingqi pressed the still-wet ink of the poem on the [Dafu] paper tightly against her heart.

The dreamy look in her eyes as she gazed at Jiang Xingzhou was so tender it could melt the ice and snow of winter.

Hearing a commotion downstairs, Xue Lingqi saw her parents arrive and hurriedly grabbed Jiang Xingzhou's sleeve, gracefully descending from the pavilion.

Amidst the fluttering of her red robes, she still clutched the poem, bathed in moonlight, tightly in her hand.

"Father, Mother!"

Her cheeks flushed, and her voice carried a hint of shyness, "I am currently discussing poetry with Young Master Jiang in the West Tower."

This is not true.

Since Jiang Xingzhou moved to the Xue family mansion, Xue Lingqi, with her wealth of poetry and literature, and Jiang Xingzhou, with his extensive knowledge, often discussed philosophy among the flowers and debated scriptures under the moon.

Sometimes, they can argue until they're red in the face over the allusions or annotations of a single line of poetry.

Duke Xue's gaze was fixed on the page of text in his daughter's hand—on the paper as thin as a cicada's wing, the ink was still wet and the words were shimmering with a pale golden light. It was none other than the first literary treasure of Dafu recognized by the Confucian Temple!
"Let your father see!"

The moment Xue Chonghu took the poem, he felt a sudden weight in his palm.

These light-looking sheets of paper felt incredibly heavy, as if they carried the literary and cultural destiny of Jiangzhou Prefecture.

This poem is absorbing the moonlight on its own!

The pillar of light in the sky had not yet dissipated, and wisps of moonlight continued to pour into the poem.

The paper gradually developed a jade-like luster, and fine golden lines even began to grow at the edges—a sign that a [Dafu Wenbao] was forming!

Once the poem slip is completely transformed into a literary treasure, its material will become indestructible, transforming it into a literary treasure of immense power that can be passed down for thousands of years.

The moment Xue Chonghu received the poem,

The entire Xue Guogong Mansion suddenly fell silent. Madam Xue, along with all the maids and servants, craned their necks, eager to see the contents of the poem.

The moonlight was like water, and the ink characters on the paper seemed to come alive, floating and flowing on the rice paper.

When Xue Chonghu finally saw the full text of the poem "A Spray of Plum Blossoms - Full Moon Over the West Tower - Presented to Xue Lingqi" on the paper, he was struck as if by lightning, his body trembling violently—

Who sends a letter from the clouds?
When the wild geese return in formation, the moon will be full over the western tower!

Upon seeing just these two sentences, Xue Chonghu felt a tightness in his chest.

In a daze, I seemed to see a celestial wild goose carrying a book, piercing through the clouds and breaking through the moon. Every word and sentence transformed into a physical entity, swirling and dancing on the paper.

"[Flowers fall and water flows.]"

One longing, two places of sorrow.

Upon reading this sentence, even the unyielding Duke of Xue's eyes welled up with tears.

When Xue Chonghu recited the last line—"[This feeling is impossible to dispel; it just left my brow only to rise again in my heart!]"

—The entire Xue State Duke's mansion seemed to be shrouded by some invisible force, and even the sound of the wind became still.

Everyone present was completely mesmerized, their expressions dazed.

The moonlight, like water, fell on everyone's shoulders, while that line of poetry was like an invisible key, gently unlocking the most hidden corner of everyone's heart.

The embroidered handkerchief in Madam Xue's hand slipped silently to the ground.

She stared blankly at the poem, and in a daze, she seemed to see the boy who blushed and dared not look up under the plum tree when she first met Xue Chonghu.

The old butler's cloudy eyes welled up with tears, and his lips trembled slightly.

He thought of his wife, who had passed away decades ago, the woman who always loved to hum little tunes by the stove—it turned out that his longing had never faded; it had simply been quietly hidden in his wrinkles and in his unintentional sighs.

Several young maids stood there, mesmerized, their eyes reddening.

They may not yet understand what it means to be deeply in love, but the tender and poignant words in the text made their hearts tremble, as if the moonlight had pierced their secrets.

As for Xue Lingqi, she felt her heart pounding like a drum and her ears burning.

The words echoed in her mind, stirring her heartstrings—how perfectly this poem matched her longing for Jiang Lang over the past few months!

“Good words, good words!”

Xue Chonghu's voice trembled.

The poem in my hand, every word seems to breathe in the moonlight, and in the depths of the ink, a galaxy seems to surge.

Suddenly, the two characters "longing" on the note burst forth with dazzling golden light.

Everyone gasped in surprise.
The two glittering golden figures suddenly floated up from the paper, transforming into a pair of mandarin ducks with intertwined necks in mid-air. They circled the west tower three times before disappearing back into the paper.

Everyone stared in disbelief.

"Wenwen's elegant demeanor overflows, taking on an automatic form?!"

"Truly worthy of being called a master of ci poetry! The talent in these words overflows from the paper, bursting forth!"

Xue Chonghu's hands trembled uncontrollably.

So precious!

Born into a noble family, the only thing he was most proud of in his literary pursuits was a poem titled "Da Fu" that he had painstakingly crafted over several months to pass the provincial examination in Jiangnan.

It was that essay, "Da Fu," that made him famous in Jiangnan, elevating him from a noble prince to a top-tier writer in the Jiangnan literary world!

however,
Jiang Xingzhou, a mere scholar who has just passed the Jiangzhou Prefecture examination, already has three works that "exceed the county level" and four poems that "reach the prefecture level"!

No wonder Xue Lingqi didn't bicker with Jiang Xingzhou today; the two even had the leisure to enjoy the moon together on the green-tiled eaves of the west building of the Xue State Duke's Mansion.

"This lad has finally come to his senses! He actually gifted Xue Lingqi a poem from the Da Fu collection! Any woman would be overjoyed to receive a poem from Da Fu!"

Xue Chonghu stroked his beard, secretly amused.

He was all too aware of the weight of a masterpiece.

After he passed the imperial examination, he participated in the Jiangnan Literary Gathering. Many young ladies from prominent families spared no expense to give him a single poem.

This poem, "A Spray of Plum Blossoms - The Moon Fills the West Tower - A Gift to Xue Lingqi," is probably more likely to touch a young woman's heart than anything else.

"Then you two can stay here in the west tower, exchanging poems and enjoying the moon!"

Madam Xue quickly tugged at her husband's sleeve, her eyes and brows brimming with undisguised joy.

She had noticed it long ago.

The daughter, Xue Lingqi, had an exquisite profile outlined by the moonlight. Her slender white fingers unconsciously twirled a strand of her hair, and her lively eyes never left the boy beside her.

Look at that.
In a daze, Madam Xue seemed to see herself back then, the way she looked when she received the first love poem from Duke Xue—she was just like that, hesitant to speak, her joy in her eyes impossible to hide.

The Xue brothers had just finished a game of chess and were rushing out of the room.

Xue Gui, with his sharp eyes, immediately perked up when he saw Jiang Xingzhou and Xue Lingqi.

He lowered his voice slyly and asked Xue Fu, "Hey, when do you think I can start calling you brother-in-law?" Before he could finish speaking, his ear suddenly hurt—

"Ouch! Mother, let go!"

Xue Gui grinned and turned his head, only to meet Madam Xue's ambiguous smile.

"Gui'er," Madam Xue said with a smile, her grip on his hand unwavering, "when will you write a piece about leaving the county so your mother can take a look?"

"I'll write! I'll go back to my room and write right now!" Xue Gui jumped up and down in pain, begging for mercy repeatedly, "Mother, let go! Your ear is going to fall off!"

Madam Xue was satisfied and released him.

Xue Gui, with a long face, was dragged away by Xue Fu, still looking back with a hopeless expression.

Miss Xue Lingqi breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Duke Xue, Madam Xue, and all the servants leave tactfully.

But when he turned his head, he met the meaningful eyes of Jiang Xingzhou.

She hurriedly turned her face away, but couldn't hide the blush peeking out from her hair.

The western courtyard has finally returned to silence.

The moonlight poured down like water, flowing quietly over the green tiles and flying eaves.

A night breeze blew by, and the copper bells on the eaves jingled softly, startling a few apricot blossoms into falling petals.

Lying on the roof of the house with its green tiles, Xue Lingqi unconsciously moved closer to Jiang Xingzhou and nestled in his warm embrace.

In the side courtyard of the west building, undisturbed by anyone else, the two enjoyed the moon from the eaves.

In the distance came the sound of a night watchman striking his clapper, mixed with the chirping of summer insects.

Xue Lingqi glanced at Jiang Xingzhou's cold and stern face, then looked up at the sky. The stars seemed to have been casually scattered like a handful of broken silver, twinkling and shimmering against the dark blue sky, filling her heart with joy.

The following morning, a thin mist, like gauze, still shrouded Jiangzhou.

Jiang Xingzhou, full of energy and dressed in a blue robe, arrived hand in hand with the Xue brothers under the eaves of the prefectural school.

In the dim light of dawn,
The vermilion gate with its beast-face rings was wide open, and the gilded bronze nails reflected the cold light of the morning mist.

On either side, a pair of white jade lions glared fiercely, as if scrutinizing the students' minds.

In front of the gate of Jiangzhou Academy, dozens of newly promoted scholars, including Han Yugui, Gu Zhimian, and Zhou Guangjin, had gathered, their green robes covered with fine dewdrops.

As everyone hesitated, not daring to enter the mansion, they suddenly saw Jiang Xingzhou's figure turn past the screen wall, and the tense faces of more than a dozen people instantly showed joy.

"Brother Jiang, you've finally arrived! If you hadn't come, we would never have dared to enter this mansion!"

Zhou Guangjin stepped forward, cupped his hands, and smiled.

Jiang Xingzhou's eyebrows twitched slightly: "Brother Zhou, what do you mean by that?"

“In Jiangzhou Prefecture, there is an old tradition of veteran scholars welcoming new scholars, which always makes the new scholars nervous—sometimes they can compose a poem in seven steps, sometimes they can recite the classics backwards, or they can write a long poem of a thousand words on the spot.”

If you can't answer, you'll be punished by copying a volume of the Spring and Autumn Annals.

In the previous examination, a promising young scholar, after forcing himself to compose a lengthy poem, fainted on the steps.

Zhou Guangjin wiped his forehead with his sleeve and said in a low voice, sweating.

"Brother Jiang, please go first!"

Han Yugui cupped his hands in refusal and smiled.

Before he finished speaking, the scholars suddenly surged forward like a tide, clearing a bluestone path leading directly to the central gate.

"Oh, really?"
I'd like to see just how difficult it is!

Jiang Xingzhou looked up at the plaque inscribed with "Mingde Zhishan" in the Jiangzhou government compound, a faint smile playing on his lips.

With a slight rustle of his blue robe, he calmly crossed the threshold of the mansion that deterred many.

Upon entering the Jiangzhou government office,
Then a commotion and noise came from inside the courtyard—

"Brother Jiang! Congratulations on your successful journey, winning first place in both the county and prefectural examinations!"

"If he passes the provincial examination again this autumn and becomes the top scholar, he will be a 'triple-time champion'! Our Jiangzhou Prefecture has not produced such a remarkable achievement in thirty years!"

"When Brother Jiang has time, we will definitely ask him for advice on the secrets of writing poetry!"

Then, dozens of elderly scholars dressed in traditional Chinese robes gathered around, some bowing warmly, others watching from afar.

Some people even lowered their heads and went around him when they saw him coming.

The morning breeze stirred the clothes of the crowd, their blue robes billowing like waves, creating a rather unusual sight.

Seeing their friendliness and politeness, and their lack of any sense of embarrassment, Jiang Xingzhou was surprised. He calmly returned their greetings one by one, saying, "Brothers, you flatter me. I am unworthy of such praise."

He was not familiar with these people; they were all former scholars from Jiangzhou Prefecture.

Jiang Xingzhou's gaze swept across the crowd, lingering briefly on a few elderly scholars with gloomy expressions not far away.

One of them snorted coldly, but did not dare to step forward. Instead, he turned and left.

That's Li Changli, the top scholar in the imperial examination.

Zhou Guangjin lowered his voice, his eyes flashing slightly, "The direct line of the Li family, one of the ten great families of Jiangzhou, and Zhao Zilu's cousin. The two families are also related by marriage."

Jiang Xingzhou's eyes narrowed slightly, and a hint of coldness flashed across his lips.

The ten most powerful families in Jiangzhou Prefecture are deeply intertwined, their marriages forming a web of connections. It's not surprising that they dislike him.

These kinds of people are only a tiny minority in the academy. As long as they don't provoke me, I'll let them be!

Zhou Shanzhang stood with his hands behind his back under the corridor. He saw this scene from afar, stroked his beard, sighed, and shook his head.

"These old scholars are actually afraid of newcomers?!"

In previous years, the entrance of new students would always be a lively affair in front of the academy.

The old scholars would use the occasion of "welcoming the newcomers" to test their talents by posing tricky poetry questions, having the newcomers recite scriptures backwards, or even demonstrating their calligraphy skills in court.

Each time, it attracts a crowd of onlookers, with cheers shaking the rooftops.

But today—these old scholars were like mice avoiding a cat, shrinking back and remaining silent, not one of them daring to step forward and make things difficult!

However, upon reflection, this is not surprising.

Before this top scholar who could compose a poem with a single stroke of his pen, everyone would be intimidated. This was probably the most outstanding scholar in Jiangzhou Prefecture in a hundred years.

Seeing that there was no play to watch, Zhou Yuanjun lightly flicked his sleeves and led dozens of instructors, tutors and teachers from the prefecture into the Minglun Courtyard in the center of the prefecture.

"The Inner Prince has arrived—!"

A clear shout,
The noise in the courtyard immediately subsided.

Hundreds of young scholars rose solemnly to greet him. Only after the academy master had taken his seat in the main seat did they kneel in unison on the cushions, like a flock of geese flying in the clouds, in complete silence.

The lectures at the Jiangzhou Prefectural Academy had their own unique style.

As the morning bell tolls, a grand lecture begins.

Often, an instructor would take the stage, holding a sandalwood ruler, and meticulously analyze the subtle meanings of the Analects, the Book of Poetry, or the Spring and Autumn Annals.

When they reached the points of disagreement, a heated debate erupted in the courtyard—they sat and discussed the classics.

An elderly scholar with gray hair and beard slammed his fist on the table and stood up, while a young, successful scholar quoted classical texts. Amidst the heated debate among hundreds of people, the ancient cypress trees in the courtyard rustled as the stones fell.

In the afternoon, the students dispersed to the various dormitories of Jiangzhou Prefectural Academy, where the professors gave them short lessons:

The Six Arts of a Gentleman: Rites, Music, Archery, Charioteering, Calligraphy, and Mathematics.

The Eight Arts of the Literati: playing the zither, playing chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, drinking wine, appreciating flowers, and drinking tea.

The sounds of zither music in the east wing harmonized with the sounds of chess pieces in the west corridor.
Arrows whistling in the southern garden mingle with the aroma of tea in the northern pavilion.

The dust and sand swirled around the stage of the "Royal Chariot" exercise, one of the Six Arts of the Gentleman.

The ink on the "Poetry" desk, one of the Eight Arts, is still fragrant with ink.

The most extraordinary subject was mathematics, where the gray-robed instructor used counting rods to arrange the constellations.

Zhou Yuanjun took his seat in the main hall of the courtyard, looked around at the assembled scholars, and said in a low voice, "Today, the new scholars are enrolling, and I will personally give them a grand lecture!"
An exception was made—the scriptures were not discussed.

Let's savor together Jiang Xingzhou's poem "A Spray of Plum Blossoms - The Moon Fills the West Tower" from last night; it's a graceful and refined new lyric in the style of a Dafu poet!

He suddenly pointed his finger out of the courtyard—right in the direction of the Duke of Xue's mansion.

"Excellent!"

A scholar in a blue robe suddenly stood up, the poem slips in his sleeves rustling: "Last night I tossed and turned, thinking of you day and night, wishing I could see Brother Jiang's masterpiece right away!"

"Exactly!"

"How true this is!"

The hall erupted in cheers. The students in their blue robes either clapped their hands in admiration or whispered among themselves, their eyes filled with undisguised joy.

Some were even more eager to open the stationery, dip their brushes in ink, and write.

Last night, they saw the poem "The Moon Shines Over the West Tower" by Dafu, and the strange phenomenon shook the entire Jiangzhou Prefecture. However, they still haven't seen the content of the poem. They are so excited that they couldn't sleep all night!
(End of this chapter)