Great Zhou Wensheng

Chapter 22 The Imperial Judgment at the Temple of Literature: "Seeking the Hermit in Vain"

Examination Hall No. 7 of Jiazi Year.

While the examiners were grading the papers, Jiang Xingzhou finished a simple dinner and pondered his own talent.

He carried a [Bow Shadow Cup] treasure, which contained fifty strands of talent.

In addition, there was the [Qilin Brush] that Miss Xue temporarily lent him, which was also an extremely precious literary treasure that could store dozens of strands of talent in advance.

In this way, he had about two hundred strands of talent at his disposal, which was enough to write a short poem of twenty characters.

In addition, there are three Hundred-Thread Pills obtained from the Confucian Temple's Book Mountain, which can quickly restore one's talent.

There's no need to worry about a lack of talent to support it.

The only thing he needs to consider now is which poem to write.

Many ancient poems from various dynasties in China have been passed down, and one of them can be selected for use.

However, the most suitable time to present one's work in the county-level examination for elementary school students is when it aligns with one's status as a student in the lower ranks of the imperial examinations. Further careful consideration is needed. Some of the poems are too difficult and not suitable for elementary school students to write.

After pondering for a long time, Jiang Xingzhou finally chose a poem by Jia Dao, a classic Chinese poem that shines throughout the ages and is essential for students to learn.

"Okay, that's it!"

The examination hall next door, number six, belonging to Han Yugui, shone with bursts of white light—faintly resembling the "six auspicious jade discs and cong" recorded in the "Spring Official" section of the Rites of Zhou.

However, Han Yugui's literary talent was too weak, so this unusual phenomenon was negligible.

There also seemed to be something unusual about the examination hall where Lu Ming, number eight in the Jiazi examination, was located.

Seeing this, Jiang Xingzhou knew that they were making a last-ditch effort and were going all out, and his expression immediately became tense.

To ensure everything went perfectly, he placed a Hundred-Thread Pill under his tongue beforehand, allowing it to dissolve into a fine liquid. Only then did he immediately begin writing on the answer sheet.

【"Deep in the Clouds: Seeking a Hermit in Vain"】—This poem's title needs to include the character "[cloud]" to fit the county examination question.

【"Matsushita."】

Jiang Xingzhou wrote down two characters, and the talent within him flowed out through the Qilin brush.

Even before the brush touches the paper, the ink has already condensed at the tip, forming a misty, cloud-like quality reminiscent of the pine trees in the deep mountains and forests, giving rise to a faint, five-colored glow.

The air seemed to be filled with the fragrance of pine cones hanging from the branches of old pine trees deep in the mountains.

But the fragrance emanating from the tip of the Qilin pen was not the scent of pine ink, but rather the aroma of "five-colored auspicious clouds" recorded in the "Spring and Autumn Annals: Preface to the Calendar".

He couldn't help but secretly admire him.

This Qilin pen resonates with my thoughts and flows smoothly with my talent; it truly is a top-notch writing style.

Jiang Xingzhou's calligraphy flowed like dragons and snakes, and at this moment, the [Bow Shadow Cup] emitted a bluish light, causing his talent to flow into his body. The spiritual liquid of the Hundred Threads Pill also quickly nourished his talent meridians.

[...asked the boy,]
The herbalist went to gather herbs.

Only in this mountain,
The clouds are so deep, I know not where.

The moment the three characters “问童子” took shape...
The brilliant talent that flowed from the tip of the pen
He transformed into a young boy holding the "Chu Silk Manuscript," wearing straw sandals and playing in the deep mountains, picking the sacred fruit of the Yu Pine.

When writing "The master went to gather herbs,"

The boy said that his master went to the majestic Kunlun Mountains to collect the Jade Ointment Grass planted by the Yellow Emperor and refine the elixir described in the "Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica".

The ink sparks shooting from the tip of the Qilin brush took root on the paper, instantly sprouting the phantom of the Jade Ointment Grass planted by the Yellow Emperor, with a spirit snake slithering among the grass leaves.

The five characters “Only in this mountain” split the stone like an axe, and the void exploded with the endless phantom image of the Kunlun Mountains.

When Jiang Xingzhou finished writing the last stroke of "Yun Shen Bu Zhi Chu" (meaning "The clouds are deep and the place is unknown"), a white mist enveloped the world on the paper, and no trace of it could be seen anymore.

The flowing ink strokes resembled the graceful chariot of Xihe controlling the sun in the Book of Documents, specifically the Yao Dian section.

The entire poem is filled with clouds, and every word seems to devour the remaining sunset glow within the examination hall.

It takes Meng Sheng a moment to write a single character, but also consumes ten strands of his talent.

This is the rule of literature and morality!

It took Jiang Xingzhou a full twenty seconds to finish writing this twenty-character poem, during which almost all of his two hundred strands of talent were depleted.

As the last rays of the setting sun dipped below the horizon, the water clock in front of the county college began to drip.

"Rise!" Jiang Xingzhou made a hand seal with his right hand and gently flicked it.

A burst of brilliant cloud-like poetic light spread from the scroll, like the morning sun shining—an extremely thin mist quickly formed and drifted out, covering an area of ​​about several feet in diameter.

The entire examination hall, No. 7 of the Jia-class, was shrouded in a mysterious cloud of mist.

In an instant,
A faint golden light emanated from Jiang Xingzhou's body—this golden light soared into the sky and directly disappeared into the Jiangyin County Confucian Temple next to the county academy.

The golden light fell upon a bronze bell hanging upside down from an ancient locust tree in front of the Jiangyin Confucian Temple.

Articles written outside the county are automatically archived in the local Confucian temple.

Suddenly, the Confucian bell in the temple burst forth with dazzling runes, ringing out without wind, as if struck by a heavy hammer.

"Thump!"

One sound, and the whole village is filled with joy!

"Boom!"

Before anyone knew it, the night sky above the county college had been shrouded in darkness, and suddenly a thunderclap boomed.

A silver snake slashed across the night sky over Jiangyin, and in an instant, the world was suddenly bathed in white light.

"Wow~!"

A sudden gust of wind swept across the main hall of Jiangyin County School.
"The Wenzhong bell rang? What happened?"

Cai Chao was taken aback when he heard the bell of the Confucian Temple ring. Suddenly, he heard thunder and a strong wind, which startled him. He quickly covered his face with his sleeve.

A clear, melodious song suddenly burst forth from Examination Room No. 7, startling the sparrows in their nests on the eaves and beams, causing the dust that had accumulated on the beams to fall in a flurry.

Why does the bell at the Confucian Temple ring?

The deputy examiners, including Chief Clerk Shen Yanqing and County Magistrate Zhou Wenyuan, along with the twenty-seven local worthies below the ten-step green steps, all waved their sleeves to shield themselves from the wind, their expressions filled with awe.

The exam papers filled the room, flying around without wind, like a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix.

The ink on the table transformed into a dragon, circling the beam three times before finally "splashing" back onto the inkstone.

"Thump!"

Two strikes, knock on the gate!
"Thump!"

Three shots, and we're out of the county!
The sound of the Confucian Temple bell echoed throughout the entire Jiangyin County, stretching for hundreds of miles!

The city walls in all directions, the bustling streets and alleys, the dense forests of Wuling Mountain, and the ravines and rivers of all sizes.

In the vast lakes and swamps, deep within the caves at the bottom of the thousand-foot-deep icy pools, the ever-present, resounding sound of the Wen Dao Bell echoes in the ears of all beings, regardless of whether they are human, demon, spirit, or monster.

"Three sounds leave the county, that's a poem about leaving the county!"

Shen Yanqing pointed in the direction of Examination Room No. 7 of Class A and exclaimed in surprise.

In an instant, the entire county academy was in an uproar, with officials in blue robes and yamen runners in black boots jumping up in surprise.

The Confucian Temple in Jiangyin County only records poems written when leaving the county, and it rings out three times in a row.

The poem about "hearing in the village and knocking on the town" does not actually involve the bell of the county Confucian temple ringing; it only disturbs the small temples in the village and town.

County Magistrate Li Mo's expression suddenly changed drastically.

He stood on the blue steps, his expression horrified, his eyes wide with disbelief as he stared at Examination Hall No. 7 in the academy.

A burst of dazzling light shot into the sky, like a white dawn, and the light quickly spread, directly covering a large area of ​​the surrounding examination rooms numbered A, B, and C.

The unusual glowing phenomenon that also appeared in the No. 1, No. 3 and No. 6 examination rooms was like fireflies vying for brilliance with the bright moon, weak and easily swallowed up.

"Leave the county?"
This~!

How could this happen?!

County Magistrate Li Mo was speechless, his face turned deathly pale, his mind went blank, and he staggered back several steps, the silver fish pouch at his waist swaying unsteadily.

The Li family of Jiangyin had been planning this preliminary examination for several years, but it all came to naught at the last minute before the county examination.

(End of this chapter)