Sui and Tang Dynasties: Awakening the Supreme Skills at the Beginning

The group of scholars beside Lin Feng no longer had the high spirits they had at the beginning. They all hung their heads and stood there like frost-bitten eggplants.

In the pavilions of other counties, scholars recited Li Zhen's masterpieces one after another, and their envy was beyond words.

"I never thought that Li Zhen is so talented. The ten poems he wrote are all amazing and brilliant. From now on, I will definitely treat Li Zhen as my teacher."

"Count me in! We will definitely bow down to Master Li Zhen's talent! If I can get Master Li Zhen's guidance, even if it means I have to serve him tea and water, I will be willing to do so!"

"Such a talent as this should be a role model for our generation!"

"It is! It is!"

……

At this time, there was a joyful and peaceful atmosphere in the pavilions where Chang'an County was located.

The scholars of Chang'an surrounded Li Zhen and praised him non-stop.

"This poem is so beautiful and natural that it is so touching. It is so ingenious and natural. The thought is so boundless that it seems like it was inspired by God."

"In the past there was a madman, he was called the banished immortal. His writing shocked the wind and rain, his poems made ghosts and gods weep. His reputation has been great since then, and he has been lifted up in one day. His literary talent is so good that it will surely spread. Once this poem was published, no one in later generations could surpass his literary talent."

"Brother Li is a great talent. I am grateful for your guidance."

"The talent in the world is one stone, but Brother Li has eight buckets!"

Li Zhen stood up and bowed to everyone, "Thank you for your praise, I am not very knowledgeable and I really don't deserve your praise..."

"Brother Li, what you said is wrong. If Brother Li is not worthy of the title of a talented scholar, then aren't we just as vulgar as commoners?"

Wang Fang bowed to Li Zhen and talked freely.

"That's right! That's right! Mr. Li, please stop being so modest. If you continue to be modest, we will have no chance of survival!"

"Yunqi is extremely talented and well-read, so he deserves the title of a talented man!"

County Magistrate Li Shutong made the final decision.

Li Zhen was not a person who liked fame, so he couldn't help but smile bitterly and bowed to Li Shutong.

"Yunqi would like to thank Lord Li!"

"Brother Yunqi, I don't know if you are going to get married or not. I have a little sister in my family. She is so beautiful that she can make the moon ashamed and the flowers ashamed. If you don't mind, how about I become your concubine?"

Shameless! Everyone cursed in their hearts, but they all rushed forward to promote their sisters to Li Zhen.

"Brother Yunqi, my sister is naturally beautiful, as pretty as a flower. If you want to take a concubine, my sister must be the one!"

The person next to him was anxious, "Brother Yunqi, my sister is more beautiful. Not only is she beautiful, but she is also an expert in poetry and songs. She is a perfect match for Brother Yunqi!"

"If you ask me, your sisters are all vulgar. If we talk about the beauty of women, it must be that young lady. If Yunqi wants to marry, it must be from a wealthy family. He will not marry a young lady from a prince!"

As he spoke, the man pointed at Li Yingxue next to him.

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.

Everyone can see that Li Yingxue is not only petite and cute, but also the beloved daughter of Duke Weiguo Li Jing. In terms of status, no other sister can compare to her.

When Li Yingxue saw that everyone was looking at her, her face suddenly turned red.

She said, "Don't talk nonsense. Who wants to marry that stingy guy?"

After all these things, Li Yingxue recognized Li Zhen's talent very much, but she refused to admit it because of face.

At this time, a sound of footsteps was heard. Everyone looked up and saw that it was Zhang Mingjiong, the Minister of Personnel, who walked in with a group of great scholars.

Everyone stood up and saluted Zhang Mingjiong and others.

Li Shutong stepped forward and bowed, "Master Zhang, we are honored to have you here! Master Zhang, please take a seat! Someone, bring the tea!"

Zhang Mingjiong waved his hand.

"No hurry, no hurry. We are here today for the future of our student Li Zhen."

Amidst everyone's astonished gazes, Zhang Mingjiong immediately introduced Sun Fujia and others beside him to everyone.

When everyone heard that those seemingly unremarkable men were actually famous top scholars and great men of learning in the Tang Dynasty, they were stunned and felt honored at the same time.

Being able to get to know Sun Fujia, the first number one scholar in the Tang Dynasty, Li Chunfeng, a military official, and Wen Yi, the chief academician of the Imperial College, is really something worth bragging about. Even if I drink and brag about it in the future, I will have the capital!

"For Xiaoke's future?" Li Zhen was stunned and bowed to Zhang Mingjiong.

"Thank you very much for your concern, sir. I wonder what position you would recommend for me?"

Since this matter concerns his own future, Li Zhen did not dare to be careless and asked respectfully.

Before Zhang Mingjiong could answer, Wen Yi on the side spoke up unwillingly.

"My dear friend Li Zhen, are you willing to work in our country's imperial academy?"

"Imperial Imperial College?"

The onlookers were shocked. That was the highest institution of learning in the Tang Dynasty. Only the descendants of high-ranking officials could get admission there. It was a place that ordinary people would never be able to reach in their lifetime. Now the chief academic officer of the Imperial College actually invited Li Zhen to join the college as a doctor. It was really enviable!

"Mr. Li, please agree to it quickly!"

"Mr. Li, if you don't mind, how about letting us be your students?"

"Master Li, I, Wang Fang, would like to become your disciple. I hope you won't refuse!"

"That's right, that's right, count me in, we are all your students!"

……

Before Li Zhen could answer, Sun Fujia next to him jumped up and cursed angrily.

"You shameless old thief, how dare you rob my Ministry of Rites? Are you looking for a fight?"

"Humph! Who said that you must let Li Zhen go to your Ministry of Rites? Li Zhen is so talented, you can't just use a ninth-rank official as an excuse. In my opinion, that's a waste of talent!"

"Ninth rank official?"

The others were suddenly shocked.

"A ninth-rank official is also an official!"

"That is a height that others may never reach in their lifetime. With just one sentence from Zhang Mingjiong, Li Zhen was promoted directly from a commoner to an official of the Tang Dynasty. This honor is really amazing!"

Everyone looked at Li Zhen with fanatical eyes, and they all thought in their hearts, how great it would be if I had Li Zhen's talent, maybe I would be the one to bring honor to the family!

"Mr. Li, no, Lord Li, please agree to it! Being able to become an official directly without taking the imperial examination is a blessing that others cannot even ask for in their lifetime!"

Wang Fang on the side said anxiously.

"Yes, yes! Lord Li, the opportunity is rare and will never come again!"

The onlookers all advised.

"The public has a sharp eye. What do you think, old thief Wen Yi? Your Imperial College is not powerful enough!"

Sun Fujia, who was standing next to him, looked disdainful at Wen Yi with a smug look on his face.

Seeing that the two old friends were about to fight over Li Zhen's affiliation, Zhang Mingjiong, who was standing nearby, hurried over to mediate.

"Don't be angry, we don't know what Li Zhen thinks yet!"

"My dear friend Li Zhen, do you want to go to the Imperial Academy to serve as a doctor, or do you want to go to the Ministry of Rites to serve as a councillor?"

"My dear friend Li Zhen, please come to our Imperial Academy! Although the doctors of our Imperial Academy have no rank, they are respected and are a holy place in the hearts of scholars all over the world. If you come, we will make sure that you will have many students all over the world!"

Wen Yi on the side tried hard to invite Li Zhendao.

"My dear friend Li Zhen, why don't you come to my Ministry of Rites and serve as a counselor? The ninth rank is a bit low, but you can still be promoted in the future. With your talent, it is not impossible for you to become a general or a prime minister in the future."

Sun Fujia was not willing to be outdone.

Li Zhen was in a dilemma when he saw this.

If I go to the Imperial College, I will definitely offend Sun Fujia.

But if I go to the Ministry of Rites to serve as a councilor, the chief academician of the Imperial College will definitely hate me for the rest of my life.

Just when Li Zhen was in a dilemma, a voice was heard and everyone was shocked. What was going on?

"The imperial edict has arrived, student Li Zhen is here to receive it!"