My husband, please respect yourself. The princess is here to grab the bride.

Mr. Si is gone.

Bai Shaoqiu and Dongfang Changying saw him off to the outside of the Pear Garden.

Until the figure of Mr. Si disappeared at the end of the ridge, the two turned around and slowly walked into the pear garden.

This was the first time Dongfang Changying was alone with a strange man.

This man is her husband!

But this man doesn’t know that he is his wife!

It's interesting.

It’s also very exciting!

It made the girl's heart pound.

As a married man with some moral bottom line, Bai Shaoqiu was walking with a girl with a stunning beauty. It would be a lie to say that he didn't feel something strange in his heart.

Having never been in love in his previous life, he really has no experience in pleasing women.

A love-brained girl longs for the moonlit night and sweet words.

One of them... is a little dull and not good at speaking——

In fact, Bai Shaoqiu didn’t even think about it that way!

Even if I want to, I have to do it after the engagement is successfully broken off.

The atmosphere was a little awkward.

The reason why Bai Shaoqiu did not refuse Dongfang Changying's invitation was not because of the beauty of the girl named Lanlan, but because it was indeed quieter here.

It’s also more comfortable!

You can also further improve your relationship with Mr. Si.

Besides, he doesn't have to think about how to deal with his brother-in-law Dongfang Meng.

That brother-in-law insisted on taking him to the brothel himself!

This hobby is actually normal, but the prince and princess will never allow it.

You can't take him to study, right?

I'm afraid he really can't concentrate on reading it, it will really piss you off to death!

The Story of the Stone is a big thing right now.

It actually has nothing to do with how much money you make, it has to do with your own reputation!

Winning the Zhuxi Literary Competition would make him famous in Xiling City, but it would probably not make much waves if his name were spread to Kyoto.

Xingguo was not a big country, but it had four regions, thirteen states and seventy-two counties.

The Xiling City is geographically located in Hexi Dao, one of the four Daos, but it is the fief of the King of Zhenxi. The Hexi Dao government has no control over it, but its jurisdiction is not large either.

It is not much larger than the area under the jurisdiction of a county.

If it were not for the fact that it was the fief of the King of Zhenxi and an important town on the western border of Xingguo, I'm afraid very few people would know its name.

A top scholar from such a small place would basically not be noticed by the bigwigs in Kyoto.

After all, no Xiling student has ever made it into the top ten in the Xiangshan Literary Society!

Not to mention winning the top prize.

The important figures in the court mostly focused their attention on the talented people in Jiangnan Road and Kyoto.

They are the rising stars in Xingguo's literary world and the backbone of Xingguo's literary world in the future!

The Xiangshan Literary Festival is in the autumn of next year, which is a bit far away, so if I can make myself famous in Kyoto during this period, that would be the best.

Use the book "A Dream of Red Mansions" to attract the attention of celebrities in the literary world of Kyoto, and then attract the attention of the emperor. Even if the emperor does not summon him to Beijing to meet him, at least his poems and articles can be taken a second look by those great scholars at the Xiangshan Literary Meeting.

This is the function of names.

In this way, the possibility of being subject to unspoken rules can also be reduced.

Even if he cannot win the first prize in the Xiangshan Literary Society, he can at least be among the top and have the opportunity to be summoned by the emperor.

Just as Bai Shaoqiu was thinking about this, Dongfang Changying turned his head to look at him and asked in a low voice:

"Do you know the rules of the Zhuxi Literary Society?"

Bai Shaoqiu was stunned. His previous life had gone to watch the fun, but he didn't know the specific rules.

"This... please tell me about it, young lady."

Dongfang Changying rolled her eyes at him, but in Bai Shaoqiu's eyes, she looked extremely charming, which made him a little excited: "You don't even know the rules, and you dare to say you've won the championship?"

"Hehe, as long as they don't test the Six Arts and just test couplets and poetry, I'm not worried."

"You don't understand the Six Arts?"

The Six Arts refer to rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics!

These are the six required subjects for a serious imperial examination, and Bai Shaoqiu obviously doesn't know how to do them.

Etiquette, my predecessor did not understand it, and I don’t understand the etiquette of this world either.

Music... My previous life didn't understand it either. I went to a brothel just to listen to the fun, and I... understand it even less!

As for shooting, I can probably get an A.

He can drive a horse and pull a cart, but he can't compare with professionals. He can probably only get an A-low or a B-high.

Books, calligraphy is shameful!

Counting... this thing is a bit difficult, and it's pretty good if you can get a B or above.

So after learning this information, Bai Shaoqiu never thought about taking the scientific examination.

What should I take the exam?

There’s no way I’ll pass the exam!

However, the emperor of Xingguo liked to show off his elegance and was particularly fond of poetry and prose, which provided him with another way to enter the officialdom:

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As long as someone is good at poetry and writing, it doesn't matter whether he is happy or not, whether he can shoot or not, or whether he can ride a horse or not.

At least he could enter the Hanlin Academy and become a minor official.

There is a serious organization.

This is liked by many scholars and students.

As a result, the Xingguo Poetry Society became popular.

Among them, the most important is the Xiangshan Literary Festival held every three years!

"don't know!"

Bai Shaoqiu answered decisively, which did not surprise Dongfang Changying.

It’s normal not to understand!

Because he really only studied elementary school in the academy for three years!

If he is also proficient in the six arts, wouldn't he be a monster?

Dongfang Changying walked lazily under the pear blossoms and said lazily:

"When entering Zhuxi, the first test is couplet writing."

"Only those who get the lowest grade can cross Zhuxi."

"Two miles past Zhuxi, you'll find the scholarly gate."

"The second test is at the gate, which is poetry."

"Only those who get the lowest grade can enter the scholarly family."

"Behind the Shuxiang Gate is a ten-mile-long path... Along the way are three pavilions, each containing poems that must be composed for literary gatherings."

"Poems in each pavilion that are rated as A-low can move on to the next pavilion."

"After passing all three pavilions, you will reach the final two miles of plank road."

"I'll tell you the final question for this literary gathering when you enter the plank road..."

"Students are required to do the exercises immediately after completing the two-mile plank road."

"This is the Zhuxi Six Test. The five with the highest overall scores will be selected to enter Lanting."

"A great scholar from Kyoto will pose one final question to determine the winner."

"The scope of the questions may be wider, such as current affairs or the interpretation of scriptures,"

Dongfang Changying walked slowly as he spoke, and unknowingly came to a wooden table in the pear garden.

She sat on a wooden stool, pointed to another wooden stool next to her, and asked with a smile:

"You said poetry and prose are not difficult, so are current affairs and classics difficult?"

Bai Shaoqiu lifted his skirt and sat down, smiling bitterly, "Difficult!"

"Then do you still dare to claim to win the Zhuxi Literary Competition?"

Bai Shaoqiu pondered for three breaths: "Difficulty is relative."

"Are things in the world difficult or easy? If you work hard, even the difficult things will become easy."

"Try your best...I will win!"

Dongfang Changying pursed his lips and lowered his head slightly. After a moment, he raised his head again, reached out to pick a pear blossom, and peeled off the petals one by one.

The snow-white petals fell to the ground.

It also fell on her pair of jade-like feet.

"You...really want to win?"

Bai Shaoqiu looked at the beautiful feet and nodded:

"I have to win."

"Just to ask the Emperor to retract that imperial decree?"

"Ah."

Dongfang Changying was silent again until the last petal in her hand fell. She suddenly turned her head and looked at Bai Shaoqiu with a sweet smile:

"Then I wish you victory!"

"Let's go, it's almost noon. I'll go cook dinner and you go write The Story of the Stone."

"it is good!"

The two walked towards the cottage.

Dongfang Changying was in front and Bai Shaoqiu was behind.

Then, what he saw before his eyes was the graceful figure swaying lazily.

very nice!

Like a weak willow swaying in the wind.

The pair of smooth feet stepped on the pear blossom field, as if lotus flowers were blooming with every step!