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

Chapter 77 The 6th Test

After passing the third pavilion is the last two miles of plank road leading to Lanting.

Bai Shaoqiu took his silly brother-in-law past the pavilion, turned a corner, and saw a board inserted next to the plank road.

He leaned over to take a look:

"It was late spring in Xiling, but early summer in the capital, Chang'an."

"Xiling has endless yellow sand, while Chang'an is full of prosperity."

"Students all over the world who study the books of sages dream of entering Chang'an, seeing its prosperity, and writing down their aspirations to serve their country!"

"Once you leave the quiet place of the academy, you will enter the complicated world."

"Some go with the flow, some become corrupt, some stick to their original aspirations and forge ahead, while others plunge into the endless abyss for fame and gain."

"I invite students to walk the Erli Plank Road and write a poem that comes from the heart, so that they can reflect on themselves in the years to come!"

This question is quite interesting.

There is no doubt that any student who can get here must be an extremely talented student!

Even if such students cannot participate in the triennial Xiangshan Literary Society in Kyoto, they can probably get a good ranking in the imperial examinations.

They are very likely to go to Kyoto to serve as officials again!

These last two miles symbolize the end of their academy life. After walking these two miles, it means that they have officially embarked on the journey of pursuing their ideals.

That road is no longer as quiet and peaceful as Zhuxi Road.

That road is full of thorns, bumps, temptations, and... sins!

What will become of those students in the end?

Nobody knows.

But this last poem with my own title expressing my original intention will remain here.

When one day, years or even decades later, you look back at the poem you wrote yourself, most people will probably feel guilty.

This poem is the mirror.

They will eventually see themselves in this mirror becoming the person they hate.

In the end, it will go against the simple, high-spirited, and solemn original intention of standing here to serve the country and the people!

The person who came up with this question must have put a lot of effort into it!

But this is not a problem for Bai Shaoqiu.

He has no intention of entering the officialdom at all!

His ideal was still to earn a few taels of silver.

Well... it would be better to earn more money. After all, I have come to such a seemingly false world, and I want to walk around and take a look.

With the lazy girl.

Leave your footprints on this land.

This is Bai Shaoqiu’s current beautiful wish.

So, what kind of poem should I write to express my lack of desire and need?

He walked with his silly brother-in-law.

After all, it was two miles, which was enough for him to search for a good poem from his memory.

After walking about half a mile, he suddenly stopped and looked up. Standing in front of him was a young man in a Confucian robe.

Already known.

His name is Qi Shaotong!

I didn't see Zhuo and his group and the other student, so I guess they were almost at the end of the road.

Qi Shaotong stood by the road, staring at the gurgling stream flowing by, seemingly lost in thought, so much so that he didn't notice Bai Shaoqiu coming to his side.

"Brother Qi,"

Qi Shaotong was startled, turned his head, and a forced smile appeared on his face:

"Brother Bai is here!"

"Well, why don't you leave?"

"I didn't think about it."

What he meant by "not having thought about it" probably was that he hadn't thought about what kind of poem he wanted to leave behind to express his current mood.

"What's there to think about? After more than ten years of hard study, with Brother Qi's ability, of course he would sell this skill to the imperial family."

Qi Shaotong was stunned and understood what Bai Shaoqiu meant.

He smiled bitterly and shook his head:

"Even just now I thought so, but when I walked half a mile and saw the stream flowing, the birds flying in the woods, and the wild flowers blooming everywhere, I suddenly realized that I don't seem to like being an official."

He looked toward the stream again.

"I think I prefer the unfettered freedom like this!"

"Just now I was asking myself what the purpose of being an official is."

"Some people think it's for power, wealth, and status, but only a faint voice says it's for the people and the country..."

"Mr. Bai has never had any dealings with me before, and he doesn't know me well now."

"My Qi family has a great ancestor who once had a high-ranking official, who even served as the governor of Jiangnan Province."

"A lot of things happened later. My ancestors were dismissed from their posts, and the whole family was exiled here... From a glorious prefect to a criminal..."

“I seem to be walking the same path my ancestors walked.”

"Father certainly hopes that I will continue on this path, so he is extremely strict with me. I understand that he hopes that I can restore the former glory of the Qi family."

"But... although I have never personally experienced the officialdom, I heard about it from my grandfather when I was young."

"I still remember what my grandfather said. He said, 'There are hundreds of paths in life, but the path of officialdom is the most difficult!'"

"There's a tiger in front and a wolf behind, an abyss on the left and a cliff on the right."

"Anyway... I'm afraid now, because I still want to be a good official."

"But to be a good official...that's even harder!"

"If you really leave behind a poem full of vigor and vitality,"

Qi Shaotong smiled bitterly and shook his head again. He bent down, picked up a stone and threw it into the stream with force.

"If I manage to return alive in a few years... and return home in glory, it would mean I've done well in my official career, which would have certainly violated my original intention."

“When I see today’s poems, I feel guilty.”

"If I return destitute, it means I have failed. I will feel guilty when I see today's poems."

"If I want to be able to confidently say, years from now, when I look at the poems I write today, that my original aspirations remain unchanged and that I am still the same young man I once was... I'm thinking I should give up my career as an official, but then I feel like I've let down the ten years of hard study I put in."

"So...I'm hesitant."

"My heart is restless. Even if I finish the rest of this journey, I probably won't be able to write a poem that I'm satisfied with."

Bai Shaoqiu understood.

The young man thought too much and became afraid, so he became indecisive.

He smiled slightly and patted Qi Shaotong on the shoulder:

"Being an official has its own rules."

"I don't know about the current officialdom, but there are definitely dark sides in the officialdom of any era."

"If the environment in officialdom isn't too good, then why not stay in the dark, waiting for light, or pursuing it?"

"No matter how dark the officialdom is, there are always honest officials... Of course, if you choose to be an honest official, you must be able to endure loneliness and withstand bullying and oppression."

"It's nothing, actually. Look at me, haven't I been enduring it for over ten years?"

"Why listen to rumors?"

"Go your own way and let them talk!"

"Pursue your ideals, even if it means losing your life, so what?"

Qi Shaotong's body suddenly shook. He looked at Bai Shaoqiu in surprise, and saw Bai Shaoqiu's still calm face!

He bowed and said:

"Thank you, Brother Bai, for clearing up my confusion!"

“I know how to go on my own way!”

Bai Shaoqiu raised his hands, "Hey, hey, hey, I'm just talking nonsense... If it's too dark, don't really light yourself up!"

"You will be swallowed by darkness!"

“It will be torn to pieces!”

"They'll be splashed with manure!"