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

Mr. Fang did not judge this poem.

But everyone heard him recite the poem.

Everyone has their own opinions, but Mr. Fang’s feelings are probably the most profound.

The words in the lyrics are quite profound, implying an attempt to ignore worldly affairs while drunk, not caring about fame and fortune, and wanting to escape from the world and avoid disaster.

If you taste it carefully, you will also find Bai Shaoqiu's disappointment and melancholy about the troubled life.

Therefore, in the second stanza of the poem, the writing style changes, combining the endless green grass, the high clouds and the vast universe, in order to seek inner peace.

Ending with "Jiangnan is beautiful, with thousands of fine wines and a song of Mantingfang"...

He has broken free from the shackles of worldly fame and achieved spiritual transcendence and liberation!

Looking at the whole poem, we can see his understanding of the contradictions and pains of life, as well as his confusion and bewilderment about the future.

There are heavy laments about unfulfilled ambitions,

Some people also feel that the competition in the world of fame and fortune is like a dream!

It all came down to the word 'see through'.

Mr. Fang, a great scholar, is already in his sixties.

He has all these experiences!

But Bai Shaoqiu was not yet eighteen... This reminded him of the poem "Pear Blossoms on the Eastern Lantern".

These two poems have something in common, which is the word "see through".

Being able to see through fame and fortune at such an old age, Bai Shaoqiu's past ten years were clearly a decade full of stories.

Everyone looked at Bai Shaoqiu.

Because of curiosity!

Because no one can be like him, who has great abilities but hides them so deeply, allowing others to regard them as waste.

Zhang Wenqian, the old dean of Shangling Academy, was even more moved.

Master Chen, who enlightened Bai Shaoqiu...you died unjustly!

Song Zigui, it’s really not unfair that you lost!

What could Bai Shaoqiu say?

He smiled embarrassedly:

"Don't mention the past anymore!"

"Life has been full of storms."

"Now that I'm here, all I want is to let go of the past and continue tomorrow."

When these words came out, everyone's eyes widened.

In just a few words, not a single word expressed the sadness of those ten years, yet every word had the flavor of those ten years of sadness!

What a profound understanding this is!

What a wonderful transformation this is!

He buried all the pain deep in his heart, and what he showed was his vision of continuing well tomorrow.

So what is his vision?

Bai Shaoqiu said again:

"Of course, after experiencing the ups and downs of human nature over the past ten years, it would be a lie to say that I have great ideals, because ideals are..."

After a pause, Bai Shaoqiu sighed slightly, looking quite old-fashioned:

"Ideals have a positive side, but I just want to be a nobody."

"As for participating in this Zhuxi Literary Gathering, I actually had no choice."

He looked at the Prince of Zhenxi and his wife, "I know the prince's difficulties and the princess's displeasure. Although I have never met the princess, I can guess her despair and sadness..."

"After much thought, I came."

"The palace cannot ask the emperor for help in granting marriage. I can only do it myself and hope to have some hope."

“So I was forced to be famous.”

In front of everyone's eyes, Bai Shaoqiu shook his head, smiled bitterly, and said:

“It’s actually not good to be famous.”

"But now faced with this situation, I have no choice but to stop hiding it."

"That's right, in these ten years... I've spent my life living a life of debauchery and squandering while also reading thousands of books!"

“I wanted to keep a low profile, but it’s hard to keep a low profile.”

"Now I just hope I can win first place and then... win again at the Xiangshan Literary Conference next autumn!"

"After that, I hope to successfully meet the Emperor and ask him to revoke the imperial decree granting the marriage. This way, I can return to Xiling City with peace of mind."

The elder scholar Si smiled meaningfully and asked, "What are you planning to do when you return to Xiling City?"

Bai Shaoqiu remembered the manuscript of "A Dream of Red Mansions" he brought with him, but the prince and princess were here, so he turned his head to look at his brother-in-law standing outside the pavilion and did not mention the matter of opening a bookstore.

"I don't have any other skills, except for my poetry and writing. At worst, I can sell my poetry, or maybe..."

"Being a teacher in a college?"

"I'm probably still good enough at teaching."

The old scholar Fang grinned and said, "It would be easy for you to teach with your talent. How about...stay in Kyoto?"

"Although I'm just a teacher at Jinghua Academy, my words are still effective. How about that?"

“This…is not good.”

"Why not?"

"I heard that Kyoto is quite uneasy. Although this unrest has nothing to do with a small person like me, if you just watch the excitement, you can get into trouble if you're not careful. Xiling City is still better!"

"With the prince guarding this area, if troubled times truly arise... this place might become a pure land."

“I think it’s great here!”

Bai Shaoqiu's words immediately made the old scholar Fang look at him with new eyes!

A gentleman does not stand on a dangerous wall!

But, does he know that the wall is in danger?

It is not appropriate to discuss this issue here. Mr. Fang did not ask, but smiled and said:

"This place is quite nice, but judging from the poem 'Mantingfang, Qiusi' you wrote... Brother, let's have a chat tonight by candlelight. Now let's finish the last test of the literary gathering first."

"Brother Fang, I'm not free tonight!"

"…What are you going to do?"

"I already have an appointment. A gentleman honors his word. We can only make another appointment."

"……tomorrow?"

"this,"

Bai Shaoqiu hesitated for a moment, and then Old Fang clapped his hands and said, "It's settled. Tomorrow, my brother and Old Man Si will come to see you together!"

"Hmm... this poem 'Man Ting Fang, Snail Horn Empty Name' is A-level!"

Bai Shaoqiu ranked first in the sixth test!

"Master, let's take a look at the poems of these three students..."

After a while, Qi Shaotong was in the middle, Zhuo Yixing was in the upper position, and Qiu Shanyue was in the lower position.

As for the students who have not arrived here yet... including Song Zigui, he was unable to get six A grades.

Therefore, at this point, the title of the literary champion of this literary competition is very likely to fall on Bai Shaoqiu.

Unless his score in the Lanting exam is below B.

Obviously, in everyone's opinion, no matter what the question was in this final test, he would not get more than a B.

Mr. Fang looked up at Qi Shaotong and the other two and said, "You are all very good."

"This is the last question... I hope you will listen carefully and answer it."

"Next year at the Qiuxiangshan Literary Festival, I am qualified to recommend two people, and Old Man Si is also qualified to recommend two people..."

"The Xiangshang Literary Society brings together the most talented students in Xingguo. Although the content of the examinations is roughly similar to that of the Zhuxi Literary Society, there are occasional differences."

"For example, in previous Xiangshan literary gatherings, students were asked to write essays on current affairs, interpretations of classics, and even poems and parallel prose."

"I remember there was a class that required students to compose music for a certain poem."

"So, for today's final question... I will not write any more poetry."

Zhuo Yixing and Qi Shaotong suddenly became nervous.

Chang Huan told them that this last question was about current affairs!

There's little hope of winning the first prize in this literary gathering, but here are two great scholars holding four spots...

If this current affairs commentary is well done, it will surely please the two great scholars.

Qi Shaotong was also glad to tell Bai Shaoqiu about this——

This move undoubtedly brought the two closer together.

These two old scholars became close friends with Bai Shaoqiu regardless of age difference, so the significance of gaining Bai Shaoqiu's friendship was even greater.

Bai Shaoqiu also thought that he was going to write a commentary on Akinohara's choices, but he hadn't figured out how to write it yet.

But they never expected...