The daily life of a peasant girl taking the imperial examination

Liu, the scholar, stood up and walked to the window of the main hall. He saw a group of ducks playing in the pond, and a sudden inspiration struck him. Addressing all the students present, he said:

"Seven ducks float on the pond, count them, three pairs and one duck."

The moment the first line of the couplet was uttered, the entire room fell silent.

Those students who initially thought the poetry gathering was too easy were instantly proven wrong.

Meanwhile, the tray filled with wine was still slowly flowing downstream in time with the drumbeats. Every time it passed a student, that student prayed in their heart that the tray would float away quickly. It wasn't that they didn't want to punish themselves with three cups of wine, nor that they couldn't find outside help. After all, it was the group stage. Even if they didn't get along well normally, when it came to the collective honor, they would still do their best to help solve this problem.

But since they are all family members, they know each other's true abilities perfectly well. So, rather than accepting punishment and losing face, they would rather preserve their dignity and leave themselves some room for maneuver. Some even maliciously think: it would be more satisfying to see others make fools of themselves than to be laughed at.

Many people share this thought, especially Zhang Hao, whose feelings are even stronger.

However, things didn't go as planned. After the drumming stopped, the wine glasses on the tray stopped right in front of him.

Zhang Hao let out a howl, and then reluctantly stood up.

He glanced at Zhuge Yunshu and Zhuge Yunchu, then at Wang Yi, and finally even fixed his gaze on Qin Shuangyu. All those Zhang Hao looked at shook their heads, indicating that they were also powerless to help.

Finally, it was Zhuge Yunshu who felt uncomfortable under Zhang Hao's pitiful gaze, and that's when he stood up in Zhang Hao's place.

She had thought of one before, but she always felt it was lacking something, which is why she didn't step forward immediately.

Just as Zhuge Yunshu was about to utter the second line of the couplet, which she didn't think much of, she glanced at the pond outside the window. At that moment, a fish leaped out of the water. Zhuge Yunshu's eyes lit up, and she quickly picked up her brush, following her inspiration, and wrote on the paper in one go:

"A fish leaps from the water, measuring nine and ten inches."

Upon hearing this second line, the entire hall fell silent for a moment, then erupted in applause and cheers. Even Liu, the scholar seated at the head of the table, stood up excitedly and praised:

"At such a young age, he truly deserves to be the top scholar in Linxi County. Look at this second line; it's so clever and fitting!"

Liu, the scholar, felt that the second line of this couplet was definitely the best performance of the entire event so far.

Stimulated by this scene, all the candidates present seemed to be aroused with a competitive spirit, and they all gave their best to meet Liu Juren's next couplet.

Scholar Liu: "A thousand verses are completed in the snap of the fingers."

Wang Yi: "He smiled as he picked up a flower, saying nothing."

Liu, the scholar: "Old fists fight against ancient ways."

The candidate who was selected in the prefectural examination said, "My son is chewing on a new book."

......

Liu, a scholar, said: "The bright moon over Songjiang is always like this."

Qin Shuangyu: "What are the fleeting clouds outside our ears worth discussing?"

......

Liu, the scholar, kept reciting new first lines of the couplet, while the students from various counties racked their brains to come up with second lines. Although some of them were too eager for quick success and their second lines were not very satisfactory, overall, most of the students performed very well.

Gradually, the poetry recital reached its climax as the students present became more engaged.

Liu Juren glanced at the determined young scholars below, raised an eyebrow, and felt that he should continue to increase the difficulty to suppress the arrogance of these geniuses from various counties.

"Lonely and cold, I sit alone by my window, a widow."

Wow, all seven characters have the radical for "roof" (宀).

Although most of the students present managed to write a matching line, none of them were rejected by Liu, the scholar.

In his words: I had a bit of a feeling about it, but it felt like something was missing.

It wasn't until the wine cups stopped at the trembling students of Huai'an County that Zhuge Yunshu noticed a familiar figure. He saw this man being flattered by his fellow students, then standing up proudly and arrogantly.

"A beautiful woman accompanies a lonely man."

The couplet has seven characters, six of which contain the radical for "person". Although it is almost perfect, its artistic conception makes it an excellent second line. Liu, the scholar, also praised it highly.

Zhuge Yunshu was also impressed, and she couldn't help but look at this arrogant student in a new light.

Although he is a bit arrogant, he has the right to be proud, doesn't he?

At this moment, Qian Wenxing came over, perhaps noticing the confusion of Zhuge Yunshu and the others, and kindly explained:

"This man is named Du Rui, fourteen years old, the top scholar in Huai'an County. His father was the thirty-sixth in the second class of the imperial examination in the thirty-fifth year of the Xuande reign, and is currently an assistant minister in the Ministry of Justice, a fifth-rank official... Although his family doesn't seem very powerful, do you know who his maternal grandfather is?"

Zhuge Yunshu, Wang Yi, and Zhang Hao looked at each other, then shook their heads in unison, indicating that they didn't know.

Zhuge Yun Chu, however, frowned and pondered for a moment before speaking:

"If nothing unexpected happens, it should be the Lu family in the capital."

Upon hearing this, Qian Wenxing's eyes lit up instantly: "That's right, it's the Lu family from the capital. Their maternal grandfather served as the emperor's tutor for over a month, and their uncle is even more impressive, currently serving as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, a powerful official of the third rank..."

The more he talked about it, the more envious he became, which was the main reason he wanted to befriend this person.

This is the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, who controls the lifeline of the assessment and promotion of all officials. Qian Wenxing originally thought that he should befriend Du Rui. When Du Rui passed the imperial examination in the future, Du Rui's uncle might have already risen to the position of Minister of Personnel. At that time, he could just do a little maneuver and become a minor official in the capital or be assigned to a relatively wealthy county as a county magistrate.

However, imagination is beautiful, but reality is cruel.

Qian Wenxing couldn't understand it. Wasn't Du Rui always arrogant and fond of being flattered? He was good at that! But what he didn't expect was that when it came to saying flattering words, why did others get it, but when it came to him, Du Rui just ignored him?

It's really frustrating, isn't it?

Zhuge Yunshu had no idea what Qian Wenxing was unhappy about. It was only then that she realized why Du Rui had always looked down on people. She put herself in his shoes and thought that if she had the same family background and was also very talented in her studies, she would probably also think that 'ordinary people like you are not worthy to be associated with him'!

While Zhuge Yunshu chatted with his friends, the poetry gathering continued.

Liu, a scholar who passed the imperial examinations, wrote: "The favored official stays at my humble home, where I live a lonely life by the window."

All nine characters have the radical "宀" (roof), which carries auspicious meanings, making this character more difficult than the previous one.

But even the most difficult tasks were no problem for Zhuge Yunshu.

She simply wrote on the paper:

"Guests reside in the palace, and the wealthy families are tolerant."

It also has nine characters, all with the "roof" radical, and its meaning is even better.

Such a matching couplet inevitably made the students and Liu Juren present cheer once again.

It was only then that Du Rui took a serious look at the young examinee who had taken the same exam and sat in the same row as him. His name seemed to be Zhuge Yunshu...

The two seemed to be competing, or perhaps sulking. In the following poetry gathering, Zhuge Yunshu and Du Rui went back and forth, neither willing to give in. They even forgot the original rules of the poetry gathering, such as stopping the drum and drinking wine, and directly raised their hands to indicate that they wanted to provide the second line of the couplet.

Scholar Liu said, "The silkworm is the insect of the world."

Du Rui: "The swan is a bird that lives by the river."

Scholar Liu: "Chickens and dogs cross the frosty bridge, plum blossoms and bamboo leaves line the way."

Zhuge Yunshu: "Swallows and orioles fly through embroidered curtains, half-wearing jade scissors and golden branches."

.......

Scholar Liu: "Water with insects is turbid, water with fish is fishable; water, water, water, rivers, lakes, and lakes are vast and boundless."

He was exhausted. This was one of the most difficult couplets he had ever prepared. He refused to believe that these two "prodigies" could not be stumped by it.

However, to Liu Juren's surprise, Du Rui was stumped and frowning in thought, but Zhuge Yunshu was like someone who had been injected with chicken blood, reacting with unusually quickness.

Zhuge Yunshu: "The root is below the tree, and the branch is above the tree. Tree, tree, tree, pine, cypress, camphor trees are dense and lush."

Liu, the scholar, refused to believe in such superstitions and continued, "Looking at the river from Wangjiang Tower, looking at the river flowing, looking at the river flowing from Wangjiang Tower, the tower is eternal, the river is eternal."

Liu, the scholar, had originally thought that Zhuge Yunshu would at least ponder for a moment, but to his surprise, Zhuge Yunshu blinked his large, dark eyes and blurted out the second line of the couplet:

"The Moon-Reflecting Well, reflecting the moon's image, the moon's image reflected in the Moon-Reflecting Well, the Moon-Reflecting Well for ten thousand years, the moon's image for ten thousand years."

Although Zhuge Yunshu's voice was somewhat immature, her words were powerful and resonant.

Liu, the scholar, gave the first line of a couplet, "eternity," but you responded with the second line, "ten thousand years." All the students present, including Liu himself, couldn't help but exclaim in their hearts: "Good heavens, this is a prodigy!"

Next, the poetry gathering resumed its original rules. Zhuge Yunshu and Du Rui, especially Zhuge Yunshu, were subtly whispered to by the maid sent by Liu Juren. The gist of the message was: You are already the best in this poetry gathering, so let's give other students from other counties a chance to show their talents!

Zhuge Yunshu didn't care; she was happy to eat, drink, and watch the show.

However, to the surprise of all the students present, they originally thought that even without the participation of Zhuge Yunshu and Du Rui, they could still win the group championship for their county.

However, who could have imagined that the remaining prodigies from Linxi County were equally formidable, especially Zhuge Yun Chu, Wang Yi, and Qin Shuang Yu. They each displayed their unique talents, even teaming up to remind each other in the end, ultimately securing first place in the group stage for Linxi County.

The poetry gathering is nearing its end, and the next step is to announce the top five winners.

After about half a cup of tea's time, Liu, the scholar, stood up and loudly announced:

"After fierce competition, the five best students of this poetry gathering are Zhuge Yunshu from Linxi County, Du Rui from Huai'an County, Zhuge Yunchu from Linxi County, Wang Yi, and Qin Shuangyu. Congratulations to these five students."

As soon as the list was announced, the whole audience erupted in cheers, especially the students from Linxi County. They were particularly excited. In this poetry competition, their county not only won first place in the group stage, but also had four of the five best students in the individual competition. How could they not be excited about such a 'amazing' result?

Zhuge Yunshu, Zhuge Yunchu, Wang Yi, and Qin Shuangyu were equally excited, for these were the Four Treasures of the Study from Rongbaoge!

The four of them carefully accepted the prizes from Liu, the scholar. Liu then gave them some words of encouragement, and only then did the poetry gathering officially end.

Meanwhile, the reputations of Zhuge Yunshu, Du Rui, Zhuge Yunchu, Wang Yi, and Qin Shuangyu spread throughout the literary circles of Jingling Prefecture. In particular, Zhuge Yunshu's couplets at this poetry gathering became a new focus of discussion among these literati.

They even gave Zhuge Yunshu the title of "genius of couplet matching," and Zhuge Yunshu, Zhuge Yunchu, Wang Yi, and Qin Shuangyu were jokingly referred to as the "Four Heroes of Linxi County" by the candidates who participated in this prefectural examination.

In short, this poetry gathering made both the examinees from Linxi County and the usually inconspicuous and backward small county famous in Jingling Prefecture and even further afield.

Note: All couplets in this chapter are quoted from the internet and ancient texts.