The daily life of a peasant girl taking the imperial examination

Chapter 300 Heartache

Because it was meant to be a foil, Zhou Wenchang had to carefully control the scale of his poems.

It can't be too good, lest it overshadow Sixth Brother Chen Jiaxing; nor can it be too bad, lest the Xiaoshan County School be ridiculed by others.

After much deliberation, Zhou Wenchang pulled a five-character quatrain about summer from his mind—

The poem "Summer Breeze" was recited aloud.

The first line, from a visual perspective, captures the dynamic movement of the wind gently brushing past the treetops, hinting at the quiet arrival of summer. Following the previous line, it depicts the beautiful scene of the wind passing through the bamboo forest and the bamboo shadows swaying gracefully in front of the steps, creating a lively scroll brought by the summer breeze.

The last two lines then focus on the senses of smell and touch, capturing the lingering fragrance of lotus blossoms in summer...

Although this poem is not particularly outstanding, its perspective is novel, making it a work of above-average quality.

Next, students such as Ji Mingyuan and Sun Wenxiu from Xiaoshan County School also composed a summer quatrain that closely adhered to the theme and was flawless.

The county school in Linxi County was not to be outdone.

Students, represented by Wang Tang and He Wu, also brought out their best works.

At this moment, Chen Jiaxing looked at Zhuge Yunshu, Wang Yi, and Zhang Hao, who had not made any move.

I couldn't help but feel a little anxious.

"Why isn't it here yet...?"

His voice was very soft, and only Zhou Wenchang, who was closest to him, could hear it.

Be patient.

He patted Chen Jiaxing on the shoulder to comfort him.

Then, as if remembering something, he whispered:

It is said that none of these three were skilled in poetry.

Chen Jiaxing breathed a sigh of relief after hearing his second senior brother's words.

That's true. There's no such thing as a perfect person in the world, and similarly, there's no such thing as a scholar who is proficient in everything.

Thinking this way, Chen Jiaxing's confidence in poetry returned.

In contrast, look at Zhuge Yunshu here.

The three of them were whispering to each other.

Zhuge Yunshu: "Senior Brother Zhang, it's your turn to make a move."

Wang Yi nodded in agreement.

On the contrary, Zhang Hao suddenly lost his temper:

"I don't want it?"

He regretted it as soon as those three words left his mouth.

So he softened his tone and continued:

"You all know my senior brother's poetry skills; he wouldn't have any extra drafts left, let alone anything about summer..."

Upon hearing this, Wang Yi raised an eyebrow:

"Oh, that poem 'Thoughts on a Summer Night,' which the Master called a masterpiece..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Hao's narrow eyes widened in surprise:

"You, how did you know?"

He had clearly agreed with Master Wang to keep it a secret, so why...?

In that instant, Zhang Hao considered many possibilities.

However, the most likely scenario is that Master Wang betrayed his male disciple, who was the only one in his lineage.

Thinking about this, he felt as miserable as the "little cabbage" in the play.

Oh, oh, oh......

Watching Zhang Hao go from being confused and bewildered at the beginning, to suddenly realizing it, then looking dejected and betrayed, and finally becoming listless again.

Zhuge Yunshu: "..."

Wang Yi: "......"

Just how many dramatic scenarios have they imagined?

Finally, Zhuge Yunshu couldn't stand it anymore and explained:

"You were talking too loudly in your sleep during your afternoon nap..."

I think about it every day and dream about it at night.

Perhaps because Master Wang had long criticized his poems for being too crafty, he practiced diligently day and night, and finally, inspired by his own experience, produced a poem that was quite inspired.

Originally, the plan was to use it in the most practical field, the imperial examination, which is why they asked Master Wang to help keep the secret.

Who could have known that, in his excitement, he would betray himself in his sleep?

Zhang Hao felt that no one could be as miserable as him.

Thinking this, he looked pitifully at Zhuge Yunshu and Wang Yi and said:

"Anyway, this is the only poem I can show off, so please have pity on me..."

Furthermore, I have a feeling that the next provincial examination will definitely have a poem question related to the seasons, so I need to come up with a few more good poems about spring, autumn, and winter..."

After saying that, he looked at the two of them with a fawning expression.

Zhuge Yunshu: "..."

Wang Yi: "..."

What can be done? Who told my senior brother to be so good at acting cute and pitiful?

So, the two of them decided to each contribute one song.

It should be noted that the treasured items that were kept as the most valuable possessions were all works of the highest quality and recognized by the Master.

To be honest, they were reluctant to use it on such occasions.

In particular, it was a competition with the county school of Xiaoshan.

It's not that I look down on them, it's just that I feel their talents are being wasted.

Moreover, the outcome of this competition between the two counties is already decided...

The more they thought about it, the more heartbroken they became.

However, before Zhuge Yunshu and Wang Yi could even speak, Chen Jiaxing couldn't hold back any longer.