Female Supremacy and Rise to Power: Lin Shu's Imperial Examination Adventures

Question 2

Subject: Poems with a Head-Twisting Effect

Requirements: The two words in this inverted couplet must be antonyms, and the first two lines and the last two lines must rhyme.

The question caused an uproar among those present.

The most famous riddle in the past thousand years is the one written by Wen Daren of Jize Academy thirty years ago when he was drunk: "Leisure seems busy, butterflies flutter over the pink wall in pairs. Busy seems leisure, egrets stand on the small beach when they are hungry."

It can be said that this type of poetry was pioneered by Wen Daren, so it seems that this question was set by Wen Daren.

However difficult it was, no one had much time to think, and everyone buried themselves in deep thought. Lin Shu thought it wasn't difficult, and picked up her pen:

Awake as if in a dream, my soul wanders, memories fade; dream as if awake, my deepest feelings drift away with the wind.

……

After finishing writing, Lin Shu felt someone staring at her from the opposite side. Looking up, she saw Qiao Mu, whom she had met at the entrance of Tianxiang Tower. Lin Shu was a little confused. If she remembered correctly, this was the first time the two of them had met today.

As the sandalwood incense burned out, the servant collected all the poems submitted and placed them in front of the three judges. The judges all focused on reading the poems of the three judges who had just submitted the poems.

The more Lord Wen looked, the deeper his brows furrowed. Finally, after noticing whose face he was looking at, he nodded and said:

"Difficult as it seems, skillful techniques are displayed at the top of a hundred-foot pole; easy as it seems difficult, tears fall as we part ways at the end of a skillful act. This tree is quite clever; though it has some tricks up its sleeve, it can still be considered above average. What do you two gentlemen think? Do you have any other masterpieces?"

Xu Tongzhi stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Among the ten I have reviewed, there is one by a man named Gu Qing, whose work is truly a masterpiece."

After saying that, he continued, "Coming seems like going, the tide surges and waves flow westward; going seems like coming, leaping on horseback and shooting arrows back."

"Excellent! It is indeed top-quality. Are there any others?" Lord Wen seemed quite satisfied, then turned to look at Prefect Qiu.

Prefect Qiu, sitting below, was ashen-faced and remained silent. She had dug Qiao Mu up from Shangyang, but she hadn't expected her to be so useless. However, seeing Xu Jingyun's all-knowing expression, she could only helplessly rise and say, "Your Excellency, I have two people here who have submitted their proposals."

"Oh? Bring it here for this old woman to see." Lord Wen was surprised that so many people could compose this riddle.

Prefect Qiu handed the poem to a servant boy, who then passed it on to Lord Wen. Lord Wen took it and, upon reading it, couldn't help but show his appreciation.

"Excellent! 'The wind is like rain, the lingering clouds roll away the moon and the rain falls; the rain is like wind, blowing down the blooming flowers and scattering them red all over the ground.' This line is quite evocative and truly a fine one. Chen Jin? This woman is quite remarkable."

However, after reading the next poem, a bright light instantly shone in Wen Daren's eyes:

"Wonderful! Wonderful! 'Awake as if in a dream, the soul wanders and memories fade; dream as if awake, a heart full of deep feelings drifts away with the wind.' What a fine poem! What a fine poem! Lin Shu? No wonder she passed the imperial examinations three times in a row!"

After calming down, he exclaimed, "This poem not only addresses the theme but also reveals a touch of Zen. Is life like a dream, or is a dream like life? In the end, it's all just emptiness! Hahaha! This poem is the best of the whole event!"

Hearing Master Wen's praise, everyone present knew perfectly well that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Lin Shu would be the champion of this poetry competition. After all, while there were three judges on the surface, the one who truly made the decision was the person in the main seat.

Prefect Qiu was unwilling to give up. He turned his head and gave a wink to the maid at the door. The maid nodded slightly and went downstairs. She quickly headed towards the archway downstairs. However, when she passed Qiao Mu, she accidentally stumbled. But she quickly regained her balance. Apart from Lin Shu, who was directly opposite her, and Xu Jingyun, who was paying attention to Lin Shu, no one noticed that the paper in the maid's sleeve fell out and was picked up by Qiao Mu.

As if sensing her gaze, Qiao Mu turned to meet her eyes, her gaze filled with threat and determination.

The second floor.

Wen Daren stood up, walked to the railing with great interest, and loudly addressed the students below: "This third question will be posed by an old woman on the spot."

Upon hearing this, everyone downstairs was eager to try. It didn't matter if they didn't perform well in the first two rounds, there was still a chance in the third round!

Looking at the students downstairs, a hint of satisfaction appeared in Wen Daren's eyes as he continued:

"The old woman recently discussed Buddhism with the abbess of Huguo Temple, mentioning the words 'destruction' and 'establishment,' but she still couldn't grasp their meaning. Today is the perfect opportunity, so let's take these two words as the topic, in any format. The time limit is still one incense stick's time, let's begin now!"

After he finished speaking, the students who had been eager to try all looked worried and started discussing among themselves:

"What? What kind of question is this? It's always been a fixed format, why is it like this today...?"

"Yes, even Master Wen hasn't figured it out, how could we possibly write it down?"

"This year's poetry competition is really tough! I wonder who will win in the end!"

"..."

At this moment, Qiao Mu was also in a panic. The poem that the master had just given her was completely different from the third question. Wasn't the third question supposed to be about the upcoming academy examination? How could it be something like "destruction" and "establishment"? Thinking of this, she didn't bother to hide her feelings and looked up at the group of people who came out with Master Wen on the second floor.

Meanwhile, Prefect Qiu, who was standing on the second-floor railing, was even more anxious. He looked at the students below and then respectfully said to Lord Wen, "Lord Wen, isn't this a bit inappropriate? The third question has already been prepared, and changing it at the last minute might...?"

Before she could finish speaking, Lord Wen interrupted, "Lord Qiu, you are mistaken. This unchanging approach is utterly unoriginal. I have my reasons for acting this way! I believe that if one has true ability, one will surely stand out no matter what!"

"Uh...yes!" Prefect Qiu was speechless. Suddenly, he looked up and met a pair of eyes that seemed to be smiling but not smiling. As if the person knew what he had done, Prefect Qiu quickly looked away guiltily, feeling a surge of anger. This Assistant Prefect Xu was half a rank lower than him, and relying on having a good older brother and sister, she never paid any attention to him. Now her daughter was also...

Xu Jingyun had no idea what she was thinking; she was currently staring intently at Lin Shu downstairs. Sure enough, a beauty is a beauty, and with a foil, she stands out even more! Suddenly, seeing Lin Shu looking over, she quickly opened her folding fan, gently swaying it with a smile, and even winked at her.

Lin Shu had noticed that gaze long ago, but only looked up after finishing her poem and putting down her brush. Unexpectedly, it was the woman she had met twice before. Ignoring the woman's frozen smile, her cold gaze swept over Lin Shu and landed on Lord Wen…

Just then, the incense burned out, and the time was up.

All the poems were submitted to Professor Wen for review. She picked up one and tossed it aside in a few seconds, her anger simmering: "utter nonsense! How can someone like this be called a talented woman?" Just because there's no fixed format and no template, does that mean she can't write poetry? Her questions were difficult, but they shouldn't all be this kind of utterly nonsensical half-baked work!

Seeing her face turn red with anger, the others present felt somewhat guilty. The current emperor valued literature, and the imperial examination was the key to changing one's destiny. Therefore, most academies only taught in order to prepare for the imperial examination, following a set routine.

After reading more than ten copies, Lord Wen's expression became somewhat strange, changing from anger to doubt, then to appreciation, and finally to a sudden realization: "Brilliant!"

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