Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 698 Xia Banxian!
Was it awesome to see Xia Lin give away his poems at Tengwang Pavilion? It was awesome! While others plagiarized poems one by one, he did a massive, multi-batch giveaway.

However, this approach also led to the demise of later generations, who could never write something like "Clouds think of clothes, flowers think of faces, spring breeze brushes the railing, dew is heavy" no matter how hard they tried.

So this kind of activity was basically abandoned later, because no matter how hard people tried, it was just imitation and they couldn't surpass their predecessors at all.

But it's been brought up again today. We're already on the stage. If we don't write poetry, we'll have to dance. Once we start dancing, our careers will be ruined, and we'll definitely fail the interview. So we have no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it.

Are poems and essays easy to write? Yes, they are. The Fuliang Printing House published a book on literacy and character analysis many years ago. The very first section is a primer on phonetics and prosody: clouds against rain, snow against wind, evening glow against clear sky. Migrating geese against departing geese, roosting birds against chirping insects. A three-foot sword, a six-pound bow, north of the mountains against east of the river.

But is poetry easy to write? No, it's not. Because of the introduction of prosody, poetry has become simple, the threshold for creation has been lowered, and a large number of self-proclaimed literati have flocked to write. It's no longer the time when a few casual lines could elicit long cheers. Now, when writing poetry, one has to consider whether the subject matter has already been written about.

Seeing the two scratching their heads in disbelief, Xia Lin found it amusing. However, the outcome of the match was no longer important. He had already stirred up the fire to his advantage, and it would be impolite to continue.

So he patted Dou'er, who was craning her neck to watch the commotion, and said, "Let's go."

"Master, aren't you going to watch them continue competing?"

"What are you looking at? What's so interesting about this? I still have to prepare for the imperial examination."

Although Dou'er admired her master's abilities, she couldn't understand his thought process at all. What was the point of him taking the imperial examination? What was the significance of the imperial examination to him?

He left as soon as he finished causing trouble, but Lu Sheng and Shang Anshan in the room were on pins and needles. Because they had done the same thing, they were inevitably compared. Even though they were both well-known talents in the capital, they were risking their lives to compare themselves with the legendary poets who had been praised for thousands of years.

Of course, there are no more poets like the "Poet Immortal" or the "Poet Ghost" now, only Xia Daosheng. To compare someone who is flying into a field of flowers to a lotus that cannot compare to a beautiful woman's makeup is nothing short of self-humiliation.

So in the end, they all gave up. They sat there, crumpled the manuscript in their hands into a ball, and threw it on the ground. Lu Sheng even got up and left with a cold look in his eyes.

On the contrary, Shang Anshan still maintained some dignity. He stood up, cupped his hands to the audience, and said, "I apologize, but I am powerless to help. I am truly ashamed to embarrass myself in front of such a brilliant senior."

The audience didn't say anything, after all, they were indebted to the person who asked them to, so they all chimed in. One of them said, "Young Master Shang, don't be sad. In my opinion, the person who set the question was just deliberately making things difficult. Everyone knows that this path has already been completely ruined by Lord Xia Daosheng. It wouldn't be bad for an ordinary person to lose to someone with such a talent."

After listening, the room erupted in laughter and cheers. There were quite a few scholars present. They may not have met Xia Daosheng in person, but they must have heard his stories. Whether it was the Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng, which was comparable to the Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River, or the dozens of poems he composed to present to a beautiful woman, they were all indispensable parts of the literary world. To this day, his poems and essays still appear in the lecture notes of various academies, which speaks volumes.

Losing to Xia Daosheng is not shameful.

On the contrary, Lu Sheng seemed to have lost his composure, lacking any integrity as a scholar, with only a desire to win.

And then there's the person who set the questions...

Shang Anshan looked around, but he couldn't find the person who had given him the question and composed such an amazing poem. He knew that person must have left, but he had a feeling that this person would definitely appear again. Judging from his clothes and demeanor, he should be a student who failed the exam, a person full of knowledge but with nowhere to use it.

Since returning from here, Xia Lin hasn't left the house at all. He spends his days studying books and preparing for the exam on the island in the middle of the lake.

The Harvest Festival is on the Mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th of August, while the exam is on the 25th of August, which is three days after the Harvest Festival ends. It just so happens that he can go and participate to experience the current exam level.

On the third day of his seclusion, Dou'er came to report: "Master, the exam registration has begun."

"Oh." Xia Lin stood up: "Let's go!"

The two immediately set off for the registration area at the Ministry of Rites. At this time, the area outside was packed with people registering, and a row of tables had been set up outside the Ministry of Rites with a row of people registering there.

Xia Lin knew that she wouldn't be able to squeeze in anytime soon, so she stood under the locust tree next to Dou'er, drinking mung bean soup and fanning herself while waiting.

Just then, a familiar figure entered his field of vision. At first glance, he thought he was seeing things, but upon closer inspection, he realized that it was indeed the person he had been looking for...

This was none other than Emperor Jingtai. He was holding a slip of paper indicating his successful registration, looking down at it, presumably checking his examination room and seat number.

Upon seeing this, Xia Lin secretly followed him, stood behind Emperor Jingtai for a while, and then lowered his voice to say, "His Majesty is in examination room number four?"

"OK."

After Emperor Jingtai finished answering, he suddenly jolted awake, turned around, and saw that it was Xia Lin. He then curled his lip and said, "What's it to you?"

"Have you no shame? You were the final examiner for the imperial examination, so you were grading your own papers, weren't you?"

"Get lost." Emperor Jingtai looked around warily. "You're allowed to take the exam, but I'm not? Which exam room are you in?"

"I haven't registered yet, I'll go later."

"Lazy," Emperor Jingtai commented. "I came to queue before dawn, and you're just taking it easy?"

"You must be so bored you're just wasting your time. Don't you have anything else to do?"

"And you? Don't you have anything else to do?"

Neither of them would take the bait, but Xia Lin was obsessed with the imperial examinations. What did Emperor Jingtai care?

Just then, a man suddenly appeared in the registration area. He was none other than the Minister of Rites. Dressed in fine clothes, he walked over, intending to say some auspicious words to the candidates. However, the first thing he saw when he walked over was Xia Daosheng, and the second thing he saw was Emperor Jingtai standing next to Xia Daosheng.

Just as the subordinate finished reading the opening remarks, the Minister of Rites silently backed away and disappeared in a flash. The two vice ministers and four chief clerks stood there stunned, wondering why the chief official had left before the opening remarks were even finished.

Not long after, they saw Emperor Jingtai and Xia Lin standing there. But if they left now, things would get really bad. They had no choice but to finish their speech, then turn around and walk back, pretending to be calm but walking back in a haphazard way.

Upon entering the Ministry of Rites, the first thing they noticed was that the Minister of Rites' hands were trembling, and the sound of the teacup lid hitting the teacup when he served tea was like a musical piece.

"Minister..."

"Alright." The Minister of Rites raised his hand and took a deep breath: "Everyone, give me your utmost attention this time. I don't care who you have connections with, this time you must adhere to four words: seek truth from facts."

"understand!"

In fact, every year the imperial examinations would reserve a few spots for powerful and wealthy families, allowing their useless sons to advance.

But this time, it probably won't work. Because the two people he saw had secretly blended in with the examinees. Emperor Jingtai was alright, after all, it was an unspoken rule, and his royal family members also enjoyed such benefits. If any problems arose, he could plead for them.

But the person beside him had nowhere to complain. They were already targeting powerful families, and if the unspoken rules were discovered, it would be a miracle if he didn't turn it into a major corruption case. Not only would the entire Ministry of Rites be forced to resign, but those involved might not even be spared. "Forget what you saw today. Just act as usual."

The Minister of Rites was not stupid; on the contrary, he was quite shrewd and a real old fox. After giving his instructions, he picked up his things and headed to the central government. Naturally, he had to report this matter, because if something went wrong, he couldn't handle it alone.

The person in charge of this matter at the central level was definitely Ma Zhou, after all, Ma Xiang was the head of the three prime ministers, and it was naturally his responsibility to handle matters concerning the selection of officials for the country.

After hearing the report, Ma Zhou frowned: "Isn't this ridiculous?"

“Who says otherwise?” The Minister of Rites feigned difficulty: “But as you know, His Majesty is always willful, and Lord Xia is also someone who doesn’t listen to advice. What right do we have to speak up?”

"Yes, I'll go and talk to His Majesty. We can't let him run wild like this."

"Then everything depends on Ma Xiang."

Ma Zhou was a man of integrity and strength, and he had the most followers among the three prime ministers. His words carried considerable weight, and even Xia Lin, a fearless fellow, had to give Ma Zhou some leeway. Ma Zhou actually thought this matter was a bit ridiculous, so he went directly to the emperor's study to wait for his return.

At that moment, Emperor Jingtai and Xia Lin were enjoying a meat-filled sesame seed cake and a bowl of mung bean soup on the street. Emperor Jingtai said, "You will come back to the palace with me later."

"What's wrong?"

"What else could it be? They must have seen me, that's why they ran so fast. Guess what they'll do when they get back?"

Who is in charge of the exams?

"Zhou'er".

Upon hearing this, Xia Lin, holding his registration slip, said, "Goodbye..."

Watching Xia Lin jog away, Emperor Jingtai pointed at him and angrily cursed, "You heartless dog, is it so difficult for you to do a simple favor?"

But Xia Lin did not turn back, just as resolutely as he had been that day when he led his troops into Huangya Pass and severed Yang Ying's head with a single stroke...

However, his escape was clearly futile; less than an hour after returning, he was summoned to the palace by imperial decree…

"Lord Xia, I beg you, please focus your attention on governing the country. The court and the people are in a state of panic. Many local administrations are stalled, and factional struggles are raging. Great Wei appears glamorous on the surface, but it is actually teetering on the brink of collapse. I know you share my ideals, and you have worked diligently and tirelessly for so many years. But my lord, this is not the time for idleness. Beset by external and internal troubles, everyone is living in constant anxiety..."

Just as Ma Zhou was trying to persuade Xia Lin, Old Zhang's voice came from outside: "Your Majesty, I've registered! Hahahaha..."

Upon hearing this commotion, Emperor Jingtai and Xia Lin exchanged a glance, their lips involuntarily curving upwards, while Ma Zhou's face turned green.

The moment Lao Zhang rushed in, upon seeing Emperor Jingtai sitting in the main seat, Xia Lin sitting in the audience beside him, and Ma Zhou standing there with an unfriendly expression, his first thought was to turn around and leave...

"Zhang Xiang!"

"I am experiencing severe abdominal pain and must take my leave now."

Old Zhang, always shameless, ran out on the spot. Seeing such an unreliable superior and colleague, Ma Zhou plopped down and sighed deeply, "Your Majesty..."

"I understand, I understand. I won't act recklessly anymore."

"Your Majesty, please consider the overall situation. It is not too late for Your Majesty to play around when the world is at peace."

After speaking, Ma Zhou glanced at Xia Lin and then bowed deeply to him: "Lord Xia, you have been kind to me and have helped me, but now I must say a few words. At this time, your position is extremely sensitive, and you must not act recklessly. In addition, the harvest festival is coming soon, so please think it over carefully."

"understood……"

The two repeatedly assured each other that they would not cause any more trouble, and only then did they manage to persuade Ma Zhou to leave.

They all knew that Ma Zhou was right, but how to put it, bad habits are like lubricants in life; without lubricants, life is really meaningless.

Which exam room are you in?

"Seventh, what's your booth number?"

"Number 37, and you?"

Number four.

After Ma Zhou left, the two exchanged information briefly. After asking, Emperor Jingtai asked, "What alias did you use?"

"Lin Musen, I originally wanted to use Lin Musheng, but I consulted a fortune teller last night and the name Lin Musheng isn't considered auspicious. What about you?"

"Me? I use Tian Dali. What did you use to calculate it? Calculate it for me too."

“deepseek”

"This thing again? Fine, whatever it is, calculate it for me."

Xia Lin pulled out his well-known "magical artifact," fiddled with it for a while, and cleared his throat: "Tian Dali, Wanbaoji Gate, blessed by heaven, determined to strive, will achieve great success—symbolizing profound innate fortune and easy access to opportunities. Although possessing extraordinary talent, he lacks destiny, working alone without power, and finding it difficult to accumulate wealth—indicating that his career is prone to setbacks in middle age, requiring caution against fruitless labor or tense interpersonal relationships. With the harmony of Yin and Yang, his business will prosper, bringing both fame and fortune, and abundant blessings in his later years—his fortune will rise after middle age, and his career and wealth will gradually improve."

"Hey! Not bad."

"And there's more. That was the Heaven, Earth, and Man aspect, but you also have the Outer aspect. Deeply rooted, thriving, auspicious, and everything goes smoothly—strong luck with benefactors, outstanding social skills, and easy to gain external support."

"That's incredibly accurate! My goodness, you've practically become a fortune teller. What about your later years?"

Xia Lin chuckled: "Those who can endure hardship will surely have good fortune in the future. Success or failure depends on perseverance. In old age, one must undergo trials, and success or failure depends on personal willpower."

Emperor Jingtai was taken aback: "Even in my old age, I won't have a moment of peace?"

(End of this chapter)