I was forced to cultivate immortality when I just wanted to lie down

Chapter 65: Promoting Learning
Yuyingxuan, the most famous brothel in Tianjin Prefecture, is also a well-known den of money-losing.

With the financial resources of the Wu brothers, unless they go hand in hand to a brothel and become a pair of lotus flowers, they can find a rich sponsor to spend a fortune on them.

Otherwise, no matter how generous they are, without financial resources, they can never live a carefree and happy life here.

Xu Qing confirmed again and again, and only after he was sure that this was the road the person who threw his shoes to ask for directions was referring to did he continue to explore further.

At first, he thought that these two guys had become addicted to sex and had completely become bad people, so they started spending lavishly and plunged into the land of pleasure as soon as they arrived in the capital.

But when Xu Qing walked into the brothel, he found that it was not what he had guessed.

At this time, Yuyingxuan was full of talented scholars. Many scholars who were good at calligraphy and painting were still writing in the tower, attracting a crowd of people to watch and comment.

There are also scholars who are good at poetry and couplets, who are making couplets or standing in front of riddles, thinking hard, trying to figure out the answers.

Xu Qing called the servant to find out more, and only then did he realize that this was an old tradition before the imperial examination - "promoting learning."

The so-called promoting learning means to build momentum for yourself in advance, such as participating in poetry meetings and literary societies, and then showing your talents during the period to gain recognition and appreciation from everyone. This is promoting learning.

In addition, making friends with celebrities is also an important means for candidates to prepare for the exam.

Simply put, by interacting with prestigious people, candidates can get more recommendations and recognition, thereby increasing their competitiveness in the imperial examination.

As long as one builds a reputation during the period of studying in Yangzhou, even if he fails the imperial examination later, he can still find a new way out with the fame he accumulated during his study in Yangzhou.

The reason why Yuyingxuan is so lively today is because of this literary gathering.

At this moment, all the scholars present, in order to get the opportunity to stand out and become successful, were like peacocks spreading their tails, displaying their talents without reservation.

Xu Qing saw that everyone was wearing Confucian robes and had elegant manners, but he himself was the only one who looked out of place.

I thought to myself, this won’t work, he is a cultured zombie after all.

In line with the principle of "When in Rome, do as the Romans do", he took out a folding fan from the map of mountains and rivers and changed into a long gown, and only then did he feel that he had integrated into the place.

The literary gathering in the city has been held for three consecutive days. Today is the second day. Talented people from all counties and prefectures have gathered together. Even the prince who came to Tianjin Prefecture for an inspection has set three prizes for this.

The first one in poetry was a poem written by Emperor Longping when he was young.

Those who come up with an absolute answer will receive a pair of golden cups as tribute.

In addition, those who are superior in musical instrument, painting and calligraphy can receive a painting of plum blossoms by Qiao Zi of Xiannan and a copy of Qi Zhongshu’s calligraphy...

If there is a person with outstanding talents, the prince will give him a thousand-mile horse as a gift, saying that the person who receives the horse can ride this horse when he goes to the capital to take the imperial examination the following year.

Xu Qing came to the Yangxue list, where the wooden nameplates with the names of the talented people were constantly being updated.

There is a scoring staff nearby who moves the hanging wooden signs in order.

Xu Qing took a quick look and saw the names of the Wu brothers on the list.

"First place is Wu Zhiyuan, second place is Zhuang Zijun, third place is Wu Wencai..."

"Tsk! These two are really capable!"

Xu Qing was amazed in his heart. It turned out that the Wu family next door had two phoenixes. He thought that he might go and ask Wu Yaoxing someday to find out where the Wu family's ancestral tomb was so that he could broaden his horizons.

What kind of Feng Shui treasure land can nurture such talents!
When Xu Qing showed up at the literary gathering, the sharp-eyed Wu Wencai eagerly called him over.

"Could this be Brother Wencai's friend?"

A talented man of extraordinary appearance came forward to ask questions.

A scholar also stepped forward and said with a smile: "The friend of the Wu twins must also be a well-educated person."

Before Wu Wencai could reply, a chubby figure squeezed in close.

"You have good judgment. Brother Xu's talent is on par with mine. We are both talented people with great potential."

While saying this, Zhu Huaian winked at Xu Qing with a sly smile.

Everyone burst into laughter because the little fat boy just entered Yuyingxuan and shouted that he wanted to find a girl to listen to music, as if he was unaware that a literary gathering was being held here.

Some guys who were maintaining order wanted to step forward to drive him away, but the little fat guy started shouting that he was the prince of Changting Palace. Now, the housekeeper took a closer look and found that it was really the uneducated and dissolute prince.

They were doing business and did not dare to offend the palace, so they let Zhu Huaian do whatever he wanted.

However, not all the talented scholars present were like this. Some of them claimed to be noble, but no matter whether the other party was the Crown Prince or not, they would still look down on him when they should.

Only the Wu brothers and Xu Qing did not think so.

Ever since they visited the brothel together, Xu Qing realized that the prince was not as dissolute as he appeared.

This little fat guy's acting is so fake.

Which young master doesn’t have a group of followers when he goes out?
Which decent playboy would only spend money to go to brothels for whoring?
This little fat guy doesn't eat free meals, doesn't molest decent women on the street, and when he sees a peddler fall, he'll rush to help him up. When he reacts, he'll curse and tell him to be more careful next time, saying, "If you dare to fall again, I'll break your legs," and so on. Such a person can only be considered a playboy at best. If he dares to call himself a dandy, the real spoiled brats will be the first to disagree.

The few talented people who came over at the beginning were quite curious about Xu Qing's talent, but when Zhu Huaian said that we are equally talented, everyone subconsciously stopped talking to Xu Qing.

The key point is that the little fat guy is still unaware of it, and then he said: "Brother Xu, you must be here to have fun like me. I can see it at a glance."

Xu Qing raised his eyebrows, thinking that this little fat guy's ability to judge people is quite accurate. He really came here to verify the accuracy of Xuanmen magic. In a sense, he really came here for fun.

In yesterday's literary competition, Wu Zhiyuan took the first place, and Zhuang Zijun, known as the most talented scholar in the city, came in second.

Today, the Crown Prince Zhao You will personally set the topic for the competition of poetry and songs.

Xu Qing came to the provincial capital with only one purpose, which was to obtain the title of scholar, escape from the "lowly status", and have the rights that a normal person should have.

As for becoming famous by writing poetry, he had no interest in it.

Compared to Xu Qing's indifference, Zhu Huaian seemed eager to try, as if he wanted to become famous at the literary meeting.

Soon, the prince's attendant came out of the attic where the prince was and brought the topic for testing his poetic talent.

"Yesterday's spring rain was like cotton wool, soaking my clothes. Your Highness was inspired to write this poem today."

Everyone started to think hard after hearing this, except Xu Qing, who stayed out of it. He ate a small persimmon cake brought from the teahouse and watched those talented people show off their talents as if he was watching a big show.

Beside him, Wu Zhiyuan hesitated for a moment before returning to normal.

Seeing this, Xu Qing couldn't help but ask him, "You are best at poetry, don't you plan to use it to become famous?"

Wu Zhiyuan whispered, "Yesterday, Wencai and I were invited by the Crown Prince to go to the palace to drink and appreciate the flowers. At that time, I had already improvised a few poems. I just thought, would this be a bad idea..."

"But when I thought about what Prince Zhu taught me, that one shouldn't be too kind, I figured it out again."

"..."

Xu Qing was speechless.

I never thought that this little fat boy knew so many weird things.

At this time, Zhu Huaian, who had just finished pouring water, was pouring himself a glass of wine with excitement on his face.

After drinking a glass of hot wine, his face immediately turned red.

Xu Qing saw him fidgeting, looking eager to try something new, and asked with a smile, "You're so happy, could it be that you've thought of some good poem?"

Zhu Huaian glanced at the attic where the prince was and said with a grin, "I just went to the toilet. As soon as I undressed, I felt a surge of inspiration. Just wait and see. I will definitely be among the top three poets today."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing was surprised, while Wu Zhiyuan and Wu Wencai looked strange, obviously not believing that this cynical prince could write any good poetry.

After a stick of incense had passed, many scholars and writers had written poems. Those who were confident in their hearts stood up and recited them themselves at the banquet, while others who were shy and introverted asked the waiters to read them out in public.

During the banquet, a poetry collector from the capital was taking notes.

However, only a few of them could catch the eye of the poetry officials, and even fewer of them could be passed down for centuries.

Zhuang Zijun, the most talented man in the city, has already finished writing his poems. Up to this point, only his poems can be considered excellent.

In response to his friend's praise, Zhuang Zijun responded modestly, but his eyes couldn't help but drift towards the two Wu brothers.

The waiter quickly recited Wu Wencai's poems. Although they were not as good as the masterpieces handed down from generation to generation, they could still compete with Zhuangzijun.

Zhuang Zijun had just breathed a sigh of relief and picked up the wine cup, but before he could take a sip to calm his nerves, he heard the waiter begin to recite Wu Zhiyuan's poems.

“In spring, the pond is full of water, and in spring, grass grows.

Spring people drink spring wine, and spring birds make the sound of spring.

You were born before I was born, and I was born when you were already old..."

Wu Zhiyuan had great respect for the Prince of Changting, who had commanded the army of the world, expanded the territory and made great contributions. The Prince of Changting was awarded many honors in his life, such as not being named in the imperial edicts, not being named in the praises, not having to rush into the court, and wearing a sword and shoes when entering the palace... There were too many to list. There were only a handful of such people in the history books.

Yesterday he was invited to the palace. Although he did not meet Prince Changting himself, he was inspired and wrote this poem.

If he and the Prince of Changting were to be of the same era and age, and to work together for the same ideal, what a blessing that would be...

The expressionless old man who had delivered the poem to the prince could not hide his admiration for his talent. He stepped forward and asked politely, "Sir, could you please copy this poem onto paper so I can present it to His Highness for his perusal."

Upon seeing this, Zhuang Zijun suddenly felt powerless. This poem was too flattering. Both the current emperor and the old prince who was over sixty years old fit the metaphor of this poem. Wu Zhiyuan was only twenty years old, and the contrast between the two just happened to touch the elderly crown prince.

At this time, there were also jealous people in the scene who secretly despised Wu Zhiyuan, thinking that Wu Zhiyuan was not a gentleman, but a flatterer who only knew how to fawn on others.

(End of this chapter)