The system always wants to send me to the heroine

The kingdom is now as corrupt as medieval Europe, with a system of granting management monopolized by the aristocracy, which also monopolizes education. There are many cases of both the government and the countryside being neglected.

Otherwise, it couldn't be that the old man with the long beard was trying to show off.

Well, talent? Looking at the old man's appearance, he seems like a hermit from other worlds. I guess he is referring to talent in liberal arts.

"Hey, we can't earn this kind of money. Not only has he never been to school, but this old man has just defeated several talented people in a row. He is proficient in calligraphy, painting, chess, literature, and mathematics. We should just give up on this idea!"

The spectators all around were shaking their heads and laughing. They could enjoy the fun, but when they tried to go on stage to compete, there was no one left.

I heard everyone talking about it, swallowed my saliva, and put away my eager thoughts.

Wow, what is this? This old gentleman is so great. I know nothing about music, chess, calligraphy and painting. It’s okay. It would be so embarrassing if I embarrassed myself in front of my students.

However, thinking about it the other way around, if I could show off my strength in front of Qiu Qiuya (act cool), this kid would definitely admire me even more!

Woohoo, I feel a little unwilling.

"Hey, big brother, who is that old man? Why is everyone afraid to come forward and compete?"

I put on an innocent look and asked the onlookers around me.

"I don't know. I heard that he was a great sage invited by the Eighth Prince from the distant Eastern country. He is extremely talented and far superior to us."

The spectator shook his head.

"Humph, what do you mean by great sage? He is just trying to establish the authority of the Eighth Prince and let us watch the fun. If we can't get anything out of it, why bother?"

Someone next to him also replied sourly.

I nodded and said yes. When I turned around, I saw Qiu Qiuya looking at me with bright eyes and expectant expression.

I smiled dryly, thinking to myself that this was not good.

"Sir, you are so powerful and knowledgeable, you will definitely be able to beat that old man, right?"

Ahem, low-key, low-key. I, Li Zhi, um, am I that kind of high-profile loli?

Chapter 36: Coming to power

I quickly rubbed the little girl's head and told her to speak less loudly.

"Well, what is that called? By the way, teacher, I am a person who is indifferent to fame and gain. I will not easily engage in verbal disputes with others!"

Oh, if I really get in, but the subject I’m competing in is a subject I’m not good at at all, that would be so embarrassing!

While I was comforting the excited Qiu Qiuya, the host was still shouting loudly, asking if there were any talented people willing to come on stage to compete.

But most of the people present were there to watch the fun. Those who were able to go on stage were defeated, and there was silence for a while.

The show was about to get boring and the host started to sweat on his forehead.

Seeing this, the old man slowly stood up from his chair.

"Well, I will come up with a couplet and let everyone here compete with me. If anyone can match it, just answer it directly!"

The host nodded quickly, said yes repeatedly, and bowed to the old man in gratitude.

Phew, luckily I didn’t go up there. If it were about writing couplets, then of course I would know nothing about it. It was not popular when I was in school.

Come to think of it, the writing of this other world is obviously not Chinese characters, and the writing method is not the same as that of a single character. It turns out that the character creation structure is the same as that of Chinese characters.

No wonder, I said that a lot of the culture here is compatible with our world.

While I was daydreaming, the old man had already chanted the first couplet.

"Qinse Pipa, Eighth Prince, high and mighty!"

Ok?

I suddenly stood up straight, as if the teacher had asked a question that I just happened to know the answer to.

Well, well, well, of course I know the answer to this question. In our world, isn’t this a very popular couplet?

There are eight Chinese characters for "king" in "qin, se, pipa", which are used to describe the high status of the Eighth Prince. Is there anyone who can write such a difficult couplet in the current principality?

Wow, this old man is so shameless. The culture of couplets doesn't seem to be popular here. Isn't this just bullying others and showing off his talent?

I looked around, and sure enough, no one spoke out to object.

Hehe, let me, Li Zhi, kill your arrogance!

I pretended to cough twice and forgot what I had said to Qiu Qiuya before about being indifferent to fame and fortune.

"Swelling bladder, four months, month after month, uncomfortable!"

A sweet and soft loli voice instantly broke the silence. After everyone was stunned for a moment, they burst into laughter.

Of course I know that I should be facing the 'Four Little Ghosts', but this is an arena, in public, so I have to be a little entertaining.

"Tuo! Where did you come from, kid? If you don't know how to do it, don't speak, or you will be laughed at!"

The old man's powerful shout instantly stopped the commotion at the scene.

"Why, what's the matter? Am I wrong?"

I pouted, feeling a little aggrieved.

Although I have read too many jokes, but, but if you want the correct answer, I, I can still give it. I am really an old man who doesn't understand entertainment at all!

"Everyone, couplets are not just about matching. There are other mysteries involved. Even if the tones, nouns and verbs are all matched, it is not enough. The most important thing is the 'matching of artistic conception'. Only people who know nothing about couplets would use crude language to praise the elegance of the old gentleman's couplet!"

My face suddenly turned completely red.

Wow, I was called a complete layman in front of my own students!

It was so embarrassing that I didn't even dare turn around to look at Qiu Qiuya's expression!

What kind of elegant compliment is that? No, it's just a dog licking his own boss.

Gulp, but if I think this way, even if I say "魑魅魍魉", it is still an insult. Using it in this situation will obviously not satisfy the old man.

I was very unwilling and looked at the ring angrily.

No, no, I have lost so much face, I must get it back, I am a knowledgeable teacher!

With a roll of my eyes, I had an idea. I used my hands and feet to climb up the stage which was quite high for me.

"Well, I really can't answer this question, but it's not fair to ask you to come up with the first line. How about this, I come up with one and test you?"

My face was still flushed and I didn't sound powerful when I spoke, but I still managed to attract the old man's attention.

"Well, interesting, interesting. You dare to ask a question to the king of kings like me? Then go ahead. But I'm afraid there is no couplet in this world that I can't come up with!"

The old man shook his head, as if he didn't take me, a little girl, seriously at all.

Hehe, but I won’t care.

Because I knew that the moment he agreed to let me ask a question, he had already lost.

He fell into the trap. It's true that I can't make couplets, but I know that this old man will definitely not be able to make a couplet.

"Smoke locks the willows in the pond!"

I recited the first couplet word by word.

The old man's calm expression gradually became solemn and he began to think.

I looked at his conflicted expression and my heart was already filled with joy.

It’s useless, it’s useless, this is absolutely true in the true sense!

In this couplet, the radicals contain gold, wood, water, fire and earth, and combined with the requirements of prosody, gerund parallelism, etc. introduced by the host, it does not seem to be difficult. However, the really difficult part is the "matching of artistic conception".

In a TV series in the past, a university scholar named "Ji XiaoX" once came up with the second line of the couplet "cannons guarding the sea tower". Unfortunately, this is just a film and television work after all. Is it a good couplet? Of course not. The artistic conception of the first line is a poetic and picturesque scenery, but the second line is filled with gunpowder and war.

In the host's own words, this is also 'knowing nothing at all'.

In other words, I don't care what kind of couplet this old man comes up with, I will definitely refute it, just like they just scolded me for not understanding the "harmony of artistic conception", I will give them a taste of their own medicine!

Don’t underestimate the countless writers and poets throughout the ages. No great talent could confidently and perfectly write out this small five-character couplet!

Humph, General, who told you to look down on me just now!

I looked up proudly, and sure enough, the old man's calm expression had long been broken, and he began to walk back and forth on the stage, doing Brownian motion.

"Hurry up, old man, come up with a pair to kill her!"

The host didn't understand the situation at all. He seemed to be trying to liven up the atmosphere and thought he had motivated the old man, but he was met with a cold eye from the old man.

"Huh, I didn't expect that in this small principality, there would be a pair that could stump me. I admit defeat. I can't match this couplet."

When these words were spoken, everyone in the room was shocked. I looked down at the stage and saw that Qiu Qiuya's eyes had indeed turned into stars of admiration.

Wow, this feels so good. I finally have a little bit of the feeling of being a time traveler.

"Ahem, it's a draw! Although the old gentleman didn't get it right, but, but the kid didn't get the old gentleman's couplet right either, so this round is a draw!"

The host calmed down and quickly announced the verdict.

Chapter 37: Victory, Defeat!

When the audience heard that the organizer was going to call it a draw, they naturally booed.

After all, the old man has dominated the stage for a long time, and finally someone who can defeat him appears. The audience also secretly hopes to see the old man being defeated.

"Tuo! Please be quiet!"

The old man shouted again, shocking the whole audience into silence again.

This voice is not just full of energy, it is simply soul-stirring. On such a large stage, being able to make all the noisy audience shut up with a loud shout is something that not ordinary people can do.

Gulp, who is this old man?

"My dear friend, I was rude just now. I hope you can forgive me."

The old man was very polite and bowed slightly to me.

"Eh? Hey, no, it's nothing!"

I just came back to my senses and scratched my head.

Wow, he suddenly used such a polite and respectful tone, I am a little uncomfortable with it.

Does this mean that he is finally starting to take me seriously?

"May I ask your name, and where you work?"

"My name is Li Zhi. At present, well, I should be considered a teacher under Duke Long Aotian."

"No wonder, you look so young, but you are qualified to be a teacher. This shows that you have extraordinary insight and profound knowledge. You are really a young man to be feared."

Oh, that’s not an exaggeration. I feel embarrassed by the old man’s praise.

But I really don't deserve this praise, after all, I just used tricks to barely break even. It's no exaggeration to say that I know nothing at all.

Just, just don’t say it in public, especially in front of my students, it’s so embarrassing!

I smiled dryly, opened my mouth, and tried to imitate the old man's tone and say some strange and beautiful words like "the mountains remain green and the rivers flow forever", then quickly turned around and left.

Well, I've pretended and saved my face, so of course I have to run away. I still have to find Mi Li!

"Great! I didn't expect that such a strong challenger would appear on the scene. He has received such high praise from the great sage. So without further ado, let's immediately enter the second round of confrontation!"

Woo, cunning host, he actually interrupted me at this time. I didn’t say anything and still wanted to continue the competition.

The old man actually nodded, looked at me and smiled while stroking his beard.

"According to the rules, the challenger can first choose the field he is good at to compete, and then the great sage will start, and both sides will take turns asking questions until one of them can't answer! Okay, challenge the little loli, facing this all-knowing and omnipotent great sage, what aspect of him are you going to challenge?"

The host screamed at the top of his voice, heating up the atmosphere again.

Woo woo woo, it’s over. Now it seems like I can’t escape even if I want to.

Wait, so the content of the competition is chosen by me?

Oh, I'm so stupid. Of course, it's impossible for a passerby to be as omnipotent as this old man. It's also impossible for him to decide the content of the competition, or draw lots or something.

Yeah, if that’s the case, then I’ll feel relieved. I’m quite confident in my math.

"Then, the subject I want to compete in is, mathematics!"

"Okay! Mathematics, this little challenger is really not simple. Let's wait and see. First, let our great sage ask the first question!"

The old man smiled slightly, twirled his beard again, and chanted a question casually.

"Now there are chickens and rabbits in the same cage. There are thirty-five heads on top and ninety-four legs below. How many chickens and rabbits are there?"

Eh, it seems like a very simple problem of chickens and rabbits in the same cage. Fortunately, such a simple problem should be able to be calculated even without paper and pen!