It is rare for a great scholar to display talent and martial arts. It is rare to successfully perform a display of talent and martial arts. However, a display of talent and martial arts has never happened to a scholar.
"Can I not tell you?" Fang Yun asked.
Feng Yuanjun smiled and said, "If you don't tell us, we can guess. Seeing that you are unharmed and even have a hint of fierceness, you must have gained something. Based on your family's behavior, there are only a few possibilities. More than ten of us can guess slowly and it won't take a moment to figure it out."
Everyone smiled together, and it looked like they were ready to make a guess at any moment.
Fang Yun looked around at everyone and said, "It's nothing. After the training in the Book Mountain, I found that I have grown, so I decided to choose a minor in the Holy Way. Later, I thought about the role of the military strategist in the current conquest of the three tribes, and it was second only to the Confucian way, so I decided to take a minor in the military strategist. I have been studying the art of war these days. I don't know what happened last night. I recalled my days in the Enlightenment River. A light bulb suddenly flashed in my mind, and I wanted to summarize the military strategies of the predecessors and make them more popular and easy to use. As a result, I accidentally entered the Talent Performance."
“Hiss…” Everyone gasped.
Zhang Poyue was a general, and most of those who came to see him off were military men. They knew best the importance of talent and martial arts performance. Once someone could perform talent and martial arts performance, he must have amazing talent in military tactics, which would be of great use to the human race.
"We only thought you were accomplished in poetry, calligraphy, painting, and classics, but we didn't expect that you were also so knowledgeable in military tactics! You want to be a complete genius! Even Confucius couldn't be considered a complete genius."
Zhang Poyue couldn't help asking, "Brother Wenying, the first time you got the talent to perform martial arts was when you were in the Imperial Academy, right?"
"Yeah." Li Wenying nodded.
"Even among the several half-saints in the military, only two or three of them had the talent to perform martial arts when they were successful in the imperial examination, but they all failed. Fang Yun, don't tell us that you succeeded in the martial arts performance." said Prefect Dong.
Fang Yun said: "Of course I failed. How could a mere scholar like me pass the talent show?"
"That's more like it. If you can complete the talent show, the military strategist will probably come to snatch you away. They'll lock you up for a few years to smooth out all your edges, and then send you to all kinds of dangerous situations, using every possible means to torture you... No, to sharpen you, and then throw you to Liangjie Mountain to hone you for more than a decade, and finally set you free."
Fang Yun almost broke out in a cold sweat and said, "People from the military family wouldn't be so cruel, right?"
"Yes. The geniuses of the military families have been trained since they were seven or eight years old. Apart from participating in the imperial examinations and the mountain of books, they have almost no contact with outsiders. They can only officially control their own destiny after they are over thirty. Therefore, for hundreds of years, the military half-saints have been extremely patient and experienced, causing great losses to the demon world. If the demon saints really want to invade in the future, the first people they will kill must be the military half-saints."
"I must follow the Confucian path! My talent in martial arts will definitely fail!" Fang Yun said.
Li Wenying smiled and said, "It doesn't matter if you succeed. We expect more from you than just military strategy. It would be a waste if you majored in military strategy."
"That's right. Alas, I can't imagine it, a talent show. I haven't even had it yet." Zhang Poyue seemed very unhappy.
Feng Yuanjun said: "If you have time, you can go to Wudao River and sit there. Maybe you will have a chance to enter the Talent Martial Arts Show."
"Well said! After the banquet, I will change my route to Wudao River in Ji County, and then go to the capital to receive the title in two days." Zhang Poyue said.
Feng Yuanjun looked at Li Wenying pitifully and said, "Master Yuanjun, do you agree with my vacation?"
Li Wenying looked at Feng Yuanjun expressionlessly. Feng Yuanjun had a firm gaze, as if he was not afraid at all of this university scholar who was notorious for his killing.
"Forget it, I'll give you five days." Li Wenying said helplessly.
"Thank you, sir. I'll toast to you." Feng Yuanjun smiled happily and raised his glass to drink.
Li Wenying ignored Feng Yuanjun and asked Fang Yun: "Is this your first time to participate in the talent show today?"
“It’s the first time.”
"Outsiders are not allowed to interfere with talent and martial arts performances. You must never ask others for advice, otherwise there will be huge changes, or even failure." Li Wenying said.
"The students know." Fang Yun said.
Li Wenying glanced at Zhao Hongzhuang, then looked at Fang Yun and asked, "I heard that you are going to take the Juren exam as soon as possible, and you may even be preparing to take the Jinshi exam this year to become the first person in the world to take the Jinshi exam in the same year?"
Before experiencing the illusion of Book Mountain, Fang Yun would definitely not have thought of becoming the only person in history who passed the examinations for Tongsheng, Xiucai, Juren and Jinshi in one year, but the experience of Book Mountain made up for his shortcomings.
"I want to give it a try." Fang Yun said.
"You don't need to worry too much about your poetry and classics, but the state exam in September will test policy essays. Are you confident?"
"I think that policy essays are nothing more than ways to govern a country. I have read all the classics of the saints and even read all the history books. Although I dare not say that I have the talent to govern a country, I have made some achievements in policy essays."
If it were other things, Fang Yun wouldn't dare to say it, but he wasn't afraid of policy papers. After all, there was too much relevant information in that era. Unlike Shengyuan Continent, where one could only read newspapers once every ten days, news about current affairs occupied less than one-fifth of the page.
"Since you have confidence, then give it a try. Although you are famous now, and may even be mentioned in history books, you may not be able to have a biography written about you. If you can become the first Jinshi of the same year, you will have a great chance to have a biography written about you, and truly leave your name in history." Li Wenying said.
Scholars attach great importance to leaving their names in history. A general next to them said enviously: "Lord Li will definitely leave his name in history. If General Zhang can take one step further, he will also have a biography. As for us, being able to leave a name in history books is already a great honor for our ancestors."
Everyone nodded, extremely envious of Fang Yun, Li Wenying and Zhang Poyue.
Zhang Poyue said, "Lord Jianmei and I are at most biographies. Fang Yun, you may have a chance to move up a level and join the ranks of the 'aristocratic families', but you must never abandon your literary palace."
"Students will definitely work hard." Fang Yun said modestly.
Zhao Hongzhuang standing aside showed a lonely look. Although she was a princess, she would probably only have a name in the history books. It was impossible for her to be included in the annals of the Han Dynasty on the grounds that she was "in power but not in the position", and be listed on the same level as the emperors.
Under the table where no one could see, Zhao Hongzhuang clenched her fists tightly.
Her name is Hongzhuang. Although she is a princess, she is like a green leaf here.
Zhao Hongzhuang lowered her head, and only she knew the unwillingness in her eyes.
A general asked curiously, "Fang Yun, what happened to the sutra you wrote in the prefectural examination? According to convention, the first-class sutras of a prefecture should be exhibited in the Academy of Literature for the students to study. But why is there only a second-class one this year?"
Mr. Feng and Prefect Dong looked at each other. They had both personally experienced that earth-shaking process of marking the papers and had seen with their own eyes the test papers that were circulated throughout the country. The powers of semi-saints appeared one after another and killed a Hanlin on the spot. This was a rare occurrence in the imperial examination system that only happened once in a century.
"This... I can't say more." Fang Yun said.
"That's strange. Prefect Dong, Master Feng, you two are examiners, but you can't say it?"
They both lowered their heads and said nothing.
Even Li Wenying and Zhang Poyue were not clear about this matter. Now seeing the attitudes of the two examiners, they realized that it was very likely that the Criminal Hall or the Semi-Saint had issued a gag order.
Including Zhao Hongzhuang, everyone stared at each other, but no one dared to say a word. After a while, everyone vaguely guessed that since Fang Yun got the first place, it must be an excellent scripture. If the scripture is very good but cannot be spread, it must be too good, at least it can protect the country, or even spread to the world. Because the Holy Academy would never make such a big fuss for Mingzhou's scripture.
Everyone immediately thought of the scene of day and night alternating over Yuhai Mansion that night, and realized that it was probably the saint who took action on Fang Yun's behalf.
Poetry is a minor art, even policy essays are minor arts, but the interpretation of the classics is different. It is the interpretation of the classics of the saints, the true Confucian path. A talented person can write the classics that can protect the country. That is more terrifying than writing ten poems that can protect the country.
"There is hope." A general whispered three words.
Although he didn't say it completely, everyone knew that what he wanted to say was "Fang Yun's foundation in the holy way is promising" and his chances of becoming a saint are great.
The room was quiet for a moment, and everyone continued their conversation.
Because Zhang Poyue was going to the north to deal with the Wolf Barbarians, the following topics were almost all about the war in the north.
War and diplomacy are inextricably linked. Everyone soon talked about the attitude of the strategists, but no one agreed that the Gu Kingdom should pay a large amount of gold, silver, treasures and grain as annual tribute in exchange for peace. Almost all of these generals believed that only by defeating the barbarians and making them realize that the human race is not weaker than the demon race, would it be possible to win them over and fight against the demon race together.
These generals were not opposed to joining forces with the barbarians to attack the demon tribe, but they believed that the military strategists should be in the front and the strategists should be in the back. They must never let the strategists and the miscellaneous scholars dominate the situation between the two tribes. They must never learn from the Gu Kingdom and be servile, otherwise the human race would perish.
The banquet did not end until the evening. Everyone left drunkenly. Zhang Poyue took a long-distance ox cart and headed straight for Wudao River in Ji County. Feng Yuanjun planned to go there tomorrow.
Fang Yun didn't know how to persuade them, so he left quietly.
"No one should seek enlightenment by the Wudao River." Fang Yun kept repeating this to himself on the way home.
The weather in June is changeable. Before Fang Yun got home, a drizzle started to fall.
When they arrived at the door of his house, Fang Yun got off the carriage. Fang Daniu clearly had an umbrella, but he didn't hold it for Fang Yun. Instead, he held the umbrella himself and looked at Fang Yun with envy.
The raindrops fell on Fang Yun's body and clothes, but did not wet them at all. Instead, they flowed away silently. Fang Yun's whole body was like a big umbrella, and all the rain could not touch him.
Ever since Fang Yun ate the fake dragon ball, he was no longer afraid of rain and even took fewer showers, because the fake dragon ball gave his body the ability to purify itself. Although he was not as dust-free as Nunu, as long as there was dust on his body, it would be quickly expelled by an invisible force.
The place where Fang Yun lived was even cleaner. The mosquitoes didn't dare to approach the person who possessed the fake dragon ball. Even the people around him enjoyed a comfortable summer without mosquitoes.
The rain flowed over his body, but Fang Yun did not feel any discomfort and walked into the door.
In the courtyard, Nunu was jumping around in the rain like a happy puppy, and from time to time he would suddenly shake his body, splashing rain water all over his body.
Seeing Fang Yun coming, Nunu immediately waved her little paws at Fang Yun with a smile, asking Fang Yun to play with her. Fang Yun shook his head and said with a smile: "Play by yourself."
Nunu nodded and continued to play by himself.
. (To be continued..)
ps: The next chapter will be updated before 23:00.