"Ghosts also have feelings." Yan Yukong was the first to finish reading and handed over the last page.
People finished watching the film one after another, and many were still immersed in the love story of Nie Xiaoqian and Ning Caichen.
In Shengyuan Continent, novelists are not valued. Even if there are novels, most of them are mainly for teaching. Although previous works such as "Romance of the West Chamber" and "Legend of the White Snake" also have educational ideas, they are generally based on stories. That is why they are very popular among the world and have amazing sales.
"The story of "A Chinese Ghost Story" is no less interesting than "Romance of the West Chamber" and "Legend of the White Snake". Fang Yun has the ability to revive the field of novelists," said Jia Jing'an.
Manager Tang suddenly said, "Since the matter of the turtle demon has been lifted, why don't you write a "Legend of the White Snake" to record the true story of the scholar and the white snake and pass it down to future generations?"
Fang Yun said: "Okay, then I will write a sequel and publish it together with the later printing of The Legend of the White Snake."
Fang Yun went back to the house and wrote a 2,000-word sequel to "The Legend of the White Snake" and handed it to the shopkeeper Tang. The shopkeeper Tang took the three copies of the manuscript and left quickly, saying that they would be published simultaneously all over the country tomorrow!
Fang Yun knew that Xuanting Shuxing could do it with his ability, but he didn't care about the publication time.
In the evening, Fang Yun and his friends went to Wangjiang Tower to attend the celebration banquet.
Everyone thought that Fang Yun would write a good poem at the celebration banquet, but Fang Yun said that today was just a celebration and an apology, and he would not write a poem, so everyone had to give up.
Wangjiang Tower is a famous restaurant in Dayuan Prefecture. Many literati and poets have left their names in this restaurant. Today, because Fang Yun has booked the entire restaurant, all the influential literati in Dayuan Prefecture came to congratulate him.
Someone spread the news that Fang Yun was hosting a banquet in Wangjiang Tower, which attracted a large number of scholars from Dayuan City to come uninvited. More and more people came to Wangjiang Tower, and the entire Wangjiang Tower unknowingly turned into a literary gathering.
Fang Yun decided to keep a low profile today. He first announced that he would not write poetry today, and then said that he would pay for the prizes of today's literary gathering, which would be divided into two competitions, the scholar competition and the juren competition. The first place winner of each competition would get a couplet of his calligraphy, the second place winner would get 1,000 taels of silver, and the third place winner would get 500 taels of silver.
The things in Fang Yun's Yinjiangbei were polarized. Either they were extremely valuable items, like Jinshi Wenbao, mysterious stones, etc., or they were all kinds of ordinary utensils. Now there was really no way to come up with a suitable prize, and he could only offer a thousand taels of silver.
To Fang Yun, this thing was worthless, but for an ordinary scholar, one thousand taels of silver was a huge sum of money, not to mention Fang Yun's handwritten couplet.
In Jiangzhou, especially in Dayuan Prefecture and Yuhai Prefecture, many superstitious old people regarded Fang Yun as the god of literature who had descended to earth. Thousands of families had set up tablets for Fang Yun, and worshipped him once in the morning and evening, praying that their children and grandchildren would be blessed by Fang Yun and pass the imperial examinations.
As word spread, more and more scholars and candidates came to Wangjiang Tower. Finally, the entire Wangjiang Tower was filled with too many people. Those scholars who had finished writing poems could only leave and wait for the final result outside the door.
By late night, everyone had selected the top three scholars and juren.
"Please give the couplet to Fang Wenhou!" After presiding over the literary gathering, Prefect Sun said this, Fang Yun walked down from the second floor. The people crowded on the stairs stood aside to make way, and the people below also made way to the center of the main hall.
The main hall was packed with scholars and candidates, and many people outside the door stretched their necks to look inside, and the people at the farthest end had to jump high to see.
Fang Yun came to the table in the middle and bowed to the people around him. The pens, ink and paper were ready. The paper for the joint words was divided into three types: long, medium and short. Fang Yun could choose whatever he wanted.
Fang Yun picked up the pen, looked around, and said, "Everyone has seen what happened in the past few days. Those who came here must support someone of mine. Those who wish I would give up the exam probably don't have the nerve to come here."
Everyone chuckled.
"When I was playing the trick of self-torture, I knew exactly what was happening in the outside world. It was a good exercise for me. Thank you to those who attacked me, because you made me stronger and more courageous!"
There was a lot of praise.
"I have been filled with emotion these past few days and have a lot to say, but since there are too many, I will not say anything. I will write a couplet to express my gratitude to you all!"
After Fang Yun finished speaking, he picked up his pen and wrote two couplets.
The true character of pine and cypress is revealed in winter, and a friend in times of adversity is revealed.
A journey of a thousand miles tests the strength of a horse; time reveals a person's true character.
This calligraphy couplet is not a couplet, but the truth contained in it is extremely true. Everyone sighs after reading it. Indeed, events such as the Holy Pen Review are examples of how a friend in need is tested and how time reveals a person's true character.
These words are not profound, but they are true enough.
Many older people chew on these sentences carefully and find them to be more and more reasonable, especially the first sentence which simplifies the words of Confucius.
Fang Yun wrote it again, one for the top scholar and one for the top juren, and then everyone cheered loudly.
Late at night, the celebration banquet ended and the scholars left reluctantly. Many of them exchanged business cards, and the business cards Fang Yun received were piled up in a place at Yinjiangbei, half a person's height.
With business cards, one can send urgent messages to their owners, or use them to visit their friends directly. It is one of the main ways to expand one's network.
On the way home, Fang Yun received a letter from Chen Xibi.
"The young Duke of the Kang family sent a letter asking why Guanzhang Yu was detained. I have reported it to Grand Commander Lu, and Grand Commander Lu said that nobles should not interfere in government affairs. If the young Duke dares to do so again, I will definitely file a memorial to accuse him."
Fang Yun sat in the carriage, thinking deeply.
King Kang had many children, but only two princes had extremely high status, and the others had almost no power.
One is the Crown Prince of Kang, born to the previous Queen of Kang and the legal heir of Kang, but his mother has passed away.
The other one is the Little Duke, who was born to the new Queen of King Kang, and the new Queen was from the Liansheng family. The Little Duke was the grandson of the current Liansheng family and had a prominent status. He was not just an ordinary noble, but also a learned Juren.
Fang Yun did not expect that the young Duke was so smart. With his status, he could have sent a letter to ask for the release of the person, but he was just asking. This was actually no different from asking for the release of the person, but he could avoid the blame of the censors of the Supervisory Council. Lu Hongyi's reaction was a bit too radical, and he should not have said it so directly.
Chen Xibi sent a letter, obviously worried about the power of the young Duke, asking whether to let Guan Chang Yu go.
Fang Yun replied: "I will not release him until he has been detained for a full month!"
Not long after, Cai He sent a letter.
"An old friend sent me a letter, hoping that I would persuade you to release Guan Changyu and give the young Duke some face. What do you think?"
"He wants face, but I, Fang Yun, don't want it? This is the price you pay for daring to steal my longevity fruit! Unless Guan Changyu's elders come to my house in person to admit their mistakes, there is no room for maneuver in this matter!" Fang Yun's reply was blunt.
Cai He read Fang Yun’s reply and sighed softly.
Minister of Culture Jiang Hechuan sat cross-legged by the river with his eyes closed, his beard and eyebrows were all white, and his long silver-white hair was scattered behind him. He did not look like an ordinary person.
"He refused?" Jiang Hechuan said with his eyes closed.
"Yes. Alas, it's just a trivial matter. Why would you have to quarrel with the grandson of the Lian Family Patriarch?"
"So he will go further than you in the future! If he was a student or a scholar, would he dare to do so?"
"At that time, he didn't dare to provoke such a person."
"If you don't change after you become a juren, you will have no chance in the future. Good. This boy has more potential than you."
Cai He complained, "I am your student. I finally carried a 500-jin table to you. Why are you praising an outsider?"
"Stop talking nonsense and continue to experience the Enlightenment River!" Wen Xiang waved his hand, and Cai He's back was hit by an invisible force. His body rushed forward involuntarily and fell into the Enlightenment River.
Cai He squatted in the waist-deep river water. He raised his head and looked at Jiang Hechuan with a wronged look on his face. Only his direct disciples knew that this highly respected minister of literature was never lenient when educating his disciples.
"I will keep any good things from Fang Yun for myself in the future!" Cai He thought.
Because he was going to study tomorrow, Fang Yun did not drink a drop of wine, and after returning home he read as usual.
Before becoming a student, reading is more boring and tests one's endurance. But the higher the level of education, the stronger the feeling that reading brings.
Now, every time Fang Yun comprehends new knowledge, he will feel an unusually comfortable feeling mentally, as if he has received a spiritual baptism.
At a certain point, the feeling is no longer strong, but becomes mellow and long-lasting like fine wine, even making people slightly tipsy.
Every realization seems like a spiritual transformation.
After finishing reading, Fang Yun went to bed early. After sleeping for two hours, when the sky brightened, he got up, washed, and ate.
Those friends from Shengxu came one after another and went to the Academy of Literature together.
The area in front of the Academy of Literature was still bustling, but much less busy than on the day of the imperial examination.
Fang Yun bid farewell to his friends and entered the State Academy of Literature.
All the candidates ranked after the 20th on the list would, when they saw Fang Yun, address him with great respect, either as Wen Hou or as Brother Fang, and their gratitude would be evident in words.
When the time came, everyone entered the main hall of the holy temple.
Then the main hall door was closed.
His eyes suddenly turned dark and bright, and Fang Yun couldn't help but blink, and saw a familiar scene.
There was green grass under my feet, a small river in front of me, and nine green mountains across the river, each one higher than the other. The sky in the distance was azure blue, the same color as the sky that the great scholars had seen before the foreign monarchs came to Beijing.
Fang Yun smiled slightly, but then looked confused. He didn't want others to see that he still remembered Shushan.
More than 30,000 candidates stood on the green lawn. Some of them who could not hold their temper shouted and kept touching their bodies, but most of them remained calm and looked around carefully.
Most people were on alert, but suddenly someone shouted with a thunderous tongue: "Where is Fang Zhenguo?"
Most of the people around Fang Yun were scholars from Jing State. They subconsciously moved closer to Fang Yun, protecting him and facing that man.
Before Fang Yun could speak, a scholar shouted, "What do you want from Fang Wenhou?"
"Jingguo accent? Haha, of course I have to thank him! Our Sizhou admitted 500 candidates, and Shushan originally only admitted 100 candidates. I happened to be ranked 101st. If I had no luck, I would never have entered Shushan in my life. Naturally, I have to thank this great benefactor!"
The scholar from Jing State looked back at Fang Yun.
Fang Yun smiled and bowed to the man, saying: "Fang Yun is here. If you want to thank someone, you should thank the saints. They have the final say."
The big man bowed to Fang Yun in a serious manner, and then said: "I am Qu Zhengxiang from the State of Qiguo, thank you Fang Yun!" (To be continued...)