"Okay, okay, okay." The people downstairs started to make noise.
A wonderful article was posted on the wall, and the onlookers praised it and cheered loudly.
"Yun Hehua is worthy of being the most talented man in Jiangnan. He deserves the first place in this imperial examination." Someone spoke passionately, his voice full of amazement.
"Brother Yang is wrong. In this imperial examination, apart from Yun Hehua, the most popular candidates are Liu Liyang, the second son of Shandong Liu family, Li Yaozu, the son-in-law of the Minister of Rites in Beijing, Ge Hongming, the grandson of Wenyuan Pavilion Grand Secretary, and Chang Hehui, a famous scholar in Huzhou."
"I seem to remember there was also Mr. Qingyang." A scholar reminded.
"Tsk! Him." Someone sneered and said disdainfully: "He is just the son-in-law of the Marquis of Jingyang Mansion. The Ancient Romance is indeed a good book, but he is a person..."
Everyone stopped talking. Generally, only those who seek wealth and power would marry Shuang'er as their principal wife. Even though Qingyang Jushi was famous for his talent, the truly proud literati looked down on him and thought that he tarnished the style of literati.
Another scholar echoed, "Besides, apart from the ancient novels, have you ever seen any other articles written by Qingyang Jushi? Who knows if they are just for fame and reputation?"
Li Yaonan remained calm, as he had expected this kind of situation. The name of Mr. Qingyang brought him both advantages and disadvantages. If he did nothing, he would be the son-in-law of Marquis Jingyang's mansion. But if he could pass the imperial examination with his own ability, others would see him as a real person.
This is also the reason why he has never gone out in the six months since he came to Beijing. The first reason is that he has to prepare for the exam, and the second reason is that if someone rises too fast like him and has an unstable foundation, it will always cause all kinds of comments from others. There is no need for him to argue with others over these unimportant things at this time, because time will tell the truth anyway.
Sooner or later, he and the Marquis of Jingyang’s Mansion will draw a line between themselves and each other!
Lu Zhian nodded and smiled at him with an apologetic look on his face. Fearing that Li Yaonan would be embarrassed, he quickly changed the subject and said with a smile, "Yun Hehua is indeed talented. He was the first in the provincial examination. I think he has a great chance of winning."
"Not necessarily. Yun Hehua is a proud person who always looks down on others. He posted an article here today. I'm afraid he is panicking." Fan Taining curled his lips and continued lightly, "Although Yun Hehua is well-known in Jiangnan, this is the capital after all. Ge Hongming is the most popular candidate for the top prize, so he is anxious.
Li Yaonan just smiled and said nothing. Yun Hehua was a famous talent in Jiangnan. He won the first place in the provincial examination and was quite arrogant. Although he liked arrogant people, he did not like stupid people. Ever since the provincial examination, he knew that he and Yun Hehua were not the same kind of people.
The atmosphere at the table became relaxed after their conversation, but Li Yaonan wanted to calm down, but someone wouldn't let him.
Fan Pengyi looked at him with a smile and said loudly, "Hey, the name of Qingyang Jushi seems to be very similar to that of Li Yaozu. I heard that you two are both from Jiangnan. Is there any connection? Brother Yaonan, please explain."
Brother Yaonan? Li Yaonan? Isn't this the name of the lay Buddhist Qingyang? Could it be that he is here today too
The people downstairs looked up one after another, and some seemed embarrassed, after all, they had just said something bad about the other person.
Li Yaonan remained calm, his smile not reaching his eyes. He carefully looked at Lu Zhian and found that he was also surprised. He felt relieved and said calmly, "Li Yaozu and I are from the same clan."
Fan Pengyi did not intend to let him go, and continued: "I have heard of the great name of Master Qingyang for a long time, but I have never seen his calligraphy. It is a rare opportunity for us to meet today, and I hope Brother Yaonan will be generous in giving me some advice."
"Brother Fan, you are so polite. We are not familiar with each other. Just call me Brother Li."
Fan Pengyi's face darkened. He didn't expect Li Yaonan to be so disrespectful. Lu Zhian also became angry and said, "Brother Fan, today I was supposed to be meeting with Brother Li. We said we would only talk about romance. Why are you so aggressive?"
Fan Pengyi sneered: "I originally wanted to see Brother Li's literary talent, but since it's not good enough, forget it. Why did Brother Lu bother to provoke me with words?"
"You..." Lu Zhian stopped talking, and the apology in his eyes became more obvious.
Someone downstairs shouted, "Master Qingyang, you don't dare, do you?"
Li Yaonan's eyes turned cold and he sighed slightly in his heart. In any case, his friendship with Lu Zhian had come to an end. No matter whether Lu Zhian was innocent or not, even if he was not aware of it, he brought someone else with him when they met to reminisce the past. This was the only thing he did wrong.
I can understand Lu Zhian's difficulties, but I just don't agree with them. In order to get into officialdom, the Lu family has been lurking for too long and has been too cautious. They wanted to be smooth with everyone and not offend anyone, but in fact they ended up being at a disadvantage!
Li Yaonan felt a little regretful. Lu Zhian was very talented, had a desire for revenge and ideals, but he didn't know what he would become with the burden of the family on his shoulders.
Li Yaonan walked down the stairs slowly with a faint smile on his lips. His robe swayed with his steps. He exuded an indescribable dignity and elegance, but he did not make people feel superior. Instead, he exuded a sense of closeness everywhere, which made people feel good about him at first sight.
This is a skill he developed in his previous life. Although there is no warmth in his eyes, the illusion of tenderness and focused gaze always make people feel that he is looking at them, and make people feel respected and valued. This is a special trick that Playboy uses to deal with women, and it actually works well here too.
"I am a humble man, and I am honored to meet all of you... scholars." Li Yaonan thought for a long time and finally found a suitable title.
Seeing him so polite and kind, everyone seemed a little embarrassed. Someone asked curiously, "Master Qingyang, are you planning to leave a calligraphy work?"
Li Yaonan smiled warmly, glanced at everyone, and said kindly: "Why not." Since he has been pushed forward, he might as well act in a high-profile manner. Originally, he wanted to wait until after the trial before showing his talent in front of others, but now it is better to do it earlier.
Soon, the waiter of the teahouse brought writing brush and ink.
Lai Yaonan pondered for a while, then used the running script invented by modern calligraphers and many famous calligraphers to write:
Knowledge of the world is knowledge, and understanding of human nature is writing.
Use copper as a mirror to adjust your clothes and appearance; use the past as a mirror to understand the rise and fall of things; use people as a mirror to understand your gains and losses.
This is a wise saying taken from Dream of the Red Chamber and Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty. It has been passed down from ancient times to the present day, and I'm afraid it won't fool these people.
"Good, good words, good sentences." As soon as someone saw the two sentences he wrote, they immediately praised him.
"Great handwriting." Someone else exclaimed loudly.
It was then that everyone discovered that the handwriting of Li Yaonan seemed to be different from any other handwriting currently available.
"This is..." No matter how calm a person is, he would be shocked and startled beyond words when he sees this new font.
In an instant, Li Yaonan's limelight overshadowed Yun Hehua.
Li Yaonan lowered his head modestly, speaking in a very gentle tone: "I am not talented, and my calligraphy has not yet reached its peak. I have only practiced to this point. Today, seeing that everyone is so excited, I couldn't help but show off my skills."
Some people blushed. They were not in high spirits at all. They were clearly looking for trouble. However, Li Yaonan spoke in a friendly manner, with a hint of joking in his voice. He seemed not to take it to heart at all. This made them feel very happy. They all praised him for his magnanimity and said he was indeed a famous person.
Of course, some people were unhappy. Li Yaonan suddenly found that there were quite a few shady people in the teahouse today. In addition, Fan Pengyi looked very unhappy. Yun Hehua in the compartment downstairs was overshadowed by others. How could Yun Hehua be happy? However, as a proud person, he could not step forward to argue. He could only hold back his anger and blush.
After today, no one would say that Mr. Qingyang was seeking fame and reputation. Li Yaonan was very sensitive and realized that someone was deliberately targeting him. Fan Pengyi's attack was too coincidental and totally unreasonable. Since he could get to know Lu Zhian, he must not be a stupid person. He had reason to believe that there was someone behind Fan Pengyi.
Although Li Yaonan had expected that the rapid rise of Qingyang Layman would certainly cause suspicion and perhaps even some comments, he heard too many rumors today. It seemed that apart from a book, Qingyang Layman had nothing to recommend him. Li Yaonan's intuition told him that someone was deliberately belittling him. Although the action was very obscure, it was not difficult to find out if they were connected. After all, the imperial examination results had not yet come out, and it was too suspicious to start a fight at this time. As long as one was smart, he would not do this.
Li Yaonan couldn't understand where all the malice came from since he seemed to have never offended anyone in Beijing.
He had an appointment with Lu Zhian yesterday, and many people at the entrance of the Imperial Examination Hall heard it. He felt that everything today seemed to be arranged specifically for him. The people in the dark probably saw that he seldom went out, so they took this opportunity today. If he did not have some real ability, even if he performed decently, as long as he was not outstanding enough and could not suppress Yun Hehua's limelight, he might lose his reputation today.
People always like to compare with each other. Mr. Qingyang did not have a good impression in the eyes of the public. Although he later regained his face with his momentum, if his performance was not good enough, the people in the dark would certainly take the opportunity to cause trouble. Then his reputation of seeking fame and power would definitely be confirmed.
Could it be the Marquis Jingyang’s Mansion
Li Yaonan shook his head. He didn't have any big grudges with Jingyang Marquis Mansion. It was just that he was rejected in the past. But he was also the one who was embarrassed in this matter. In such a situation, Jingyang Marquis Mansion should not spend energy to deal with a small person
Lai Yaozu
Although Lai Yaozu had some ability, could he invite Wan Hehua? Fan Pengyi? Lai Yaonan thought it was impossible.
After thinking carefully for a moment, he could only temporarily set his target on Jingyang Marquis's Mansion. After all, he and his husband did not visit Jingyang Marquis's Mansion during the New Year this year. If Jingyang Marquis's Mansion was angry about this, it might not be impossible for them to teach him a lesson.
Today he had a great time but returned disappointed. As soon as Li Yaonan returned home, he went straight to Xiao Xuer's bedroom, intending to find comfort in front of the child. Xiao Xuer is now eight months old. Not only can he roll over, he can also crawl and is extremely naughty.
Lin Yixuan was playing with the children and placed a colorful hydrangea in front of them, letting Xiao Xuer pick it up by herself.
Xiao Xu climbed and climbed with great effort. His chubby appearance made everyone in the room laugh.
Seeing Li Yaonan coming back, Lin Yixuan noticed something was wrong with him and asked with a smile, "What's wrong? Didn't you have an appointment with a friend today?"
Li Yaonan waved his hand: "Don't mention it." He bent down, picked up his son and gave him a big kiss. Poor little Xu'er was about to touch the beautiful hydrangea, but it disappeared in a flash. What he saw was his father's stinky face.
Xiao Xuer was dissatisfied, and he grabbed his father's hair with his claws and teeth.
Li Yaonan cried out in pain and felt depressed. This child was simply outrageous.
Lin Yixuan burst into laughter: "Give the child to me quickly."
Li Yaonan finally escaped from the clutches of the devil. The two of them played with the child for a while until Xiaoxuer fell asleep. Lin Yixuan then asked him what happened. Li Yaonan did not hide it. He knew that his husband was not the short-sighted man in the inner house. Besides, his husband was more familiar with the capital. It was better for two people to analyze than for him to figure it out alone. He didn't like the feeling of being in the light while the enemy was in the dark, which would catch him off guard.