Palace Fighting: Naive Concubines' Ascent to Power-Chapter 537: This Lian Mu is No Ordinary Person

Especially Tian Cuozi, whose poetry was completely nonsensical, pure rubbish, yet he was smug and self-righteous about it.

It was then that he realized that Tian Cuozi’s reputation was all hot air, more bloated than a bull.

He was completely distressed. When Tian Cuozi asked him for feedback, he scoffed coldly and dropped the phrase "a tortoise reciting scriptures," then stormed off.

From then on, the two became enemies.

This morning, he went to Shanxue Square and, after seeing Lian Musu in person, he felt that the man indeed had some grace. However, he became anxious when he saw Lian Musu just sitting with his eyes closed, not writing anything.

Especially since Tian Cuozi was also there. When the two groups met, Tian Cuozi deliberately mocked him, infuriating him, appearing extremely arrogant and disgusting, which angered him to the point of vomiting blood.

He was provoked to the extreme and immediately made a bet with Tian Cuozi that Lian Musu would win, with the stakes being that the loser must call the winner "father".

If he lost, having to call Tian Cuozi "father" would be more painful than death itself.

Regarding Lian Musu, he did not know much, only what he heard from others. He was as unsure as everyone else and feared that, like Tian Cuozi, the reputation was merely inflated, so he was more nervous and worried than anyone.

After having lunch with Brother Wu and the others, they started waiting at Shanxue Square.

Later, when Lian Musu finally made a movement, he was more excited than anyone.

Gradually, as he watched, his fears of losing the bet shifted to being utterly impressed by Lian Musu.

Experts observe the details, and novices enjoy the show. When scholars write, unless inspiration flows naturally, it is hard to achieve success in one go. However, the thematic essays of the imperial examinations are not like casual writing; they are not so easy.

In the examination hall, due to various reasons, thoughts seldom flow smoothly. One has to write intermittently, decide on a thesis, think about how to approach the question, and then consider how to articulate and express their ideas.

The safest method is to clarify one’s thoughts and write them down slowly, then revise them and finally, ensure no doubts remain. The manuscript needs to be copied neatly and cleanly to be visually pleasing.

After such preparations, the day would pass by.

In the examination hall, only if there is ample time can one achieve perfection. Otherwise, maintaining a particularly clean sheet without any erased errors is very difficult.

But seeing Lian Musu’s writing, the student named Zheng was convinced. Indeed, there were individuals in the path of imperial examinations who could compose an essay in one go on such a grand topic, which was truly astonishing.

The manner of his writing, the fluidity of his script, appeared as if he had everything well-prepared, extremely smooth. From his perspective, there likely weren’t even many mistakes.

Because he never saw Lian Musu circle or strike through any characters; the man just kept writing, setting aside each completed sheet to dry before starting on another.

In such circumstances, under such topics, writing the entire answer in one breath was unbelievable, utterly astonishing.

What shocked him even more was the early submission of the paper!

This was incredible, something he had always wanted to do but never achieved.

Even now, after the papers were collected and everyone had dispersed, he still could not believe it.

He couldn’t help but say to the person next to him, "Brother Wu, you were right. Brother Lian indeed had everything well planned, his closing his eyes this morning must have been him contemplating how to tackle the topic."

Brother Wu, equally impressed, replied, "Hmm, his writing flowed smoothly, the strokes had spirit, likely due to the morning’s deep contemplation. With so many people watching, still to be so calm and unflustered, truly admirable. Brother Zheng, setting aside other things, just this composure alone is worth learning from us."

The student named Zheng nodded thoughtfully and seriously. He decided there and then, Brother Lian would be his friend for life.

"I really want to know now how Brother Lian answered..."

"Yes, truly looking forward to it..."

Minister Fan stroked his beard and followed the dispersing crowd.

His hair and beard were completely white, making him particularly conspicuous in the crowd, and his smiling face gave him the appearance of a kindly old grandfather.

He had descended from the second floor of the study earlier. The moment Lian Musu started to write, he couldn’t help himself.

At his age, with his fading eyesight, viewing from afar wasn’t as clear as from up close. Therefore, he nimbly squeezed to the front. At his age, no one dared to squeeze him, fearing they might harm him.

The more he watched Lian Musu, the more satisfied he became. He continuously praised in his heart, "Good lad, undisturbed by external factors, very good, very good."

They had met before, and he intentionally dropped a rare book for Lian Musu. At that moment, he knew Lian Musu had been wanting to find him. While he stood there perfectly fine, Lian Musu could have looked up and seen him, but he kept his focus and didn’t glance over, which impressed Minister Fan even more.

In his view, what was it to hand in the paper early? A talented person should be like this. His disciples should have such boldness, like playing a game of chess, thoughtful before making a move without regret, truly showing one’s skill!

These onlookers were making a fuss over nothing.

At this moment, unlike the anxious state he had been in when he saw Lian Musu close his eyes and remain still in the morning, Minister Fan was now thoroughly pleased. He ambled forward, moving towards areas with more people. Listening to the surrounding crowd praising his disciple, he felt extremely fulfilled.

Just then, a man going against the crowd brushed past him rapidly from the side.

Minister Fan felt somewhat displeased; this interrupted his enjoyment of the praises for his disciple.

He turned his head to look at the person who bumped him, spotting a skinny old man, dressed in a Confucian robe with a scholarly scarf, lean and fragile-looking as if a gust of wind could sweep him away. The little flesh on his face seemed newly grown, notably protruding.

The skinny old man also turned back and squeezed a formal scholar’s greeting out of the crowd, "Old sir, are you alright? I truly apologize, I was rushing to Shanxue Square and didn’t notice you."

So, he was heading to see his disciple. Minister Fan understood and the smile returned to his face, a hint of pride in his expression.

He stroked his beard and said, "No harm done. Are you going to see Taiyuan Jieyuan Lian Muchong’s examination?"

The skinny old man was taken aback and answered, "Indeed."

He had heard about it later and had just come over.

Minister Fan waved his hand dismissively, "Then you are too late, it’s a pity, it has just dispersed."

"Isn’t the paper collected at dusk?" The skinny old man was completely stunned.

He had received some wonderful news that thrilled him too much to stay indoors; thus, he headed out to vent his excitement.

After hearing about the event, he had immediately rushed over.

Although he had given up on taking the Juren exam, watching others take the test still held great allure for him, especially upon hearing about Lian Mu, whose elegance was extraordinary.

Even just to join the spectacle, he wanted to come, all the more so since he was in a good mood today and had no worries, leisurely enjoying his time.

Minister Fan’s smile deepened, stroking his beard, he said, "This Lian Mu is no ordinary person. His talent is outstanding, knowledgeable and full of wisdom. He handed in his paper early and left. If you wish to see what he looks like, you could buy a portrait of him over there."

After speaking, he pointed towards a nearby vendor selling portraits, where some girls were inquiring.

Seeing a hint of astonishment and regret emerge on the skinny old man’s face, Minister Fan felt completely content and stroked his beard as he slowly drifted away.

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