A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 236 It’s great to be young
Early the next morning.

Sima Chi hurriedly went to the government office and told Prefect Liu Ye about his conversation with Song Xuan the day before.

Liu Ye's understanding of Song Xuan came from Qian Weiyan's retelling of letters from the child prodigy Yan Shu.

Song Xuan is a rare young talent who will surely achieve great things in the future.

Anyway, there's no harm in praising it.

However, after Sima Chi finished speaking with Liu Ye, he fell into deep thought.

Because Song Xuan was originally from a farming family.

His insightful observations suggest that he was once a child prodigy, but his family prevented him from taking the imperial examinations.

He should have followed Yan Shu's path; otherwise, he would have already gained some experience in officialdom.

Who knows, he might have even been able to study with the officials when he was young!
What's your son thinking?

Seeing Liu Ye's inquiry, Sima Chi stroked his beard with a hint of pride and said:
“He agrees with what Song Twelve said, because my son knows nothing about military matters.”

"Alas, the Spring and Autumn Annals also records events of war; otherwise, why would Guan Yu love reading it?"

Liu Ye made a joke, and Sima Chi smiled but didn't say anything more.

In any case, Song Xuan's judgment was correct. If they could seize this opportunity, it would be well worth a try for Liu Ye, the prefect of Henan Prefecture.

It all depends on whether he has the courage!

However, Sima Chi clearly underestimated Liu Ye; Song Dynasty officials were quite audacious.

Prefect Liu Ye then nodded and said:
"Song Twelve's assessment is worth a try. In the end, it won't cause too much loss to the merchants. Not only can it increase tax revenue, but it can also indirectly increase the wages of the weavers. It's a good thing!"

In a flash, Liu Ye wondered if Song Xuan had secretly helped Yan Shu achieve such good results in Yingtian Prefecture.
After all, there are some good ideas that many people can't come up with after they become officials.

The imperial examination was the imperial examination.

But becoming an official is not like taking the imperial examination!

Just because you do well on a test doesn't mean you can do well in general.

"Prefect Liu is absolutely right. This matter should be handled promptly, as opportunities in battle are fleeting!"

"good."

Liu Ye immediately went back to write documents and asked Sima Chi to call over a group of local silk tycoons so he could sound them out first.

Merchants wouldn't normally have such foresight regarding this matter.

Song Xuan stayed at the Taishi Academy in Luoyang.

The five of them fit perfectly into one room.

Given these accommodations, Song Xuan was carrying a bamboo wife in his arms.

Otherwise, it's really hard to fall asleep.

"Twelfth brother."

Zhang Fangping immediately rushed in with a group of people:
"I've been waiting for you to come!"

Lü Lejian also burst into laughter:

"That's it."

We thought you weren't coming!

Looking at his friends, Song Xuan stopped talking nonsense.

He slowly got up, began washing up, and answered their questions as he did so.

Anyway, there was something going on at home, and my grandfather dragged me back to the village to brag about it for a while before letting them go first.

Despite this, Song Xuan still rushed back to attend the wedding ceremony of his subordinate Ji Hao. After giving a gift, he returned to his hometown to continue acting as a mascot.

After all, they don't even show their faces during the New Year. Song Xuan passed the provincial examination with top honors but still doesn't show up. What will others think of the Song family?
Will I still be able to establish myself in my hometown of Ningling County in the future?

It was originally a very simple matter, but the Song family desperately needed to boost their prestige.

The first person in so many years to pass the provincial examination with top honors must show off a lot.

Of course, Song Xuan heard a lot of compliments, but some people also gossiped about him behind his back.

Passing the provincial examination with the highest score is not the same as passing the imperial examination with the highest score. Why make such a big fuss about it?

"What do you think of Taishi Academy?"

"Hidden Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

"There are capable people."

"They've all been refuted, and now we're just waiting for Twelfth Brother to save the day and bring glory to Yingtian Academy."

"Yeah."

"puff."

Song Xuan spat out the foam from brushing his teeth and then rinsed his mouth carefully.

I don't believe a word they say.

However, it's undeniable that geniuses exist in many places.

However, its liquidity is very low.

The only way people could meet and become opponents was to go to Tokyo to participate in the provincial examination.

Even then, you might not meet them by chance.

For example, Ouyang Xiu, whose reputation also rose.

"Let's not talk about this or that."

After Song Xuan packed his things:
"Let's go to the class first. Is there any breakfast available here?"

"There are stalls at the entrance of the academy. Unlike our academy, Taishi Academy does not provide meals."

Wang Tai made a comment, but didn't say anything more.

Since graduating from Yingtian Academy, I've made a bunch of friends.

In any case, he looked down on all the other academies.

The sense of "collective honor" has now been aroused.

Especially after losing a debate to students from the local academy.

Wang Tai was particularly eager to get revenge.

After much anticipation, Song Xuan finally arrived.

He felt that the day when the students of Taishi Academy would be defeated by their arguments had finally arrived.

Therefore, Wang Tai and the others happily followed Song Xuan to have breakfast outside the academy.

And the cheerful shouts of these outsiders.

This naturally attracted the attention of the local academy students.

"Could it be that Song Xuan, the top scholar from Yingtian Prefecture whom they've been talking about, Song Twelve, has arrived?"

"Judging from their appearance, it's probably true."

"Alright, let me see what's so great about this Song Jieyuan."

After finishing his meal, Song Xuan went to the classroom prepared for the students on their study tour and listened to the teacher's lecture.

In the afternoon, there will be free time to move around.

Before the students of Yingtian Academy, who had been holding back for so long, could even take the initiative, the students of Taishi Academy, who had tasted success and gained fame by stepping on the students of Yingtian Academy, took the initiative to accept the invitation to debate.

After all, it was the biggest trump card of Yingtian Academy.

Song Xuan, the top scholar in the imperial examination, has arrived.

If one could defeat the top scholar in a debate, it would be excellent for making a name for oneself.

Are there any unofficial newspapers or similar publications in the Song Dynasty to help spread your reputation?

The most important thing is word of mouth.

You just bury yourself in your books and do nothing else.

Why should people mention your name when they're just chatting?

In addition, many people lack poetic talent and can only spread their own fame by stepping on the names of others.

With Song Xuan's arrival, Yingtian Academy's biggest trump card has been revealed.

If not now, when?

"What you are saying is like a frog in a well talking about the sea, or a summer insect talking about ice."

"The classics are meant to enlighten us, not to be memorized."

"Go back and think it over carefully first."

Upon hearing Song Xuan's words, the students of Taishi Academy were sweating profusely, but they still maintained basic etiquette and retreated, unlike the previous student who had fainted from anger at Song Xuan's words.

"it is good!"

Lü Lejian, true to his nature of enjoying a good show and never shying away from making things worse, loudly cheered:

"Who else?"

In three consecutive debates, Song Xuan participated in every single one and defeated them all.

With morale high, Song Xuan returned to his seat, took out his bamboo tube, and drank a few sips to moisten his throat.

Wang Tai fanned Song Xuan with a rather obsequious gesture.

By promoting the reputation of my Yingtian Academy in this way, we must pick up all the face we've lost these past few days, bit by bit.

Faced with Lü Lejian's question, the students of Taishi Academy did not step forward again.

In these three debates, those students who were good at debating were rendered almost powerless by Song Xuan's arguments.

Compared to the principles they learn from books, which sound so unrealistic and empty!

Standing in the crowd, Mei Yaochen looked at the spirited Song Twelve and secretly admired him.

"A true man, this is what you should do!"

Unfortunately, he is currently just someone who is unable to afford the imperial examinations and is only there to listen in.

What right do they have to say such things?

Which student present wouldn't want to feel the admiring gaze of the entire audience?
If only I could be like Song Twelve, remaining calm and composed even after winning.

It just seems that's how it should be!

Wen Yanbo participated in all three debates without missing a single one.

He frowned and whispered to Gao Ruona beside him:
"This person's sophistry is extremely sophisticated. I didn't even understand the trap he set at the time until he explained it to me."

Gao Ruona nodded repeatedly:
"That's true, but I have to admit that things have become increasingly interesting since Song Twelve joined the debate."

"I wonder if anyone from Taishi Academy dares to take the initiative to challenge us."

"I never found it interesting at all before; it was like two children arguing about the sun."

"No hurries."

Wen Yanbo calmly replied:
"Those top-performing students from Taishi Academy haven't shown up yet, let's just keep watching the show."

"Yes, yes, yes." Gao Ruona put her hands behind her back:

"However, I think what Song Twelve said is really interesting. If it could be used in the policy essays for the imperial examinations, it would be fine."

"hiss."

Wen Yanbo gasped; he hadn't expected this question.

If that's really the case, it's enough to show how extensive Song Xuan's knowledge is.

He had already experienced Zhang Fangping's photographic memory firsthand.

Wen Yanbo thought that Zhang Fangping had read enough books.

Unexpectedly, there really is always someone better.

Wen Yanbo felt that Song Xuan had probably read more books than anyone else present.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to use those allusions so readily.

Young Fu Bi was also drawn to the debate. He stood in the crowd, oblivious to the sweat pouring down his face, and carefully pondered Song Xuan's words.

What he said was indeed very reasonable and thought-provoking!
Such a talented person deserves my attention and I should go up and get to know him.

So after the debate ended, Fu Bi squeezed through the crowd and took the initiative to talk to Song Xuan.

"Is it Yingtian Academy, Twelfth Brother?"

Song Xuan put down the bamboo tube in his hand, and seeing a handsome young man asking a question, he nodded:

"That's me. Are you here for a debate too?"

"No, I want to get to know Twelve."

Fu Bi took the initiative to introduce himself: "I am Fu Bi, courtesy name Yanguo, from Luoyang. I have long admired your name."

"Fu Bi?"

Song Xuan repeated the sentence.

He was praised by Fan Zhongyan as a talent fit to assist a king.

Fan Zhongyan showed Fu Bi's article to Wang Zeng and Yan Shu, and they both thought it was good. So much so that after reading it, Yan Shu immediately married his daughter to him.

When Emperor Renzong of Song reinstated the imperial examination system, Fan Zhongyan immediately advised Fu Bi to participate and pursue an official career, so that he could make full use of his talents.

The imperial examinations were held only after the emperor issued an edict.

The specific subjects and the timing of the events are not fixed and are subject to change frequently.

Initially, there were no restrictions on the qualifications of candidates; both current officials and ordinary scholars were eligible to take the exam and were allowed to nominate themselves.

Later, restrictions gradually increased. Self-recommendation was changed to recommendation by high-ranking officials; commoners had to be reviewed by local officials; and a "pavilion examination" was added before the imperial examination.

From then on, Fu Bi and Fan Zhongyan became family friends, and later Fan Chunren wrote Fu Bi's epitaph.

Fu Bi has not yet matured and has not yet gained Fan Zhongyan's appreciation.

Fu Bi had not yet gone to Yingtian Academy for further studies.

Song Xuan took a moment to react before laughing:
"I have long admired your name. I am Song Xuan, the twelfth son."

"what?"

Fu Bi did not consider himself famous. At this time, he had not yet been praised by literary masters Mu Xiu and Fan Zhongyan as a "talented scholar of Luoyang".

Therefore, Fu Bi was extremely surprised when Song Xuan said he had long admired his name.

"Hahaha."

Song Xuan pointed to his eyes:

"Just now, when we first met, you, Fu Bi, were so decisive and extremely polite in your speech. If you weren't well-read, how would you have dared to come up and talk to me on your own?"

"Therefore, I am certain that you, Fu Bi, will soon become famous in Luoyang!"

Upon hearing Song Xuan's words, Fu Bi still bowed and thanked him with great restraint.

Whether they were commoners or officials, Fu Bi treated them all the same, and would never apply double standards based on their social status.

However, Song Xuan's initiative to promote Fu Bi's reputation was something Fu Bi had never expected.

Because he felt that Song Xuan had real skills and knowledge, he wanted to get to know him.

I never expected Song Xuan to praise me like that!

Everyone was greatly surprised to see this.

I can't understand why Song Xuan would treat this student named Fu Bi this way.

"I'm tired too, how about we go out for dinner together?"

Fu Bi readily agreed, and Song Xuan left with his men.

Lü Lejian, naturally strutting around, laughed triumphantly and flattered Song Xuan, inviting him to debate or compose poetry.

After all, they had recited Song Xuan's poems before, so the students of Taishi Academy did not think of challenging Song Xuan in this regard.

On the contrary, they did have an advantage in the debate in the early stages, but once Song Xuan arrived, they could no longer gain such an advantage.

Wen Yanbo stood in the corner, watching Song Xuan leave with his newly acquainted friend Fu Bi, and sighed for a moment.

He was also known as a child prodigy, but he didn't act impulsively. Instead, he preferred to think things through thoroughly, maintain his dignity first, and then make sure he was fully prepared before taking action.

They would not have chosen to escalate the conflict at that time.

This is why Wen Yanbo sighed as he watched several people leave happily.

“Kuanfu, why are you sighing? Song Twelve is studying here, he will surely have another chance.”

Gao Ruona, however, did not take it to heart.

While Song Twelve was indeed learned, he was too sharp-tongued, which did not align with their respective philosophies of life.

Making friends with someone like that is very risky.

Those in the imperial court wouldn't like a junior who's too outspoken. With Song Xuan's personality, who knows how he'll be "tempered" in officialdom in the future!

However, Fu Bi didn't take it to heart and happily followed Song Xuan out of the Taishi Academy.

Make friends.

They always have to have a big meal to strengthen their relationship.

As for Wang Gui and Wang Bao, they were circling the horse, trying their best to ride it.

Nowadays, people take their horses out to find someone to teach them, or even hope that there is a veterinarian or something similar.

"Brother Fu, we are so happy today. As a local, you must find us the best restaurant in the area. Anyway, Lu Lejian will cover the expenses."

"Hey, why should I pay?"

Song Xuan glanced at him: "It's because you bully others and cause trouble for our Yingtian Academy. We came here to study, not to step on anyone's head."

"Yes."

Although Wang Tai felt extremely aggrieved, he did not intend to ridicule them.

After all, we'll be hanging out here for a while, so there's no need to make things too awkward.

"You have to pay for it."

After Song Xuan spoke, Lü Lejian didn't say anything more; she figured she could pay for it herself.

These people won't cost much.

Fu Bi was surprised to find that the students of Yingtian were quite noisy and that they actually had a good relationship.

Moreover, even scholars from good families like Wang Tai and Lü Lejian were convinced of Song Xuan's abilities.

It is evident that he must have been a leader at Yingtian Academy.

"Leave this to me."

Fu Bi's father was also an official, and he was currently serving as an official in another region.

He studied in Luoyang and had several younger siblings. He lived a simple life and was not extravagant.

Then, led by Fu Bi, they arrived at a small stall:

"This is the famous Luoyang potsticker, which is said to have been named by Emperor Taizu when he came to Luoyang."

Lu Lejian looked at Fu Bi and was quite surprised to see that he did not intend to save money for her.

Because he had long been prepared to suffer a major financial loss.

Since Song Xuan is here anyway, I can just eat his food since I don't have any money.

"I've tried all the potstickers in Luoyang, but this is the best."

"Alright, I'll follow Brother Fu's arrangements."

Song Xuan wasn't picky; after all, you had to be willing to use plenty of oil for these potstickers.
"Sit down, sit down. Today, let's try the potstickers that even the founding emperor praised."

Seeing that Song Xuan had already sat down, everyone pushed two more tables together and sat down around them.

While the shopkeeper was making potstickers, the group introduced themselves to each other.

Although Wang Gongshou, Yu Zhouxun, and Song Xuan shared a dormitory, Zhang Fangping and the others only thought it was a coincidence.

After all, how much funding does Taishi Academy have to allow students to live alone?
Even the tutors shared a room with one other person.

After everyone had finished introducing themselves, Zhang Fangping immediately asked impatiently:
"Twelfth Brother, are you going to focus on the debate from now on, or do you want to wander around?"

"What's the point of a debate? It's all just empty talk anyway."

Fu Bi once again looked at Song Xuan with newfound respect. It turned out that Song Xuan had not taken the debates that everyone else was praising seriously at all, and instead thought they were trivial matters.

"I plan to climb Laojun Mountain and visit the Eight Scenic Spots of Luoyang."

"what?"

Fu Bi knew about Lao Jun Mountain, which Song Xuan mentioned, but he had never heard of the Eight Scenic Spots of Luoyang. "Twelfth Brother, have you been tricked? There are no Eight Scenic Spots in Luoyang!"

Upon hearing Fu Bi's question, Song Xuan was momentarily stunned.

"Yes." Bao Zheng also found it slightly strange.
"We arrived in Luoyang before Twelve Lang, and we've never heard of this before."

Everyone looked at Song Xuan, wondering where he had gotten the information.

"I heard my deceased master tell me about the eight scenic spots of Luoyang:"
I. The Scenery of Longmen Mountain II. The Bell Tolls at Ma Temple III. Springtime in Jingu Valley IV. Evening View of Mangshan Mountain V. Dawn Moon over Tianjin VI. Autumn Wind over Luopu River VII. Morning Visit to Pingquan VIII. Evening Rain at Tongtuo Mountain.

"I've never heard of that before!"

Zhang Fangping shook his head. If the Eight Scenic Spots of Luoyang had existed long ago, they wouldn't have needed to enter Luoyang City to hear people mention these names.

"Hi."

Fu Bi couldn't help but clap his hands and said to Song Xuan with a smile:

"Shierlang's master is truly a genius; he gave these scenic spots wonderful names."

"To put it bluntly, it's either a temple, ruins, or a grave."

"As for the last one, I think it should be the largest market in the area, called Tongtuo Mo. However, due to the war, it is no longer as prosperous as it used to be."

Fu Bi thought for a moment and then said:

"It sounds like a good place, but according to Twelfth Brother's description, it needs to be visited at a specific time. Otherwise, you might not be able to see the scenery if you don't go at that time."

Song Xuan was holding the chopsticks there:

"Anyway, I think the main purpose of coming to Taishi Academy is to meet new friends, tour Luoyang (the capital of the Western Regions), and then I have to rush back to Nanjing."

"Dean Fan only gave me one month, including travel time, so I should see the Eight Scenic Spots of Luoyang."

Fu Bi hadn't expected Song Xuan to come to the academy in such a hurry.

"They're all not far away, and we can see them in a few days. It won't delay Twelfth Brother's schedule."

"it is good."

Song Xuan chuckled and responded. Zhang Fangping and the others understood that Song Xuan, as the top scholar of Yingtian Prefecture, carried too much on his shoulders.

After returning home, I still need to carefully review my lessons; perhaps I'm aiming for the provincial top score.

Just as they were eating potstickers at the stall.

Finally, a student from Taishi Academy went to see Liu Ji.

“Brother Liu, now the limelight of my Taishi Academy has been completely stolen by Song Xuan of Yingtian Academy. You should stand up and vindicate my Taishi Academy!”

Liu Ji's father was Prefect Liu Ye, so he wouldn't usually abuse that relationship to cause trouble at the academy.

He even spent most of his time studying diligently at the academy and rarely returned home.

At this moment, he heard a message from his classmate and turned the book again:

"Debates are so boring. Winning won't make you rank higher in the imperial examinations."

"Don't put all your mind on trivial matters; the right thing to do is to wait until next year when you take the provincial exam."

"If you rank higher than Song Xuan, the top scholar from Yingtian Prefecture, in the provincial examination, wouldn't you gain even more fame than if you could out-argue him now?"

Hearing Liu Ji's counter-question.

Several students who had come in a fit of rage to seek revenge on Liu Ji and Song Xuan immediately calmed down and began to think about what he had said.

How confident am I that I can outscore Song Xuan in the provincial examination?

In this debate, I cannot win against him.

As for writing poetry, there were probably few opportunities.

His poetic talent is something that ordinary people can't match.

Even for the provincial examination, talented individuals from all prefectures and states gathered in Tokyo for this grand event, and only a few could ultimately pass the provincial examination and enter the palace examination.

Even if you make it to the palace examination, you are not guaranteed to pass and become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).

For a moment, none of them spoke.

Instead, Liu Ji comforted them again, telling them to focus on reviewing their lessons.

People come from afar, so they are guests. How can we always try to suppress them?
Liu Ji himself was not a person who liked to fight.

So I'm too lazy to get involved in this kind of thing.

The group left Liu Ji's place, but were still unwilling to give up. They then discussed the matter and decided to go find the child prodigy Wang Anren.

"He only cares about studying and doesn't fit in with others. Will it be okay if we go to find him?"

"Yes, don't let him make you feel like you can't do anything and end up being ridiculed by him."

"Now that things have come to this, how can we not give it a try?"

So everyone hurried to find the child prodigy Wang Anren.

After Song Xuan won all three rounds of debate, the students of Tai Shen Academy quieted down and stopped making noise.

They finally understood clearly the gap between themselves and the top scholar.

They not only excel in exams, but they are also quite good at studying.

Song Xuan spent several days touring Luoyang City, and it must be said that there were indeed too many tombs on Mount Mangdang.

He stood on the hilltop, looking down, on an altar he didn't know belonged to, and was filled with emotion.

"Twelfth Brother, we're too early."

Fu Bi also looked down and, before they could ask any questions, explained:

“Since the Tang and Song dynasties, every Double Ninth Festival, visitors flock to Mount Mang.”

"As dusk fell, the city lights began to twinkle, and the clouds and mist drifted by."

"Standing on the summit and looking into the distance, everyone saw the surrounding mountains and rivers, the majestic city walls and the magnificent palaces, and felt refreshed and relaxed."

"Hahaha."

Upon hearing Fu Bi's description, everyone burst into laughter.

When you stand atop a mountain peak, it's hard not to feel a sense of grandeur.

"From the top of the hill, one can see the beauty of the Yi and Luo rivers; at dusk, the lights of thousands of homes are like stars in the sky."

"I've heard people say that one should be born in Suzhou or Hangzhou and buried in Beiman Mountain. Is that true?"

Hearing Song Xuan's question, Fu Bi nodded repeatedly:

"That's right. From the Eastern Zhou Dynasty to the present, countless people have been buried here, most of them kings, nobles and generals."

“Besides the mausoleum of Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu and Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei, famous figures such as Yi Yin, Lü Buwei, Ban Chao, Di Renjie, Du Fu, and Bai Juyi are also buried in the Mangshan area.”

"People often say that there is no place to lie down on Mount Mang, and there is a tomb every ten steps, but the identities of most of the tomb owners are unknown."

Song Xuan gazed at the beautiful scenery of Mangdang Mountain once more, then nodded and said:

"I don't know how many kings and generals were buried here, all of them turned into a mound of earth."

"A mound of cold earth buries her elegance."

Fu Bi smiled. He had also read Song Xuan's Story of the Stone, though he found it rather uninteresting.

Song Xuan didn't seem to care; he continued to admire the beautiful scenery of Luoyang.

"I see that the road is difficult to travel at night. I will enjoy the scenery tonight and stay here to make a living and get some food for the night. I will go down first thing tomorrow morning."

"it is good."

In the opinion of Zhang Fangping and others, team building activities should have been done long ago.

Especially in foreign lands, when people gather together, they are not afraid even if they sleep on graves.

The crowd was shouting and making a fuss, which made all the effort they put into buying so many things in Taipei, for both sleeping and food.

This was Wang Bao's first time participating. Although he had brought a lot of things with him, he still couldn't understand why people would choose to spend the night in this desolate wilderness, surrounded by graves, instead of enjoying their good fortune.

In particular, these scholars were not afraid at all; on the contrary, they were all very happy.

"Brother Wang, what does this mean?"

Wang Bao, who was picking up firewood nearby, directly asked what was on his mind.

"That's how scholars are, don't worry about it. Just focus on filling your stomach later."

"Good good."

Upon hearing the words "fill your stomach," Wang Bao was overjoyed.

Since following Shierlang, I have never been hungry, only when I am stuffed.

He's still finding it hard to adjust to the habit of eating three meals a day!
This way, Wang Bao wouldn't eat until he was stuffed at every meal, but would eat until he was about 70-80% full, leaving the rest of the good food for the next meal.

……

Song Xuan's entry into Luoyang and the things he had done in the past few days were all summarized and reported to Qian Weiyan.

After all, it was at the behest of his good friend Yan Shu, so Qian Weiyan took this matter very seriously.

Otherwise, when Song Xuan returns, Yan Shu will ask him how he could get Yan Shu to speak on his behalf and say a few good words for him in front of the Emperor, since he was not a good host.

Compared to Yan Shu, who deliberately made a mistake and left the central government to serve as an official.

Qian Weiyan himself really wanted to enter the central government, but unfortunately he never had the opportunity.

Even though he married into the family of Empress Dowager Liu's ex-husband, the matter was not accomplished.

Liu Mei married the younger sister of this prince.

In the past, Gong Mei, a silversmith who traveled from street to street, would never have such good fortune fall into his lap, even if it were a windfall.

By sheer coincidence, many officials in the Song Dynasty who wanted to advance in their careers had to actively curry favor with "Liu Mei," the brother of Empress Dowager Liu.

Empress Dowager Liu's own family had almost no influence, so she could only promote her ex-husband as a member of her maternal family!

If her ex-husband hadn't brought her to Tokyo to make a living, how could she have left Sichuan and met Emperor Zhenzong?
Therefore, Empress Dowager Liu's feelings for Liu Mei were extremely complicated.

Qian Weiyan has seen through all of Song Xuan's news: from buying a sick horse from Sima Guang to debating at the Taishi Academy, and now he is touring Luoyang.

He's really not someone who can sit still for long.

That makes sense, though. If Song Twelve were a well-behaved child, he probably wouldn't have caught the eye of the prodigy Yan Shu.

"Alright, let's invite them to the banquet tomorrow. It'll be a good opportunity to test his poetic talent. If he's really like Yan Shu, it'll help him gain fame."

Qian Weiyan then sent a message to the dean of Taishi Academy, asking him to invite the visiting students and outstanding students of the academy to come and celebrate.

Anyway, the Double Ninth Festival is almost here, so let's celebrate it early.

……

Song Xuan was completely unaware that Qian Weiyan's decision to hold the banquet was to make him famous.

At this moment, he was telling the story of Nie Xiaoqian at an unknown grave.

After all, the protagonist is a scholar, which makes it easier for everyone to relate to the story.

Although Fu Bi thought it was fake, the environment still gave him goosebumps.

Within the entire territory of the Great Song Dynasty, there are probably no more burial mounds than those on Mount Beiman.

Not just anyone is qualified to be buried in the imperial mausoleum in Chang'an.

"Twelfth Brother, stop talking, stop talking."

Lu Lejian was the first to break down; after all, the female ghost's act of absorbing yang energy made him feel kidney pain.

"Haha, what are you afraid of?"

Wang Tai couldn't help but tease, "Did you really think a female ghost would come and suck the yang energy out of someone like you?"

He looked around and pointed at Wang Baodao:

"If you're going to suck blood, suck blood from him; his yang energy is much stronger."

"really?"

Wang Bao was somewhat surprised that he was able to be ranked ahead of the scholars in this matter.

"Hahaha."

When Wang Bao asked the question so earnestly, everyone burst into laughter.

With this interruption, the crowd lost interest in listening to the ghost story.

Luckily I brought mugwort, otherwise I would have been sucked dry overnight if I had stayed out overnight.

But for some reason, there are so many graves in Beiman Mountain, perhaps to gather energy, that it's quite cool and there aren't many mosquitoes.

Song Xuan looked at the mounds of earth, and none of them had any will-o'-the-wisps.

"Twelfth brother."

Fu Bi took the initiative to ask, "Where are we going tomorrow?"

"Go back and get some rest first, then we'll make plans the day after tomorrow."

Song Xuan leaned against the bundle: "Brother Fu, why didn't you participate in the imperial examination?"

Fu Bi was also lying on the grass, gazing at the stars in the sky:
"I have always felt that I am not good enough and need to hone my skills."

"Especially the Xikun style, which I'm not very good at."

Fu Bi did not write poetry in his early years; he only had time to write poetry after he became an official and after he retired.

"I see."

Song Xuan also let out a long sigh:

"The Xikun style is really too useless as a standard for judging the imperial examinations. If I become an official, I will definitely change the model of the imperial examinations."

Fu Bi glanced at Song Xuan with surprise, because he had never thought of changing the imperial examination system.

After all, it was passed down from the Tang Dynasty, and the imperial examination system of the Song Dynasty was a significant improvement over that of the Tang Dynasty.

At least they are no longer tools in the hands of those powerful families, who require them to choose to be their dogs in order to have a chance to serve the court.

All those years of accumulated grievances were wiped out in one fell swoop by Huang Chao.

"Twelfth Brother truly wants to benefit students across the land. If things can be improved, it will surely elevate the strength of the Song Dynasty to a new level."

"Although the system needs to be changed, I haven't figured out how to replace this subject yet, at least I shouldn't use poetry and prose as the main means of evaluation."

Fu Bi watched the stars blink and smiled.

This is what he admires about Song Xuan: after raising a question, he carefully considers and comes up with a solution.

Unlike other students who only engage in empty talk, they are not like other students.

This alone is enough to make many people unable to keep up with his way of thinking.

"I wonder if Twelfth Brother is confident about passing the provincial and imperial examinations, which he has been preparing for for five years?"

Fu Bi looked expectant: "If the imperial examination system can be changed, then I will definitely participate in it."

"You're dreaming too much."

"Hahaha." Fu Bi couldn't help but burst into laughter as well.
"Yes, even if you pass the imperial examination with top honors, you won't become a high-ranking official. I can't afford to wait that long."

"Brother Fu, why don't you take the opportunity to study at Yingtian Academy for a while? I think Taishi Academy doesn't have any famous teachers."

"When you arrive at our Yingtian Academy and meet Dean Fan and others, you may be able to make even greater progress in your studies."

"Ah."

Fu Bi had already secretly made up his mind.

Yingtian Academy must have something special to cultivate such outstanding students as Song Xuan. I should find an opportunity to go and see for myself.

He had heard of Fan Zhongyan.

When Fan Zhongyan came to Luoyang to study, he had some contact with Fu Bi's father, but it was not a deep one.

"Twelfth Brother, how long until you finish writing your Romance of the Three Kingdoms?"

Fu Bi recalled this matter again: "I suspect that Liu Bei's power is about to decline from its peak."

"The Later Three Kingdoms period."

Song Xuan sighed softly, "It is quite tragic."

Fu Bi had read the Records of the Three Kingdoms, but he didn't know how Song Xuan would continue the story.

Because some people's stories don't actually happen to certain people, and even things that didn't happen are attributed to certain people.

Fu Bi could understand, after all, this was a novel, not written entirely according to history.

This was the first time anyone had ever slept on Mount Beiman.

As everyone gradually fell asleep, Lü Lejian was suddenly awakened by the urge to urinate. He glanced around and shivered.

"Brother Wang, could you accompany me to the restroom for a moment?"

Wang Bao was not in a hurry to sleep; he and Wang Gui agreed to keep watch on each other at night.

Avoid being attacked by any wild animals.

"can."

Wang Bao stood up, appearing even taller in the firelight, like a ferocious beast ready to devour its prey.

Lu Lejian immediately felt that it would have been better not to call him at all.

Fortunately, Lü Lejian didn't make a sound. He just broke a dry bone in the dark, which scared him so much that he squatted down, picked up a dry branch, and looked at it in the dim light.

It turned out to be skeletons.

Lu Lejian immediately shouted and then fell asleep.

Wang Bao quickly pulled him over, intending to slap him twice to wake him up.

Instead, Song Xuan stopped him, saying, "If you wake him up now, he won't be able to sleep all night."

"Twelfth Brother, is he really alright?"

"Hey, young people sleep so well, they fall asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow, don't worry about them!"

None of them understood what Song Xuan was saying.

The next morning, everyone rushed down the mountain.

We need to get up early to eat those potstickers, then go to the academy for a nap, and then go to the bathhouse for a bath.

After everyone returned to the academy, laughing and joking.

Song Xuan was then summoned by the academy's dean. It turned out that Qian Weiyan, the prefect of Xijing, had extended an invitation to a banquet, hoping that many outstanding students would attend and participate in the grand event.

"Qian Weiyan?"

Song Xuan nodded slightly. He had heard Cao Yongli mention this person before, so he understood that this was a master of the Xikun style.

"Thank you, Dean. We will definitely attend the banquet tonight on an empty stomach."

"Hahaha."

The dean laughed and let him leave, since not all the grass seeds on his body had disappeared.

This group of people had just come down from Beiman Mountain.

"Alas, such a talented person was discovered by Fan Zhongyan first."

The headmaster of Taishi Academy stroked his beard and sighed:
"We have quite a few talented people in the capital, but unfortunately, they are either unwilling to make a name for themselves or are too young. We can't find many clever people like Song Twelve."

Following the dean's reflections, Song Xuan returned to his dormitory and told them about the banquet he was going to that evening.

Since it's a gathering organized by Qian Weiyan, why not take advantage of it?

They are descendants of the King of Wuyue, from a wealthy and powerful family; they certainly wouldn't live off that meager salary.

"So, we're just going to eat and drink at his place?"

"Hey, Fang Ping, how can you be so blunt?"

Song Xuan paused for a moment before smiling and saying:

"You're right. We'll rest up, have lunch on an empty stomach, and go straight to the banquet. We'll eat our fill. To be honest, I've never attended a royal banquet before."

He turned to Yu Zhouxun and Wang Gongshou and said, "We'll all go together then and broaden our horizons."

"Twelfth Brother, is this alright?" Wang Gongshou was somewhat reluctant to go: "After all, we weren't invited to a banquet."

"You're here for study tours too, so you're naturally on the list. Besides, getting into Yingtian Academy shouldn't be too difficult for you."

Song Xuan told him not to worry too much about such a trivial matter, since everyone was going there to broaden their horizons anyway.

"Alright, we'll do as Twelfth Brother says."

After Wang Gongshou agreed, he was still very happy, though he was not as shrewd as he thought, and his emotions were not easily concealed.

"Sleep, sleep."

After finishing his sentence, Song Xuan lay down on the bed and fell asleep.

Yu Zhouxun couldn't help but chuckle a few times: "It's so good to be young, you can fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow!"

(End of this chapter)