Great Zhou Wensheng

Chapter 217 [Spread Throughout the World]! "The Rhapsody on the Epang Palace"! (Equal length 7,000 words)
As the third golden bead dripped from the water clock, the blue smoke inside the hall suddenly trembled.

Jiang Xingzhou's purple-tipped brush finally came to a stop, and the ink spread out on the Xuelang Xuan paper, revealing several large, bold characters—

"The Rhapsody on the Epang Palace," [VI.]

As the brushstrokes moved, the unfinished character "six" appeared like a dragon reaching out its claws, hanging in front of the question, like a verse or a foreshadowing.

Inside the hall, all the examiners and observing ministers turned their gazes toward this location.

"Snapped!"

The ivory tablet in the hands of Hanlin Academy scholar Zhao Mingcheng fell to the ground, and he hurriedly picked it up again.

The sound was like a spark that instantly ignited the entire hall—

The officials from the three provinces and six ministries all leaned forward, while Wei Shili, the former Minister of Rites, eagerly awaited their arrival.

Even the empress, who sat high on the dragon throne, straightened up and looked through the gauze curtain.

The three hundred scholars, who were writing furiously, suddenly stopped writing and looked up in astonishment, as if their wrists were being held by invisible threads.

"Jiang Huiyuan has been silent for half an hour, and now he's starting to answer the questions?"

Bashu Liu Chun was startled; his brush suddenly stopped, and the brilliantly written exam paper came to a standstill.

The myth of achieving the highest rank in the imperial examinations has finally come to light.

A thunderous roar erupted from Jiang Xingzhou's wrist, his ink strokes sharp as swords piercing the air, and he penned the opening lines of "The Rhapsody on the Epang Palace"—

"With the six kings gone, the world is united!"

The six large characters, imbued with the sound of metal and stone, leaped onto the paper, causing the jade brush on the desk to hum loudly.

The three hundred tribute students in the hall all changed color at the same time, as if they heard the rumble of the collapse of the six kingdoms.

Half an hour earlier, while these candidates were engrossed in their writing, Jiang Xingzhou sat quietly with his eyes closed, waiting for their talent to soar to the sky.

The three hundred candidates were given a full half hour to write their answers and express their thoughts.

If he is affected by the fact that he is writing this poem now and is unable to answer the questions, then it is not his fault.

now,

Every word he wrote seemed to be a response to those scholars who still clung to their illusions—

Liu Chun's "Ode to the Shu Road" from Bashu suddenly dimmed a bit;
Ji Bei Zhang Heng's exam paper moved on its own without any wind, as if it wanted to fly off the desk, and he tried desperately to hold it down;

Cao Jin's wolf-hair brush suddenly exploded with a cluster of sharp points.

"The six kings are finished, and the four seas are united!"—These six short characters, the moment the ink fell on the scroll, caused the hundred beams of talent from [Dafu, Mingzhou] in the hall to tremble and bow down, like a phoenix paying homage to a king after a hundred years, like courtiers seeing their emperor.

--boom!

The beams and pillars of the entire Golden Palace roared, and the soaring talent burst forth from the palace like a blue dragon, causing the glazed tiles to fall in a flurry.

Amidst the swirling clouds of talent, the golden spears of six kingdoms loom in the distance.
War chariots outside Hangu Pass shattered, cold blades gleamed on the banks of the Yi River, and the fiery phoenix of Chu cried out as it plummeted into the sea of ​​clouds.
The flames of war, which have raged for a thousand years, are being reenacted in the blue sky.

The very first line of this poem is the extraordinary phenomenon described in the [National Defense] chapter!

"Crack!"

Beside the hall, Xu Shiheng, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, stood there dumbfounded, his teacup shattering as Biluochun tea splashed onto his scarlet robe without him even noticing.

"Oh no! With Her Majesty the Empress ascending the throne and the whole world submitting, she probably loves this kind of article that is powerful and overwhelming!"

He was secretly alarmed, and his face turned deathly pale.

The Xuan paper on the desks of the three hundred tribute students fluttered without wind, like snow waves surging and making a rustling sound.

Only one volume of "The Rhapsody on the Epang Palace" rested on the table in front of Jiang Xingzhou, as heavy as nine tripods!

To one side of the hall.

"what?!"

With a loud crash, someone in the audience seats on both sides of the main hall knocked over a teacup in surprise.

"This"

The examiners, all of whom were Hanlin scholars, couldn't help but show expressions of shock.

The essays of the other three hundred tribute students almost never began with a sentence that mentioned the county. Only as they progressed and became more and more brilliant did they gradually reach the prefecture and state levels.

However, the very first line of Jiang Huiyuan's poem directly addresses the nation!

"No, impossible!

These are only six characters! Why is it "[Protecting the Nation]"?!

The scholar's eyes were bloodshot, and his ten fingers gripped the table tightly, his knuckles as white as bone porcelain.

His throat bobbed, his voice hoarse as if his talent had burned his throat, "Lord Chen's 'Ode to the Great Ceremony' was only three hundred characters long, barely touching upon the meaning of 'protecting the nation.'"

Before he could finish speaking, a sound of tearing silk suddenly came from the dome of the main hall.

Everyone looked up and saw that the pillar of talent had transformed into a phantom image of the Chinese landscape in the clouds—

Even more terrifying, the three characters "四海一" (meaning "One for All") were flowing down the sky like gilded ink, suppressing all the talent of the three hundred tribute students who had soared to the heavens!
The palaces of Xianyang rose from the clouds and mist, while the banners of the six kingdoms fluttered and burned in the fierce wind, falling one after another.

"puff!"

Suddenly, a scholar in the back row had his Dao heart shattered, spitting out blood, and the wolf-hair brush in his hand cracked inch by inch.

They were then surprised to find that the vermilion brush on their desks had become covered in frost.

"What a brilliant 'the six kings are defeated, and the world is united'!"

Inside the hall, the great Confucian scholar Lu Mingde clapped his hands and chuckled, while the bamboo slips of "Fayan" in his sleeve vibrated and resonated on their own.

This great Confucian scholar, his eyes gleaming as if watching the sunrise, addressed those around him, saying: "The flames of war between the six kingdoms are condensed into a sliver of ink; the unification of the nine provinces by the King of Qin is captured in the tip of his brush—"

Such a spirit that encompasses heaven and earth deserves a hearty toast!

He was a renowned Confucian scholar of the Great Zhou Dynasty and once served as the Grand Secretary.

However, he has long since retired and now serves as the head of the Songyang Academy in the Central Plains, where he takes on many disciples and teaches and educates people.

Today, for the imperial examination, we have invited this great scholar to sit here and preside over the examination, to evaluate the essays for His Majesty.

Several high-ranking scholars stared at the hem of their robes, which were fluttering even though there was no wind, their expressions shifting between light and dark.

"Lord Lu!"
That's hard to say!

To start with a dragon's roar is too ambitious!

Grand Secretary Chen Shaoqing tapped the table with his finger, causing nine ripples to spread across the teacup. “I’m afraid the following chapters will be like a tiger’s roar. It’s going to be difficult!”

"Not bad!"

The Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate suddenly closed his eyes, as if listening to the lingering sounds of war in the clouds. "This kind of opening, with its solitary peak and sheer cliff, sets the tone too high. I'm afraid it won't be able to keep up later and will only go downhill all the way!"

"However! Even if it starts strong but ends weakly, this poem will probably still maintain its [National Defense] level! Just the first line alone is enough to make it stand out among all the tribute students!"

Guo Zheng, the Attendant-in-Ordinary of the Secretariat, said calmly.

The scholars and Confucian masters of the halls and pavilions discussed the matter in hushed tones.

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Xingzhou's purple-tipped brush suddenly stopped in mid-air.

The examination papers that had been fluttering in the hall all came to a complete stop, and even the water droplets dripping from the water clock hung suspended in mid-air.

It turns out that the last stroke of the character "一" has transformed into a ladder to heaven with lingering charm. The ink-black steps rise straight up to the clouds, clearly waiting for the next chapter to ascend to heaven!

Outside the palace, on the jade steps, dozens of barbarian envoys suddenly changed color.

They had long heard that the Great Zhou Dynasty had produced a Jiang Zhenguo, a man who could write ten articles to protect the country—such a prodigy was probably even more powerful than Chen Shaoqing, the Grand Secretary.

For these barbarian demons living around the Great Zhou Dynasty, this was definitely not a good thing.

They made a special trip to the site of the Great Zhou Imperial Examination to observe the proceedings!

Unexpectedly, I came across this poem!

Their faces turned pale; they were both angry and anxious.

The snow wolf clan envoy, with a blue face and fangs, had an iron-blue complexion. His five fingers dug deeply into the gilded railing, and wisps of blue smoke even came out of the black iron under his claws.
The princess of the Feather Kingdom, adorned with peacock feathers, saw a thin crack appear in the glass cup in her hand. Fine wine dripped from between her fingers, leaving scorch marks on the white marble floor.

"What a Jiang Zhenguo!"

What a wonderful phrase, "When the six kings were defeated, the world was unified!"

The East Sea Merfolk envoy let out a muffled rumble, his scales on the side of his neck bristling like knives. "This poem is clearly a declaration of war against our Demon Barbarian Kingdom!" An elderly turtle prime minister from the East Sea Dragon Palace suddenly coughed violently.

Bearing the ancient armor on its back, the hexagrams are rapidly reorganizing, revealing a prophecy of "unity of the four seas".

"This explicitly states that the King of Qin destroyed the six Warring States and unified the four seas! But what it implicitly refers to is probably the various barbarian and demonic kingdoms!"

The Great Zhou Dynasty desires to annihilate the barbarian demons of the Eastern Divine Continent and unify the four seas!

A tiger demon envoy suddenly growled, pointing to the faintly visible map of the Divine Continent within the towering pillar of heavenly energy in the hall.

Before he could finish speaking, all the barbarian envoys gasped in shock.

But amidst the clouds and mountains, one can vaguely see the locations of the thirty-six great barbarian demon kingdoms of the Eastern Divine Continent!
"Mount Shu stands tall, and the Epang Palace emerges!"

Jiang Xingzhou picked up his pen and wrote the second line in one stroke.

His pen strokes are like an axe, cleaving through the mists of a thousand years—

A sudden and dramatic change occurred in the clouds and fog over Luoyang!
As his talent surged, it was as if ten thousand Qin soldiers were emerging from the long river of history.

Holding bronze axes and halberds, they sang the songs of the old Qin people, the sound of chopping wood resounding through the heavens, and the entire Shu Mountain range, stretching for thousands of miles, seemed to shrink lower and lower in the ink marks.

"[Covering more than three hundred li, isolating the sun and sky.]"

Jiang Xingzhou wrote his poem at a leisurely pace.

"boom--!"

The 300-mile-long Epang Palace soared into the sky, its vermilion pillars entwined with dragon energy, and its glazed tiles reflecting the cold light of weapons forged from the fusion of six kingdoms.

The entire illusory image of the Epang Palace overlapped with that of the divine capital Luoyang, and every flying eave and bracket set seemed to suppress the talent and ambition of Mingzhou and Dafu.

"The Strange Phenomenon of the Epang Palace!"

The old Minister of Rites, Wei Shili, stared in disbelief and suddenly staggered backward.

His eyes clearly reflected the image of Qin Shi Huang trampling the remnants of the six states and the classics of the Hundred Schools of Thought when he arrived at the Epang Palace!
All those who tried to stop the Qin Empire, whether barbarian demons or remnants of the six states, were crushed to dust by the rise of the Qin Empire.

This is the true suppression of morality and culture!

The Epang Palace, spanning over three hundred li, slowly rose.

The magnificent palace covered the sky above the capital city of Luoyang, forming a sacred palace barrier.

Within the 300-mile-long Epang Palace, all the buildings were transformed into offensive and defensive mechanisms, with winding corridors that strangled the enemy and eaves that shot out thousands of arrows!

This is not a phantom, but a real palace embodying talent!
"A three-hundred-mile-long barrier around the Epang Palace?!"

The empress was startled awake. Her black ceremonial robes fluttered without wind, and the twelve jade beads on her forehead collided violently.

Before her fingertips even touched the dragon throne, the entire Taiji Hall suddenly trembled violently—

"boom--!"

The beam of light suddenly exploded, transforming into a sky full of golden edicts.

The three ancient seal characters, "传天下" (meaning "spread throughout the world"), emerged, as red as blood.

The sounds of earthenware jars and chimes resounded simultaneously throughout the seventy-two wards of Luoyang, and even the sand at the bottom of the moat began to reveal inscriptions of golden spears and iron horses.

Inside the palace, the armillary sphere of the Imperial Observatory suddenly began to spin on its own, with all the bronze stars of the Three Enclosures and Twenty-Eight Mansions pointing towards the Xuan paper scroll of "The Rhapsody on the Epang Palace" inside the main hall.

Even more terrifying, the pillars of the Epang Palace, which were high in the clouds, began to form a barrier, isolating them from the surrounding prefectures!
"His Majesty!"

The Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs suddenly knelt down and exclaimed in shock, his eyes reddening and on the verge of tears, "The Nine Tripods in the Imperial Ancestral Temple... the Nine Tripods are resonating with this article!"

Once the poem was written, it spread throughout the world, and all literary traditions bowed in respect!
Within the main hall,

All was silent; you could hear a pin drop. It was deathly still.

The entire court, from the officials of the Hanlin Academy to the Grand Secretaries of the Hall of Fame, and even the most renowned Confucian scholars of the time, were all dumbfounded, their Adam's apples bobbing as they could not utter a single word.

Spread it throughout the world!
The level of this article is beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

Even the most learned scholars felt their talents were lacking; the highest-ranking officials felt even more inadequate!

They suddenly realized that their previous discussions were all misjudgments.

The "Rhapsody on the Epang Palace" not only did not lose its momentum, but instead flowed like the Yangtze River, wave after wave, surging endlessly!

As soon as the second line was written—in an instant, the literary brilliance soared to the sky, and the poem was completed—and spread throughout the world!

Those Hanlin scholars who prided themselves on their talent and learning, just by glancing at this poem, felt their talent surge and their moral compass almost crumble!
Once the poem was written,
The entire court, adorned in their official robes, fell silent.

Above the main hall,

The three hundred Ming Dynasty scholars were stunned, as if struck by lightning!

"Spread it! Spread it throughout the world!"

Liu Chun from Bashu was deathly pale, and almost looked up to the sky and howled in despair!

He originally thought that Jiang Xingzhou's writing of fu (a type of classical Chinese prose) was a weakness, but Dafu and Mingzhou were already his limit.

But who would have thought that this poem would surpass poetry by a hundred times!
With a single stroke, the literary brilliance soars to the heavens, the writing immediately reaching the realm of "spreading throughout the world"!
The assembled scholars all paled, their resolve crumbling, and only one thought remained in their minds—

Such a poem, who in this world can rival it?!

“The Lishan Mountains extend northward and then turn westward, running straight towards Xianyang.”

Jiang Xingzhou's brush fell to the ground, and the purple inkstone shone brilliantly.

"The two rivers flow gently into the palace walls."

There is a building every five steps and a pavilion every ten steps.

The waist of the corridor is unobtrusive, and the eaves and teeth are high.

Each occupies its own territory, scheming and vying for power.

Every word was like a knife, every sentence like a sword. Purple energy surged on the dome of the main hall, and the talent soared to the sky, almost solidifying into reality!

“Like honeycombs and whirlpools, countless and numerous, rising up in countless numbers.”

Before the pen had even finished writing—

"boom--!"

Outside the Golden Palace, the celestial phenomena suddenly changed!
The dark clouds, like a raging sea, rolled into a whirlpool stretching for hundreds of miles, obscuring the sky and the sun!

The magnificent Lishan Palace and the Epang Palace, stretching for three hundred miles, appeared even more resplendent and dazzling against the backdrop of dark clouds!
Within the 300-mile-long barrier of the Epang Palace, countless unimaginable literary arts can be unleashed.

It is like a heavenly palace, protecting the divine capital, Luoyang.

[Erchuan Rongrong] - This river forms the Styx River that protects the city; those who touch it will have their flesh and bones melt away!
[Yan Zhao Sword Box] - Can unleash ten thousand swords simultaneously!

[Chu Ding Peng Tian] - Refine invading enemies into elixirs!
[Orchestral Harshness] - Within the territory of the Epang Palace, all enemy speech-based spells are forbidden; violators will bleed from all seven orifices!

The hundred demon envoys outside the palace were all terrified and fell silent as if shivering in fear!

They gazed at the palace barrier three hundred miles above the sky, filled with despair, and died without ever making a sound again!

Luoyang is in an uproar!

People poured out of their homes, causing blockages in the streets and alleys.

The entire city looked up, and saw—

"The Rhapsody on the Epang Palace—It Will Be Spread Throughout the World!"

The palace complex stretches for three hundred miles, its golden splendor resplendent, like a curtain falling from the sky!

The people wept and knelt on the ground.

From this day forward, Luoyang was firmly established!
From then on, once the Epang Palace barrier is activated, any enemy army that wants to attack Luoyang must first break through this 300-mile-long barrier of Epang Palace's literary arts before they can knock on the city gates.

A single poem spread throughout the world, ushering in a thousand years of peace and prosperity!
===========
P.S.: Although this book has been criticized since its inception, with some even criticizing it after just reading the synopsis, the previous recommendation only fueled the criticism.

However, this book has already sold 7,000 copies!

Moreover, the follow-up orders have remained very stable.

Book lovers who enjoy Confucian and Taoist literature will simply love reading this book.

I wrote this book because I also enjoy this kind of writing.

(End of this chapter)