Words Strategize for the World

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Fang Wei and his two companions were standing on the edge of the platform, so they were assigned to the third team.

As soon as the teams were divided, an instructor led the 30 students in the first team into the county school to begin the selection process, while the other teams stood still and waited.

"Make way, make way..."

Fang Wei turned around and saw the chubby boy who had spoken rudely earlier squeezing his way to the front. With the help of his servants, the chubby boy quickly reached the very front and stood there arrogantly.

A moment later, an instructor came out and shouted, "Team 3, advance!"

After the teacher finished speaking, the chubby boy standing at the very front walked into the county school with his head held high.

When Fang Wei followed the group to the selection site of the prefectural school, he found that the so-called testing point was just a bamboo platform erected in an open space. On the platform was a table with the Four Treasures of the Study (writing brush, ink stick, inkstone, and paper), which, in Fang Wei's eyes, were all of excellent quality. Next to the table was a stand with a sheet of white paper hanging in the center, and a student stood in front of the paper. The students who had already made their selections stood aside waiting.

Before the stand was erected, the students held calligraphy brushes and stood still.

Just when everyone was wondering what was going on, the students made a move.

The student picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and calmly began writing, finishing in just a few breaths.

The moment the student made a move, everyone present stared intently, afraid of missing something if they weren't careful.

Within a few very short breaths, Fang Wei felt tense, as if he himself were the student writing on the bamboo platform.

The student finished the last stroke, and everyone waited, but nothing unusual happened.

After standing there for a moment, the student sadly put down his brush and stepped down from the bamboo platform.

"Next..." The teacher's voice rang out as soon as the student left.

The chubby boy standing in front, arrogant and overconfident, climbed onto the edge of the bamboo platform as soon as the instructor finished speaking, and started a mocking session.

"Hmph... You bunch of peasants dare to participate in the selection of refined scholars? That's hilarious. You think you can become refined scholars after reading only three or five lousy books? I don't think you'll ever be one. Go back to farming, hahaha..."

After finishing his sentence, the chubby boy picked up a pen, walked to the shelf, flipped over a sheet of white paper, and began to write.

In a few breaths, the words were written, but there was no response.

Originally arrogant and full of confidence, reality slapped him in the face.

This reminded Fang Wei of a phrase: "It's all for naught."

Faced with reality, the chubby boy seemed unable to accept it. He muttered to himself, flipped through the paper, and started writing again, but the result was the same.

The chubby boy couldn't accept it at all and wanted to write again, but was dragged off the bamboo platform by two teachers who rushed over.

The chubby boy was unwilling to give up and struggled incessantly, repeatedly shouting, "I've read so many books... Daddy wouldn't lie to me..."

"Next one..." the instructor's voice rang out, and the second person stepped forward to begin the selection process.

Perhaps becoming a refined scholar is too difficult; everyone before Fang Wei ended in failure.

When it was Fang Wei's turn, he was very nervous. After all, no scholar had appeared yet, and he didn't know what conditions were required to become one.

However, Fang Wei had his own confidence. Before transmigrating, Fang Wei came from a scholarly family and was taught traditional Chinese culture and calligraphy by his grandfather from a young age. After more than ten years of study, Fang Wei not only became proficient in classical Chinese poetry and various calligraphic styles, but also mastered calligraphy to a master level.

Taking a deep breath, Fang Wei suppressed his anxiety and then walked towards the bamboo platform.

Arriving at the table on the bamboo platform, Fang Wei picked up a fine calligraphy brush and pondered which character to write.

Fang Wei recalled that when his grandfather taught him calligraphy when he was a child, the first character he wrote was "dragon".

"The dragon can be big or small, can rise or hide; when it is big, it stirs up clouds and mists, when it is small, it hides its form; when it rises, it soars through the universe, when it hides, it lies dormant within the waves. We Chinese people are all descendants of the dragon, the dragon is us." This is a sentence that my grandfather often said.

As a child, Fang Wei didn't understand, but as he grew older, the meaning of the word "dragon" gradually penetrated into his heart.

To live is to be like a dragon, soaring freely in all directions.

Thinking of this, Fang Wei resolutely picked up his pen and wrote the character "dragon".

Inside the county school's main study, two elderly men of similar age were pouring tea and drinking from each other.

"Sir Qu, Ningping County has not had a single scholar for three consecutive years. I, the county magistrate, am truly ashamed."

"Prefect Liu, there's no need for that. You should know that a refined scholar is not made simply by reading books."

"What Qu Yashi said is right, but there hasn't been a single scholar in three years. I, the prefectural magistrate..."

"hold head high……"

Before the prefect could finish speaking, an unprecedented shout came from outside the study. The prefect and Qu Yashi quickly got up and went outside.

When the two arrived at the selection area, they saw a student standing motionless on a bamboo platform, surrounded by a strange, golden, snake-like object.

"A refined scholar has appeared..." The prefectural magistrate murmured to himself, looking at the strange phenomenon on the bamboo platform.

The strange, golden, snake-like creature was a dragon, but no one on the Yongping Continent recognized it.

Not only did Qu Yashi and the Prefectural Magistrate look at each other in disbelief, but everyone present was also stunned by this strange phenomenon.

After circling Fang Wei a few times, the golden dragon slowly dissipated and disappeared, and the stunned crowd gradually recovered.

"Impossible! How could a peasant become a scholar? Teacher, teacher, hurry up and check! This peasant must have cheated to get this." The golden dragon had just dissipated when the chubby boy's voice rang out.

Before Fang Wei could reply, a murmur of discussion could be heard below.

"fraud?"

"No wonder it was so astonishing, it turns out it was cheating."

"Hmph, though I am not worthy of being called a refined scholar, I disdain cheating; it would truly bring shame upon our ancestors."

……

The chubby boy's statement about cheating sparked countless negative comments against Fang Wei.

At this moment, Zhao Tong's eyes were blazing with anger, and he was about to rush forward to beat up the chubby boy. Fang Yue was also extremely anxious and burning with rage.

Fang Wei stood on the stage watching the chubby boy's embarrassing behavior. He knew that rumors would stop with the wise, but there were still many students below the stage, and Fang Wei had to explain no matter what.

Fang Wei glanced at the chubby boy with utter contempt and said, "Hmph, ignorant brat, don't you know that even poor families can produce outstanding children?"

The saying "Even a poor family can produce a noble son" astonished everyone present.

A moment later, a shout of "Good!" was heard, followed by clapping.

Everyone present turned to look, and saw the old man who had been giving a lecture in front of the county school clapping his hands as he stepped forward, repeating, "Excellent, excellent! What a remarkable achievement that a poor family can produce such a distinguished son! Men, quickly prepare a bath and change clothes for the newly arrived scholar."

As soon as the old man finished speaking, a maid came out of the house. The maid came to the bamboo platform and gestured for Fang Wei to enter.

The old man clapped his hands as he watched Fang Wei follow the maid into the house, then pointed at the chubby boy and said to the surrounding instructors, "Come on, drag this boy out and give him 20 strokes of the cane."

When the chubby boy saw the old man ordering someone to beat him with a cane, he immediately cried out, "Why are you hitting me? Why are you hitting me? My father is Liu Mazi..."

The old man snorted and said, "As a scholar, you are arrogant, jealous of talent, and maliciously frame others. If I don't beat you, who should I beat?"

After the old man finished speaking, the other students, realizing they had been deceived by the chubby boy, were also indignant.

"Who is this fatso? He's framing someone and making me doubt him too."

"He is the son of a wealthy merchant from Ningping County, named Liu Peng."

"So it was that wicked young master who did all sorts of evil deeds. He should be beaten to death."

"That's right, that's right, he deserves to be hit."

……