How can one cultivate immortality without learning modern knowledge?

"But Your Highness... but if you act so boldly, the Empress will surely punish me again in the future."

"It's alright, you get punished once, I'll reward you once... You can calculate for yourself how much I've given you, it's almost filled your little house, isn't it?"

The palace maid was truly beyond tears.

What does it mean that there are many rewards?

Doesn't this prove that you, Princess, are unreliable? Have I been endlessly taking the blame for you?

Besides, what use are the things you bestow upon me?

Hairpins, your clothes...

You're really generous, but all I can feel when I hold it is how hot it is. I can't sell it, and I can't wear it either. I'm always worried about keeping it in my bedroom, afraid that people will say I'm stealing. It would be better if you didn't give it to me at all. Without these things, at least I could stretch out my legs and sleep peacefully.

But these are things you can't say...

Ruyi Building Rooftop

The landlord climbed up step by step...

Rou'er stepped forward: "Do you know my young lady's identity?"

The host, beaming, said, "I know, this old man has met the distinguished guests from the Mohist school!"

As someone who also ran a restaurant business in Nanyang City, he naturally knew the significance of the Mo family's distinguished guests.

He didn't have the keen insight of the owner of Biyanlou across from him. Hearing the crowd's discussions, he couldn't sit still any longer, but he was helpless in the face of the fait accompli of "the prodigy entering Biyanlou".

This time, the Mo family's distinguished guests did not enter the Biyan Tower, but instead took the initiative to land on their own rooftop.

This is a gift of immense wealth to him...

"Arrange two adjacent private rooms. Here is the cost of the rooms and food." Rou'er handed over a silver note, worth one hundred taels.

The host quickly refused, saying, "Miss, why do you say that? Such esteemed guests are the greatest honor bestowed upon my Ruyi Pavilion. How could I possibly charge you for room and drink? This top floor is the most exclusive VIP room in our establishment. I will arrange for our three guests to stay here immediately..."

Rou'er smiled gently and put away the silver notes.

The door opened, revealing a clean and tidy room. Beyond the window lay Biyan Lake, where, in this season, the rain was incessant and a light mist drifted.

What a beautiful scene of a Jiangnan water town!

Two maids entered the room, served fragrant tea, and bowed before leaving.

"Young Master Zhou, how is the place?" Mo Ziyi asked softly.

"A place of ancient charm and elegance, half lake shrouded in mist and rain, half lake veiled in gauze, truly a wonderful place!" Zhou Wenju smiled gently.

"Young master, the moment you open your mouth, I feel like you're going to recite a poem..." Rou'er began, but as soon as their eyes met, Rou'er immediately understood and covered her mouth.

Mo Ziyi smiled.

Zhou Wenju smiled as well: "Rou'er enjoys poetry so much?"

"Rou'er didn't like it this much before. It was all because of your three poems that I was drawn in. I'm really looking forward to your poems..." Rou'er said, "But as Miss said beforehand, I definitely won't expect that before the poetry gathering."

"Alright, I'll give you a poem after the poetry gathering!" Zhou Wenju said with a smile.

Rou'er's mouth gaped open.

Mo Ziyi was also very surprised.

"Miss, you heard it all. It wasn't me asking the young master for the poem; the young master himself said it..." Rou'er jumped up. "Young master, let me pour you some tea..."

Mo Ziyi shook her head slightly, indulging this little girl in front of her.

Go ahead and spoil her, you'll soon realize that this girl absolutely cannot be spoiled...

Let's leave that aside for now and get to the point: "Young master, have you noticed those few pairs of eyes staring at you from the rooftop across the street?"

Zhou Wenju picked up his teacup: "I've noticed! If nothing unexpected happens, the news of the Nanyang Poetry Festival's replacement has already been made public within their circle!"

He noticed that look in her eyes, and there was a strong sense of hostility in her gaze.

"The matter is clear! There's no need for further words. Prepare!" said Mo Ziyi.

"Alright, I'll go next door!" Zhou Wenju said.

"Don't worry, no matter what methods they use, they can't cause any trouble before the poetry gathering because of my literary blockade!" Mo Ziyi said.

"Of course!" Zhou Wenju finished his tea in one gulp, got up, and went to the next room.

The room next door is exactly the same as this one.

Looking up, one still sees the autumn waters of Biyan Lake; looking down, one still sees the ancient charm of Nanyang City.

Time passed by in this autumn of Jiangnan, accompanied by continuous misty rain...

It's already the third day!

This day was the last day of September.

On this day, the continuous autumn rain stopped, and the sun shone.

As Zhou Wen lifted the bed and opened the window, the sun shone brightly in the sky.

The enchanting scenery of half the lake shrouded in mist and rain, half veiled in gauze, vanished overnight. The sky was infinitely high and clear, the entire city bathed in its own light—a truly magnificent sight of vastness and grandeur.

There was a knock on the door.

Zhou Wenju opened the door, and Mo Ziyi and Rou'er stood at the door.

Mo Ziyi gently stretched out her hand and handed a piece of paper to Zhou Wenju: "This is the basic information of the participants in this poetry gathering."

Zhou Wenju read ten lines at a glance, listing five people in total: Du Yuxin, a generation of poetic madman; Li Muyun, a child prodigy; Wang Luoshui, a poet and relative of the emperor; Li Yufei, a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) this year; and Li Yuecheng, a Tanhua (third-place scholar) this year.

Zhou Wenju laughed: "They are all registered candidates for the imperial examinations."

"Indeed, three Juren (successful candidates in the provincial examination), two Jinshi (successful candidates in the metropolitan examination), and one of them is the Tanhua Lang (third-place scholar) in this year's Tianma Parade," Mo Ziyi said. "You didn't even take the imperial examination, yet you bumped into five learned scholars on their way to the exam in this way. What are your thoughts?"

"How fortunate I am!" Zhou Wenju replied with four words that were impossible to misinterpret or misunderstand.

"Young Master, don't worry too much..." Rou'er said, "I've inquired, and none of these five have written a seven-color poem yet. As long as you perform normally, they will definitely..."

Mo Ziyi raised her hand to interrupt: "Nothing is absolute! Nothing is absolute, especially the creation of poetry. Different themes and topics will lead to different results, and different environments and contexts will also result in different outcomes... This poetry gathering has invited Dai Shucheng, a renowned Confucian scholar from Jiangnan, to preside over it. Although this old man is known for his fairness, impartiality, and adherence to etiquette in literary matters, he has very deep connections with officials!"

She didn't say it explicitly.

However, everyone understands what it means.

If one cultivates deep connections with officials, one will inevitably be influenced by powerful figures in the bureaucracy.

Prince Rulan is currently the most favored prince by His Majesty outside the capital. His word carries immense weight in the officialdom, and no one can guarantee whether this renowned scholar from Jiangnan, who is also the host, will be assigned by him.

If he were to show favoritism when setting the questions, or even leak the questions to the other participants in advance, then the outcome of this poetry gathering would certainly be under his control.

Catch one person off guard, giving others time to prepare carefully.

No matter how unparalleled your poetic talent is, you can't possibly win...

"It's alright!" Zhou Wenju replied with a smile.

Looking at his incredibly confident face, Mo Ziyi wanted to pour some cold water on him, but with a major battle imminent, she didn't want to dampen his confidence. Besides, the sudden clearing of the weather today, without any warning, also made her feel vaguely uneasy.

Over the past two days, the Jiangnan region has experienced continuous autumn rain.

He pondered for two days in his room, surrounded by autumn rain and the sound of autumn wind. The wonderful lines he came up with were probably all related to autumn rain and autumn wind. After all, in the poet's pen, every autumn rain is a poem—which is very much in line with the poet's sad nature in autumn.

It suddenly cleared up today.

Normally, the clearing of the sky after a long period of rain would make people feel happy, but today's sunshine weighed heavily on her heart.

With the weather clearing up, will all the hard work he's put in these past few days go to waste...?

And what about the others?

The situation is absolutely different.

Standing in her high position, she has a very deep understanding of the wonders of literature and the Way.

She knew that the Yin-Yang School within the Wen Dao Sheng family was skilled in observing celestial phenomena. Others might not know about weather changes, but they did. The imperial court and the Mohist main family possessed a large number of Yin-Yang School members…

If even the weather is under the enemy's control, then today's battle is truly unpredictable.

With a soft hiss, two huge banners hung down from the Jade Smoke Pavilion.

The four characters on the left read: "Nanyang Poetry Gathering".

The four characters on the right read: "Discussing the Way through Poetry".

These eight characters were personally written by the great Confucian scholar Wenxin. Each character carries the great power of literature and Taoism. With just two pieces of calligraphy hanging down, Biyanlou will immediately become a sacred place of literature and Taoism.

"It's starting!" someone shouted from below.

"Have you received an invitation to observe, sir?"

"I am so fortunate to have received a ticket and be able to appreciate such a high-level poetry event up close," the person who asked the question said modestly.

"There are more than a thousand learned scholars in Nanyang City, but fewer than a hundred have been invited to observe from below the stage. They are all the best of the best. I admire your poetic talent!"

For a moment, the crowd of onlookers queuing to enter the building below also gained more attention.

Indeed, as this person said, the observation group that can enter the top of Biyan Tower to observe on-site also needs to be qualified. The way of poetry must be recognized by the public. How can those who know nothing about poetry understand the wonder of high-end poetry gatherings?

In an instant, Biyanlou became a sacred place for Nanyang literati.