Bai Suzhen, I really need to punish you properly.

Wang Xuan pondered for a moment, made slight revisions, and slowly recited:

"The tree south of Jianmen Gate was moved to Huixian Pavilion."

"The Jin River is abundant with beautiful flowers, and the Min Mountains are covered with green leaves."

"The Lady of Luo is ashamed of her gentleness, and the Goddess yields to her beauty."

"A riot of red and purple blossoms, their fragrance wafting around the winding pillars."

"Excellent! Excellent! Absolutely wonderful!"

Fan Chongwen stepped forward with a smile, clapping his hands in delight, "Such a masterpiece is a pity to be passed down only by word of mouth. Why don't you take up your brush and leave a copy?"

As the saying goes, first-rate writers enter the imperial court, while second-rate writers express their feelings through poetry.

Poetry is meant to soothe the mind, cultivate character, and refine one's temperament.

However, as the former Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, Fan Chongwen had spent half his life immersed in literature and art, and his love for poetry and prose far surpassed that of ordinary people.

Wang Xuan cupped his hands and smiled, "Since you have shown me such kindness, Uncle, I will certainly comply."

The three of them returned to the study together.

Guo Ping pressed down the paper, Fan Chongwen ground the ink, and Wang Xuan wielded the brush.

The brushstrokes flowed like dragons and snakes, completed in one go.

Fan Chongwen picked up the paper, examined the poems and calligraphy on it, and exclaimed, "My dear nephew, you are truly exceptionally talented. To rise from a commoner to a county magistrate is indeed beyond the reach of ordinary people. The hardships you have endured along the way must have been extremely difficult."

Wang Xuan blurted out: "In the morning a peasant, in the evening an official in the emperor's court. Generals and ministers are not born, a man should strive for himself."

"What a fine example of a man striving for self-improvement!" Guo Ping praised, but his tone was tinged with melancholy. "My two sons spend their days indulging in pleasures and seeking pleasure. If they had even a fraction of Huaiyu's ambition, I wouldn't have to worry about them every day."

Fan Chongwen sighed, "A son should be like Wang Huaiyu!"

Wang Xuan thought to himself, speechless: I treat you as an elder, but you want me to be your son?

Even saying "When a daughter is to be married, she should marry Wang Huaiyu" would be fine.

Fan Chongwen then said, "Nephew, please write down this poem as well."

Wang Xuan readily accepted the good advice and picked up his pen again.

The three chatted idly in the study for a long time before returning to the banquet hall, where they took turns toasting each other, and the guests enjoyed themselves immensely.

the other side.

Fan Shiyi Niang slowly returned to her boudoir.

She looked at the beautiful young woman sitting inside the room and called out, "Third Sister."

"Sister." Feng Sanniang quickly stepped forward, grasped the other's hands, her eyes full of curiosity, "Have you seen the man who came to propose marriage?"

"I did see him, but..."

Fan Shiyi Niang hesitated, her expression complex.

"Just what?"

Fan Shiyi Niang then recounted her encounter with Wang Xuan in its entirety.

Feng Sanniang smiled and said, "This is indeed a remarkable young man. However, his desire to learn is not strong. If you are unwilling, you can simply refuse."

Fan Shiyi Niang did not respond, lost in thought.

Wang Xuan was handsome, spoke in a way that was unusual, and his actions and thoughts were strange in every way, making him really hard for her to figure out.

Seeing her like this, Feng San Niang couldn't help but tease, "Sister, have you perhaps fallen for that man?"

"No, that's not it." Fan Shiyi Niang blushed and quickly shook her head in denial. "I was just thinking about how to match 'Smoke locks the willows by the pond'?"

Feng San Niang: "The willows by the pond are shrouded in mist, creating a serene and elegant atmosphere. The characters are cleverly designed, with five radicals representing all five elements. It's really not easy to match them."

Fan Shiyi Niang came up with several ideas, but none of them were well-matched or satisfactory.

Feng Sanniang sighed softly, "This person is really strange. His words and actions are casual and unrestrained, and he has left behind an absolute question, which has disturbed my sister's mind for no reason."

She knew in her heart that based solely on this couplet, coupled with that man's extraordinary words and actions, he would likely secure a place in Fan Shiyi Niang's heart.

The two women discussed it for a long time in their boudoir, but still couldn't come up with a matching couplet.

Fan Shiyi Niang suddenly came to her senses and asked in confusion, "Strange, why hasn't Father talked to me about the marriage proposal? Surely he hasn't agreed to it?"

Feng Sanniang suggested, "Sister, shouldn't you go and ask?"

Fan Shiyi Niang nodded gently.

She left her room, found her mother, and asked softly, "Mother, where is Father?"

"Your father is still in the study."

Fan Shiyi Niang entered the study and saw her father looking at a piece of calligraphy with great interest.

She stepped forward and softly called out, "Father, what are you looking at?"

"Come and take a look." Fan Chongwen, who always doted on his intelligent and beautiful daughter, smiled and beckoned her over. "This is what I've acquired today. What do you think?"

Fan Shiyi Niang silently recited the poem. She could feel the author's ambition and determination to succeed between the lines. But when her gaze fell on the signature at the bottom of the poem, she paused slightly and asked in a low voice, "Wang Xuan?"

"You know him?"

"I...I don't know."

"It's normal that you don't know him. He is the current magistrate of Qiantang County and also the newly appointed third-ranked scholar."

"Is he the third-ranked scholar?"

Fan Shiyi Niang's almond-shaped eyes widened in astonishment.

"certainly."

These words immediately stirred up a storm in her heart.

Why did Wang Xuan deceive himself by saying that he had no hope of achieving fame and fortune and only wanted to curry favor with wealthy families?

She hesitated for a moment, clutching her sleeve, and asked coyly, "Didn't he come to propose marriage?"

Fan Chongwen smiled slightly and shook his head: "He just came to visit with Prefect Guo."

Fan Shiyi Niang felt her earlobes burning as she recalled her confident assertion that the other party had come to propose marriage.

Is that why he deliberately uttered those dejected and nonsensical words in order to make me lose my goodwill towards him?

But I'm not sure if I'll fall for him.

Then I remembered what he had said before he left: to keep your eyes open and not to trust others easily. A feeling of shame, anger and resentment at being played for surged into my heart.

Just as he was pondering, Fan Chongwen said again, "Take a look at this poem. It was written on the spot when he was strolling alone in the garden and saw hollyhocks. It only took him the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."

Fan Shiyi Niang looked over.

"The tree south of Jianmen Gate was moved to Huixian Pavilion."

"The Jin River is abundant with beautiful flowers, and the Min Mountains are covered with green leaves."

"The Lady of Luo is ashamed of her gentleness, and the Goddess yields to her beauty."

"A riot of red and purple blossoms, their fragrance wafting around the winding pillars."

This poem about flowers is ornate and perfectly balanced in its parallelism.

But he was clearly with me at the time.

The girl couldn't help but start imagining things.

Is this poem actually about hollyhocks, or is it using the flower to praise the poet's own beauty?

As soon as this thought crossed her mind, her cheeks flushed slightly, and her heart began to pound.

……

Fan Shiyi Niang returned to her boudoir in a sullen mood, her brows and eyes full of grievance.

"What's wrong? Who upset you, sister?" Feng San Niang quickly stepped forward.

"I was tricked by Wang Xuan!"

"What happened?"

Fan Shiyi Niang pursed her cherry lips, feeling both shy and annoyed: "He didn't come to propose marriage at all, nor is he hopeless in his pursuit of fame and fortune. He's a third-place scholar in the imperial examinations. He's clearly just teasing me on purpose."

Feng San Niang was taken aback at first, then chuckled, "So, how do you feel about him now, sister?"

"How does it feel?"

"This man is talented, accomplished, witty, and not rigid. Have you taken a liking to him, sister?"

Fan Shiyi Niang raised her hand to gently tidy up the hair at her temples, her ears secretly blushing, and said with a coquettish hum, "A perfectly good third-place scholar, yet he insists on pretending to be a down-on-his-luck scholar to tease me. He's probably not a very steady person at all."

Feng San Niang's smile deepened: "If you like her, you should try to win her over."

Fan Shiyi Niang grabbed her hand in return, her cheeks instantly flushing red, her face full of shyness: "I don't want it, I'm fine with you by my side."

"But I can't stay with you forever," Feng San Niang said gently. "Let me, your younger sister, go and find out what kind of person he is first."

"Well... okay then."