After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

"Uh..." Ning Nan widened his eyes.

Previously, his senior brother Han Chang had told him to feign illness and avoid seeing Emperor Wenzong of the Northern Dynasty. Now, Grand Scholar Liu and the others had come together again, also advising him not to see that Emperor Wenzong surnamed Nalan, and even suggesting he go to the countryside to avoid him. This was rather strange.

But Senior Brother Han and Scholar Liu, who had gifted him such a fine inkstone, would certainly not harm him.

He claimed to be sick.

It's a pity I'm currently under house arrest, otherwise I was really planning to go back to Lijia Village to hide for a few days.

They came and went in haste. After giving their instructions, the Grand Scholar and his companions prepared to leave. Although it wasn't a formal visit, these renowned figures were no ordinary people, so Ning Nan opened the main gate to see them off.

The middle door opens and closes.

As we walked back, just as we stepped onto the wooden bridge over the small lake in the courtyard, the third group of guests arrived.

The leading guest was Zhang Jian, a renowned scholar from Bailu Academy whom I had met once before. Upon introduction, the two guests flanking him were also prominent scholars from the academy.

Ning Nan was taken aback. After exchanging greetings, he cheerfully invited the three Confucian scholars into the flower hall for a chat.

However, the erudite scholar Zhang Jian waved his hand in refusal, smiling wryly as he explained that the three of them were sent by the headmaster of Bailu Academy to discuss something with Ning Nan, and then left. Since Zhang Jian had previously met Ning Nan at the Zhenguo Marquis's residence, the headmaster had sent him, and they only hoped he wasn't too late.

Ning Nan felt uneasy, his brows furrowed slightly, and he clasped his hands in greeting, asking, "May I ask what brings you here, Master Zhang?"

Zhang Jian asked, "I wonder if Nalan and Nalan Ruo from the Northern Dynasty have already visited Bai Xuan?"

"Uh..." Ning Nan's eyes were strange, and he shook his head again. "Never."

Zhang Jian breathed a sigh of relief, his expression softening. He quickly tugged at Ning Nan's sleeve and said, "That would be best. Bai Xuan, if you don't mind, Bai Lu Academy would like to invite you to the academy for a chat. You can stay for half a month, until Nalan Ruo leaves the capital."

Huh? Ning Nan's eyes widened immediately.

Zhang Jian smiled wryly and said, "Bai Xuan's poetry is renowned throughout the north and south. The headmaster had no choice but to resort to this tactic to prevent Bai Xuan from meeting Nalan Ruo. I hope Bai Xuan will grant this request."

At this moment, it wasn't just Ning Nan whose brows were furrowed deeply.

Even Qin Yuanyao, who had changed into black casual clothes and was following Ning Nan, frowned and asked why.

Zhang Jian didn't know who the woman in black was, but seeing that her hair wasn't up, he knew she was unmarried and assumed she was Ning Baixuan's sister or friend.

Zhang Jian spread his hands with a troubled expression and said, "The reasons for this are too numerous to explain. In short, it's best if Bai Xuan doesn't meet with Nalan Ruo."

Ning Nan was confined to his residence by the emperor and could not leave. At this time, he followed suit and promised that he would feign illness. Zhang Jian and the other two exchanged glances, their expressions relaxed, and said, "That's good, that's good," before taking their leave.

Ning Nan was puzzled. Everyone was telling me not to see that Emperor Wenzong of the Northern Dynasty?

But this was naturally not a big deal, and he wasn't particularly curious. So he instructed Steward Wang, the gatekeeper, and the Imperial Guards that if any Northern Dynasty people wearing melon-shaped hats came to visit, they should not be seen.

The sun is westward.

It was afternoon, the time for applying for a license plate.

A servant came to report that another guest had arrived. The visitor was not wearing a melon-shaped hat and introduced himself as "Old Crane."

Upon hearing the name, Ning Nan, who was taking a nap in the study, jumped up and said, "Please come in quickly."

The old man and the scholar Liu had an excellent relationship; they were inseparable.

He was wondering why he hadn't seen Old Man He in the morning, but unexpectedly Old Man He arrived in the afternoon.

Upon arriving at the flower hall and seeing the white-haired, white-bearded, and white-browed old man, Ning Nan smiled and clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "Old man, could you also be...?"

He hadn't finished speaking.

Then they saw two other people standing on either side of the old crane.

On the left is a serious-looking old man who doesn't smile.

On the right is a refined and gentle middle-aged scholar.

Old Crane's eyes held a complex expression. He swished a stack of papers in his hand and said with an embarrassed smile, "Young friend Bai Xuan, I... I've come to find you... to discuss poetry."

Ning Nan was taken aback.

On poetry?

At this moment, the maid Chunyu gracefully came up to serve tea.

Ning Nan then invited everyone to sit down first.

As soon as he sat down, the old man in brocade robes sneered, "Young friend Ning, it's really not easy to get an audience with you."

Ning Nan frowned, clasped his hands in greeting, and asked, "May I ask your esteemed name?"

The old man in brocade patted the stack of papers that Crane Elder had placed on the table, raised his chin and said, "My humble name is not worth mentioning. The reason I have come with Crane Elder to visit you, young friend, is to... discuss poetry with you."

Ning Nan narrowed his eyes and glanced at the man's hair. He hadn't shaved his head. He was from the Southern Dynasty. He just didn't know what had gotten into him to come and discuss poetry with him.

Ning Nan nodded and said, "I wonder what you wish to discuss?"

The old man in brocade sneered and said, "I heard that young friend Ning denigrated poetry to nothing at the North-South Poetry Gathering, saying something like, 'Have you ever seen a sage write poetry?'"

Did I say that...? Ning Nan's eyes flickered, and he smiled, "If I did say such a thing, then I was drunk and acted rashly. Please don't take offense."

The old man in brocade narrowed his eyes and smiled slightly, "So, young friend Ning doesn't agree with what you said before?"

Ning Nan nodded and said, "Zengzi said, 'I examine myself three times a day.' So much time has passed, and I've examined myself hundreds of times, so of course I don't agree... Poetry is poetry, and governing the world is governing the world. The former emphasizes the beauty of words and writing, while the latter emphasizes the world and the past and present. It's wrong to conflate the two. The words of the sages are about governing the world, not about writing poetry... So, that statement is naturally incorrect."

talking.

Ning Nan narrowed his eyes, turned his head slightly, and asked in return, "Does Your Excellency approve?"

Old Crane's eyes lit up.

The old man in brocade robes immediately froze.

Then, he snorted and said, "Of course I don't agree either."

Ning Nan shrugged and smiled, saying, "That's good. Is there anything else, Your Excellency?"

Pop, pop, pop.

The old man in brocade spread his five fingers, patted the paper on the table with his palm, and said calmly, "As I said, let's discuss poetry."

Before Ning Nan could speak, the old man said, "Young friend Ning, I think your poem 'Sheng Sheng Man' is poorly written, feeling cold and desolate."

Wow! What audacity… Ning Nan smiled and said, “What do you find wrong, sir?”

The old man in brocade shook his head and sighed, "The lyricist is not good."

This time, it was Ning Nan's turn to freeze.

The old man in brocade robes said, "In my opinion, this poem is perfectly structured, with intricate diction and exquisite craftsmanship; it is truly a masterpiece. There is only one flaw..." He looked at Ning Nan with his old eyes, "Young friend Ning, do you have homosexual tendencies?"

Ning Nan replied irritably, "Of course not!"

The old man in brocade spread his hands and said, "That's the downside. If the lyricist were a woman or a young man with homosexual tendencies, it would be perfect. But the lyricist is a disgusting man, which is a pity."

"Ha," Ning Nan laughed and clasped his hands in a graceful gesture, "You have a discerning eye for talent. This poem was indeed written by a woman named Yi'an Jushi. I already stated that back at Yanchun Pavilion, but people have simply been spreading misinformation. I will publish a collection of Yi'an Jushi's works to set the record straight."

The old man in brocade ignored him and said, "Your poem, 'The misfortune of the nation is the fortune of the poet; the lines about vicissitudes are the most skillful,' is not good either."

Ok? ? ?

Ning Nan's temple throbbed with a vein: "What's wrong this time?"

"Having witnessed the rise and fall of dynasties and the devastation of the world, I am but an old man amidst the documents of two dynasties." The old man recited a line. "The following two lines, 'The misfortune of the nation is the fortune of the poet; when the vicissitudes of life are expressed, the lines become skillful,' are too abrupt. It's like the rhyme of a regulated verse turning into a quatrain. Not good, not good." He squinted and nodded.

Ning Nan waved his hand impatiently, but a sudden thought struck him… there did seem to be another line in the middle of the poem… but he forgot. Master Ning said in an unfriendly tone, “Fine, no good. Is there anything else?”

"Your song 'Touching Fish' is also barely satisfactory."

"Hey!" Ning Nan's eyes widened. "What is love in this world that makes people willing to die for it... Old man, you dare say this poem is bad!"

The old man in brocade squinted, shaking his head, and said, "'The road across Fen River is deserted, the flutes and drums of yesteryear'—this alludes to Emperor Wu of Han's inspection tour of the Fen River, which is exquisite, but it falls short when followed by 'A thousand mountains covered in snow at dusk.' Furthermore, the poem begins with sorrow, but ends with 'Singing wildly and drinking heartily, visiting the place where the wild geese were buried,' which is not mourning the wild geese. Perhaps 'Sipping lightly, slightly drunk, tears spoken at the grave of the wild geese' would be three parts better…"

Ning Nan frowned, listening for a while but still not quite understanding, and said perfunctorily, "Okay, okay." Then he picked up his tea.

Serving tea is a way of saying goodbye to guests.

As a result, the old man in brocade robes seemed not to notice, slapped the table again, and sneered, "The 'Rainy Night Bell' you gave to that courtesan in Hangzhou... is not good either."

Ning Nan's forehead veins throbbed. But the old man spoke so formally, spouting off about prosody, rhyme, and allusions—things Ning Nan didn't understand much about. He couldn't very well refute him, lest he appear ignorant. So he simply ignored the old man and let him talk.

After the old man had finished criticizing each of the five or six poems, Ning Nan sneered and said, "Well? Are you done?"

The old man in brocade robes didn't seem thirsty at all, and said calmly, "Young friend Ning, may I ask if what I said just now made any sense?"

"Oh, so humble now..." Ning Nan curled his lip in disdain, but had to admit that what the old man said made some sense. In a hurry to get rid of him, he waved his hand impatiently and said with a slightly sarcastic tone, "Alright, alright, there's some truth to it."

At this time.

The old man, however, stood up solemnly, his expression respectful. He squinted at the middle-aged scholar on the other side, who seemed to be listening intently, and bowed, saying:

"Dear teacher, my young friend Ning is aware of the shortcomings in his poem. I would be grateful if you could help him to perfect it."

Ok?

Ning Nan narrowed his eyes. His mentor?

The old crane sighed deeply and gave a bitter laugh.

"good!"

The refined middle-aged scholar laughed and stood up, took out a stack of papers from his pocket, and cupped his hands in a smile.

"Bai Xuan, my name is Nalan Ruo. I am honored by the esteemed scholars who have bestowed upon me the title of 'Literary Master.' Since you, Bai Xuan, have entrusted me with revising your poem, I, Nalan, will gladly accept your request!" *Slap!* He slapped the revised poem in front of Ning Nan.

Ning Baixuan stared at the densely written papers for a long time, then was dumbfounded!