Inside the Examination Hall, the sound of paper rustling was incessant.
The Chief Examiner, Libationer Li Shuzhong, rubbed his tired eyes and tossed aside an examination paper whose prose was nonsensical.
He was the father of the First Madam of the Rongguo Mansion, a powerful official in Jinling.
He had already been grading papers for two days and two nights,
most of which were filled with clichés and empty words.
The few pieces with passable writing were only just passable.
He picked up the cold tea and took a sip, then casually picked up another examination paper.
Just one glance was enough to instantly revive his drowsy spirit.
This handwriting!
It lacked the soft, weak quality of ordinary scholars; instead, it was bold and powerful, with strength penetrating the paper.
Every stroke looked as if it had been carved with a knife, carrying a chilling aura of severity.
Li Shuzhong became interested and first looked at the regulated verse poem.
The topic was "Spring Breeze."
He expected to see another stale work, something like "The breeze that brushes the face is not cold like the willow wind."
But what was written on the paper was:
“The Spring Breeze is like a noble guest, arriving and instantly bringing prosperity.”
“It comes to sweep away the snow of a thousand mountains, and leaves behind the flowers of ten thousand nations.”
“The affectionate silk curtain rolls up, the powerless paper kite leans sideways.”
“Accustomed to sending news of the plum blossoms, it visits the hermit scholar’s home.”
Excellent!
Li Shuzhong couldn't help but praise it inwardly.
It captured the achievements and spirit of the Spring Breeze—sweeping snow, leaving flowers—the scope was grand.
This was definitely not something an ordinary youth could write.
He eagerly turned to the Policy Thesis.
The topic was "On the Advantages and Disadvantages of Our Dynasty's Southern Grain Transport Route."
Wonderful! Wonderful!
He flipped to the top of the paper to see the examinee's name.
Feng Yuan.
“Someone!” he called out loudly.
A clerk bowed and entered.
“Go investigate this Feng Yuan; find out his background.”
Three days later, the results of the County Examination were posted.
The area beneath the red announcement board outside the Examination Hall was crowded with people.
“Passed! Passed! I passed!”
“Alas, I failed again…”
Joy and sorrow were infinitely magnified at this moment.
Hou San squeezed through the crowd, standing on his tiptoes, stretching his neck as far as it would go.
He searched from top to bottom, meticulously.
Finally, at the top position, he saw those two characters.
Feng Yuan.
Top Scholar of the Circuit Examination!
Hou San was so excited he nearly jumped up, then rolled and crawled out of the crowd, rushing toward the teahouse across the street.
In the teahouse, Feng Yuan was sipping a cup of Plain Tea, naturally very happy, not expecting that he, a person from the 21st century, could actually achieve the position of Top Scholar of the Circuit Examination.
Thinking about the examination papers of ancient Top Scholars he had seen online, it was unimaginable now.
It was all thanks to this body and brain being greatly enhanced after his Transmigration.
“Young Master! Young Master!” Hou San rushed in, breathless.
“Top Scholar of the Circuit Examination! You are the Top Scholar of the Circuit Examination!”
The patrons in the teahouse all looked over upon hearing the shout.
Feng Yuan set down his teacup,
“I know,” he replied.
“Let’s go, home.”
Feng Yuan’s poem on the 《Spring Breeze》 from the County Examination was eagerly copied by the scholars and literati.
“The Spring Breeze is like a noble guest, arriving and instantly bringing prosperity. A great poem, a great poem!”
“I heard this Feng Yuan is only seventeen, yet possesses such literary talent!”
“It’s more than just talent; rumor has it his Policy Thesis even alarmed the Prefect.”
The name Feng Yuan, overnight, transformed from that of a wronged victim whose case was almost forgotten, into the most sought-after young talent in Jinling City.
Following this came a flurry of Calling Cards, like falling snow.
There were local gentry wanting to build connections, scholars wishing to discuss academics, and even wealthy merchants hoping to take him as a son-in-law.
Feng Yuan refused to see any of them.
He still rose at the Hour of the Ox, practicing swordsmanship with Zhou Wu in the morning, and listening to Han Anmeng lecture on history in the afternoon.
It was as if the outside clamor had nothing to do with him.
This continued until three days later, when an official sedan chair stopped in front of the Feng Residence.
The messenger was a doorkeeper from the Prefectural Yamen, holding a gilded invitation.
“Young Master Feng, our master requests your presence.”
The Prefect, Jia Yucun.
Feng Yuan took the invitation and looked at the three characters on it.
He has finally arrived.
Jia Yucun, this scholar who only managed to advance thanks to the financial support of Zhen Shiyin.
This shameless wretch who pushed his benefactor's daughter into a pit of fire just to curry favor with the powerful.
This cruel official who, in the original story, wrongly judged Feng Yuan’s case to please the Jia Family and the Xue Family.
However, given this fellow's duplicitous nature, he could be utilized.
“I understand,” Feng Yuan handed the invitation to Feng Fang.
“Prepare the carriage.”
The Jinling Prefectural Yamen.
It was solemn and imposing; the Stone lions at the entrance gleamed coldly under the sun.
Feng Yuan followed the doorkeeper through layers of ceremonial gates into an elegant Study Room.
The Study Room was lit with high-quality Sandalwood Incense, and famous calligraphy and paintings hung on the walls.
A middle-aged man wearing a fourth-rank Official uniform stood with his hands behind his back, facing the window.
He turned slowly upon hearing footsteps.
This person had a lean face, sharp eyes, and carried an air of official authority in his gaze.
It was Jia Yucun.
“Student Feng Yuan pays his respects to the Prefectural Lord,” Feng Yuan bowed deeply.
Jia Yucun did not immediately tell him to rise, instead scrutinizing him with piercing eyes.
The youth before him stood tall and straight as a pine, with a handsome face.
“You are Feng Yuan?” Jia Yucun spoke slowly, his voice laced with scrutiny.
“Yes.”
“That poem, the 《Spring Breeze》, was yours?”
“It was a fortunate piece by this student.”
He silently thought, "I'm sorry, Teacher Yuan Mei."
“Fortunate?” Jia Yucun sneered. “This official has navigated the currents of officialdom for many years and met countless talented scholars, yet I have never seen such ‘fortune’ as yours.”
He walked to his seat behind the desk and picked up a Dossier lying there.
“It comes to sweep away the snow of a thousand mountains, and leaves behind the flowers of ten thousand nations. What grand words.”
“This official would like to ask, where does this confidence of yours come from?”
The air in the Study Room instantly solidified.
This was a test, and also a warning.
Feng Yuan raised his head, looking directly into Jia Yucun’s eyes.
“Reporting to Your Lordship, it is not that this student is boastful.”
“But that the Spring Breeze is inherently so.”
“It does not ask about status or distinguish between north and south; it sweeps away the filth of the past and urges the growth of all new things. This is the ultimate principle of heaven and earth, unchangeable by human effort.”
Jia Yucun’s pupils contracted slightly.
This youth dared to lecture him on principles.
“Well said,” he picked up his teacup and gently blew away the foam.
“Do you know why this official wished to see you?”
He lowered his already bowed posture even further, displaying extreme humility.
“This student is dull-witted and dare not presume to guess Your Lordship’s intentions.”
His voice lacked its earlier clarity, instead carrying a tone of fearful deference.
“It is just that this student’s life is like weeds, his fate like duckweed; in this Jinling City, he is merely a speck of dust.”
Feng Yuan paused, seemingly weighing his words, but in reality, observing Jia Yucun’s expression.
“Your Lordship’s name is renowned throughout Jiangnan, much like that vast Spring Breeze that sweeps over Jinling. Wherever the Spring Breeze blows, even dead wood can sprout new life.”
He looked up, his eyes holding a perfectly measured mixture of reverence and hopeful expectation.
“For Your Lordship to summon this student amidst your busy schedule, I presume it is out of pity for this rootless wild grass, wishing to bestow some sweet rain and dew to enlighten me a little.”
These words were flawlessly delivered; they flattered Jia Yucun while placing himself in the dust, and simultaneously defined Jia Yucun’s summoning him as an act of "cherishing talent" and "offering support."
Jia Yucun lightly tapped the warm surface of the teacup with his finger.
He smiled.
“Your tongue is more interesting than your brush.”