SFS Chapter 17 Student Literature Club
Chapter 17 Student Literature Club
Chapter Seventeen: Students' Literary Society
The poem, accompanied by a cold shout, transformed into ten swords of talent. After piercing through the ten ink-clad soldiers, they turned into an arc of sword energy, all rushing towards the man in black.
As the ink-black weapons dissipated, the black-clad man's pupils contracted, and he then recited Su Wenmo's semi-saintly poem "Walking in the Rainy Night" to swiftly dodge the ten magical swords.
When he saw who it was, he frowned.
"It's actually Fang Zifeng."
"Mr. Fang."
Ye Ru's face lit up with joy when he saw that he was out of danger.
"Who are you? State your name immediately! Committing violence and assault at night, aren't you afraid the magistrate will find out?"
Fang Zifeng, holding the second-grade literary treasure, the Literary Master Seal, shouted sternly.
The man in black said nothing, and recited the Swift Movement Poem again, trying to escape from here.
"Draw a circle on the ground to make a prison!"
Fang Zifeng slapped the Wen Shi Seal, and the Wen Bao swelled in the wind, eventually transforming into a large, transparent seal that enveloped the man in black.
Legend has it that in the primitive era of the Confucian and Taoist continent, people were very self-disciplined and morally upright. If someone made a mistake, a circle would be drawn on the ground to confine him as punishment. Even so, even if there was no one around him, he would never step out of the circle prematurely.
The phrase "drawing a circle on the ground as a prison" was coined by the historian Sage. It is a line from "Letter to Ren An" in the classics of the sages. The original sentence is: "Therefore, a scholar can draw a circle on the ground as a prison, which is impossible to enter. He can carve a wooden figure into an official, which is impossible to argue with. He can make a plan in the absence of a strong opponent."
This means that for scholars, even drawing a prison on the ground would be too intimidating to enter, and a wooden jailer wouldn't dare confront him. Later, this concept was simplified to "drawing a prison on the ground."
Wen Shiyin trapped the man in black, causing the latter to panic.
After all, how can a mere scholar compare to a successful candidate in the imperial examinations?
"Are you alright? I'll take him to see the authorities right away."
Fang Zifeng looked at the struggling man in black with a gloomy expression. He never expected that someone would try to assassinate his student in his own Wenxing Private School.
He then led the man in black away from there.
"It's alright, thank you for saving me, Master Fang."
Ye Ru thanked him, watched Fang Zifeng leave, and then thought to himself:
"This assassination attempt will definitely not be a one-time thing. I have offended the gentry, and Wang Xiaoyang will definitely not let me go. Once I become a student of the Imperial Academy, I will definitely take my revenge!"
After this thrilling experience, Ye Ru returned home and studied even harder.
The next day.
"Ye Ru, tomorrow is the preliminary examination for the imperial examination. After the examination, there will be a literary gathering for scholars to exchange their insights on poetry and classical texts. Would you like to attend?"
Fang Zifeng was clearly still in a bad mood, after all, such a thing happening in his own private school was not good for their reputation.
"Students' Literary Society?"
Ye Ru murmured to himself. He knew that literary gatherings were indispensable in the Confucian and Taoist Continent, and also the places where the most poems were produced.
At that time, students from various private schools would come to participate. Although it was ostensibly a literary gathering for students, it had secretly become a channel for students to gain literary fame.
"After yesterday's assassination attempt, you should be able to realize that your literary reputation is currently too poor. If you can make a name for yourself at this student literary gathering, it will attract the attention of all parties. At that time, even if Wang Xiaoyang wants to harm you, he will probably have to think twice before acting. Are you going or not?"
Fang Zifeng said seriously.
"Of course I'll go, there's no reason not to."
Ye Ru knew that in the Confucian and Taoist Continent, literary reputation, literary rank, literary heart, literary courage, and literary palace were all extremely important.
A literary reputation represents one's fame on the mainland, while a literary rank is the official rank of a scholar.
The heart of a book will give a scholar additional abilities, while the courage of a book will increase a person's boldness and the cohesion of the book palace.
The Book Palace is a place where talent gathers; the larger the Book Palace, the stronger the talent one can mobilize.
“You’re too low-key to go right now. I’ve asked someone to get you an invitation. Just go to Hongxiang Restaurant.”
Fang Zifeng handed a gold-embossed invitation to Ye Ru and left.
"Young Master Ye Ru, are you alright?"
Not long after Fang Zifeng left, Su Tongyao hurried to Ye Ru's room, carefully watching over him, afraid that he might get hurt.
"It's alright. If it weren't for Mr. Fang yesterday, I would have been killed."
Ye Ru gave a bitter smile, then sighed inwardly.
"It's still too weak..."
"It's good that you're alright. It must have been that bastard Wang Xiaoyang who did it. I wish I could study, so I could protect you."
Su Tongyao gritted her teeth and said.
“It’s all over now. As long as I obtain a literary rank, from a student to a scholar, I will definitely retaliate in kind.”
Ye Ru patted Su Tongyao's head. Although this Confucian continent didn't have the ancient feudal system of Earth,
But this is still considered an extremely intimate gesture.
"It's good that the young master is alright. I'll go wash his clothes."
Su Tongyao blushed instantly, picked up a bundle of clothes, and left.
Ye Ru smiled, a warm feeling rising in his heart, then closed the door and continued to study diligently.
Tomorrow is the preliminary examination for the imperial examination. Although it is a test, it is worth taking seriously. After all, I am only good at poetry, and my understanding of the classics is still somewhat flawed.
Ye Ru read until late at night, then felt sleepy and went to rest.
The next day.
As soon as the sun touched the ground, all the students of Wenxing Private School got up, creating an unusually lively atmosphere, and everyone headed towards the school's square.
Some of them were happy, while others had worried expressions; their expressions varied.
Outside Ye Ru's room, Su Tongyao had gotten up early and had been waiting.
"Where is the young master? Could it be that he got tired of reading and is about to oversleep if we don't leave soon?"
Su Tongyao twisted the hem of her clothes with both hands and murmured.
"Where is Brother Ye Ru? Why can't I find him?"
"Yes, this time, we have to rely entirely on Brother Ye Ru to bring honor to us poor students."
At this moment, three or four people came in a group and looked toward Ye Ru's door.
"Relying on Ye Ru to bring honor to students from poor families is probably overthinking things."
A young man dressed in blue walked in, looked at the tightly closed door, and sighed.
“Brother Liu Zhi, you can’t say that. Back then, Brother Ye Ru was the one who wrote several poems on Hongmeng and Xiude.”
"It was said by a square-faced boy."
Although this minor imperial examination tested the students' learning level, in the final analysis, it was still a struggle between the poor and the aristocratic families.
In the Confucian and Taoist continent, there are many open and covert struggles between the poor and the aristocratic families, but the aristocratic families have more power, and the poor do not have an advantage.
"Look at him now, so complacent and making so many of us wait. He doesn't care about this exam at all."
Liu Zhi didn't take it to heart at all, and instead mocked him.
"What if a miracle happens?"
The square-faced boy shook his head.
Upon hearing this, Liu Zhi's eyes showed even more disdain, and he then loudly mocked, drawing the attention of those around him:
“A miracle? I don’t believe in miracles. A child prodigy may not be a great adult. Someone like Ye Ru will definitely fail in this small test. I think we can’t rely on him to help the poor rise to prominence. It would be better for him to seek refuge with someone else.”