kvmb Chapter 77, 3rd Leader!
Chapter 77, 3rd Leader!
Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Three Leaders!
The poem was completed, astonishing everyone. A fragrance of ink quietly spread around, refreshing everyone's spirits as if they had been baptized by the genius.
"Alas, if only I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have done it in the first place."
Zhao Qingfeng sighed and silently took a step back.
"I am truly impressed by Ye Ru. He is neither arrogant nor haughty, and he respects his teachers. He is a role model for us scholars and deserves to be called an example."
"Yes, even if I don't attend these literary gatherings myself, seeing Ye Ru will make the trip worthwhile."
"Same reason."
Some people whispered that even those from Liufeng Private School and Peixin Private School were full of admiration.
Ye Ru bowed slightly in one direction.
“We hid so well, yet Ye Ru still found us. Let’s go.”
Fang Zifeng sighed, but his eyes were full of emotion.
This was the first time he had ever seen such a formal expression of gratitude at the annual imperial examination gatherings.
Although I am your mentor and guide, the world is a place where people come and go. Most of my students will eventually go their separate ways, and some of them may never meet again.
"Let's go."
Not only Fang Zifeng, but also the teachers of the other two major private schools nodded, full of satisfaction.
"I now understand why Ye Ru was only a student of the lowest level in the imperial examinations."
"That's what Mr. Liu Feng from the private school said."
"Your scholarly integrity is truly admirable. Your Wenxing Private School has unearthed a treasure."
The teacher at Peixin Private School nodded.
The three emerged from their hiding place.
"Yes, sir, the sir has arrived."
A sharp-eyed person saw Fang Zifeng and the others come out first and exclaimed in surprise.
"So the three gentlemen were hiding in the shadows listening to Ye Ru and the other two discuss poetry."
"Master Liu."
Liu Juecheng was taken aback, then bowed respectfully.
"The royal army."
Zhao Qingfeng also cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and said in a respectful voice.
"Greetings to Master Fang, Master Liu, and Master Wang."
Ye Ru bowed slightly, and the attitude of the three of them made Fang Zifeng and the others nod in agreement:
"Today's imperial examination is the most splendid ever, and I believe it will surely bring forth the brilliance of the literary star."
"Sir, you flatter me. It was just a humble attempt, and it pales in comparison to your great kindness in teaching me."
Ye Ru said.
"We have heard the rules. Now, let's vote to select the best cross poem of this association."
Mr. Wang nodded and looked at everyone.
"I think there's no need to choose. Ye Tongsheng's poems are amazing, while Juecheng and Qingfeng are just good at cultivating virtue. I'm afraid Ye Tongsheng will lose the second prize twice."
Mr. Liu stroked his beard and smiled.
"Master Liu!"
"A city of absolute annihilation is not a place for a gentleman to contend with. Moreover, Ye Tongsheng is exceptionally talented. If you cannot even overcome this hurdle, how can you talk about protecting your country and stepping onto the path of sainthood!"
Liu Juecheng became anxious and shouted, but before he could finish speaking, he was scolded by Mr. Liu.
"A gentleman does not contend...that is true."
Liu Juecheng was suddenly startled, as if he had realized something.
"Alright, two out of three have been eliminated. Let's see if Ye Tongsheng will achieve a perfect score of three in this final round, or if he will be eliminated in disappointment."
Mr. Wang looked at the crowd but did not stop the three from competing for the top spot.
"Let Yip Tong-sheng set the questions this time."
Liu Juecheng's eyes were bright at this moment, and he cupped his hands in greeting to Ye Ru.
"Ruzi can be taught."
Fang Zifeng and the other two exchanged glances and nodded to each other.
"I wouldn't dare. Let Master Fang and the other two set the questions."
Ye Ru spoke to Fang Zifeng and the other two.
"Alright, I'll present a riddle. Everyone, try to guess the answer. Whoever answers correctly will be the champion of the day!"
Fang Zifeng stepped forward and then said:
"Lower the beaded curtain, burn incense, and go to divine the future."
"I ask Heaven, where has my beloved fallen?"
"Hate Yulang, he has no sincerity whatsoever."
"I want to stop, but I can't."
“I will press down on your mouth.”
"Our friendship is not bad."
"Once it's dyed soap, it's hard to say a word of innocence."
"A perfectly matched pair of lovers, yet they were cut apart by a knife."
"I threw down the slave, my strength exhausted and my hands weary."
Upon closer examination, both words and heart are false.
After finishing reading, Fang Zifeng looked around:
"Please guess the answer."
Upon hearing this, everyone began to ponder, but some shook their heads and then sighed.
"As expected of a scholar's question, it's so difficult."
"We can't do it ourselves, let's look to the three great talents of the private school."
One of them smiled bitterly.
"Yes, we still have to look at the riddles of Wenxing Wolong, Peixin Fengchu, and Liufeng Zhonghu."
Zhao Qingfeng fell into thought. The riddle offered no clues whatsoever, making it extremely difficult.
"Never mind, I'm ashamed to say I can't answer."
Zhao Qingfeng said helplessly.
Liu Juecheng was also deep in thought with a furrowed brow. Both of his prizes had been won by Ye Ru, so this time he had to answer correctly no matter what.
Things are possible with human effort, but things don't always go as planned. More than ten minutes passed, and he still had no clue.
"I am but a novice, and I offer my humble guesses."
However, just as everyone was pondering, a voice came, causing them all to turn their attention to that direction.
"Ye Ru actually thought of that!"
'He actually figured it out! No wonder Ye Ru was able to become a student of the lowest level; he truly deserved it.'
"I just don't know if my guess is right."
……
A cacophony of voices arose, and Fang Zifeng and the others looked towards Ye Ru:
"Okay, you answer."
"cough."
Ye Ru cleared his throat and spoke in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear:
"Master Fang's talent is profound and admirable. On the surface, this is a poem of a woman's heartbreak, but in reality, each line hides a number. The answer is 'one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.'"
Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback, and then one of them shouted:
"Please enlighten us, Mr. Yip, this is completely unrelated."
"That's it."
Fang Zifeng raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, and then said:
"How can you tell? If you can't explain why, then it doesn't count."
Ye Ru nodded and continued:
“下”去“卜”乃一”
"The sky not seeing people is twofold."
"If there is no 'one,' then there are three."
“罢” means “to leave”, and “去” is four.
The character “吾” without the “口” radical becomes “五”.
“The character ‘交’ should not be ‘叉’ (cross), which is six.”
“The character ‘皂’ without ‘白’ is seven.”
The character “分” without the radical “刀” is eight.
"Nine is obtained by discarding 'force' and 'hand'."
The character “思” without “口” and “心” is ten!
After Ye Ru finished answering, the people around him started to discuss it, and Su Tongyao looked at Ye Ru with admiration.
"Just as Ye Tongsheng said, it was indeed a riddle involving removing characters."
"Brother Ye Ru is truly talented. I am ashamed of my inferiority. I should focus on my studies. I don't aspire to surpass Brother Ye Ru. I would be content to die if I could achieve even half of his talent."
"Yes, do you think Brother Ye Ru's head is just full of ink? How could he be so smart?"
"This is what other people's kids are like..."
……
"wonderful!"
As everyone was discussing, Zhao Qingfeng and Liu Juecheng suddenly realized something, their eyes lighting up:
"Brother Ye Ru is truly a man of exceptional talent, while I am of limited ability and shallow knowledge. Compared to Ye Tongsheng, our talents are like stars compared to the moon. These three top honors belong to Brother Ye Ru."
"You flatter me. Your magnanimity is exemplary and you are role models for us all."
Ye Ru did not stand on ceremony; instead, he cupped his hands in greeting.
"Alright, the winner of this three-way battle is..."
Fang Zifeng smiled, and when he saw that everyone's eyes were on him, he announced loudly with a smile:
"Now I declare the winner of this three-way battle for the title of champion..."
Turning around, Fang Zifeng slowly raised his arm, then his finger suddenly pointed at the jade-like young man in the arena:
"That is... Ye Ru, Ye Tongsheng!"