Qianwangyuan Garden is located on the east side of the provincial city. As people come and go, passing through three major streets, they arrive at their destination.

  The gate is in the style of five pillars, and there are stone lions. Unless you are an official of the fifth rank or above, or a noble, you cannot have such a mansion. As soon as you enter, you hear the faint sound of sheng, xiao, qin, and se instruments.

  After passing through several corridors, I saw a large garden here, with an artificial lake in the middle. Looking far away, there is a piece of ripples, and in the middle, there is still a corridor made of wood, winding and twisting. In the center of the lake, there is a hall, where more than ten people can be vaguely seen.

  Just then a woman was playing the zither; Fang Xin walked halfway and stopped in his tracks, listening to the sound across the water.

  At this time, the spring breeze in March is like a knife, although it's not yet spring, but the end of winter. The melody flows like clouds and water, turning into a beautiful music score, digging deep into everyone's heart to evoke their deepest emotions.

  After the music ended, Fang Xing waited for a moment before entering. He saw the old man from that day and Yan Min, Mr. Yan was also seated, while the others were wearing casual clothes, but their demeanor was extraordinary.

  "The student pays respects to the elderly gentleman, having seen Mr. Yan and all the other seniors." Fang Xin cupped his hands in greeting.

  "Are you Li Rui? How come, seeing Master Hou, you don't even pay respects?" Someone in the room said unpleasantly.

  "This young master, the student has just come out of the county school and truly does not know where this is or what kind of noble people are seated here. Please instruct me so that I may pay my respects properly." Fang Xin said with a deep bow.

  "Oh, Li Rui, we've known each other for a long time, let me introduce you. This is the Marquis of Lu, this is Grand Minister Fu, this is Governor Cao of the Western Prefecture, and this is Vice Governor Qian. Come pay your respects!" Yan Min said with a hint.

  Fang Xin was calm and composed, although a xiucai could be seen to know the county magistrate without bowing, but that was all; for those above the sixth rank, they still needed to pay their respects with great courtesy, this was because of the great difference in rank. The people present were at least of the sixth rank.

  As for the title, it was stipulated by the Taizu of this dynasty that: Viscount is equivalent to the 6th rank, Earl is equivalent to the 5th rank, Marquess is equivalent to the 4th rank, Duke is equivalent to the 3rd rank, Prince is equivalent to the 2nd rank, and King of a Commandery is equivalent to the 1st rank. The Imperial Prince is above all ranks, and with the two characters "Kai Guo" (meaning "founding the country"), it implies that they are the descendants of the founding fathers who fought alongside Taizu, and their titles can be passed down through generations without being replaced, which is one rank higher than King of a Commandery. Therefore, even if Ruhou has no other official positions, he is equivalent to an official of the 2nd rank, almost equal to the Prime Minister.

  At once, he made a deep bow and paid his respects, then bowed again to the esteemed gentlemen present.

  After the worship was over, Lu Hou waved his hand and said: "Get up. You're not bad at learning. I've also seen the paper you took last time to become a Xiucai. You ranked tenth in this list, which is slightly unfair to you."

  Having said that, he turned to the people around him and said: "This is in my house, no need for a public hall, you can sit down too!"

  Having received the order, the maid brought over a small stool and placed it below. Fang Xin only then came to his senses. He noticed that on the table of Lu Hou, there was a scroll. It turned out to be the scroll he had obtained that day. Not sitting down first, after thanking him, he said: "Reporting back to Your Excellency, this student's learning is shallow and too young, having passed this list in tenth place, already feeling terrified and unworthy, afraid of not living up to the imperial court's kindness, how dare I have any self-important or arrogant thoughts? That day, there was no continuation of the provincial examination!"

  The imperial examination, the county test selects Tongsheng, the prefectural test selects Xiucai, and the provincial test selects Juren. Because they are all in the same province, prefecture, and county, they are all connected without interruption, with only half a month in between. Only when taking the imperial examination do candidates from all provinces have to rush to the capital, which is troublesome. Therefore, it has to be taken next year, at least giving time for scholars from all over the world to come to Beijing.

  "Since you know your own shallowness, why come to take this imperial examination?" asked Magistrate Qian again.

  Fang Xin felt a bit strange, it was their first meeting, why did this Mr. Qian have some hostility towards him, yet he didn't show any fear, after bowing to him, he said: "In response to your words, sir, 'a beauty is a treasure, a gentleman is a pleasure', I still have some allusions."

  At that time, he went to visit the He family and had two sisters. They wanted to marry together, but the scholar had no right to have one primary and one secondary wife, so he thought of taking the imperial examination.

  Just as he finished speaking, Lord Qian flew into a rage and said: "The country selects scholars to govern the people and bring peace to the nation. How can it be used for your personal affairs? You are so frivolous, how can you be entrusted with important tasks?"

  Fang Xindou's eyes flashed with a hint of a smile, but he didn't say anything.

  At this time, Lord Lu "pffft" laughed and said: "This is also a common human emotion, what crime is there? Enfeoffing wives and sons, the court's laws are like this, why must Governor Qian be so strict? When one is poor, one can only do good for oneself; when one reaches high office, one can do good for all under heaven. You once said this to me, and I deeply agree with it."

  As soon as this was said, the atmosphere in the room was immediately relaxed. Mr. Qian wanted to say something but ultimately didn't. "That's right, however, what Mr. Qian said also makes sense. The country selects scholars, it can't be ordinary, you still need to show some skills, or else people will laugh at you." Mr. Yan, wearing a silk long gown, although it was spring, was holding a bamboo fan and bowed his head smiling as he spoke.

  As soon as this sentence came out, Fang Xinruo seemed to have a sudden realization and replied respectfully: "Yes, Mr. Qian and Mr. Yan both taught that students should remember it in their hearts."

  Even Governor Qian would have nothing to say in the face of such an attitude.

  "Just now, Lan Ji's one song moved the four seats, but this piano is good, it still needs poetry to sing, only then can it be mutually beneficial. In this dynasty, literature is prosperous, but these poems are indeed inferior to those of the previous dynasty!"

  "Prose is the orthodox way of saints and sages, and can govern the world and benefit the people. Poetry, although beautiful, is merely a game for men of letters."

  "It's said that the songs are mostly from previous dynasties, and some have lost their luster. Even when the Emperor held a banquet last time, it was just an excuse to use famous poems and phrases from this book. Although there were scholars who wrote good poetry, in the end, they couldn't compare to those of the past."

  "Your Lordship, this is also an unavoidable matter. In the previous dynasty, poetry and literature were used to select scholars, and people all over the world considered it important. Naturally, famous poems and works emerged one after another. Although poetry and literature are not a major examination in our current dynasty, how many scholars can still devote themselves to this?"

  "That's also true, however, I've heard that your poetry is quite good, Li Rui. If you can come up with a great verse today, I'll give this Lan Ji to you as a reward." Lord Lu said with a sudden smile, turning towards Fang Xin.

  Fang Xin listened, startled in his heart. He had only written poetry for a month, how did it spread to the ears of Lord Hou? Seeing the strange expressions on the faces of various officials, he thought carefully and said: "Lord Hou, wait for me to take a closer look."

  Just now, this Lan Ji was a lady of the Ruhou family, and it was naturally not possible to look at her closely. This time, after speaking, she carefully examined her, but saw that she had the appearance of being 16 or 17 years old. At this time, in February, she was still wearing silk clothes, with her chest half exposed, her face shining brighter than snow, and her beauty like jade. She had already smiled and said: "Indeed, a beautiful woman is like jade. I, a student, really want to take it. Please, Lord Hou, grant me the brush and ink. I have already gotten a poem, although it may not necessarily match the scene, but it can also be used to report to you."

  "Oh, so fast, bring pen quickly."

  A female attendant immediately presented him with brush and ink.

  After Fang Xin thanked him, he stepped forward to the desk, carefully grinding the ink and concentrating his energy. This calm and composed demeanor in front of everyone was indeed born from his bones, so unruffled by praise or insult that everyone present had their own thoughts, even Master Qian couldn't help but admit that this young man did have a certain air about him.

  "With a golden hairpin and jade comb, she stands by the window, smiling as she helps her sister. Does she know how to paint her eyebrows? She's been holding the brush for a long time, testing her hand at drawing flowers. But in the meantime, she's neglected her embroidery work. Laughing, she asks how to write the two characters 'lian zhi'. With rapt attention, she writes and recites as she goes along, one stroke of the brush and it's done, just like a natural creation."

  A few words, affectionate and intimate in tone, reveal the underlying emotions.

  Fang Xin was very satisfied, dipped in ink, and wrote "From Jiang Li Rui" four words below.

  With a slight change of numbers, the "Phoenix Hairpin" and "Dragon Robe" were removed, but the youthful elegance was already depicted, with both form and spirit perfectly captured, as if the person was about to emerge.

  Drawing eyebrows, in fact, is the affair of ancient men and women. The depth and shallowness are even more expressive, "the way of love" has already shown tenderness, "doodling with a brush" and "drawing flowers" are even more delightful details when men and women come together, yet it makes people feel that there is not even half a point of obscenity. Such literary talent is truly difficult to describe.

  Everyone present was a veteran of romantic affairs, but when Ruhou read it once, twice, three times, he couldn't help but slap the table in amazement!

  The two words "Lan Ji" are already in my heart, and they also fit the phrase "send Lan Ji to you". At this point, Lord Lu said with a smile: "What a clever question, it's exactly what Lan Ji has in mind. It seems that Lan Ji is destined for you."

  As soon as he said this, everyone looked over and saw that Lan Ji's face was flushed red, her eyebrows lowered in silence, but she had already tacitly agreed.

  Bring this scroll to take a look, and it's called the ultimate. Only seeing these words, there is rigor in the implicit elegance, and in the fluttering, there are several square rules. The spirit of the pen is sufficient, and the trivial paper is like heavenly music. At that time, he repeatedly called out to people: "Make this paper scroll well, and leave the seal letter here, which also belongs to witnessing!"

  Everyone looked at each other in dismay, took over the volume, pondered for a while, and felt that the combination of words and poetry was indeed a rare masterpiece. Even the normally taciturn Proclamation Envoy Lord Fu couldn't help but exclaim: "Good!"

  He first took out his private seal from beside him, applied some ink and stamped it properly. The others did the same.

  Fang Xin put down his brush, thanked him for the favor, but said: "Your Excellency is indeed a man of his word, I have always been fond of beauty, seeing this absolute beauty, today is truly extremely anticipated, I wonder if Your Excellency has any other rewards? It can also be used as Lan Ji's dowry!"

  Lu Hou was just taking a sip of water, and upon hearing this, he burst out laughing. He pointed at Fang Xin and said: "This little guy is really anxious, so eager to make his move! Alright, alright, you go with Lan Ji to the inner courtyard to bid farewell to my wife, and let her take a look at you too. Lan Ji grew up in our estate, she's practically my own daughter, I won't mistreat you!"

  At this time, Lan Ji looked at Fang Xin, then got up and gave Ru Hou a gentle bow, saying in a low voice: "Thank you, Your Excellency, Lan Ji will take her leave now!"

  Fang Xin also made a big bow and stood up. After that, Fang Xin walked in front, Lan Ji followed behind, accompanied by several maidservants leading the way, they left on their own.

  Seeing him so calm and composed, Lu Hou couldn't help but say: "He is indeed a rare man in this world!"