In the palace, a middle-aged man wearing a dragon robe was reviewing some memorials. A guard came in and said something respectfully to the man.
"Don't laugh when you are lying drunk on the battlefield."
"How many people have fought in ancient times!"
The man kept mumbling and suddenly showed a smile, "Yes, yes, this person's background has been checked. If there are no problems, he can be reused. Even if he does not win the championship, he can still be assigned an official position."
"Reporting to the Lord, this person's background is completely blank, with only some sporadic information..."
The guard told the other party Hao Ren's information with a respectful look.
"I come from Shicheng. I was a businessman and a warrior before..."
Hearing the information about Hao Ren, the king's eyes flashed with surprise, he pondered for a moment, and then said, "When the game is over, you can take him into the palace to have a look."
The guard respectfully said yes and then retreated.
"You said, this guy is not from the White Lotus Sect, right?"
The king muttered to himself and seemed to speak to the air.
However, in a shadow, a figure appeared vaguely, and a calm voice came, "We all know about the high-level people of the White Lotus Sect. There is no such person who can hide it to this extent. Really
If they are from the White Lotus Sect, they will not show it so obviously, they will only approach in a more secretive way."
"Yes, those guys from the White Lotus Sect are just a bunch of rats. This guy can be considered a talent. White Lotus will safely throw such a talent out to take risks, and still do it in this fair and aboveboard way."
The king smiled and shook his head.
….
At this time, the first level has ended. Dean Ziyang looked at the thirty-six people and smiled slightly, "The next step is the second test. This time, instead of testing poetry, we will test pairs."
Hearing this, many people raised their eyebrows, yes, that's interesting.
'I and others came up with a first couplet, but we never came up with the second couplet. If you can figure it out, this level will be considered a pass with full marks.'
As he said that, he took out a scroll. Apart from a few people who came up with the question, not even Luo Lan knew about this scroll.
When I opened it, there were only seven large characters on it.
Smoke along the eaves, smoke in the eyes
Seven large characters with the same pronunciation but different glyphs come into view.
It looked like seven different words put together, but when everyone read it, they immediately had a picture in their minds. In the kitchen, a wisp of firewood smoke slowly entered the swallow's nest along the gorgeous eaves.
middle.
Simple and clear, but everyone frowned and even took a breath of air. This first couplet was simply abnormal. The requirement was that seven characters must have the same pronunciation, with the same pronunciation and different characters, to form a picture that can correspond to the picture in the first couplet.
stand up.
Some literati, in particular, shook their heads and smiled bitterly.
"You have one stick of incense to think about. After one stick of incense, give me an answer. I will give you a score based on your second line."
Dean Ziyang spoke slowly.
Luo Lan looked at Hao Ren, thinking that he would be more serious this time, but she was shocked to find that Hao Ren only glanced at him, then turned his head indifferently and continued to drink the tea on her table.
"This couplet is not as simple as my previous one, it is much more difficult than mine."
Luo Lan murmured to herself that as long as the couplet of hers could be broken into sentences, it could be paired, but this one completely required seven words with the same sound and different shapes to form a picture.
My junior brother was always meditating there, frowning. This question was also very challenging for him.
"You can also give it a try. I want to see what your current level is."
Dean Ziyang glanced at Luo Lan, who was a little gloating about his misfortune, and said slowly.
Luo Lan's face froze and her eyes were bitter, "Teacher, I am a referee, why do I have to participate in the competition?"
"There is no end to learning. Just because you are a teacher doesn't mean you don't have to study anymore."
Dean Ziyang chuckled lightly and said.
"I also want to see how big the gap is between you and that little guy?"
The little guy he was talking about was Hao Ren.
Luo Lan pursed her lips and nodded reluctantly, "Okay then, I'll give it a try."
After saying that, she started thinking.
Seeing this, Dean Ziyang nodded with satisfaction and looked at the talented people present with a deep look. He wanted to know how many of them could write a couplet and still satisfy him.
A stick of incense passed quickly, but unlike the first level, most people still didn't write anything until the end.
Only a few people wrote something on paper.
Near the end, Hao Ren casually picked up the brush beside him, wrote a few words, and then turned it over.
At the end of the time, Dean Ziyang looked at everyone and said calmly, "Those who have finished writing can be taken over one by one, and those who have not finished will be considered eliminated."
A man who made a second line hesitantly came forward with his own second line. The referee glanced at it casually and shook his head. It was basically a mess, just a piece of piecing together.
They are unwilling to give points.
It’s not like there’s nothing to watch, two or three of them barely scored around four points.
When it was Wei Dian's turn, many referees were shocked. When they saw the second line, they looked at each other and gave a seven-point evaluation.
It is above the passing line, but not excellent.
Dean Ziyang also nodded and gave a six-point evaluation. This couplet was created by him and others. It is naturally quite difficult. It is considered very good for his disciples to achieve even one step.
Dean Ziyang looked at Luo Lan next to her, took out her second line and handed it to the other referees. These referees all took it with smiles on their faces. They all knew that Luo Lan was a disciple of the Dean. This was
I want to see how her level is.
"Yes, compared to Wei Dian, he is more polished."
A group of people commented that after all, he had studied for several more years than Wei Dian, and in terms of neatness, he was still slightly better than the latter.
But it's not that much better, and it still doesn't meet the standard of excellence.
Luo Lan didn't care very much, and she couldn't serve as an official in the court, so the quality of the couplet had nothing to do with her.
Everyone looked at Hao Ren, looking forward to his second couplet. The first chapter of Hao Ren's poem shocked the audience, proving his talent in poetry. But the couplet is different from poetry. Can Hao Ren be able to
This continued to surprise them.
Dean Ziyang looked at Hao Ren, smiled and said, "Hao Ren, please bring your second couplet."
Hao Ren stood up and walked up with his second couplet.
Dean Ziyang looked at Hao Ren's second line, his expression suddenly paused, and he stared at it for a long time.
Fog covers the birdhouse, fog covers nothing
This is Hao Ren’s second line.
When the other referees saw it, their expressions changed, and they felt a scene. Heavy fog appeared, covering up the bird's nest, and nothing could be seen.
The artistic conception, rhyme, and format are all extremely perfect.
None of them could make such a perfect second line.
They all gave a wry smile and did not speak, and there was no need to say anything. To be honest, they all felt that they were not qualified to be Hao Ren's referee. Such a person's talent was probably already extraordinary.
Luo Lan and Wei Dian also saw that they were silent. They were both talented people, so they could naturally understand the subtlety of this second line.
"I lost, and I didn't lose unfairly."
Wei Dian took a deep breath and spoke calmly.
This time he came with great confidence, not for fame or royal treasures, but to prove his ability to his teacher. Unfortunately, when he met Hao Ren this time, his confidence was shattered.
Dean Ziyang also exhaled slowly, looked at Hao Ren, and spoke softly, "This second line is very good. Even if I come to correct it myself, it may not be as neat and perfect as you."
Everyone else who was watching also heard this sentence and was extremely shocked. Their eyes became hot when they looked at Hao Ren. As expected, it seems that the champion this time is Hao Ren. After two consecutive competitions, Hao Ren won the championship.
, Hao Ren always crushes others, which is enough to prove his talent.
"He is your descendant? Such an astonishing talent. If he can become an official in the court, he will definitely benefit the people of the world."
Mr. Tie looked at the village chief and suddenly said.
"Join the court as an official?"
The village chief laughed dumbly, with strange eyes, "It's just a Dongli country, how can it accommodate this little guy."
As he said that, he looked at the other party and smiled lightly, "We have no interest in Dongli Country. Once we get the things, we will leave. This place is just a transition for us. If we complete our purpose, maybe
I can also help you a lot."
Hearing this, Mr. Tie was shocked, but he was relieved. Since the other party said this, he probably really didn't have this intention. As long as he was not plotting to leave the country eastward, he was not willing to fight such a terrifying enemy.
In the palace, the king also knew the result of the second game. He sighed with emotion, "If such talent is really used by me, it will be a great blessing for my country, Dongli."
At this time, on the venue, Dean Ziyang looked at the group of people who had not yet been eliminated, and chuckled, "Logically speaking, there is no need to continue the competition now, but I still want to give other people another chance. This time it will not be better than poetry."
Songs and poems, compared with the art of war."
art of war?
Many people were shocked. In terms of poetry and poetry, they lost completely, but they did not believe that Hao Ren also had enough knowledge in the art of war.
"Each person writes an article about the art of war, and the time limit is one hour."
Dean Ziyang said calmly, "If you want to govern a country, you need more than just poems and songs, you also need sufficient military strategies."
After hearing this, everyone returned to their seats and began to write their opinions on the art of war.
Hearing this, Hao Ren shook his head. It was really difficult to get to the royal treasury. He had to copy it again.
There are so many books on the art of war, which one should I copy?
After thinking for a while, Hao Ren quickly decided on an article, picked up the pen, and started writing.