A convoy slowly stopped at the foot of Qingyun Mountain. In the luxurious carriage, the Princess stepped down and climbed the mountain with the escort of soldiers.

The mountain breeze blew gently, stroking her silk dress and hair. The noble and elegant Princess faced the wind, squinting her clear eyes.

In a pavilion on the mountainside, she saw an old man with white hair sitting at a desk, facing a child. Beside the child was a stunning girl doing needlework.

The old man said in a deep voice, "How many times have I told you to hold the pen properly?"

The child replied, "I know, sir."

The old man said, "Then why don't you fix it?"

The child asked, "Fix what?"

"Forget it, let's read the Three Character Classic today." The old man sighed and cleared his throat, "At the beginning, people's nature is good."

The child asked, "At the beginning, people's nature is what?"

The old man said, "At the beginning, people's nature is good."

The child repeated, "At the beginning, people's nature is...good."

The old man asked, "Why did you stop in the middle?"

The child said, "I forgot."

"Start over. At the beginning, people's nature is good."

The child repeated, "At the beginning, people's nature is what?"

The old man was frustrated.

Outside the pavilion, the Princess couldn't help but smile at the scene. Her clear eyes shone with a hint of amusement, and the stunning girl suddenly came to life.

The old man recognized the Princess and immediately stood up to bow respectfully, "Greetings, Your Highness."

The noble and cold Princess nodded slightly, her voice crisp like ice hitting a rock, "When did Yunlu Academy have children?"

The old man turned to signal the two sisters to come over and greet the Princess. Xu Lingyue stood up and bowed, while Xu Lingyin stared blankly at the woman who was more beautiful and graceful than her mother.

The old man said awkwardly, "The child is rude, Your Highness, please forgive her."

He wasn't too worried. Although the Princess was noble and unapproachable, she was a scholar and had a broad mind.

He continued, "The two are family members of the academy's students. They are temporarily staying at the academy because of family matters."

The intelligent Princess immediately understood the implication in his words and looked at the pretty girl and the not-so-bright child. She smiled lightly and asked, "Which student?"

She was also considered a student of the academy and knew the rules. Without the approval of a great scholar, female family members of students couldn't stay at Qingyun Mountain.

Xu Lingyue said softly, "My elder brother, Xu Xinnian."

She didn't mention Xu Qi'an because he wasn't a student of the academy.

The Princess's gaze flickered as she recalled the relationship between Xu Xinnian and Xu Qi'an, whom she had investigated before. The mastermind behind the tax silver case was Zhou Shilang, and about ten days ago, Xu Qi'an had a conflict with Zhou Shilang's son in the market...

The Princess looked at the delicate and beautiful girl and asked gently, "When did it happen?"

"Almost ten days ago," Xu Lingyue replied.

He knew Cai Wei, and since Cai Wei knew about Zhou Shilang's involvement in the tax silver case, the ordinary clerk would also know about it... Knowing that he had offended Zhou Shilang, it was a good idea to send his female family members to the academy, but wouldn't it be better to flee the capital with his family?

Sending female family members to the academy while leaving male family members in the capital, what was he planning?

Thinking of the trigger for Zhou Shilang's demotion and exile, the Princess squinted her beautiful eyes, nodded slightly, and continued to climb the mountain with her guards.

...

Yage!

The Princess looked at Zhao Shou and felt a little surprised, "It's been ten days, and the dean looks completely different."

The previous dean was unkempt, with white hair hanging down, and a gloomy expression.

But now, he had bright and clear eyes, a restrained temperament, and a radiant spirit.Zhao Shou did not answer directly, but laughed out loud and said, "The sage said, in learning there is no distinction between senior and junior, the one who excels is the first."

In learning, there is no distinction between senior and junior, and the one who excels is the first... His meaning was that there could be a person who could be his teacher, but the person's age may not be high... Is it related to the fact that the Clear Cloud Temple was filled with clear air that day?

She was very interested in the changes in the Clear Cloud Temple, with a strong desire for knowledge, because it involved the struggle for the Confucian orthodoxy and the future court pattern.

What exactly happened that day?

The Clear Cloud Temple was sealed off and no one was allowed to enter. The Nightwatchers were also powerless to do anything about it.

Princess Chang collected her scattered thoughts and looked out the window at the deep green bamboo forest, sighing, "Do you know about Zhou Shilang being dismissed and exiled?"

"For the Great Feng officialdom, this is just the first step in the opening of the party struggle," Zhao Shou smiled and shook his head, unwilling to talk more, and waved his hand to summon the chessboard, saying, "Since the princess is here today, let's play a game."

Princess Chang helplessly said, "Why bother humiliating yourself by playing chess with me, Master?"

...

On the other side, in the loft next to the cliff.

The three great scholars had just finished discussing their theories when a letter arrived, delivered by a servant, saying that Princess Chang had come to the academy for a visit.

In the handwritten letter, Princess Chang mentioned that a great work had appeared in the capital recently, which was the talk of the town among the scholars. The National Academy regarded it as the foremost poem in the past hundred years, surpassing the farewell poem of the Cloud Deer Academy.

Moreover, compared to the farewell poem, this "foremost poem in the past hundred years" was written by a talented man and a beautiful woman from the Official Brothel Sector, with a more interesting story and a wider circulation...

At the end, Princess Chang attached the short poem that had become popular among the scholars in the capital within a few days.

After closing himself in for a few days, a great work had appeared in the capital? Zhang Shen scrutinized the poem that came with it.

"Shadow Plum Blossom Pavilion Presents Floating Fragrance"

The fragrances of many flowers fade, but the beauty of the plum blossom remains.

The sparse shadows slant across the shallow water, and the faint fragrance floats in the evening moonlight.

Zhang Shen was like a statue, silent for a long time. He gently put down the paper and looked at Li Mubai and Chen Tai, who were chatting and drinking tea.

"Chunjing, Youping, take a look at this," Zhang Shen said.

His sudden solemn expression made the two great scholars stunned. Li Mubai took the paper and quickly scanned it before his eyes became focused and he lost his relaxed and casual demeanor.

"Let me see," Chen Tai saw the expressions of the two and reached out to take the paper, and after reading it once, he savored it carefully for a long time.

Chen Tai sighed deeply, "The sparse shadows and faint fragrance, these two lines fully capture the unique charm of the plum blossom. Truly a delicate and exquisite work."

Li Mubai then commented, "Although Ning Yan's poem 'Who in the World Does Not Know You' is indeed inspiring, it is far from the depth of meaning, the beauty of wording, and the spirit of this poem..."

Search "pawread dot com" for the original.

Zhang Shen stroked his beard and sighed, "This poem, once it is out, will be an unsurpassable ode to the plum blossom. Who is this Yang Ling? Such talent, yet I have never heard of him."

Chen Tai looked at the handwriting again and said, "It seems to be a scholar from Changle County who wrote this poem for the Flower Queen Fu Xiang in the Official Brothel Sector..."

At this point, the tea room fell silent, and none of the three great scholars spoke.

A sour taste fermented and spread in the air.

Zhang Shen thought for a long time and said, "I think we should immediately notify the dean and recruit this scholar into the academy. Such talent should not be buried."

Chen Tai and Li Mubai readily agreed, "You're right."

...

When Xu Ci and Xu Ningyan, who came to visit their aunt and sister, arrived, they first went to visit their teacher.

The three great scholars had just finished their lecture and knew that their "promising" students were visiting, so they gathered in the hall to drink tea.Zhang Shen first glanced at the disciple whose temperament had changed and said with satisfaction, "Ci Jiu, it seems that copying the sayings of the saints has greatly benefited you."

Xu Cijiu felt embarrassed and nodded.

Li Mubai was surprised and said, "Copying the sayings of the saints can help one enter the realm of self-cultivation? I haven't noticed that."

Xu Erlang opened his mouth but chose to remain silent in the end.

He did touch the threshold of the realm of self-cultivation, but that was when he saw the four sentences written on the stone tablet by his eldest brother.

It was a subtle process.

However, it was not appropriate to speak about this in public, even if everyone knew the source of those four sentences.

After a few chitchats, Chen Tai glanced at Li Mubai and Zhang Shen and said with a smile, "You two live in the capital, do you know that a masterpiece has recently emerged in the capital... 'The slanting shadows of sparse trees on the clear water, and the faint fragrance floating in the moonlit dusk.' It's amazing, amazing."

"Ning Yan, although talented in poetry, should not be too proud. You should know that there are hidden dragons and crouching tigers among the scholars in the world," he added.

This old man was jealous that we had a good student... but his words of experience were irrefutable. Zhang Shen had no choice but to say, "This poem is indeed amazing. Ning Yan doesn't need to compete with it. The 'Ode to Plum Blossoms' is a timeless masterpiece, and competing with it is useless."

Li Mubai nodded, "Although today's scholars lack some inspiration, there are still some exceptions. Yang Ling may not be able to produce a second poem as good as this one, while Ning Yan may produce a third or fourth poem in the future."

Xu Xinnian glanced at his cousin and said, "This poem was also written by my eldest brother."

PS: Are there any recommendation votes left? Give some to me, please.