Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity-Chapter 286 - 122: The Talented Liu Haonan

As for Ming Yan and Ming Mo, they have unconditional trust in the young master. They know that the young master would never brag.

Gu Chengyu now had no choice but to write, but he wasn’t daunted. He decided to use this as a chance to make a name for himself before the exams!

He smiled and reassured Ye Zhiqiu and Sun Xian, then walked over to the side table, picked up the brush, and started writing the first couplet.

Fu Ming could no longer restrain himself. He paced over to Gu Chengyu and stopped not far from him.

The students nearby originally wanted to rush over to see Gu Chengyu’s answers, but upon seeing Fu Ming, they stayed in place.

Speaking of Fu Ming, one cannot avoid mentioning the Boshan Academy in the Capital. Boshan Academy is a famous academy of the Dayan Dynasty, and the Mountain Masters throughout its history were all Advanced Scholars. There are also many Great Scholars inside, and even some court officials who serve as teachers.

Many nearby students recognize Fu Ming’s name. Even those who don’t know him are aware that anyone invited by the Qunying Building to sit in is either a Great Scholar or an official. It has always been this way during the autumn and spring examinations, so no one dared to approach.

The first line of the couplet is "Two cycles of sixty years, plus three sevens," which amounts to one hundred and twenty years plus twenty-one years, totaling one hundred forty-one years. Gu Chengyu’s second line also had to match this number and remain neatly aligned.

Gu Chengyu wrote down, "Two celebrations of seventy years, add one more year," which also makes one hundred forty-one years. "Two cycles" and "two celebrations" align, as do the opposites "plus" and "add one." Gu Chengyu saw no room for improvement and proceeded to the next couplet.

Fu Ming, upon seeing Gu Chengyu’s answer, stroked his beard and nodded. Indeed, this answer was impeccable, a masterpiece. It seemed this student indeed possessed considerable talent.

The next challenge was, "Three parts water, two parts bamboo, add one part moonlight," which decreased in number terms, so he wrote a counterpart that increased: "From the five-step towers, ten-step pavilions, to the hundred-step rivers."

Fu Ming widened his eyes and glanced at Gu Chengyu, making no further comment. In fact, he was astonished, as these couplets were his creations, yet he felt Gu Chengyu’s responses managed to be even more exquisite.

Onlookers, seeing Fu Ming both nodding and widening his eyes, couldn’t discern his stance and began speculating internally.

With the couplets completed, it was now time for the riddles. Compared to the couplets, riddles were easier for Gu Chengyu. After all, he had the mindset of a past life, filled with abundant brain-teasers and riddles. But in the Dayan Dynasty, perhaps due to their extensive reading, their thinking was more complex.

The answer to the first riddle was actually chess, which was easy for Gu Chengyu.

For the second riddle, Gu Chengyu answered "flower shadows," which are the shadows formed by light and plants at different times, fleeting and elusive. Gu Chengyu initially thought of "tree shadows" but reconsidered after thinking of Yaotai and dismissed that answer.

In ancient times, Yaotai often referred to magnificent pavilions, which typically had exotic flowers planted around them. So, Gu Chengyu felt "flower shadows" was more fitting.

In fact, he was somewhat curious about the poet behind this work. On the surface, the poem was about these elements, but the poet was using it to express a sense of ambition and helplessness.

This wasn’t the time to ponder the poem’s implications, as he had one more poem left to write. Creating it was easy for Gu Chengyu, but winning first place would require considerable effort.

Student B, seeing Gu Chengyu actually writing everything down and now moving on to the poem, found it a bit unbelievable.

"I bet he’s just putting on a show. Can he really write it all? That last poem is much harder than the rest!"

"We’ll find out if he’s done it after he’s finished writing; why are you in such a hurry?" Even someone as placid as Ye Zhiqiu couldn’t hold back anymore and retorted.

Gu Chengyu lifted his brush to start writing the poem, but the crowd suddenly became restless.

"Look, that’s Liu Haonan, one of the three great talents of Jiangnan. As long as he’s here, today’s poetry is sure to have him as the first." Student Ding suddenly exclaimed.

Gu Chengyu was about to put pen to paper but was interrupted abruptly. Hearing that a talent from Jiangnan had arrived, he grew curious.

Turning his head to the left, he saw a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old approaching from the direction they’d come. Gu Chengyu noted his luxurious attire, including a small silver crown on his head, indicating he had undergone the coming-of-age ceremony.

Judging by his face, Liu Haonan had slightly high cheekbones and a pointed chin, giving off an impression of being difficult to deal with. Most striking were his eyes, which gave Gu Chengyu a cold feeling.

In the Dayan Dynasty, the coming-of-age ceremony was performed at twenty, though wealthy families held it as early as fifteen or sixteen. This person appeared seventeen or eighteen, but it was unclear if he had reached twenty yet.

One of Liu Haonan’s followers carried a bundle on his shoulder, fanning Liu Haonan with a fan in his other hand.

Ming Mo and Ming Yan exchanged glances—the world was limited to those who never left home! It seemed the young master never asked them to fan him, and they had never considered it, realizing they were clearly not doing enough.

"It truly is Senior Brother Liu. I didn’t expect Senior Brother Liu to come so early. Quick! Make way for Senior Brother Liu; we wish to read his masterwork!" Student Ding hurried forward to pay his respects, his enthusiastic tone reminding Gu Chengyu of celebrity fans from his past life.

Liu Haonan didn’t reply, merely nodding at the student before walking toward Gu Chengyu. This was where Gu Chengyu was writing his poetry, as he found it convenient to write all his answers here.

"We have the fortune to read the masterwork of Senior Brother Liu; it’s truly a once-in-a-lifetime event!" Other examinees also became excited.

"Hey? I say, kid over there, haven’t you finished writing yet? One of our great Jiangnan talents has come, and you’re not making room?" a student remarked upon seeing Gu Chengyu still in place, feeling that he was overreaching.

"What? Just because he’s not done yet, he can’t continue? Your Jiangnan talents have arrived, and we have to make way for them?" Another straightforward candidate was angered, finding it quite overbearing.

"Oh, there’s someone there already? No problem, I can wait!" Liu Haonan had set off several days earlier and rushed to make it for the first day of the Qunying Building’s challenge questions.

He intended to secure first place before the other two arrived and stay at the inn. Otherwise, once they all gathered, it was uncertain if he would retain the top spot, as Min Feng and Huang Junheng possessed talents comparable to his own.

If the three of them ended up competing, what if he fell behind? Not securing the best room with Silver and losing face would be a loss indeed.