Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity-Chapter 291 - 127: Inclusion
At this point, no one was paying attention to Gu Chengyu’s previous answers anymore, since he had already successfully moved into the upper room.
"Brother Sun, Brother Ye, what are your plans?" Gu Chengyu initially intended to stay in a lower room with them, but now, given the unexpected opportunity to move up, staying in a lower room would be foolish. He planned to spend some silver to let Sun Xian and the others stay in the upper room as well.
"We haven’t submitted our couplets yet, we’ll go and write them first. Since you’ve secured the upper room, not staying would be a waste. We want to witness it too! Let’s go! Junior Brother Ye, let’s head over first."
Sun Xian pulled Ye Zhiqiu to go to the other side to write their couplets.
"Wait a moment! I heard that Junior Brother Gu wrote two more couplets earlier, and we’d like to read them too. Might we be honored?" Min Feng stopped Gu Chengyu and said.
Since Gu Chengyu’s poetry was outstanding, Min Feng wanted to probe his skills a bit more. He didn’t expect an unexpected challenger to appear in this Autumn Examination. It seemed that if he wanted to become the top scorer, he would have to work even harder!
Gu Chengyu glanced back at Min Feng. This person’s talent was undeniable. When it came to the Three Great Scholars of Jiangnan, he felt Min Feng was more deserving of the title. Perhaps a scholar’s reputation was partially judged by their family background. The other two weren’t as good as Min Feng, who relied on real talent and skills.
To rise from an obscure poor family to a renowned scholar of Jiangnan requires commendable effort and talent. Moreover, Min Feng didn’t seem like someone who would flatter others, so he should not be underestimated.
Gu Chengyu didn’t know that Min Feng was also thinking similarly about him.
"When I first arrived, I read the rules of the inn, which stated each person can only answer once. Since I’ve already chosen the upper room, the other answers can’t be counted."
This rule was indeed set by the inn, and Gu Chengyu, having written all the answers at once, had already violated it. Not disclosing the answers was justified because other scholars would want to join in as well, wouldn’t they?
"Oh? May I ask the shopkeeper, is this true?" Min Feng had not been here before and hadn’t inquired about the inn’s detailed rules, hence his question.
"The Gu scholar is absolutely correct. The inn’s rule is that competition begins at the Si hour and ends at 5 PM each day. Because today is the first day, the duration was a bit shorter. It will formally start tomorrow. As for the questions, they are changed daily, and the rule is just as the Gu scholar mentioned."
Manager Wan hurriedly stepped forward to explain. Actually, for the scholars coming on the first day, there are advantages and disadvantages. The shorter time means fewer poets, so there’s a greater chance of getting first place.
But because the time was short, the time for composing poems was also limited. Regarding the couplets and riddles, it was a bit of a loss since the time was short and they might not have been able to answer them.
"I wasn’t aware of such rules beforehand, thank you, shopkeeper!" Min Feng thanked Manager Wan and then turned his gaze to the other two.
"Senior Brother Liu, Senior Brother Huang, since today’s upper room claim is settled, what do you plan to do?"
"Well, it’s getting late, so I think I’ll check out the questions on the left side! Eventually, I’ll need a place to rest for the night!" Liu Haonan had lost face earlier and didn’t plan to stay. As for composing poems tomorrow, he wasn’t thinking about it. He didn’t believe Huang Junheng and Min Feng would just let it go—they would certainly return tomorrow.
But he also couldn’t go to another inn, as leaving would be like fleeing in panic. He could only choose another question to answer, to prove that he was still above the common person.
"Oh! What about Senior Brother Huang?" Min Feng never believed Liu Haonan’s talent matched his. As for being one of the Three Great Scholars of Jiangnan, he found that title quite perplexing.
However, he would never question it. Offending others wasn’t something he would do. As people say, "If you have talent, show it off!"
"I’m quite interested in tomorrow’s poetry challenge." Huang Junheng wouldn’t think that staying in a middle or lower room would restore his lost face.
"I’d be pleased to accompany!" Min Feng replied with a smile, glancing at Gu Chengyu out of the corner of his eye. He saw Gu Chengyu had already walked toward the other side.
Liu Haonan looked at the question for the middle room, which turned out to be a riddle. After glancing at the first and second questions, he paused on the second one. Why was there no hint for the second question? How was he supposed to answer it? He frowned and thought hard, before finally coming up with the answer to the first question, but the second question was giving him a headache.
Liu Haonan became embarrassed. He certainly couldn’t go back to look at those two upper couplets. Was he going to throw away his reputation as a Jiangnan scholar here today? At this moment, he was truly worried.
But the more anxious he was, the less he could think. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. So many people were watching, and he couldn’t afford to lose face. Staring intently at the second question, he suddenly let out a deep breath—it had to be this one, the answer must be this.
It wasn’t easy! He hurried forward to write the answer on paper, feeling anxious inside.
Meanwhile, Sun Xian and Ye Zhiqiu also passed successfully, and the trio, including Gu Chengyu, prepared to follow the servant upstairs.
Seeing that there was no more excitement to watch, everyone considered settling down, though today’s events were surely enough for them to talk about for a while.
"Please wait, Gu Scholar. The time is now 5 PM, and today’s question session has ended. I have an impertinent request: would the Gu Scholar be willing to let our inn archive your calligraphy works?"
Manager Wan was quite astute. He wasn’t interested in knowing who Gu Chengyu was. He only knew that after today, Gu Chengyu was sure to become famous. How could their inn not have the calligraphy of such a renowned scholar?
Moreover, Gu Chengyu managed to take first place, overshadowing the Three Great Scholars of Jiangnan. Perhaps he could even compete for the top scorer title!
Gu Chengyu was surprised to hear this. He wasn’t even a scholar yet, and the inn’s keeper wanted his calligraphy? However, since his answers had already been submitted, what was this keeper suggesting?
"Gu Scholar, please take a look!" Manager Wan quickly stepped forward and gestured to the walls around the hall.
Gu Chengyu glanced up and then noticed that many already-mounted poetry works and couplets were hanging on the walls.
"These are all the poems and couplets Qunying Building has archived from each Autumn and Spring Examination. As long as there are classic works, Qunying Building will archive them for future generations to admire. Today, Gu Scholar’s poetry and couplets are masterpieces. Qunying Building would like to archive them—would you be willing?"
Manager Wan believed that no scholar could refuse such a good opportunity. After all, what kind of place was Qunying Building? It had stood in the Capital for a hundred years, with deep roots, and its owner held a high and powerful position. If a scholar’s masterpiece was archived here, they would soon be renowned far and wide.
