Xu Yan is very clear about his own weight.

There were many coincidences that led to his winning the first place in the three examinations, and with the support of the chief examiner, everything seemed to be a natural outcome.

But this does not mean that Xu Yan’s hard power is the best in Ningbo Prefecture.

With Xu Yan's current strength, he may not be able to pass the Autumn Examination.

Qian Dehong was a great scholar and wrote beautiful articles.

Xu Yan's eight-legged essay skills were able to improve significantly in a short period of time, all thanks to the support of Mr. Qian.

In this situation, if Xu Yan wants to make further progress, he naturally needs Mr. Qian's help.

As for Qian Dehong, he naturally knew this very well.

To be honest, Xu Yan's level of eight-legged essay writing is not outstanding, it can only be considered above average at best.

But he really liked this student from the bottom of his heart.

Perhaps it was because Xu Yan was very talented in poetry, or perhaps it was because Xu Yan was different from the other students he had accepted.

Qian Dehong's official career had long ended, and he had no other aspirations except writing books.

So he wanted to instill all his ideas about political affairs into Xu Yan, hoping that Xu Yan would one day be able to make a big splash in officialdom and fulfill his wish.

It can be said that Xu Yan is his hope.

So Qian Dehong really treats Xu Yan as his own child, and to some extent, he is even closer to him than his own child.

"The Autumn Examination is no small test like the Tongsheng Examination. Many people prepare for decades and still fail to pass. Especially in a place like Zhejiang where culture and education flourish, it is really not easy to stand out."

Qian Dehong paused and said, "But you are very talented. Although your foundation is a little weak, you are not completely without chance."

Xu Yan was overjoyed when he heard this.

As long as his mentor has confidence in him, it proves that there is hope.

"Please teach me, Master."

Qian Dehong was very satisfied with Xu Yan's attitude.

He stroked his beard and said.

"I've told you before that each examiner has his or her own temperament and style of writing. Therefore, the style of questions they set will also vary greatly."

"But the chief examiners of the provincial examinations are all appointed on a temporary basis, so you don't need to try to gain advantages in this regard."

Xu Yan thought to himself, I actually know who the chief examiner of the Zhejiang Provincial Examination in the 29th year of Jiajing was, but I can't tell you.

"The most reliable method is to practice more questions. The more questions you practice, the higher your chances of passing the provincial examination."

Xu Yan couldn't help but feel disappointed.

I didn't expect that my mentor still planned to let him use the tactic of doing a lot of questions.

Although he had undergone short-term special training before, it was not long, only a month in total.

If Xu Yan continues to train at the same intensity as before for a year, he will be seriously injured if not killed.

"Master, is there no other way?"

“The path to the mountain of books is made through diligence, and the boat to the boundless sea of ​​learning is made through hard work.”

Qian Dehong said without hesitation.

Xu Yan thought to himself, okay, it seems this is the only way.

"In this case, I will have to trouble you, Master."

Qian Dehong had always personally supervised Xu Yan's studies before, teaching him step by step, and this time was no exception.

"That's fine. I'm free anyway, so I'll give you some pointers."

After hearing this, Xu Yan wanted to roll his eyes.

This sounds so awkward!

"My dear disciple, this special training is much more intense than before. You must be prepared."

Before the sea of ​​questions tactic even started, Qian Dehong reminded Xu Yan here, which made the young man feel a chill.

Oh my God, is the good life going to say goodbye to him?

Everything is for the provincial examination. It will be worth it as long as I can pass the autumn examination!

Xu Yan could only comfort himself in this way.

...

...

After three days of special training, Xu Yan was dizzy and exhausted by Mr. Qian's special training.

In order to ensure his mentality is not affected, Xu Yan decided to find joy in the hardship and write a new book.

Following the great success of "Journey to the West" and "The Peony Pavilion", Xu Yan turned his attention to "Dream of the Red Chamber".

Compared with the previous two books, there is no doubt that "Dream of Red Mansions" has the strongest artistic quality.

The poems in it are enough to establish its position in the novel world.

When Xu Yan thought of this, he felt a little distressed.

Once this book was published, many poems and lyrics became unusable.

However, considering the huge economic value, Xu Yan decided to put Fengya aside.

Although "Dream of the Red Chamber" is not Xu Yan's research direction, he is still very familiar with this famous work.

Some places need to be modified secretly to avoid some risks.

After all, Emperor Jiajing is a little narrow-minded, so it is better to be careful.

Xu Yan was enjoying his writing, but he didn't know that Mr. Qian suddenly appeared behind him.

"My dear disciple, what are you writing? Show it to me."

Xu Yan was almost scared to death. He covered his chest and gasped, "Master, could you please walk with a little more sound?"

Qian Dehong curled his lips and said, "What's the matter? Do you still dislike your master?"

Xu Yan quickly said, "That's not possible. You're overthinking it."

After hesitating for a moment, Xu Yan handed the manuscript to Qian Dehong.

Mr. Qian picked up the manuscript and looked at it carefully, only to see the three big words "A Dream of Red Mansions" prominently displayed at the beginning.

Continuing to read, Qian Dehong couldn't help but nod frequently.

Qian Dehong's artistic attainments were extremely high, and high-quality works such as "Dream of Red Mansions" naturally pleased him the most.

"My dear disciple, did you write all this?"

"Well..."

Xu Yan didn't know how to answer for a moment.

He had written the previous two books under the pretext of others, and this one was also his original intention.

He never expected that his mentor would suddenly appear and catch him off guard.

If I say now that this book was not written by him, wouldn’t it feel like I’m lying with my eyes open?

“It was indeed written by a student.”

Xu Yan swallowed his saliva and said, "Master, could you please not tell anyone about this?"

Qian Dehong narrowed his eyes and asked, "What's wrong? Are you afraid of others' jealousy?"

When Xu Yan wanted to sleep, someone handed him a pillow and he quickly followed up the conversation, saying, "Master, you are wise."

"I knew you were so petty."

Qian Dehong stroked his beard and said, "It's a good thing for young people to know how to restrain their edge. But they can't completely lose their edge."

"Then this matter..."

"Don't worry. Master, just pretend nothing happened today."

After receiving Mr. Qian's assurance, Xu Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Master."

"But when you write a new chapter in the future, you must immediately show it to me."

Unexpectedly, Mr. Qian immediately put forward conditions.

Xu Yan had no reason to refuse this offer, so he quickly patted his chest and promised, "Don't worry, Master. I promise that besides myself, you will be the first person to see The Story of the Stone."

"That's more like it."

Qian Dehong nodded and said, "Master, I'm going out for a walk. Would you like to come with me?"

Xu Yan had been staying in the academy writing articles and was almost going crazy. He quickly said, "How dare I disobey the master's orders?"

...

...