The moment he stepped into the back court, Xu Yan was amazed.

There are pavilions, towers, rockery and ponds.

The exquisiteness of this garden is comparable to the famous gardens in Suzhou, but it is slightly smaller in scale.

Even so, the cost of building this garden must be very high.

Xu Yan couldn't help but wonder whether Magistrate Ma had embezzled money from somewhere else to build this garden.

Of course, this thought only flashed through his mind, because a middle-aged man in a crimson official robe was walking towards him, full of oppression.

Xu Yan looked closely and saw that the man was wearing a black gauze hat, a jade belt around his waist, and a cloud and goose patch embroidered on his chest. Who else could it be but Ma Shanyuan, the prefect of Ningbo?

He hurried forward, bowed deeply, and said, "Xu Yan of Dinghai County greets the prefect."

Compared with County Magistrate Zhao, Magistrate Ma appeared to be more portly, with broad shoulders and a thick waist that fully supported his round-necked official uniform, making him look very majestic.

"Are you Xu Yan? I heard that you vouched for the identity of Chen Maoli, a student from Cixi."

Magistrate Ma ignored Xu Yan for a moment and asked in an official tone.

"Reporting to the old man, it is indeed so."

Xu Yan thought to himself that if it was a blessing, it wouldn't be a disaster. If it was a disaster, it couldn't be avoided. He had indeed been a bit too much of a showman, but now that it had come to this, he could only admit it.

After all, he was the top scorer in the county examination personally selected by County Magistrate Zhao, so Prefect Ma would at least give him some face and at most give him a scolding.

"Have you ever met Chen Maoli before?"

"Your Excellency the Prefect, I have only just met him."

"Then why did you vouch for him?"

Xu Yan secretly groaned in his heart, thinking, I can't say that I have seen his name in history books, right?

After a moment's thought, he replied with a smile, "Chen Maoli and I hit it off immediately and got along very well. Although Chen Maoli's travel permit wasn't lost, it was registered at the hotel. The hotel can also verify his identity. After ten years of hard study, I couldn't bear to see him lose his exam qualification because of the lost travel permit, so I acted as a guarantor for him."

"So you seem to be full of kindness, but I still want to know if you are really helping Chen Maoli without asking for anything in return?"

Magistrate Ma asked leisurely, stroking his beard.

"Of course I hope to be rewarded!"

Xu Yan's words were beyond Magistrate Ma's expectations. He thought Xu Yan would continue with the conversation, but who would have thought that this guy would do the opposite!

"The rewards I seek are, first, for myself, second, for my family, and third, for my country. I am guaranteeing Chen Maoli because he has the potential to serve the court in the future. It would be a pity if such a talent were to lose his eligibility for the provincial examination due to the loss of his travel permit."

Xu Yan spoke passionately, and Magistrate Ma enjoyed it with great interest.

This young man really has something.

"Even so, you are a bit reckless."

Although Magistrate Ma admired Xu Yan very much, he still wanted to teach him a lesson.

After all, it is not a good thing for young people to show off too much. They must know how to hide themselves in order to go far.

"The old man's teachings are very true."

Xu Yan said very respectfully.

In fact, Magistrate Ma really wanted to meet this young man, praised by both Governor Zhu and County Magistrate Zhao. Moreover, it was Xu Yan who initiated the offering of auspicious signs, so if one could truly count it, he was also indebted to Xu Yan.

However, as the Ningbo prefect, he couldn't directly summon Xu Yan to the government office with the provincial examination approaching, lest he spark gossip. Unexpectedly, Xu Yan's guarantee for Chen Maoli gave him an opportunity, and he ordered the yamen runners to "bring the man in for questioning." This way, no one could say anything.

Poor Xu Yan had no idea what Magistrate Ma was thinking, and was still very nervous at the moment.

"Well, since you've admitted your mistake, this government won't pursue the matter any further. As for Chen Maoli, he will be allowed to take part in this government exam."

Hearing this, Xu Yan was overjoyed and quickly bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Excellency."

"I heard that you were the top scorer in the Dinghai County Examination. So, I will test you."

Magistrate Ma, with one hand behind his back, paced a few paces and chanted, "Look, where are the crows perched? In whose house are they? Write a poem based on this theme."

Xu Yan quickly responded, "I obey your command."

The book he was compiling was the Book of Songs, so how could he not know the source of the title?

This line, from the Book of Songs, Xiaoya, January, means "on whose roof will jackdaws land?" Despite its unlucky name, jackdaws are actually a sign of good fortune, and where they gather is often associated with wealth and prosperity.

This question is too biased and too restrictive, making it very difficult to express yourself effectively.

Xu Yan pondered for a long time, and after emptying his mind of all memories, he chanted:

"Leaning against a willow tree to write a note, with my hat tilted before a flower, it is better to enjoy the scenery than to rush. My temples are mistakenly exposed to the spring breeze, and the green shadows are blown into silk early.

"Crows in the golden palace, spring grass on the jade steps, who can tell the cold and warmth in between? The bright moon in the small building makes the town idle forever, why does life have to be dusty and old?"

Magistrate Ma was also a Jinshi. Although he was not very good at writing poetry, he was good at appreciating poetry.

He silently recited: "Golden palace with jackdaws, jade steps with spring grass, who can tell the cold and warmth in between..."

After reciting it two or three times, he sighed, "Your poem is indeed well written. It's no wonder that the governor has accepted you as a friend regardless of age difference."

To be honest, the topic posed by Magistrate Ma was tricky, and the lyrics written by Xu Yan were even more clever.

Jackdaws are a symbol of wealth and auspiciousness, and the place where they gather is a place of wealth. So what could be more wealthy than the imperial palace?

Xu Yan's choice of the imperial palace as the setting was already an invincible advantage. Think about it, if Magistrate Ma rejected the poem, wouldn't that be equivalent to rejecting the palace and the emperor as well?

So no matter what, Magistrate Ma would approve of this poem written by Xu Yan.

Of course, the artistic conception and imagery of Xu Yan's poem are perfect, and the rhyme is flawless, so it can be said to be impeccable.

"Your Excellency the Prefect, thank you for your compliment."

Xu Yan thought he could finally pass the test, but unexpectedly, Magistrate Ma continued, "Xu Yan, in your opinion, where else could the jackdaw land besides on the Golden Palace?"

this...

Xu Yan was speechless. How much did Magistrate Ma like Jackdaw? He was actually arguing with Jackdaw today.

Although he was complaining in his heart, since Magistrate Ma had asked, he had no choice but to answer.

"Reporting to the prefect, since jackdaws are a sign of good fortune, they will definitely land in a wealthy place. Besides the imperial palace, the government offices are naturally the wealthiest."

His words were flawless and Magistrate Ma could not find any fault with them.

As expected, Ma Shanyuan nodded slightly and said, "You are a teachable boy. I would like to ask you, how can you become an official?"

"Of course, I'll take the imperial examination."

"What do you want to be an official for?"

"To make the king as great as Yao and Shun."

"A virtuous person is not easily tempted by lust; one can serve his parents with all his strength; one can serve his ruler with his whole life. When dealing with friends, one should keep his word. Even if one says he has not learned, I will certainly say he has. Xu Yan, this is enough for me. You should think about it carefully."

"I will follow the prefect's instructions!"

Magistrate Ma dropped some scholarly words, leaving Xu Yan confused.

This prefect's ability to talk nonsense is too strong. He can talk about everything from crows to becoming an official and then to dedicating himself to the emperor, father and country.

Although this was the mainstream thought in the Ming Dynasty, there is no need to preach like this!

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