Xu Yan casually took a thin booklet from the shelf and handed it to Xu Wei.
"Brother Wen, please read this. These are the first five chapters of Journey to the West: The Evil is Reborn. Although only the beginning has been written, it is extremely exciting."
Xu Wei was skeptical about this, but considering Xu Yan's reputation as a talented scholar, he probably wouldn't lie to him.
This thin booklet feels light in my hand and has no texture.
This made Xu Wei feel very uncomfortable, but when he thought that it was just a small sample, he put it off.
On the front page, the words "Journey to the West: The Evil's Resurrection" were written in large letters. A little below, it was noted: Written by the owner of Huayang Dongtian.
It's obvious that this is not a real name. This is not difficult to understand. Although chapter novels were quite popular in the Ming Dynasty, they were still in their twilight years.
Authors generally dare not reveal their true faces to avoid tarnishing their reputation.
The owner of Huayang Cave must have thought the same.
Xu Wei turned a page and read it. At first he read quickly, but gradually he was immersed in the text.
After reading five chapters in a row, Xu Wei still felt unsatisfied. He subconsciously wanted to turn the page, but found that there was no more.
"Brother Wen, how about 'Journey to the West: The Legend of the Evil'?"
Xu Yan asked with a smile.
Xu Wei nodded repeatedly and said, "Not bad, indeed. The owner of Huayang Cave is indeed very talented. It's just a pity that he uses his talent for this."
"Maybe he comes from a poor family and has to do this to make a living."
Xu Wei's expression darkened for a moment when he heard this. He smiled bitterly and said, "Young Master, you are right. A scholar is useless. If I hadn't met you, I'd probably still be worried about having enough to eat."
The scene was a little awkward for a moment.
It was Xu Wei who broke the deadlock first: "Sir, are all those people in the shop here to buy this copy of Journey to the West?"
Xu Yan nodded slightly.
"Yes, this book is a bestseller, but the author is only willing to write five chapters at a time, and each submission is extremely secretive, always placing it in the agreed location and never showing up."
Xu Wei stroked his short beard and said leisurely, "This is a wonderful person."
"Brother Wen, I'll trouble you to take care of the bookshop. If you need anything, please let me know. I will do my best to meet your needs."
Xu Wei quickly patted his chest and guaranteed: "Please rest assured, sir, I will definitely take good care of the bookstore's business."
Xu Yan thought to himself that it was a bit of a waste of talent to let you be the bookshop owner. But you have to eat one bite at a time, so with your current experience, you should focus on training.
Historically, it was ten years later that Xu Wei went to work for Hu Zongxian's government.
Give him some time to hone his skills first, and then entrust him with important tasks.
This is Xu Yan’s plan.
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The building leans against the frosty trees, and the mirror-like sky is spotless.
Nanshan Mountain and the autumn colors are both majestic.
Before we knew it, autumn had arrived.
Looking at the fallen leaves outside the pavilion, Zhang Juzheng sighed.
Ever since he passed the imperial examination and was selected as a scholar-official this year, he has been trapped in the Hanlin Academy. He studies and writes history every day, and has nothing else to do except these two things.
Although the court seems calm now, there are actually undercurrents.
The chief minister Xia Yan and the second minister Yan Song fought openly and secretly and attacked each other.
However, the Jiajing Emperor, the supreme ruler of the Ming Dynasty, turned a blind eye and allowed them to fight each other.
If this continues, the government will be in chaos.
Xie Dengzhi had arrived at the pavilion at some point and, seeing Zhang Juzheng sighing, he asked, "Uncle, why are you sighing?"
Zhang Juzheng finally came to his senses and, seeing that it was Xie Dengzhi, he smiled and said, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh. I was just lamenting my own uselessness, unable to help my king and father with their worries."
Xie Dengzhi and Zhang Juzheng were both from Huguang. In the 19th year of the Jiajing reign, they both took the provincial examination and visited Hongshan Temple together. Xie Dengzhi wrote the famous line, "I have heard of Hongshan Temple for several years, and today I have come to climb its first peak." Zhang Juzheng praised Xie Dengzhi's talent and learning as surpassing his own.
When the results of the provincial examination were announced, Xie Dengzhi was awarded first place, and Zhang Juzheng ranked fourth. From then on, the two were not only from the same hometown, but also from the same year. They continued to interact frequently and developed a strong friendship.
What is most commendable is that they both passed the imperial examination and became Jinshi in the 26th year of Jiajing, and were both selected as Shujishi to study in the Hanlin Academy.
All these things can be called miracles.
The friendship of nearly ten years has enabled the two to talk about everything.
"To help your father and your king, you must also be able to write Qingci. Uncle, why don't you practice?"
Xie Dengzhi made a joke, but Zhang Juzheng shook his head repeatedly: "Please be careful with your words. This is just for the sake of being alone. If someone with ulterior motives hears it, it might lead to disaster."
Xie Dengzhi, however, was unconcerned. He snorted coldly and said, "Uncle, you're too cautious, aren't you? Besides, this is all out in the open, so why don't you let people talk about it? Look at our two cabinet ministers. Lord Xia won the favor of His Majesty because of his skill in writing Qingci, and Lord Yan also rose to prominence by writing Qingci. Let's not talk about the distant past, but just look at the recent past. Wasn't Li Chunfang also chosen by His Majesty to enter the Western Garden because of his excellent Qingci writing skills? If it were really based on talent, how could he compare to Uncle? It's true that there was a Qingci Prime Minister in the past and a Qingci Champion in the future."
Zhang Juzheng saw the sour taste in his mouth and said with a wry smile, "After all, he is a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, a person favored by the emperor."
Although Zhang Juzheng didn't say it, he was still unhappy in his heart.
The fact that Li Chunfang was promoted so quickly was certainly related to his being the top scholar, but the most crucial factor was that he was a good writer of Qingci.
Otherwise, why would a new official who just won the top spot in the imperial examination be able to accompany the emperor?
Alas, the example was right in front of him. Did he really want to learn to write Qingci to please the emperor and his father as Xie Dengzhi said?
Just then, Yin Shidan ran towards them, greeting the two of them as he ran.
When he got closer, he was already out of breath.
"Uncle...Uncle...you...study..."
Seeing him like this, Zhang Juzheng said with a smile: "Brother Zhengfu, you are out of breath, why don't you take a rest for a while."
Yin Shidan was from Licheng, Jinan, three years older than Zhang Juzheng, and they got along quite well.
Yin Shidan took several breaths before calming down: "Take a look at this poem."
After saying that, he took out a piece of paper from his sleeve.
Xie Dengzhi laughed and said, "Everyone says Zhengfu loves poetry like his life. Today I have witnessed it."
Zhang Juzheng took it and looked at it carefully, only to see a seven-character quatrain written on the paper.
"Li Bai and Du Fu's poems have been passed down through the ages, and they no longer seem fresh.
Talented people emerge in every generation, and each leads the trend for hundreds of years."
After reading it, Zhang Juzheng could not help but praise it: "Although the tone is a bit arrogant, the poem is indeed excellent."
Xie Dengzhi took it and read it, praising it, saying, "It's in no way inferior to the poetry of the heyday of the Tang Dynasty."
"Brother Zhengfu, did you write this poem?"
Zhang Juzheng knew that Yin Shidan had a talent for poetry, so he asked this question.
Yin Shidan shook his head repeatedly. "How could I possibly write such a good poem? I heard it was written by a student from Ningbo Prefecture who won first place in both the county and prefectural examinations. His name was Xu Yan, and he was only fifteen years old. What a young talent!"
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