Volume One, Chapter Three: The Literary Examination of Five-Character Verse

Su Yuan took the pen and glanced at the middle-aged clerk, a slight curl appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Cradling his daughter in one arm, he began to write with the other. His brush moved swiftly and gracefully, like flowing clouds and water.

The onlookers were stunned, momentarily unable to react.

The middle-aged clerk had intended to watch Su Yuan fail, as did the curious crowd around them. Everyone expected Su Yuan to hesitate and struggle before writing.

Yet to their surprise, Su Yuan picked up the brush and wrote without the slightest hesitation.

The clerk nearly stumbled in shock, while others gaped in disbelief.

So fast! This must be a joke!

In the midst of their astonishment, Su Yuan completed a five-character poem.

After finishing the poem, he glanced at the couplet, a simple pair of lines.

Raising his brush again, he swiftly completed the couplet. The entire process took less than ten breaths.

The clerk stared blankly at Su Yuan as he put down the brush, rubbing his eyes.

He thought he must be seeing things—that this beggar was just scribbling nonsense! Others shared the same thought.

Impatiently, the clerk read aloud what Su Yuan had written, expecting to find it poor and to share a laugh with others.

“This wood turns to firewood, mountain upon mountain arise;
Because of fire there is smoke, evening after evening it spreads!”

When the couplet was read aloud, a heavy silence fell upon the scene. Although it was a simple wordplay couplet, Su Yuan’s lines were impeccably balanced and exquisitely clever.

Most importantly, Su Yuan had taken an astonishingly short time. Everyone’s eyes were filled with disbelief, thinking they must have misheard.

Even the middle-aged clerk doubted himself but upon carefully examining the paper, he found no mistake.

His disdain instantly transformed into admiration. This couplet alone proved that the beggar before him possessed some literary talent, though the quality of his five-character poem remained unknown.

Then the clerk unfolded the paper and read Su Yuan’s poem aloud:

“A thousand mountains without a bird in flight,
Ten thousand paths devoid of human trace.
A solitary boat, an old man in straw raincoat and bamboo hat,
Fishing alone in the cold river snow.”

As he finished reciting, he stood there dumbfounded, hands trembling as he held the paper, lips quivering. The entire place once again fell into a profound silence.

Everyone stared at Su Yuan in disbelief, unable to accept that all of this was real!

The middle-aged clerk looked at Su Yuan with excitement, then back at the poem in his hands.

“Young master… you… are incredible…” he said, unable to find words, only giving a thumbs-up to express his admiration.

Others’ five-character poems were either barely passable or nonsense, but this beggar’s poem was nothing short of a masterpiece.

Images of winter scenes vividly appeared before their eyes, as if they were immersed in them, a chill seeming to sweep over them.

The crowd gradually regained their senses, their eyes filled with shock. Some even stood up, mouths agape.

Those who had just mocked Su Yuan now felt their faces burning as if they had been slapped hard several times.

They had mocked his supposed incompetence, but now his performance stunned everyone.

Who present could claim to have composed such an exquisite five-character quatrain? Completing both the couplet and the poem within ten breaths was unheard of.

The middle-aged clerk’s gaze shifted from disdain to respect as he hurriedly handed Su Yuan a number token, his expression humble.

“Young master Su, here is your entry token. Please wait; when your number is called, you may participate in the civil and martial competitions!”

Then he handed over five roughly sized silver coins to Su Yuan.

Su Yuan accepted the coins and smiled at the clerk. He then passed them to his daughter, gently stroking her head.

“Mengmeng, we have money now. Later, I’ll take you to a big feast!”

The little girl’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the silver, her face beaming with joy.

But she shook her head, saying, “Father, let’s keep the money. We should buy cotton-padded clothes and food instead. I don’t want a feast. Father, it will be cold at night. With warm clothes, we won’t feel cold. With food, we won’t have to eat vegetable gruel. Vegetable gruel is really awful!”

Her small face puckered as she clutched the silver tightly, as if afraid of losing it.

After enduring such cold and hunger, she was truly afraid. Upon receiving the money, her first thought was about basic survival.

Su Yuan gently rubbed his daughter’s head, a pang of sorrow in his heart.

He needed to restore his status quickly. He wanted both himself and his daughter to live well, and he desired to gain power.

Only then would no one dare to bully them, and only then could he bring his wife back.

The civil and martial competitions were just the beginning.

Turning, Su Yuan headed toward the nearby martial competition assessment area.

The middle-aged clerk watched him, a gleam of anticipation on his face, eager to see Su Yuan’s martial results.

But glancing at the poem in his hand, he quickly moved inside the tent where others awaited evaluation, unwilling to delay.

As for the others, after their shock, disdain returned. Though Su Yuan’s literary talent was undeniable, no one believed he could be equally strong in martial skills.

Many even felt jealousy, hoping to see him fail and lose face in the martial contest.

Some sneered, “He may pass the literary test, but the martial one? Just wait and see, that guy’s going to embarrass himself!”

Some nodded in agreement, others silent, but most did not believe in Su Yuan.

After all, true mastery of both literature and martial arts was exceedingly rare.

By then, Su Yuan had arrived at the martial competition point, where a middle-aged soldier stood guard.

He had witnessed Su Yuan’s stunning literary feat and was shocked to see him approach.

When Su Yuan handed over his martial competition entry token, the soldier finally came to his senses.

“Young master, your literary talent is exceptional, and you have a real chance to shine in the civil competition. Why do you want to join the martial contest? This isn’t a game! One misstep here could cost lives!”

He couldn’t help but advise him.

Originally, he thought scholars were weaklings, and it was a waste of time for a scholar to try martial competition. Passing or failing was uncertain, so why waste time?

He didn’t believe in Su Yuan’s martial potential but also didn’t want to see him die on the contest ground—death was common in the martial fights.

Su Yuan smiled and shook his head.

“If one is skilled in letters, how could one not be skilled in arms? Otherwise, how could one claim to be proficient in both?”

The soldier was stunned, staring at Su Yuan in disbelief for a long moment.

By calmly asserting mastery in both arts, Su Yuan seemed to challenge the very notion of being accomplished in both literature and martial arts.

Who did he think he was?

Being good at literature was already impressive—did he really think he could be good at martial arts too? What a fanciful dream.

A wave of contempt arose in the soldier’s heart. His earlier good impression from the literary test vanished instantly.

But since Su Yuan had registered, he couldn’t refuse to let him be tested.

“Very well, young master. Please proceed,” he said, pointing dismissively to a nearby stone slab, his disdain deepening.