Although Song Shuhang's second half of the couplet was ingenious, it was still considered correct and quite artistic.
However, he was not afraid of not knowing the goods, but he was afraid of comparing them.
In this comparison, Song Shuheng was slightly lacking and was inferior to Chen Shilin.
"Chen Shilin…Could it be Eastern Zhejiang's Chen Jieyuan? My father even made me copy the 'Gewulun' that you wrote during the provincial examination fifty times and made me memorize it before entering the capital.”
"The Chen Shilin who shocked everyone with his article and the examiner was ashamed to read it?”
"I heard that when the head examiner saw the theory of investigation, he felt that it was whimsical and unrealistic. However, on a closer look, he was shocked. On the day the rankings were released, he personally went to Chen Shilin to ask for advice on the content of the article.”
Upon hearing Chen Shilin's name, the zither courtesan sighed. Just as he was about to speak, he seemed to have heard someone speak.
After hesitating for a while, the Zither Playing Beauty suddenly said,""Young Master Chen is an outstanding literary talent. I have also read the Theory of Investigating Things. May I have the honor of having a chat with you in the private room?”
Chen Shilin wanted to refuse. He had just casually matched the second half of the couplet, but he did not expect everyone to notice him.
The Spring Quarter Examinations were approaching, and he didn't want to cause any more trouble.
"Hey, let's go together. What's there to be afraid of? You're also an 18-year-old man. Are you afraid that our father will spank your butt?”
"Brother, you…"
"Let's go, let's go. Today, I can be considered to have benefited from you. I also want to see what this Courtesan Belle looks like.”
Just like that, Chen Cong pulled Chen Shilin and followed the guide of the servant boy. Under the envious, jealous, worshipful, and yearning gazes of countless scholars, they walked into a private room.
However, unexpectedly, the room was not filled with a flirtatious courtesan.
Instead, it was an adult man who looked slightly heroic. His eyebrows were strong and his lips were extremely thin, making him look extremely handsome.
There was a chessboard in front of him, and opposite him sat a white-bearded old man. He twirled his beard and smiled at the two of them.
As for the zither courtesan, she sat quietly at the side of the room, playing the zither as if she was trying to relieve her boredom. Although it wasn't in tune, it still had a lingering charm.
Hua Kui's appearance was not as charming as Chen Shilin had imagined. Instead, it revealed a cold and lonely feeling. There was a sorrowful expression between her brows.
After observing a few people, Chen Shilin placed his eyes on the most conspicuous table. The first was a chess game. The handsome man held black chess pieces and the white-bearded old man held white chess pieces.
The two sides were fighting fiercely, not giving in to each other. In chess, they were clearly far above him. However, he had never been interested in something as carefree as Go, so it was not uncommon for his Go skills to surpass his.
Beside the chessboard was an incense burner. A faint fragrance burned inside. The smell was very pleasant, but it did not make people feel that it was pungent. It was obvious that it was an extremely expensive top-grade spice.
Beside the incense burner, there was a book. The ink on the cover was slightly polished. It should have been written in just a few days. On it was written…the theory of things!？
"May I know which of the two of you is Chen Shilin, the scholar who wrote the theory of investigation?”
Chen Shilin faintly felt that the identity of the person in front of him was not ordinary. He was probably either rich or noble. His expression turned cold and he said in a neither servile nor overbearing manner,
"I don't deserve to be called a scholar. I am Chen Shilin.”
The valiant man smiled and stood up, cupping his hands in salute.
"Teacher Chen, I said a few days ago that I would like to find an opportunity to visit you personally. I didn't expect that we would meet here today.”
"May I know who you are?"
"Teacher Chen, you can call me Ji Shouyi.”
"Ji Shouyi?" Chen Shilin was still in a daze. He felt that this name was quite familiar.
Chen Cong, who was at the side, suddenly exclaimed,""Ji Shouyi, the Thirteenth Prince?"
Chen Shilin was also shocked. He did not expect to meet a prince in a private room of a brothel. Moreover, he was an extremely powerful competitor for the position of the future Crown Prince.
It was very likely that he would be the future ruler of a country…
However, Ji Shouyi gestured for Chen Shilin to take a seat. Then, he recited in a relaxed manner,
"There is no good and no disgusting body. There is good and evil. Knowing good and knowing evil is conscience. This is my favorite sentence. I copy and comprehend it every day. I'm afraid I might misunderstand it. I hope the teacher can teach me.”
"Thirteenth Prince, you don't need to be so polite. I'm just a small mountain person, I don't know anything. I'm just afraid that I'll spout nonsense and make a fool of myself in front of you.”
Chen Shilin pondered for a while and then said,""Instead of knowing the world, it's better to only know one sentence…"
"What sentence?"
"Unity of knowledge and action."
"Unity of knowledge and action?" Ji Shouyu and the white-bearded elder were both stunned. They seemed to have sensed something and closed their eyes in contemplation.
After a while, Ji Shouyu stood up and bowed respectfully to Chen Shilin again.
"Master Chen is truly a great talent of the world. The title of the top scholar this year will definitely belong to you. At such a young age, you will definitely cause a stir in the court. I wonder what plans you have in the future?”
"I don't have any plans. I just think that it's best to become a local official first and try out my ambition. Only then can I spread it to the world in the future.”
"Alright, the wish of the teacher is the wish of a fool.”
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。