Fang Yun only brought a few hundred words for the record, but Zhou Zhubu read it three times in a row before stopping, looking increasingly sad as he read.

Fang Yun felt puzzled. He knew that “The Rhyme Match” had an incredibly important role in this world, especially in the contemporary era of vigorously developing war poetry. Why did Zhou Zhubu suddenly become sad?

Zhou Zhubu sighed and said, “If I had obtained this text back then, I wouldn’t have struggled with poetry and failed to enter the world of elegance! I thought it was because of my lack of talent in poetry, but now I know that my teacher was not Fang Zhenguo! Why didn’t he let me learn ‘The Rhyme Match’ thirty years ago? Why?!”

Zhou Zhubu almost pounded his chest and stamped his feet, almost bursting into tears.

Fang Yun had to persuade him, “Actually, it’s not too late for you to study poetry now.”

But Zhou Zhubu said, “It’s too late! Our minds are clouded and our courage to write is dim. Even if we learn ‘The Rhyme Match,’ we won’t be able to write excellent poetry. The best time has passed. We only have two paths now: continue to follow the path of benevolence, righteousness, and courage, accumulate experience and wait for a chance to rise in the literary world, or strive for fame, wealth, and power, and hope that our descendants can go further on the path of literature. I choose the latter, or rather, more than eighty percent of people would choose the latter. The reason why the Left Chancellor has such great power now is not only because he has delved into the art of lobbying in the vertical and horizontal schools, not only because he has studied ‘The Spring and Autumn Annals of the Lüshi School’ under the guidance of Lv Buwei, but also because too many officials have chosen the latter. The reason why I called your ‘Dream Record of the Pillow’ a great work of minor importance is that it was written at the right time.”

Fang Yun nodded.

“Fang Yun, your future is bright. Don’t follow our path. By the way, why did you name it ‘The Fox Rhyme Match’?”

Fang Yun smiled and told Zhou Zhubu about Nunu’s performance in class.

“Besides the students and teachers in Class A, does anyone else know about ‘The Fox Rhyme Match’?”

“Besides the people in the clan school, only I and Daniu know,” Fang Yun replied.

“I will submit this text to the Lord of the Academy and ask him to send the people from the ‘Department of Punishment’ to find out everyone who knows about ‘The Fox Rhyme Match,’ whether they are adults or children. Before your book is published, it must not be leaked,” Zhou Zhubu said.

“The Department of Punishment? Am I hearing this right? Is it necessary?” Fang Yun was extremely surprised.

The Department of Punishment, the Department of Penalty, and other such departments are government agencies in various countries, but the Department of Punishment is different. It is the highest law enforcement agency in the Holy Academy and can only be joined by presented scholars who have the courage to write. Moreover, every person in the department swears in front of the statues of all the saints, pledging to exist for the highest interests of the human race. Even the prominent families of all the saints can only influence but not control the Department of Punishment.

As long as the Department of Punishment takes action, it will be a major event that alarms the ten countries. They often catch rebellious literati, and their methods are extremely ruthless.”We must use the punishment hall. I can’t see the value in the Three Character Classic, but the value of Fox Rhymes is obvious. Fox Rhymes is a completely new way of teaching pronunciation and rhyme. Its literary style may be barely passable, but in terms of importance, it surpasses the poems of the Town Nation. You must not rush to write it, you must be serious, even if it takes another year to finish, we can wait. This is probably your chance to become a Great Scholar. Yi Zhishi became a Great Scholar at the age of only thirty because he wrote a collection of essays called “Zhishi Wen Xuan”, every word of which was worth a thousand pieces of gold. It is said that when the original manuscript was thrown out, the ground sank three feet. Although it is only a chance and not a certainty, it is still a thousand times stronger than those of us who have no chance at all. Remember, don’t be reckless in writing.”

Fang Yun originally wanted to finish writing early, but after hearing Zhou Zhubu’s words, he had to say, “I will finish writing next month. It won’t be as fast as writing the Three Character Classic.”

“Next month? Although it’s a bit hasty, it’s not too fast. Do you have a draft?”

Fang Yun remained calm and said, “Of course. I was young and dull-witted, and I always wanted to find a shortcut to learning poetry. So I slowly summarized these sounds and rhymes, which later led to those poems. But it was only recently that I had the idea of writing it into a book. When I was young, I often pondered rhymes by the river, and people misunderstood me as being lazy. Looking back now, those grievances were nothing.”

Fang Yun breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the young Fang Yun was a bit silly and often went to the river to daydream and relieve his inner troubles.

“Extraordinary people must have extraordinary qualities. You are truly a persevering and hardworking person! Those children who laughed at you are probably regretting it now. When you soar to success, you can write about your enlightenment by the river in your autobiography to warn future generations.”

Fang Yun secretly thought that this cow was getting bigger and bigger. It had actually become an enlightenment by the river.

“You are too kind, what else do I need to do for the record?” Fang Yun asked.

“You just need to sign your name and stamp your handprint on this manuscript, then you can leave. I will give this manuscript to the Grand Academician of the Holy Academy. A manuscript of this level must be personally kept by him and cannot be seen by other officials. I will send you out and then go find the Grand Academician to have the punishment hall seal it.”

The two of them walked out together, and Fang Yun asked, “Does Li the Great Scholar also hold a position in the Holy Academy?”

“Of course, he is a member of the ‘War Hall’ and also the Vice Dean of the East Sea at the Sea Monster Institute. He is in charge of daily affairs at the East Sea Dragon Palace, and his status and power in the Holy Academy are even higher than that of the Left Chancellor. If the Left Chancellor happened to encounter a sea monster invasion when he came to Jiangzhou, then Jian Mei Gong could command him. So even if Jian Mei Gong scolds the Left Chancellor, he can only endure it, unless the Left Chancellor becomes a Great Scholar.”

“No wonder,” Fang Yun said.

“I hope you can become the next Jian Mei Gong, not a disastrous chancellor. The Grand Academician is about to return home, I will go deal with Fox Rhymes.” Zhou Zhubu bowed.

“Goodbye.” Fang Yun bowed and walked out.

Fang Yun looked at the bustling crowd on Wenyuan Street, slowly walking on the stone road while letting Big Niu drive the carriage behind him.

Wenyuan Street had a unique scenery under the setting sun.

Most of the people here were scholars, some were alone, some had their families with them, and some were in groups of three or five. Most of them had a relaxed smile on their faces.Some came to the bookstore to buy “The Path of the Saints” and “The Literary Gazette”, some came to buy writing brushes and ink, and some came to buy books. There were even those who just came to stroll around and feel the atmosphere.

Bargaining voices, shouting voices, whispering voices, and grandiose voices filled this ancient and elegant street.

“The fragrance of ink accompanies the sound of books, even in the bustling city. Representing this world are not the high-ranking officials and nobles, nor the prominent families, but rather the academies and streets of academies, and the individuals within them.”

Fang Yun smiled faintly and smoothly walked out of the street of academies, looking back at the setting sun about to set, and boarded the carriage.

After returning home, Fang Yun discussed with Yang Yuhuan, Fang Daniu, and Jiang Pozzi about buying a new residence.

Tang, the shopkeeper, paid ten thousand taels of silver at once, which was a truly huge sum of money. Even though the house prices in Dayuan Prefecture were much higher than in Jixian County, ten thousand taels of silver were enough to buy a large courtyard with three entrances and three exits in an ordinary area.

In fact, Fang Yun didn’t want to buy too large of a house. Having his own study and a small courtyard was enough for him. But he wanted Yang Yuhuan to live better and eat better, and his increasingly high status did not allow his residence to be too simple.

Fang Yun asked Yang Yuhuan to find Fang Furen tomorrow. With Fang Furen, a native and well-established lady of the prominent Dayuan family, there would be no problem selecting a house.

After dinner, Fang Yun continued to study hard, practice writing, and did not slack off at all. During his breaks, he would even contemplate.

“If martial artists need to practice boxing, spar, and fight to the death to become stronger step by step, then we scholars who constantly read books, write essays, write classics, and poems are practicing boxing. Participating in poetry and essay competitions is sparring, and using war poetry is fighting to the death. The goals are different, the paths are different, but the efforts are the same! The rewards are the same!”

“Effort may not lead to success, but there will definitely be rewards! If you don’t make an effort, you won’t get anything!”

“Intelligence or talent, or even the world’s rarest books, are not the reasons for success, but the reasons for effort!”

“Those who have talent and make an effort are the minds of the human race.”

“And those who have nothing but still make an effort are the backbone of the human race!”

“Choosing the right direction and striving forward is the reason for success!”

As Fang Yun continued to study and gain insight, his beliefs became more firm, his literary palace became more solid, and his talent grew far faster than those child scholars who were lost in confusion.

Fang Yun didn’t go to sleep until four in the morning.

He got up at six o’clock on the dot, had breakfast, taught Yang Yuhuan how to read, and then studied with the accompaniment of his servant.

Fang Yun’s residence was very quiet, but the Yan family, several dozen streets away, was not.

Early in the morning, the Yan family’s gatekeeper, as usual, stumbled towards the gate. Before he could get close, he was almost knocked out by a foul stench.

The gatekeeper took a closer look and saw that a large amount of excrement and urine had flowed into the courtyard from the door crack, and there were dead mice, rotting meat, and all kinds of filth everywhere near the wall.

The gatekeeper covered his nose and ran back, shouting, “Master! Madam! Something bad has happened!”

Soon, everyone in the Yan family woke up and hurriedly dealt with the mess in front of the gate. When they opened the gate, no one could stand outside, and the walls were smeared with disgusting things.

“Who did this! Don’t let me find out, or I’ll tear you into pieces!” The angry roar of the Yan family patriarch echoed in the air.At half past six, the relatives of the Yan family, led by Yan Pozzi, gathered together and headed towards the Fang family’s ancestral hall, dressed in mourning clothes as they did yesterday.

As they reached a secluded spot, more than ten masked men rushed out, each carrying a sack. They captured all the members of the Yan family, beat them up, and quickly left, not forgetting to steal their silver before leaving.

At seven thirty, Yan Dianli leisurely held a warm small purple clay pot and went to the Prefecture. He was just an ordinary talented scholar, relying on his cousin’s position in a noble family to become a ninth-ranked official with real power. Although he was not outstanding, he was still better off than most people and lived a very comfortable life.

After entering the Prefecture, the gatekeeper and servants greeted him as usual, and he smiled and nodded, enjoying their compliments.

After walking a few steps, he saw the city’s catchers. Yan Dianli smiled and said, “Old Pan, you look pretty energetic today, don’t you?”

But Pan the catcher looked like he had seen a ghost and turned his head and walked away, completely ignoring him.

Yan Dianli was puzzled and saw Liu the steward, with whom he had a good relationship, and smiled, “Did something happen today?”

Liu the steward hesitated for a moment and said, “You better distance yourself from the Yan family. Last night, the old lady insulted the Prefect, and the Prefect just finished scolding the Yan family this morning.”