The conversation at the wine table had shifted from officialdom to literature, inevitably touching upon the Little Fan who had astonished the world with his poetry the previous year. Fan Xian feigned sipping from his wine cup, while preparing to splash the fellow with the wine if he dared to say anything bad about him, just to relieve his frustration.

Unexpectedly, he then saw Shi Chanli stand up, his face flushed with excitement, reciting sickeningly flattering words, and tearfully lamenting, "Having read the poems from the Ban Xian Zhai collection for months, how can I ever bear to read anyone else's poems? How dare I even pick up a pen again? Though I find a few of the poems a little strange, with Little Fan ahead, where can Little Shi place himself? Alas, alas!"

Fan Xian beamed, thinking of those lovable people who criticize leaders for not paying enough attention to their rest.

Hou Jichang, however, seemed unimpressed, saying, "Poetry is but a superficial skill; what help is it in governing the country?" After saying this, he turned to Fan Xian, who had been neglected for a while, seeking his opinion, "I wonder what Master Fan thinks?" He couldn't help but look at Fan Xian again, and suddenly exclaimed, "It's you!"

Fan Xian was startled again, wondering if he had been recognized. The lights in the examination hall weren't very bright, and aside from a simpleton like Yang Wanli who dared to look directly at him, using eye contact, not many people dared to scrutinize the face of this examiner.

Hou Jichang's next sentence came quickly, "I passed Master Fan on the road when I was buying wine earlier."

Fan Xian immediately remembered; the other party was the scholar carrying two pots of wine. For some reason, even such a small matter made Hou Jichang appear much warmer towards Fan Xian, starting to speak eagerly. Not only Fan Xian found it strange, but even Shi Chanli was also confused.

"Master Fan is of the same clan as that Little Fan, perhaps you could share your thoughts on Little Fan's Ban Xian Zhai poetry collection."

"It's merely regurgitating the words of predecessors." No matter how thick-skinned Fan Xian was, he couldn't very well praise himself to others' faces.

Who knew that Shi Chanli would be angered by these words, slamming his chopsticks down and saying, "Could it be that Master Fan is also like that Grand Scholar Zhuang? I originally held Zhuang Mohan's character in high regard, but who would have thought he was a confused old thief? If Master Fan has read little poetry, it's best not to utter such absurd and ridiculous statements."

Fan Xian was taken aback. It was then that he realized he had already established an unbreakable position in the hearts of the Qing Kingdom's scholars. He smiled slightly, unsure of what to say. Seeing him speechless, Shi Chanli, spurred on by the alcohol, laughed and scolded, "You're both young masters with the surname Fan, but why is there such a huge difference?"

...

...

Just then, Yang Wanli finally woke up slowly with the help of Cheng Jialin. The first thing he saw was Fan Xian's handsome face, which frightened him. He quickly stood up and greeted Fan Xian, saying, "Master Fan... how did you come to be here?"

"Master Fan? Which Master Fan?" The other three brothers at the wine table were puzzled, not knowing why Yang Wanli was so nervous.

Yang Wanli smiled wryly, "This is the Little Fan mentioned earlier, the one who let students into the examination hall... Brother Shi, aren't you most fond of the poems from Ban Xian Zhai? Why not go forward and pay your respects quickly."

Only then did Shi Chanli realize that the person he had just lectured was Fan Xian himself! The intense shock made him jump up from his stool. He didn't know whether to bow or not, and looked extremely awkward. Even the much more composed Hou Jichang and Cheng Xilin both opened their mouths wide, looking at Fan Xian, unsure of what to say.

Fan Xian was already a leading figure in the hearts of the scholars of the world. Later, he married the Prime Minister's daughter and became a fifth-rank official in the Imperial Academy at the age of seventeen. From any perspective, he was the most enviable object for scholars. And his Ban Xian Zhai Poetry Talk had long been popular throughout the world. The radiant image, hovering above the clouds, had already merged with the name Fan Xian.

Fan Xian smiled a little embarrassedly and said, "What? Are you so surprised to see a living person?"

Hou Jichang was the first to come to his senses, smiling wryly and saying, "So, Master is Little Fan. I was truly rude earlier."

Shi Chanli's eyes shone, and he bowed deeply to Fan Xian, sincerely saying, "I never expected that today, thanks to Brother Yang, I would be able to personally meet Little Fan. It is truly fortunate."

Fan Xian shook his head and said with a smile, "The imperial examination is over, and I didn't want to stay in my mansion all the time, so I came out for a walk. I knew that Yang Wanli was staying at this inn, so I came to find him. I just didn't expect to be so lucky. Listening to your lofty discussions at the wine table earlier, I didn't come in vain."

Everyone couldn't help but feel a little ashamed, thinking that they had been discoursing grandly in front of this great talent of the time. Looking back, it was indeed a bit absurd. Even Hou Jichang, who had always been proud and arrogant, smiled wryly and said, "It's all Wanli's fault for being drunk all the time."

Just then, Cheng Xilin, who was speaking a little slowly, finally introduced himself in a stammering manner: "Master Fan, my surname is Cheng, Cheng Xilin's Lin." At the thought of possibly establishing a relationship with this popular figure in the court, the Shandong talent Cheng Xilin became inexplicably nervous, and his speech was a bit hesitant.

Everyone was stunned, and then they heard the mistake in his words, and couldn't help but burst into laughter. Cheng Xilin's face also turned red, and he stammered, unsure of what to say. It was thanks to this burst of laughter that the shock in everyone's heart was slightly diluted.

Yang Wanli heard that Little Fan had come to find him, and couldn't help but feel a little puzzled, and also a little flattered, and asked, "I wonder if Little Fan has any instructions."

Fortunately, these people were all sensible, and most of them still had the selfish thought of putting a treasure on their own table, so they didn't shout, so the students inside and outside the inn were still drinking and having fun. No one knew that the Little Fan whom the students often mentioned was in the inn at this time, otherwise there would have been another commotion of excitement.

Fan Xian originally just wanted to give Yang Wanli a hint, but he didn't expect it to turn into such a situation, so naturally it wasn't good to talk in detail. After a smile, he said, "In any case, Brother Yang and I can be considered to have a 'gown' connection." Turning to Shi Chanli, he said, "And with Brother Shi, we have a 'half-umbrella' connection." Then he said to Hou Jichang, "And with Brother Hou, we have a 'brushing past' connection, so I still want to remind you all of something."

As soon as these words came out, even Cheng Xilin, who had not been mentioned by him, became nervous. Hou Jichang could no longer maintain a calm expression. Which scholar didn't want to seek a good future? This Little Fan was the examining official in charge of this spring examination. At this time, coming here without avoiding suspicion, what he was going to say was naturally extremely important.

Fan Xian paused slightly, and after carefully considering his words, he said, "The palace examination will be on the first day of the third month. You brothers should still prepare."

The students were shocked again, and the hands in their sleeves couldn't help but tremble a little—these words seemed ordinary, but the hidden meaning inside was extremely shocking. This Little Fan was a popular figure in the court, and behind him was the Supreme Prime Minister Si Nanbo. If someone could know the list of the top three in advance, Fan Xian would definitely have such qualifications. Since he told several people to prepare for the palace examination, it meant that... they would definitely be on the list!

Fan Xian put his finger to his lips, made a shushing gesture, and said with a smile, "Not necessarily, I'm just here to remind you."

Hou Jichang said in a daze, "Minister Guo was arrested and imprisoned, so the list will definitely change."

Fan Xian replied quietly, "I don't remember clearly about Brother Cheng and Brother Shi, but Brother Hou and Brother Yang are definitely going to be selected." Hou and Yang were overjoyed, and no longer caring about their self-restraint, they stood up and bowed deeply to Fan Xian, knowing that from now on, they had to worship this young mentor, unless they didn't want a bright future and a prosperous future.

Cheng Xilin and Shi Chanli felt a little disappointed, but thought that Little Fan just didn't remember clearly, and it didn't mean that there wouldn't be a good result tomorrow, and they were comforting themselves in their hearts.

The inn was clearly not a suitable place to talk, so Yang Wanli respectfully invited Fan Xian into his and the others' inner room, and then served good tea. After a while, he sincerely said, "Master Fan, I ask myself that I have no money, no power, no mouth, and no face. I really don't know how I can get Master's favor, and I don't know why Master risked coming to tell me this news."

These eight characters of no money, no power, no mouth, and no face truly spoke to the bitterness and helplessness of those scholars who had no connections. Fan Xian shook his head with a smile and said, "You all naturally know the state of the imperial examinations in Qing now. Although the list of the top three has not yet been released, it has basically been decided. As for why I came today, it is really because I am afraid that you, Wanli, will give up on yourself, not study, and not prepare for the palace examination. If you lose face on the palace, I am afraid that my face will not look good either. You must know that there were many people outside the examination hall that day who saw me let you into the examination hall. To put it bluntly, I took a small risk, but it doesn't matter."

Today, the examiners in the capital were all frightened and uneasy, but Fan Xian said it didn't matter, and the students couldn't help but be surprised.

Now that things had reached this point, these smart people naturally understood the meaning of Fan Xian's trip. After looking at each other, Hou Jichang took the lead in bowing down, saying, "Student thanks Teacher." Yang Wanli bowed again, and even Shi Chanli and Cheng Xilin were no longer sitting, and performed the ceremony of disciples to Fan Xian.

Looking at the four scholars who were several years older than him, Fan Xian couldn't help but feel a little strange. He smiled and said, "I am not the father-in-law in the Prime Minister's mansion, nor am I Minister Guo, and I have money, and I will have more money in the future, so you can rest assured that I only value your talent and morals. As for after the palace examination, when you enter the court to become officials, as long as you are loyal and diligent, and seek benefits for the country, I am sure that I have not misjudged you, and I will naturally be happy in my heart."

These words were extremely gentle, yet extremely cold at their core. The four of them shuddered, sincerely responded, and after a few more words, Fan Xian asked clearly why He Zongwei had not participated in the spring examination. It turned out that it was because of the death of an elder in his family. After sighing a few times, he bid farewell and left.

After getting into the carriage, Fan Xian frowned and said to Teng Zijing, "Why am I still not used to doing this kind of thing?"

The obliging Wang Qinian appeared in the carriage at the right time and softly replied, "Because Master is still a scholar at heart, not a master."