Chapter 155: Learning Politics 2/2

Seeing that the collection included works by the Solitary Writer, he opened it first.

But after reading it for a while, Cheng Xuezheng became furious, “Misleading the public! What kind of rubbish is this article!”

In Cheng Xuezheng’s eyes, the Solitary Writer’s articles were somewhat treasonous!

After finishing it, he threw the book aside in anger, “What are the intentions of Anjiang Academy? They actually printed such a book!”

No one dared to speak around Cheng Xuezheng.

Cheng Xuezheng calmed down and then opened the “Anjiang Collection” again, only to turn to Li Qingzhi’s brilliantly written articles.

These articles were excellent!

With the Solitary Writer as a foil, Li Qingzhi, who followed the rules, became even more likable.

There was not just Cheng Xuezheng with such thoughts; after all, the Solitary Writer’s articles had touched too many people’s interests.

But at the same time, many people praised the Solitary Writer’s articles, even considering them outstanding.

As for Li Qingzhi… how could Li Qingzhi’s articles compare to the Solitary Writer’s?

After reading one of the Solitary Writer’s articles, Du Yongning felt inferior.

Various emotions surged within him. When he looked up and saw Li Qingzhi casually flipping through the book in his hands, he became angry, “Brother Li seems to not like the Solitary Writer’s articles?”

Was Li Qingzhi upset because the Solitary Writer stole the limelight?

However… where could Li Qingzhi compare to someone like the Solitary Writer?

“No, I quite like them,” Li Qingzhi said.

“Then why don’t I see Brother Li carefully reading them?” Du Yongning asked.

Li Qingzhi replied, “I’ve already memorized these articles. I was just savoring them carefully.”

“How long did that take? You memorized them already?” Du Yongning didn’t believe it.

He had encountered people claiming to have photographic memories before, but they could only remember a few hundred words at a time. However, each of the Solitary Writer’s articles contained two to three thousand words.

Li Qingzhi said, “Yes, I’ve memorized them all.”

“I don’t believe it!” Du Yongning immediately exclaimed. After all, he had only finished reading one article, albeit slowly because the Solitary Writer’s articles were exceptionally good.

“How about I recite them to you?” Li Qingzhi suggested, not minding showing off his photographic memory skill. A good reputation makes everything easier.

“Sure, I’ll read a passage, and then you continue,” Du Yongning began flipping through the book and quickly read a passage.

Then, Li Qingzhi smoothly continued reciting from where Du Yongning left off.

Du Yongning stopped him and read another passage for Li Qingzhi to continue, and Li Qingzhi still recited it flawlessly.

With his exceptional memory and since he wrote the articles himself, how could he not remember them!

After several attempts, Li Qingzhi could recite them all… Du Yongning felt foolish once again.

Why did he doubt Li Qingzhi in the first place?

As Li Qingzhi began reciting, the people around started to gather around to listen. Now, these people admired Li Qingzhi even more!

He had gained even more fame!

What was more infuriating was that… Li Qingzhi actually had a photographic memory!

With such ability, what couldn’t he accomplish? No wonder his attempts to trouble Li Qingzhi failed!

Du Yongning felt jealous, but the surrounding people were marveling, “Brother Li, I’ve heard about your photographic memory, but today I’ve truly witnessed it! Brother Li, you’re amazing!”

“I haven’t finished reading these articles yet, but Brother Li has already memorized them!”

“Brother Li is truly a genius descended from the heavens. He is undoubtedly the best candidate for the top of the examination this time!”

…

Initially, they weren’t very convinced by Li Qingzhi, but now they were convinced in both heart and mind.

People like Li Qingzhi were beyond their reach, and there was no need for comparison.

Realizing this, no one felt envious of Li Qingzhi anymore! Instead, they came over one by one, wanting to chat with Li Qingzhi and witness the genius.

Li Qingzhi was also willing to communicate with them… and for a while, he was surrounded by many people.

Feeling frustrated as he was pushed out of the crowd, Du Yongning coldly snorted and left with his sedan chair and a sedan full of books.

Li Qingzhi enjoyed chatting with people, so he talked with those around him for a long time. However, when someone asked him about his views on the Solitary Writer’s articles, he politely declined, saying that although he had memorized them, he hadn’t thoroughly understood them and didn’t dare to comment rashly.

He was solely focused on the imperial examination. Naturally, he understood the character of Cheng Xuezheng, the chief examiner of Jiang’an Province. When he was in Chongwen Academy, he had even read many of Cheng Xuezheng’s articles.

Cheng Xuezheng definitely wouldn’t like the Solitary Writer’s articles, so why bother confronting him?

Li Qingzhi left Anjiang Academy around noon and headed home.

On the way, Zhu Xunmiao asked, “Brother Li, I think the Solitary Writer’s articles are very good, but I don’t know what makes them stand out. Do you feel the same?”

Li Qingzhi replied, “The Solitary Writer’s articles stand out because he dares to write.”

After saying that, he explained these articles to Zhu Xunmiao.

Zhu Xunmiao had a sudden realization and then asked Li Qingzhi, “Brother Li, why didn’t you say so earlier?”

Li Qingzhi replied, “Didn’t I tell you about Cheng Xuezheng’s preferences?”

Zhu Xunmiao: “…” He hadn’t thought of that!

Li Qingzhi continued, “The priority now is to pass the provincial examination.”

His reputation was already considerable, but he was still just a provincial scholar, which was a bit of a pity.

But speaking of which… the Solitary Writer’s articles were indeed very popular. Could he use this pseudonym more often in the future?

For example… write about the various incidents that happened in Yuxian five years ago.

The original owner had experienced so many hardships while fleeing, he could easily write a book called “Chronicles of Fleeing!”

Having a pseudonym was really good, but if he did it this way, he might not be able to get paid.

It’s possible that no one dares to publish his books.

Otherwise… should he approach Governor Zhang?

Li Qingzhi thought about this for a moment but quickly dismissed the idea.

Today was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and he wanted to focus on enjoying the holiday.

With that in mind, Li Qingzhi turned to Zhu Xunmiao. “Xunmiao, shall we go buy some mooncakes?”

“Sure,” Zhu Xunmiao readily agreed.

Modern mooncakes are packaged well and can last a long time, but ancient mooncakes lacked preservation techniques, so vendors sold them freshly made.

They used wooden molds to shape the dough, first filling it with the ingredients, then sealing it with more dough, and pressing firmly to create a mooncake.

After shaping, the mooncakes were steamed on a rack until cooked and ready to eat.

During this time, there were far fewer types of mooncake fillings than in modern times, mainly bean paste, sesame, and meat.

Li Qingzhi wasn’t picky about fillings, as long as he could eat them, so he bought a variety and headed back home with them.

Meanwhile, more and more people had read both the “Anjiang Collection” and the “Solitary Writer Collection.”

Some people didn’t like the Solitary Writer, but others were very fond of it.

Regardless, as Du Yongning said, this time, not many people were discussing Li Qingzhi; everyone was talking about the Solitary Writer.

To make matters worse, some people even compared Li Qingzhi to the Solitary Writer.

“The Solitary Writer’s articles are substantial; some others may seem elaborate but lack depth.”

“I used to think Li Zixiao’s articles were good, but the Solitary Writer’s articles… are truly inspiring!”

“The ‘Solitary Writer Collection’ is suitable for repeated reading, while Li Zixiao’s articles are only suitable for the imperial examinations.”

…

Li Qingzhi was unaware of being compared to the Solitary Writer. When he returned home, he invited Jin Xiaoye and the others to eat mooncakes.

Jin Xiaoye couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t mooncakes typically eaten while admiring the moon?”

Li Qingzhi asked, “Do you enjoy admiring the moon?”

Jin Xiaoye shook her head. Having seen the moon countless times since childhood, she didn’t find anything special about it and wasn’t interested in admiring it.

“If you don’t enjoy moon viewing, why insist on eating mooncakes during moon viewing time?” Li Qingzhi said, then cut a quarter of the mooncake and handed it to her.

He cut each flavor of mooncake into a portion so that Jin Xiaoye and the others could taste each one without getting too full. After all, they didn’t have bottomless stomachs like him.

Li Qingzhi planned to admire the moon later that evening and enjoy another round of mooncakes, but why not indulge a little now?

In the afternoon, Li Qingzhi stayed indoors, playing with Li Damao and Li Ermao, telling them stories from the original owner’s childhood.

In the future, he wanted to pay respects to the original owner’s relatives.

Speaking of which, the original owner did have living relatives. Although his immediate family had passed away, his extended relatives were not affected.

The original owner’s father was an only child, and his grandparents had long passed away. The Li family’s relatives were distant from the original owner, but his maternal grandparents loved him dearly. The original owner also had two uncles…

And there was his eldest sister, who might still be alive.

Unfortunately, these people were not in Jiang’an Province, so he couldn’t see them for the time being.

Li Qingzhi reminisced about the original owner’s family, then thought about his own parents and relatives.

His parents had only one child and doted on him dearly.

It was a pity that they had passed away before the apocalypse.

Before their deaths, they called him and urged him to live well.

If his parents knew he was still alive and had a wife and children, they would be very happy.

Thinking about this, Li Qingzhi hugged Jin Xiaoye and kissed her…

That night, Li Qingzhi and Jin Xiaoye enjoyed each other’s company.

Jin Xiaoye felt helpless; most people refrained from indulging in romantic affairs before the imperial examinations, but Li Qingzhi was different. He clung to her every day!

She worried that Li Qingzhi might overexert himself!

Isn’t it said that doing this too often would drain a man’s vitality? Li Qingzhi already had poor health; if he were to be drained further…

Wait, was Li Qingzhi really in poor health?

Why did she feel like Li Qingzhi was getting stronger? His body felt unusually firm!

Jin Xiaoye’s aesthetic preferences were similar to those of the other villagers; she liked tall and sturdy men.

The way Li Qingzhi was now… she was starting to like him more and more!

This Mid-Autumn Festival, Li Qingzhi had a very enjoyable time, much better than last year’s.

Last year, he broke his arm!

However, in the provincial capital, many people didn’t have such a good Mid-Autumn Festival.

They were without their loved ones, and naturally felt a sense of longing.

And then… the controversy over the Solitary Writer’s articles was significant. A few scholars even got into fights over differing opinions…

These few individuals spent their Mid-Autumn Festival in the infirmary!

Li Qingzhi found out about this the next day and couldn’t help but find it amusing and exasperating at the same time.

On this day, discussions about the Solitary Writer’s articles in the provincial capital increased even more.

Some scholars who came to participate in the imperial examinations even forgot about the exams and kept talking about these articles.

Well, it was quite good in a way; by shifting their attention, they wouldn’t be so anxious!

The imperial examinations were too important for scholars. Li Qingzhi had already noticed that some people were particularly anxious when interacting with other examinees.

While discussions about the Solitary Writer were happening everywhere in the provincial capital, Li Qingzhi didn’t join in. Instead, he stayed at home reading.

Most people didn’t think much of this, but Du Yongning was different. He believed that Li Qingzhi stayed home because he was upset about being compared to the Solitary Writer and didn’t want to go out!

This made him happy, and he repeatedly told others about how great the Solitary Writer’s articles were and how no one else could compare.

Especially Li Qingzhi; he couldn’t hold a candle to the Solitary Writer!