Xu Shao’s decision earned him even more respect from the literati of Luoyang.

Although one inevitably had to interact with the elite upon arriving in Luoyang, Xu Shao managed to handle it gracefully.

Unmoved by external influences, Xu Shao had cultivated the monthly evaluations for many years.

He had earned the reputation of being the one who “elevated talented individuals throughout the world,” as praised by both Xu and Guo, earning the respect of the Three Excellencies.

Starting from the position of a magistrate’s assistant, he could have risen to become a regional official, but he chose to remain on the outskirts of Luoyang, continuing his profession.

Because of this, the upcoming evaluation on the first day of June did not lose its momentum due to the absence of scholars from Runan.

Instead, due to the interest of scholars from Luoyang, many more people gathered around the Dingzhongguan on the outskirts of Luoyang, a sight rarely seen before the first of June.

They stood with books in hand or sat on the ground, creating a scene reminiscent of “bathing in the Yi River, dancing at the Yuyu Altar.”

“There are about six or seven young scholars…” Qiao Yan glanced at Yang Xiu and the small entourage behind him, feeling that the scene resembled this description even more.

Qiao Yan’s words were more of a musing to herself, and Yang Xiu didn’t catch what she said.

Before he could ask, he heard Qiao Yan inquire, “I heard that General Yang tried to recommend Xu Shao but was rejected. Aren’t you afraid he might treat you poorly because of this?”

Yang Xiu chuckled, “I’ve heard that Mr. Xu’s evaluations are fair and just, and he weighs his praises and criticisms carefully.

Moreover, he doesn’t hesitate to speak the truth. He forms his judgments based on observation and understanding, not personal biases.

My grandfather recommended him because he valued Mr. Xu’s clarity of judgment, not out of ill intentions.

As for me, I am Yang Xiu. I’m here today not because of my status as Yang Ci’s grandson. Now that I’m here, why dwell on past matters of our elders?”

Seeing that Qiao Yan seemed satisfied with his answer, Yang Xiu replied, “Now I understand that you indeed have the confidence to challenge me.”

With this affirmative response, a hint of joy appeared on Yang Xiu’s face.

However, Qiao Yan’s praise didn’t mean much to Yang Xiu.

What he wanted was to emerge victorious in the monthly evaluations.

Yang Xiu wasn’t aware that his and Qiao Yan’s competition in the monthly evaluations had already attracted attention due to Liu Hong’s interest in Qiao Yan.

People were now coming to inquire about the progress of this competition.

All Yang Xiu knew was that he had been straightforward in his challenge.

However, as he approached Dingzhongguan, he couldn’t help but feel a bit awkward.

It wasn’t entirely surprising that he felt this way.

Among the group of mature scholars and officials aiming for recognition and advancement, suddenly there were two individuals so young, standing out conspicuously like a mismatched piece in the crowd.

Yang Xiu’s companions had already attracted attention due to their youthful appearance.

People were probably surprised to see such young participants in the evaluations.

However, Yang Xiu and Qiao Yan’s presence together likely intensified this feeling of awkwardness.

As the attention of the crowd remained fixed on the two young participants, Yang Xiu and Qiao Yan, they found themselves isolated from the rest.

Yang Xiu glanced at his peer, the outstanding individual among their age group.

Despite the curious gazes directed towards them, the other person showed no signs of nervousness or attempted pretense of composure.

Feeling determined not to lose face in this situation, Yang Xiu followed suit.

Seeing Qiao Yan walking faster, Yang Xiu caught up and heard a young man standing nearest to Dingzhongguan exclaim with surprise upon seeing Qiao Yan, “Is this little child also aiming for promotion through the monthly evaluations?”

Those who received Xu Shao’s favorable evaluations often swiftly ascended in their careers.

Therefore, this person used the saying that being praised by Xu Shao was akin to a “dragon’s ascent.”

However, both Qiao Yan and Yang Xiu understood the implicit meaning behind the man’s words: a young child cannot be compared to a dragon.

If they couldn’t achieve the status of a dragon’s ascent, would they not be relegated to the depths of failure?

But in the next moment, Yang Xiu heard Qiao Yan reply, “Have you not heard the saying, ‘The young phoenix’s cry is clearer than the old phoenix’s voice’?”

The man was momentarily taken aback.

Honestly, he hadn’t heard this saying before, especially since it was from the future, coined by Li Shangyin.

Feeling both embarrassed by his ignorance and intimidated by Qiao Yan’s calm and steady gaze, he responded after a moment of consideration, “My apologies for my rudeness. Even the young can become heroic figures.”

Under the dual impact of feeling uninformed and the steady gaze from Qiao Yan, the man felt a bit shaken but eventually replied courteously.

He stepped aside to make way for Qiao Yan.

Earlier, Yang Xiu had felt pleased when Qiao Yan praised his stance on his grandfather and himself.

Now, he couldn’t help but feel that regarding her as his lifelong rival was indeed a prudent decision.

But at this moment, he couldn’t dwell on that thought.

Instead, he needed to come up with something cleverer than Qiao Yan to prove that he also deserved to be in this place.

However, as he squeezed into the front row alongside Qiao Yan, he noticed that the doors to Dingzhongguan were firmly closed.

This was slightly different from the rules he had heard about when Xu Shao’s brothers reported on the monthly evaluations.

“My grandfather said that Mr. Xu, while in Runan, welcomed guests on Qinghe Island and held discussions with them.

He and his brother presided over the assembly, selecting topics and participants.

But today seems different,”

Yang Xiu whispered. “I was thinking that if things were still as they were in Runan, you and I could step forward and offer ourselves as candidates.

If the people present didn’t know us, it would provide an opportunity for us to compete. But with the doors closed tight, it seems…”

It seemed like his plan couldn’t be executed as intended.

Qiao Yan pondered for a moment, then turned to the scholar who had previously made way for her and asked, “May I ask, brother, has there been anyone went in?”

The man, noticing the discomfort on one of the children’s faces, fearing that the child might say something remarkable, promptly replied,

“Han Yuanchang, Chen Yuanfang, the Grand General’s Chief Clerk, the registrar, Wang Gongjie, Chen Kongzhang, and Xu Ziyuan, among others, all went in.”

These were the renowned scholars of Luoyang…

Although their prestige couldn’t compare to those who later arrived in Luoyang, such as Xun Shuang and He Yong, they were the most outspoken and influential figures in Luoyang today.

In other words, due to the large number of scholars in Luoyang, the open forums like the one on Qinghe Island in Runan couldn’t be organized as they had been before.

Dingzhongguan obviously couldn’t accommodate so many people.

Thus, the venue had been adapted into a closed forum, with those outside waiting directly for the outcome.

This arrangement was indeed more manageable.

However, as Yang Xiu had pointed out, how could they make their names known to those inside?

Qiao Yan obviously couldn’t adopt the same approach as Cao Cao.

Being in Luoyang represented the image of Qiao Xuan.

She couldn’t afford to make a move like letting Dian Wei break through the door.

If she did, no matter how outstanding her performance afterward, or how many apologies she offered, it would be of no use.

So, she had to stick to the right path.

She pondered over the names mentioned by the man and fell into contemplation.

Han Yuanchang referred to Han Rong, the erudite scholar;

Chen Yuanfang was Chen Shu’s son, Chen Shu being the Taiqiu Prefect and also Chen Qun’s father;

The Chief Clerk of He Jin, Wang Qian, wasn’t particularly renowned himself, but he had a son named Wang Can, who was among the Seven Scholars of Jian’an;

The registrar, Bian Rang, was the audacious scholar who often disparaged Cao Cao and ultimately met a tragic end;

Wang Gongjie was later appointed as the Prefect of Henan, Wang Kuang;

Chen Kongzhang, renowned for his literary talents, was Chen Lin;

Lastly, Xu Ziyuan was Xu You, who initially sided with Yuan Shao but later joined Cao Cao after the Battle of Guandu.

Did these people have any common traits that she could exploit?

It seemed they did!

“What are you thinking?” Yang Xiu suddenly interrupted Qiao Yan’s contemplation.

Having already formulated a plan in her mind, Qiao Yan replied, “I was thinking, since the doors are closed, and we can’t enter, why don’t we each write a policy proposal and submit them for the people inside to critique?”

As she said this, she glanced around and received several amused looks, indicating that her idea wasn’t without its skeptics. Nonetheless, she continued.

Many had considered this approach, but both Chen Lin and Bian Rang were renowned for their literary talents.

Ordinary individuals wouldn’t dare to submit their writings to such esteemed figures in a monthly evaluation setting.

They risked not gaining any fame and receiving harsh criticism instead.

It would be a devastating blow.

Yet, despite knowing the identities of the people inside, Qiao Yan dared to do it anyway.

And so did Yang Xiu!

After all, he didn’t think he had anything to fear.

Being young, even if his literary skills were slightly inferior, he wouldn’t receive overly harsh criticism from his elders.

Instead, he might receive valuable feedback from esteemed scholars, which was rare.

Thinking this, he immediately responded, “Okay, bring pen and paper!”

But what should he write to ensure victory against Qiao Yan in their competition?

Yang Xiu pondered for a long time, biting the end of his pen.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Qiao Yan’s hand moving swiftly, as if she had already formulated her thoughts and was now transcribing them onto paper.

Quickly averting his gaze, Yang Xiu feared being influenced by Qiao Yan’s actions and becoming impatient.

Yet, seeing her confident demeanor and prolific writing, he couldn’t help but feel curious about what she had written.

He had heard his grandfather analyze Qiao Yan’s first debate against Zhang Jiao,

where she won by overwhelming her opponent with numerous arguments.

Was she planning to employ the same strategy this time?

Unfortunately, no matter how curious he was, Yang Xiu couldn’t sneak a peek at the two policy proposals before they were submitted into Dingzhongguan.

He was too satisfied with his own work and didn’t want Qiao Yan to see it beforehand.

Despite silently mocking the notion that quantity equaled quality, he couldn’t help feeling a bit anxious under Qiao Yan’s calm gaze.

In his nervousness, he resorted to counting the time on his fingers, but it seemed to pass agonizingly slowly.

However, in reality, it wasn’t until he had counted through a full cycle of fingers that the two policy proposals were delivered to Xu Shao outside the observatory.

The incident that occurred outside the observatory, along with Qiao Yan’s statement “the fledgling phoenix is clearer than the older one,” had already reached Xu Shao and the others’ ears by the time Qiao Yan and Yang Xiu began writing.

One was the grandson of the Grand Commandant, Yang Ci.

The other was the grandson of the former Grand Commandant and the Marquis of Le Ping personally appointed by the Emperor Liu Hong.

With two such individuals appearing together, if they were older and held official positions, Xu Shao would have been obligated to acknowledge their submissions.

But now, it all seemed rather comical.

People often have a bit of a twisted sense of amusement.

After all, they’re quite curious to know what these two children have brought out in order to gain the attention and evaluation of Master Xu.

As Yang Xiu’s submission was received later, it was conveniently placed on top, and it was the first one that Xu Shao looked at.

After just reading two lines, he burst into laughter.

“This child’s ability to adapt and respond to changes is truly interesting. Can you guess what he wrote?” Xu Shao was more talking to himself than to Chen Lin and the others.

Without waiting for their response, he continued, “He recorded several exchanges between himself and his grandfather, which are quite amusing and show some unique thoughts.

This child is clever.

With the critique from the Grand Commandant, the shortcomings have already been pointed out.

Even if I had something worthy of further comment, it’s not necessary to mention it at this moment.”

“He’s quick and adept, very impressive.”

He set aside Yang Xiu’s submission and picked up the one from Qiao Yan.

He thought that since both were just a year apart and had the reputation of child prodigies, their differences shouldn’t be too great.

But when he took the silk scroll submitted by Qiao Yan, his expression froze.

This wasn’t the crafty style of Yang Xiu; it was a serious and genuine strategy.

As he read further, he felt increasingly startled.

Subconsciously, he slammed the table, noticing the others looking at him.

He hurriedly said, “Yuanchang, Gongjie, Kongzhang… Please come and see this book with me.”

…..

Yang Xiu felt like it had been ages since he submitted his eighth round.

The gate of the Dingzhong Pavilion remained tightly shut, as if after they submitted the two scrolls, they disappeared without a trace, receiving no response from anyone inside.

He even felt the surrounding gazes carried a sense of mockery.

Qiao Yan, however, stood there calmly, making him abandon the idea of leaving in frustration.

Just when his patience was about to run out, the gate of the Dingzhong Pavilion suddenly cracked open, and then a middle-aged scholar behind the door opened it fully.

Walking out, he held nothing in his hands.

After a few steps toward them, he bowed to Yang Xiu.

He said, “Congratulations, young sir Yang. Master Zi Jiang’s evaluation for you is—’A talent of quick wit, commendable courage.'”

Yang Xiu’s heart skipped a beat.

Though it could only be considered a fair evaluation, for someone not yet ten years old, it was a pleasant surprise!

The meaning wasn’t hard to grasp.

It meant that Yang Xiu was quick-witted, but it was only considered quick-wittedness because of his young age.

Thus, he was given a commendation for his courage.

But the significance of this evaluation didn’t stop there.

There was an implicit rule here.

At nine years old, Yang Xiu dared to seek evaluation from Xu Shao in this manner.

When he grew up, he could go back to Xu Shao to change this childhood evaluation without having to wait for a long time like others did to receive an evaluation.

This already gave him a reason to converse with Xu Shao!

Compared to his grandfather, who was directly rejected by Xu Shao’s attempt to win him over, Yang Xiu seemed to have outshone him.

A somewhat childish smile appeared on his face.

But before he could turn to show off to Qiao Yan, he saw the middle-aged scholar turn towards Qiao Yan.

Because his expression seemed even warmer and more sincere, Yang Xiu suddenly had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, the next moment, he saw the middle-aged scholar bow to Qiao Yan and say, “Congratulations, Lord Qiao. Master Zi Jiang’s evaluation for you is—”

“A strategist at the Danchi Court, a young phoenix with a clear voice.”