Chapter 151: The Provincial Capital 2/2

He must have had a good time during this period.

“People are like that. When you have a goal, your spirits are lifted.”

“I’ve been studying at Chongwen Academy, so I arrived a bit late,” Li Qingzhi mentioned to Governor Zhang during their conversation.

As they spoke, Governor Zhang brought up the essays Li Qingzhi had written: “I showed the essays you wrote to Fang Shanchang. He thinks you write very well, but there’s a bit of craftsmanship… You have so many ideas, why are your essays so… so stable?”

Governor Zhang actually admired young people who were full of vitality and dared to say anything.

That was the impression Li Qingzhi gave him, but the articles Li Qingzhi wrote were completely different.

Li Qingzhi said, “Sir, when I wrote those essays, I did seek stability.”

“It’s not wrong to seek stability when participating in the provincial examination, the county examination, or even the metropolitan examination, but there’s no need to be so restrained in ordinary times,” Governor Zhang said.

Li Qingzhi smiled. “Sir, not all the articles I write are like that…”

Governor Zhang realized something. “Do you have other articles? Let me see.”

With that said… Li Qingzhi took out the articles signed “Dusan” and gave them to Governor Zhang.

“These words are so free-spirited, different from the rest!” Governor Zhang was somewhat surprised to see the words on the articles Li Qingzhi brought out. “Did you write this?”

“Sir, these are my left-handed words,” Li Qingzhi said.

Governor Zhang remarked, “I’ve seen your left-handed words before, they weren’t this good before…”

“When I was writing ‘The Record of Injustice,’ I practiced,” Li Qingzhi mentioned.

Governor Zhang: “…” ‘The Record of Injustice’ was indeed lengthy, but to write such a book and develop such a unique style of handwriting… Li Qingzhi was truly impressive!

Li Qingzhi’s right-handed writing was excellent, but in Governor Zhang’s view, his left-handed writing was not inferior to Li Qingzhi’s right-handed writing.

It’s just that this style was somewhat unique, and some people might not like it, but for those who did, they would absolutely love it.

However, it’s said that handwriting reflects the person, and this handwriting was not at all like Li Qingzhi’s. It gave the impression of being a bit ‘wild.’

After glancing at the writing, Governor Zhang began reading the articles, and then he found… the articles were even more ‘wild.’

The articles Li Qingzhi gave him this time were completely different from those he had given him before. He even felt like they weren’t written by the same person!

But they were indeed written by one person! There were some things in them that Li Qingzhi had discussed with him before.

After finishing one article, Governor Zhang immediately started reading the second one.

He read them very carefully, without saying a word. Li Qingzhi also remained silent, sitting beside him, waiting quietly.

After a long time, Governor Zhang said, “Your articles… are excellent.”

Li Qingzhi’s previous articles were meticulously crafted, like exquisite porcelain.

But these articles… these were swords, axes, blades that could cut through everything!

Governor Zhang’s heart raced as he read, and even after finishing, his mood couldn’t calm down for a long time.

These articles were too stunning to him!

But if it were known that Li Qingzhi had written such articles, his path in the imperial examinations would certainly not be smooth.

Most officials didn’t like such sharp-edged writings.

“Using the name ‘Dusan’ is also good,” Governor Zhang stood up. “Zixiao, you may leave now. I’ll take these articles to Director Fang tomorrow. Today… I want to read them a few more times.”

Governor Zhang was not in the mood to talk more with Li Qingzhi now. He just wanted to study the articles Li Qingzhi had written.

“Sir, then I’ll take my leave.” Li Qingzhi bowed to Governor Zhang and left his residence.

And Governor Zhang read the articles again, then took out pen and paper to start copying.

Li Qingzhi had written a total of five articles under the pseudonym ‘Dusan,’ and the total number of words was not small.

Realizing that he couldn’t finish copying them for a while, Governor Zhang simply called one of his trusted aides, who hailed from Linhu County, to help him copy.

This aide of Governor Zhang was from Linhu County.

When Governor Zhang conducted a massive purge in Linhu County, he took the initiative to approach Governor Zhang and offer his service. Governor Zhang thought he would die at the time, so naturally he didn’t agree, but the man didn’t leave, instead renting a house near Governor Zhang’s residence and visiting him daily.

That wasn’t all, he also wrote a letter to Governor Zhang every day, expressing his loyalty in great detail. At that time, when people were speaking ill of Governor Zhang, he, a scholar, even got into a fight with them.

Governor Zhang quite appreciated him, and combined with his genuine talent and ability, he kept him by his side.

“Sir, you indeed know Dusan!” Governor Zhang’s aide saw the articles Governor Zhang gave him, feeling excited.

He lived in Linhu County, and his family had also suffered oppression from the Lou family. His father even died in anger after the Lou family snatched away his business.

Because of this, he particularly admired Dusan, who exposed the crimes of the Lou family, and had read ‘The Record of Injustice’ several times.

Although he admired Dusan, he had never asked Governor Zhang about the true identity of Dusan.

He knew that the King of Jin harbored a strong dislike for Dusan, so if the King of Jin were to find out who Dusan was, Dusan would be in danger.

“His handwriting is exceptional!” the man exclaimed, then went on to read the articles. As he read, he became more and more excited. “These articles…” He didn’t even know how to praise them!

“Quick, help me transcribe these articles!” Governor Zhang ordered.

The man immediately began to assist with transcription.

After he finished transcribing… the next day, Governor Zhang arranged to meet with Fang Shanchang.

Whenever he met with Fang Shanchang, they would meet outside the city, away from the gaze of others, and this time was no exception.

“What brings you to me? Don’t tell me you have more articles for me?” Fang Shanchang hurriedly arrived, sat down across from Governor Zhang, and poured himself a cup of tea from the teapot on the table.

After taking a sip, Fang Shanchang fell silent. “What kind of tea is this?” he asked, opening the teapot to find that there were still quite a few tea stems inside, leaving him speechless.

This kind of tea was usually consumed by poor families. His usual tea was not top-notch, but it was certainly not this bad.

“As long as it quenches thirst,” Governor Zhang replied, “I have some articles to give you.”

“Li Zixiao writes articles quite quickly… With his deep research on the imperial examinations, he will definitely progress smoothly,” Fang Shanchang said. “But ‘The Anjiang Collection’ only publishes one issue a month, with at most one article per person. With so many articles from you, it will take ages to publish them.”

Fang Shanchang didn’t particularly like Li Qingzhi. He believed that true scholars shouldn’t be studying how to perfect the eight-legged essays.

But he also knew it was inevitable… In fact, he had already compiled Li Qingzhi’s articles and planned to have the students at Anjiang Academy learn from them.

“The articles I brought this time weren’t written by Li Zixiao,” Governor Zhang said. “His articles are much better than Li Zixiao’s!”

“Is that so? Bring out the articles and let me have a look,” Fang Shanchang became interested.

Without delay, Governor Zhang took out the articles Li Qingzhi had given him the day before. The first thing Fang Shanchang noticed was Li Qingzhi’s handwriting, as they were the original manuscripts.

“This person’s handwriting is quite unique… Dusan? These are his articles?” Fang Shanchang exclaimed before immediately starting to read.

And as he read… Fang Shanchang couldn’t sit still. “These articles are simply awe-inspiring! Compared to these, what Li Zixiao writes can hardly be considered anything!”

Governor Zhang couldn’t help but find Fang Shanchang’s words somewhat amusing, though he didn’t laugh. Instead, he agreed, “I’ve said it before, his articles far surpass Li Zixiao’s!”

“The articles from these two individuals can’t even be compared! Li Zixiao’s articles are like caged birds, while Dusan’s articles are like soaring eagles!” Fang Shanchang remarked. “Looking at these articles, I can sense a strong sense of determination. This Dusan is definitely thinking big!”

Fang Shanchang kept praising Dusan, while he started to look down on Li Qingzhi a bit.

Governor Zhang asked, “Old Fang, would you dare to publish these articles in ‘The Anjiang Collection’?”

“What would I be afraid of?” Fang Shanchang replied confidently. “I’ll include them in the upcoming issue of ‘The Anjiang Collection’!”

Governor Zhang didn’t expect him to be so eager. “But hasn’t the upcoming issue of ‘The Anjiang Collection’ already been printed? How will you include them?”

“That’s true, and there are so many articles, they won’t fit… I’ll print an additional volume of ‘The Anjiang Collection’!” Fang Shanchang declared.

Governor Zhang was surprised by Fang Shanchang’s high regard for the articles, to the point of planning to print an extra book. He was momentarily stunned.

Then he saw Fang Shanchang fold the papers neatly and tuck them into his chest.

“Wait! Old Fang, these manuscripts are mine!” Governor Zhang took out the articles he had transcribed himself. “These are the ones I transcribed. Take them for printing.”

Fang Shanchang responded, “These articles were given to you by Dusan, right? In that case, how can you not give me the original manuscripts?”

“He clearly gave me these manuscripts!”

Two older men, arguing over a few manuscripts.

In the end, they compromised. Governor Zhang gave Fang Shanchang the original manuscripts of two of the articles.

Fang Shanchang received two-fifths of the manuscripts and took all the transcribed copies, then returned to Anjiang Academy.

He summoned the professors responsible for compiling “The Anjiang Collection”.

“Shanchang, is there something wrong with this month’s ‘Anjiang Collection’?” one professor asked. Everyone gathered here was related to “The Anjiang Collection”, so if there was an issue, they would know, but they didn’t know what the problem was.

“This month’s ‘Anjiang Collection’ is fine. I want to print an additional volume,” Fang Shanchang explained.

“Print an additional volume?” Everyone was surprised.

“The ‘Anjiang Collection’ has always been published monthly and has never been reprinted. Why print an additional volume now?”

“Come over and take a look at these articles,” Fang Shanchang took out the original manuscripts and transcribed copies of Dusan’s articles.

After reading them, everyone was stunned.

“Dusan is so bold!”

“Isn’t he afraid of angering people with what he writes?”

“His handwriting is truly unrestrained!”

…

Opinions varied among the group, and some even felt a bit resentful toward Dusan—he came from an aristocratic family, and his articles seemed to be pointing fingers at them.

But even so, they had to admit that the articles were exceptionally well-written, hitting the nail on the head.

Daqi’s existence, perhaps, pointed out some things that could potentially bring down Daqi.

In fact, these issues were not unnoticed before, but most people didn’t dare to write about them, or couldn’t write about them as well.

“I want to print an additional book and include these articles in it. Do you have any objections?” Fang Shanchang asked.

The people looked at each other and had no objections.

If these articles were published separately in “The Anjiang Collection,” they would need to be spread across five issues, which could lead to complications. Printing them together in a separate book would be easier.

After that… whether Dusan would be praised or criticized would no longer be their concern!

However… there were only about ten days left until August 15th, and reprinting a book would be quite troublesome.

But it wasn’t impossible… one of the professors immediately offered to help with typesetting.

After he spoke, others also expressed their willingness to help.

However… “Shanchang, I’m willing to help, but could you give me a copy of the original manuscript?”

Fang Shanchang’s expression turned cold. “I can do the typesetting myself. There’s no need to trouble you!”

There were a total of five articles, and he only received the original manuscripts of two.

It was impossible for him to divide them further!

The professor who wanted the original manuscripts could only say, “In that case, Shanchang, could you let me take a closer look? I really like Dusan’s handwriting!”

Indeed, his handwriting was exceptional, far surpassing Li Zixiao’s neatly written characters.