Chapter 308: Right, Right, Right, Right, Right Again

Su Qingyao, of course, knew the answers.

He looked down at the problems one by one.

The first "chickens and rabbits in the same cage" problem: "23 chickens, 12 rabbits."

Correct!

Su Qingyao breathed a slight sigh of relief. Fortunately, he got one right, so it wouldn't be a total wash.

Then he looked at the second problem: "7 people, 3 coins."

Correct again!

Su Qingyao was completely reassured.

With these two problems as a foundation, plus being first in the first round, he would definitely be in the top three of the prefectural exam.

Just as he was thinking this, he saw Gongsun Ang pointing at the answer to the third problem on the paper, asking in surprise, "Why are there three situations here?"

It asked how many roosters, hens, and chicks there were.

Jiang Zhan wrote: 4 roosters, 18 hens, 78 chicks;

Or 8 roosters, 11 hens, 81 chicks;

Or 12 roosters, 4 hens, 84 chicks.

Su Qingyao glared at his old partner, "What, you didn't calculate three situations?"

Gongsun Ang's old face flushed slightly, "I am ashamed; I only calculated the first two..."

"Then you really deserve a spanking," Su Qingyao grunted, "A dignified *Juren* can't even beat a young brat who isn't even a *Xiucai* (budding talent). Isn't that shameful?"

Gongsun Ang: "..."

Although it was quite shameful, he should have saved him some face and not said it out loud.

He hurriedly changed the subject, "Then what about the fourth problem? Is it correct?"

The fourth problem asked how many steps were in the staircase.

Jiang Zhan's answer was—119 steps!

Right, right, right, right, right again!

Su Qingyao was completely dumbfounded, subconsciously reaching up to touch his own neck.

He suddenly felt that this head... wasn't very secure.

He had truly underestimated this kid, Jiang Zhan. He didn't expect his arithmetic to be so good that he could solve such difficult problems so quickly and accurately; it was truly beyond his expectations.

It seemed the Prefectural Top Scholar position was secure.

However, he still had to look at the last problem.

This was the problem Uncle Si Zhu Xian had left for him back in the day. He had once taken it to many arithmetic masters to solve, but unfortunately, no one could, so it was eventually buried at the bottom of his box.

If it weren't for the Duan family threatening him this time, forcing out his rebellious spirit, he wouldn't have brought out such difficult problems to make up the numbers.

While thinking, Su Qingyao's gaze inadvertently glanced at the very bottom.

He had originally had no expectations at all.

But the moment he saw the answer, Su Qingyao almost jumped up on the spot!

Two, two.

Jiang Zhan wrote, "Each side of the city wall is 2 steps long!"

Right, right, right, right, right again!!

Su Qingyao opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found his throat was extremely dry; he was so excited he even forgot to swallow.

It was too bizarre.

How could this be? All the problems were correct. Unless Uncle Si had returned to the world, no one could possibly do this.

But the facts were right before his eyes; Jiang Zhan had done it...

"Go, bring the candidate who handed in the paper; I want to examine him!" Su Qingyao stood up abruptly and ordered the bailiff below impatiently.

The bailiff was about to agree, but Gongsun Ang hurriedly stopped him.

"Master, don't be in such a hurry. You haven't looked at the exam poems yet."

Su Qingyao then reacted, "Right, right, right, look at the poems, look at the poems."

He had no choice but to sit back down and reluctantly flip back to the previous page.

The theme of the first exam poem was "The Frightened Pheasant Chases the Flying Eagle," requiring a six-rhyme poem on this theme.

To write a good exam poem, one must first understand the source and meaning of the theme, otherwise, one wouldn't know where to start.

And the words came from Bai Gengxin's "Winter Hunting Poem," "The frightened pheasant chases the flying eagle, the leaping ape watches the arrow turn."

Jiang Zhan's first line broke the theme extremely aptly.

*A hundred hits in the garden of empty literature, the grey eagle returns skimming the ground; *

*How does the shadow of the frightened pheasant, turn to chase the raptor in flight; *

*The colored wood suffers the net and avoids, the heart leans and flees the wild; *

*Mostly because the soul is not yet settled, not knowing the plan is all wrong; *

*The road asks for the golden eyes to be swift, the wind rolls the iron claws with might; *

*Several times worrying about the side wings, in an instant losing the remnant pheasant; *

*The ape still turns holding the wood, the birds hiding in the forest are also rare; *

*There are no hunting feathers on the mountain ridge, cherish your own fur coat well. *

"Good, what a 'no hunting feathers on the mountain ridge, cherish your own fur coat well'!" Su Qingyao habitually slapped the table, but halfway through, he suddenly remembered he was in the exam hall, so his palm automatically turned and landed on his own thigh, pinching it hard.

*Hiss*, it hurts.

Gongsun Ang couldn't bear to watch. Is the Master too excited?

But it was understandable; such a good poem coming from a sixteen-year-old boy was truly stunning.

The two then continued to look at the next one.

Although the second one was not as outstanding as the first, it was also strictly metered and had a beautiful artistic conception; it was a rare, top-notch work.

After reading it, Gongsun Ang sighed, "This child will definitely not be a thing in a pond in the future!"

Su Qingyao lifted his chin, his tone proud, "That's right, how could my judgment be wrong?"

He ordered someone to call Jiang Zhan over again.

Looking at the young man who was as flawless as jade in front of him, Su Qingyao coughed twice, trying his best to suppress the surging in his heart, putting on the majestic posture of a chief examiner, but his tone sounded exactly like a big bad wolf about to eat a little white rabbit, "Jiang Zhan, I quite like your calligraphy. I wonder which master's copybook you are imitating?"

Jiang Zhan's expression dimmed slightly, "This font... was created by my late father."

Oh? His father created it?

Su Qingyao and Gongsun Ang looked at each other, both seeing surprise in the other's eyes.

Su Qingyao raised his eyebrows, "Did your late father also study?"

"Yes," Jiang Zhan twitched his lips, "My late father was the *Tanhua* (third place in the imperial exam) of the Fengxi second year, was once appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, and later, by the Emperor's order, served as the Governor of Jiangnan. Unfortunately, he was harmed by villains on the way and met with misfortune."

*Tanhua* of Fengxi second year, surname Jiang...

Su Qingyao secretly counted on his fingers and was suddenly shocked. ===== CHAPTER 309 =====