Confucianism under Heaven

Chapter 402: A Man of Learning and Poetry

Chapter 402 A person with a wealth of knowledge naturally exudes elegance.

As the door gradually closed, Ye Ru's vigilance increased.

Although this was the imperial palace, he knew that even within the imperial palace, dangers could exist.

Moreover, the traps in the palace are no joke; once triggered, even if you possess great treasures, you might not be able to withstand them.

As Ye Ru walked around, he glanced at the surroundings. The place was brightly lit, and the first floor was lined with bookshelves filled with many classic texts from various sages.

However, these sacred scriptures are all forgeries. By forgeries, I mean those that have been blessed by the saints, but are not the true sacred texts.

However, even such classic texts possess extremely powerful energy.

"The Yanhuang Kingdom is truly impressive. They have collected so many books. The value of these books is probably enough to rival an entire country. No wonder Wei is known for its academic papers, but when it comes to book collections, Yanhuang is number one. Other countries dare not provoke them."

Ye Ru looked at the collection of books, clicked his tongue in admiration, and then strode forward.

He could choose three things, but with so many books and cultural treasures, he had to make a careful choice.

"The first floor is for books, and the second floor must be for literary treasures. In that case, let's choose a book first, since books are the foundation here."

After making his decision, Ye Ru walked towards the bookshelf and began to carefully browse through the books:

"The Analects..."

"Han Feizi..."

"The Art of War by Sun Tzu..."

Looking at the rows of books on the bookshelf, Ye Ru felt dizzy, but he didn't pay much attention. He already had these books in his Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries); what he needed to find were some that he didn't have.

"Detailed Annotations on the Essential Techniques of Peace..."

At that moment, Ye Ru saw a book in a corner. The book was covered in dust, but the title made him stop and pick it up to read.

As Ye Ru's gaze continued to scan the book, his expression changed, for this book was precisely the record of the "Taiping Yaoshu" (Essential Techniques of Great Peace).

Moreover, there are many things that Ye Ru did not expect, including how to summon wind and rain, how to control ghost soldiers, etc., and each chapter is explained in great detail.

"I never expected to find annotations for the Taiping Yaoshu. With this, my understanding of the book will probably reach a new level."

With this thought in mind, Ye Ru put the book away. However, before he could head to the next place, an old man suddenly appeared on a grand chair in the distance.

The old man's silent appearance startled Ye Ru, who immediately took two steps back, his face filled with vigilance, and said:

"I wonder what brings you here, sir? This is a vital area of ​​the imperial court. If there is nothing else, please leave through the main gate."

"Hehe, young man, you're a bit mistaken about what you said. Don't you know how to respect your elders?"

Upon hearing this, the old man shook his head and then smiled.

The old man exuded an extremely vast aura, and a scholarly air began to spread in all directions, causing Ye Ru's expression to become somewhat solemn.

This aura is unlike that of ordinary people. Only those who have read countless books can possess such a rich scholarly air; it is something that ordinary people absolutely cannot do.

"Old sir, may I ask who you are? This is the imperial palace, a place of great importance. If you are discovered here, I think you'll be in trouble."

Ye Ru took a deep breath, seemingly guessing at some possibility, and then tentatively asked.

"Being discovered? Even Chen Cong and the others have to respect me as their teacher. Who can touch me?"

The old man stroked his beard and said with a smile, showing no anger at Ye Ru's offense.

After a moment, seemingly noticing Ye Ru's increasingly furrowed brows, he slowly stood up, leaning on his cane, and then said:

"I am a book spirit formed from the scholarly aura of these myriad sacred texts. You may call me Old Book Master."

"Old Master Shu? I knew I was right."

Ye Ru silently guessed to himself, then bowed respectfully and said:

"I was blind and offended you, sir. I hope you will forgive me."

"Alright, no need to apologize to me. Since you were able to come here, you have passed the test of Chen Cong and the other two. You can indeed choose what's here, but if you want a better chance, you must pass my test first."

The old man said mysteriously.

"What test?"

Ye Ru raised an eyebrow, immediately showing interest, and then slowly said.

“I can tell you how to acquire a scholarly air by writing a poem.”

The old scholar pondered for a moment, then spoke.

"Scholarly air?"

Ye Ru's eyes widened. This scholarly aura was extremely ethereal and could only be obtained through reading. Although it did not provide any substantial help to scholars, it could subtly influence their literary cultivation.

"Yes, common people think that only those who read books can obtain scholarly aura, but there is another trick to obtain scholarly aura, and I can teach you the secret to control this scholarly aura for attack."

The old scholar slowly explained to Ye Ru, which immediately piqued Ye Ru's interest. If he truly possessed the scholarly aura as the old scholar said, it would be an extra trump card for him.

"I wonder what poem the old gentleman would ask me to write, and what would be considered satisfactory?"

Ye Ru pondered for a moment, then raised his head and asked.

“Let’s use these books as questions and see how much talent you have that will make Chen Cong willingly let you in.”

The old man pointed to the books and then slowly said.

"Hmm... that's not necessarily a bad thing."

Ye Ru nodded, then took out paper and pen, slowly ground the ink, pondered for a moment, and began to write:

"Though his life is simple and coarse, his inner beauty shines through his knowledge of poetry and literature."

Tired of being with the old Confucian cooking pot leaves, strong follow the son to step on the Sophora japonica.

I don't have enough money to look for a virgin horse, and my eyes are wandering looking at the car for choosing a son-in-law.

"I am so proud that I can still boast to the world, and I ordered Huang Xin to write wet characters like crows."

With a stroke of the pen, his talent swept forth, producing a poem that astonished even the most brilliant minds.

The old scholar carefully read the poem twice, a hint of appreciation flashing in his eyes, and then nodded and said:

"What a wonderful phrase, 'A belly full of poetry and books naturally exudes elegance.' Although the other lines of this poem are not particularly outstanding, these few words are enough to serve as the finishing touch, elevating the entire poem to a higher level. This poem is excellent, this poem is excellent."

The old scholar said "good" twice in a row, clearly indicating his high regard for the poem.

"Sir, you are so complimentary."

Ye Ru replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"I like this poem. May I ask if you may give it to me? Rest assured, I will definitely teach you the method of controlling the aura of books."

The old man then added.

"It's alright for the old gentleman to take it."

Upon hearing that the book master was going to teach him a method to control the scholarly aura, Ye Ru was overjoyed.