Daily Intelligence System: Don't Kill Me, Honey!

At this moment, the main gate slowly opened, and then Wang Baobao walked out, followed by a few scholarly looking individuals.

Wang Baobao looked at Chen Jie and said, ”Chen Jiusi, you can’t marry my sister so easily. If you want to marry my sister, you must first pass three tests!”

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie looked at Wang Baobao and said, ”Third brother-in-law, isn’t this a bit much?”

Wang Baobao replied, ”What, are you afraid?”

Hearing this, Chen Jie laughed and said, ”Alright, since the in-laws have raised the matter, I accept the challenge. Third brother-in-law, present your test!”

Hearing this, a crowd immediately gathered to see how the in-laws would challenge the groom, as was custom; making it too easy for the groom to take the bride made the bride seem cheap.

Although this idea was completely unfounded, Chen Jie decided to adhere to this custom for the time being.

At this point, Chen Jie looked at Wang Baobao and said, ”Do I have to answer this test alone, or can others offer advice?”

Listening to this, Wang Baobao looked at Chen Jie and said, ”Chen Jiusi, generally, others are not allowed to offer advice, but today I’ll make an exception. As long as someone by your side can provide the correct answer within the allotted time, it counts as a win.”

Chen Jie said, ”Alright then, please present the test.”

Wang Baobao said, ”Good, today’s test consists of three challenges. The first challenge tests poetry and literary talents. The man my sister marries must be a person of outstanding talent!”

”Chen Jiusi, dare to accept the challenge?”

Upon hearing these words, the crowd immediately began to whisper.

Chen Xiaohu, who had a headache at the mention of poetry and literary compositions, nudged Bai Mosheng and Hu Weiyong forward, after all, they were the cultured gentlemen.

Meanwhile, those watching the excitement from a distance were also discussing animatedly.

Tang He looked at the people in the field and said, ”Getting a bride is truly not easy.”

Hearing this, the people behind him agreed wholeheartedly.

At this moment, Wang Baobao said, ”Today’s first challenge consists of two questions, one poem, and one couplet. Are you ready?”

Chen Jie replied, ”I am ready, please proceed with the question!”

Wang Baobao announced, ”The first question is about poetry, and we ask the School Principal of Longxing Prefecture to present the question.”

At this moment, an old man stepped forward and said, ”I will present a question. Please compose a poem using the sequence one, two, three, four, without mentioning the numbers one, two, three, four in the text. Moreover, every line of the poem must include a type of weapon, with rhymes and parallel structure!”

Upon hearing this, the crowd was initially stunned, and the cultured scholars began quietly calculating, each frowning in concentration.

The challenge was to compose a poem using the sequence one, two, three, four, yet without those numbers appearing in the text, and with a subtle theme of brotherhood.

Such a poetry task is not simple, especially since the earliest representation of such poetry was when Cao Pi asked Cao Zhi to compose the ”brotherhood” poem.

The theme was brotherhood, yet brotherhood couldn’t be mentioned in any line. Moreover, the poem had to be composed in seven steps, leading to the famous ”Bean and Burnt Beanstalk”, lamenting in the cauldron...

Today, the scholarly man’s task was not much simpler than this poem. Of course, there was some leniency, for they hadn’t requested an eternal masterpiece.

Chen Jie frowned slightly, and the accompanying group of groomsmen also frowned one by one.

This poem isn’t simple.

While pondering this, Wang Baobao said, ”Chen Jiusi, the ancients required a poem in seven steps, but we’re not that harsh. Here is an incense stick, and if you cannot complete it within the time it takes for the incense to burn, don’t blame us.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Baobao immediately had someone light the incense. Chen Xiaohu glanced at it and said, ”Wang Baobao, this incense is too thin; it won’t last even half the time of normal incense. Aren’t you just playing tricks?”

Wang Baobao heard this and gave Chen Xiaohu a glance before saying, ”Chen Brother, your shouting also counts as part of the time?”

Hearing this, Chen Xiaohu was about to lose his temper, but after a moment’s thought, he stamped his foot and turned to the bewildered Zhou Chu, asking, ”Old Zhou, do you know how to do this?”

Old Zhou, hearing this, replied with a bitter face, ”I know even fewer characters than you do. If your sister-in-law had given me this question back then, I wouldn’t have married her. It’s too difficult.”

Hearing this, Chen Xiaohu turned to Bai Mosheng and asked, ”Old Bai, you’re a cultured person, this shouldn’t be difficult for you, right?”

Bai Mosheng furrowed his brow tightly and said, ”One grain of sand, one stone, one peak. These are only three, and they must include a weapon. This is too difficult.”

Chen Xiaohu looked at him and asked, ”What do you mean?”

”The opposing question implies using one, two, three, four, representing four transformations with connections. For example, from sand turning into stone, turning into a mountain peak. That’s the one, two, three transformations, do you understand?”

Chen Xiaohu said, ”Then can we use this?”

Bai Mosheng replied, ”But each line must include a weapon. Where do these weapons come from in one, two, three, four? Who’s the mother of whom!”

Chen Xiaohu suddenly understood, then turned to Old Bai and said, ”This is too difficult; then you should think quickly.”

”Old Hu, do you have any idea?”

Hu Weiyong said, ”It’s difficult, but if I had one or two hours, I could probably do it.”

Chen Xiaohu said, ”There’s no one or two hours; look, the incense is already a third burnt through.”

”Old Hu, you’re the most learned among us, so we’ll leave it to you.”

At this moment, Hu Weiyong scratched his head anxiously and said, ”Tiger General, don’t rush me. The more you rush, the harder it is for me to think.”

Hu Weiyong was also a bit anxious. At this moment, among the crowd not far away, Tang He looked at Li Shanchang, who was pondering silently, and asked, ”Mr. Li, have you figured it out?”

Li Shanchang replied, ”Well, the School Principal of Longxing Prefecture does have some skill. This poetic challenge is not easy, and to create a rhymed piece quickly requires great wit. If given one or two hours, I could compose one, but they only gave the time it takes for incense to burn, which...”