Qing Qing Zi Jin 青青子衿

Description:

The story takes place within an academy called Zhu-Xiu, an institution founded in the capital to cultivate young poets. Every year, the top three in the imperial examinations come from Zhu-Xiu, drawing countless students to it. That year, to select worthy talents from among the common people and revive the poetry culture of the age, Zhu-Xiu Academy holds a "Qilin Poetry Examination," from which the one with the best poems is chosen as the "Qilin Champion" and may enter Zhu-Xiu Academy out of turn. Luo Qiu-Chi, a gifted youth from a poor family, sat the imperial examination at the age of ten; after failing, he was unexpectedly hunted by pursuers and hid on Mount Dong-Yi, becoming a bandit. Many years later, Luo Qiu-Chi accidentally befriends Wenren Juan, a female student from Zhu-Xiu Academy. He then unexpectedly obtains a clue to the killer who once hunted him, and so, under the identity of "Qilin Champion," he comes to the academy to study, determined to find the killer and once again take the imperial examination to become the top scholar. While Luo Qiu-Chi begins a twisting, romantic love with Wenren Juan, he secretly investigates the truth of those years and discovers that the killer is connected to Wenren Juan's father, leaving him in a dilemma, while his bandit identity nearly costs him the right to sit the imperial examination. After entering the academy, Luo Qiu-Chi clashes over poetic style with Fu Yuan-Zhi, ranked first in the academy, and ultimately defeats Fu Yuan-Zhi in a poetry contest, leading his classmates toward a plain and unadorned poetic style. After later events—danger in the jungle, real and fake paintings at a birthday banquet, and a lantern-riddle contest at the Lantern Festival—Luo Qiu-Chi and the academy's students grow together. At the "Rain-Praying Poetry Contest," Luo Qiu-Chi takes first place. And in the academic exchange between the Wu-Kui mission and the Zhu-Xiu students, Luo Qiu-Chi leads the students to victory in both the polo match and the poetry contest, flourishing in both sport and letters and bringing glory to the country. In the end, Luo Qiu-Chi sits the imperial examination, becomes the top scholar, and brings benefit to his region.