Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 210 On the Six States

In the temporary examination hall of the Censorate, several examiners, including Cui Mian, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, gathered around Zhang Dai's desk, each with their heads bowed and different expressions, watching Zhang Dai answer the questions with his pen.

"Where does spring arrive early..."

As he began writing a new line, still using the same fixed opening sentence, Yao Yi's cheeks twitched slightly involuntarily.

It should be said that Yao Yi's previous joke was not wrong. Zhang Dai was indeed no longer able to produce masterpieces like "Xiangling Playing the Zither". The poems he wrote today can only be called mediocre works, but the number of them is astonishing!
After finishing a new poem and reaching the end of the scroll, Zhang Dai paused, placed the brush horizontally on the inkstone, and then stretched his slightly sore right arm.

I've finally finished writing it!

Upon seeing this, the examiners who were watching from the sidelines all breathed a sigh of relief. Some of them had experience with the imperial examinations before, while others were doing so for the first time. But regardless of their prior experience, the fact that they felt so much pressure because of the candidates' answers was unprecedented.

Once the examiners saw that Zhang Dai had finally finished answering the questions, they were able to focus on the others. Previously, they had only noticed Zhang Dai's almost incantation-like poetry writing, but now, looking at his handwriting, they found it remarkably upright and striking, with a dignified and awe-inspiring style, truly outstanding and leaving a deep impression.

However, just as their thoughts began to wander elsewhere, Zhang Dai spoke up again, saying, "The paper is short but the meaning is long; I would like to ask for another sheet of paper."

"Also, there is more..."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the group all changed, and Yao Yi couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

This exclamation immediately drew the attention of the other candidates who were engrossed in answering questions at their desks in the hall.

In fact, they had long been curious about what the examiners were watching. Now, hearing that Zhang Dai had done something that had even frightened the examiners, the candidates felt both pleased and curious. Several of them couldn't help but get up and come over to take a look.

But when they saw Cui Mian's stern gaze, they wisely sat back down in their seats, pausing their answers and staring intently at him.

Hearing Yao Yi's exclamation, Zhang Dai chuckled. This was nothing compared to what Yuan Zhen had written in his series of poems showcasing his talent—a total of twenty poems! Even after deducting some that were not suitable for him, there were still more than a dozen left.

Cui Mian's expression changed at this moment. As the one who set the questions, he felt uneasy seeing Zhang Dai showing off his talent and playing with the questions. He immediately said in a deep voice, "However, there is no need for many works that demonstrate great talent. A single piece is enough. Too many pieces would be sentimental and not necessarily good!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai bowed to Cui Mian and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Cui Sanqi. You are a high-ranking official in charge of selection and appointment, yet you are still willing to accept my humble status and humbly offer me, a student in simple clothes, the examination questions. I have nothing to repay you with but to express my deepest gratitude and dare not conceal my shortcomings or keep anything to myself."

Upon hearing this, Cui Mian frowned again, turned around and sat back down at the table, saying in a deep voice, "Give him another paper, and make sure he uses all his talents!"

Soon a new answer sheet was brought up, and Zhang Dai, having rested enough, picked up his pen again and began writing. The first line was still that incantation-like "Where does spring bloom early?"

Upon seeing this, Yao Yi frowned and turned to leave. However, after walking for a while, he was still unwilling to give up and turned back. He found that Zhang Dai was still writing on the same topic and rhyme, tirelessly continuing to write.

"Zhang Dai is indeed incredibly talented, but there is also historical commentary following the poem's title, so he should think carefully before using it!"

Wu Gong, a censor who had been watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but remind him. He noticed that Zhang Dai's writing of so many poems in a row seemed somewhat like a way of showing off.

Although he admired Zhang Dai quite a bit, he couldn't help but remind him, since Zhang Yue had sent him a letter of greeting, not to waste too much of his talent on this poetry topic, but to prepare for another historical essay topic.

"Thank you for your concern, Wu. My talent is not boundless, and it will soon be exhausted."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai smiled and replied, then put down his pen, thus concluding the essay question.

Seeing that Zhang Dai had finally put down his pen again, Song Yao couldn't help but pick up the exam paper and browse through it from beginning to end, counting the papers. Then, with a look of surprise, he said, "Fifteen essays! Zhang Dai actually wrote fifteen essays. How long did it take him?"

"Reporting to the Censor, it is now past midnight."

Upon hearing this question, the clerk standing nearby quietly announced the time.

Upon hearing this, the examiners couldn't help but show surprise. They hadn't noticed the passage of time; only a little over an hour had passed since the exam began. Considering that Zhang Dai hadn't started answering questions at the very beginning, yet had already composed fifteen poems—an average of two poems per quarter of an hour! Moreover, these poems weren't hastily cobbled together or perfunctory works; while they might not be considered masterpieces, each possessed its own charm and appeal.

Upon hearing Song Yao's words, the candidates realized what Zhang Dai had done, which had terrified the examiners. Even they were shocked after hearing the story. Most of them were still refining their poems and hadn't finished them, yet Zhang Dai had already completed fifteen!
Zhang Dai felt a sense of satisfaction as he listened to the shocked gazes directed at him.

The claim that Li Bai could write a hundred poems after drinking a bucket of wine is ultimately an exaggeration. Besides, Li Bai is currently contentedly living a life of luxury in Anlu, and hasn't yet ventured to the two capitals to make a name for himself. The story of him instantly composing fifteen poems during the examinations will likely be widely circulated in Luoyang for years to come.

Zhang Dai's decision to do this was not simply a matter of being willful and stubborn, but rather because he was well aware that in the current personnel situation, without creating some sensational news to attract public attention, it would be difficult to obtain fair treatment and thus stand out.

The more attention one receives, the higher the cost and consequences for others to attack them, thus making them hesitant to act against them and dare not completely lose objectivity.

Moreover, the poems in Yuan Zhen's "Springtime" that he chose, taken individually, are only average works, but because of their quantity, they are skillful and ingenious. The more poems there are, the more their talent is revealed, which is amazing.

Moreover, the exam question was originally "Early Spring, All Things Shine Brightly," so wouldn't the more poems one wrote, the more relevant to the question?
Although the poems used in the imperial examinations did have a format requirement of five characters and six rhymes, this rule was not strictly enforced at the time and would not become a fixed rule until the Tianbao era. Currently, it is merely a matter of convention, not an inviolable ironclad rule.

After all, in the twelfth year of the Kaiyuan era, Zu Yong passed the imperial examination with his quatrain "Looking at the Remaining Snow on Zhongnan Mountain". In the following years, there were no poetry topics in the miscellaneous essays of the imperial examinations. This year's provincial examination only included eulogies and regulated poems.

All twenty of Yuan Zhen's poems titled "Spring Awakening" begin with the line "Where does spring awaken early?" and use "中、风、融、丛" as the rhyme scheme for each line.

A single poem is not remarkable, but when the twenty poems are arranged together, they are a rare display of talent among Tang Dynasty poems. Although they may lack in content, their formal unity and artistic interest are outstanding, and they fully demonstrate the author's superb prosody skills.

Leaving aside the astonishment of the examiners and candidates in the examination hall, after answering the poetry question, Zhang Dai picked up another historical essay question. This historical essay question was very broad, with no other restrictions besides the requirement to discuss history, which naturally gave Zhang Dai a great deal of room to elaborate.

Although we are currently only in the medieval period of the Tang Dynasty, if we start from the Three Dynasties, it spans several thousand years, and there are too many issues worth discussing.

Especially during the centuries of great chaos that followed the Wei and Jin dynasties, the North and South developed and explored on their own, ultimately leading to the Sui dynasty. Any one of these periods is worth discussing in detail.

However, considering the shared origins of the Sui and Tang dynasties, and to avoid getting involved in any sensitive topics, Zhang Dai dared not make any major comments during this period.

After pondering for a while, he picked up his pen again to prepare to answer the question. He began with "On the Six States": The destruction of the six states was not due to their inferior military strength or poor strategy, but rather to their bribery of Qin.

Seeing him pick up his pen again, Yao Yi and the others couldn't help but come closer. When they saw the first sentence of his writing, they all stiffened up and leaned closer to the desk, eager to see how Zhang Dai argued for this point.

Although Cui Mian was sitting in the upper part of the hall overlooking the whole scene, most of his attention was focused on this place. When he saw Yao Yi and the others' expressions and actions, he couldn't help but feel curious and subconsciously wanted to get up and walk down.

But recalling the boy's words and actions earlier, he restrained himself and did not go forward to investigate. Reading history enlightens the mind, while discussing history can test both a person's knowledge and their abilities.

Young people may occasionally say something unconventional or surprising, but to say it truthfully and discuss it thoroughly is not a simple matter. Zhang's son is still young, and while he may be talented, he may not be learned. Yao Yi and the others were probably just attracted by his strange ideas and were making a fuss over nothing.

Cui Mian remained seated, while Zhang Dai diligently wrote at the banquet. After finalizing his writing, he no longer held back, striving to finish quickly so he could rest.

"On the Six States" is also a famous historical essay, but what's even more interesting is that Su Xun, Su Shi, and Su Zhe, the three fathers and sons who were all among the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties, each wrote their own essays, and all of them are very brilliant.

This time, Zhang Dai did not show off his talent by writing all three of the father and son's essays on the Six States. He only wrote the essay by the old Su, which put forward a very brilliant point of view: "The destruction of the six states was due to their bribery of Qin."

Because of Su Xun's model essay, Zhang Dai naturally wrote very quickly. As night fell, he finished his historical essay and put down his pen, thus completing both of his miscellaneous essays.

When Wu Gong, a censor, asked Zhang Dai again to confirm that he did not need to make any further changes, he put away Zhang Dai's examination paper and respectfully presented it to him.

Having suppressed his curiosity for a long time, Cui Mian hurriedly picked up the historical essay and began to read it. The more he read, the more serious his expression became. He would occasionally look up at Zhang Dai, who was still sitting in his seat. After a long while, he murmured to himself, "Could it be that there is truly a lineage that can be passed down through literature and art?"

(End of this chapter)