Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 144 Four-State Joint Examination

It was the tenth day of the seventh month in the first year of Jiayou.

The sky was as clear as crystal, and the sunlight poured down unhindered onto the rows of rooftops of Luzhou Prefectural School, creating a misty heat.

The cicadas' chirping grew louder and louder, further agitating the already tense nerves of the students in the schoolhouse.

Today is the day of the joint examination for the four states.

For most students at Luzhou Prefectural School, the annual joint examination of the four prefectures is no different from the regular dormitory assignment exam. The only significance is the reassignment after the exam. As for the three-quarters probability that the questions are not set by teachers from the prefecture itself, that doesn't matter at all. Whoever sets the questions, the exam still has to be held as usual.

However, for the students in the upper dormitory who can rank among the top 30 in Luzhou State School, this exam is of great significance.

Students ranked in the top 100 across the four states can participate in a five-day intensive training program organized by a team of senior teachers from the four states. Even for students from the upper class, this training is very helpful because it is intensive training that directly targets the content of the state exams.

Especially in the year of the state examination, this training camp is like the final sprint!

At this time, nearly two hundred students had gathered in the main hall and the examination rooms in the east and west wings of Luzhou State School. The exam papers had not yet been distributed, and only the footsteps of the invigilators echoed in the solemn hall.

Lu Beigu sat in a front-of-the-room position in the middle examination hall, with writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone already prepared on the table in front of him.

After a gong was struck, the process was similar to the last dormitory assignment exam. The invigilator announced the rules as usual, and then the exam papers were distributed in order.

Lu Beigu entered the question-answering mode, and everything around him, including the coughs of the students next to him, the noisy cicadas outside the window, and the footsteps of the academic officials as they patrolled, seemed to be isolated by an invisible barrier.

In his world, only the test questions in front of him remained.

The joint examination of the four states was very rigorous, with eight out of ten questions being reverse-engineered, but this did not stump Lu Beigu, who had never missed a morning reading session, and had long since memorized the Analects.

As for Mo Yi, he hardly needed to pause and think about the basic questions that appeared; the solutions stored in his mind flowed out like a torrent.

As for the more difficult analytical questions in the Spring and Autumn Annals, thanks to the training tailored for him by Mr. Baisha and the almost frantic practice of questions on the fourth floor of the library, Lu Beigu was able to answer them calmly after deep thought.

Some of the analytical questions were indeed "subtle and profound," so even Lu Beigu wouldn't dare say he got them all right, but getting a high score was definitely not a problem.

When it came to poetry and prose, we looked at the titles.

"Having been inspired by the poem 'A gentleman strives unceasingly for self-improvement,' I composed a five-character, six-line regulated verse, rhyming with the 'yang' rhyme."

Lu Beigu felt a slight chill. The "Fu De Ti" style, as the most solemn and rigorous type of examination poem, could not use repeated characters, reversed rhymes, or forced rhymes. Moreover, this time the topic was directly taken from the classic sage's book, "The Book of Changes".

These kinds of questions test not only poetic talent, but also the depth of understanding and ability to expound on the essence of Confucianism, as well as the dignified and profound spirit. The theme must be lofty and broad, the style must be solemn and elegant, and every word and phrase must be like metal and stone falling to the ground, showing the gentlemanly character of emulating the way of heaven and being vigorous and enterprising.

Cui Wenjing's previous guidance on "atmosphere" and the judgment that the Jiaozhou school officials preferred a style of "clear, vigorous, elegant and upright" also gave him the right idea.

After careful consideration, Lu Beigu finally brought his pen to the ground, his mind focused on the task at hand.

"A gentleman should be like a strong man, constantly striving for self-improvement."

The Qian trigram governs with rules, while the Kun trigram sustains without bounds.

He cultivated his spirit like Mencius, and learned from King Yu in times of hardship. He had the well-being of the common people in mind, and strived diligently towards the imperial court.

Do not fear the long journey, nor worry about the long years.

"Once he ascended the imperial palace, he offered strategies to assist the sage-kings Yao and Tang."

The poem consists of twelve lines, strictly following the five-character, six-rhyme regulated verse form, and rhyming with the level tone "yang" rhyme (章、疆、王、堂、长、唐), maintaining the same rhyme throughout, creating a resounding and powerful sound.

The theme closely adheres to the idea of ​​"a gentleman strives for self-improvement," progressing step by step from emulating heaven and earth, learning from sages, caring for the common people, aspiring to high office, not fearing the long road ahead, and ultimately assisting a wise ruler. The explanation is thorough, and the theme is lofty and pure, without the slightest deviation.

The couplets in the second, third, and middle sections are all meticulously crafted, such as "乾元" (Qian Yuan) matching "坤厚" (Kun Hou), "行有则" (Xing You Ze) matching "载无疆" (Zai Wu Jiang), "养气" (Yang Qi) matching "知艰" (Zhi Jian), "师孟轲" (Shi Meng Ke) matching "效禹王" (Xiao Yu Wang), "经纶" (Jing Lun) matching "砥砺" (Di Li), and "怀黎庶" (Huai Li Shu) matching "向庙堂" (Xiang Miao Tang). Every word is carefully considered and is extremely well-crafted.

As for the atmosphere, it is dignified and profound, vigorous and vigorous, with a righteous spirit throughout, without the slightest trace of weakness or frivolity, which perfectly meets the requirements of the solemn and elegant style of "fu de ti".

After confirming that the defense was flawless, Lu Beigu finally let out a long sigh of relief, and his tense shoulders and back relaxed slightly.

Of course, as mentioned before, the examination poems for the imperial examinations are two different things from regular poems. The examination poems that score highly are often mediocre from a literary point of view. On the other hand, using classic poems as examination poems will not get high scores either, because examination poems not only have strict requirements on rhyme, tone and rhythm, and the structure of introduction, development, transition and conclusion, but also the words and sentences must be extremely solemn and elegant, and cannot be arbitrarily expressed.

The prose poems following the poems also conform to the "refined, vigorous, elegant and upright" style that they described as the style of the Jiaozhou school officials.

—"Ode to Yu the Great Cherishing Every Inch of Time".

The title of the poem itself is not particularly noteworthy. It uses the story of Yu the Great passing by his home three times without entering while taming the floods to illustrate the importance of cherishing every moment in order to achieve great things.

Lu Beigu put down his pen, spent a long time mentally drafting the outline, and then picked up his pen to begin writing.

“In ancient times, the Yue people suffered from a devastating flood. The people were plunged into chaos, and the emperor was deeply distressed. He then appointed Yu the Great to save the people from this calamity. Yu worked tirelessly, forgetting hunger and thirst. He cherished every moment and dared not indulge in leisure or prolong his life. This great achievement of the sage king is truly the source of diligence for all generations.”

Each word is as sharp as if carved from stone, its power penetrating the paper!
The opening lines depict the peril of the great floods, highlighting Emperor Shun's worries and Yu's receiving the mandate. It then uses "calluses" and "hunger and thirst" to emphasize the hardships of the task, and finally concludes with "cherishing every moment" and "daring not to be idle," directly pointing to its core spirit—"diligence."

With the first paragraph set, Lu Beigu's thoughts flowed like water from a dam, his pen moving swiftly and powerfully.

"So they climbed the craggy rocks and carved the Dragon Gate. Braving wind and rain, their ambition grew stronger; through hardship and toil, their achievements were finally accomplished. Passing by without entering was not to show disrespect for the bond between father and son; every moment was precious, for the sake of the people's lives."

"When the auspicious jade tablet is bestowed and the land and water are at peace, the nine provinces offer gold to cast tripods in the shape of the jade. Yet they still toil tirelessly, working late into the night, and are vigilant against the high prices. They say that a foot of jade is not a treasure, but every inch of time is precious. Do they not know that success brings peace? They fear that their achievements will be great but their virtue will not match."

"Therefore, they forgot to eat when the sun was setting and neglected to sleep when the stars were moving. They consulted the provincial governors to inquire about the people's suffering and sought out the best farmers to gather food at the right time. Their cherishing of every moment was not merely about the passing of time; it was about cherishing the well-being of the people and the safety of the nation."

"Therefore, those who are quick-witted will follow the will of Heaven, and their achievements will be aided by the gods. The land will be leveled and the heavens will be complete, and their teachings will spread far and wide. Without their tireless efforts day and night, how could they have achieved this? Looking at the plans of the Xia Dynasty, they are truly a model for the achievements of all kings."

"How glorious! The sage emperor reigns, following the example of Yu the Great. He strives diligently to govern, working tirelessly day and night. How can scholars born in this enlightened era not be vigilant and diligent, emulating Yu the Great and cherishing every moment? We will do our utmost, however dull and incompetent, to support the virtuous rule for ten thousand years!"

After finishing writing, Lu Beigu wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve and then reviewed it himself.

From the opening statement highlighting the source of "diligence," to the subsequent discussion of the difficulties of governance, to the explanation of seizing opportunities and acting swiftly, and finally culminating in merit, the structure is like a precise mechanism, fitting together seamlessly.

Although the entire text contains no earth-shattering arguments, it portrays the diligent spirit of Yu the Great, who cherished every moment, in a balanced, powerful, and magnificent manner within the strict framework of the imperial examination system.

(End of this chapter)