Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 149 The Strength of the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties at Their Peak
Lu Beigu and his group followed the teaching assistant through the corridors and past several lush courtyards, finally stopping in front of an exceptionally spacious study with the three powerful characters "Songtao Zhai" inscribed on the plaque.

The only sound here and now is the mountain wind whistling softly as it brushes past the eaves, which only serves to accentuate the tranquility of the study.

"Please come inside and take your seats, students."

Lu Beigu, who was lagging behind, looked up and saw that more than a dozen large desks had been prepared in the study, with clean cushions and all the necessary writing materials.

After everyone else had gone in, he stepped inside, his gaze sweeping over the people who had already arrived in the dining hall.

Su Xun was already sitting upright at the desk by the window on the left. He did not look up, but focused on arranging the books on the desk.

Su Zhe sat slightly behind his father, his expression calm. When Lu Beigu entered, he nodded slightly again.

Cui Wenjing and Zhou Mingyuan had also taken their seats. Cui Wenjing habitually chose a seat in the middle or back, and was talking quietly with a Rongzhou student sitting next to him, looking calm.

Zhou Mingyuan nervously rubbed his hands together and sat down next to Cui Wenjing.

"Brother Lu, over here." Han Ziyu waved and gestured to Lu Beigu for the empty seat next to him.

Lu Beigu nodded and was about to go over when his gaze met another pair of eyes.

He was tall and strong, with a sharp, angular face, especially his eyes, which were as sharp as a hawk's. He was none other than Xian Zhen.

Lu Beigu's expression remained unchanged. He met Xian Zhen's gaze calmly and nodded as a greeting.

He sat down next to Han Ziyu, and a cool mountain breeze happened to blow in through the window, fluttering the hem of his dark blue school uniform.

The teaching assistant cleared his throat and said, "Students, please be quiet. The lecture will begin immediately."

"On the first day, Zhao Yuanlang, the prefectural school of Jiaozhou, lectured on the essential meaning of the Spring and Autumn Annals and discussed the merits and demerits of the examination questions in various prefectures over the years."

"In addition, starting from the first day, there will be daily tests, and the last-place student in the dormitory will be automatically eliminated."

The subtext is clear: those who lack ability cannot pass the state exam and therefore need not continue participating in the training camp.

So cruel?
Lu Beigu was somewhat surprised upon hearing this.

He hadn't participated in the training camp after the four-state joint examination, so of course he didn't know these things. However, one thing was certain: what followed was that the real battlefield in "Songtaozhai" would be the clash of swords and the struggle for thousands of troops to squeeze through the narrow gate of the state examination.

Under this system, the top students from the four states are brought together, and the academic officials from each state share their knowledge. These seemingly random groupings are by no means arbitrary.

It broke down state barriers, shattered the comfort of existing small groups, and forcefully brought together state test candidates from different backgrounds and with different styles.

Collision, tempering, confrontation, and even crushing—only in such a high-pressure furnace can true gold, capable of withstanding the fiery test of the state and even provincial examinations, be forged more quickly.

This may be the core purpose of this "Elite Training Program"—to unleash everyone's greatest potential in the most ruthless yet effective way during the final sprint.

At this moment, a middle-aged Confucian scholar dressed in ordinary clothes walked steadily into the study. He did not have any books in his hands, but only a thick stack of stationery.

Zhao Yuanlang stood behind the podium, his gaze as calm as a still well, slowly sweeping over the twelve faces present. Only when his gaze swept over Su Xun did he pause slightly and nod in greeting.

It appears that the two know each other.

"The Spring and Autumn Annals is about the affairs of the emperor and was edited by the sages."

Zhao Yuanlang began, “The profound meaning lies in the praise or criticism of a single word, which is related to the rise and fall of the royal system. Today, we will select the difficult and easy-to-make questions from the past years’ provincial examinations in various states for analysis.”

The stationery was handed out, and it contained a selection of questions.

The room was very quiet, with only Zhao Yuanlang's steady voice coming from inside. He quoted classical texts and analyzed the text layer by layer, peeling back the layers of a seemingly simple sentence from the Spring and Autumn Annals to reveal the profound political ethics and subtle human nature behind it.

This gentleman is indeed highly qualified to be a teacher at the "Elite Lecture Hall". He does not simply read from the textbook, but constantly combines the problems of the interpretation of the Spring and Autumn Annals that have appeared in the state examinations and even the provincial examinations in recent years, points out the examiners' intentions, analyzes the common mistakes that candidates make, and hits the nail on the head with every sentence.

Lu Beigu listened intently, his heart filled with trepidation.

Zhao Yuanlang's lectures were insightful, perhaps not as profound as those of Mr. Baisha, but far superior to those of ordinary teachers at the Luzhou Prefectural School. The problem was that Mr. Baisha was old and did not only have Lu Beigu as his student, so he had neither the energy nor the time to go through all the common mistakes in the interpretation of ink with Lu Beigu and explain them clearly.

Therefore, Lu Beigu found Zhao Yuanlang's explanation to be very useful.

He quickly jotted down the key points on paper, his mind racing as he compared Zhao Yuanlang's words with his own knowledge. Some previously vague points suddenly became clear, but at the same time, more profound questions arose.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Su Zhe was listening intently, occasionally picking up his pen to jot down a few words on the paper, his brows sometimes furrowed and sometimes relaxed, while Su Xun sat upright like a bell, his eyes always following Zhao Yuanlang's narration, his expression focused.

Time slipped away quietly as profound principles were explained.

After finishing his calligraphy class in the morning, Lu Beigu put down his brush and rubbed his slightly sore wrist.

He knew that every moment of these five days would be a test.

He not only needs to absorb and think, but also needs to gain the upper hand in the competition with these truly top talents from the four states.

Every step towards the Dragon Gate is contained within the small space of this study.

Lunch was delivered by the Jiaozhou Prefectural School. Each person received two steamed buns, one meat dish, one vegetable dish, and a pot of water. It was a very simple meal.

Afterwards, they were given some time to rest on the spot, as there were mats on the ground, so they could use cushions as pillows to lie down for a while.

Although it's uncomfortable, it's better than not resting at all.

Then the afternoon's classes began.

The afternoon lecture was given by a capable middle-aged academic official from Rongzhou, surnamed Li, who was very knowledgeable about the evaluation criteria for the provincial examination essays.

"The key to policy essays lies first and foremost in 'insight' and 'logic'!" Li Xueguan said bluntly. "Insight stems from a solid foundation in classics and history and a keen understanding of current affairs, while logic is manifested in a clear logical structure."

He then posed the core topic of today's discussion: "'On the drawbacks of the money shortage and the way to adapt and change,' this is a question that has been frequently asked in the state examinations and even the provincial examinations in recent years. It covers a wide range of topics, including currency, taxation, commerce, officialdom, and even the major policies of the court. It is usually tested in the form of current affairs policy."

"However, suppose that you encountered this policy question in this year's state examination, but it was not tested in the form of a current affairs policy question, but rather in the form of a historical essay question, how would you answer it?"

Although policy essays are usually divided into three forms: historical essays, classic essays, and current affairs essays, the state examinations are inevitably difficult. Sometimes, there are indeed situations where "a question that should be a current affairs essay is asked to be answered with a historical essay."

This type of question is quite similar in difficulty to the "upside-down question" in the Tie Jing (a classic text on calligraphy).

The purpose of this question is to deliberately make it difficult for the test takers to answer, so that they cannot answer it.

But as disgusting as it may seem, is it possible to encounter such a question? Yes, and quite likely.

At this point, Li Xueguan neither gave a direct explanation nor asked them to write.

Instead, they were asked to first develop their own framework, and then several students from different state universities would be called upon to elaborate on their viewpoints.

After the deliberation time was over, Li Xueguan directly called out Su Xun's name.

Lu Beigu raised his head, full of anticipation.

—Are we finally going to witness the power of the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties at their peak?
It's worth noting that of the eight great masters of the Tang and Song dynasties, six from the Song dynasty—Su Shi, Su Zhe, and Zeng Gong—are still in their formative years, while Wang Anshi, though more mature, is still some distance from his peak.

At this moment, only Ouyang Xiu from Kaifeng and Su Xun, the old man in front of them, are truly at their peak.

Although Su Xun was the most unbalanced of the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties, completely unable to write lyrics and mediocre poetry, his prose, especially his historical essays, was exceptionally strong!

There is no doubt about this.

The question that Li Xueguan asked was precisely the historical theory that Su Xun was most proficient in.

(End of this chapter)