Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 160 "If only my heart could be as clear as this, it would be as peaceful as a thousand miles away."

Just after the second quarter of the hour of Yin, Lu Beigu woke up to the sound of a wooden clapper.

Before dawn had pierced the deep blue sky, the depths of the examination hall remained shrouded in darkness. Only the faint glow of the lanterns held by the patrolling officials in the distance cast flickering, ghostly shadows in the passageways.

Because the examination shed was very narrow and cramped, it was impossible to lie down on the board, so the candidates could only sleep leaning against the wall.

This posture inevitably made Lu Beigu's shoulders and neck a little stiff from leaning against the cold brick wall for so long. However, he was young enough and had plenty of energy, so after a massage and some movement, he felt no further discomfort.

"If I do this for three days in a row, I'm afraid I'll catch a cold. I wonder if cupping exists in this era? If it does, I can get some after the exam to ward off the cold."

The thoughts that flashed through his mind led him to areas where Lu Beigu's knowledge was lacking.

There must have been herbal medicine and acupuncture in this era, but he doesn't know whether cupping existed before the glass jars were available.

The examination venue only provides lunch and dinner, not breakfast. It's not that Luzhou is unwilling to spend the money, but rather that they are worried that candidates will feel sleepy after eating breakfast, which will affect their exam performance.

Compared to the ten classical texts and ten calligraphy questions on the first day, which were not particularly easy to differentiate scores significantly, the poetry and prose questions on the second day, especially the regulated prose with strict rhyme restrictions, were the true "touchstone" of the Jinshi provincial examination.

For most top-performing state students, the gap in scores begins to widen starting with their legal abilities.

"clang--!"

The sound of the gong signaling the start of the exam broke the silence of the early morning.

Without any further ado, the clerk reappeared in the passageway, hurrying along as he distributed the exam papers to each examination booth.

Lu Beigu held his breath and took the exam paper. The first thing that caught his eye was the poem topic.

"Ode to the Clear Light of Autumn Sun", rhyming with the "eight Geng" rhyme scheme, five characters with six rhymes.

The title of this examination poem itself evokes a clear and lofty mood. The three characters "悬清光" (Suspended Clear Light) are particularly crucial, as they must depict the clear, high-hanging, and pure radiance of the autumn sky. It could be the faint light of dawn, the bright midday sun, or even the clear glow of the autumn moon, but the core lies in the combination of the imagery of "clear" and "suspended".

As for limiting the use of the rhyme group of the character "清" (qing), namely the "八庚" (ba geng) rhyme group of the lower level tone, to create a five-character, six-rhyme, twelve-line regulated verse, it is not actually that difficult.

In conclusion, candidates not only need to have a keen eye for capturing the light and shadow of autumn, but also need to create an elegant artistic conception that conforms to the spirit of the "Fu De Ti" style within strict rules.

There is one poem question and one essay question; you have a full day to answer both questions.

Therefore, Lu Beigu did not rush to start writing.

He closed his eyes, calmed his mind completely, and began to imagine the autumn scenery.

—The vast blue sky, clear as if washed clean, the cool pale blue of the horizon at dawn, or the unobstructed, bright radiance of the midday sun piercing through the thin clouds, or the clear afterglow remaining in the sky after the sunset has melted into gold at dusk.

“The word ‘suspended’ is key here. This light cannot be close to the ground or diffused; it should be a clear radiance that hangs high in the sky and pours down from above,” he thought to himself.

Different images collided in my mind: the azure sky, the clear night sky, the white silk, the ice pot, the jade palace, and then were filtered out.

The characters in the "清" rhyme group, such as 清, 明, 晴, 晶, 盈, 声, 生, 平, 轻, 情, 成, 京, 英, 琼, 擎, 萦, 楹, etc., also emerge.

At a certain moment, Lu Beigu suddenly felt that he had captured the most fitting imagery.

He suddenly opened his eyes, the tip of his pen lightly touched the paper, like a dragon just awakening, and the first line of elegant regular script was written on the draft paper.

"The sky is high and the clouds are far away; the air is crisp and the sky is clear."

A mirror reflects the clear sky, a thousand peaks shine brightly before the eyes. A breeze stirs, scattering sparse leaves, the still pool overflows with pure sunlight.

Wild geese fly through the pale clouds, crickets chirp softly in the light dew.

Standing by the stream, one can discern the changing seasons; leaning against a rock, one can listen to the sounds of autumn.

"If only my heart could be as clear as this, it would be as peaceful as a thousand miles away."

The poem, a five-character, six-rhyme regulated verse, is written in one go, closely adhering to the theme of "the clear light hanging in the autumn sun." It has a clear and lofty artistic conception, strict rules, and precise use of rhyme.

In particular, the lines “A mirror reflects the sky, a thousand peaks shine brightly” vividly depict the clarity, height, and transparency of the autumn sunlight, while “If only it could be so clear, my heart would be as at peace as ten thousand miles away” is the key line, elevating the viewer from the natural scenery to a deeper inner understanding.

It can be said that the whole poem is natural and sincere, blending emotion and scenery, with clear and fluent language, and has the charm of Wang Wei and Meng Haoran's landscape and pastoral poems.

After finishing the poem, Lu Beigu did not stop. After checking it, he copied it onto the answer sheet and then carefully placed it aside to dry the ink.

Next, we will assign the topic.

"The sage governs the world with virtue and transforms the people's lives," with the rhyme "the sage's virtue shines brightly, and the people's customs are greatly changed."

The regulated fu is different from ordinary fu. It must strictly follow the eight rhyming words and pay attention to parallelism and antithesis, and elaborate on the moral teachings of the emperor. It is inherently very difficult. This fu has an extremely grand title, which points directly to the core of the emperor's benevolent governance and moral teachings. Therefore, the theme must be lofty and magnificent.

Even more problematic are those eight rhyming characters: "圣、德、昭、彰、民、风、丕、变".

These eight characters not only define the rhyme scheme, but also, to some extent, limit the structure and direction of the essay. Candidates must embed these eight characters in the rhyming positions of the essay in order, while ensuring that the essay itself is well-structured, elegant in language, insightful in reasoning, and progressively builds upon each other, ultimately concluding with the prosperous scene of "a great change in folk customs".

To be honest, this essay question is so difficult that it would make even many learned scholars frown.

He could even sense that the atmosphere in the examination room was becoming extremely tense.

Looking at the topic, Lu Beigu also fell into a long period of thought.

"The theme must be closely related to the word 'virtuous transformation'."

Lu Beigu abandoned the superficiality of simply praising and glorifying the emperor. His thoughts turned to classical texts. He thought of the Book of Documents' "Virtue lies in good governance, and governance lies in nourishing the people," Confucius' metaphor of "governing with virtue is like the North Star," Mencius' assertion that "those who practice benevolence with virtue become kings," and even though the "Qingli New Policies" of the current dynasty had faded, the core of the "promoting agriculture and sericulture" advocated by Fan Zhongyan, Ouyang Xiu, and others was still the practice of "virtuous governance."

How can we connect the “manifestation” of the saintly virtue with the “drastic change” of the folk customs using eight rhyming characters to create a vivid scene?
Lu Beigu picked up his pen and first laid out the positions of the eight rhyming characters on the manuscript paper, conceiving the structure of the beginning, development, transition, and conclusion.

With the framework set and the vision in his mind, he no longer hesitated, picked up his pen, dipped it in ink, and began to write on the draft paper.

"The heavens and the earth display their signs, which the sages emulate; the people live in peace, and the supreme virtue pacifies them. Holding the celestial mandate, they rule the great treasure; following the earth's generosity, they nurture the people. Thus, they can dignify the nine heavens, spread virtue and teachings throughout the six directions; their light shines on the four corners of the earth, changing customs and transforming the foundation of the nation. How magnificent is their way! Their way is supreme, their transformation supremely divine!"

"Virtue is the foundation of governance and the pivot of education."

The "virtue" he describes is the "reverence, wisdom, and peace" in the "Canon of Yao" and the "virtue is good governance" in the "Proposals of Yu". The "illustriousness" he expounds is the benevolent wind of "wearing robes and the southern breeze dispelling anger" and the virtuous governance of "painting clothes and bringing spring to the prison". The "great change in people's customs" he depicts is the simplicity of "every household can be enfeoffed, and all know the value of propriety and righteousness" and the peaceful scene of "singing and playing music throughout the fields, and all bathing in the elegant transformation of the land".

"Therefore, the old folks, with their food in hand, pounded the earth, and the farmers, hoe in hand, sang songs on the streets. Lawsuits and lawsuits declined, and prisons were empty. No one picked up lost items on the road, and doors were left unlocked at night. People lived in peace and joy, as if ascending a spring terrace, as if wandering in a paradise. Could this be achieved through punishment and coercion? It was truly due to the pervasive influence of sage virtue, like the transformative power of timely rain; and the boundless spread of benevolence, like the warm embrace of spring. The people, bathed in this grace, turned towards goodness, and customs, once corrupted, returned to their original simplicity. This is what is meant by 'observing human culture to transform the world,' is it not found here!"

It is a lengthy and fluent piece of writing, hundreds of words long, written in one breath.

By elaborating on the implementation of the emperor's virtues and the dramatic changes in the people's customs, Lu Beigu's article demonstrates the effectiveness of "virtue-based transformation." The article is powerful and progressive, ultimately pointing to the ideal of a prosperous era of "renewal and transformation." Lu Beigu's article can be said to be extremely inspiring.

He slowly put down his pen, his forehead already covered with fine beads of sweat. He wiped them with his sleeve, checked the text, and then copied it onto the paper.

(End of this chapter)