Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 181 Early Exam Prediction [Seeking Monthly Tickets!]

Li Tian got up from behind his desk and walked to the bookshelves against the wall. The tall bookshelves almost reached the ceiling beams and were densely packed with all kinds of classics, documents and letters.

He slowly pulled out two thick volumes.

With a soft clatter, two thread-bound books were placed on the desk in front of Lu Beigu.

The edges of the pages were curled and worn, clearly indicating that it was an old book that had been frequently read.

—"Essentials of the Spring and Autumn Annals" and "Essentials of the Book of Rites".

"The most important aspect of the provincial examination lies in the interpretation of classical Chinese texts."

Li Tian seemed to have talked too much, and his voice became even hoarseer: "This is the foundation. If the foundation is not solid, even the most brilliant writings will crumble in an instant. These two books compile the true questions and essential analyses of the 'Book of Rites' and 'Spring and Autumn Annals' from the provincial examinations of the Ministry of Rites since the reign of the Emperor, especially during the Qingli and Huangyou years."

Previously, the headmaster of the Hejiang County School had lent Lu Beigu three volumes of "Examples of the Book of Rites," and at that time he mentioned the book "Essentials of the Mohist Meaning of the Book of Rites."

However, for Lu Beigu at that time, this kind of book, which could only be used in the provincial examination of the Ministry of Rites, was too difficult and not suitable for him. It was far less efficient for improving his grades than "Examples of the Book of Rites", which was used for quick learning.

Since Mr. Baisha has the information and can provide direct guidance, that would be perfect.

He opened the "Essential Explanation of the Meaning of the Book of Rites" and saw that it was filled with dense small regular script. In addition to long passages of precise explanations of words, objects, and systems in various chapters of the Book of Rites, there were also many annotations next to the titles with words such as "easily confused", "frequently tested points", and "needs to be distinguished".

In many places, there are also Li Tian's own annotations, written in smaller characters to corroborate other classics or to supplement previous annotations.

Clearly, this book is Li Tian's "lesson plan version".

"The Book of Rites is the source of the system of rites and music, and also the main text of the provincial examinations. Its essence lies in 'clarifying the number of objects, distinguishing the differences in rank, and understanding human feelings'."

He casually flipped to a page and pointed to a question: "Look at this one, 'When feudal lords meet before the appointed time, it is called 'yu' (遇), and when they meet in Xi, it is called 'hui' (会). This question seems simple, testing the names of meetings in the 'Quli' (曲礼), but it is related to the etiquette of diplomatic relations between feudal states. If you only memorize the definition without understanding the reasons, you will easily get confused if the question is slightly modified, such as asking the difference between 'yu' (遇) and 'hui' (会) and the difference between 'chao' (朝) and 'pin' (聘).

"The purpose of this annotated book is to help you clarify the intricacies between these names and systems, so that you not only know what they are, but also why they are. In particular, you should carefully study the chapters such as 'Wang Zhi,' 'Yueling,' 'Li Yun,' 'Xue Ji,' and 'Ru Xing,' which cover governance, agricultural seasons, education, and the conduct of scholars, all of which are important in the provincial examinations."

Lu Beigu stared intently at the text and, sure enough, saw that next to the annotations for that question, in small print, the specific applicable scenarios and etiquette differences for “遇”, “会”, “朝”, and “聘” were listed in detail, and even examples were cited to support the claim.

He felt a chill run down his spine, realizing that behind this seemingly simple annotation lay a profound understanding of the entire ritual system.

Li Tian picked up "Essentials of Spring and Autumn Annals" again, and as he turned the pages, an even more somber historical atmosphere wafted over him.

"The Spring and Autumn Annals contain profound meanings in concise words. A single word of praise or criticism can be as glorious as a magnificent robe, while a single word of condemnation can be as severe as an axe. The essence of the Mohist school lies in 'distinguishing right from wrong, good from evil, and adapting to changing circumstances.'"

He turned to a section of the book that had clearly been read many times and whose edges were blackened: "This is a collection of annotations related to the theory of 'responsibility for the commander' that you and I just discussed. Now that you know the importance of this theory, you need to delve deeper into its origins."

Lu Beigu saw that the book contained several real questions about "responsibility of the commander".

"'Why is a commander-in-chief not called a teacher?'"

"The Spring and Autumn Annals records that 'Jin killed its minister Xian Hu.' Who is to blame?"

The annotations for each question not only provide the answer, but also cite classical texts to analyze the profound meaning behind the writing style of the Spring and Autumn Annals.

"The interpretation of the Spring and Autumn Annals is not merely an isolated test of vocabulary," Li Tian said, taking a sip of tea. "It tests your understanding of the sages' great principles, your insight into the rise and fall of history, and your reflection on contemporary politics. Ouyang Xiu, Song Qi, Fan Zhen, and Mei Yaochen, who compiled the New Book of Tang, vigorously promoted classical prose, and in their work, they spared no effort in respecting and elucidating the meaning of the Spring and Autumn Annals. Next year's chief examiner will most likely be one of these compilers of the New Book of Tang. Since Song Qi has now left the capital, it could also be his brother, Song Xiang. But whoever it is, the provincial examination questions will certainly be influenced by this trend."

Upon hearing this, Lu Beigu was momentarily stunned.

—You guessed so accurately?

Of course, he could know from his memories that next year's chief examiner would be Ouyang Xiu and the deputy examiner would be Mei Yaochen, and he could use this to curry favor with them, but this was an informational advantage as a time traveler.

However, Li Tian, ​​the Mr. Baisha, living amidst the torrent of the times, was able to discern the key points of next year's calligraphy exam from the political orientation of two events: the government's strong support for compiling the *New Book of Tang* to distinguish it from the *Old Book of Tang* compiled during the Later Jin Dynasty of the Five Dynasties period, and the appointment of a few supporters of the Classical Prose Movement to oversee the compilation of the *New Book of Tang*. His insight was truly remarkable. The logic behind this is actually quite clear.

Because Ouyang Xiu and others were the main force of the Classical Prose Movement in the Song Dynasty, they not only advocated the "classical prose style," but also, in order to correct the prevailing trend of "whoever has the strongest army and the most powerful horses should be the emperor" during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, they took the Spring and Autumn Annals as the core in the process of compiling the New Book of Tang, emphasizing respecting the king and repelling the barbarians, rectifying names and defining roles, punishing rebellious ministers, punishing traitors, clarifying the relationship between the ruler and his ministers, and distinguishing between Chinese and barbarians.

Therefore, it is destined that no matter who is the chief examiner, Mo Yi's questions will revolve around these aspects.

Li Tian understood this point, which is why he was able to predict exam questions in advance based on the direction of the questions.

This means that Lu Beigu almost had a head start in the provincial examination of the Ministry of Rites!
From two perspectives, on the one hand, Li Tian's success rate in predicting exam questions was extremely high, based on his many years of experience teaching the imperial examinations; on the other hand, Lu Beigu completely avoided the time cost of "falling into traps" that would be required for normal comprehensive review.

Studying and researching the content within a defined scope takes far less time than learning all the content at once.

This allowed Lu Beigu to get on the right track and improve his performance in the shortest amount of time.

From dawn till dusk, the master and apprentice rarely left the house, except for meals.

The desk was piled high with open copies of "Essentials of the Mohist Commentary on the Book of Rites" and "Essentials of the Mohist Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals," as well as related original texts such as "Correct Meaning of the Book of Rites" and "Three Commentaries on the Spring and Autumn Annals."

Li Tian's teaching methods were extremely rigorous and efficient.

Instead of lengthy explanations, he directly targets past exam questions, focusing on predicting key topics.

The Book of Rites states, "The Son of Heaven's fields are a thousand li square, while the fields of dukes and marquises are a hundred li square." What is the basis of this land system? How does it differ from Mencius's "well-field system"?

"The Spring and Autumn Annals says 'The people of Song and Chu made peace.' What is the meaning of the word 'peace' here? How does it differ from 'alliance' and 'confirmation'? What kind of praise or criticism does it imply?"

"In the first month of spring, the Book of Rites states, 'The minister is ordered to spread virtue and harmony, to carry out celebrations and bestow benefits, extending to all the people.' Who is this 'minister'? What specific government affairs does 'spread virtue and harmony' refer to?"

Lu Beigu's answer must be precise, concise, and to the point.

If there was any hesitation, omission, or misunderstanding, Li Tian would directly point out the relevant passage in the collected annotations and order him to recite, repeat, and analyze it on the spot.

The intense training made Lu Beigu feel like his mind was being repeatedly forged into steel, exhausted yet unusually clear-headed.

He not only deepened his memory search ability for a vast amount of names, objects, systems, and classical texts based on his previous foundation, but also, under Li Tian's guidance, gradually touched upon the grand system hidden behind the words and sentences.

On the afternoon of the tenth day, the sunlight slanted across the desk.

Lu Beigu had just fluently analyzed a complex question about the principle of "avoiding the evils of the state" in the Spring and Autumn Annals when Li Tian, ​​unusually, did not immediately ask further questions but remained silent for a moment.

He picked up the book "Essentials of the Meaning of the Book of Rites", turned to the annotated section of the "Confucian Conduct" chapter, and pointed to a passage in red ink that he had personally written.

“Confucians are approachable but not coerced, close but not forced, and can be killed but not humiliated.”

Li Tian gently pushed the book in front of Lu Beigu: "Take this book, along with the commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals, with you. Read it frequently on the way and after you enter the capital, and review what you have learned. What it contains is not only the path to success in the imperial examinations, but also a motto for being a person and an official."

He paused, his gaze lingering intently on his last disciple.

"The ten-day period is up. This is all I can teach you. Go eastward down the river, go and meet the heroes of the world!"

Lu Beigu accepted the two heavy annotated volumes with both hands.

He carefully put them away, bowed deeply to Li Tian, ​​and remained there for a long time.

Inside the study, only the autumn sun shines silently, and the fragrance of ink remains unchanged.

(End of this chapter)