Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 216 Initial Quiz
In fact, Zhao Bian's judgment that Song Xiang was capable of teaching Lu Beigu was based on evidence.

In terms of writing, many historical masters are in the state of "knowing how to write but not how to teach". For people like Li Bai and Su Shi, inspiration comes to write masterpieces. How can this be taught?
Ouyang Xiu's theoretical system is more comprehensive, so it's slightly better, but only by a limited margin.

The reason is simple: if Ouyang Xiu was really good at teaching, why didn't Zeng Gong pass the exam for so many years?
Don't even mention the Xikun style; it had already begun to decline gradually since the rise of education during the Qingli era.

Although the style of writing in the imperial examinations has not been completely changed, in the past ten years or so, the style of writing in the imperial examinations of the Song Dynasty has been evolving in the direction of classical Chinese, and in the last two years it has even gone too far, creating the Imperial Academy style which is "more classical than classical Chinese".

Therefore, being able to write does not necessarily mean being able to teach.

While Song Xiang's literary reputation was slightly inferior to Ouyang Xiu's, he was still a master of literature. Moreover, Song Xiang's performance in the imperial examinations was definitely superior to Ouyang Xiu's.

After all, Ouyang Xiu had failed the imperial examinations twice in a row.

Besides Song Xiang's superior academic performance and teaching ability, there was another crucial reason.

—That is, Song Xiang, who was unemployed at home, happened to have some free time!

Do you think Ouyang Xiu has the free time to teach people?

Should I revise the "New Book of Tang," which the government is urging me to submit? Should I revise my own privately written "New History of the Five Dynasties"? On top of that, there's my already demanding daily work, and I'm busy from morning till night exchanging literary ideas with many friends and students. Where do I find the time to teach students?

And to be honest, a recommendation letter from Zhang Fangping alone isn't enough to carry that much weight, even if they're both members of the Qingsong Society.

Zhang Fangping only had a slight acquaintance with Ouyang Xiu, and their relationship wasn't particularly close. In contrast, there were countless members of the Qingsong Society in Kaifeng, including many of Ouyang Xiu's friends.

Therefore, Lu Beigu might receive occasional guidance from Ouyang Xiu and be qualified to participate in the Qingsong Society's gatherings.

But expecting Ouyang Xiu to dedicate himself to teaching him how to prepare for the imperial examinations every day was impossible, given both the time commitment and their personal relationship!

However, Song Xiang's situation is different. He could not refuse Zhao Bian's face, but could he not refuse his own brother's face? He specifically mentioned an outsider's name in the letter and even asked this outsider to come and deliver the letter to him. The meaning couldn't be clearer.

As the old saying goes, you might as well beat your child on a rainy day since you're just killing time anyway.

Now that he's unemployed at home, Song Xiang has nothing to do but read!

For Song Xiang, while reading was enjoyable, he couldn't read from morning till night every day, could he? Teaching a student was just a way to add some variety to his life.

"Since I have received a letter from Zijing and a recommendation from an old friend, I cannot treat you as just an ordinary junior. I should do my best to show my appreciation."

Song Xiang stroked his beard and said, "The provincial examination is imminent. Classical texts, essays, policy discussions, and poetry are all fundamental. I don't know how good your academic foundation is. Answer this paper and I will then formulate your coursework according to your level."

After saying that, Song Xiang took out a yellowed exam paper from the bookshelf.

This is an examination paper prepared by Song Xiang in the first year of the Jingyou era when he was still a drafter of imperial edicts and in charge of overseeing the imperial examinations.

The reason for bringing out this exam paper is twofold: firstly, the questions were set by Song Xiang himself, so he was very familiar with them; secondly, it is because the first year of Jingyou was twenty-two years ago, and young people nowadays usually use exam papers from after the Qingli Education Reform, so they certainly haven't done this exam paper before.

In this way, Song Xiang can understand Lu Beigu's true level in the shortest amount of time through this answer sheet that he is most familiar with.

coming!

Lu Beigu's spirits lifted suddenly, feeling both nervous and secretly excited.

This is the real test!

He took the exam paper and sat down at the desk in the study.

The edges of the paper showed signs of brittleness, and the ink had darkened slightly over time.

Lu Beigu forced himself to calm his restless mind. He did not rush to write, but instead focused his attention and carefully examined the question word by word.

Song Xiang strolled to the window, his gaze seemingly fixed on the koi in the pond, but in reality, his peripheral vision was always on the young figure in front of the desk.

He picked up a cup of tea, took a sip, and thought to himself, "Sichuan is not a place where culture and education flourish, but since he is the top scholar in a prefecture, his level should not be too bad. There are still a hundred days until the provincial examination of the Ministry of Rites. As long as he has an average appearance, he can teach until the end of the imperial examination."

Clearly, Song Xiang did not have high expectations for Lu Beigu.

However, he didn't believe that he couldn't even produce a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) among his students, unless they were idiots.

But since both his younger brother and Zhao Bian recommended it, that possibility should be ruled out.

Time flowed silently, with only the soft sound of Lu Beigu turning the pages of the exam paper.

He examined the questions with meticulous care, his brow furrowing and relaxing intermittently, clearly as he rapidly analyzed and pondered the crux of each question in his mind. Indeed, the imperial examination questions from the first year of the Jingyou era differed considerably from those popularized after the Qingli era's educational reforms. The section on classical Chinese texts tested more archaic and obscure content, and the section on current affairs consisted of only one question. While the practical issue it addressed wasn't the most pressing topic of the moment, it directly pointed to the ills of the Song Dynasty.

Finally, Lu Beigu finished silently reading the entire exam paper.

He looked up at Song Xiang and said clearly, "Master Song, I have finished reading the exam questions. May I borrow some paper and pen?"

"Please do as you please." Song Xiang nodded slightly and pointed to the Chengxintang paper, top-quality Huzhou brush, and Duan inkstone that had been prepared on the side of the desk.

The inkstone pool was filled with gentle ripples, and a pine soot ink stick lay quietly beside it.

Lu Beigu stood up and began grinding ink with steady movements.

The ink stick swirls on the fine inkstone, making a uniform and low clattering sound. The deep black ink gradually spreads, achieving a perfect balance of light and dark.

He chose a medium-sized wolf-hair brush, gently wiping away excess ink from the edge of the inkstone, leaving the brush tip full without dripping.

Then, he took a piece of paper, spread it out, pressed it down with a paperweight, held his breath, closed his eyes for a moment, and mentally reviewed the draft one last time.

When he opened his eyes again, there was no hesitation in them, only complete focus.

He dipped his brush in ink, his wrist hovering in the air, and placed the brush on the paper.

He first answered the question about the "advantages and disadvantages of salt monopoly" as a current affairs policy.

He did not use the ornate embellishments and quotations commonly used by ordinary candidates for the imperial examinations. Instead, he went straight to the core issue from the beginning, pointing out that the original intention of the salt monopoly system was to "suppress the powerful and wealthy and benefit the country." His intention was both righteous and lofty.

Then, in an extremely calm and restrained tone, he meticulously listed the three major drawbacks that would easily arise during its implementation: "First, the officials and clerks were overly harassing and smuggling was rampant, which harmed the people's interests; second, the price of salt soared, the poor had to eat bland food, and there were many complaints; third, the quality of government-supplied salt was poor, the people could not afford to eat it, and it wasted national funds."

Each point is accompanied by concise and powerful reasoning, with rigorous logic and progressive steps.

In the end, he did not completely reject the salt monopoly, but proposed three reform measures: "adapting to local conditions," "severely punishing corruption," and "ensuring smooth transportation." Although there were no surprising words, they were practical, feasible, and meticulous, showing his insight into the governance of grassroots officials.

The entire policy essay is written in one go, with concise and refined writing, without any superfluous words, and exudes an almost cold and pragmatic spirit between the lines.

Song Xiang had quietly strolled back to his desk sometime earlier, stood with his hands behind his back, and looked at Lu Beigu's flowing calligraphy on the paper.

His face remained expressionless, but his fingers, stroking his beard, paused slightly when he read the three drawbacks and countermeasures.

Lu Beigu's skill level was much higher than he had imagined.

However, even with this level of skill, there's still a long road ahead to secure a place in the imperial examinations.

Time flew by as Lu Beigu answered the questions, and when he looked up again, the sun was already setting outside the window.

Song Xiang picked up the exam paper and read it carefully.

Lu Beigu held his breath and concentrated, feeling his heartbeat amplified infinitely in the silence, and his palms even became slightly sweaty.

The person before me is a legendary figure who "passed the imperial examinations three times in a row." His sharp eye and accurate judgment are far beyond what ordinary examiners can match.

To receive his guidance, even just a few words, would be something countless candidates would dream of.

After a long while, Song Xiang finally put down his head and looked up at Lu Beigu.

His gaze held less scrutiny and more genuine consideration.

"Your writing is reasonable and your use of allusions is appropriate, but if you want to compete with the best talents in the world, your current level is not enough."

Lu Beigu was slightly taken aback, but did not show any subconscious resentment. Instead, his eyes were filled with longing.

"Please enlighten me, Lord Song!"

Song Xiang took in Lu Beigu's reaction, and that yearning look reminded him of himself back then.

He nodded slightly, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.

This child is teachable; he can listen to unpleasant advice and has a desire to improve.

(End of this chapter)