Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 247 Liu Ji's Questioning

Yang Anguo suppressed his excitement and said, "The best-of-three series is still tied, so it seems we need to play an extra match to determine the winner."

"What Scholar Yang said is very true."

Hu Yuan slowly began, "I wonder what the additional test will be? A poem? A prose piece? Or an essay?"

He deliberately paused slightly on the first two, as the Imperial Academy style was not suitable for policy advice, but its most powerful weapon was its unconventional and exquisite poetry and prose, which piled up allusions.

How could Yang Anguo not know Hu Yuan's thoughts?
He immediately looked at Ouyang Xiu, who remained expressionless, indicating that it was inappropriate to compose poetry.

Yang Anguo understood and said, "While poetry and prose are related to talent and wit, they may not fully reveal practical abilities in today's examination. How about we add another essay topic to test the students' understanding of the fundamental principles of classics and history, and the essence of governance?"

Hu Yuan glanced at Liu Ji and saw that he was quite confident in his eyes, clearly very confident in the topic.

Although the topic was not as conducive to the expression of the Imperial Academy style as poetry and prose, the effect of writing it would certainly be better than that of ordinary literary styles. Hu Yuan ultimately wanted to suppress the Imperial Academy in a dignified manner, so he could not object at this time to avoid being criticized.

Moreover, Hu Yuan had great confidence in his beloved student Liu Ji, believing that Liu Ji would not lose even in a contest of topics. So he simply went with the flow, making the Imperial Academy accept defeat wholeheartedly.

"can."

Hu Yuan pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Let's follow Scholar Yang's suggestion and decide the outcome by the essay questions. But I wonder how many more essay questions we'll have to answer?"

Ouyang Xiu then said, "We have been competing for three hours. One topic will suffice."

Everyone agreed.

Seeing this, the presiding judge, an old scholar, said, "In that case, please wait a moment while we formulate the topic."

Inside the hall, the turmoil caused by the outcome of the policy meeting had not yet subsided, and the final battle was already brewing.

Lu Beigu, Cheng Hao, and Cheng Yi exchanged glances, each seeing the fighting spirit in the other's eyes.

The final topic will determine the ultimate outcome of today's debate on cultural heritage!
The topic was soon revealed.

—From "On Zhongda"

"On Zhongda?"

As soon as the question was posed, a discussion broke out in the hall.

Although Zhongda is just a courtesy name, everyone knows that when these two characters appear in historical accounts, they refer to only one person: Sima Yi, Sima Zhongda!

This man's life was a mix of merits and demerits, and he is almost a typical counterexample to the concept of "loyal minister" in the orthodox Confucian view of history. However, his achievements in enduring power struggles and laying the foundation for the Western Jin Dynasty cannot be ignored.

There are many directions that can be explored when writing historical essays on this topic, such as "loyalty and righteousness," "expediency," and "the way of the king." A whole host of them can be thought of at a glance, and each one can reveal the student's level of insight and the depth of their scholarship.

It must be said that this is an excellent topic for historical discussion.

Hu Yuan felt relieved.

Liu Ji's forte, the unconventional and eccentric style of the Imperial Academy, shines brightest on this kind of topic.

Yang Anguo's heart tightened, and he looked at Lu Beigu and the other two with concern.

Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi exchanged a glance, their expressions becoming extremely solemn. In their view, the core of this question lay in the "distinguishing between loyalty and treachery," which was precisely where Lianxi's philosophy of "sincerity" and "benevolence" could shine. However, the difficulty lay in how to establish an argument that was both incisive and unconventional, while also overpowering the style of the Imperial Academy.

Lu Beigu's mind was racing.

Although Sima Yi has been largely criticized in later generations, looking back from a historical perspective, his enormous influence on the Three Kingdoms period cannot be simply summarized by the label of "treacherous minister." This topic has great potential!
"Time limit: one hour." The old Confucian judge's voice fell.

The room fell silent instantly as all six of them pondered, hesitant to put pen to paper.

After a long while, Cheng Yi was the first to put pen to paper.

He focused on "loyalty and righteousness," quoting the profound meaning of the Spring and Autumn Annals to argue that the "sincerity" and "trustworthiness" of a subject are the foundation of his character.

"Zhongda's first mistake was his lack of sincerity. He was entrusted with the heavy responsibility of raising the young emperor and received the late emperor's favor, yet his heart was no longer that of a pure minister, and his actions were no longer those of loyalty and righteousness. He harbored cunning within and outwardly appeared submissive; this was the ultimate expression of 'those who are clever with words and flattering in appearance are rarely benevolent'! The deeper his wisdom and cunning, the further he strayed from the true principles."

Cheng Hao approached the issue from the perspective of "the way of the king".

"Zhongda's talent was that of a hero of his time, and his wisdom and resourcefulness were beyond the reach of ordinary people. However, his way was not that of a king, but rather that of a tyrant. A tyrant is one who uses force under the guise of benevolence. The War of the Eight Princes broke out, and the Central Plains were in turmoil. Was this not the calamity of tyrannical tactics and the disaster of power struggles? Therefore, it is said: To govern a country and bring peace to the world, one should practice the way of a king with a benevolent heart and move the world with sincerity. To seek tyrannical tactics and power struggles instead of this is like drinking poison to quench thirst, leaving endless disasters."

An hour later, everyone stopped writing and began grading the papers.

This time, the members of the "judging panel" exchanged opinions more intensely than before when discussing classics, principles of writing, and current affairs. The sounds of their arguments were so clear that everyone present could hear them.

After arguing for a long time, they finally reached a consensus.

Then, the old scholar read out the judgment results.

"At the Imperial Academy, Cheng Hao was admitted to the second rank, Cheng Yi to the second rank, and Lu Beigu to the first rank."

"At the Imperial Academy, Liu Ji was admitted to the first rank (B), Chen Shu was admitted to the second rank (B), and Wei Gongda was admitted to the third rank (B).

"As agreed, considering both the ranking and the number of candidates, the Imperial Academy wins this round of additional history and essay examinations!"

"what?"

There was a moment of deathly silence in the hall, followed by a roar that was even more intense than when the question was announced. The sounds of discussion, exclamations, and doubts mingled together, almost lifting the roof off.

All eyes were focused on the young man kneeling behind the low table, his posture upright and his expression calm.

Lu Beigu became the center of the storm.

For the first time, Cheng Haoping's usually calm eyes revealed an undisguised look of surprise. He and his younger brother, Cheng Yi, exchanged a glance, both seeing the other's confusion.

The two brothers believed they had done their best in their essays, adhering closely to the principles of their teacher's teachings, but they only received a "B" grade.

And this Brother Lu, at the very last moment, surprisingly won the only "under-armor"!
This is probably not just a difference in the foundation of knowledge. A strong desire to explore arose in Cheng Hao's heart. What exactly did Lu Beigu write in his "On Zhongda"?
Cheng Yi's expression was even more complicated.

He pursed his lips, his gaze also fixed on Lu Beigu.

Although I did not see Lu Beigu's essay in person, the fact that the examiners gave it a "lower grade" must mean that it was exceptional.

Cheng Yi was extremely curious about "Zhongda Lun," which had changed the final outcome of the entire competition.

—How exactly did Lu Beigu establish his argument?
At this moment, Liu Ji stood up and said loudly.

"Student Liu Ji, I humbly request that you, esteemed scholars and doctors, enlighten me! In this round of evaluation, what exactly is the difference between 'A' and 'B'? I earnestly request that you publicly read aloud your two essays on Zhongda, so that all the seniors and peers in the hall may witness this! This will allow me to accept my defeat wholeheartedly, and let all scholars in the world know the difference in merit!"

These words were forceful and resounding. Liu Ji made no attempt to hide his dissatisfaction, directly targeting the scoring result and Lu Beigu's "Lower Grade" essay.

The proud Liu Ji absolutely refused to believe that his painstakingly crafted and proudly written essay in the style of the Imperial Academy would be defeated by an unknown nobody in terms of either theme or literary style!
Liu Ji's sudden attack instantly made the atmosphere in the hall tense.

(End of this chapter)