Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 287 This question is familiar to me
Inside the waterside pavilion, the six people from Sichuan and Fujian sat down behind their respective desks.

Not long after, footsteps came from the outer corridor.

An official dressed in a scarlet robe and a silver belt entered the pavilion. He was about forty years old and had a scholarly air about him.

"Han, the scholar who drafts imperial edicts!"

"It was actually Scholar Han who came in person!"

Low gasps of surprise rose simultaneously among the candidates from Sichuan and Fujian, filled with barely concealed excitement.

The position of Zhizhigao, in charge of external affairs, was responsible for drafting imperial edicts for the emperor. It was a position of exceptional prestige and a key candidate for future prime minister.

Han Jiang was the son of Han Yi, the former prime minister. He was renowned for his literary talent and enjoyed a high reputation among scholars.

His appointment as the question setter and grader for this unofficial competition carries a weight far exceeding most people's expectations.

Lu Beigu's heart also skipped a beat.

Han Jiang!

This renowned minister, who held a high position during the later years of Emperor Renzong's reign and during the reigns of Emperors Yingzong and Shenzong, now stood before them, personally deciding this battle of wits.

Han Jiang's gaze swept over everyone in the pavilion, lingering briefly on the faces of Lu Beigu, Su Shi, Zhang Heng, and others before he said nothing and went straight to the main seat in the pavilion to sit down.

He placed a long, narrow wooden box on the table.

The six people closest to him all unconsciously lowered their breathing and fixed their gazes on the wooden box.

—That is the question that will determine the relative merits of the cultural heritage of Sichuan and Fujian today!

Han Jiang's fingertips gently traced the smooth surface of the wooden box, but he did not rush to open it.

"Although today's gathering is for scholars to exchange ideas, since I, the official, have been invited to preside over the examination, the provincial examination regulations will be followed. Therefore, the questions will be taken from those that were discarded in the provincial examination, without any bias. You are all welcome to use your knowledge to the fullest."

Lu Beigu's brows furrowed slightly.

He clearly remembered that in the second year of the Jiayou reign, Ouyang Xiu, a Hanlin Academician, was appointed as the acting examiner for the provincial examination. Hanlin Academician Wang Gui, Longtu Pavilion Academician Mei Zhi, Imperial Edict Drafter Han Jiang, and Jixian Hall Compiler Fan Zhen were all appointed as acting examiners for the provincial examination. Mei Yaochen, a collator in the Imperial Academy, was appointed as the examiner of the examination papers.

In other words, Han Jiang was one of the examiners for this year's provincial examination administered by the Ministry of Rites.

Today is the eighth day of the first month of the second year of Jiayou. Tomorrow, the ninth day, the list of examiners will be announced and the academy will be locked. Ouyang Xiu has been missing for a long time. Han Jiang, on the contrary, has appeared today to preside over this competition between Sichuan and Fujian. He said that today's questions are "taken from the provincial examination questions that were rejected". But Han Jiang did not say whether these rejected questions were from the past or from this year.
This matter is very important to Lu Beigu.

If it is confirmed that Han Jiang is not on the list of examiners, or if today's questions are the same ones that should have appeared in the Ministry of Rites provincial examination in the second year of Jiayou, then it means that the butterfly effect caused by the time traveler has occurred, and Lu Beigu's "heavenly eye" will gradually become ineffective, making the entire historical process unpredictable.

Although theoretically, as long as he, the transmigrator, becomes more and more influential, the day when the butterfly effect occurs will inevitably come, from Lu Beigu's perspective, he actually hopes that day will come later.

Lost in thought, a cold wind blew through the window, bringing a chill that quickly blended with the somber and heavy atmosphere inside the room.

Han Jiang opened the box, quickly scanned it, and after confirming that everything was correct, personally distributed the test papers to the six students.

Similar to the provincial examination administered by the Ministry of Rites, the questions were answered in the following order: classical texts, literary interpretations, poetry and prose, and policy essays.

The first thing I got was the scroll of Buddhist scriptures.

"Today's competition, in accordance with the provincial examination regulations, will be divided into four rounds, with the team with the highest overall score winning."

Lu Beigu hurriedly cleared his mind of distractions and calmed down.

There's not much to say about the Confucian classics; for them, the only competition is who is more diligent, makes no mistakes, and doesn't drag the team down. Thanks to his diligent study and memorization of the Analects since his transmigration, Lu Beigu can clearly recall the complete text of every Confucian classics title with just a glance.

Lu Beigu picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and with a steady wrist, lines of neat and clear regular script flowed onto the paper like water. He was extremely fast, with almost no pauses. Occasionally, when he encountered content that required consideration, he only needed to concentrate for a moment.

Beside him, Su Shi, though still somewhat pale, was focused and wrote at a surprisingly fast pace. Su Zhe, on the other hand, was more cautious, striving for neatness and accuracy in every stroke, his speed slightly slower but extremely steady.

The scholars from Sichuan and Fujian standing under the eaves outside the pavilion were completely silent.

Time passed quietly in the solemn atmosphere, and after more than half an hour, both of them put down their pens almost simultaneously.

Han Jiang put away the papers and began grading them, carefully checking every answer.

Inside and outside the study hall, everyone's eyes were focused on those six thin exam papers, and the atmosphere was even more tense than when answering the questions.

A moment later, Han Jiang announced the results in a loud voice.

"In the first round of the calligraphy competition, both sides from Sichuan and Fujian got all the answers right, resulting in a draw."

The tense expressions of the candidates from Sichuan finally relaxed slightly, and their faces showed excitement.

"It seems that the three men from Sichuan have a solid foundation that is no less than that of the outstanding talents from Fujian!"

"It's not a big deal if you get all the calligraphy texts right; the difference will only become apparent when you look at the interpretations of the characters."

Han Jiang distributed the exam papers that he had personally copied again.

The depth and philosophical depth of the questions on ink-related topics far surpassed those on calligraphy classics. The air inside the pavilion was heavy as iron, and all six people were holding their breath, focusing intently on the questions.

"The Spring and Autumn Annals, Duke Zhuang, Year 7: 'In the fourth month of summer, on the day of Xinmao, at night, the fixed stars were not visible. In the middle of the night, stars fell like rain.'"

The *Gongyang Commentary* explains: "What does 'falling stars like rain' mean? 'Like rain' doesn't mean it's rain. If it's not rain, why is it called 'like rain'? The *Spring and Autumn Annals* states: 'Rain stars fall less than a foot below the ground before returning.' The *Commentary* says: 'Falling stars like rain.'"

The *Guliang Commentary* says, "Stars fell like rain." Were they falling like rain in the middle of the night? The *Spring and Autumn Annals* records what is recorded and transmits what is doubtful. It is a matter of time, yet it says "in the middle of the night," and why does it say "like rain"? It means they were scattered, following their course, countless in number.

What is the underlying meaning of the two interpretations of "stars falling like rain"? What does the Gongyang Commentary mean by quoting "not revising the Spring and Autumn Annals"? How should we understand the deeper meaning behind the sage's revision of "rain of stars" to "stars falling like rain"? Can the Guliang Commentary's instruction of "writing to transmit writing, doubting to transmit doubt" be corroborated by the meaning of the sage's revision?

The first question was a lengthy analysis of the Spring and Autumn Annals, which directly addressed the core of Spring and Autumn Annals studies: the "profound meaning in subtle words" and Confucius's principles for compiling history.

"I know this question well!"

Lu Beigu thought to himself that he had been tested on this question when he fought against the three students from the Imperial Academy last time, although the question was slightly different.

He pondered for a moment, then revised and optimized his previous answer before picking up his pen.

He is not the same person he used to be.

After his breakthrough in ability, he now has a more complete and profound solution approach even for the same problem.

The *Gongyang Commentary* clarifies the accuracy of historical records by stating that "it was like rain but not rain," aiming to highlight the rigor of these records and refute popular misinterpretations. Its quote, "The rain stars did not reach the ground even a foot before returning," aptly illustrates how some historical accounts of supernatural phenomena bordered on the bizarre. When the sages revised the *Spring and Autumn Annals*, they removed these inaccuracies, replacing them with "stars falling like rain." This embodies the profound meaning of revision—eliminating the bizarre, preserving the common sense, and clarifying the true meaning to align with the Way of the King. This single-word change deeply embodies the teaching of "The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits," bringing celestial records back to reality and emphasizing human affairs rather than fantastical accounts.

The Guliang Commentary uses the phrase "like rain" to describe the scattered appearance and large quantity of the rain. Its instruction "to record what is recorded and to transmit what is doubtful" means that historians should record the phenomena they see truthfully, and leave room for doubt in the obscure and difficult parts without making arbitrary judgments. This is the straightforward writing of historians.

The *Gongyang Commentary* highlights the sage's proactive revision of historical records to establish righteousness, while the *Guliang Commentary* emphasizes the historian's objective recording to preserve truth. Although seemingly different paths, they can actually complement each other. The sage's revision was not based on mere conjecture but on historical facts. The removal of supernatural phenomena described as "returning after falling less than a foot from the ground" was precisely because they were considered unreliable and thus sought to ensure historical accuracy. The image of "stars falling like rain" was a factually verifiable phenomenon. Therefore, the *Guliang Commentary*'s principle of "addressing doubt" was the basis for the sage's revision, while the sage's revision served as a judgment on historical inaccuracies and absurdities. One is the foundation, the other the application, together forming the *Spring and Autumn Annals*.

(End of this chapter)