Top Scholar

Chapter 109 Choosing a Major is Difficult

After saying that, Mr. Zhu looked at Su Lu with anticipation.

Su Lu was caught off guard and said, "This...this disciple is only learning the Book of Changes for the first time, and he has only heard of the other four classics but has never seen them. It's too early to make a choice now."

“There’s nothing to hesitate about. The Book of Changes is a sacred text of Confucianism, the first of the Six Classics. It is the source of the Great Way and the ancestor of all laws!” Master Zhu tried to persuade him: “It has always been the first choice for the most outstanding students. It would be a waste for a disciple as intelligent and insightful as you not to study the Book of Changes!”

"Yes." Su Lu wasn't so easily swayed, but he said respectfully, "Once I have a complete understanding of the Five Classics, I will definitely choose to follow you, Master, to study them."

Mr. Zhu, being of advanced age, was certainly aware that the right of priority was not binding, so he lowered his voice and said:
"If you study the Book of Changes with me, I can protect you throughout your studies and help you pass the imperial examinations safely..."

"Really?" Su Lu's eyes widened, wondering if it meant "help" or "congratulations".
He grew up on the promises made by capitalists, and he knew that even written contracts were unreliable, let alone verbal promises. So, although he was somewhat tempted, he held back and said he would make a decision at the end of the semester.

“Then you can’t promise someone in advance,” Mr. Zhu said helplessly.

"Yes, disciple guarantees it," Su Lu replied. He thought to himself, "Wouldn't other teachers be like this?"

"Let's go eat." Only then did Mr. Zhu let them go.

"This disciple takes his leave. Please enjoy your meal, sir." Su Lu bowed deeply and took his leave.

"Sigh, this kid is tough to deal with." Looking at his back, Mr. Zhu shook his head in distress. He had wanted to take the initiative and strike first since he was the first to teach class, but he failed.

A heated argument was inevitable.

~~
On the other side, Su Lu quickly passed through the layers of courtyard gates and rushed to the dining hall in the last courtyard of the academy.

The dining hall consisted of five large tile-roofed houses in a row: the teachers' dining hall, the upper dining hall, the middle dining hall, and the lower dining hall. There was also a dining hall for guests, where Scholar Cheng had eaten last year.

As for guards, cooks, gardeners, and other menial workers, they were not allowed to eat in the dining hall and could only make do in the kitchen...

Su Lu entered the dining hall and saw three long tables arranged side by side, one table for each vegetarian meal.

The other two dining halls were sparsely populated, while the table at the Sheng Shen Zhai dining hall was still packed.

"You've finally arrived!" Ma Zhaizhang sat at the head of the table facing the door and gestured for Su Lu to sit in the empty seat next to him.

Su Lu was surprised to find that while the other students in the Sheng Shen Zhai had almost finished eating, his classmates hadn't even touched their chopsticks. He asked in surprise, "Are they waiting for me?"

"Of course!" the classmates laughed. "How dare we eat before the elders arrive?"

"I'm so sorry everyone." Su Lu quickly apologized and clasped his hands in a fist salute, thinking to himself, "Why do I always make people wait for me to eat wherever I go?"
"It's the first day of the gathering, so we should wait until everyone is here before we start eating," Ma Zhaizhang said with a smile. "Let's dig in, everyone!"

The classmates then picked up their bowls and chopsticks to eat. Although they were all very hungry, they sat calmly and slowly, chewing their food without any sign of haste. There was no sound at all when they ate or drank soup, and the chopsticks and spoons made no clattering noise.

After the meal began, no one spoke loudly; the entire meal was quiet, reflecting the refined manners cultivated by poetry and literature.

Well, these guys are just as boisterous when they're eating out, which shows how multifaceted people can be.

In this environment, Su Lu was much more refined than usual, quietly eating his meal while holding his rice bowl. The bowl contained the academy's ever-present coarse rice, accompanied by a dish of stir-fried bok choy and a bowl of glistening winter melon soup.

He often heard his classmates complain about the food at the academy, and seeing it today, he could confirm it was indeed true. No wonder these guys always took the chance to eat out; they were starving!
Even the food his family used to eat was much tastier than this.

Fortunately, my classmates brought their own specialties from home and contributed them all today. There was dark red cured pork, glistening pickled fish, and oily dried chicken strips... More than a dozen small dishes were placed in the middle of the table, instantly making the meal more abundant and delicious.

After finishing his meal and leaving the table, Su Lu asked, "You can't eat like this every meal, can you?"

"Of course, this is the last of our stock. We'll have to eat grass for the next four days," Li Qiyu said with a smile. "But it's worth it to show our filial piety!"

Everyone laughed and said, "Brother, you don't need to listen to him. We'll be eating grass for the last few days anyway."

"Don't expose me, everyone. I still want to move you a little," Li Qiyu said with a sly smile.

“Deceiving one’s parents is false filial piety!” Cheng Wanfan then said, “Do you understand that you must serve your parents with sincerity?”

"Hahaha!" The classmates burst into laughter.

After a brief relaxation and digestion, everyone returned to the classroom to continue their reading. Su Lu, as usual, went to the preparation room to receive special tutoring from Mr. Zhang.

Mr. Zhang was grading the process assignments when he glanced up at him.

As the core of the imperial examinations, the art of writing essays could not be neglected for even a day. However, after half a year of teaching, it was no longer necessary to instruct students in detail or have them practice in class as before.

Mr. Zhang would assign questions after the afternoon Four Books class, collect them early the next morning, grade them during the day, and then assign new questions in the afternoon, repeating this cycle endlessly. He was exceptionally conscientious and responsible, so busy that he didn't even have time for lunch. "You're here." Mr. Zhang glanced at him and gestured with his chin to the food box on the table, saying, "Try the steamed buns your teacher's wife made."

"This disciple is already full, so I won't argue with you, sir," Su Lu said with a smile.

"Didn't you eat at the cafeteria today? You can get a full meal there." Mr. Zhang knew his situation very well.

"Eating more will always make you full." Su Lu's words were becoming more and more philosophical.

"Haha, that makes sense, but I really can't eat it." Mr. Zhang closed his workbook, washed his hands, picked up a golden-brown steamed bun, and said, "I'd rather bring my own lunch."

“My teacher’s wife is a good cook, so of course the master can’t get used to the food,” Su Lu said with a smile.

"If I tell your teacher's wife this, she'll definitely make you something delicious again." Mr. Zhang asked with a smile while eating a steamed bun, "By the way, did Mr. Zhu bother you today?"

“It can’t be called ‘entanglement’ either,” Su Lu said softly. “Mr. Zhu just wanted me to study the scriptures with him.”

"You didn't agree to his request, did you?" Mr. Zhang's expression tightened.

"No," Su Lu shook his head and said, "Firstly, this disciple is not familiar with the Five Classics, and secondly, I haven't asked the teacher yet."

“I’m not a scripture master, so I won’t compete with them,” Mr. Zhang said with a smile, “but you must be careful. Choosing this scripture is like being reborn a second time; if you choose the wrong one, you’ll be in trouble.”

"Is that so?" Su Lu's expression tightened upon hearing this, and he quickly cupped his hands and said, "Please enlighten me, sir."

"You should have heard that the provincial and metropolitan examinations were conducted according to the Five Classics. The thirteen examiners were also divided into sections according to the Five Classics to grade the papers. Among them, the most candidates chose the Book of Poetry, usually in the fourth or fifth section; the Book of Changes was next, in the third or fourth section; then the Book of Documents, in the first or second section; and the least were the Spring and Autumn Annals and the Book of Rites, almost always in the first section, and with fewer candidates."

"Therefore, the competition for popular classics like the *Classic of Poetry* and the *Classic of Changes* is fierce, but there are also many places available. The competition for less common classics like the *Spring and Autumn Annals* and the *Book of Rites* is less, but there are also fewer places available," Mr. Zhang explained.
"There are many intricacies involved here. Choosing the right major and choosing the wrong one can make a world of difference in your chances of being admitted."

"Understood." Su Lu nodded; he was very familiar with choosing a major.

"Furthermore, you can't just focus on which major you apply to for a higher chance of admission; ultimately, it comes down to your academic ability," Mr. Zhang added.

“Studying the classics is much more difficult than studying the Four Books. The Four Books are the foundation of the classics, and studying the classics is a profound field of knowledge… By analogy, the most difficult of the Four Books, the Doctrine of the Mean, is only considered superficial among the Five Classics, of course, the Book of Poetry is not included.”

"I see." Su Lu continued to nod. In fact, the first lesson on the Book of Changes today had already given him a rude awakening.

"Therefore, one must choose a renowned teacher to study the classics," Mr. Zhang emphasized. "Moreover, it must be a renowned teacher; no matter how high their level of expertise, if they are not famous enough, it won't work."

"Why?" Su Lu asked, puzzled.

“The reason is very simple. The Five Classics are characterized by their ancient and obscure language, complex versions, and numerous controversies. Even a simple classic like the Book of Poetry has various schools of thought on its interpretation,” Mr. Zhang said, counting on his fingers: “There are the Zhu Xi school, the archaism school, the reconciliation school, the interpretation school, and so on.”

"..." Su Lu broke out in a cold sweat; this was the situation test-takers dreaded most. He quickly asked in a low voice, "Isn't there a standard answer?"

"Of course, we should follow Zhu Xi's teachings. But as I just mentioned, the Five Classics are too complex, and Zhu Xi couldn't possibly stipulate everything, leaving ample room for different schools of thought to elaborate." Mr. Zhang sighed.

“The differences in viewpoints between different schools of thought are vast. If you study the principles of one school but encounter an examiner from another, you'll be walking right into a trap.”

“Indeed.” Su Lu wiped his sweat and said, “No wonder the first exam is the most important in the imperial examinations. If we only looked at the Five Classics, things would fall apart.”

"Doing well on the short answer questions certainly increases your chances of admission, but don't forget, the top scholar in the provincial examination only comes from the top scorers in the classical examinations; the final ranking is still determined by the long answer questions," Mr. Zhang said calmly.

The questions on the Four Books are called "small questions," while the questions on the Five Classics are called "large questions," which clearly shows the difference in difficulty between the two.

"Therefore, you must find a famous teacher. Famous teachers have many disciples, so the chances of encountering examiners from the same school are greater. Famous teachers have a great reputation and their knowledge is widely recognized. Even if the examiners are not from the same school, they will look at you with more respect and go easy on you, making it easier to pass the test."

"Understood." Su Lu nodded gratefully and asked, "May I ask, sir, which teacher at the academy is considered a renowned master?"

“If you only aim to pass the imperial examination at the county level, our academy’s tutors will suffice. But if you have higher aspirations, to put it bluntly, they won’t be enough,” Mr. Zhang said in a low voice.
"The same goes for the headmaster; his scholarship is certainly sufficient, but he is far from being a renowned teacher."

"Huh? How should the disciple be chosen?" Su Lu was a little confused.

"Don't rush, take your time and think long-term," Mr. Zhang suggested. "Why not find out which famous teachers there are in Luzhou and even Sichuan? Even if you can't find a teacher right now, you can start by studying the basics. Once you've improved your skills and the time is right, you can switch to a famous teacher later."

Su Lu understood; Mr. Zhang was telling him to look for a better option while still having options.

Therefore, the choice of which classic to study depends on the level of your current teacher, rather than on which classic your preferred teacher is teaching you.

But this method sounds so unreliable.
(End of this chapter)