Top Scholar

Chapter 113 Su Chui
While the students were taking their exams, Magistrate Lu went back to his room to "handle some official business."

He slept until... well, he was busy until the sun was almost setting before he reappeared in front of everyone.

After being busy for half the afternoon, he actually felt much better. Isn't that amazing?
However, he still walks with a limp, like a big monkey.

After he slowly sat down on the soft, hollow armchair, the servant brought out tea again, and Zhu Liu and Qian Huai Ren then presented the examination papers.

The latter, possessed by a sycophantic air, praised it highly: "The county magistrate's three questions are truly ingenious, especially the questions for the upper and lower chambers. The upper chamber tests their basic knowledge, reminding them to be down-to-earth and to ensure the growth of a tall tree by strengthening its roots; the lower chamber tests them with questions on building structures, reminding them to guard against arrogance and impetuosity, for they do not know that even Mount Tai is high, and there is still heaven above Mount Tai."

"Huh?" Magistrate Lu was stunned. Only after his advisor reminded him did he realize that despite all his precautions, he had still made a fool of himself—giving the question for the upper hall to the lower hall, and vice versa.

He thought about it for a moment and then remembered what had happened. Last night, he had been treated to a meal by Li Baihu, and the wine there was surprisingly delicious. He couldn't resist having a few too many drinks, and when he was helped back to his room, he found that one of his drinks had turned into three.

While drinking the hangover soup, his advisor presented him with three questions to be prepared. After reviewing them, he felt there were no problems and put the letter back in the envelope.

He must have been pretending to be drunk!

Thinking of this, he glanced resentfully at Li Baihu, who was sitting next to him, and wondered if this crude and uncouth man was getting in my way.

Upon seeing this, Li Baihu quickly broke into a genuine smile, responding to the magistrate's admiring gaze.

Magistrate Lu abruptly withdrew his gaze, feeling that even looking at him was unlucky.

But since things had come to this, there was nothing that could be done but err on the side of caution. Magistrate Lu glanced gratefully at Old Qian, thinking to himself, "He truly is a seasoned lackey." He then coughed and said:

"Indeed, considering that your students are so outstanding, ordinary questions would certainly not be difficult for them, and might even encourage arrogance. So I came up with a slightly different approach, focusing on admonition rather than testing, hoping they can understand my good intentions."

"Your Excellency has truly gone to great lengths! We will certainly convey Your Excellency's admonition to every student!" Zhu Liu said, pinching his nose and bowing.

"Very well, Headmaster Zhu, please have a seat. Let's review the papers together," Magistrate Lu said happily. Whether genuine or feigned, Zhu Liu certainly gave us plenty of face!
"Yes." Zhu Liu then sat down next to Magistrate Lu, and Qian Huai Ren placed the three examination papers side by side on the tea table between the two of them.

"Considering that Your Excellency is busy with official duties and is not feeling well, we have taken the liberty of selecting a few pieces first. The top few pieces on each stack are those that we personally consider to be relatively outstanding works," Zhu Liu introduced softly. "Please forgive us for overstepping our bounds, Your Excellency."

Of course, interpersonal relationships were inevitable; for example, Ma Qianli and Li Qiyu's papers were also included in the list of excellent student works in the lower study...

"Ah, Brother Dejia, you flatter me. This is all your kindness towards me." Magistrate Lu felt respected and even flattered here, and the irritability caused by the long journey and his hemorrhoids naturally disappeared. He said in a friendly tone, "Don't I believe in your abilities? Come, let's take another look together."

After saying that, he picked up a test paper and started reading it, shaking his head and looking at it.

~~
As Zhu Liu said, how could Magistrate Lu possibly read through all one hundred-plus examination papers? Even if he was mentally able to, his body wouldn't allow it.

So Magistrate Lu only glanced at the exam papers from the upper hall... They were all graduating students, what was so interesting about doing such simple questions? He would summon them later according to the academy's arrangements.

He focused his attention on the only essay in the Central Hall that hadn't made any mistakes. After carefully reading several essays, he exclaimed with delight, "Excellent! Taiping Academy truly is a place where hidden talents abound! These essays would be more than enough for the county exam; they could probably even pass a Grandmaster's exam!"

"Your Excellency is too kind. These young men are still far from ready," Zhu Liu said modestly. "We will have to trouble Your Excellency to give them a little extra help!"

“Of course. This county has the responsibility to educate and nurture talents,” Magistrate Lu stroked his beard and smiled. “Moreover, to nurture talented people is truly a joyous thing in my life.”

He then instructed his staff to record the students who ranked high in the upper and middle sections of the examination hall. If the county examination were to be held soon, these students would naturally receive preferential treatment.

But there's still a year and a half until the next county examination, and I wonder if the county magistrate will still remember this matter by then.
But at least for now, both the hospital and Magistrate Lu are enthusiastically involved in this talent recommendation and selection activity.

Magistrate Lu finally turned his attention to the lower study room, intending to glance at it briefly as he had done for the upper study room before quickly finishing the grading... The questions were too advanced; what could they possibly test?
But the first exam paper he saw after the meal captivated his attention.

Although Magistrate Lu had limited formal education, he had been presiding over the county examinations for over ten years, and his eye for grading papers had long been honed. With just a glance, he could tell that this was a good essay...

He picked it up and examined it closely; the concise eight-character explanation immediately caught his eye:
"Benevolence is rooted in sincerity, while superficiality and hypocrisy lead to ruin—well done! The word 'sincerity' connects the two parts closely and precisely elucidates the teachings of Confucius and Mencius! This is a solid and accurate answer! Who says that students in the lower halls of study can't answer questions?"

“Indeed,” a fellow advisor chimed in, “Just as the Master said, this small academy is full of hidden talents!”

"This student does indeed have a strong aptitude," Headmaster Zhu said with a smile, "but he's at most a rough diamond. He's only been studying composition for a little over half a year, and there's still much he needs the magistrate's guidance in." "What? He's only been studying composition for less than a year?" Magistrate Lu and his advisor were both taken aback, and quickly continued reading:

"Sincerity is the foundation of benevolence; when filial piety and brotherly love arise from within, the foundation is firm. Falsehood is the worm that rots benevolence; when cleverness and flattery adorn the outside, the root withers."

"Benevolence begins with filial piety and brotherly love, and filial piety is rooted in sincerity. Love for one's parents arises from nature and cannot be genuine without sincerity; the norms of human relations reside in the heart and cannot be manifested without truth. To abandon one's true nature and adorn oneself with empty words, to violate the norms of human relations and put on a pretentious facade, is to abandon the essential and pursue the trivial. How can benevolence be established under such circumstances?"

"Good, good, good..." Magistrate Lu said "good" more than a dozen times. After reading the title, he couldn't help but look at Zhu Liu and say, "You're saying this child has been writing compositions for less than a year?"

“His master, Mr. Zhang, can attest to this,” Zhu Liu said, pointing to Zhang Yanqiu, who was sitting below in the hall.

Zhang Yanqiu hurriedly stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Excellency, this student is named Su Lu. When he entered school in the first month of the lunar year, he didn't even know what a 'breakthrough question' was. I gave the students the simplest question, 'Filial piety and brotherly love are the foundation of benevolence,' and asked them to practice writing. As a result, he handed in a blank paper."

"Oh?" Magistrate Lu immediately perked up, his eyes shining. "Isn't this the legendary child prodigy? Has it finally been my turn to strike it rich?"

“He’s already fourteen years old; calling him a child prodigy is a bit of a stretch.” Zhang Yanqiu always speaks the truth.

"No, no, no. He was at least twelve years old, wasn't he? Wasn't he a child prodigy when he was twelve?" Magistrate Lu sat up straight, his expression contorted, and hissed as he gasped for breath.
"Take the eldest son of Grand Secretary Yang, for example. He became famous at the age of twelve and has been so for six years now, and everyone still calls him 'Prodigy Yang'."

The argument was quite rigorous, and everyone in the hall naturally agreed.

Mr. Zhang thought to himself, "My student was still farming at home when he was twelve. How can Yang Shen compare?" He then sighed insincerely, "It's a pity that the child only started his formal education at thirteen, and only began studying the 'Three Hundred Thousand' a hundred days before applying to the academy."

"Isn't that even more amazing? What else could it be but a child prodigy?!" Clearly, Magistrate Lu was determined to unearth a child prodigy from these mountains.

The aide chimed in, "What's amazing is that the first question Zhang gave this child was exactly the same as the question Dongweng gave him. It seems there's a divine arrangement at play!"

"You know what, it really is!" Magistrate Lu was even more excited now, no longer feeling the pain. He slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed, "The question I gave him was 'Is it the essence of benevolence?' and my friend Zhang also gave him the question 'Is it the essence of benevolence?' It's truly a match made in heaven, and it's no wonder that I have this child prodigy!"

Everyone was full of admiration upon hearing this; how could someone notice such a tricky angle! No wonder this Mr. You was able to squeeze out Dean Qian.

"Congratulations, sir! This trip has been worthwhile!" You Muyou said, bowing with his hands clasped in congratulations.

"Hahaha, what did I tell you? What you keep in mind will surely come to pass! Sincerity can move mountains!" Magistrate Lu laughed excitedly. Not to mention the students in the academy, even Mr. You had never heard him laugh like that before.

After laughing, Magistrate Lu hissed and gasped, then asked Mr. Zhang, "What's this child's name? What's his background? What's special about him?"

"Your Excellency, his name is Su Lu. He comes from a local military household. His family was poor, so he started school a little late." Mr. Zhang then said seriously, "After enrolling, to save money, he traveled twenty miles round trip along the mountain road to and from school every day, rain or shine. He ate sorghum cakes that he brought from home every day and used ink sticks made from pine soot by his brother..."

“Indeed, that child’s family was quite poor.” Headmaster Zhu nodded and said, “Before he enrolled in school, there was no paper, so he collected banana leaves from the mountains, boiled and dried them, and used them to write.”

"Such harsh conditions did not hinder his progress. In just six months, he went from being last in the class to first in the entire school!" Headmaster Qian quickly exclaimed in admiration.

He can now be considered a 'Su fan' (a derogatory term for Su Shi), and no longer blindly supports 'Zhu Xijin' (a derogatory term for Zhu Xi).

"Oh dear, this child has had a truly difficult life. Hearing his story is like reading 'Preface to Sending Ma Sheng of Dongyang Off' all over again. I hope he can achieve the same success as Song Longmen in the future!" Magistrate Lu was so moved that he burst into tears, took out a handkerchief to wipe his eyes, and said:
“Brother Dejia, I must criticize you. Although the story of ‘a poor family's son pursuing education’ is inspiring, such a talented person should be cherished. How can the academy be so wasteful?”

"Hehe, Your Excellency, you may not know this, but what I just said is all ancient history." Headmaster Zhu hurriedly explained with a smile, "The academy has already given that child his tuition and living expenses. He is now living and eating at the academy just like the other students."

"That's more like it." Magistrate Lu then let Zhu Liu go and said to Zhang Yanqiu, "Friend Zhang, please continue."

"What the student wants to say is that this child's intelligence and wit are secondary; the most important thing is that he has a kind heart!" Zhang Yanqiu came prepared today, determined to give Su Lu a great performance.

"Oh? This matches the question we set again!" Magistrate Lu perked up again and said excitedly, "Great! Talent without virtue is no good. Only those with both virtue and talent can become pillars of society!"

As he spoke, he warmly invited Zhang Yanqiu to sit closer and said, "Friend Zhang, please sit closer and tell me in detail. What makes you say that?"

(End of this chapter)