Top Scholar

Chapter 125 Talking in Bed on a Winter Night
After the order fair, the incessant "Erlang's Wine God Song" finally stopped, Taiping Town returned to peace, and Su Lu devoted himself wholeheartedly to his studies.

On the seventh monthly lesson on September 15th, he defeated Zhu Zihe again, achieving a three-peat.

This time, no one was surprised. Even Zhu himself calmly accepted the result, walked up to Su Lu, cupped his hands and said, "Brother Qiji, congratulations on defeating me three times in a row. It's a remarkable achievement."

"You're too kind, my brother. Haven't you beaten me more times?" Although Su Lu was already quite familiar with Xiao Zhu, he still wasn't used to his overly self-conscious way of speaking.

"No, when I beat you, you were too weak to be considered an achievement." The reason why Zhu Zihe was not disliked was because he adhered to the sage's teaching that "a gentleman values ​​sincerity," and was realistic in his dealings with both himself and others.

"Okay..." Su Lu nodded with a wry smile. He couldn't very well say that he didn't have anything to be proud of either, would that hurt him too much?

"Could I have a moment today to ask you for advice on this essay?" Zhu Zihe asked calmly.

"That's easy to say." Su Lu readily agreed, since he was used to it anyway.

Originally, only students from the Sheng Shen Zhai (a school in Shanxi Province) would ask him for advice. After the class was combined to study the Five Classics, students from the other two Zhai also got their chance.

Just as Mr. Zhang had feared, Su Lu would answer every question patiently.

However, it didn't affect his studies as Mr. Zhang had worried. This was because Su Lu was still using the Feynman Learning Technique, which deepened his own understanding of the knowledge points and strengthened his memory while explaining them to others.

Moreover, the peers who haven't been eliminated yet are all quite skilled. So, whenever someone asks him for help, it's usually about difficult points or areas prone to confusion and error. By guiding his classmates, Su Lu can also help himself identify and fill in any gaps in his knowledge.

Many loopholes that he himself was unaware of were plugged one by one through countless consultations and explanations...

~~
The academy continued to teach according to the teaching plan, and by the end of the twelfth lunar month, the course on the Five Classics was completed as scheduled.

Although it was called general education, the teachers did their best to attract as many students as possible, and they still explained the Five Classics to the students in great detail.

Su Lu and his classmates Zhu Zihe and Lin Zhihong, who were more capable in their studies, were able to recite the entire text from memory.

The Book of Poetry contains approximately 39,000 characters, the Book of Documents contains 18,000 characters, the Book of Rites contains approximately 99,000 characters, the Book of Changes contains approximately 24,000 characters, and the Spring and Autumn Annals contains approximately 16,000 characters.

For these scholars, the pressure wasn't too great. Furthermore, Su Lu was also well-versed in Zhu Xi's commentary on the *I Ching* (Zhouyi Benyi), the *Shiji Zhuan* (Shiji Zhuan), the *Yili Jingzhuan Tongjie* (Yili Jingzhuan Tongjie), and the *Shuji Zhuan* (Shuji Zhuan), a commentary on the *Shangshu* (Shangshu) written by his disciple Cai Shen…

Regardless of which school of thought one studies in the future, one will inevitably have to operate within the framework of Zhu Xi's teachings, so this is also a required reading.

Zhu Xi made no writings on the Spring and Autumn Annals, and he often said things like "The Spring and Autumn Annals is difficult to read, and I dare not ask about it in my life" and "I dare not talk about the Spring and Autumn Annals in my life," admonishing scholars not to waste too much time on the Spring and Autumn Annals.

However, Mr. Niu, who teaches the Spring and Autumn Annals, turned the disadvantage into a selling point, saying that it was because the Spring and Autumn Annals was profound and unfathomable, so those who could understand the Spring and Autumn Annals were all geniuses, and the real students of Niu Boyi should choose the Spring and Autumn Annals!
However, considering that he failed the imperial examination again this autumn, this statement is particularly unconvincing...

In short, after five months of study, Su Lu has gained a deeper understanding of the Five Classics and is no longer as confused as before.

He now knows that the Book of Songs cultivates a gentleman's empathy and moral perception through "arousing, observing, gathering, and expressing grievances".

The Book of Documents (Shangshu) is a compilation of ancient historical documents that uses history to convey the Way, focusing on governance and containing the political ideals of early Confucianism.

The Book of Rites is an explanation and summary of the ritual system of the Zhou Dynasty. Its core is to take rites as the framework and construct behavioral norms from personal etiquette to social ethics.

The Book of Changes (I Ching) explains the laws of the universe and human life through the changes of Yin and Yang, and is the philosophical foundation of Confucianism.

The Spring and Autumn Annals is a history of the State of Lu compiled by Confucius. Through the praise and criticism of historical narratives, it established the Confucian standard of moral judgment.

The core of these Five Classics is highly consistent with Confucianism, thus becoming the authoritative basis for Confucianism to explain its ideas.

Furthermore, Confucius personally organized and interpreted these "Five Classics," which is what Sima Qian referred to as "Confucius edited the Book of Poetry and the Book of Documents, revised the Book of Rites and the Book of Music, wrote the Book of Changes, and composed the Spring and Autumn Annals," thus directly establishing their unshakeable status as the Confucian classics.

What? Where did the *Classic of Music* go? Confucianism originally did indeed have the "Six Classics," but the *Classic of Music* was first destroyed by Qin Shi Huang's burning of books and burying of scholars alive. Only a few copies were kept in the Epang Palace, and later Xiang Yu burned them all...

In short, these five classics are the university textbooks of Confucianism! Because each classic is too profound, scholars can spend their whole lives studying them but still cannot understand them. Therefore, one can only choose one classic to study in depth, rather than blindly trying to study them all, or trying to do too much at once.

The imperial examinations of this dynasty required candidates to specialize in one classic, so there was no way a madman could be proficient in all five classics.

However, Su Lu heard from Mr. Zhang that many scholars, for various reasons such as setbacks in the imperial examinations or growing increasingly confused, would switch to another classic text and start studying it anew after many years.

While there are examples of people who thrive when transplanted, most people waste their time and energy, ultimately losing more than they gain.

Mr. Zhang is using this example to warn students that they must be extremely careful when choosing a scripture, and once they have made a decision, they should stick to it to the end, because giving up halfway is really too damaging...

~~
As Mr. Zhang had predicted, the five tutors fiercely competed for Su Lu, each wanting to take this officially recognized "child prodigy" as their disciple. To win this competition, the tutors kept raising their offers: some guaranteed he would pass the imperial examination, some promised to introduce him to renowned teachers, and others offered material rewards. Mr. Niu even stated that if he chose the *Spring and Autumn Annals*, he would marry his daughter to him…

Later, Su Lu learned that Mr. Niu's daughter was already eighteen. But Mr. Niu said, "A woman three years older is like a golden brick," meaning she'd be more caring as she gets older...

This angered the other gentlemen, who cursed the man surnamed Niu for being shameless. Who really got the better deal here?
However, Su Lu followed Mr. Zhang's advice and remained silent.

After entering the twelfth lunar month, the academy began conducting examinations on the Five Classics, which consisted of basic questions and answers as well as short essays. This was not intended to test the students' abilities, because in such a short time, it was impossible for them to have mastered the material.

The main purpose of the test is to determine the student's suitability, and the academy will recommend courses based on the student's performance.

For example, Lin Zhihong was known for his keen and insightful thinking and his ability to explore the most subtle and profound aspects of things, so he was recommended to study the Book of Changes.

Qiao Feng was skilled in textual research and had a solid academic foundation, so he was recommended to study the Book of Documents.

Ma Qianli strictly adhered to etiquette and was skilled at organizing and practicing it, and was recommended to study the Book of Rites.

Su Dan was recommended to treat the I Ching for the same reason.

Cheng Wanzhou was recommended to study the Book of Songs because of his vivid writing, delicate emotions, and empathy.

Li Qiyu and Cheng Wanfan were recommended the Book of Songs for no apparent reason...

This left the two brothers feeling utterly desolate, because it was tantamount to telling them openly that they were incapable of learning anything else.

~~
"Brother, do I really have to choose 'Poetry'?" Cheng Wanfan couldn't sleep at night and asked Su Lu while lying on his bed.

In the dead of winter, with no stove in the dormitory, the students huddled together for warmth, which also provided a perfect opportunity for a late-night chat.

Su Lu huddled under the thick quilt, only his nose and mouth showing, and said, "Every year, the provincial examinations select the Book of Poetry the most. Do those scholars not understand anything else? Moreover, among the Jinshi graduates, the most people study the Book of Poetry. What difference does it make if the top scholar and the third-place scholar are the same?"

“Hey, you’re right, bro.” Cheng Wanfan nodded and chuckled awkwardly, “I just feel pretty embarrassed to be recommended for ‘Poetry’.”

"What's wrong with poetry?" Cheng Wanzhou said unhappily, "I just think poetry is great, it suits me perfectly!"

"Then you're a good match for me!" Li Qiyu's bad temper was cured by 'Little Zhouzhou's' words. "How could I, the Little Li Bai of Tucheng, abandon the Book of Poetry for something else?"

Now only Cheng Wanfan is unhappy...

"And don't underestimate the Book of Poetry," Su Lu continued, "the Master said it's easy to learn but difficult to master, its difficulty lies in its subtlety. Moreover, the 'Three Hundred Poems' represent three hundred different spiritual worlds, encompassing customs, systems, and beliefs from the Western Zhou to the Spring and Autumn periods in different regions. If you can thoroughly understand it, you will undoubtedly be a great scholar."

"In short, none of the Five Classics are undeservedly famous. Mastering any one of them is enough to make you a scholar."

Li Qiyu chimed in, "Did you hear that? It's very profound. Keep learning; there's no end to learning."

"Stop interrupting me." Cheng Wanfan kicked him.

"You're biting the hand that feeds you!" The two then started kicking each other.

"Brother, why didn't I recommend this scripture to you?" Su Dan asked softly.

"I don't know," Su Lu shook his head.

“I know that, and Zhu Zihe doesn’t either.” Tao Cheng said from the other end, “You two are probably the ones being taken special care of, unlike us.”

"Hehe..." Su Lu couldn't be modest at this point, as that would be considered too hypocritical, so he could only laugh it off.

"But which scripture do you want to choose, brother?" Wang Chong asked.

These words immediately piqued the interest of all the students in the dormitory. Even Li Qiyu and Cheng Wanfan stopped their playful banter and craned their necks to listen to Su Lu's choice.

Who wouldn't want to study the same classics as him? That way, they could continue to bask in their adoptive father's grace. Even if they didn't study the same classics, they could still ask Su Lu questions about the Four Books, but there would be no one to guide them on the Five Classics…

In fact, Su Lu was also undecided, so he took the opportunity to sort things out. After thinking for a moment, he replied seriously, "From my personal point of view, I would definitely prioritize books like the 'Four Books,' which have authoritative commentaries. That way, the answer will be more accurate, and I won't panic when I do it."

“Then we can rule out the Spring and Autumn Annals first…” everyone laughed.

(End of this chapter)