Top Scholar

Chapter 177 The cultural heritage of this province is brewing something big!
At dusk, the setting sun casts its slanting rays upon Bijia Mountain.

Pang Shanchang sat in a rattan chair, gently stroking a myna bird that was entirely black with a golden neck and a striking white spot on the tip of its wing.

"Hello……"

Unfortunately, it was all his voice; the bird remained silent...

"Say something, and you'll get millet to eat!"

"It doesn't understand, Headmaster..." Headmaster Zhou had been waiting by the side for a long time and couldn't hold back any longer.

"Hehe, I know," Pang Shanzhang said with a smile. "I was just expressing my eagerness."

As he spoke, he pointed, and Zhou Shanzhang quickly brought over the birdcage and helped him put the myna back.

"Over the decades, I've raised many mynahs, and every time I wish they would start talking sooner." The fat mountain elder carefully put the millet back into the bowl, even picking off the bits stuck between his fingers.

"But I've found that these things seem to be more difficult to achieve with haste. The more anxious you are, the less likely it is to speak. The more relaxed you are and the slower you take it, the more likely it will suddenly speak one day."

"Is the headmaster teaching me to be patient with students and not to be too hasty?" Headmaster Zhou replied with a look of understanding.

"Hehe, I was talking about raising birds." Pang Shanzhang asked with a smile, "What's the matter?"

"Reporting to Headmaster, the grading of the opening exams at Zhongzhai has been completed." Headmaster Zhou hurriedly and respectfully said in a low voice, "Headmaster, would you like to see a few outstanding works?"

"My eyes are too blurry, I'm not looking anymore." Fat Headmaster, who was good at nothing but slacking off, said, "Read the first one to me."

"Yes..." Headmaster Zhou then took out a stack of examination papers from his left sleeve, cleared his throat, and read aloud: "The order of heaven is bright and clear, like the sun and moon, which cannot be disordered; the integrity of the subject is solemn and dignified, like the illustrious standard, which cannot be surpassed..."

"The celestial sphere and the jade balance align the seven celestial bodies; the rainbow over Huazhu gives birth to a sage ruler. Thus, Yao consulted the four sacred mountains and sought advice from the common people; Shun ascended the imperial throne and reached the heavens..."

"Gao Yao was wise and insightful, Kui Long was a capable and virtuous advisor; both devoted their utmost efforts to assisting him. Duke Shao was as virtuous as the sweet pear tree, and Zhong Shanfu was as gentle and virtuous as the gentle and virtuous ministers."

After patiently listening to the whole thing, Pang Shanzhang couldn't help but smile wryly and say, "Is this Xiaobai's essay?"

"Headmaster is wise and insightful." Headmaster Zhou nodded and said, "This is exactly what Baiyun Mountain did."

"What's so insightful about this?" Pang Shanzhang chuckled. "Only Xiaobai's articles can make me feel like I'm back in the Hanlin Academy just by listening to them."

"Baiyun Mountain's words are full of allusions and his writing is magnificent; he is indeed exceptionally talented..." Headmaster Zhou said with a smile.

“You’re right, but things aren’t like they were forty years ago,” Pang Shan sighed. “The younger generation that’s in charge of the literary world now doesn’t like this style. What they want is the simple, vigorous, and grand style of Qin and Han dynasty writing. What are the children coming to school for? We can’t ruin them.”

"Yes." Headmaster Zhou nodded and said, "Then I'll talk to him later."

He gave a wry smile and said, "Actually, he's actually toned it down..."

“Not enough.” Headmaster Pang shook his head and said, “Tell him that we need to continue to drastically simplify the text. In fact, concise and profound writing requires an even higher level of skill. Otherwise, most of the great writers throughout history wouldn’t have ‘a lot of ideas but few words’!”

"Yes, student, I understand." Headmaster Zhou hurriedly replied, "Then let's lower the price for him this time."

"No rush. Grading must be impartial, especially for these still fragile children. If other essays are not as good as his, there is no reason to demote him." Headmaster Pang shook his head.

"Yes." Headmaster Zhou then read out the top-ranked papers.

After listening, Headmaster Pang smiled wryly and said, "You're quite fair..."

"Yes, these children can take the imperial examination to become scholars now, but Baiyun Mountain might even be able to pass the provincial examination to become a scholar," said Headmaster Zhou. "It's truly like a needle in a haystack!"

"Hehehe..." Pang Shanzhang looked at the red glow filling the sky and smiled without saying a word.

This is a matter of educational framework. Since all students at Heshan Academy were to pass the imperial examinations to become Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations), Headmaster Zhou and the other teachers only required them to pass these exams. They were satisfied as long as students passed enough Xiucai exams in each subject…

But Headmaster Pang thought differently. The competition among scholars within the prefecture, even if all graduates were from Heshan Academy, wouldn't benefit Luzhou in any way. He believed it was essential to cultivate Juren (successful candidates in the provincial examinations) and even Jinshi (successful candidates in the imperial examinations) to contribute to their hometown and perpetuate Luzhou's reputation for cultural and educational prosperity!

Thinking of this, Pang Shanzhang couldn't help but feel ashamed. He wondered what had gone wrong with Luzhou's literary tradition in recent years. It had always been prosperous, with eleven scholars passing the imperial examinations during the Chenghua era! Almost every examination had produced a successor...

The vibrant scene of life and all things flourishing is still vivid in my mind, but how did it turn out like this in the blink of an eye? Since the Hongzhi era, only one person has passed the imperial examination. If this person fails again, there will only be one Jinshi every twenty years. Not to mention comparing with other prefectures in Sichuan Province, we will be far behind Xuzhou next door. How can we still have the nerve to say that our culture and education are thriving?
The old scholar saw this and was anxious, otherwise he wouldn't have returned to teach after many years of retirement, just to preserve the reputation of education in his hometown! But after a few years, he helplessly discovered that while talents can be cultivated in batches, top geniuses are rare and hard to come by.

Han Changli said, "A thousand-mile horse is common, but a discerning eye is rare." His personal experience, however, was quite the opposite. It's true that one should select and nurture talented individuals, but the prerequisite is that you must be able to select true geniuses!
In his view, the most outstanding person from Luzhou in recent years is still Zhu Liu, who repeatedly failed the imperial examinations...

Thinking of Zhu Liu, Headmaster Pang also thought of the two children he had recommended. Zhu Liu's letter was full of praise, especially for Su Lu, whom he referred to as a "fine steed"...

To be honest, he had high hopes for the fine steeds that Zhu Liu had selected from the mountains, but after reading through several lists, none of them met their standards, which disappointed Pang Shanzhang.

But he still asked, "How did those two new kids do on the exam? Will they be able to stay?"

"Yes," Headmaster Zhou said softly, hoping the headmaster would stop there.

"How capable are you?" Pang Shanzhang pressed for an answer.

“They are very capable.” Headmaster Zhou’s voice grew weaker as he said, “I plan to transfer them to Chengxinzhai.”

"Oh?" Headmaster Pang raised his voice slightly. Although he had lived a life of high status, he was used to the intrigues and power struggles in officialdom. He saw through Headmaster Zhou's little scheme at a glance and said, "Could it be that the two of them are exceptionally talented?"

"..." Headmaster Zhou bowed his head and said, "Yes."

"Let me see it." Headmaster Pang stretched out his hand, and Headmaster Zhou had no choice but to pull out two answer sheets from his right sleeve, presenting them with both hands, his face slightly flushed.

Headmaster Zhou picked up the book from the table again, and Headmaster Pang took it and placed it on the bridge of his nose to read Zhu Zihe's copy. His eyes lit up!
He then recited tremblingly: "The imperial seal cannot be bestowed privately, nor can the phoenix seal be accepted in vain!"

"Heaven gives birth to the people, and things exist and rules govern them. The positions of ruler and subject are based on Heaven and Earth! The succession of the virtuous by Yao and Shun depended on the support of Heaven and the people; the revolutions of Tang and Wu also followed the will of Heaven and the people. Private bestowal of favors violates the natural order and disrupts the proper relationship between ruler and subject..."

The old man was exhausted after reading it all in one go, but he was overjoyed and said, "Excellent! This is the masterpiece I've been looking for!"

"The headmaster hasn't looked at the other one yet..." Headmaster Zhou quickly added, "We believe that Su Lu's article is even better."

"Oh?" The old headmaster flipped to another paper, and after reading only two paragraphs, he felt much better after years of eye strain!
He couldn't resist reciting it again. Su Lu's writing borrowed from melodies, possessing a rich rhythm that made it hard not to read aloud.

"Help this old man up." Headmaster Pang wasn't satisfied with reading while seated; he wanted to stand and read as well. "Such a powerful and sweeping text will give you a headache if you read it sitting down!"

Headmaster Zhou quickly helped the old scholar up, and Headmaster Pang's aged yet clear voice resounded throughout Heshan Hall:

"Governing begins with rectifying names; when names are rectified, things will be accomplished. The ruler governs the people on behalf of Heaven, and the ministers assist the ruler in achieving good governance. No one should occupy a position without virtue, nor should one assume a duty without righteousness!"

"...When a ruler treats his ministers with propriety, and ministers serve their ruler with loyalty, but when they do not act with propriety and instead scheme for personal gain, there is constant conflict between superiors and inferiors. How can a nation stand? The ancestral temples are destroyed and the altars of the state are reduced to ruins. This is not because Heaven has forsaken them, but because they have destroyed themselves! Future virtuous rulers will uphold the great distinction between ruler and minister and follow the righteous path of the world, and the foundation of the nation will naturally be secure!"

"Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful!" After reading it, the headmaster seemed to have become ten years younger, his complexion even became rosier, and he laughed heartily:
"I wondered why Luzhou's cultural heritage wasn't thriving. It's not that it isn't thriving; a great flourishing is just around the corner!"

"The headmaster's evaluation is so high?" Headmaster Zhou exclaimed in surprise upon hearing the old headmaster's praise. "While Su Lu's article is certainly fluent and refreshing, it's far from being enough to make him the best writer in the entire prefecture..."

"An article is like a colt; you have to look at its structure! Han Yu said, 'When the spirit is strong, the length of the words and the pitch of the voice are all appropriate.' This spirit is the structure. Liu Zongyuan said, 'When the roots are deep, the branches are flourishing.' This 'root' is the sinews and bones! Look at the writings of the Second Sage; the spirit is like a rainbow, and the sinews and bones are strong. Therefore, although he does not use embellishment, he has been regarded as a model for thousands of years!" The old man's eyes were no longer blurry, and his spirit was no longer weak. He spoke at length with great interest:
"Therefore, those who write well must first establish the foundation: clarify the meaning and principles, correct the rules of composition, and connect the flow of energy. This is the foundation! Once the foundation is solid, then polishing the words is nothing more than a matter of painstaking effort. It is like a fine steed born with a spirited spirit, which, with fodder and a saddle, will naturally travel a thousand miles a day; but if it is weak and sickly, even if it is fed with beans and wheat and adorned with golden bridles, it will ultimately be unable to carry heavy loads and travel far!"

Old Hanlin hadn't been this excited in years. After speaking, he plopped back down in his rattan chair, panting heavily, but still managed to ask, "Both of these children's essays are better than Baiyunshan's. Why didn't you show them to them from the beginning?"

"This..." Headmaster Zhou had already prepared his explanation and hurriedly said, "Because others have an opening exam, while they have an entrance exam. Although they are taking the same exam, they are two different things."

"You..." Pang Shanzhang smiled, not making any further comments, and simply said, "Don't worry, Dejia will definitely pass the imperial examination this spring."

Although Headmaster Pang didn't utter a single word of reproach, Zhou Qin's face flushed crimson, and he wished he could disappear into the ground. Because the old scholar had touched upon his deepest concern…

(End of this chapter)