Top Scholar

Chapter 178 Strike when the iron is hot!
In fact, Zhou Qin and Zhu Liu passed the imperial examination in the same year, but Zhu Liu was only eighteen years old at the time and his grades were far superior to Zhou Qin's, so he stole all the limelight.

After that, they went to the capital together for four consecutive examinations, but both returned empty-handed. On their last journey back, they both vowed never to enter the thorny enclosure again and suffer in vain!

Scholars who didn't pursue official careers could only teach. In fact, he had secured a teaching position at Heshan Academy long ago and was determined to dedicate his life to it. Even his later pursuit of the imperial examination was all in the hopes of one day becoming the academy's headmaster.

Zhu Liu had been traveling around studying and doing nothing, which finally made Zhou Shanzhang look at him as an equal, or even somewhat looking down on him.

To everyone's surprise, Zhu Liu became the headmaster of Taiping Academy, and before going to Yongning, he even had a deep talk with the old headmaster. This made Zhou Qin vaguely worried that sooner or later, he would be replaced.

Therefore, he selected the best students from Luzhou and used the best teachers from the academy to nurture them with all his might, all in order to crush Taiping Academy in next year's children's examination.
As a result, Zhu Liu taught in the mountains for a year, and the two students he recommended immediately outperformed the entire school as soon as they entered the classroom... How could Headmaster Zhou bear this?

That's why he was being secretive, not wanting these two students to participate in the rankings immediately... He wanted to wait two or three months, and then mark them with the Heshan Academy's mark.

The old headmaster must have seen through his thoughts, which is why he said those things.

It was meant to reassure him, but also subtly served as a warning.

"Brother Dejia, can you really achieve a breakthrough this time?" Headmaster Zhou couldn't help but ask.

He had very mixed feelings about Zhu Liu's upcoming imperial examination. He hoped that his fellow sufferer would achieve his goal, but he also didn't want to see him pass with flying colors, making himself look too pathetic...

"Yes." Pang Shanzhang pointed to Su Lu's and Zhu Zihe's papers and said, "Didn't you notice that although these two papers have different starting points and arguments, their overall structure and origins are consistent?"

"Yes." Headmaster Zhou nodded and said, "They are all Brother Dejia's outstanding students, so it is normal that they come from the same lineage."

"Since Dejia can teach such a disciple, it shows that his writing has finally broken through the old patterns and reached its peak!" Headmaster Pang said with great satisfaction, "It seems that he has gained a lot from this trip to Taiping Academy!"

"That would be wonderful!" Headmaster Zhou mustered his courage and said, "If Brother Dejia truly achieves his goal of passing the imperial examination as you have predicted, then I would be willing to take over his position at Taiping Academy!"

The executive vice-principal of Heshan Academy was a well-known figure in Luzhou. All the prominent families treated him with utmost respect, and he was expected to offer filial piety on behalf of his children during major festivals and birthdays. As a result, he lived a very comfortable life, enjoying both material and social prestige.

Sending him to serve as the headmaster of a monastery in the middle of nowhere was practically an exile, and could be considered his self-punishment.

"Heh, you're not allowed to go anywhere. Who's going to take care of this place if you leave?" Headmaster Pang shook his head resolutely and said, "You can't just leave an eighty-year-old man like me, can you?"

"Headmaster, I know I was wrong." One cannot lie to a true person, Headmaster Zhou said with embarrassment, "I will immediately re-rank them and promote both of them to Chengxinzhai!"

"Forget it." Headmaster Pang slowly shook his head and said, "Then everyone will know that I slapped you in the face. How will you maintain your prestige in the future?"

"Headmaster..." Headmaster Zhou was moved to tears.

"There's no need for that. I'm doing this for the sake of the academy." Headmaster Pang then smiled and said, "Besides, even if you promote them to Chengxinzhai, will they be able to eat their fill?"

“Indeed…” Headmaster Zhou said dejectedly, “Brother Dejia has already taught me everything I could teach him.”

"Hand them over to me," Pang Shanchang exclaimed in a startling voice.

"The headmaster is going to personally teach them?" Headmaster Zhou looked at the old headmaster in surprise.

"Hehehe..." Pang Shanzhang laughed, "He's excited to see the hunt and can't contain himself."

"Is your health up to par?" Headmaster Zhou asked with concern.

"I don't teach them to study the classics, I just give them some pointers on their writings, how much effort does that take?" Master Pang laughed and said, "I'll just use the time I spend playing chess, and you can have them come an hour earlier every day."

“Yes,” Headmaster Zhou replied. “Then let’s promote them to Chengxinzhai as well, and let them eat as much as they can.”

"No," Pang Shanzhang shook his head and said, "Didn't you read Dejia's letter carefully?"

"I saw it..." Zhou Shanzhang thought to himself, but didn't look closely. As soon as he saw that the shameless guy had broken his oath and gone to take the exam again, he was furious.

We agreed to all slack off together, but he's secretly working hard instead. What kind of jerk is he?! Ugh, despicable! He could at least have said hello...

"You forgot what Dejia said in his letter: that boy named Su Lu has a special ability to help his classmates improve as well." Pang Shanchang smiled and said, "I want to see if he really has that ability."

"Then let's listen to the headmaster..." Headmaster Zhou understood. The old headmaster still hadn't given up on Zhengyizhai and Liu Dachuan and wanted to give them another helping hand.

But frankly, Headmaster Zhou thought the old headmaster was being delusional. How could one pin the hope of saving one class of students on another? If Su Lu had that ability, why would he need to go to school? He could just open an academy!
Old people are like children; they really do become like kids when they get old, always having wild and imaginative ideas…

However, he will resolutely carry out the headmaster's decision...

~~
Back to Su Lu's side, he spent the entire afternoon being bombarded with information by Mr. Gangshan.

Zhu, the top student who had just regained some confidence, was once again crushed into a dejected underachiever... Su Lu also felt a bit strained. He had originally thought that Mr. Gangshan would only teach for half a day, and the amount of material covered would be halved. However, after conserving his energy all morning, Zhu Sanye lectured non-stop throughout the afternoon, covering almost the entire previous day's worth of material...

This is also because the content of the Book of Rites is so rich, there is just so much to talk about!
Mr. Gangshan spent an entire afternoon lecturing on just the five characters "At twenty, one is considered to have reached adulthood" from the Quli chapter!

And it's all solid content, without any fluff...

In addition to explaining "Chen's Commentary on Zheng's Commentary on Kong's Commentary", Mr. Gangshan would also give a lecture on the Book of Rites:

"The capping ceremony is the beginning of the rites. The first of the seventeen chapters of the Book of Rites is the Ceremony of the Coming-of-Age Ceremony for Scholars."

Then he went on to explain in detail that during the coming-of-age ceremony, a scholar would undergo three capping rituals, each step representing the granting of authority—

Upon donning the black cap, he symbolized leaving behind his childhood state and acquiring the basic identity of a scholar. The capping inscription reads: 'On this auspicious day of this month, you don the full robe. Cast aside your childish ways, and embrace your mature virtues. May you live a long and blessed life, enjoying boundless fortune.'

Adding a leather cap, corresponding to "military attire," signifies the responsibility of protecting the clan. The inscription reads: "On this auspicious month and day, you don this garment. Respect your dignity, cultivate your virtue. May you live ten thousand years, and forever receive blessings from the barbarians."

The three-tiered cap and robes, worn by scholars who participated in ancestral temple sacrifices, granted them full aristocratic political rights. The inscription reads: 'In the proper time of year, in accordance with the decree of the month, we are hereby granted this cap. Brothers are all present, to complete their virtue. May they live to a ripe old age, receiving the blessings of Heaven.'

What, you think this is okay? Indeed, if it's just a general understanding, this is about right.

However, Su Lu and Zhu Xuezha are graduate students specializing in the *Book of Rites*, and to apply their knowledge, they must study the specific rituals in detail.

From the preliminary preparations such as choosing the divination date, disciplining guests, and staying overnight with guests, to the date and arrangements for the day before the main ceremony, and most importantly, the main ceremony itself, to the final ceremony of meeting the mother, meeting the guests, and entertaining the guests.

Even special ceremonies, such as the coming-of-age ceremony for orphaned or illegitimate sons, and the substitution of the traditional wine ceremony for the traditional alms ceremony... all the rituals, offerings, attire, costume changes, and blessings must be memorized...

There are thousands upon thousands of knowledge points; listing them all would definitely give anyone a knowledge phobia!
He talked until it was almost dark, and Mr. Gangshan's voice was hoarse from talking. He had only just finished explaining the formal etiquette and hadn't even started on the various informal etiquettes yet...

Then look at Su Lu, his pen tip is worn down from taking so many notes...

Zhu Xuezha even gave up taking notes and only took care of turning the pages and adding ink to Su Lu's notebook, which was the only way he could barely keep up.

"get out of class dismissed..." Mr. Gangshan's voice was too hoarse to speak, so he had no choice but to end today's class.

Looking at the two students who looked completely exhausted, Zhu Zhang chuckled and said, "Now you understand why studying the Book of Rites requires a body as strong as an iron forge, right?"

"Understood..." the two disciples said weakly.

"Sir, is it really necessary to push yourself so hard?" Zhu Zihe couldn't help but ask. "We're young and can handle it. I'm really worried that you'll overwork yourself."

"It's alright," Mr. Gangshan said in a hoarse voice, "It's fine, I can manage if it's just half a day!"

"What the student means is, can we take it slower?" Zhu Zihe said with a bitter face.

"No way," Zhu Zhang said irritably. "Do you want to end up like your ninth uncle, failing the imperial examination for twenty years?"

"If I study like this every day, I don't even know if I can live for another twenty years," Zhu Zihe sighed, then pushed Su Lu and said, "Qiji, say something too."

Su Lu then said, "I would be content with passing the imperial examination."

Before we knew it, little Su had become arrogant. Before, she was content with just passing the lowest level of the imperial examinations...

"If you want to pass the imperial examination, you have to learn like this. Do you think it's easy to pass?" Zhu Zhang snorted. "Besides, you haven't even paid your tuition yet, and you're already being picky!"

“Sir, I brought my tuition fee on my first day, and you refused it!” Su Lu cried out, feeling wronged. “Didn’t you say it was up to me whether you would accept it or not?”

"Is it alright now?" Zhu Zhang said in a muffled voice, "Bring your tuition fees tomorrow and come to perform the initiation ceremony!"

What he saw at Daguantai last night gave Master Zhu a strong sense of crisis. He felt that if he didn't take action to establish a formal relationship with Su Lu soon, this prized horse he had acquired might be snatched away at any time... At least he had personally witnessed the patriarchs of the Wang and Bai families actively recruiting Su Lu.

Who doesn't love a prodigy? In business, there are always gains and losses, and even raising your own children might not produce any talent. But investing in a rising star like this is almost always a sure thing... unless you're like Tang Yin, who was so good at wasting his life even after winning the top scholar title in Jiangnan.

But these are all extremely low-probability events; everyone knows there won't be another Tang Yin. Don't you see how many people invested heavily in Yang Shen, making him famous at such a young age?

There's simply no safer or more profitable deal than this. Although Su Lu's market value can't compare to Yang Shen's, he's already earned the nickname "Little Yang Shen of Luzhou." If you can't invest in Yang Shen, investing in him is a good alternative…

On the way back yesterday, Zhu Jie told Zhu Zhang that they absolutely had to keep an eye on Su Lu, so he couldn't hold back any longer. If it weren't for the fact that they were studying the *Book of Rites*, where etiquette is indispensable, he would have gladly given Su Lu all his money as tuition!
P.S. I'm so sleepy, but there's still one chapter to check, so I need to pull myself together...

(End of this chapter)