Top Scholar

Chapter 202: Abnormal Celestial Phenomena
After dinner, Su Lu returned to his study and first read Magistrate Lu's letter.

Magistrate Lu called him back for two things. One was to celebrate Zhu Liu's passing the imperial examination. Although, strictly speaking, Headmaster Zhu had neither lived nor worked in Hejiang County... Taiping Academy was located in Yongningwei, but the county was in charge of Yongning's education, and Magistrate Lu had even inspected it in person.

Although he developed hemorrhoids and regretted it deeply on the way to the inspection, Lu Zhaoye is now extremely grateful and believes that the trip to Taiping Town was the wisest decision he ever made!
Not only did they discover a child prodigy and gain divine skills, they also developed a friendship with a divine being who had passed the imperial examination!
Now, even if Magistrate Lu is shameless, he has to solidify and promote this friendship! To this end, he brazenly erected a memorial archway for Zhu Liu on the main street outside the county school...

Moreover, it demonstrated exceptional execution capabilities—while the archway in the prefecture was still under carving, the one in the county was already completed!

Just then, Prefect Jia accompanied Military Governor Huang on his inspection tour of Hejiang, and he had already extended a sincere invitation to the two officials to attend the unveiling ceremony.

But since it was ultimately a forced appearance, Lu Zhaoye was still somewhat uneasy, so he needed to have Su Lu, Zhu Liu's prized student, attend as well to give him face. Of course, it would be even better if Su Lu could invite one of the Zhu family patriarchs to attend the unveiling ceremony.

The request wasn't unreasonable, and Su Lu naturally complied. He had been training his troops for a thousand days to use them for one; it was time to repay Magistrate Lu.

Furthermore, the reason why Prefect Jia and Military Commissioner Huang went to the county was because the implementation of the phonetic symbols in Hejiang County had been unexpectedly successful... According to the report of Magistrate Lu, by the end of March, all 12,000 children in the county's two garrisons and two hundred community schools had mastered all the phonetic symbols!
Magistrate Lu even made the outrageous claim that all the children in the county could read all the characters in a phonetic textbook without a teacher!

Upon receiving the report, Prefect Jia was greatly encouraged. He had invested money in this project and originally thought it would be good if it could be completed this year. Who would have thought that it would be completed in just three months?

The results were so outstanding that even Magistrate Jia found it hard to believe. Although he believed that a seasoned magistrate like Lu Zhaoye would not fabricate a story just to create a big news event, Magistrate Jia still needed to see for himself to be at ease.

Huang Bingxian had previously expressed interest in this matter, so Prefect Jia invited him to go and inspect it together.

As the inventor of the phonetic symbols, Su Lu would naturally have to be present at the event...

~~
As for Huang Ehuan's book bag, Su Lu always waited until the end of the day's study before opening it for a closer look.

Firstly, it was late at night, and his father and brothers were already asleep, so no one would see him make any contorted movements or expressions. Secondly, it was a good opportunity to relax his tense nerves.

Furthermore, he also used this to strengthen his willpower... If he can't even resist this little temptation, how will he face greater challenges in the future?!
At midnight, Su Lu finally finished a day of intense study. He let out a long sigh, adjusted the lamp wick, shifted to a more comfortable position, untied the three-colored silk ribbon on his book bag, and took out the twelfth volume of "Wang Gong's Collected Works".

He quickly flipped through the pages, and a pine-colored proofreading sheet with a subtle fragrance came into view.

This is a text message Huang E wrote to him. Ever since Xiao Tiantian started studying with her, she has become a secret bridge between the two, delivering letters back and forth between them.

Most of the time, it was Huang E who was asking him for advice.

The initial questions all stemmed from the *Chronicles of Huayang*, such as the book's description of the jade from Wenshan as "shining upon heaven and earth," and whether the elder brother knew its secret.

"It is often said that in Badong there was a county called Yufu, whose capital was in the old city. Gongsun Shu renamed it Baidi City. However, the book does not explain the reason for the name change. I hope my elder brother can enlighten me."

Why does the fire well in Shu County never go out, even after so many years?

And so on and so forth, a wide variety of answers... Fortunately, Su Lu possessed hundreds of years more knowledge than her, enabling him to answer each one in turn:
"The jade from Wenshan contains luminescent minerals such as fluorite and apatite. After being exposed to sunlight during the day, it emits a soft glow at night, resembling a bright pearl."

'Gongsun Shu used the auspicious white vapor from the well as a pretext, claiming it was the reincarnation of the White Emperor, to plot his ascension to the throne; hence the name Baidi City (White Emperor City).'

'The earth's veins contain flammable gas, which escapes through cracks, thus burning for a long time without going out. It can be channeled through bamboo tubes, which is beneficial for the salt-making industry.'

In fact, Huang E didn't expect Su Lu to be able to answer all the questions at first. But after discovering that Su Lu was knowledgeable in astronomy and geography, and had a vast knowledge of ancient and modern times, the questions he asked about spread like wildfire, no longer limited to the "Chronicles of Huayang"...

Su Lu was a graduate student in the field of rites, and Huang E would consult him whenever she encountered problems in this area. The other day, she copied an ancient painting and, using delicate, flower-shaped calligraphy, inquired: 'The carriage decorations in the painting contradict the records in the *Treatise on Carriages and Clothing*. Is this a mistake by the painter, or were the rites of the previous dynasty altered?'

Needless to say, riddles and puzzles were commonplace in the letters, such as: 'A craftsman is casting a square cauldron. The base is five feet square, the height is eight feet, and the walls are three inches thick. How much molten copper is needed to pour it in?'

Poetry was naturally a key focus. Huang E would sometimes copy down lines of ancient poetry to discuss with Su Lu. For example, Wen Tingjun's "Lazy to rise and paint her eyebrows, she lingers over her makeup and dressing," this line doesn't explicitly mention sorrow, yet the entire page is filled with it—what kind of writing technique is this?
They would also send over a couplet of their newly composed poems: "In the small courtyard, banana leaves sway in the autumn rain; in silk robes, on jade mats, in the cool of autumn." They would ask Su Lu to comment on it and help them complete the second and third lines.

Su Lu then directly replied, "My longing has nowhere to go, the moon rises above the willow branches..."

This made Huang E blush shyly, and she replied, "Stop acting like a brat, or you'll be embarrassed!"

A few days later, however, he enthusiastically delivered another couplet: "The orioles sing noisily outside the curtain, the ink on the desk is not yet dry." He then asked him to help write another couplet...

~~
Su Lu had assumed today would be another day of poetry recitations, or math riddles and similar games.

But when he picked up Xue Tao's paper, he was horrified to see that Huang E had used snail-shell ink to meticulously sketch a terrifying star map—

Within the Purple Palace Enclosure, the imperial star, dotted with gold powder, was dim and lacked luster, its radiance flickering like nine banners hanging down!

In the direction of Taiwei Enclosure, the crimson flames of Yinghuo occupy the three stars of Tianzun, their scarlet light seemingly about to devour the entire star enclosure!

Even more strikingly, Venus transformed into a white rainbow, piercing straight through the Huagai Star Official, a symbol of heavenly might, with shattered stars appearing like broken glass...

These scattered scenes are quite unsettling, a stark contrast to Huang E's usual warm and playful style...

Although Su Lu possessed the world's most extensive astronomical knowledge, he knew little about astrology. This was normal, as it was the exclusive domain of the Imperial Observatory. While scholars and officials were all enthusiastic about it, it was something that would never be tested in examinations, so Su Lu naturally didn't put much effort into it…

The little bit he knew came from what Mr. Gangshan had told him as background knowledge when he taught the relevant rituals.

Fortunately, Huang E also provided a detailed explanation. However, her usually relaxed and leisurely small regular script, with its delicate strokes, became tense, revealing her nervousness at the time.

"Last night, having nothing to do, I gazed at the starry sky and saw Mars hovering over the heavens, its crimson flames devouring the sun, while Venus transformed into a rainbow, shattering the heavenly canopy. Though not the ominous signs of 'guarding the heart' or 'traversing the heavens' described in the *Book of Celestial Offices*, the ominous intent is still evident. I have also heard that 'star changes are warnings concerning the nation,' but my knowledge is insufficient to interpret this omen. Elder brother, you are learned; may I ask what calamity this signifies? Will there be a great upheaval in the world? I hope you will reply quickly and enlighten me!"

Not only were there many more words than usual, but the tone was also extremely stern...

Su Lu could understand why Huang E was afraid, because the Book of Heavenly Officials said:

'Taibai Jingtian, the world revolutionizes politics; Yinghuo guards the heart, the Lord's destiny must be fulfilled! '

It also has the added omen of "the Emperor Star dimming," a triple celestial change, which is definitely a very ominous sign, the kind that terrifies people.

No wonder Huang E was afraid, hoping that her all-knowing, all-knowing brother could help her understand...

Su Lu couldn't help but smile wryly. How would I know anything about this? He then honestly picked up his pen and replied:
"I have little knowledge of astrology; I will consult the old abbot tomorrow before giving a reply."

After thinking for a moment, Su Lu added two more words of comfort:

"My dear sister, please don't worry. The Ming Dynasty will last forever, and we can enjoy peace and prosperity."

Then, blow the ink off the written manuscript, insert it into Volume Thirteen of "Wang Wengong's Collected Works", put the book into the book bag, and re-tie the tricolor rope.

Then he blew out the light and went to bed.

~~
That night, for the first time, Su Lu did not sleep soundly through the night to the sound of his second brother snoring.

He had a nightmare all night, dreaming that the emperor was dead, eunuchs and secret police were running rampant, and all his wonderful plans had fallen apart.

Forget about passing the imperial examinations for scholars or officials; his whole family was living in constant fear. They desperately defended Erlangtan against the siege of the Duzhang barbarians and the Shengmiao people, but in the end, the entire clan was wiped out in a raging fire...

Startled, he let out a cry and sat up abruptly.

"What's wrong? Why are you so startled?" Su Youcai, who was sleeping beside him, was also startled awake. He opened his sleepy eyes and said, "Is that Qiu-ge'er? What's wrong? Did you dream that you failed the imperial examination?"

"Qiu-ge'er, what's wrong?" Su Tai helped Su Lu up, wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve, and asked with concern, "Where do you feel unwell?"

"No, no." Su Lu waved his hand and said with a wry smile, "I did have a very, very bad nightmare."

"I'm hungry too, but luckily breakfast is coming soon," Su Tai said with a smile.

"Don't worry, dreams are the opposite of reality." Su Youcai yawned, turned over, and went back to sleep.

"It's alright, brother. You can sleep a little longer," Su Lu said softly to Su Tai, glancing at the faint light of dawn outside.

"Mmm," Su Tai responded, then lay down and fell asleep, soon snoring again.

Su Lu couldn't fall asleep anymore. He opened his eyes and stared at the roof beam, wishing it had just been a nightmare.

But unfortunately, it's very likely not...

Although he didn't know the exact year, he knew that some things were destined to happen, and that this wonderful era of peace was about to end.

Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do but watch it happen while praying that it wouldn't disrupt my normal life.

The capital and Luzhou are thousands of miles apart, so there shouldn't be any impact... right?

Since he couldn't sleep, Su Lu didn't force himself to lie down. He got up, dressed, went to the courtyard, drew a bucket of well water, and plunged into it to clear his head.

The bubbles bubbled and gurgled, and the refreshing coolness dispelled the restlessness and anxiety in Su Lu's heart.

When he raised his head, water droplets dripped down his hair and chin, but his eyes brightened again, and his mind gradually cleared.

Since there's nothing we can do to change it, why worry unnecessarily? Just focus on doing what needs to be done in the present moment...

(End of this chapter)