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Chapter 261 Thoughts of Mother's Hall, Filial Sons All Weep
The prefect was weeping uncontrollably, and the officials could no longer pretend not to see it. They quickly stepped forward and asked with concern, "Your Excellency, what has happened?"

"Waaah, I'm giving up this official post. I'm going home to take care of my old mother. Hehehe..." Prefect Jia wept uncontrollably, his heart breaking. He had to prop himself up on the table with his hands to keep himself upright.

"Huh? What's wrong with you all of a sudden? Who upset you?" Zuo Er asked hurriedly.

“He…” Prefect Jia raised his finger and pointed tremblingly at Su Lu.

Su Lu was completely stunned and quickly stood up, bowing and listening to the reprimand.

“Don’t take the exam anymore, pack your things and leave…” Magistrate Jia said, sniffling and choking back tears.

"Why?" Su Lu was shocked. We've got some connections, haven't we? Why would they just banish me like this? What divine law have I broken?
"..." All the candidates also raised their heads. In this Minglun Hall, there were more than half of his classmates.

"He's made his father so angry and he still dares to talk nonsense? Guards, throw him out!" Magistrate Lü shouted.

Two ruthless clerks were about to grab Su Lu.

"What are you doing? Don't touch him!" Zhu Zi, Lin Zhihong, and the others shouted.

The two bailiffs, of course, ignored them, but just as their hands touched the hem of Su Lu's robe, they heard the prefect also rebuke them:

"What are you doing? Don't touch him!"

"Stop!" Lu Tongzhi quickly changed his words.

The two constables reacted swiftly, immediately changing their grabbing to brushing, quickly dusting off non-existent dust from Su Lu's shoulders. Otherwise, how could he possibly stand guard before the old patriarch?
"What I mean is that I have already selected you as the top candidate, so you don't need to take the exam again." Only then did Prefect Jia calm down a little and finish his sentence.

"What?!" All the assistants and examinees were stunned. The exam had only been going on for half an hour!

"What's going on here?" Su Lu was also dumbfounded. He had only drafted the first question once, and he hadn't even had time to look at the second question. There wasn't a single word on the answer sheet, not even his name...

"Your Excellency, what exactly happened?" Feng Muyou quickly stepped forward and whispered, "Yesterday we were saying that Magistrate Lu was too reckless, and we shouldn't follow his example. How come we've become even more reckless than him..."

At least Magistrate Lu waited for Su Lu to finish answering the questions, so why did you just read a draft and admit him with a blank paper?

Prefect Lü also advised, "Your Excellency, please reconsider. No matter how talented the candidate is, we must follow the rules to avoid giving others cause for criticism."

Even Su Lu pleaded, "Please, Your Majesty, let the students finish their exams."

He really didn't want to suffer the same treatment again, being talked about behind his back after the first round of the county examination...

"No!" Magistrate Jia shook his head resolutely, carefully picking up the manuscript paper stained with the tears of the two men, and said solemnly:

"This article is filled with all your true feelings, and it is filled with the tears of us two filial sons! How can pure filial piety be embellished? Any further changes you make would be superfluous! You could never copy these tears of filial piety again!"

Upon hearing this, the room fell silent, and no one dared to offer any further advice...

"Yes..." Su Lu had no choice but to obey the arrangement.

"So this is the draft I've chosen!" Prefect Jia declared defiantly. "No, this is no longer a draft, but a great work entitled 'The Difficulty of Finding Color in the Book of Calligraphy'!"

"Not only will this article be placed at the top of the table, but this 'Letter on the Difficulty of Coloring and the Ease' will also be presented to the Censor, the Provincial Governor, and the Grand Master... Our dynasty governs the world with filial piety, and this article is worthy of being included in the 'Classic of Filial Piety' so that it can be passed down through generations and used to educate the children of the world!"

Then he emphasized again: "After reading this article, I made up my mind that I will resign immediately after the provincial examination and return to my hometown to serve my elderly mother. I cannot let her feel as if she has no son. I also do not want to be left with nothing but the sorrow of a fallen tree, and spend the rest of my life weeping!"

"Therefore, everyone need not worry. I will take full responsibility!" After saying this, Prefect Jia let out a long sigh and bowed deeply to Su Lu, saying, "Thank you, young friend, for awakening me from my dream, so that I will not have any regrets!"

"My lord, you flatter me." Su Lu hurriedly returned the greeting.

"Go ahead," Magistrate Jia waved his hand and smiled kindly, "This is what you deserve."

"Yes, thank you for your kind words, sir." What else could Su Lu say? He could only pack up his writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone and prepare to leave.

"Leave your exam paper behind," Prefect Jia instructed again.

Su Lu quickly pulled out the untouched exam paper from the bag, wrote his name on it, affixed the citation, and presented it to the prefect with both hands.

He left the Minglun Hall amidst the shocked, envious, and admiring gazes of the other examinees. A clerk escorted him out…

Su Lu walked calmly behind the clerk, but inwardly he was amazed. He had thought that Magistrate Lu's outrageous actions were the pinnacle, but he never expected that there were mountains beyond mountains and heavens beyond heavens. The prefect's level was much higher than Magistrate Lu's.

His skill was so high that he could only look up to him and dare not imitate him; no wonder he was the prefect...

There's no end to learning! Keep learning, there's so much to learn.

~~
In the Minglun Hall, Prefect Lü coughed and reprimanded the candidates, "If any of you dare to make a sound again, you will be given twenty strokes of the cane and expelled from the examination hall!" The candidates quickly lowered their heads obediently and continued to answer their questions.

Once order was restored in the examination hall, Prefect Lü pointed to the manuscript in the Prefect's hand, unable to resist taking a look out of curiosity. What kind of extraordinary essay could it be that would impress the Prefect so much that he felt a deep longing for his parents and insisted on resigning and returning home?

“Go to the back hall to look. If you cry, it will affect your exam.” Only then did Prefect Jia hand the precious manuscript to Assistant Prefect Lü and whisper, “Don’t let your tears fall on it and ruin this precious ‘The Difficulty of Color’ calligraphy.”

"Yes, yes." Prefect Lü quickly took it with both hands and went behind the screen.

The other Zuo Er also went to the back room, they were all just as curious...

Only Feng Muyou remained, gazing at Prefect Jia with a probing look.

Prefect Jia gave him a reassuring look, indicating that he hadn't lost his mind.

~~
In the back hall, the officers and clerks gathered around the manuscript, listening to Magistrate Lü read it aloud with measured intonation:
"Filial piety is the ultimate regret, but it is too late to repent!"

"Wow! This is a great answer!" As soon as Lu Tongzhi finished reading the first part, the assistants couldn't help but exclaim in amazement. They were also scholars, and after seeing the exam question, they couldn't help but think about how to answer it in a way that would stand out.

I've thought of a whole bunch of ways to break through this problem: direct, indirect, overt, and reverse. But none of them can match this one!
It breaks away from the conventional approach of "quoting scriptures and reasoning" to address the topic, instead employing the extremely rare method of "resolving the topic through emotion," yet directly striking at the core of the issue: "respect and care" and "difficulty in maintaining a pleasant countenance." This immediately provides emotional support for the subsequent reasoning!

By appealing to emotions and convincing with reason, a two-pronged approach is naturally more persuasive and engaging than a typical formulaic essay.

"Previously, I had only seen this kind of exemplary approach to problem-solving, which uses emotion to guide reason and is relevant to the topic and situation, in the prose of great Confucian scholars of the past." Shui Xuezheng stroked his beard and exclaimed in admiration, "I never expected that he would dare to write like this in the eight-legged essay. He is truly fearless like a newborn calf!"

“Indeed, this is much more difficult than simply reasoning. If not handled properly, it will end up being neither fish nor fowl.” Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Let's continue reading," said Lu Tongzhi, continuing the reading:

"...The principle of maintaining a pleasant countenance is subtle, very subtle! The distinction between respect and care is very strict, very strict!"

“Deep love resides within, and gentleness flows outward. A graceful countenance is not a clever adornment, but a sincere expression of filial piety. Therefore, there are three levels of filial piety: ‘The highest is to honor one’s parents, the next is not to disgrace them, and the lowest is to provide for them.’ Providing for one’s parents is the natural duty of a child, and honoring one’s parents is the ultimate expression of filial piety. This is why the sages valued the difficulty of maintaining a dignified countenance.”

"Excellent! Excellent! The principles are so solid!" After listening to Maozi, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They all knew that this was not an article that merely swayed emotions, but rather a serious statement on behalf of the sages, meant to enlighten all beings.

"The meaning of 'the difficulty of maintaining a pleasant countenance' is subtle indeed! The distinction between respect and care is strict indeed!' It truly resembles the teachings of a sage, profound in its concise words." Shui Xuezheng commented admiringly.

"Between breaking down and establishing, 'emotion arises and reason follows,' and emotion and reason are both correct! This article is not at odds with either end, but rather the two ends are extremely well-connected, complementing each other and forming a perfect unity!"

"Yes, indeed," the crowd exclaimed in admiration. "The opening remarks, 'Deep love resides within,' connect to the classic 'Three Filial Piety Stories,' making it a model of moving people with emotion and convincing them with reason."

"Mao Zi's work is so brilliant and reasonable, he truly deserves to be called the number one talent in Luzhou!"

However, many couldn't help but wonder. The essay was indeed exceptionally well-written and of extremely high quality, fully deserving of the top score in the prefecture. But it shouldn't have caused the prefect to weep uncontrollably…

But soon, they found out why.

Then he heard Prefect Lü begin reciting the eight-legged essay:

"In youth, one aspires to travel far; in middle age, one is trapped by worldly affairs. In the past, a man carried rice for a hundred miles, and upon the death of his parents, he would be filled with resentment for the rest of his life; now, one receives a salary at court, yet one's own home is separated by mountains and rivers. Even with sumptuous feasts, it is difficult to buy a smile from a kind face; this is why a man of ambition is heartbroken..."

Upon hearing the latter half, many people's eyes immediately welled up with tears. Lu Tongzhi's voice also became hoarse…

Everyone present was an official serving in a different region, and all of them were minor officials with meager salaries, making it impossible for them to bring their parents to their posts to support them.

Many people haven't been home for eight or ten years, haven't seen their elderly parents. Perhaps only on the day their parents pass away can they return home to observe mourning. But what good is three years of mourning? They are forever separated from their parents, and not being able to see them one last time will still leave them with lifelong regret.

Hearing this, they truly understood what it meant to be a filial son, but the regret was too late!
"In youth, I aspired to travel far; in middle age, I am trapped by worldly affairs..." Someone choked up, feeling that this was the most accurate description of themselves.

"Now I receive a salary at court, but my home is separated from yours by mountains and rivers! Even with sumptuous feasts, I cannot buy a smile from your kind face. This is why a man of noble aspirations is heartbroken!" The Water Academy Master couldn't help but shed tears, saying, "What a painful realization this is..."

Moreover, since they had not been offered a proper meal, their guilt and pain were even greater.

Amidst the somber mood, Magistrate Lü continued reading:

"Alas! Love is fleeting, kindness is deep yet difficult to repay. Illness serves as a warning to preserve one's health, while filial piety emphasizes the importance of respecting and nurturing the mind. Even a smile cannot reveal the subtlety of true sincerity. This is the ultimate expression of filial piety!"

"Alas! The chanting of 'Liao E' has ceased, and I only hear of Zai Yu's grief for his parents; the wind howls through the trees, who can understand the blood and tears of the fish? In the bright mirror of the high hall, I grieve for my white hair, while the traveler, dressed in brocade, is weary on the long road..."

At this point, the Minglun Hall was filled with sobs, and tears fell like rain.

(End of this chapter)