Top Scholar

Chapter 263 State Case Head

Mr. Zhang and Instructor Hai's reaction was: "Here we go again..."

"Why say 'again'?" The teacher at Heshan Academy was unaware of the strange tale that had occurred in Hejiang.

"During the county examination, the magistrate only took half of the first round before appointing Hongzhi as the top scorer." Mr. Zhang said with a helpless expression, "I thought the magistrate was already outrageous enough, but I didn't expect my great-grandfather to be even more outrageous."

"Yes, last time at least it was already afternoon before Mr. Su finished all the papers." Instructor Hai shook his head and sighed, "This time, it's only morning, and he's already won the top spot in the state examination after just drafting a draft..."

This isn't helplessness; it's clearly showing off.

Fortunately, the teachers at Heshan Academy also treated Su Lu as one of their own. If people from the other two counties had heard this, they would have probably cursed him horribly.

"Hongzhi, what kind of article did you write that made the master so impatient?" Mr. Liu asked curiously.

The other gentlemen also looked at Su Lu.

Su Lu didn't want to mention that article again, and forced a smile, saying, "I guess you'll see it soon."

Everyone then noticed that although he had only been there for a very short time, he looked exhausted, clearly having expended a great deal of energy.

"Alright, alright, you can rest for a while." Headmaster Zhou said attentively, "Our academy has carriages, would you like to get in and lie down?"

"It's not that bad." Su Lu waved his hand.

"Then I'll send a car to take you home?" Headmaster Zhou said warmly.

"No need, I'll wait for my father and brother." Su Lu thanked him, "Thank you, Headmaster, I'm fine."

Then they followed Mr. Zhang and Instructor Hai back to the teahouse.

Hai Jiaoyu rinsed another teacup and prepared to pour him water, but Su Lu shook his head and took out a tin kettle from the examination basket.

"I haven't even had a sip yet." Su Lubo pulled out the stopper and took a sip of the mint and plum water that his godmother had made.

He laughed and said, "I'm not showing off."

“Everything you say now is just showing off,” Mr. Zhang couldn’t help but laugh. “So let’s talk about something else.”

Su Lu glanced at Mr. Zhang, then at Hai Han, and asked softly, "What's wrong? Is there a problem with the community school that opened last year?"

"Huh?" Instructor Hai was dumbfounded. "Did the Master tell Mr. Su about this?"

"No." Su Lu then smiled at Hai Han and said, "I saw that you were hesitant to speak, and our teacher was changing the subject, so I guessed that you must have something on your mind. And this is the only thing that can be related to me."

"You're a really clever and insightful guy," Mr. Zhang exclaimed.

"Stop, stop, that's bad luck, sir." Su Lu quickly said with a smile, "I don't want to become Bi Gan."

I thought to myself that being like Bick would be more like it.

"Do you have a solution?" Mr. Zhang asked.

"Tell me about the situation first," Su Lu said to Hai Han.

Haihan then repeated what he had said before.

After listening, Su Lu asked, "One hundred and twenty community schools, nearly ten thousand children out of school... Have you said these things to the magistrate?"

“Yes, of course I said so,” Hai Han said dejectedly. “But the master said that they wouldn’t have been able to go to school anyway. Now that they’re being given a year to go for free, and they’ve learned quite a few characters, that’s enough. So we should thank him, not complain about him.”

"Truly self-consistent..." Su Lu shook his head and chuckled, but no matter how others evaluated the magistrate, he couldn't say a single bad word about Magistrate Lu.

"The magistrate has made up his mind, but the children will be out of school." Hai Han sighed. "Of course, I understand. The prefecture didn't allocate any funds this year, so the county has to pay for all two thousand taels of silver. The county spent too much money last year, so it's bound to be strapped for cash this year..."

As he spoke, he looked at Su Lu with hope and said, "But no matter what, it's too cruel to give people hope and then take it away. These kids should at least be allowed to study for another two years."

He has lowered his expectations to the bare minimum...

"Brother Hai, don't worry," Su Lu patted Hai Han's shoulder and whispered, "Don't worry, if nothing unexpected happens, things will have changed when you go back."

"What do you mean?" Haihan asked, puzzled.

"It's a secret that can't be revealed," Su Lu said, keeping everyone in suspense. "Don't worry. If I'm wrong, I'll definitely find another way to help you."

“Alright…” Hai Han nodded with some doubt. He had only sought out Su Lu as a last resort, so he couldn’t force him.

The three chatted for a while longer before the academy gates opened again.

Everyone craned their necks to see who had come out, only to see two rows of clerks dressed in brand-new uniforms. The two in front carried signs for silence and examination flags, while the ones behind carried various colored flags, all with specific meanings.

"The results announcement has arrived," Hai Jiaoyu and Mr. Zhang said in unison.

The others in the teahouse laughed and said, "How could that be? The exam has only just begun..."

Before the words were finished, the officials from the state school and the water conservancy school came out carrying a red notice, followed by four clerks, each carrying glue, a lead weight, a stool, and other items... "They really are going to post the notice." The officials outside the teahouse were all curious and came out to follow them to see.

Mr. Zhang and Instructor Hai were no exception, but they saw Su Lu sitting there motionless.

"You didn't go when the results were posted?" Mr. Zhang said, pulling Su Lu along.

"No, I don't want to be scolded in person." Su Lu shook his head, still shaken by what happened on the second day of the second lunar month.

"Sigh, alright, I'll go check for you." Mr. Zhang was also at the scene that day.

Thinking about it, it's true that it's better for Su Lu not to show up.

~~
The intersection of Xuegong Street was packed with people, and family members accompanying their children to the exams were all stopped there, creating a noisy scene resembling a bustling market...

Although they couldn't offer much help, the family members were unwilling to leave, as if not staying outside wouldn't demonstrate their respect for the exam.

Not only were the proprietress, Xiao Tiantian, Su Youma, and Steward Tian all there, but even the young masters and ladies of the Zhu family couldn't escape the custom... Of course, they were there to accompany Zhu Zigong and Zhu Zihe during their exams.

But Athena Chu was clearly different; after arriving in the morning, she didn't even glance at her two younger brothers.

Miss Zhu got up very early, dressed in her finest attire, just so she could give Su Manfu a beautiful bow and say, "Good luck on your exam, senior brother."

Then they served up their own carefully baked flower cakes...

Su Man politely accepted the food, but there was absolutely no way she would put it in her mouth. This junior sister was acting crazy; who would be responsible if she got sick from eating it?
Miss Zhu was very happy that he accepted it. She watched Su Man's figure disappear into the school street before dividing the remaining cakes among her two younger brothers and saying, "Do your best on the exam."

"Is there any left for us?"

"One more word and there's nothing left," Miss Zhu snorted.

When she went inside during her family's exam, she took the landlady's arm and chatted softly with her...

Upon hearing Miss Zhu's words, the proprietress opened her mouth in surprise, but quickly regained her composure and began chatting with her with a smile.

The two got along quite well and chatted for a long time, which is normal, isn't it? When accompanying someone to an exam, isn't that just a way to pass the time by talking nonsense? The others also chatted happily in groups of three or five.

Before we knew it, daylight had broken and the sun was rising in the east.

Then, amidst a dazzling golden light, the gate at the street entrance opened. Two teams of clerks emerged with ceremonial guards, followed by a green-robed official holding a red notice.

"Is this some kind of notice to be posted?" The group then followed the notice board at the entrance of Xuegong Street.

The clerk stepped on a stool, applied the paste, and solemnly received the large red notice from the water conservancy director, then carefully pasted it onto the tall notice board.

Then someone loudly proclaimed: "Upon reading the first examination of the prefecture, Su Lu, the top candidate from Hejiang County, presented his first essay on the Four Books, which fully expressed his filial piety and brotherly love, and his heartfelt sentiments! His pure and sincere nature moved even ghosts and gods to tears!"

"Filial piety is the foremost of all virtues and the foundation of royal governance. After careful consideration, I hereby commend Su Lu as the top candidate in this year's prefectural examination and post the list publicly to inform all scholars and citizens of the prefecture. I hope that all students will take this as a model, study diligently to cultivate their character, uphold the virtues of human relationships, and work together to promote the prosperity of literature!"

"Jia, Prefect of Luzhou, Fengzheng Dafu, April 1st of the first year of Zhengde..."

The family members were stunned and asked around to see if it meant what they thought.

"That means the first place has already been decided!" Xiao Tiantian had been studying with Huang E for a year, so she understood this kind of announcement, which was written in a mix of classical and vernacular Chinese, without any difficulty. Just as she was about to proudly declare that it was her brother, Su Youma pulled her back, signaling her not to make a fuss.

"What's going on?!" Sure enough, everyone's reaction was exactly the same as during the Hejiang County Examination: after the initial shock, they became angry.

"The exams haven't even started yet, and they've already decided on the top scorer?!"

"Nonsense, what's the point of the exam then? Wouldn't it be easier to just give the top spot to that idiot?"

"It's so corrupt! It's outrageous!" Amidst the crowd's outrage, the insults grew increasingly vile.

Xiaotian was almost in tears. Why was her brother being scolded even though he was ranked first in the case?
Fortunately, the prefect, being a scholar who passed the imperial examinations twice, values ​​his reputation and wouldn't deliberately get scolded like the shameless Magistrate Lu did to create a stir.

The water conservancy official then took out another red notice and ordered it to be pasted on the first side. On it was a copy of Su Shi's article, transcribed in large characters. Although the calligraphy wasn't present, and the full charm couldn't be seen, it was more than enough to silence the doubters.

The gentlemen were all eager to see what kind of divine writing could have captivated Magistrate Jia so much. So they all began to read it aloud:
"Filial piety is the ultimate regret, and it is too late to repent! ... The principle of maintaining a pleasant countenance is subtle, so subtle! The distinction between respecting and caring for one's parents is strict, so strict!"

The opening paragraph stunned them all, giving them goosebumps! Soon, they were all immersed in this magnificent piece of writing, reciting it in unison with great emotion!
Although most people did not understand the meaning of words like "se nan" and "liao e," they were deeply attracted by the rhythmic and melodious chanting and felt incredibly moved.

Moreover, there are parts they can understand, such as the phrases "束股" and "大结曰":
"What has passed and cannot be retrieved is time; what has gone and cannot be seen again is loved ones. With parents alive, life still has a source; with parents gone, life only has a return journey. I lift the curtain to bid farewell to my mother at the river bridge, her white hair a sorrowful sight, her tearful eyes dry. On this bleak, snowy night at the thatched gate, at this moment, having a son is worse than having none!"

"The way of filial piety is something we learn too late. If a wise person knew it earlier, 'maintaining a pleasant countenance' would not be difficult! Do not wait until the daylilies wither in the north hall, only to weep in vain for poems written on the south side of the hill..."

After the gentlemen finished reading, a chorus of sobs erupted in front of the notice board. While the common people, unlike the officials who had served for many years, didn't possess such profound understanding, even the parts they could comprehend were enough to sadden many.

What has passed and cannot be retrieved is time; what has gone and cannot be seen again is loved ones…

With parents alive, life still has a source; with parents gone, life only has a destination...

P.S. Wishing everyone's parents good health and longevity!

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(End of this chapter)