Top Scholar

Chapter 275 College Examination
The clerk arrived at the examination hall where Su Lu was located, carrying the examination token. All the candidates craned their necks like geese, staring wide-eyed at the examination questions on the token—

"If you govern the people with laws and regulate them with punishments, they will avoid punishment but have no sense of shame."

After reading it, everyone quickly copied it down, and Su Lu was no exception.

Then he examined the manuscript and began to analyze the question—this sentence comes from the Analects, Book 2, "The Analects, Book 2".

Confucius's original words were a complete contrast: "If you govern them by laws and regulate them by punishments, the people will avoid punishment but have no sense of shame. If you govern them by virtue and regulate them by rites, they will have a sense of shame and moreover become good."

It means that if you govern the people with decrees and restrain them with laws, they will only seek to avoid punishment and will have no sense of shame; but if you guide them with morality and assimilate them with etiquette, they will not only have a sense of shame but will also adhere to the right path.

The question only takes the first half of the sentence and not the second half, which is a typical "half-sentence rolling question".

"Half-page" means taking only half of the original text; "rolling" means making connections and echoing each other. Therefore, when answering questions, you cannot interpret the "half-page" of the question in isolation; you must implicitly connect it to the other half of the original text that is not mentioned.

This is a major question from the Four Books. Clearly, the master, a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, would not stoop to using a paraphrased question to prevent candidates from plagiarizing. Bring it on, and I'll admit defeat if I can't distinguish the plagiarized essay!

In fact, when truncating and piecing together passages, the meaning is inherently flawed, and no matter how well done, it is inevitably far-fetched, let alone profound.

The serious essay questions best demonstrate a candidate's academic level... Su Lu nodded in satisfaction, and using his essay writing skills, quickly completed the analysis of the question—

This question requires not only adhering to the premise of "government, punishment, and the people are free from shamelessness," but also using comparison and contrast to echo the second half of the original text, "virtue, propriety, and a sense of shame are all essential for moral integrity," ultimately returning to Confucius' core concept that "rule by virtue is superior to rule by punishment."

Although Su Lu did not agree, he fully supported Confucius during the exam...

~~
Su recorded a meticulously functioning exam machine. After reviewing the questions, various solutions to the problems were generated in his mind.

After careful consideration, he selected the most powerful one and began to draft it:
"While governance and punishments may be effective in governing the people for a time, the consequences of failing to punish while losing face are far from insignificant. This is because governing the external world makes it difficult to secure the fundamentals, and controlling external affairs fails to reach the internal..."

After the initial introduction, the subsequent discussion and the formal, formulaic sections flowed naturally, like a continuous, surging river, culminating in a grand conclusion.

'Therefore, the superior man focuses on the fundamentals; when the fundamentals are established, the Way arises. The sage does not disregard government and punishment, but truly desires that the world take the mind as its guide, not the law as its limit. This is a teaching that will remain unchanged for all ages!'

Su Lu put down his Kui Xing Pointing the Dipper brush, looked at the nearly one thousand words on the manuscript paper, and examined whether the meaning and principles in it were consistent and persuasive.

Considering that the Grand Master had said that the Grand Master would scrutinize him closely, Su Lu also specifically checked all the texts to see if they conformed to the original meaning of the sages, and whether all the sentences came from the Four Books and Zhu Xi's commentaries...

After carefully checking the overall structure and details, finding no errors, misinterpretations, or omissions, Su Lu then focused his energy on the wording, simplifying and adjusting the meter and tones.

Having done all this, Su Lu counted the words again; the article had been reduced to the required seven hundred words. Moreover, it had transformed from a normal argumentative essay into a powerful and eloquent piece of sage instruction!
Su Lu read it through silently, then refined a few areas for improvement. Finally, he checked the taboo format again, and after confirming that everything was correct, he put down his pen.

I looked up at the shadow of the proctor's desk; there was still almost an hour before the second question was given out...

But Su Lu did not intend to copy it immediately, because after a while, better sentences would pop into his mind.

He couldn't just sit there for almost two hours. So Su Lu put away his drafts, took out his water bottle and lunchbox, and prepared to eat lunch early.

Firstly, to avoid wasting time, and secondly, because I ate breakfast too early, it's been six or seven hours now, and my stomach is indeed empty.

With a soft pop, Su Lu pulled out the stopper, took a sip of the mint and salt plum water prepared by his godmother, and his expression immediately brightened.

After drinking a few sips of water to quench his thirst, Su Lu felt much better. He picked up a damp cotton towel and wiped each of his fingers clean before opening the food box.

Learning from his experience in the last provincial examination, this time he brought only food as thin as paper and as fine as silk, so that the search party wouldn't break it open for inspection.

At Su Lu's request, Chef Hu meticulously prepared four delicious dishes for him.

One type is called "Golden Thread Pork Jerky." It is made from high-quality pork tenderloin, with the tendons and membranes removed. Using superior knife skills, it is sliced ​​into transparent, thin slices, marinated with Hu's exclusive recipe, and then dried over a low flame on a bamboo sieve until it turns a translucent, reddish-brown color. The slices are as thin as silk, translucent, and show their texture. They are easy to chew, filling the mouth with a fragrant aroma without any oily or juicy filling.

One type is pine needle chicken shreds, made by cooking chicken thigh meat using a secret method, then shredding it into thin strips, air-drying it, and packaging it. It's loose, easy to eat, and won't get stuck in your teeth...

Firstly, the bamboo shoot shreds are crisp and refreshing, with no juice when eaten, and they don't stick to your hands when pinched.

One type is called Desheng Xiaobing (Victory Cake). It is made by mixing fine flour with water, spreading the dough thinly, brushing it with oil, and steaming it until cooked. The cake is as thin as paper, so you can eat it without getting your hands dirty.

These four items were easily spotted during the search, and Su Lu showed them to the searcher and passed the inspection.

At this point, he can pick up a lotus leaf pancake, use chopsticks to pick up some shredded bamboo shoots and shredded chicken, roll it up, and put it in his mouth.

Mmm, that feels good...

Another bite of dried meat.

Wow, delicious...

Since it was still early, Su Lu slowly began to eat... He wasn't deliberately being pretentious. He genuinely didn't want to make noise and disturb others' exams, so he slowed down his chewing. As the top student, he had to have this basic quality, but he hadn't expected that it would make the food look even more delicious this way.

The sight of the food made the inspecting officials, including Lü Tongzhi, drool. They wished they could go up to him and ask for some of Zhang Xiaobing's cakes, to try what made it so delicious.

But when someone tried to step forward, Magistrate Lü immediately stopped them. "Go eat some steamed buns if you're hungry!"

The other test-takers weren't faring much better. Everyone ate at different times, and now their stomachs were empty. They hadn't felt hungry while busy with the questions, but now the smell of food was making their stomachs rumble, and their minds were blank.

They had no choice but to put down their pens, pack up their stalls, and take out some food to satisfy their hunger first.

~~
Although the food was delicious, Su Lu did not dare to indulge to the fullest. He stopped after eating until he was about six-tenths full, and then packed the remaining food back into the food box and put it into the exam basket.

Then take out a handkerchief to wipe your hands clean, and finally wipe the table.

He waited patiently until everyone had finished eating and packed up their stall. Seeing that there was still time, he raised his hand and said softly, "Go to the toilet."

There's nothing strange about that. Candidates enter the examination hall at dawn and leave at dusk, spending most of the day there. Everyone needs to relieve themselves.

Actually, he had been holding it in for a long time, but he kept it in because everyone was still eating...

Lu Tongzhi nodded, and a clerk came over, led Su Lu to the chamber pot under the eaves, and then stared at him.

Su Lu glanced at the clerk, but the clerk stared intently at him, showing no intention of looking away.

"I apologize, Chief Su, it's my duty," the clerk said in a barely audible voice. Well, it wasn't that I wanted to see what the chief's little bird looked like.

Helpless, Su Lu had no choice but to loosen his belt, and... *snip*

The clerk's eyes widened in disbelief.

~~
Su Lu returned to his seat feeling relaxed. He took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands clean, then closed his eyes to rest and wait for the exam to begin at 9:00 AM.

After about half an hour, a gong sounded, and Su Lu opened his eyes. Sure enough, he saw the clerk carrying the examination plaque walking around.

He then rearranged his writing implements, and when the scribe arrived at the examination hall, he picked up his brush to copy down the second question.

A respectful person does not insult others, and a frugal person does not rob others.

Su Lu took one look and realized that this was also a major question, taken from "Mencius, Li Lou I," and it was a question with two parts. The writing required taking both meanings into account and not neglecting either one. It was necessary to explain the connotation of each sentence separately, and also to connect the commonalities between the two.

This question was equally straightforward, without any intention of making things difficult for the candidates, demonstrating the examiner's great confidence—this academy can judge candidates solely based on the quality of their essays!
But why did Su Lu feel that both questions were like veiled insults?
As for who was being insulted? Since it wasn't him, he didn't dwell on it. He proceeded methodically, like a skilled butcher dissecting an ox, analyzing the topic, conceiving his ideas, and writing his essay…

This article was also written very smoothly. Just like the previous one, Su Lu repeatedly deliberated and completed the first draft at noon.

He took out the first eight-legged essay again and read it carefully. Sure enough, several exquisite sentences welled up in his mind...

The more articles Su Lu wrote, the more he believed in the saying, "Articles are born of nature, and a skillful hand may occasionally bring them to fruition."

Often, good sentences are not conceived through hard work, but rather emerge from the subconscious, requiring time to develop and surface on their own.

After making final revisions to his first article, "Guiding the Way with Governance," Su Lu moved on to his second article, "The Respectful Do Not Insult Others," and followed the same method...

After both articles were finalized, Su Lu took out the answer sheet from the paper bag, unfolded the folded pages, changed to a fresh, best-quality white ink stick, dipped it evenly in ink, and carefully copied it stroke by stroke.

After writing the "Difficulty in Finding Colors" calligraphy, his "Gaoliang Style" clearly reached a new level. His brushstrokes were no longer restrained, and the flowing lines exuded a vigorous vitality, which was refreshing and delightful to look at. Yet, it still adhered to the basic rules of the Jiang style and did not deviate from them.

After writing the last stroke, Su Lu put down his brush, gently stretched his wrist, and examined the long exam paper. There were no mistakes or omissions, and the format was perfect.

He breathed a long sigh of relief; the first round of the imperial examination was now complete.

It was still early, around the same time he had finished his county-level exam. However, he felt that both of his essays today were better than those from the county-level exam. Perhaps it was because he felt less pressure, allowing him to perform more confidently…

Su Lu had already figured it out. Since the Grandmaster didn't like him, he could forget about being the top scholar. But as long as the top scholar in the prefectural examination didn't make any major mistakes, they would be selected, even if their ranking was a bit low.

As long as he can pass the imperial examination at the county level, that's all that matters. That was his dream when he was studying!
One should never forget one's original aspirations.

Although it was still early before the deadline, Su Lu decided not to create any more questions for himself. Learning from mistakes and avoiding repeating them is a fundamental quality of a test-taking machine.

He sat there like a meditating monk, quietly waiting for dusk to fall...

P.S. Please vote for me with monthly tickets! Please subscribe!
(End of this chapter)