Top Scholar

Chapter 29 Ge Jun's Behavior
The main hall of Taiping Academy is called 'Daonan Hall'.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, Yang Shi, a scholar from Fujian, went to Luoyang to study under the Cheng brothers. When he returned south after completing his studies, Cheng Hao saw him off and said, "My teachings have gone south," which is the origin of the idiom "the way goes south."

Southeast is south, and southwest is also south, so there's nothing wrong with using them.

Inside Daonan Hall, the academy's teachers and students worked together to grade the papers, completing 380 papers in the time it takes to eat a meal.

The answers to the questions in the sutra are fixed, so right is right and wrong is wrong. Of course, there are differences in the degree of error—

According to the standard, a complete incorrect answer is marked as '谬' (miù) and receives no points. An incorrect answer with an added character is marked as '乂' and receives only half the points.

Those with messy handwriting, scribbling, or alterations will be placed at the end of the same section.

Rank the students according to their scores, and then select the top 200 to advance to the next round.

When Zhu Liu, the headmaster who had just turned 30, saw that the 200th student's paper had only one mistake and one omission, and the rest were all correct, he showed a satisfied smile.

He was younger than all the teachers in the academy, but no one questioned his qualifications because he was wearing a blue round-necked robe that represented his status as a successful candidate in the imperial examinations.

The elderly gentlemen, however, were all dressed in the robes of students. According to the rules of the imperial examinations, no matter how young a successful candidate in the provincial examination was, he was always a senior to a student.

Moreover, Zhu Liu passed the provincial examination in the fifth year of the Hongzhi reign (1494) with flying colors, becoming a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination) at the young age of twenty, a rare feat nationwide. From then on, he became famous and an idol of scholars in Luzhou, and also gained considerable renown throughout Sichuan.

Before retiring, the headmaster visited the thatched cottage three times to persuade this renowned scholar from Luzhou, who had passed the imperial examination ten years prior, to take over his post.

"Headmaster, the rankings have been determined. Shall we announce them now?" Supervisor Wu asked from the side.

"Alright, let's hurry." Headmaster Zhu nodded and said, "Let the children finish the second exam while the light is still good."

"Yes," Supervisor Wu replied, then returned the exam papers to the chief examiners of each room, instructing them to go back and announce them.

"This batch has a good foundation, and I hope we can select a few promising talents." Zhu Liu then smiled at the gentlemen and said, "Otherwise, it would be embarrassing to send them up later."

"Yes, this first shot must be a success." The gentlemen hurriedly smiled and said, "No wonder the headmaster set such an ingenious topic this time, so that's the purpose."

"Hehe..." Zhu Liu glanced at everyone and said with a faint smile, "I know you have some complaints about my unconventional question setting. But firstly, the previous two rounds have already tested the children's basic skills. Secondly, rote memorization is not a viable path; only those who are exceptionally intelligent and adaptable can go further."

He concluded in a deep voice, "Furthermore, all candidates will be caught off guard, so the exam will still be fair!"

"What the headmaster says is absolutely right." The teachers dared not cause trouble in front of him and hurriedly said respectfully, "Students selected in this way will definitely be more capable."

It's inevitable that people will harbor resentment, feeling that the headmaster is acting on a whim, punishing without prior instruction, and that this will cause everyone to be cursed by their ancestors for eighteen generations.

~~
When the two examiners returned with the exam papers, the once noisy examination room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"Those whose names are called can go home. If you're not over the age limit, you can take the exam again next year." The old man changed to a gentler tone, but the atmosphere in the examination room became even more tense.

The deputy proctor, Niu Ma, then began flipping through the exam papers and reading aloud:

“Tu Cheng Zhou Baogui”.

“The water fell on Ma Jizu.”

"Guo Xianliang, the second-in-command..."

The calls sounded like the death knell from the King of Hell, and the candidates whose names were called all collapsed... They were basically in their final year, having studied hard for six or seven years, only to be sentenced to death today.

For many years, he had been slumped on the table in agony, unable to move. The proctor had no choice but to change tactics, saying, "Those whose names haven't been called yet, pack your things and come with me."

The candidates were much more at ease now, and half of the boys stood up and quickly walked to the examiners.

Su Lu was among them. He didn't have time to sympathize with those who stayed behind, and he quickly followed the group out.

As a result, a total of two hundred candidates entered the final written test—the calligraphy section. The number of examination rooms was halved, and the examination time was extended to half an hour.

Practice makes perfect. This time, the examiners didn't waste any words and directly handed out the papers to begin the exam.

After the clapperboard sounded, the exam began.

Su Lu quickly skimmed through the ten questions, and after reading them, he was covered in a cold sweat. There weren't many questions, but they were like "a birthday celestial being eating poison—it's going to kill him."

A typical question on interpreting the classics using Zhu Xi's commentaries requires candidates to explain the words, sentences, and principles in the text with absolute accuracy and impartiality. Therefore, candidates must not only have a thorough understanding of the "Collected Annotations on Chapters and Sentences," but also grasp Zhu Xi's meaning in order to "speak on behalf of the sage."

One must never include one's own opinions in the discussion; every sentence must be based on Zhu Xi's annotations.

Su Lu could barely meet these requirements, but he was horrified to discover that this time, the questions on the meaning of ink were not simply testing rote memorization!

For example, the fifth question on the exam paper—explain the essence of the four characters '浩然之气' and the way to cultivate it?
This question clearly requires finding the answer from different chapters—the correct approach is to first use the passages from "Mencius: Gongsun Chou I" to interpret the words, then cite the text of "Mencius" to elaborate on its essential principles, and then cite the commentaries in the same chapter to clarify the "principles of self-cultivation" and "the need to guard against abuses."

Answering the above four sentences will earn you six points on this ten-point question. However, to get full marks, you need to add two more sentences of Zhu's annotation to conclude and elevate the answer.

Therefore, the standard answer is—'Zhu Xi said: 'The vast and boundless spirit is the appearance of great momentum; qi is the fullness of the body. It is born from the accumulation of righteousness, not something acquired by force. There must be something to do, but do not force it; do not forget it in your heart, and do not encourage it. As long as there is no trace of selfishness or obstruction, it will reach the world without obstruction. When it aligns with righteousness and the Way, there will be no deficiency. Therefore, qi is interconnected with the true way of heaven and earth.' The entire answer comes from two books and four different chapters, which greatly tests the student's overall comprehension ability; and you will need a lot of practice to master the rules and techniques for answering this type of question!
I don't know about others, but Su Lu was completely dumbfounded, her head was buzzing—she had never practiced this kind of question before!

Not only were they not in the practice questions my older brother gave me, but my father also swore that there wouldn't be any questions like this... because the academy looked down on village tutors and assumed that their lectures were misleading, so they always only tested rote memorization.

However, this question is clearly written on the exam paper, and it is definitely not something that can be answered by rote memorization!
Although he had definitely memorized every single sentence of the answer, Su Lu had absolutely no idea how to combine them to make it correct.

This is like my situation in high school in my past life. I could understand the lessons and do all the homework, but I got all the exams wrong... If a university professor played like this, he would probably have to pay so much for retakes that he wouldn't have money for food.

Fortunately, Su Lu was a veteran who had encountered all sorts of situations. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and quickly forced himself to calm down.

There's no use panicking now; the only option is to try anything. Forget everything else for now, just do your best to finish the question…

~~
Fortunately, there weren't many questions like that. I didn't encounter another one until the very last question.

This is a debate question: How do Zhu Xi's statement in Mencius that "human nature is good" and the statement in the Doctrine of the Mean that "what Heaven ordains is called human nature" mutually interpret each other?
This time, Su Lu couldn't even dwell on his sadness. He quickly focused on conceiving a plan. He planned to first quote Mencius's commentary to point out that "human nature is principle," and then use the Doctrine of the Mean to illustrate that "principle and material force share the same origin."

He figured that with these two points, he could pretty much meet the requirements of the question.

Of course, if there are any other tricks up his sleeve, given his current level, we have no idea.

So, with a heavy heart, Su Lu picked up his pen and wrote the last question:
Mencius said: "Nature is the principle by which humans and all things are born..."

When the clapperboard in the courtyard sounded again, the light in the examination room dimmed, and the elderly proctor called out loudly, "Stop writing."

This time, no one dared to delay anymore, and they all obediently stopped writing.

Su Lu put down his pen, a helpless bitter smile on his face. He had answered all the questions, but whether they were right or wrong was anyone's guess.

He studied frantically for a hundred days, overcoming all obstacles along the way. He thought that even if he couldn't achieve his goal, he could still live a glorious and fulfilling life without regrets.

Who would have thought that the final battle would end in such a helpless way? He couldn't even blame the question setters for going beyond the syllabus, because they hadn't even published the syllabus in the first place...

Is this the punishment that Emperor Wenchang is giving to himself, a person who seeks quick success?

"Sigh..." He couldn't help but look up at the sky and sigh, little did he know that his words would cause a huge uproar.

A series of sobs gradually filled the lecture hall. At first glance, it sounded like a noodle shop.

The two proctors seemed to have expected this, as they quickly collected the papers and left without saying a word, without even mentioning when the results would be announced.

Once they left, the candidates completely lost their inhibitions, and the crying grew louder and louder, with some even wailing and others cursing.
"Damn it, what kind of stupid question is this?!"

"A son of a turtle will have a son without an anus!"

"Damn it!" Many of the teenagers broke down immediately.

Su Lu, however, was not so discouraged. After failing an exam, what people most want to hear is that everyone else failed too.

This shows that everyone finds it difficult... Exams are about rankings, not just scores; after all, even competing to be the worst is a form of competition...

But when he looked around, he realized that not everyone was crying; some people were laughing, and it wasn't just a few individuals...

This shows that there are still people who can solve those kinds of questions. Su Lu's sigh of relief turned into a renewed one.

The candidates sat in the examination hall for quite a while before someone from the academy came to inform them to wait outside the mountain gate. As for the admission list, it would be posted on the mountain wall before dark.

The candidates then gradually stood up.

When Su Lu came out, he saw that the candidates from the other three examination rooms had also come out. They were in pretty much the same situation: some were hanging their heads and wiping away tears, some were cursing angrily, and some were full of high spirits.

He also heard several candidates excitedly saying:

"These questions are excellent! Finally, we can test their true abilities!"

"It should have been tested like this a long time ago! Otherwise, it would only benefit those bookworms who can only memorize by rote."

Those children who did poorly on their exams felt even more upset upon hearing this.

"Indeed, people's joys and sorrows are not shared." Su Lu couldn't help but sigh softly.

“How could they not understand each other?” The tall, thin man with a sharp tongue walked over and overheard this, so he retorted, “Their happiness is clearly built on our suffering.”

His name is Su Dan, Su Youpeng's son, half a year older than Su Lu, and this is his last chance...

P.S. Every question on these two chapters of the exam is new, including the design of the questions and answers... I've tried my best not to copy existing material from this book, so that knowledgeable readers won't be distracted by overused poems and articles. This will enhance the sense of realism.

Of course, my abilities are average, and I may make a fool of myself, so please feel free to criticize and correct me. And of course, please vote for me! There are so many strong contenders on this week's new book list, my old friends, it's all up to you!

(End of this chapter)