Top Scholar

Chapter 304 is here again...

Hai Han then cupped his hands in thanks and said, "Oh, right, I haven't thanked Mr. Su yet. He was a great help last time."

"Oh?" Su Lu was taken aback for a moment before remembering what he had mentioned. "It was nothing, sir, you don't need to be so polite."

"It's just a small favor for the teachers, but for this county, it means that eighty community school teachers can continue teaching, and tens of thousands of children can continue their studies!" Haihan said emotionally.

"That's good." Su Lu said happily, "I've done a good deed."

"But..." Hai Han said with great embarrassment, "Master, now that I am an elder, I have only allocated half a year's worth of funds. The second half is still nowhere in sight. I would like to ask you to help me think of a solution."

"Well, well." Su Lu couldn't help but chuckle, "Mr. Hai, you've become naughty too, you're actually trying to trick me."

"I'm sorry, sir," Hai Han said apologetically, "I am incompetent and can only rely on you."

"Alright then." Su Lu thought for a moment. The new magistrate hadn't taken office yet, and You Muyou was the one in charge of Hejiang County.

This isn't an extra expense, it's just a normal salary payment. I can discuss it with You Muyou, it shouldn't be a big problem. So I nodded and said, "However, I also have something I'd like to ask Mr. Hai to make an exception for."

"Please speak," Haihan said hurriedly.

"Headmaster Zhu arranged a study tour for the students—to Beijing to further their studies in classical studies under a Mr. Wang," Su Lu reported truthfully.

"This is great news!" Hai Han said happily for Su Lu, "This way, Mr. Su's skills can improve even more!"

If scholars wanted to improve their skills, they could only do so outside of the county and prefectural schools. They could either queue up to study at the Imperial Academy or, if they couldn't wait, travel around to study and seek out renowned teachers.

The saying goes, "Read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles," and the Ming Dynasty also encouraged scholars to go out more and broaden their horizons.

In those days, ordinary people needed to obtain a travel permit from the government before traveling, and the permit had to specify the departure point, destination, and return date. If someone traveled without a permit or with an invalid one, they would be imprisoned or even conscripted if caught by the government; the consequences were severe.

Scholars, however, could travel freely throughout the country simply by virtue of their student status, going wherever they wanted and staying as long as they wanted... Of course, the prerequisite was that they had to ask the school for leave in advance; otherwise, long-term absence from class would definitely lead to expulsion.

Su Lu had inquired and found that quite a few students in the county school took long leave to travel and study. In fact, many scholars were just using this as an excuse to go out and make a living... With the conveniences the state provides to students, as long as they are willing to put aside their airs as scholars, doing business is incredibly easy.

"When do you plan to set off?" Instructor Hai asked.

"The original plan was to do it as soon as possible..." Su Lu said, somewhat unsure, "but the old headmaster advised me to wait a month or two."

“It would be best to wait a month or two,” Hai Jiaoyu said happily. “Young Master Su can use this time to finish learning imperial edicts, memorials, and judgments. Then I will give you an early exam, so you only need to come back before the imperial examination next year.”

Su Luyi readily agreed, "Thank you, Mr. Hai. Let's settle on this for now."

~~
After Hai Han left, Su Lu returned to the classroom and saw the nine people chatting enthusiastically. He smiled and asked, "Did you come to any conclusions?"

"Yes, yes, we're planning to form a mutual aid society to share resources and learn from each other," the group said with a smile.

"Is this necessary? We're already in the same class," Su Lu asked.

“It is necessary,” Zhu Zigong said with a smile. “If we only consider classmates, we only have ten people, so it’s not appropriate for others to join us.”

"Don't forget we still have old classmates from the state school and other county schools," Bai Yunshan said with a smile. "We need to make it convenient for these people to join us in the future."

“We were also inspired by Yang Caizi,” Deng Dengying said. “I heard that he established the Lizhe Society in Chengdu and recruited a large group of famous scholars from the province, including Feng Xun, Shi Tianzhu, Xia Bangmo, Liu Jingyu, and Cheng Qichong!”

"Brother, you don't want to be all alone when you go to Chengdu for the provincial examination, do you?" Zhu Zihe said. "At that time, Yang the Prodigy will definitely take advantage of his home field and gather a large group of people to deal with you."

"It can't be that bad..." Su Lu rubbed his nose and said, "How about we call ourselves the Yangjiang Society?"

The main one is to listen to advice.

"Alright, Yangjiang Society versus Lizhe Society!" Everyone exclaimed with delight, "Then Brother is the undisputed leader of the society."

"I'm also the president of the club," Su Lu said with a wry smile, but he didn't refuse.

Thus, on the first day of the seventh month of the first year of the Zhengde reign (1512), the Yangjiang Society was established. Its initial purpose was simply to encourage each other's studies and improve the competitiveness of its members in the imperial examinations. It was very simple...

Then, the ten original members jointly agreed on the sixteen-character motto of Yangjiang Society: academic excellence, self-discipline in words and deeds, physical and mental health, and pragmatism and truth-seeking!
The detailed rules for "academic improvement" are six: daily study of classic texts, daily practice of the eight-legged essay, reading history to accumulate knowledge, paying attention to current affairs, daily learning of what is lacking, and monthly review of what has been learned.

The first four points are easy to understand, but the fifth point, "Daily Reflection on What's Gone," requires members to record their daily observations, categorize them, and reflect upon them. Essentially, it requires members to keep a diary...

Article Six, "Monthly Examination of Abilities," means that a monthly examination is organized for members, followed by a meeting of the entire society for mutual evaluation to learn from each other's strengths and make up for each other's weaknesses.

There are four detailed rules for 'self-discipline in speech and behavior':

First, one must maintain a respectful demeanor, requiring neat attire and dignified conduct.

Secondly, one must be cautious in speech and conduct, refraining from discussing official business, speaking harshly, or instigating cheating; and engaging in academic debates with a calm and impartial attitude, without relying on one's talent or engaging in argumentative contests. Thirdly, one must rise early and study diligently, rising before dawn each day to exercise before reading.

It is advised not to go out during the fourth night, and not to go out for social engagements or sightseeing after the end of the You hour (5-7 PM).

There are three detailed guidelines for 'physical and mental well-being':

The first method is "quiet sitting and concentrating the mind." At noon, sit quietly for half an hour, close your eyes and regulate your breathing, do not think about your studies or worries about gains and losses, and nourish your spirit to avoid afternoon drowsiness.

The second principle is "cultivating vital energy and rectifying the mind." One should sink one's energy into the dantian to preserve righteous energy, and not blame heaven or others for failure, nor maintain a calm mind even in success.

Thirdly, "preserve your health and cherish your energy," and follow the "three modesty" principles. Moderate labor: do not stay up late studying, and rest by the end of the 7 PM; moderate diet: do not crave raw, cold, or greasy foods to avoid harming your spleen and stomach; moderate desires: do not indulge in trivial activities such as playing chess, composing poetry, watching plays, or listening to music.

Finally, there is the principle of "being pragmatic and seeking truth," which requires members to avoid covering up mistakes, refrain from sophistry, conceal shortcomings, condone wrongdoing, or avoid addressing issues directly. Everything must be based on facts. No investigation, no right to speak!
The rules of Yangjiang Society are not mandatory; compliance is voluntary. Failure to comply is considered automatic withdrawal from the society.

~~
After the Yangjiang Society was established, its members consciously abided by the four principles and sixteen rules, and quickly returned to the intense study state they had before the imperial examinations.

Moreover, most of them were unfamiliar with Hejiang, with no social obligations or mundane affairs, so they could focus solely on their studies. The members studied diligently every day, exchanged ideas with each other, and with Su Lu answering their questions, their skills improved rapidly.

Everyone was now relieved, realizing that their initial choice was absolutely correct—following their godfather was definitely the right thing to do!
Like Su Lu, they all wanted to try next autumn. The provincial examination was different from the preliminary examination; it was only held once every three years, and each one had to be cherished.

With only seventy places available for the provincial examination, it was once again a fierce competition for every single spot!

Moreover, this time the competitors are six or seven thousand scholars from the entire province, each of whom is a winner of the preliminary examination, and there are countless outstanding individuals among them...

If you want to win a valuable spot, there is no other way but to study hard and do everything you can to improve yourself!
There's still a little over a year until the autumn imperial examinations; every day must be used wisely...

~~
However, things didn't go as planned. At noon that day, after school let out, Su Lu and the others were preparing to return to the Zhu brothers' place to continue the second half of their studies when they saw Su Youjin waiting anxiously at the school gate.

"Uncle, what happened?" Su Lu gestured for his classmates to wait a moment, and walked up to his uncle with his older brother.

"Yingzhi, Hongzhi, something terrible has happened! Your uncle has been arrested again!" Su Youjin wiped the sweat from his face and whispered.

"Arrested again? Who is it this time?" Su Man and Su Lu were shocked. Although their Su family was not a prominent family, there should be no one in Luzhou who would be so foolish as to target the Su family.

“I don’t know the specifics, but the news that came back from the famous businessmen who went to Lincheng with him is that your uncle was arrested by the Xuanfu Division without any reason as soon as he entered the city and did nothing.” Su Youjin said to Su Lu, “Your parents told us to go to Luzhou to meet up and discuss what to do.”

"Lin Cheng?" Su Lu frowned upon hearing this and waved to Lin Zhihong.

"Brother, what's wrong?" Lin Zhihong hurriedly came over and asked.

“My uncle was arrested by the Pacification Commissioner in Lincheng,” Su Lu said in a deep voice.

"Strange!" Lin Zhihong said, puzzled. "The Pacification Commission has never cared about Han people. It would be understandable if it were Yongning Guard or Luzhou Guard arresting people."

"I find it strange too," Su Lu said. "The most important thing now is to figure out which god we've offended."

“That’s right!” Lin Zhihong nodded and said, “My family has some connections in Lincheng, so I’ll take leave and go back to inquire for you.”

"Thank you for your trouble!" Su Lu didn't stand on ceremony with him at this moment.

"Why be so polite, we're all men here?" Lin Zhihong accepted it readily and asked, "Brother, are you coming with me?"

"No, I have to go to Luzhou first," Su Lu said. "I need to pray to the gods before I go, otherwise will the Luo Luo people even bother with a mere scholar like me?"

“That makes sense!” Lin Zhihong agreed wholeheartedly. “You don’t need to ask anyone else. Just ask your father-in-law. He’s She Saihua’s boss! His words carry more weight than anyone else’s.”

"To be honest, I haven't seen him since the engagement." Su Lu was in a bind, but for her uncle's sake, she had to swallow her pride.

"Then let's act quickly. These barbarians don't follow any rules!" Lin Zhihong said in a deep voice.

"Okay!" Su Lu called over the other brothers and gave them a brief report. Everyone was eager to try and wanted to go back and help him get the person out.

“No need, I can ask my father-in-law.” Su Lu raised his hand to calm everyone down. “Don’t forget our club rules: remain calm in times of crisis. I will not hesitate to help you when I need your assistance.”

“Yes, boss.” Everyone readily agreed.

"Yunshan, go and ask the instructor for leave for me and Zhihong." Su Lu then instructed, "Zihe, borrow your family's BMW for a moment."

“No problem!” Zhu Zihe immediately ordered his page to bring over the two fine horses.

“That’s not enough, we have two more!” Bai Yunshan and Lei Jun also said.

P.S. There are still 800 words left...

(End of this chapter)