Top Scholar

Chapter 336 Talented People Don't Need Exams
The candidates would arrive at the entrance of Xuegong Street before midnight, receive their examination baskets from their families, and show their tickets to enter Xuegong Street.

At the entrance of the academy, the head of the water academy and three instructors stood separately, with minor officials carrying large lanterns displaying the names of their respective schools.

The scholars then went to their respective schools, reported to the school director or instructor, and then lined up to wait to enter the examination hall.

The fact that they had to search his body before entering the examination room was extremely distressing for Cheng Wanzhou, who disliked physical contact.

Su Lu and his group of rough men were already used to it. When it was their turn, they skillfully took off their clothes to expose their feet, holding the exam basket in their left hand and their shoes and socks in their right hand for inspection.

Each candidate was searched by two sergeants, who thoroughly examined them from head to toe, inside and out.

After the body search was completed, everyone quickly put on their shoes and socks, tied their belts, tidied up their messy exam baskets, and went to the ceremonial gate to receive their exam papers.

The exam papers were the same as those for the provincial examinations—long, folded sheets of white cotton paper with the candidates' personal information and the texts they had studied already written on them. The provincial and provincial examinations were only a few days apart, so it's likely the exam papers were prepared in the same batch.

Su Lu skillfully affixed the slip of paper, which was then sealed by the examiner with a folded corner and stamped with the official seal. Only then could he enter the examination hall with his paper.

Similar to the provincial examination, the imperial examination did not specify a seating arrangement. All candidates were treated equally and took the exam in the examination shed in front of the Minglun Hall.

Inside the examination hall, all the examination desks were spaced two feet apart on each side, with a ruler and a personal cleaning utensil placed on each desk. Long bamboo poles were tied around the base of each desk, making them immovable. At each of the four corners of the examination hall, a high platform stood, upon which stood the invigilators as lookouts…

Everything was exactly the same as the provincial examination, so there was no need to set up the examination venue again.

Su Lu found his seat according to the seat number on the exam paper. It was in the southeast corner of the exam room, and he couldn't help but feel secretly happy.

Because the sun is further south and west in June, this place won't be directly exposed to the sun during the hottest hours from noon to afternoon. Moreover, its location on the edge means you won't be sitting in a crowded, stuffy area, and you can enjoy a southeast breeze, greatly reducing the risk of heatstroke.

So in this sweltering summer, this is the prime spot in the exam hall.

As for why others weren't so lucky, it's probably because their relationship with their grandfather wasn't as good...

After taking his seat, Su took out his examination materials and arranged them, then sat upright with his eyes fixed straight ahead.

At dawn, all candidates had entered the examination hall, the doors were sealed, and the Grandmaster made a dazzling appearance.

It was still Xiao Chong, the Provincial Education Commissioner.

After all the candidates rose and greeted each other, Xiao Tixue withdrew to the main hall to set the questions.

The exam questions were still pasted on several long-handled plaques, which were carried around the examination hall by clerks so that candidates could copy them themselves.

At this point, Su Lu's position became a disadvantage, because the exam questions were only presented to him last.

The question is a question about the Four Books.

Confucius said to Yan Yuan, "When employed, act; when dismissed, remain hidden. Only you and I possess this quality!"

This is a challenging question, taken from a complete dialogue between Confucius and Yan Hui in the Analects, Book 1, Chapter 2. It discusses the Confucian attitude of "acting when employed and retiring when dismissed," emphasizing autonomy in one's conduct.

With Su Lu's current level of understanding, he can analyze three layers of philosophical meaning from it—

The first principle is to act in accordance with the circumstances, without being attached to 'use' or 'abandon';
Secondly, one should be consistent both internally and externally, and one's virtue should not change with circumstances.

Thirdly, act in accordance with the natural order and transcend personal gains and losses.

Clearly, while he was influencing Yangming's thought, his own thinking was also deeply influenced by Yangming...

Having finished conceiving the idea, Su Lu picked up his pen and wrote on the manuscript paper:
'The actions and conduct of a sage follow the Way and uphold virtue. He does not cling to any particular principle, but speaks with those who are capable…'

Su Lu had taken countless exams, but never before had he felt this way—

The moment he put pen to paper to answer the question, the surrounding noise seemed to vanish instantly; the proctor's pacing and the coughing of the student next to him became blurred background noise.

The introduction and elaboration flowed like a torrent from a valley, progressing layer by layer. Without much thought, the principles of "virtue constancy" and "the Way in harmony," and the critiques of "application" and "muddy thinking," flowed naturally from the tip of the pen...

At first, he was just taking the exam with the mindset of "speaking on behalf of the sages". But when he wrote the last part, "embracing virtue and lasting for thousands of years", a surge of righteousness suddenly welled up in his heart. At that moment, he was no longer Su Lu, a candidate who wrote for fame and fortune. Instead, he was like a sage standing on the altar of the apricot tree. The exam paper in front of him became a lecture for educating the masses.

Those mundane dilemmas about conduct and whereabouts all find clear answers in his writing…

When Su Lu came to his senses from that intense flow state, he found that an article of more than seven hundred words had been written.

He quickly read it again carefully and found that not a single word needed to be deleted or changed!

~~
Su Lu couldn't tell for a moment whether this was a coincidence or the result of his enlightenment with his teacher...

But when he was writing the Five Classics at noon, that state reappeared. Every stroke was filled with righteous energy, so unrestrained that it seemed as if he wanted to pour out all the thoughts and feelings in his heart.

He vaguely realized that he no longer needed to imitate the sages, but could instead use the doctrines of the sages to educate the masses...

~~
It was just past noon, the hottest time of the day.

Su Lu answered questions with great enjoyment in his prime spot, completely absorbed in the moment and oblivious to the heat.

His poor father was in a terrible situation. Su Youcai didn't receive any special treatment this time; he was crammed into a small space, surrounded by a sea of ​​people. Hundreds of examinees were shoulder to shoulder, leg to leg, their sweat and exhaled breaths mingling together to create a stuffy, unpleasant atmosphere.

Su Youcai was so overwhelmed by the fumes that he was completely soaked, from his underwear to his scholar's cap. He could only wipe the sweat from his face and neck with a handkerchief to avoid dripping it onto the exam paper.

He didn't even dare to fan himself with the manuscript paper. Because if the lookout soldier deemed his behavior abnormal, his exam paper would be stamped with a red mark, and even if the article was excellent, it would be downgraded by one grade.

He had persevered to this point, and he was completely exhausted. His mouth was dry, and his throat felt like it was on fire, but he dared not drink too much water. Getting up to use the restroom would disturb more than a dozen examinees before he could leave, and he would have to disturb them again on his way back…

So from the start of the exam until now, he hasn't moved an inch, which is something a man of his age can be proud of.

But after sitting for a long time, his back and spine became as stiff as a stone. Even the slightest movement caused him sharp, needle-like pain, and if he didn't move, his back felt heavy and swollen, as if filled with lead.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, realizing that a man in his forties really couldn't compete with younger men...

Su Youcai had no idea how he managed to stay awake until dark to hand in his paper.

Even when his nephews and nieces came looking for him after the event, he was still sitting there without moving.

"Senior, it's time to go home." Su Lu strictly adhered to the rule that he was not allowed to call someone "father" in the examination hall.

Su Youcai then hissed, "I can't stand up."

"Second Uncle, what's wrong?" Su Man asked anxiously.

"Sigh, I'm getting old, I can't keep going like this anymore." Su Youcai said bitterly, "Enough of this small talk, help me relieve myself..."

"Hey, hey." Su Lu and Su Man quickly helped him up, one on each side.

"Slow down, my back is going to break, my bladder is going to burst..." Su Youcai said weakly.

"Oh, oh." Su Lu and Su Man quickly slowed down and carefully helped Su Youcai to find a place to urinate.

Su Dan stayed behind to pack up his exam basket.

~~
Su Lu and Su Man supported Su Youcai, while Su Dan carried his exam basket. The four of them finally left the exam hall.

"Alright, let me go. I'll try it myself," Su Youcai said to his nephew.

The two men did as they were told to let go. Su Youcai tried to move his arms around a bit, then quickly put them back on their necks, saying helplessly, "It's still not working."

"What should we do? There's another match tomorrow," Su Man said worriedly.

"I'm not taking the exam anymore. Not just tomorrow, I'm never taking it again." Su Youcai had already made up his mind. "Even if I risk my life to persevere, the autumn imperial examinations will last for nine whole days, and your second uncle will die in there..."

"Alright." Su Lu nodded, then realized something was amiss and quickly changed his mind, saying, "What I mean is, it's better if we don't take the exam. Father has worked hard for half his life, it's time for him to rest and enjoy his retirement."

"Hmm." Su Youcai glanced back at the tightly closed academy gates and said to Su Lu and the other two, "It's up to you now."

"Don't worry," Su Lu and the other two nodded.

~~
The Minglun Hall was brightly lit.

Xiao Tixue and his five advisors have already begun to nervously review the documents.

His advisors were the same five who originally wanted to resign. Xiao Tixue doubled their salaries, and they reluctantly stayed to serve him for the full term...

The term of office of the Vice Commissioner of Education begins with the provincial examination and ends with the next provincial examination. After three years, he can hand over his duties and return to the capital.

So Xiao Tixue's term has less than two months left, and the five brothers are finally about to reach the end.

Moreover, the examination papers only need to be graded, not ranked, so only a five-person group needs to conduct an initial evaluation, and then the Grand Master will review them. The workload is much less than that of the Imperial Examination.

The five men were naturally quite relaxed. The white-bearded man read the papers and said softly, "When I came to Luzhou, I thought of Su Lu."

“Same here.” The bespectacled man and the others nodded and smiled. “Xiao Sanyuan’s articles are the best in Sichuan, especially that essay on the Five Classics, which still leaves a deep impression on us.”

"I wonder how much progress he's made in the past year or so," the chubby man said expectantly. "I hope he can give us another surprise this time."

"I heard he became a disciple of Master Yangming and has been studying with him in Longchang, Guizhou..." a well-informed aide said. "He has deeply inherited the true teachings of the old scholar Wang Yangming in terms of morality and literature, so Su Hongzhi must have made great progress."

"Hard to say," Xiao Tixue scoffed, adding sourly, "I've heard that Longchang is a desolate place, with no food or clothing, and extremely harsh conditions. How can one study in such a place?"

She continued, her voice growing increasingly resentful, "Young people are just so vain. They go to great lengths to study under Wang Yangming, simply because of his fame. It's quite disappointing..."

"..." The gentlemen looked at each other, thinking to themselves, "So what if he didn't get to teach Su Hongzhi the Book of Rites? Why is the Master so jealous?"

"Alright, young people have to learn from their mistakes. He'll learn his lesson if he can't beat Yang Yongxiu in the autumn examination this year." Xiao, the supervisor, then ordered, "Find his exam paper first. I want to see what kind of person Wang Yangming has turned him into!"

P.S. Posted first, edited later. Please vote with monthly tickets!
(End of this chapter)