Top Scholar

Chapter 64 is also considered the first.
The front hall of Daonan Hall.

Then Headmaster Zhu decided, "Everything will be done according to the rules!"

"Huh? What kind of logic is that?" How could an honest person like Zhang Yanqiu keep up with the mountain chief's leaps of thought?

"It's a very simple principle," Headmaster Zhu said calmly. "Breaking the rules is not only unfair to other students, but also an insult to geniuses."

After saying that, Headmaster Zhu said with a hopeful look, "Since that student Su Lu was able to enter the academy in three months, learn how to solve problems in one day, and master the principles in two months, why can't he spend another month or two improving his writing skills?"

“Literary skills are something that take time to develop; they can’t be rushed,” Zhang Yanqiu said, unwilling to give up.

"Memorization and grammar cannot be learned quickly." Headmaster Zhu waved his hand, determined, and said, "The score is set, and it won't be changed."

“Even if he doesn’t get any points this time, he still has nine points left, right? It won’t kill him.” After saying that, Headmaster Zhu instructed Deputy Headmaster Qian, “But we can’t discourage the child—let’s prioritize his essay in terms of moral principles!”

"Understood." Deputy Headmaster Qian nodded in agreement. Wasn't this just a matter of giving a slap followed by a sweet treat? He quickly praised, "Headmaster, you truly understand both reason and compassion!"

The gentlemen had no objection to this, and clearly agreed with the headmaster's judgment.

Only Mr. Zhang was sighing...

~~
The next morning, the results and sample essays for the Ramadan prayers were posted on the notice board inside the ceremonial gate.

A large crowd gathered in front of the notice board, with sixty pairs of eyes fixed on the ranking list.

As mentioned before, according to the school rules, monthly exam results are not only graded, but also ranked.

Everyone saw that the top three remained unchanged: Zhu Zihe in first place, Lin Zhihong in second place, and Hu Qiyang in third place. These three were also the top students in their respective academic halls.

After that, Hu Kaiyang ranked fourth, Qiao Feng ranked fifth, Wu Tong ranked sixth... all the way up to Su Dan ranked thirty-second, all of whom got one point in this monthly exam.

Seeing this result, the gloom that had been weighing on Su Dan's heart finally dissipated, and he smiled with relief.

The next fifty places are all half-points. Li Qiyu is among them, in forty-eighth place.

He practically turned into a monkey, scratching his ears and cheeks, grinning from ear to ear. He'd risen from fifty-ninth to forty-eighth, making it into the top twelve and even earning half a point—what more could he ask for?

But the two of them couldn't worry about that now; they quickly continued searching for Su Lu's name.

The good news is that Su Lu also improved, rising from sixtieth to fifty-first place, an improvement of nine places.

The bad news is that from 51st place onwards, none of them scored.

Now neither of them knew whether to congratulate Su Lu or comfort him.

As for the three Cheng brothers, the effeminate Cheng Wanzhou scored one point, placing him in 25th place.

Cheng Wanfan, who has buck teeth, scored half a point and came in fortieth place.

The worst off was Cheng Wantang, who had a pockmarked face and ranked fifty-third. Not only did he not get any points, but his ranking was even lower than Su Lu's.

Upon seeing this result, Cheng Wantang's face turned as red as a pig's liver, and several pimples immediately broke out.

Now they can no longer laugh at Su Lu...

What they found even more unacceptable was that Su Lu's article was actually used as a model essay and openly posted on the wall!
"Why is an essay that got zero marks also considered a model essay? Is it a negative example?" Buck-toothed Cheng Wanfan couldn't help but shout.

"If you don't make a fuss, no one will see your buck teeth!" Li Qiyu's 'filial piety' was overflowing at this moment. Who dared to mess with his 'godfather'? He would transform into Lu Bu!
"You!" Cheng Wanfan glared at Li Qiyu, but kept his mouth tightly shut.

The academy certainly wouldn't use any negative examples. According to the rules, in addition to the top three essays, the academy would also use one essay with the best meaning and one with the best writing style as model essays.

However, sometimes the latter two are often included in the first three.

For example, the best essay in terms of writing style was given to Zhu Zihe, but the best essay in terms of meaning was not his, nor was it in the top three or even the top thirty. Instead, it was given to an essay that did not receive any points!
"Is there some mistake?" The students were naturally unconvinced, so some loudly read Su Lu's article aloud, wanting to see what was really going on—

"People's nature is constant; guiding it will lead to correctness. Understanding principles is difficult to force; following them will bring peace!"

"What a powerful opening!" The first four sentences silenced all the doubts.

The hardest part of writing a poem is coming up with the topic! These students rack their brains all day long, isn't it all for the sake of being able to write such a beginning?

This time, some people started to defend Su Lu, saying, "How could he not get any points with such a powerful solution?"

"Keep reading, keep reading!" more people urged.

The loud-voiced student then continued reading: "...The sage guides the people with the Way, not because he does not wish them to know, but because knowing is not easy, and following the Way makes it easy to attain."

"Excellent!" Even the headmaster praised the solution to the problem, so the students were naturally even more impressed.

"This approach to breaking down the problem is so correct, it can be called the kingly way!" The students felt enlightened and said, "The sage guides the people with the 'Way,' not because he is unwilling to tell them why, but because understanding the principles is not easy, and following them is easier to achieve education!"

It wasn't over yet. When they heard Su Lu's response, the students were completely awestruck.

"What a wonderful line: 'The people are different in their intelligence and foolishness, and the sage does not force them with profound principles, but guides them with the common way!' It elevates the main theme directly!"

"This student, Su, has a very thorough understanding of the Analects," exclaimed Hu Qiyang, who came in third place. "The heart of a sage is just as Su wrote: 'The people are ignorant' is relative; they can be improved and enhanced through education, rather than remaining 'unchangingly ignorant.' 'Guide them with virtue and regulate them with propriety,' and when the people have a sense of shame, they will naturally restrain themselves!"

"I've learned a lot; I never thought of that before." The students bowed to the article on the wall.

"My brother is right there..." Su Dan muttered softly. The corners of her mouth turned up, but it was harder to suppress than a pig about to be slaughtered.

Although the parallel prose section that follows is as white as snow, it is still well-organized and progressively develops, making the reasoning incisive and insightful. It is still an excellent article, only it is too unconventional.

After reading it, most students understood why this essay didn't receive a score, and why it was ranked first in terms of its moral principles and posted as a model essay.

While it certainly doesn't meet the standards of the eight-legged essay, it does have many aspects worth learning from...

"Let's read Brother Zhu's article again!" The students turned to the model essay that was posted first.

Posting the best articles is certainly for them to learn from, but comparisons are also inevitable...

The loud voice then proclaimed: "The people come before education, and the Way begins with practice!"

"Excellent, excellent! This problem-solving approach is also very sharp and insightful!" The students couldn't help but exclaim, all saying they had learned something from it.

"..." Zhu Zihe frowned, not quite satisfied with the 'not bad' assessment.

The loud-voiced man continued reciting:

"...The people inherently possess a natural tendency to follow reason, and without education, they naturally conform to the Way; the foundation of the Way lies in daily practice, and without thorough investigation, it will naturally manifest through action. Teaching guides action, not forced knowledge; action embodies the Way and naturally aligns with its principles."

The writing style is far superior to the former, flowing naturally without embellishment, yet subtly employing tonal patterns and rhythm, making it easy to read aloud and even possessing a resounding quality. It is precisely the kind of writing style that the current retro movement is vigorously promoting!

However, it did not elevate the understanding of principles; it remained at the stage of 'the people being ignorant'.

The same applies as you look further on; his writing style is far superior to Su Lu's, but in terms of moral principles, he is always overshadowed by Su Lu.

Moreover, many students began to whisper among themselves, feeling that Su Lu seemed to be slightly better not only in terms of the meaning of the text, but also in terms of the structure and organization of the article.

To put it simply, apart from his utterly naive writing style, Su Lu is in no way inferior to Zhu Zihe in any other aspect.

This made Zhu Zihe's face burn with shame. He was considered a top student in Luzhou, and if it weren't for studying under his uncle, he would never have come to such a small place to study. Now, to be compared to a 'poor student' who got a zero was humiliating enough.

What's even more humiliating is that he was actually considered inferior to him in some ways... How could he bear this?

"Very well, this time I, Zhu Zihe, have lost to you in terms of principle!" He cupped his hands towards Su Lu and said, "Let's have another contest in a month!"

After saying that, he turned and left, followed closely by Mingzhizhai's group of classmates, since he was still their study leader.

"I didn't get a single point," Su Lu said, bewildered. "Why are you arguing with someone who got zero?"

"This student Zhu is said to be the headmaster's nephew, and his academic knowledge was also taught by the headmaster himself." Lin Zhihong, the top student of Shengshenzhai, said softly, "He is naturally superior to us in every aspect. But student Su, you have one advantage over him, so of course you have become his target."

"There are always mountains beyond mountains, and people beyond people. He'll meet someone better than him sooner or later." Qiao Feng, who came in second in the same dormitory, couldn't stand Zhu Touming's behavior and snorted, "What kind of skill is it to act tough in a small place like ours?"

"Maybe he's only good at bullying us here," Li Qiyu chuckled. Normally, he wouldn't dare interrupt when the good students were talking, but now that his ranking had improved, he dared to speak up.

“I think Zhu probably just has too high expectations of himself.” Su Lu shook his head and smiled. “He probably doesn’t mean any harm. Let’s be kind with our words.”

"It is Da Su's magnanimity that we should learn from the most." Lin Zhihong smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "Give me some pointers later."

I'm not referring to magnanimity, of course...

"I'll give you pointers?" Su Lu couldn't help but laugh. "I should be asking Lin for advice on how to improve my writing style."

"Let's learn from each other." Lin Zhihong nodded with a smile.

~~
When school ended in the afternoon, Su Lu realized, after being reminded by Ma Zhaizhang, that he could also go and collect an award.

"Didn't they say only the top ten would get prizes?" Su Lu had already slung his book bag over his shoulder.

"I don't know, just go if they tell you to." Ma Qianli stared at Su Lu's book box with fascination. Two months into the semester, it was still brand new. The workmanship was amazing...

"Zhaizhang?" Su Lu waved his hand in front of his eyes.

Ma Zhaizhang finally came to his senses and laughed, "You haven't been to Daonan Hall yet, have you? Come on, I'll take you there."

"Thank you for your help, Abbot." Su Lu did not refuse his kindness, because it was obvious that he had something to say to him.

Sure enough, after leaving the school, Ma Qianli said softly, "By the way, when is your brother free? Could he make a book box for me too?"

"..." Su Lu thought to himself, "Damn it, it seems that the reason why no one bought the book box before was really because of my grades."

Having just escaped the bottom spot, business immediately started coming in.

(End of this chapter)