Top Scholar

Chapter 73 Second Battle

In the preparation room, Mr. Zhang explained to Su Lu:
"Although the parallelism and antithesis in the imperial examination are mainly based on the eight-legged essay, the opening paragraph, which is the beginning of the argument, also needs concise and powerful writing to lay its foundation."

"Therefore, one can consciously use parallelism to enhance the argument and strengthen the opening!" he said, raising his voice.

"The eight-legged essay is a form of argumentative writing, and preaching must be forceful! The clarity of reason does not rely on a loud voice; but if the words are weak and feeble, how can one convince people?"

"Why did the gentlemen like your article from last month's lesson? Because of the opening sixteen characters—'The nature of the people is constant; guide them and they will be correct; reason is hard to force; follow it and you will be at peace!' It was full of momentum, and no one else could match it!"

"Why didn't you get any later? Because the momentum wasn't maintained!" Mr. Zhang slammed his fist on the table, the veins on the back of his hand bulging as he spoke.

"Kid, remember this: what does it mean to speak on behalf of a sage? It means that I am a sage, and I am educating you from a superior position! I am not persuading you on equal terms, so I must speak with force and authority, as if I were the only one worthy of it, understand?"

"I understand!" Su Lu suddenly realized. Although it was rather inappropriate, he did indeed think of the mustachioed man's speech...

Actually, if it weren't for the worry that he would fail again, Mr. Zhang would only teach these "crooked methods" to his disciples right before graduation. This is because it's easy for disciples to go astray, becoming addicted to opportunism and forgetting that improving their own skills is the true path.

But I believe that with Su Lu's maturity far exceeding that of his peers, there shouldn't be much of a problem... right?

In Mr. Zhang's opinion, Su Lu's opening statement was brilliant, but the follow-up statement itself wasn't very interesting. If the opening statement was also improved, wouldn't the whole "heading" be much better? When the examiner saw it, wouldn't he... give it half a point?
Therefore, Zhang Yanqiu collected thirty essays that he considered suitable for Su Lu, and omitted the opening paragraphs, so that Su Lu could practice the parallel structure of the opening paragraph by imitating the sentence patterns of '夫…者…也；盖…也；是以…'.

With four days left, Su Lu had to practice seven or eight recitations of parallel structures every day, which was frankly not easy. Compared to memorizing texts, understanding principles, and structuring compositions, these were his absolute weaknesses.

Fortunately, he could ask his classmates for advice. Lin Zhihong and Qiao Feng were both very helpful in correcting his mistakes and generously shared their own insights.

Of course, no one in this world will be kind to you for no reason... Not long after the first monthly exam results were released, the two consulted Su Lu about the principles and structure of the eight-legged essay. Su Lu did not hold back and taught them his method of eight-legged essay writing.

That's why the two of them reciprocated the favor, and even felt that what they had given Su Lu in return was far too meager...

~~
Four days later will be April 15th, the day of the second monthly lesson.

It's quite a coincidence that it's raining again today. Actually, Yongning's annual rainfall is mostly concentrated between March and July, and right now it's the season of continuous overcast skies…

The monthly lessons follow the same old routine: the first session is on calligraphy and interpretation, and the second session is on composition.

There's not much to say about the first round, let's skip to the second round, the topic is—

A virtuous person is generous without being wasteful, hardworking without complaining, desireful without being greedy, composed without being arrogant, and dignified without being fierce.

Su Lu immediately recognized the sentence as coming from the last chapter of the Analects, "Yao said." This type of question is called a chapter-wide question, meaning that the question covers an entire paragraph or the core theme of the original text, and requires discussion around the main idea of ​​the whole text, rather than just focusing on a particular word or phrase.

This is still a fairly standard question, without any tricks or complexities. It doesn't require much effort to understand the question, which shows that the beginner's protection period is not over yet.

After racking his brains, Su Lu finally solved the problem with a short four-character phrase...

He considered changing his writing style to avoid reader fatigue, but he felt his abilities were average and his skill level limited. He wasn't sure if changing his style would gain his teacher's approval, so he didn't dare take the risk.

The goal this time is very clear—we must get points, so we must play it safe!

Then, just like last time, he first wrote a draft that was neither classical nor vernacular Chinese. Then, he made full use of what he had learned recently, such as the use of parallelism and the "Nine Swords of Dugu" taught by the headmaster, to adjust and polish it. He put in all his effort and finally completed this article, "A Gentleman's Kindness Without Waste."

After handing in their papers on time, the students were temporarily free. Although the rain was getting heavier, it couldn't dampen their longing for freedom. They grabbed their umbrellas, put on their raincoats, and rushed out of the mountain gate to run wild in the town.

Their papers were sent to Daonan Hall, just like last time.

After lunch, the gentlemen rested briefly before beginning to grade the papers.

As mentioned before, there were no afternoon naps at the academy, because of the saying, "Zai Yu slept during the day, and Confucius said, 'Rotten wood cannot be carved.'"

Zhu Zi's annotation reads: "Scholars should cherish their time and not be lazy."

Therefore, in Confucianism, sleeping during the day is a sign of laziness...

Of course, the teachers would also feel sleepy after a full meal, especially when they saw the students' uninteresting and drowsy articles, which made them even less energetic.

The only way to stay awake is to drink strong tea or chew betel leaf rolls...

The luckiest thing at this time is to come across a wonderfully readable article that can invigorate the spirit! So whenever a gentleman reads it, he will applaud and read it aloud to everyone to relieve their fatigue.

However, such articles are rare. After grading more than half of the papers, only two or three articles by Zhu Zihe, Lin Zhihong, Qiao Feng, and others were found.

"Zihe's article is more serious than last time, and it is indeed thought-provoking, but it feels a bit too much," the gentlemen commented after listening.
"Zhihong's writing has improved significantly. Previously, he was slightly inferior to Zihe in all aspects, but this time he has caught up in terms of reasoning and composition."

"Yes, Zhihong's article this time is very refreshing to read, and it makes one feel very comfortable. However, it still lacks a bit of strength."

“This may be related to his personality. You can’t force a big man from Guanzhong to sing ‘The Cicadas Cry’, nor can you force a woman from Jiangnan to sing ‘The Great River Flows East’,” Qian Huai-ren said with a smile.

"So, who will go first this time?" Mr. Zhu asked. "Let's stick to the old way," Qian Huai-ren said calmly. Although he didn't personally review the papers, he still had to keep things under control.

"Okay." Mr. Zhu nodded, thinking to himself that my question was unnecessary...

"By the way, who read Su Lu's article?" Qian Huai-ren knew that the headmaster would definitely ask about this kid when he arrived later, so he naturally wanted to find out the situation in advance.

Everyone looked curiously at the teachers who were grading the examination papers from the Sheng Shen Zhai school.

"We haven't seen it yet." The teachers shook their heads, but since the deputy headmaster had spoken, they found Su Lu's paper from the remaining exam papers.

"Let me read it aloud and see if he's made any progress in the past month." Mr. Zhu took it and read it aloud:

"He dwells in benevolence and righteousness, acts in accordance with the times, cultivates himself with moderation, and his virtuous example is evident!"

"Excellent, excellent, excellent!" Upon hearing the sixteen-character opening statement, the gentlemen were immediately refreshed and full of praise, saying, "As powerful and concise as ever, it's even better than last time!"

“Yes,” the youngest Mr. Niu commented, “This time he used a subtle approach. Mencius said, ‘If one dwells in benevolence and follows righteousness, the affairs of a great man are complete.’ This points out the fundamental principle of a gentleman’s conduct, which echoes the moral principles of the five virtues of a gentleman in the topic.”

"'Acting in accordance with the times' aligns with 'beneficial without being costly, powerful without being fierce'; 'cultivating moderation' corresponds to the remaining three qualities; and finally, it is summarized by 'virtuous example'! It can be said to be watertight and flawless, much more skillful than last time."

“That’s right. Once you get this key point out, the article is bound to be good,” Mr. Zhu exclaimed.

"Don't be too happy yet. This might be the case for others, but it might not be the case for this kid," a gentleman laughed. "It's hard to say whether it will be another case of starting strong but ending weak."

"Haha, yes..." The gentlemen all agreed wholeheartedly.

"Mo Wang, continue reading," Qian Huai Ren instructed. He was secretly wondering how he could salvage the situation if the teachers gave him zero again.
We can't really kick away the headmaster's 'rough gem', can we?
But these guys are really stubborn, and if they're also so naive, they'll be really difficult to deal with...

Mr. Niu Ziru, whose name was not given, continued reading the topic:
"The cultivation of a virtuous person is based on benevolence and follows righteousness, responds to things and conforms to reason; this is the mark of great virtue."

"Not bad, not bad, you've improved," Mr. Zhu quickly chimed in.

The gentlemen agreed, saying, "It's really good, and it even has rhythm."

"It's truly remarkable that such a short time has been taken," the gentlemen praised, then urged, "Continue reading."

Then Mr. Niu's loud voice said:

"Holding a benevolent heart to do good deeds, one can take what is already rightfully one's own without harming one's wealth; upholding righteousness to perform one's duties, one can do one's best without causing resentment. Restraining desires within one's duty, and adhering to rules and regulations will keep greed at bay; remaining calm and composed in a high position, one can maintain humility and respect and eliminate arrogance. Correcting oneself and acting with decorum, these are all the effects of cultivating benevolence and following righteousness."

"Excellent, excellent! The progress is remarkable!" the teachers praised. "It's clear that this child has put a lot of effort into his writing. Although the parallelism is still a bit stiff and there are some issues with the tones, it's already showing promise."

"That's right, the moral principles are still first-rate, and the writing isn't too bad either." Qian Huai-ren breathed a sigh of relief and stroked his beard, saying, "It's truly remarkable that you've made so much progress in just one month."

"Let's look at the eight-legged essay again; this is where the true literary talent is revealed," the scholars urged once more.

Niu Ziru then continued reciting the "Qigu" verse:

"Giving favors with moderation is not stinginess but rather a proper balance of gain and loss; working diligently with perseverance is not stubbornness but simply fulfilling one's duties. Restraining desires with moderation is not apathy but rather making choices in accordance with the Way; maintaining composure and humility is not about being obsequious but about being modest and upright. Establishing authority with principles is not about being tyrannical but about being upright and winning the hearts of the people."

Zhonggu said:
"Benefits should not be extravagant, but rather guided by circumstances to ensure that their effects are ever-present; labor should not be undertaken for the sake of comfort, but rather with utmost effort to achieve results and find peace of mind in fulfilling one's duties. Desires should not be indulged, so that the principles of Heaven may be revealed, and desires should not exceed the bounds of propriety; arrogance should not be arrogant, so that humanity may be upheld, and honor should not be diminished by gentleness and respect. Authority should not be relied upon for its power, so that virtue may spread far and wide, and order may not harm harmony."

The second part says:
"To bestow favors is not to force them, but to follow the natural course of things; to work hard is not to labor in vain, but to fulfill one's natural responsibilities. To restrain desires is not to eliminate all desires, but to be mindful of one's own boundaries; to maintain composure is not to rely on one's position, but to have a humble heart. To establish authority is not to rely on the law, but to cultivate inner virtue."

Shu Gu said:
"With the five virtues practiced in harmony, rooted in benevolence and following righteousness; with all virtues fulfilled, one can establish oneself in the world and live in peace. This is the practice of supreme virtue!"

~~
After Mr. Niu finished reading, he couldn't help but exclaim in praise:
"One should look at a scholar with new eyes after three days of separation. This lad has made remarkable progress. His parallel prose is already quite good, easy to read aloud, and basically without any mistakes."

"And it's very domineering." Mr. Zhu also said with satisfaction, "It's somewhat like Mencius's view of feudal lords as mere clay chickens and earthen dogs."

"It is indeed very sharp," the gentlemen agreed. "However, the more moderate and peaceful writing style of the previous piece suited him better."

"He's clearly trying to improve his writing, and it's inevitable that he's overcorrecting," Mr. Zhu said, speaking up for Su Lu. "This just shows his potential!"

After the gentlemen finished their discussion, Qian Huai-ren asked, "In your opinion, how should we score him?"

　After finishing the personal statement, I realized that exceeding the word limit would increase the price by one cent, so I've included it here:

　　This formulaic essay took me ages to write, but it's less than four hundred words. First, I didn't want to annoy everyone by writing too much, so I'm being very careful now and try not to write anything if I can avoid it... Second, it's a good way to be lazy, haha.

　　From now on, unless it's a major exam, I won't write the whole thing. The reason is the same as above.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)