Top Scholar

Chapter 61 The First Major Exam

That evening, Su Youcai told Su Lu that he had found a successor.

The clan school actually has no shortage of teachers; none of the senior students who dropped out of Taiping Academy passed the imperial examination to become Xiucai.

Only Chun-ge passed the county examination this time; the other three have returned to their hometowns and are now retired. The employment options for unsuccessful scholars are too limited; if they don't humble themselves, teaching is their only remaining path.

To earn a government-run position at a community school and receive a government salary, one had to be a student (生员). For example, the community school in Erlangtan was occupied by Cheng Xiucai, which is why the Su family had to establish a separate clan school…

Therefore, it was actually a buyer's market. The old clan chief didn't raise his wages by a single penny and quickly reached an agreement with someone.

Once the Qingming Festival was over and the new teacher arrived, Su Youcai packed up and officially left the school.

Only then did the old man learn that he had resigned from his post. He was so angry that he couldn't eat for several meals, which made Su Tai very sad. He felt that it was because his cooking was too bad.

But Su Youcai acted first and informed the emperor later, so the die was cast and the old man was helpless. He could only vent his anger by repeatedly ordering him to absolve himself of his sins.

Su Youcai didn't waste a single day; he went to town to look for work the very next day...

Such decisive and planned action was completely unlike Comrade Youcai's usual hesitant and indecisive style, to the point that Su Lu always felt that his motives were impure.

Hmm, who was suspected of having impure motives?

However, he didn't have the time to solve the case, because the first monthly class was just around the corner!

In the days leading up to the exam, the atmosphere in the class became tense. The usual laughter and chatter completely disappeared, and even "Cheng Sanwan" stopped mocking Su Lu's bottom three. Everyone was focused on preparing for the exam, and the boys once again felt the pressure before the entrance exam.

Mr. Zhang also became extremely busy, correcting all the students' daily craft assignments word by word, and marking any grammatical errors or inappropriate meanings.

This is no easy task, but Mr. Zhang issued the order promptly and without delay, demonstrating his dedication and responsibility.

Seeing that her husband had developed dark circles under his eyes from being so busy, Su Lu didn't want to add to his burden, so she asked to temporarily stop the extra tutoring.

Unexpectedly, Mr. Zhang scolded him: "Of all the students in the class, you are the one I worry about the most. You have no other way out but to study hard! Write three essays a day, not one less. Bring them over at noon, and I will give you feedback in person. If I can't finish, I will continue after school!"

With such a dedicated and responsible teacher, what could Su Lu do? He could only cram desperately at the last minute, hoping to perform exceptionally well during the exam…

~~
On the fifteenth of March, spring rain fell like oil, pomegranate blossoms blazed like fire, distant mountains appeared as dark as ink, and nearby waters were shrouded in mist. The Taiping Academy, nestled amidst the misty rain and mountains, was as beautiful as a traditional Chinese ink painting.

The students sat upright in the lecture hall, but had no interest in appreciating the beautiful scenery outside the window; they were only waiting for the teacher to hand out the exam papers.

Today's monthly exam is not only the students' first major exam since enrolling, but also the first exam after the academy's reforms. The academy attaches great importance to it, and even the proctors have been changed to teachers they haven't seen before.

The proctor first announced the rules: the monthly exam would be held in one morning, divided into two sessions. The first session would cover the meaning of calligraphy and painting, and the second session would cover the art of composition.

The first exam lasted for six quarters of an hour. When the papers were handed out, there were twenty questions on calligraphy and ten questions on the meaning of ink.

The number of questions was quite large, but it posed no challenge to the students present. The main purpose of this exam was to encourage them to review what they had learned and to force them to review the classics and Zhu Xi's commentaries on time. Therefore, correct answers would not earn extra points, but incorrect answers would deduct points.

Su Lu answered the questions with ease, finishing early and carefully checking them twice. A student like him, who is "severely unbalanced in his subjects," absolutely cannot afford to make any mistakes in the areas he knows.

After the first session, the students rested briefly before starting the second session. There was only one question, with a requirement of no more than 500 words. However, the exam time was extended to an hour – this was the real test!

When Su Lu received the question, he saw that it was "The people may be made to follow a path, but they may not be made to understand it," which comes from the Analects of Confucius, Taibo.

In terms of content, this is a short question. In terms of format, it's called a "double-sector question," meaning two sentences stand side-by-side; naturally, the essay must consider both aspects—a very typical question type. After all, it's only been two months since the start of the semester, so they'll definitely be toned down the questions and won't try anything unusual.

But given the headmaster's personality, it's impossible for him not to cause trouble. The difficulty lies in these two sentences themselves; they are very hard to grasp...

The difficulty lies not in the punctuation; in the Ming Dynasty, there was no other way of punctuating. In fact, before Liang Qichao, there was none, nor could there be…

The difficulty lies in interpreting these two sentences. From the Han and Tang dynasties to the present, scholars have offered various interpretations, which can be broadly divided into two categories: the "fooling the people" interpretation and the "the people being ignorant" interpretation. The former is interpreted as "fooling the people," while the latter is interpreted as "the people being ignorant."

Since it was a formulaic essay, it naturally followed the *Collected Commentaries on the Analects*. Su Lu recalled Zhu Xi saying: "The people can be led to follow a course of action, and thus reasoning becomes natural; but one cannot make them understand the reasons why."

It means that 'the people can be guided to follow those inherently reasonable principles, but they cannot understand the deeper reasons behind these principles.'

Zhu Xi also quoted Cheng Yi's words, "The sages established teachings not because they did not want everyone to understand and be familiar with them, but because they could not make them know, they could only make them follow the teachings." He explained the phrases "make them follow the teachings" and "make them know the teachings," emphasizing the idea of ​​keeping the people ignorant while criticizing the idea of ​​keeping the people ignorant.

Students often get caught between these two interpretations. Although they may start with Zhu Xi's theory of the people being ignorant, they will eventually slip into the theory of the people being ignorant, thus contradicting Zhu Xi's commentary.

However, this problem will not occur if Su Lu's essay writing method is used.

He first used the "question stem decomposition method" to circle the key words of the question: "people, by, know," and made it clear that the core argument must be established around "the dialectical relationship between making the people by and knowing."

After a moment's thought, Su Lu decided to use both direct and indirect methods to solve the problem.

He is not yet able to express his thoughts directly in classical Chinese, so he can only draft a rough outline in a semi-classical style. Thus, he begins:
'People's nature is constant; guiding them will lead them back to the right path. Understanding the principles is difficult; only by conforming can peace and order be achieved.' Having addressed this point, the rest follows logically. Su Lu then wrote a semi-classical version of the following:

"In daily life, people often know what things are but not why they are. Sages guide the people with the Way, not because they do not wish for them to know, but because knowledge is not easily gained. By leading them without requiring them to know, it is actually easier to successfully educate and transform them."

Next came the opening remarks. Su Lu, following the 'theme' and the 'sage's perspective,' presented his main argument:
"The common people follow their nature, not deviating from the norm, which is the natural order. If they are restrained by decrees and punishments, they may be exempt from crime but will not feel shame; only by being guided by virtue and propriety will they understand shame and be able to restrain themselves. Is this not the right way to guide the people? Because understanding principles is truly difficult, and the people differ in intelligence and folly, the sage does not force them with profound principles, but guides them with the Way."

This concludes the "preface" section. Next comes the argumentative section, beginning with the "starting point," which delves into "what it is"—

'Doing good brings blessings, while doing evil brings calamity. Therefore, the people's inclination towards goodness is like a river flowing into a ravine, ceaseless day and night; thus, they can be guided onto the right path.'

Those in power should follow established rules to ensure the people are not confused; there is no need to demand that they fully understand the reasons behind them. The profound meaning behind these reasons cannot be fully comprehended by anyone but the most intelligent, and therefore, there is no need to force them to know.

Then there's 'Chinese stocks,' delving deeper into the 'why'—

The virtue of a gentleman is like the wind, while the virtue of a petty person is like grass. Grass bends when it encounters the wind. The grass moves when the wind blows, not because the grass recognizes the wind, but because it moves naturally according to the wind.
Those who act without leaving a trace, practice without understanding their reasons, and follow the Way their entire lives without knowing its principles—these are the common people. The masses who follow the Way are not entirely ignorant, but what they know need not be explicitly stated or explained.

Next comes the 'subsequent stock', expanding from 'what to do' and 'what to pay attention to'—

The sages established teachings not because they did not wish for everyone to know, but because those who know may not be able to practice, and those who practice may not all know. Guiding them and leading them along the way, practice is inherent within that;
The way of the superior man is broad in application but subtle in meaning. Even the most foolish common man and woman can understand it, yet at its most profound levels, even sages may not grasp its essence. The ultimate truth is difficult to know, therefore it is unnecessary to force the people to understand it.

Finally, there's the 'binding the legs' part, the concluding summary, a recap of the previous discussion—

Those who follow it do so according to its natural order; those who do not understand it simply accept their daily routines.

The essence of governance by sages lies in this; this is the fundamental principle of ancient governance.

After finishing his essay, Su Lu quickly reread it and felt that it was already high enough to get a good score in terms of essay writing. But he wasn't done yet. He then meticulously reviewed each word and sentence, transforming the semi-classical Chinese text into classical Chinese that conformed to the requirements of the eight-legged essay style.

Only after finishing did I neatly copy it onto the exam paper.

He had just finished writing the last character when the sound of the clapper resounded in the courtyard.

Su Lu quickly put down his pen, gently blew the ink dry, and presented the examination paper with both hands when the head of the study came to collect the papers.

As soon as the proctor left the classroom, the students burst into energy again.

Some people were discussing how they solved the problem, while others were speculating about how many points they could get.

Many people were also discussing where to go in the afternoon. Because today is a ten-day weekend, the academy is closed!

Actually, the academy was being unreasonable by scheduling exams on rest days. This prevented boarding students from going home, forcing them to wander around town to clear their heads.

Li Qiyu beamed with joy, quickly packed his schoolbag, and urged Su Lu, "Come on, I'll treat you to Sweet Water Restaurant. I heard they've got some new items!"

"Yes, 'Dan Ying Sweet Dew,' that's incredibly expensive." Su Lu knew it all too well, because this cherry-flavored drink was also formulated under his guidance and priced by him personally...

However, he has been busy preparing for his exams these days and hasn't been to Sweet Water Restaurant, so he doesn't know how well this "most expensive item in history" is selling.

"I don't care how much it costs, I'm treating you to drinks today!" Li Qiyu patted his purse, exclaiming generously, "Not only will I treat you to drinks, I'll also take you out to eat!"

"Is there a share for me?" Su asked casually.

"Of course, we three brothers can't be missing even one of us!" Li Qiyu said with great pride, which impressed the Su brothers.

This guy has been so stingy since the start of the semester, this is the first time he's treated us to a meal...

After the three left the lecture hall chatting and laughing, Sanwan, who had been holding back for a long time, finally said sarcastically:
"Hmph, you're all energized now that the exam's over!"

"The results will be posted tomorrow, let's see if you can still laugh then!"

"I also want to drink 'Dan Ying Sweet Dew'..." Cheng Wanfan, with buck teeth, swallowed hard and said, "Brother..."

"Brother? I'd rather die of thirst than drink their water!" Cheng Wantang, with his pockmarked face, said resolutely. He was furious at the thought of his aunt getting entangled with the Su family.

“Yes, it’s not because we can’t afford it,” said the effeminate Cheng Wanzhou, stamping his foot.

"I really can't afford it," Cheng Wantang said dejectedly. He was a down-to-earth person.

P.S. Here, this is how the eight-legged essay is written. I'm only demonstrating it this once. Even though it's only a half-finished product, it drained my brain...

Don't worry, I won't write in such detail again. Let me indulge myself one last time before it goes on sale. Waaah, I might get scolded again, please give me some monthly votes to comfort me...

(End of this chapter)