Top Scholar

Chapter 75 Reward
The academy's curriculum was very demanding, and Mr. Zhang began lecturing on Mencius on the very day the results were announced.

But unlike his previous teaching of "The Great Learning" and "The Analects," Mr. Zhang did not begin with the first chapter. Instead, he first gave a general overview:

"Mencius was a follower of Confucius. He studied Confucius' teachings in great detail and elucidated their subtleties. Therefore, Mencius's work is more systematic and standardized than the Analects, and it is more instructive for us."

"The book Mencius expounds on four main aspects. The first is the theory of the goodness of human nature—he believed that people are born with 'a heart of compassion, a heart of shame and aversion, a heart of deference and humility, and a heart of right and wrong.' These 'four beginnings' are the foundation of morality, and the 'benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom' that we believe in also originate from this."

Mencius further elaborated on what "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom" are, which are the fundamental principles of morality...

"The third part is 'The Standard of Self-Cultivation' - Mencius explained the meaning of 'Wealth and honor cannot corrupt, poverty and hardship cannot sway, and power and force cannot subdue', which is the integrity and moral character that a great man should have."

"Finally, it discusses the essentials of governing a country, expounding Mencius's philosophy of benevolent governance: the people are the most important, the state is next, and the ruler is the least important!"

"..."

Mr. Zhang's explanation was insightful and clear to the students, and both teachers and students felt refreshed like never before!
~~
After class, the students swarmed around Su Lu and whispered, "It seems that the teacher also learned from you."

"Don't talk nonsense. The teacher has been teaching for so many years. What does it have to do with me?" Su Lu quickly stopped them. Although Mr. Zhang always adhered to the principle of "regardless of rank or age, wherever the teacher exists, the path is the same," as a disciple, one cannot talk nonsense.

At this moment, Ma Zhaizhang said at the door, "Brother Su, the master wants to see you."

"Oh, they're here." Su Lu quickly responded, then smiled at everyone and said, "Everyone, please be careful what you say, don't try to trick me."

"Don't worry, don't worry, we won't say anything more." The classmates laughed, "Would we really betray our 'godfather'?"

"Go to hell..." Su Lu laughed and cursed, then hurried to the preparation room to report for duty.

~~
In the side room.

Mr. Zhang was in a good mood, humming a little tune as he took a small cardboard box out of the drawer.

"Sir, you wanted to see me?" Su Lu called out from outside the door.

"Come in quickly," Zhang Yanqiu greeted him happily. "Come and try the crispy fried dough your teacher's wife makes. It's a specialty of Hubei and Hunan, something you definitely can't find in Taiping Town."

"Yes, thank you, Master's wife," Su Lu replied. Upon closer inspection, he saw a box of sliced ​​pastries, likely made of sugar, sesame seeds, dried fruit, and the like.

He picked up a small piece, put it in his mouth, and tasted it. The subtle flavor lingered on his taste buds, and he was instantly filled with bliss, wanting to dance. He couldn't help but exclaim:
"It's truly fragrant, sweet, and crisp, with a rich texture!"

"Is it delicious?" Mr. Zhang said with a smile. "This was specially made for you by your teacher's wife, as a reward for finally not having zero points anymore."

"I'm ashamed..." Su Lu said embarrassedly, "This disciple is dull-witted and has truly caused Master a lot of worry."

"It's alright," Mr. Zhang waved his hand. Like most middle-aged people, he wasn't used to boasting. But the difference was that he was honest.

"And also to express my gratitude... Did I not realize that today's lesson was inspired by you?"

"Really?" Su Lu said, flattered. "I was so busy taking notes that I haven't had time to savor it yet."

"Haha, it's true!" Mr. Zhang laughed loudly. "I've been reflecting on why I can't let the students understand everything in class. I always need you to give them some pointers. After much painful reflection, I've decided to change my approach that I've used for so many years."

Then, full of anticipation, he asked, "How did the students react after class?"

Su Lu thought to himself that the teacher must have asked Ma Zhaizhang as well, but it was only natural to want to be praised, so he quickly offered his praise: "The students all said it was excellent, and they immediately understood the purpose and outline of Mencius!"

"Haha, that's good. I was worried you wouldn't be used to it." Mr. Zhang stroked his beard and laughed heartily, then analyzed the exam paper for him again, and finally said:

"It's clear from the article that you're trying hard to improve your writing, but you're going a bit too far... like a young, wild bull charging around recklessly. The article is powerful, but it's also too deliberate."

“Yes, the students feel the same way now,” Su Lu said softly.

"You've memorized so many eight-legged essays, but how many of them have you truly mastered from beginning to end? It's about striking a balance between strength and gentleness, a proper rhythm," Mr. Zhang instructed further.

"You surely understand the principle of moderation, especially with today's writing style, which emphasizes subtlety and power without being overbearing. Try to tone it down a bit more..."

Su Lu nodded hurriedly and said, "Yes, disciple will pull it back a little more."

"You've done very well, but don't be complacent. You must strive for even greater progress next time!" Mr. Zhang encouraged him.

“Yes, if we take half a point again next time, there will be no room for error.” Su Lu nodded with a wry smile.

"So you still need to try to get one point." Mr. Zhang nodded, then put the lid on the box of crispy slices and handed it to him, saying, "Take it home and eat it slowly. Next time you want to eat it, you'll have to get one point."

"Yes, thank you, sir and mistress." Su Lu accepted the box of crispy fried pork with both hands, nodding emphatically, "I will definitely eat the next box!"
After school, Su Lu went to Daonan Hall to collect his prize as usual.

He didn't run into Qian Huai Ren this time, but familiarity breeds contempt, so he went directly to the headmaster's study to request an audience.

"You're here?" Zhu Liu, still writing, put down her pen and greeted him. "Sit wherever you like."

"Yes." Su Lu remained seated in the official's hat chair against the wall.

"I think the structure of your essay this time is even more ingenious than last time!" Zhu Liu picked up his test paper and exclaimed, "I tried to analyze your line of thought. Do you think it's correct? You used a 'general-specific-general' structure, and each part has three layers of progression."

"Yes." Su Lu nodded. This was why he didn't keep anything from those around him. Articles are written to be read by others, and experts can naturally analyze their intricacies.

Zhu Liu added: "Specifically, you set the tone by starting with 'dwelling in benevolence and following righteousness, with virtue as a model,' and concluded with 'the five virtues go hand in hand, rooted in benevolence and following righteousness.' In the middle, you discussed the five virtues in three progressive layers: what they are, how to practice them, and why they are so. This in-depth structure allows the discussion to gradually deepen from appearance to essence, which is very convincing."

After Zhu Liu finished speaking, he asked, "Am I right?"

“Absolutely correct.” Su Lu nodded hastily, feeling a deep respect for the headmaster. To analyze something to this extent after reading only two of his articles—in later years, that would be considered the work of a department head…

Well, he's already the principal of a top-tier middle school.

"Such an intricate structure, I've only ever seen in those masterpieces that have been refined through countless revisions. You've only been studying literature for three months, how did you manage to do that?" Zhu Liu stared intently at Su Lu, trying to see through the secret hidden in his heart.

Su Lu had already guessed that someone would ask him this question, and calmly replied, "Just as the headmaster said, I learned it from those classic works that have been refined over time."

He paused for a moment, then smiled and explained, “For example, this essay, ‘A Gentleman is Beneficial Without Wasting Money,’ is based on the structure of the opening of ‘The Great Learning.’ It’s just that the student’s ability is shallow, and he only managed to imitate it poorly.”

"Oh?" Zhu Liu pondered for a moment, then chuckled, "That's true."

The Great Learning begins by proposing three guiding principles, which clarify the fundamental goals of learning and self-cultivation.

Then, following the principle of "knowing where to stop leads to stability; stability leads to tranquility; tranquility leads to peace; peace leads to deliberation; deliberation leads to attainment," it elaborates on the specific path to achieving the goal, remarkably similar to the three-tiered progressive argument in Su Lu's eight-legged essay...

"That's true, but few can see through that facade." However, far from being disappointed, he praised Su Lu highly:
"Everyone thought that the format of the eight-legged essay was fixed, but no one expected that the content could be used to create something new in terms of structure—this is truly 'making a temple in a snail shell,' wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!"

"Students are just fearless because they are ignorant," Su Lu said modestly. "I didn't know those rules and regulations, so I dared to try things recklessly and made a fool of myself."

"It's good to try, you should try more, don't worry about the rules!" the headmaster quickly encouraged him.
"We people have too many rules and regulations in our minds, which is why we always follow the old ways and dare not step out of line."

Su Lu thought to himself, "Actually, I'm the same. I just have a few hundred more years of established rules to follow than you..."

However, he still asked curiously, "The eight-legged essay originated in the Song Dynasty and flourished for a hundred years in this dynasty. Has no one tried any new styles?"

"Of course there are plenty, but most of them failed. After all, the imperial examinations are still all about written test scores," Zhu Liu said with a wry smile.

"As the saying goes, it's like 'performing a grand ceremony in a snail shell,' so you'll inevitably run into obstacles most of the time. Success is actually a rare occurrence."

"Moreover, many times, even if you succeed, you can't prove it yourself." Zhu Liu sighed and said, "The imperial examination is too difficult. This alone is far from enough to stand out. Even knowledge alone is not enough. You also need... the combined power of heaven and earth."

He felt that now was not the time to talk to the students about those dark aspects... Little did he know that Su Lu had already witnessed it.

"Only those who successfully pass the imperial examinations will understand that their method is correct. But they will definitely keep it as a family secret and not reveal it to anyone," Zhu Liu said.

"So don't be fooled by the piles of Cheng Wenmo manuscripts on the market; none of them are the real scriptures for you."

"..." Su Lu remained silent upon hearing this. He had already experienced firsthand the extent to which information dissemination was restricted in this era.

The people in each county and even each town lived as if they were on isolated islands of varying sizes. Apart from the officials and gentry who could maintain contact with the outside world, the vast majority of people were completely in the dark, having no idea what lay beyond their own territory, let alone what changes had taken place in the outside world.

This feeling is even stronger in the mountains, which is why children work so hard to get into the academy, because it is their only way to understand the outside world...

“This world shouldn’t be like this,” Su Lu said softly. “This isn’t ancient times anymore; the publishing industry is already quite advanced…”

“Indeed.” Upon hearing this, Zhu Liu looked at Su Lu with even greater admiration. He never expected that this young man could see the cruel truth that he himself had only come to understand after twenty years in just a few words.

But then I thought, this is how this young man should be...

P.S. This extra chapter isn't included in the 16-chapter bonus; it's a repayment for the chapter from Brother Niu Mo Wang's previous book. His last book was so difficult, and he alone wrote 3000 chapter reviews…

The next chapter will be coming up later, I haven't finished checking it yet...

(End of this chapter)