Chaos of Ming 1628

Sun Qing understood that the Ming Dynasty's imperial examinations frequently featured major questions, and Song Xian had chosen this question for the literary gathering, which could be about self-cultivation, official administration, and governance.

This question was very well-chosen. After thinking about it for a long time, everyone gradually came up with an answer.

Many people stepped forward and responded.

Unfortunately, the answer was mediocre and lacked any outstanding qualities. It drew sighs from the crowd, who all remarked that the question was still too difficult.

Sun Qing already had the answer in her mind.

Finally, one can directly verify the effectiveness of what one has learned.

He stepped forward, about to speak, but Fan Wen beat him to it, saying without hesitation, "Lord Song, I will answer."

Upon seeing Fan Wen's response, everyone fell silent.

Fan Wen paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, shaking his head and swaying. He stopped and said, "The key is: Heaven and Earth have a way, which is nothing more than sincerity. Sincerity is the law of Heaven."

Following the topic: ...Conclusion

When scholars recognize the sincerity of the Way of Heaven and diligently practice it, then humanity can align itself with the Way of Heaven.

People like Fan Wen specialize in writing contemporary essays. Naturally, their essays are flawless in terms of format.

After he finished speaking, everyone nodded and discussed among themselves:

"Okay, this article is also a standard model of current affairs writing."

"It is concise and straightforward, without being deliberately difficult. The explanations closely follow the original meaning of the Doctrine of the Mean, adhere to Zhu Xi's commentary, and are impartial and unbiased, without any words that deviate from the classics."

"The four-part couplet is well-balanced, with contrasting elements of reality and imagination, and the words and sentences are smooth and appropriate."

"This article is easy to imitate in its style and follows in its principles, making it perfect for practicing the eight-legged essay format as a foundation."

The surrounding students showered him with praise. Fan Wen's face also showed a smug look.

Turning to look at Song Xian, he saw that he remained silent, still sitting in the same spot, slowly sipping his fragrant tea.

The topics proposed by previous authors were indeed too ordinary to attract attention at all.

Only Fan Wen's essays were truly worth reading carefully and were quite interesting. Song Xian, however, sat there; as the head of the gathering, shouldn't he offer some commentary and speak out for fairness?

Just as the atmosphere was becoming awkward, Yang Qingqing looked at everyone with a clear and bright expression.

While everyone was discussing, she simply leaned against the railing, listening attentively without interrupting.

Seeing that the atmosphere had calmed down, he stepped forward slowly, his voice clear and steady: "Lord Song, what do you think?"

This is forcing Song Lian to give an answer as soon as possible.

"Is anyone still working on the questions?" Song Xian asked, his face showing no joy, simply standing up.

"I'm willing to give it a try," Sun Qing said, bowing slightly before quickly offering a reminder.

Song Xian's gaze swept over him, and he sighed helplessly, "Since there's nothing left, I'll give my comments."

"No good." Song Xian ignored Sun Qing and went straight to the point: "The rules and formats you're talking about are essential points that a student who needs to take the imperial examination must know."

"The writing style is flawless in terms of structure, parallelism, and meaning. The writing is plain, steady, and cautious, free from the flaws of being flashy and empty. Beginners should learn to follow these rules and annotations when writing contemporary essays, so as not to go astray."

Fan Wen smiled even more broadly. Song Xian, as the top scholar, was already quite famous. Gaining his approval was a form of fame.

"However," Song Xian suddenly changed the subject, "to rigidly adhere to the annotations is empty and lacks substance, and the scope is not broad, but its only advantage is that it is well-structured."

Fan Wenzheng was floating in the sky when he was suddenly pulled to the ground. Displeased, he couldn't help but ask, "Isn't this good?"

"Of course!" This time, it was Sun Qing who spoke.

He had practiced this problem countless times in his previous life, and now he was finally able to use it.

He exclaimed excitedly, "I said I want to answer too!"

The snickers grew louder, "Young Master Sun, with that talent that drove your father to his death, dares to show off his meager skills before an expert?"

Although it was a sneer, Sun Qing didn't care at all. The laughter was too soft; it seemed that although they considered themselves superior, they were still afraid of the Sun family's reputation.

Instead of being angry, he was rather pleased. Such sarcasm at least confirmed that Sun Quan was indeed his father.

Sun Qing ignored him, pondered for a moment, and then spoke: "Breakthrough: ... Conclusion"

"By observing the unchanging course of heaven and earth throughout eternity, one can understand that sincerity is the essence of the Way of Heaven; extending this to self-cultivation and governing the world, it is nothing more than maintaining this genuine and unpretentious heart, thus aligning oneself with the virtues of heaven and earth." (The full text can be found in the author's notes; those interested can take a look.)

Originally, no one paid any attention, taking it as Sun Qing talking to himself.

As they listened, everyone's expressions turned serious, some even holding their breath, not daring to miss a single word.

This situation is like an examiner leaking a question during an exam; remembering just one more sentence is an opportunity.

Even Song Xian, who had been impatient, changed his expression, put down his teacup, sat up straight, and listened attentively to Qin'er.

Even after the last word was uttered, the second floor remained so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"good!"

Song Xian shouted.

In an instant, thunderous applause erupted.

Sun Qing straightened his back, showing no arrogance, but stared at Song Xian, waiting for an answer.

Song Xian didn't keep anyone in suspense and, when commenting on contemporary writings, even stood up: "When writing contemporary writings, adhering to all the rules is the primary condition."

"This article uses the physical entities of heaven and earth to testify to 'sincerity.' Its power flows seamlessly. It avoids the flowery language of books and does not fall into the trap of piling up pedantry. The article is full of practical truths, with a broad perspective, combining classical meaning with a worldly vision."

Including Fan Wen, there were 51 voices of opposition throughout the room.

Song Xian's approval is also the approval of this group of students.

They are certainly stubborn and arrogant, and rarely submit to others. There is only one exception: when it comes to writing, they can completely overwhelm the competition.

The way everyone looked at Sun Qing was filled with admiration, but also with a hint of strangeness.

Even Song Xian kept scrutinizing the person before him. He wasn't the madman Old Yu from the post station; when had he ever truly seen the person before him?

His earlier quiet departure convinced Lao Yu that it was indeed this unreliable person.

At this moment, the news made Lao Yu feel uneasy and afraid.

But now, he is not Lao Yu, he is Song Xian.

Suppressing his inner turmoil, Song Xian picked up his teacup and took a big gulp, emptying the cup. His face turned slightly red.

His voice rose considerably, and he shouted loudly, "Excellent! Absolutely excellent! If today were the imperial examination, Sun Qing would undoubtedly be number one!"

First?!

Suitable concept.

That's the top scorer!

Countless envious glances were cast at Sun Qing, and then at Fan Wen.

Although that gaze only swept over him for a moment, it felt like a needle prick to Fan Wen.

That person possessed the talent of a top scholar, and he was just laughing at him. Especially that line, "Now you understand why Sun Quan acted this way?"

What do you know?

Do people who know him think he's a disgrace, even though he's the son of a top scholar?

He took the imperial examinations every year and failed every year, spending ten years as a mere scholar. Wasn't he ashamed of himself?

"Phew!" Sun Qing breathed a long sigh of relief and exclaimed from the bottom of his heart, "That scared me to death. I never thought I would actually be able to write contemporary articles."

No matter how much I read in books or how much I speculated on myself, I couldn't get historical confirmation. Today, this seemingly impossible wish has come true.

His previous research was correct!

Unexpectedly, this seemingly ordinary sentence struck Fan Wen like a thunderbolt.

Fan Wen raised his head, his eyes red-rimmed, his voice trembling: "I started writing at three, composing essays at ten, passing the preliminary imperial examination at thirteen, and becoming a scholar at fifteen. Now I'm twenty-five, yet I'm not as spontaneous as you were the first time you wrote!"

These words have caused countless people immense pain.

Song Xiangang tried to offer some words of comfort, saying that he himself was ashamed of his own inferiority to these younger generation members.

Some things are simply a matter of innate talent, so why make things difficult for yourself?

Before he could say anything, Fan Wen broke down and suddenly looked up, staring at the rolling river outside the window.

He roared, "I regard the chosen ones of heaven as worthless weeds! I have wasted my time studying the classics!"

Having said that, he gritted his teeth and ran wildly toward the window frame, intending to jump into the river.