Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 79 The Astonishing Speed ​​of Progress
Time is like Emperor Taizong of Song's donkey cart; once it starts running, it never stops.

In the summer of the first year of the Jiayou era, after completing the process of settling down and transferring his household registration, Lu Beigu unknowingly went through another round of ten-day tests, which was also the last round of ten-day tests before the county examination.

A large crowd gathered in front of the notice board at the county school.

As the list, written in vermilion ink, was unfurled in the sunlight, a sudden murmur of discussion erupted from the crowd.

To be honest, the ranking of the top three students in the county school has hardly changed in the past year. I didn’t expect that as the county exam approached, a dark horse would actually make a comeback!
In third place, the three characters "Lu Beigu" were covered in ink, pushing the one who was originally firmly in third place to fourth!

"Lu Beigu? Third place?!"

Someone's eyes widened, and their voice suddenly rose: "Wasn't he only ninth last time?"

"Jumped from ninth to third in such a short time?"

The students nearby gasped: "This...this must be incredible luck!"

"Try your luck? You try it and see?"

Another person scoffed, pointing to the rankings on the list: "The calligraphy is at the bottom of the class, and the ink is in the middle of the class. This isn't luck; it's real skill!"

"But just two months ago, he was ranked outside the top two hundred!"

Some people still couldn't believe it, muttering, "This progress is too uncanny."

"Strange? Others study from dawn till dusk, burning the midnight oil, and what about you?"

Zhang Sheng crossed his arms and glanced at the person who spoke: "You're lazy yourself, yet you blame others for being too hardworking?"

He certainly has the right to say that, because under Lu Beigu's guidance, Zhang Sheng also improved from over eighty to forty-sixth place. Diligence and hard work, coupled with the right methods, can lead to a rapid improvement in ranking in the low-level competitive environment of a county school.

Not far away, He Cong was also looking at the rankings, but he no longer felt any joy at the fact that he was still in first place.

His henchman swallowed hard and whispered, "Brother He, he... he wouldn't really be planning to storm into the state school, would he?"

He Cong did not answer, but stared intently at the glaring name on the list, a sinister glint in his eyes.

"Brother Lu is truly amazing!"

Lu Guangyu arrived at this moment, marveling at the rankings. As he looked down, he couldn't suppress the smile on his face.

In this ten-day test, Zhang Sheng ranked forty-sixth, while Lu Guangyu, who was usually in the top twenty, improved further to twelfth.

"It's all thanks to Brother Lu for setting a good example. Without Brother Lu, neither of us would have made such progress."

"That's true."

Lu Guangyu nodded. After Lu Beigu returned, he continued to lead them in morning reading and often discussed the meaning of the characters in the Book of Songs, helping them to understand each other. As the saying goes, three mediocre generals are better than Zhuge Liang. Although the three of them dared not compare themselves to Zhuge Liang, their learning efficiency was definitely much higher than before.

After all, the Analects examined by the Tiejing is essentially a collection of sayings, while the Spring and Autumn Annals and the Book of Rites examined by the Moyi are essentially interpretations.

One person's understanding is ultimately limited.

"Let's treat Brother Lu to lunch."

After the two finished looking at the results, they squeezed out of the crowd, with Lu Guangyu urging them on as they did so.

Zhang Sheng rolled his eyes and said, "If you want to treat me, you do it. Didn't you get rich following Brother Lu? I didn't get rich."

“You’re wrong about that,” Lu Guangyu chuckled. “You went home to help out at the pharmacy on Buddha’s Birthday, otherwise it would have been your turn to make a fortune with Brother Lu.”

"Don't even mention it, it's so worrying."

Zhang Sheng sighed deeply: "Recently, there has been a dysentery outbreak in the city, and the pharmacy at home is packed with people every day. It's scary to look at."

"Dysentery? What caused it? Is it treatable?"

"I don't know why, but it's very difficult to treat, and the effect of Huanglian Jiedu Decoction is limited."

Lu Guangyu nodded, half understanding. The two then prepared to find Lu Beigu and go to the dining hall for a meal, but found that several teachers were whispering among themselves around the headmaster under the corridor of the school dormitory.

You can still faintly hear the white-bearded Confucian scholar whispering: "The entry on 'Spring, the first month of the king' in the first year of Duke Yin's reign in the Guliang Commentary is a rare and obscure example that even I have to consult the commentaries to answer completely. Yet he can cite two different commentaries on it. That's incredible."

"If he doesn't speak up, he'll be a sensation when he does." The school official nodded and said, "I think Lu Beigu should be able to pass this year's county examination."

"By the way, where is Lu Beigu?"

Xuezheng stopped Lu Guangyu and Zhang Sheng and asked them a question.

Zhang Sheng hurriedly replied, "This student doesn't know either."

"Then go and look for him, and tell him to come to me."

Inside the school building.

Because Hejiang County has a relatively good economy and is willing to allocate funds to the county school, the dormitories are all double rooms.

The people who lived with Lu Beigu didn't actually live in the dormitories; they just paid to reserve a spot. So, he actually lived in a single room, which was quite comfortable for him.

Lu Beigu didn't go out to check the rankings or roughly where he would be ranked. After answering the questions on the ten-day test, he already had a good idea of ​​his position.

He's definitely in the top three. He's probably a little short of first place, but not by much. His study speed is fast enough, and he doesn't have any other problems lately. As long as he can concentrate on his studies, Mo Yi should be able to achieve a score of B-level or above by the time of the county exam.

As for his other works, such as poems, essays, and policy discussions, needless to say, he is now at the level of the top student in the county school.

In short, the only obstacle preventing his grades from improving further is time.

The Spring and Autumn Annals and the Book of Rites contain too much material, especially the Spring and Autumn Annals. The reference books that need to be studied are so numerous that even if you just skim through them, it would take two months to finish reading them, let alone if you also have to read them carefully, memorize them, and study them in depth.

At that moment, he was reading a letter in his hand.

The letter was a reply from Zhou Mingyuan. Regarding Lu Beigu's request for the Zhou family's steward in Gulin Town to take care of the house, Zhou Mingyuan readily agreed. In the letter, Zhou Mingyuan also mentioned the matter of the state school's new student gathering.

"So, is this gathering related to the teacher's advance selection?"

Lu Beigu rubbed his chin with the knuckle of his right index finger and fell into thought.

Previously, after the Shuyulou Book Club ended, Zhou Mingyuan came to his home and extended an invitation to him, only mentioning that the Luzhou Prefectural Society was holding a welcome party for new students.

This gathering will also be attended by outstanding students from neighboring state schools.

However, it was not mentioned that teachers from Luzhou Prefectural School also participated.

According to Zhou Mingyuan, if you perform well at the state college freshman orientation party, you will be favored by the state college teachers who come to select "good students". At that time, the teachers will make an agreement with each other about who will mentor whom.

State schools are different from county schools. If county schools are still in a state of low-level competition, then state schools are obviously more intense. Moreover, educational resources themselves will become unbalanced due to the division of schools into upper, middle and lower levels.

In this situation, the guidance of a good teacher becomes especially important.

Lu Beigu deeply understood this point. Zhao Bian had only taught him poetry for a few days, but the effect could only be described as "amazing".

The level of the teachers at the state school was certainly not comparable to that of a master of poetry like Zhao Bian, but if one could encounter someone who was particularly good at a certain field, one could still learn a lot.

But if you encounter an irresponsible and incompetent teacher, and have to learn entirely on your own, you'll find it much less effective.

Therefore, after passing the county exam, we still need to prepare well for this gathering of new students from the state school.

"Brother Lu!"

At this moment, Lu Guangyu and Zhang Sheng knocked on the door and came in.

Lu Beigu put the letter away.

"Brother Lu, it wasn't written by that young lady from last time, was it?" Lu Guangyu asked curiously.

"What nonsense are you talking about? It's a letter from Zhou Mingyuan asking him to do something for the family."

Lu Beigu stood up, showed the two the sender's name on the envelope, and that stopped their gossipy thoughts.

However, after Han San Niang and Han Ziyu returned to Luchuan County, they did indeed ask someone to bring him something—a box of tea cakes.

It smelled like good tea, but Lu Beigu didn't know exactly how good it was, so he just casually put it on the table.

(End of this chapter)