Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 80 The Benefits of Being the First Place in the County Examination
"Brother Lu, Xuezheng is looking for you."

Zhang Sheng's face still radiated excitement: "When we were looking at the results just now, we heard several gentlemen discussing your answer sheet!"

"Oh." Lu Beigu wasn't surprised, but asked, "How did you all do on the exam?"

When he learned that both of them had made great progress, Lu Beigu was actually very happy.

After all, these two friends have progressed alongside him.

"Let's study the key points for the exam these next few days. If you can do well in poetry, prose, and policy essays, I think you have a good chance in this year's county exam?"

"It has to be at least in the top five."

Lu Guangyu hadn't held out much hope, but now he had some confidence: "Let's give it a try. If I can get into the state school this year, that would be the best outcome."

Zhang Sheng was somewhat envious, but he wasn't in a hurry. After all, not everyone could achieve such remarkable success as Lu Beigu. It was already quite good if he had made progress compared to his previous self.

"You two go have lunch first, I'll go find Xuezheng."

Lu Beigu took out the "Examples of the Book of Rites" that Xuezheng had lent him from the cabinet. He had been reading and studying these three volumes on his way to and from Chengdu. He had already finished reading them once when he returned to Hejiang County. However, he was not in a hurry to return the books. Instead, he read them again.

On his second reading, Lu Beigu gained a deeper understanding of the examination content of the Book of Rites compared to the first reading.

This set of "Examples from the Book of Rites" is a collection of answer templates for frequently tested questions in the Book of Rites, which shows that he has thoroughly mastered it.

With the county examination approaching, Lu Beigu has focused his studies on several relevant reference books on the Spring and Autumn Annals, such as "A Study of the Spring and Autumn Annals' Respect for the King," "A Collection of Commentaries on the Spring and Autumn Annals," and "The Correct Meaning of the Zuo Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals." He has also temporarily put aside the anonymous notes of the Tang Dynasty scholar on the "Correct Meaning of the Book of Rites." He now has a sufficient grasp of the Book of Rites to pass the county examination, and he will study those notes after entering the prefectural school.

As for Zhao Bian's manuscript of his thoughts on poetry and prose, he had already read it through once. Some of the writings were rather casual, fragmented, and profound, so he could not fully understand them yet. He could only wait until his poetry and prose skills improved before he could read them again and find new insights.

Furthermore, Lu Beigu had also finished reading the half-volume of "Guliang Commentary" that he had copied from the library. The relevant content happened to be on the test this time, which amazed the county school teachers a little.

When we arrived at Xuezheng's room, the door was open.

Xuezheng stood by the window, holding a book in his hands. Sunlight filtered through the branches of the old tree outside the window, casting dappled shadows on his faded blue cloth robe.

Hearing footsteps, Lu Beigu turned around and walked over. This usually strict schoolmaster surprisingly nodded first, his white beard trembling slightly with the movement.

"Xue Zheng."

Lu Beigu bowed respectfully and then returned the three volumes of "Examples of the Book of Rites" that the school official had borrowed from him.

"You've seen them all?"

Without waiting for his reply, Xuezheng casually turned to a page of "Examples from the Book of Rites" and pointed to the red annotations on one of the questions, asking a question.

"How should the phrase 'The emperor wore a plain robe with a red lining, and eventually became emperor' be interpreted, based on Zheng Xuan's commentary and Kong Yingda's commentary?"

Without hesitation, Lu Beigu replied, “Zheng’s commentary says, ‘A plain belt is made of white silk with a red lining, and is lined with red.’ Kong’s commentary says, ‘The end of the belt is decorated with red.’”

Xuezheng nodded slightly, his gaze shifting downwards, and asked again, "What are the similarities and differences between the system of 'feudal lords wearing plain clothes until their death' and the system of the emperor?"

Lu Beigu replied, "The feudal lords also wear plain belts, but they cannot wear red linings. It is only for the 'final rites,' which means that the emperor and the feudal lords each have their own rites to show the difference in rank."

A hint of admiration flashed in Xuezheng's eyes, but he suddenly closed the book.

"The Book of Rites, Yuzao, says, 'The Son of Heaven holds a jade tablet, which is upright and just throughout the world.' What is your interpretation of the meaning of 'upright and just' here?"

Lu Beigu's heart skipped a beat. This was the question he had just answered in the ten-day test, but the examiner was asking it again now, clearly wanting to test his deeper understanding.

He pondered for a moment and replied, “The so-called ‘uprightness’ refers to the virtue symbolized by jade, demonstrating to the world the importance of moderation and righteousness. However, I believe that ‘uprightness’ not only refers to moral character, but also implies that ‘the emperor uses rites to regulate the four directions.’” The scholar’s ​​eyes showed even more admiration. He finally stopped testing him and put the “Examples of the Book of Rites” back on the table, saying slowly, “It seems that you have indeed thoroughly understood these three books.”

Lu Beigu respectfully replied, "It is thanks to the schoolmaster's lending of the books that I have been able to make such progress."

Xuezheng shook his head and said, "No matter how many books you borrow, they are useless if you don't study them carefully."

Then, the tutor asked, "Do you know why I called you here today?"

Lu Beigu shook his head.

“You made it into the top three in this ten-day test, so there are some things I should tell you.”

The schoolmaster closed the door and said, "Our Hejiang County School has always provided some support to local students who are able to enter the prefectural school. However, if they cannot enter the prefectural school, we will not mention it."

These words piqued Lu Beigu's curiosity.

It is true that Hejiang County is generous in its support of county schools due to its developed economy, but he was unaware that local students receive special benefits when attending state schools.

"The main thing was corvée labor."

Xuezheng explained, "Logically speaking, since you are a local adult, you should be required to perform corvée labor and other corvée duties. This is the rule of the dynasty. If you don't pass the provincial examination, it's not easy to exempt you from these duties. However, while the dynasty has its rules, there are also exceptions. Our Hejiang County is neither short of money nor short of people to perform corvée labor. If you can pass the county examination and be among the top three, the county can privately exempt you from corvée labor."

"Of course, that's not how it's said on the surface. On the surface, you still have to perform the corvée labor, but the money for hiring someone to perform the labor for you will be allocated by the county government to the county school, so that you don't have to travel all the way back from the state school in Luchuan County to perform the labor."

The corvée labor in the Song Dynasty was mainly divided into two categories: official corvée labor and labor service. Official corvée labor included yamen runners, village headmen, and miscellaneous laborers. Ordinary people mainly had to deal with yamen runners, who were responsible for transporting official supplies and keeping the government granaries safe. This was a very risky corvée labor service. If the supplies were damaged, the laborers had to compensate for the damage.

In the early years of the Song Dynasty, the yamen service was usually undertaken by low-ranking military officers and local powerful families. Later, it was gradually shifted to ordinary people. In the current reign of Emperor Renzong, in order to alleviate financial pressure, local governments usually force urban ward households, that is, merchants, to undertake the yamen service, which often leads to people going bankrupt as a result.

Labor service, also known as corvée labor, mainly involved local construction labor sponsored by the government, such as building cities, dikes, and post roads. At the beginning of the Song Dynasty, labor service was directly undertaken by farmers. However, after Emperor Taizu implemented the "local soldiers replacing labor service" system, local soldiers gradually became the main force of labor service, and the burden on farmers was reduced.

But whether it was official duty or corvée labor, the decision rested with the county government.

Therefore, the county school gives this preferential treatment to students with good grades, allowing students from the state who are from the county to concentrate on their studies at the state school. In fact, it's not just about paying for someone to teach you; to be honest, it's quite benevolent.

However, this is something that cannot be discussed openly.

Lu Beigu thought to himself, "No wonder Xue Zheng wanted to close the door."

"Another measure is to provide support to the top scorer in the county-level examination."

Xuezheng said, "As you know from the surface, every year the county school holds a grand ceremony to commend the first place in the county examination. The county magistrate personally awards him, presents him with an iron plaque, and inscribes his name on the county school's monument."

"However, there are other opinions. Every year, the top scorer in the county examination is recommended to the Luzhou Prefectural School. Although they participate in the preliminary test with other students, if they pass, they can choose teachers from different dormitories. In the lower dormitory, they can choose teachers from the upper dormitory, and in the middle dormitory, they can choose teachers from the upper dormitory. They will be able to provide better guidance than students in the same dormitory."

Lu Beigu suddenly realized.

This also explains why He Cong cares so much about his first-place position and doesn't want to be threatened by anyone.

It turns out there are many unseen forms of support here that aren't publicly announced.

Whether it was the county government privately exempting students from corvée labor or allowing them to choose teachers from other schools, it was indeed a great help to the students in the local prefecture.

Seeing his expression, Xue Zheng knew that he understood the significance of these benefits, so he said calmly, "The county examination is just around the corner, so keep up the good work."

Lu Beigu bowed deeply: "This student will certainly be diligent."

(End of this chapter)