Top Scholar

Chapter 104 The Magistrate is Coming

Fifteen peers received half a point this time, but five of them were eliminated because they didn't have enough points...

This time, Su Lu's class was lucky again, with no one being eliminated. The unluckiest, Duxingzhai, lost three more students, leaving them with only nine students – less than half of what they had at the beginning of the semester. If this happens two more times, they'll have to close down.

Mingzhizhai has had a total of seven students eliminated, and it is said that the headmaster and deputy headmaster are considering merging the two schools into one.

This greatly worried the two teachers at the academy. After school that day, they went together to find Zhang Yanqiu and asked him for the secret.

“Brother Mo Lin, we used to be about the same in teaching, so why are our results so different this year?” Mr. Qiu from Duxingzhai bowed and pleaded, “Please enlighten me.”

"Yes, brother, please do me a favor." Mr. Feng, who still had thirteen students left, had to be a little more reserved.

"To be honest, I don't really have any secrets," Zhang Yanqiu said, spreading his hands. "I just got lucky and met some good students."

“Brother Molin, you are mistaken. When classes were divided at the beginning of the semester, Sheng Shen Zhai was assigned to the worst batch. You could tell from the results of the first monthly exam that you were not as good as us.” Mr. Qiu said skeptically.

“That’s right. Starting from the second monthly class, your grades have been rising steadily, like sesame seeds blooming, and everyone is improving.” Mr. Feng nodded and said, “You’ve definitely figured out the secret!”

"No, I really don't," Mr. Zhang denied outright.

"Since Brother Molin refuses to help, then I, your humble brother, will take my leave." Mr. Qiu cupped his hands in farewell and left dejectedly.

“I understand…” Mr. Feng also cupped his hands in greeting and followed Mr. Qiu away.

Zhang Yanqiu touched his nose in annoyance. He wondered what those two would say to him when they got back.

He actually knew that the reason the whole class was making progress together was because he had a super teaching assistant—Su Lu, who could always pinpoint his classmates' problems and point them in the right direction for improvement.

Moreover, Su Lu's understanding of the scriptures was extremely accurate and insightful, and he could explain it to others in a concise and clear manner.

That kid seemed to possess a talent for finding the right answer even in the midst of chaos, something even he admired. Later, after their long discussions, Zhang Yanqiu realized that it was because Su Lu had a profound understanding of the subtle meanings of the Four Books…

However, he couldn't reveal Su Lu's situation to his two colleagues. It wasn't that he intentionally kept it a secret, but rather that doing so would place an unnecessary burden on Su Lu.

Although that kid clearly likes to teach, he was the one who offered to instruct his classmates, and I can't afford to cause him any more trouble...

"His classmates bombard him with questions as soon as get out of class is over. The kid must be really annoyed," Mr. Zhang sighed, feeling sorry for his prized student. "Sigh, when will he learn to say no?"

~~
In fact, Su Lu was overjoyed at this moment because he had come to the general affairs office to collect his stipend again.

Moreover, since this was a semi-annual exam, the prize money was doubled, and Supervisor Chen directly gave him one tael of silver! He even said with a smile, "Young man, you're lucky. You won the grand prize on your first try. It's worth two months' worth of the previous prizes."

"Yes, yes." Su Lu happily pocketed the tael of silver, cupped his hands in thanks, and said, "It's all thanks to the abbot's auspicious words last time."

The big wolfhound was taken aback, and it took him a while to remember that he had told him to keep trying, as moving up one more place would earn him more money. He couldn't help but smile even more amiably and said, "Well, this time I can only wish you good luck, because you can't move up one more place, haha."

"Thank you for your kind words, Abbot." Su Lu bowed again in thanks before taking his leave under the Abbot's loving gaze.

On his way to Daonan Hall, he silently calculated that, including the previous two times, he had already received 1,250 cash for his tuition. If he kept at this rate, he might be able to earn back his tuition fees.

"Control your expression." Zhu Zihe's voice rang out as soon as Su Lu entered Qingxin Gate. Looking at Su Lu's barely concealed smile, he snorted, "You're this happy just because you beat me once?"

Su Lu thought to himself, "What is this all about?" But he didn't dislike Zhu at all now; on the contrary, he found the kid quite cute, so he asked with a smile, "Was Zhu waiting for me?"

"Dream on!" Zhu Zi rolled his eyes at him and said, "My uncle is talking to Mr. Niu."

"Oh." Su Lu stopped teasing him, and the two waited for the old ox to come out under the eaves.

After a moment of silence, Zhu Zihe couldn't help but ask, "How did you do on your homework?"

“So be it,” Su Lu said with a wry smile. “What do we know about the rise and fall of a nation at our age? We’re just talking nonsense.”

The two were referring to the assignment given by Zhu Liu: to write one imitation of a famous essay every three days.

For several months, Zhu Liu had them write from the Tang and Song dynasties to the pre-Qin period, gradually progressing from simple essays like "On the Love of Lotus" and "Inscription of a Humble Abode" to articles of medium difficulty such as "Record of the Drunken Pavilion" and "Record of Yueyang Tower." Recently, he even challenged them to write extremely difficult political essays.

For example, the assignment three days ago was for them to imitate "On the Faults of Qin" and each write an essay titled "On the Faults of Song," summarizing the reasons for the fall of the Song Dynasty.

This has transcended the scope of an article and entered the realm of political discourse. In the words of the headmaster:

"I know it's difficult for you at your age, but we study so that we can govern the country and bring peace to the world in the future, not just for our own selfish interests. So please calm down, study history books, and summarize the gains and losses of past dynasties."

After class, Su Lu, with a special note from the headmaster, borrowed a complete set of the *Continuation of the Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government* from the library. He even asked the headmaster why he couldn't borrow the *History of the Song Dynasty*.
The headmaster sneered, "Can you even finish reading it?"

Su Lu replied, "I can read it all."

He was professionally trained and could read ten lines at a glance to get the gist of the text. Then he only needed to read the biographies of key figures and the records of key events in detail.

For studying history, this level of understanding is sufficient. Because the threads of history often converge on a few people and a few events…

Zhu Liu rolled his eyes upon hearing this, but knowing that Su Lu wouldn't speak arrogantly, he said in a low voice, "There's no need to read it all. If you really have time, then read the 'Song Wenjian' and the 'Sanchao Beimeng Huibian'."

As a result, Su Lu searched the library for half an hour before discovering that neither of the two sets of books were actually in the collection.

This is a scam!
~~
The full name of the "Continued Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government" is "Continued Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government: Extended Edition". It is a comprehensive history in chronological order, following the format of the "Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government", which narrates the events of the 168 years of the nine reigns of the Northern Song Dynasty. The academy only has a portion of it, but it already has as many as 300 volumes. Even after just quickly browsing through the key points, Su Lu felt dizzy and overwhelmed, and he racked his brains to write this essay, "On the Faults of the Song Dynasty".

Today is the day to hand in the assignment...

Upon hearing Su Lu say that his "On the Faults of the Song Dynasty" was nonsense, Zhu Zihe was very pleased and said with a reserved smile, "Although you are better than me in the eight-legged essay, it seems that you still can't compare to me in the category of historical essays!"

"Of course, Brother Zhu comes from a family with a long history of learning and has read extensively. Unlike me, I only started reading history books three days ago." Su Lu couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he recalled Li Qiyu's mischievous comment about him being a 'giant baby'.

"It's good that you know your own limitations," Zhu Zihe said smugly, all the gloom of the day gone. "If you are willing to learn, I can give you some pointers, of course, when I'm not busy."

"It's a deal," Su Lu said with a smile and a nod.

“I’m free right now…” Zhu Zihe said with a look that said, ‘Please ask me for advice.’

Su Lu couldn't bear to disappoint the child, so he asked him a few questions such as "the turning route of the chariot god at Gaoliang River" and "the authenticity of the painting 'Xiling's Visit to Xiao Zhouhou'". Zhu Zihe answered them seriously and did not find his questions too boring.

The two talked for a while before Mr. Niu finally came out of the headmaster's study. He nodded to them and patted Su Lu on the shoulder, saying, "Keep up the good work, I believe in you."

After saying that, he strode away, leaving Su Lu completely bewildered.

Zhu Zihe snorted unhappily and went straight into the study, complaining to Zhu Liu, "What is it that takes so long to talk about? We've been waiting for ages."

"Mr. Niu needs to take leave to go to the provincial capital to participate in the imperial examination. If he passes, he will also have to participate in the autumn examination in August. By the time he returns after seeing the results, it will be at the earliest October," Zhu Liu said with a headache.

"If he takes a long leave, who will cover his shifts for three months?"

"Then we shouldn't allow him to fake it," Zhu Zihe said.

"How can that be allowed? To ruin someone's future is like killing their parents." Zhu Liu shook his head resolutely. "Even if a county school instructor or a prefectural school professor says they want to go to the capital for the imperial examinations, the officials in charge can't stop them. How can we, a private academy, hold someone back?"

"Uncle, are you going to the capital to take the imperial examination this time?" Zhu Zi and this unlucky kid didn't treat Su Lu like an outsider at all.

"I had originally decided never to go to the capital for the imperial examinations again; I would dedicate my next life to education." However, Zhu Liu had nothing to hide, and took a sip of tea as he said:

"But in the past six months, thanks to Su Lu, I feel that my writing has improved a lot, and I'm a little itchy again."

"If you're itching to go, then go," Zhu Zihe said.

"That's easy for you to say. This whole operation has just begun. If I fail the exam, that's fine; I'll be back in a few months. But if I do pass, who will take over? Won't I be handing this over to the wrong person and harm the academy's students?" Zhu Liu sighed.

"These are all things that need to be carefully considered."

“Uncle is always so confident,” Zhu Zihe whispered.

"Huh?" Zhu Liu glared at him, and Zhu Zihe quickly shrank back.

“I have my own plans for this matter, you don’t need to worry about it.” He then glanced at Su Lu and said, “Next month, Lu Zhaoye, the magistrate of Hejiang County, will be visiting the academy. You all need to perform well then.”

"Yes." Su Lu replied, his heart skipped a beat. Wasn't that the obstacle that stood in his father's way of passing the imperial examinations?
"He's quite dedicated, coming all this way to inspect the area." Zhu Zihe seemed to lack respect for Magistrate Lu, and said with a sneer, "It's going to be another waste of manpower and resources."

"Firm your attitude. I'm going to let you take the county exam in Hejiang!" Zhu Liu said in a deep voice.

"Yes." Upon hearing that Magistrate Lu was his examiner for the county examination, Zhu Zihe's attitude immediately became more respectful.

Fearing that Su Lu, a country bumpkin, might not understand, Zhu Liu put it more bluntly: "While the county magistrate does have the duty to supervise the academies, the academies in the garrison are not under his jurisdiction. Therefore, he has only one purpose in coming to inspect—to see if there are any promising talents here!"

P.S. I've lost count of how many days it's been since the fourth update, but it's been incredibly exciting! Everyone's pushed "The Top Scholar" to second place in the historical fiction bestseller list, so I can only keep burning for my fans! Please vote and subscribe!

(End of this chapter)