Top Scholar

Chapter 99 Whose disciple is so outstanding?

It was ostensibly a consultation, but in reality, Mr. Zhang expressed his confusion about the Doctrine of the Mean, Su Lu offered his own perspective, and then the two discussed it...

The scholar stroked the scroll and asked, “Zisi said, ‘A gentleman acts in accordance with the times,’ and Zhu Xi commented, ‘He acts in accordance with the times.’ May I ask, what is the standard for ‘time’ in ‘acting in accordance with the times’? If one encounters a situation where propriety and sentiment conflict, such as when a parent has been deceased for less than three years and the family is too poor to continue living, is it better to adhere to propriety or to compromise and act accordingly?”

Su Lu bowed and replied, “In my opinion, the key to ‘timely’ is ‘in accordance with the fundamentals.’ Confucius, when he was without food in Chen, still continued to play music and sing. This was not because he was unaware of his predicament, but because he upheld the fundamental principles of the Way. If a family is facing starvation after three years of mourning for a parent, shortening the mourning period is not a violation of propriety, but rather the essence of filial piety… because filial piety is not merely a formality, but also about cherishing the heart of one’s parents. The Doctrine of the Mean says, ‘The Way is not far from man.’ Timely means not being bound by ancient rituals, but rather following the sincerity of one’s own heart and responding to the realities of the world. This is what is meant by ‘holding the middle way without expediency is like holding onto one thing.’”

The gentleman nodded in approval, saying, "What a wonderful point! The key to 'being timely' lies in 'being in accordance with the essence.' I have learned a lot."

“This disciple also wishes to ask the master a question.” This time it was Su Lu’s turn to ask: “Confucius said, ‘The Doctrine of the Mean is indeed the ultimate principle.’ But since the Doctrine of the Mean is a common principle, why is it called the ‘ultimate virtue’?”

The master replied: "'Supreme virtue' is not something unattainable, but rather the ultimate 'just right'. Like a skilled butcher carving an ox, the blade fits perfectly into the gap, moving with effortless ease—this is the 'middle way'; if too rigid, it breaks; if too soft, it becomes dull—both lose their 'supreme' quality. Therefore, 'the Doctrine of the Mean' is not about compromise or reconciliation, but about 'holding to both ends and applying the middle way to the people'—like a water manager who either blocks or dredges, guiding the flow according to the terrain; or a military commander who either attacks or defends, adapting to changing circumstances."

Su Lu then asked, "How can ordinary people maintain the 'middle way' in their daily lives without losing it?"

"Ordinary people lose their sense of 'moderation' mostly because they are blinded by selfish desires: they rush towards profit and avoid danger, which is the root of 'excess' and 'deficiency.' Yan Hui 'did not make the same mistake twice,' not because he was without fault, but because he was able to 'restrain himself and return to propriety,' constantly reflecting on himself. Therefore, the key to 'attaining moderation' lies in 'being cautious about what one does not see and fearful of what one does not hear,'" the Master replied.

"I have learned a lot," Su Lu replied respectfully.

This time it was Mr. Zhang's turn to ask, "If we encounter chaotic times and the rites and music collapse, how will the 'Doctrine of the Mean' continue?"

Su Lu replied: “In my opinion, when you observe bamboo covered in winter snow, the bamboo bends but does not break. This is the resilience of ‘moderation’. In chaotic times, ‘moderation’ does not mean going with the flow, but rather, as you said before, ‘When the state is well-governed, speak and act boldly; when the state is poorly governed, act boldly and speak modestly.’ Therefore, the way of moderation is not about whether the times are favorable or unfavorable, but about having the heart to ‘be true to it in times of haste and in times of distress.’”

"Excellent, excellent, excellent." Mr. Zhang clasped his hands in praise and said, "My disciple will surely become a great Confucian scholar and a good teacher in the future, continuing the lost learning of the past sages."

"Sir, you flatter me again." Su Lu hurriedly declined, saying, "I only wish to study and make progress in my studies, and do my best to serve the people."

“Alas, God has bestowed talent upon you, not for you to waste. To have great abilities but not pursue great undertakings is a grave sin,” Mr. Zhang said, shaking his head.

"We'll have to wait until this disciple has developed great abilities before we talk about that," Su Lu said with a wry smile.

"Haha, that's true." Mr. Zhang stroked his beard and nodded: "To be able to know oneself without being complacent is the greatest virtue."

~~
The intense coursework made time fly by, and before we knew it, it was July 15th, the fifth monthly class was about to begin.

This monthly exam is also called the mid-year exam. It is an assessment that takes place halfway through the academic year, so it is more important than the usual monthly exams. Not only is the exam set by the headmaster himself, but the top student's stipend has also been increased to one tael of silver, and all others have received double the stipend!

Although a generous reward will surely attract brave men, given that Zhu Zihe has been leading by a wide margin since the start of the semester, everyone generally believes that this one or two taels of silver is a reward for his nephew.

Although the second, third, and fourth place students were all at Sheng Shen Zhai, Lin Zhihong and Qiao Feng had already suffered four consecutive defeats at the hands of Zhu Zihe. Su Lu, who was widely considered the most promising candidate to challenge Zhu Zihe, was still lacking in experience. It would be good if he could defeat his two classmates this time and improve by one or two places.

In everyone's opinion, it would take several more months before Su Lu could pose a threat to Zhu Zihe...

Before anyone knew it, Sun Shan had improved to the point where he could be compared to the first place winner.

But all this idle chatter was irrelevant to Su Lu; his only focus was the exam questions.

The way of the superior man is subtle and implicit.

This sentence comes from Chapter 12 of the *Doctrine of the Mean*: "The way of the superior man is subtle and hidden. Even the most foolish man and woman can understand it; but at its highest level, even the sage has aspects that he does not know."

It still uses the dialectical method that Su Lu greatly favors to explain the vastness and subtlety of the Doctrine of the Mean. The vastness is something that even uneducated common people can understand; the subtlety is something that even sages cannot fathom.

While reviewing the question, Su Lu thought of his own discussion with Mr. Zhang. He had only just learned the Doctrine of the Mean and could already speak eloquently about it; Mr. Zhang, despite years of immersion in it, still had some areas he didn't fully understand. This was the vastness and subtlety of the Doctrine of the Mean.

Inspired by this, a set of eight-legged essays took shape in his mind.

In the six months since enrolling, Su Lu's writing skills have improved to the point where he can now write decent essays directly without needing to go through a transition between classical and vernacular Chinese. Of course, repeated revisions and refinements are still inevitable...

After making revisions to the draft and estimating that the time was almost up, Su Lu picked up the answer sheet printed with red grids, held the pen with a suspended wrist, and began to carefully copy it down.

His vertical strokes, starting from the left with a concealed tip, are vigorous and upright, never crossing the center line, ending as delicate as a gossamer thread; the dew-like strokes at the bottom of the grid are lightly paused and then turned, the ink congealing like pearls.

The composition is well-balanced in terms of spacing, with strokes flowing freely without overstepping boundaries, and radicals yielding to each other without crowding. The interplay of ink and vermilion, the slender yet firm lines conveying warmth, and the transformation from restraint to composure, demonstrates remarkable progress.

After finishing, Su Lu checked it again and felt very satisfied. From the writing to the calligraphy, it was something he couldn't have imagined a year ago…

Not long after, the gong in the courtyard sounded, and the proctor said, "Stop writing and hand in your papers."

~~
As soon as the gentleman finished reading and left, the Sheng Shen Zhai instantly transformed into a bustling marketplace.

The classmates were in good spirits and making a lot of noise. Li Qiyu turned around and asked Su Lu, "Brother, how did your exam go?"

“I should be able to get a point,” Su Lu said with a smile. “What about you?” “Me too,” Li Qiyu grinned. “Thanks to my brother’s tutoring, this time it should be a sure thing.”

"Haha, that's good." Su Lu said happily, then asked Cheng Wanfan, "Little Fan, what about you?"

"Brother, I don't think it's a big problem," Cheng Wanfan said with a smile. "This is the first time I've felt so at ease after finishing an exam."

"That's great, then I can rest assured." Su Lu happily packed his book box, stood up, and prepared to leave.

"Don't go! It's our usual get-together!" Ma Zhaizhang called out to him.

"That's right, how could we be absent from such a great contribution as our brother? We should also toast you properly to show our filial piety." The classmates also laughed.

"This time it really won't work, it's my grandfather's birthday." Su Lu bowed to everyone apologetically and said, "Come on, let me treat you all to a drink as an apology."

"Then there's nothing we can do." The crowd couldn't insist on keeping him any longer, but they couldn't help but mutter to themselves that the old man really knew how to pick a day for his birthday.

The students chatted and laughed as they left the classroom. The students from the other two dormitories were also leaving, but their laughter and chatter were noticeably quieter, and many of them wore no smiles…

The Doctrine of the Mean is difficult. Even if the question setter didn't intentionally make it difficult, it's enough to give these young people who have just started to study it in depth and are struggling to understand its profound meaning a hard time.

~~
After noon, go to the Nantang Hall.

The gentlemen started grading papers early this month. Today is the Ghost Festival, and everyone wants to finish quickly and go home early to avoid running into any "friends" on the way...

So today, there's no idle chatter or reading the papers aloud; I'm going to give them a thorough critique right away!
Moreover, the number of test papers has decreased by a full quarter, leaving only forty-five.

Before 3 PM, all forty-five papers had been graded.

The gentlemen will now divide the thirty portions that each received one point into fifteen portions that each received half a point, and ask the headmaster and Vice Headmaster Qian to rank them.

After two months of elimination, there are no more papers that don't get points... Of course, this is because the headmaster went easy on us and didn't set any difficult or strange questions.

In May, a strange question was posed, and Zhu Liu was scolded quite badly. Even he had to restrain himself.

"The rankings have been preliminarily determined, but there is still some controversy, and we need to ask the headmaster to make the final decision." Qian Huai-ren said, handing the two exam papers to Zhu Liu: "Which of these two is first? The gentlemen all have their own opinions, and it is really difficult to decide."

"Let me see." Zhu Liu took it, glanced at the name and smiled. It was his two disciples, Su Lu and Zhu Zihe.

He first picked up Su Lu's text and read it aloud:

"The Tao pervades the universe, and its principles are subtle and profound!"

He laughed and said, "This problem-solving is as sharp as ever, it's invigorating!"

"This is just Su's usual performance," the teachers laughed. "But this time he was even more outstanding later on."

“The use of expense is to convey the Way, and it contains hidden principles and meanings. When a wise person moves from the manifest to the subtle, the Way is revealed.”

"The Way is the mandate of Heaven, inherent in the human heart, and serves as the rule for daily life. Therefore, the Way is not far from man; following one's nature is called the Way. Its vastness and subtlety cannot be comprehended by anyone but a virtuous person!"

"A wise person observes the hidden meanings within seemingly trivial matters, and understands that principles are concealed within vastness, and truth is revealed in the minute details."

"Excellent! Excellent! What a powerful title!" Zhu Liu exclaimed after reading the title, clapping his hands in praise: "Su Lu has truly mastered the Doctrine of the Mean!"

“Yes, the eight characters ‘Dao is the mandate of Heaven, and it resides in the human heart’ perfectly explain ‘the mandate of Heaven is called human nature’!” Mr. Zhu agreed wholeheartedly, “These eight characters alone have already far surpassed those of his peers.”

“That’s right.” The other teachers nodded in agreement. “Student Su’s understanding of principles was already exceptional, and when he came to the Doctrine of the Mean, he was even more outstanding.”

"His essays have always been strong, but what's even more commendable this time is that his eight-legged essays also stood out!" Niu Ziru laughed. "I support him to be number one!"

"Let me see how he excels at the eight-legged essay!" Zhu Liu said with great interest.

“The flourishing of the universe nurtures all things, the four seasons follow their order, and all things are manifest; though near, the way is far, and the universe is vast and unpredictable.”

Hidden within, a subtle mechanism lies hidden; a single thought holds truth, a single action is handled with precision; in solitude, one must be cautious and discerning, every thought meticulously considered!

"Wonderful! Wonderful!" Zhu Liu exclaimed, "Who taught this disciple? How could he have progressed so rapidly?"

(End of this chapter)