Chapter 112: The Su Sycophant

Magistrate Lu utilized the duration of the students’ examination to return to his quarters and "attend to some official business."

He slept until... well, he was occupied until the sun began to dip toward the west before he reappeared before everyone. Having spent half an afternoon at work, his spirits were surprisingly higher—would you not call that miraculous? Yet, he still shuffled along, his gait resembling that of a large macaque.

Once he settled slowly into his hollow-cushioned Taishi chair and the servant served fresh tea, Zhu Liu and Qian Huairen finally presented the examination papers. The latter, channeling the spirit of a sycophant, heaped lavish praise upon him: "Your Honor’s three topics are truly ingenious, especially the questions for the upper and lower schools. The upper school examination tests the foundations, reminding them to keep their feet on the ground—for he who seeks the height of a tree must first secure its roots. By using a 'cut-and-paste' question for the lower school, you remind them to avoid arrogance and impetuosity—for do they not know that while Mount Tai is high, there is still the sky above it?"

"Oh?" Magistrate Lu looked blank. It was only after a prompt from his secretary that he realized he had been so cautious that he had ended up making a fool of himself—he had swapped the upper school’s questions with the lower school’s.

He pondered for a moment and recalled exactly what had happened. Last night, he had been entertained by Battalion Commander Li, and to his surprise, the local wine had been exceptionally smooth. He had indulged in one too many cups, and by the time he was carried back to his room, his vision had doubled and tripled. When his secretary brought him the draft topics while he was nursing his hangover, he had glanced at them, found nothing amiss, and resealed the envelopes.

He must have been too bleary-eyed to notice he had swapped them!

At this thought, he cast a resentful glance at Battalion Commander Li, who was sitting in the lower seat. *Is this crude soldier a curse upon me?*

Seeing this, Battalion Commander Li quickly offered a heartfelt, beaming smile in response to the Magistrate’s attention. Magistrate Lu, however, immediately averted his gaze, finding even the act of looking at him to be bad luck.

But since things were as they were, he could only make the best of the mistake. He gave Old Qian a grateful look, thinking, *Truly, a veteran bootlicker.* He cleared his throat and said, "Indeed. I considered that the students of your academy are exceptionally talented; standard questions would certainly not challenge them and might only foster arrogance. Thus, I chose to be a bit unconventional, prioritizing admonition over examination. I hope they can appreciate my painstaking efforts."

"Your Honor’s intentions are truly profound! We shall certainly convey your admonitions to every student!" Zhu Liu added, bowing while holding his nose.

"Good, good. Principal Zhu, please be seated; let us grade the papers together," Magistrate Lu said, pleased. Whether sincere or false, Zhu Liu had certainly given him plenty of face.

"Yes." Zhu Liu sat beside the Magistrate, and Qian Huairen laid the papers of the three schools side-by-side on the tea table between them.

"Considering your busy schedule and your current... physical discomfort, we took the liberty of screening them once. The few papers on top of each stack are those we believe to be relatively outstanding," Zhu Liu explained softly. "Please forgive us for overstepping our bounds."

Naturally, this involved some social navigation—for instance, the papers of Ma Qianli and Li Qiyu were also among the outstanding ones in the lower school...

"Sigh, Brother Dejia, you speak too seriously. This is merely your care for me." Magistrate Lu felt respected and even flattered; the irritability caused by the long journey and his flaring hemorrhoids naturally vanished. He said kindly, "Do I not trust your judgment? Come, let us take a look together."

With that, he picked up a paper and began to read, swaying his head rhythmically.

***

As Zhu Liu had implied, how could Magistrate Lu possibly read through over a hundred papers? Even if his mind allowed it, his body certainly would not.

He only glanced briefly at the upper school papers... they were students about to graduate; what was there to see in such simple questions? He would just summon them according to the academy’s arrangements later.

He shifted his focus to the middle school, the only ones who had received the correct questions. After reading a few essays in detail, he could not help but exclaim with joy, "Good, good! Taiping Academy is truly full of hidden talent! These papers are not only good enough for the county examination, but even if presented to the Great Examiner, I fear they would pass!"

"Your Honor is too kind; the boys still have much to learn," Zhu Liu said modestly. "We must trouble you to add more fuel to their fire!"

"That goes without saying. It is my duty to educate and cultivate talent," Magistrate Lu said, stroking his beard with a smile. "Moreover, to cultivate such gifted youth is a great joy in life."

He ordered his secretary to note down the top-ranked students of the upper and middle schools. If the county examination were held soon, these students would naturally receive favorable treatment. However, the next county exam was a year and a half away—who knew if the Magistrate would even remember this by then?

But for now, both the academy and Magistrate Lu were enthusiastically immersed in this activity of recommending and selecting talent.

Finally, Magistrate Lu turned his attention to the lower school, intending to give it a quick scan like the upper school and finish the grading... the questions were far too advanced; what could he possibly test from them?

To his surprise, the very first paper of the lower school arrested his gaze. Although Magistrate Lu’s academic credentials were limited, he had presided over the county examinations for over a decade, and his eye for grading had long been honed. A single glance told him this was a good essay.

He picked it up to read it closely, the concise eight-character opening striking his eyes:

"‘Benevolence is rooted in sincerity; hypocrisy is the first to fail.’ Good, good! A single word, ‘sincerity,’ links the upper and lower sections tightly while precisely expounding the way of Confucius and Mencius! This opening is steady and accurate! Who says the lower school students cannot handle cut-and-paste questions?"

"Indeed," the secretary chimed in from the side. "As you said, sir, this small academy is truly full of hidden talent!"

"The student’s intuition is indeed strong," Principal Zhu laughed. "However, he is at best an unpolished jade. He has only been studying composition for half a year; there is still much he needs your guidance on."

"What? He has studied the art of the examination for less than a year?" Magistrate Lu and his secretary were both shocked and hurried to read on:

"‘Sincerity is the root of benevolence; if filial piety originates from within, the root is firm. Hypocrisy is the parasite of benevolence; if artful adornment is displayed on the outside, the root withers.’"

"‘Benevolence initiates filial piety, and filial piety is rooted in utmost sincerity. The love for kin springs from human nature; without sincerity, it cannot be steadfast. The constant of human ethics resides in a true heart; without truth, it cannot be manifest. To abandon the essence and decorate with empty words, to violate ethics and act with feigned appearance—this is to abandon the root for the branches. How, then, can benevolence be established?’"

"Good, good, good..." Magistrate Lu repeated the word a dozen times. Having finished the opening, he could not help but look at Zhu Liu. "You say this child has been writing essays for less than a year?"

"His teacher, Mr. Zhang, can testify to that," Zhu Liu said, pointing to Zhang Yanqiu, who was sitting in the hall.

Zhang Yanqiu quickly stood and bowed. "Reporting to Your Honor, this student is named Su Lu. When he enrolled in the first lunar month, he didn't even know what an opening was. I gave them a simple topic—‘Filial piety and fraternal duty are the root of benevolence’—for practice, and he handed in a blank sheet."

"Oh?" Magistrate Lu’s spirits instantly lifted, his eyes gleaming. "Is this not the legendary child prodigy? Has my luck finally turned?"

"He is already fourteen; calling him a child prodigy might be a stretch," Zhang Yanqiu said, ever the realist.

"Not a stretch, not a stretch. He was twelve once, was he not? Does that mean he wasn't a prodigy when he was twelve?" Magistrate Lu sat up straight in excitement, his expression twisting as he hissed in pain. "Take the eldest son of Grand Secretary Yang, for instance—he became famous at twelve and has been famous for six years, and everyone still calls him the ‘Prodigy Yang,’ do they not?"

This argument was quite rigorous, and the people in the hall naturally nodded in agreement.

Mr. Zhang thought, *When my student was twelve, he was still farming in the fields. How can he compare to Yang Shen?* He sighed feignedly, "It is a pity that the boy only began his studies at thirteen. One hundred days before applying to the academy, he only just started learning the ‘Three, Hundred, and Thousand’ [basic primers]."

"That makes it even more impressive! If that isn't a prodigy, what is?!" Clearly, Magistrate Lu was determined to unearth a prodigy from these mountains.

The secretary added, "What’s more, the very first topic Mr. Zhang gave this child happens to coincide exactly with the topic you gave him. Truly, it is a matter of heaven’s will!"

"You don't say—it really is!" Magistrate Lu became even more invigorated, forgetting his pain as he slapped the table. "I gave him ‘the root of benevolence,’ and Mr. Zhang gave him ‘the root of benevolence.’ It is a match made in heaven; it is meant for me to discover this prodigy!"

The group was filled with admiration. To notice such a subtle detail! No wonder this Mr. You was able to squeeze out the former principal.

"Congratulations, sir! This trip was well worth it!" the secretary offered his respects.

"Hahaha! What did I say? If you keep something in your heart, there will be an echo! Sincerity can move even gold and stone!" Magistrate Lu laughed heartily. Neither the academy staff nor even Mr. You had ever heard him laugh like this.

After he finished laughing, he hissed again in pain and asked Mr. Zhang, "What is this child’s name, what is his background, and what other extraordinary traits does he have?"

"Reporting to Your Honor, his name is Su Lu. He is from a local military household. His family conditions were poor, so he started his studies late," Mr. Zhang said solemnly. "After enrolling, to save money, he walked twenty *li* of mountain paths to and from school every day, rain or shine. He ate corn cakes brought from home and used ink sticks made by his brother from burned pine soot..."

"Indeed, the child’s family was quite poor," Principal Zhu agreed. "Before enrolling, he had no paper, so he collected banana leaves from the mountains, boiled and dried them to practice his writing."

"And despite such hardships, it did not hinder his progress. In only half a year, he went from the last place upon entry to first in the entire school!" Principal Qian hurried to praise him as well. He was now, by all accounts, a "Su-supporter" and no longer blindly stood with Zhu.

"Alas, this child has truly not had it easy. Hearing his story is like reading *The Preface to Song Dongyang Ma Sheng* all over again. I hope he can achieve the same success as Song Longmen in the future!" Magistrate Lu was moved to tears, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe his eyes. "Brother Dejia, I must criticize you a little. While the story of a ‘poor student striving for learning’ is inspiring, such a rare talent should be cherished twice as much. How could the academy waste such a gift?"

"Haha, Your Honor, you are unaware—that is old news," Principal Zhu quickly explained with a smile. "The academy has already granted the boy a study stipend, and he now eats and lives at the academy just like his peers."

"That is more like it." Magistrate Lu then let Zhu Liu off the hook and said to Zhang Yanqiu, "Mr. Zhang, please continue."

"What I wish to say is that his intelligence is secondary; the most crucial thing is that he possesses a heart of benevolence!" Zhang Yanqiu had come prepared today, determined to make a grand case for Su Lu.

"Oh? Does this not align with our topic again?" Magistrate Lu’s spirits surged. "Excellent! Talent without virtue will not suffice; only with both can one become a pillar of the nation!"

He gestured for Zhang Yanqiu to sit closer. "Mr. Zhang, sit closer and tell me in detail—why do you say this?"