Chapter Twenty-Six: Neither Blaming Heaven Nor Others

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“Tang Liu Yan,” the examiner called out, giving a prompt from the Three Character Classic.

Though Su Lu could recite it fluently, he still followed the examiner’s intent, rehearsing it silently first to avoid any careless mistakes.

This was a skill in oral examinations: no matter how eloquently one spoke, it wouldn’t truly save the examiner’s time. One should always allow themselves enough time to think, confirm the answer, and then respond.

“Liu Yan of the Tang dynasty, at seven years of age, was recognized as a child prodigy and appointed as a Corrector,” Su Lu answered.

The examiner nodded and, switching to the Hundred Family Surnames, prompted, “Le Yu Shi Fu.”

Su Lu paused to consider and then replied, “Le Yu Shi Fu, Pi Bian Qi Kang. Wu Yu Yuan Bu, Gu Meng Ping Huang.”

The examiner nodded again and now used the Thousand Character Classic: “Household granted eight counties.”

“Household granted eight counties, family provided for a thousand soldiers. High crowns accompany the imperial carriage, wheels surge and tassels shake,” Su Lu responded.

With the “Three, Hundred, Thousand” classics completed, the examiner moved on to the Four Little Books, still one question per book—he read the first four characters, asking Su Lu to complete the sixteen-character phrase.

Su Lu answered flawlessly each time. Next came the test of matching couplets:

“How many places sound the horn under the bright moon night—”

“Who leans upon a sword beneath the white cloud sky.”

“With the teachings of the Master, returning to harm the Master—”

“Only the heart of the Sage can understand the Sage.”

“Chai is foolish, Zan is rude, Shi is eccentric, Hui is almost there—”

“Yi is pure, Yin is reliable, Hui is harmonious, and Confucius achieved great perfection.”

All three matched perfectly; the couplet test was done. But there was no room for complacency—the hardest part was yet to come: reciting passages.

“The gentleman serves his lord,” the examiner said, giving only six characters and watching Su Lu, without specifying their origin.

Such incomplete lines confounded many candidates, who, though they had studied these texts for years, simply couldn’t recall them.

But Su Lu searched his ‘memory palace’, quickly locating the seventeenth chapter, “On Serving the Lord,” from the Classic of Filial Piety. He pondered briefly and replied:

“The gentleman serves his lord; advancing, he strives for loyalty, retiring, he reflects on correcting errors. He seeks to align with virtue, to remedy faults, thus fostering mutual affection between upper and lower ranks.”

The examiner nodded with satisfaction and moved on to the Elementary Learning: “There are three misfortunes for man.”

This was not meant to be difficult; Su Lu could answer without consulting his memory palace, but he steadied himself and replied only after confirming:

“Xunzi said: There are three misfortunes for man. In youth, unwilling to serve elders; in low status, unwilling to serve those above; in lack of talent, unwilling to serve the virtuous—these are the three misfortunes.”

“Final question—do not eavesdrop,” the examiner intoned.

Su Lu closed his eyes, searching the wall in his ‘memory palace’ where the banana-leaf paper with the Elementary Learning hung. When he opened his eyes, he recited loudly:

“The Rules of Ritual say: Do not eavesdrop, do not shriek in reply, do not gaze wantonly, do not be lazy or neglectful. When wandering, do not be arrogant; when standing, do not be unsteady; when sitting, do not sprawl; when lying down, do not crouch. Gather your hair, do not let it fall; wear your hat, do not remove it. When working, do not bare your arms; in heat, do not lift your robe!”

“That will do,” the examiner nodded, then asked his name, age, and place of residence.

This meant he had passed the oral examination and could proceed to the written test in the afternoon.

Asking the age was to see if the candidate was over the limit; the academy only accepted students under fourteen, for those older were deemed “incorrigible.” Of course, one could lie, but upon enrollment, household records would reveal the truth.

After recording his information, the examiner wrote “Second Son Su Lu” on a yellow bamboo tag and handed it to him: “Go outside and wait for the afternoon written test.”

Su Lu hurriedly took the tag with both hands and bowed deeply: “Thank you, elder. I am grateful.”

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After speaking, he walked lightly through the front courtyard, passing through the mountain gate under the envious gaze of the other candidates.

~~

Outside the academy’s mountain gate, the families waiting for their children were still three layers deep, craning their necks in anticipation.

When they saw their child emerge with the yellow tag, cheerful and triumphant, their families rejoiced, some even shouting with abandon as if the child had already passed the exam.

They quickly whisked their “precious one” away to rest, pampering them with good food and drink.

If their child came out dejected and empty-handed, the family’s spirits dropped as well. No good food; they’d have to settle for stir-fried pork with bamboo whips at home.

“Your New Year’s money is gone!” Su Lu overheard a family declare to their child, “You’ll spend the holiday working on the boat!”

No matter how his elder brother diminished the significance of this exam, for these children from the mountains, it was critical—here they decided whether to continue their studies or begin the arduous labor of their fathers.

Even if one’s determination remained undiminished and one studied hard, without the academy’s help, how could they compete with scholars from big cities for the scarce student spots?

Under the midday sun, Su Lu was still somewhat dazed when his second brother squeezed in front of him, eagerly asking, “Did you get the yellow tag?!”

“Yes.” Su Lu nodded, opened his hand, and showed his exam tag.

“Wonderful!” Su Tai cheered, leaping forward to hug him, shouting, “My brother passed! My brother passed!”

Su Lu wiped his brow—he had just laughed at others for celebrating early, and now it was his own family, proving one shouldn’t be too harsh.

Sure enough, his elder brother couldn’t stand it, scolding, “What nonsense?! There’s still the written test this afternoon! That’s the real decisive moment!”

“Oh,” Su Tai reluctantly calmed himself and let go.

The brothers led Su Lu to the Su family’s resting place…a sheltered grove at the foot of the mountain.

No need to ask; everyone could tell from Su Tai’s beaming face that Su Lu had passed.

“Good lad, you’re something else!” His uncle’s expression was a spectacle—surprise, weariness, and a hint of panic. He patted Su Lu’s shoulder in disbelief, “You’ve only studied for a few days, and you passed!”

“Just lucky,” Su Lu replied, his mind still focused on the exam and not reading expressions, smiling, “It just so happened I knew all the answers.”

“Hahaha, as long as you pass, who cares where you learned it!” His uncle laughed heartily. No matter what, it was a relief! For months, the whole clan had mocked his family for spoiling the child and letting Qiu run wild.

Now, let’s see who dares laugh at them!

Su Youcai said nothing, only grinned at his son. As the teacher in charge, he had to consider the feelings of the five who failed.

Of the ten children who came together, five failed the oral exam. A fifty percent advancement rate was well above average, but for those five and their families, it meant nothing now.

The parents offered a few bland words and left with their children.

Once those families departed, the atmosphere grew lively. Su Youcai vigorously rubbed Su Lu’s cheeks, venting his suppressed joy.

Su Lu struggled hard to escape his father’s grasp.

“Come, Qiu, taste my mother’s cooking.” The chubby Su Lang opened his father’s food box, inviting Su Lu while placing tasty treats before him.

He, too, had advanced to the afternoon written exam—truly, appearances can be deceiving.

“Try mine.” The other three children followed suit, placing their food out: smoked chicken, sliced pork, fried pastries—better than New Year’s feasts.

Su Lu also brought out his aunt’s steamed leaf cakes and smoked fish to share with his friends.

The adults’ fare was much more meager—sorghum cakes with pickled vegetables, eaten in silence…

Choking.

“Elder brother, join us too,” Su Lang tore off a gleaming drumstick and called out to Chun, who sat at the adults’ table.

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As for Xia, he had finished his meal while they were taking the exam and had gone to town to fetch hot water for everyone.

“Don’t eat too much!” Unexpectedly, Chun not only declined but dampened the mood, scolding, “What did you bring? So greasy—if your mind gets clouded, how will you take the afternoon exam?!”

Su Lu felt ashamed; how could he lose all sense at the sight of good food, forgetting even basic common sense? He’d never been like this before…

He hurriedly agreed, “Elder brother is right—during exams, we must eat with restraint. Let’s eat just enough, and save the rest for after the written test as dinner.”

“After the written test, we might end up eating stir-fried pork with bamboo whips…” Su Lang sighed, stuffing the last meatball into his mouth.

Fortunately, Su Man had enough authority; the boys resisted their cravings, eating just half-full before stopping.

After a short rest, Su Youcai called them up and led them to the waiting area.

“This morning, there were twelve hundred candidates—now only four hundred remain. Now comes the real contest.” Su Youcai seized the moment, advising his pupils:

“Those four hundred all answered every oral question perfectly. Anyone careless or lacking a solid foundation has already been eliminated. So the afternoon exam will be even more brutal. You must prepare yourselves mentally, avoid arrogance or anxiety, and give your best…”

Su Lu walked at the rear, listening as his elder brother coached him alone:

“…So your opponents are not only diligent and sharp, but have studied the Four Books’ chapters for at least three years. In fact, those who ultimately succeed have usually immersed themselves for over four years.”

Su Lu nodded; that was normal. Gifted children began Four Books studies after a year or two of basic learning—they wouldn’t wait three years before starting.

“So, they’ve already mastered the child’s groundwork, engraved the classics into their bones,” Su Man paused, “just as I have…”

“Elder brother, what are you getting at?” Su Lu was confused. “Are you trying to undermine my confidence?”

“No, not to dampen your confidence. What I mean is…” Su Man gazed at the sky at a forty-five degree angle, paused, then said, “Reaching this point is already a great achievement—you’ve proven you’re not useless.”

“Thank you…” Su Lu smiled wryly, knowing his elder brother seemed to have a mental block about giving praise. To say this much was already high praise.

“Yes, Qiu, you’ve exceeded everyone’s expectations,” his uncle said, patting Su Lu’s shoulder to ease his nerves. “Even if you become an apprentice, you can walk into the wine shop with your head held high!”

“If I walk in with my head held high, will I get paid a year earlier?” Su Lu thought, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

“No, what your uncle means is, even if you don’t pass, the world won’t end. If it comes to it, work with your Seventh Grandfather for a few days. Your elder brother is about to become a scholar, and once the family is better off, I promise you’ll continue your studies—after all, you’re still young, nothing will be delayed.”

“I understand.” With his intelligence, Su Lu could hear the subtext, but he needed to clear his mind and not be distracted, so he gave a vague reply.

“Father, please say no more,” Su Man frowned. “I want Qiu to lower his expectations… Like the ancestors said, rejoice in victory, accept defeat gladly. I’m not cursing him to fail.”

Though Su Youcai was always encouraging his pupils, half his heart was with his son. He listened to the conversation carefully, then walked over and gave his son a bear hug:

“Don’t think about anything—give your best, and leave no regrets.”

Lowering his voice, he whispered in Su Lu’s ear, “Don’t worry, you’re destined to walk the scholar’s path—I promise.”

Su Lu felt his nose sting and nodded deeply, “Thank you, father.”

His second brother said nothing, simply stood by silently, but the worry in his eyes said it all.

Su Lu quickly looked up at the sky, refusing to let tears fall. The gentle sunlight warmed him, dispelling the shadow his uncle had cast over his heart.

His mood grew brighter than ever, and he smiled at the blue sky—

You old rascal, I’ll never curse you again.

Because you’ve given me the best once more…

ps. The new book ranking dropped one spot—urgent call for support, everyone hold the top six!!!