Chapter Fifty-Five: The Dark Horse and the Talent Scout

Now “Cheng Sanwan” was truly put on the spot. Especially Cheng Wan Fan, who had gone looking for trouble and ended up swinging at air twice, making a complete fool of himself.

But if they refused to read it now, wouldn’t that only prove they just wanted Su Lu to embarrass himself? That would look even worse...

“Read it!” the classmates urged.

Cheng Wan Fan had no choice but to grit his teeth and recite, “The Obvious Solution—To know where to stop is to have a steady resolve; this is the clear and evident principle.”

“This one’s not bad either,” the classmates agreed again. Qiao Feng, who ranked second in the class, commented, “Citing Zhu Xi’s annotation straightforwardly highlights the connection between ‘knowing where to stop’ and ‘having resolve,’ clearly presenting the principle implied by the topic. There’s no need to strain to interpret metaphors—this is a textbook example of an ‘obvious solution.’”

“What about the subtle solution?” The class was fully engaged now. How could someone who just yesterday could only hand in a blank paper suddenly have such insight today?

“The Subtle Solution—To fish but not with a net, to take with moderation.” Under the classmates’ urging, Cheng Wan Fan recited in a subdued voice.

“That’s good!” Lin Zhihong nodded in approval. “Drawing on Confucius’s example of ‘fishing but not with a net, shooting but not at roosting birds,’ and linking it to Zhu Xi’s annotation of ‘taking with moderation, which is hidden in the act of stopping,’ the theme is subtly embedded within the allusion and commentary, rather than stated outright—a very standard ‘subtle solution.’”

“This really is excellent!” Qiao Feng clapped along. “With such a ‘subtle solution,’ it feels as though a vigorous essay is about to be born!”

“Su Lu, was this really your first time tackling a topic?” The classmates all looked at him curiously.

“Yes. Just as the three Chengs said.” Su Lu nodded.

“Hahaha, what did I tell you?” Li Qiyu laughed triumphantly at the Cheng brothers. “An ox’s eye sees everyone as tall, a dog’s eye sees everyone as low!”

“Don’t say that.” Su Lu replied gently, “The three Chengs were simply urging me to improve. It was my first time tackling a topic—I was feeling my way in the dark, uncertain of right or wrong, and truly needed everyone’s guidance.”

He cupped his hands to the class. “Please, I hope you won’t hesitate to teach me.”

“Of course, of course, we’ll correct each other.” The classmates all returned the gesture. Their impression of Su Lu improved greatly. If nothing else, his calm dignity far outshone the troublemaking Cheng brothers...

Cheng Wan Fan dejectedly handed his assignment back to Master Ma, returned to his seat in disbelief, and quietly discussed with his brothers:

“Is it really possible for someone to learn topic-solving overnight?”

“No way, that’d make him a prodigy.”

“A military household producing a prodigy? I’ll eat my inkstone if that happens...”

“Exactly. If he’s a prodigy, how come he’s always last in the class?”

“It’s strange, isn’t it?”

“Never mind, time will tell. Let’s wait and see.”

~~

It wasn’t just the three Chengs—even Master Zhang found it odd. During the midday break the next day, he called Su Lu to the preparation room again.

“Did you solve these topics yourself?” Master Zhang pointed to his exercise book.

“Yes,” Su Lu nodded. “I don’t know if they’re right or wrong, so I ask for your critique, sir.”

After all, his classmates’ standards were limited. They might think it was fine, but only his teacher could truly reassure him.

“Though lacking in finesse, there’s basically nothing wrong.” Master Zhang spoke gruffly, scrutinizing Su Lu. “Have you seen this topic before?”

“No, sir. The copy of ‘On Learning and its Measure’ you gave me was my first exposure to such essays. Yesterday was my first attempt at topic-solving, following your method.”

“Oh?” Master Zhang was full of skepticism. He had summoned Su Lu precisely because he didn’t believe a young man could master topic-solving overnight.

But as Confucius said, “Do not anticipate deceit, do not presume dishonesty…” A gentleman does not suspect others of cheating without reason.

As a self-disciplined scholar, Zhang would not question Su Lu without cause—especially after past mistakes. So he gave him a fresh topic to solve on the spot.

“Rules are the ultimate in square and round.”

Su Lu pondered for a moment, then replied slowly, “In daily life there is a principle to be followed, and thus everything fulfills its inherent nature.”

The first part was from “The Doctrine of the Mean”—“The Way is the principle that should be followed in daily affairs,” referring to rules. The second part, from Zhu Xi’s “Annotations on Mencius”—“Everything has its inherent nature,” subtly referring to the “ultimate in square and round.”

The sentence avoided directly mentioning “rules” or “square and round,” but by referencing Zhu Xi’s “principle to be followed” and “inherent nature,” it implicitly highlighted the logic that “rules create perfection,” fitting the requirement for a subtle solution.

“Well done. It’s not dazzling, but there’s nothing wrong with it.” Now Master Zhang no longer doubted him, and even praised him: “It’s hard to believe you’ve only studied this for a day.”

“Now it’s two days,” Su Lu replied precisely.

“Hahaha!” Master Zhang burst into laughter, looking at him with renewed respect. “Were you born to write eight-legged essays?”

“You flatter me, sir. I’ve barely scratched the surface,” Su Lu replied. “It’s only because your teaching is clear that I can understand.”

“Haha, my essay lessons are just passable, then.” Master Zhang was delighted, and asked curiously, “Tell me, how did you tackle the topic?”

With his years of teaching, Master Zhang knew it took considerable time for a novice to understand subtle topic-solving, and even longer to use it skillfully. The time varied—some managed in half a month, others took a month or more. Yet this youth had done it in just a day or two—unheard of.

He could think of no word other than “genius.”

“You taught that recognizing the topic is the foundation for solving it well,” Su Lu answered honestly. “So I first determined the source, matched it with Zhu Xi’s annotation to clarify the central idea, then used that as an anchor to search the Four Books and Zhu’s commentaries for supportive ideas. Finally, I avoided repeating the topic, and through semantic mapping, indirectly rendered the theme into two lines—thus solving the topic subtly.”

“Hmm…” His explanation was clear and logical, making Master Zhang feel as if a veil had been lifted from his eyes. Wasn’t this the systematic process he’d been seeking all along?

As the saying goes, “A master leads the way, but it’s up to the individual to learn.” Master Zhang had always been troubled that, despite his lucid teaching, students rarely grasped it as clearly. How much they learned depended on their own comprehension…

Listening to Su Lu’s process, he realized his own teaching had lacked structure. He’d never organized those steps himself…

But that wasn’t really his fault; Taiping Academy’s methods were already advanced, just lacking a scientific teaching framework.

Never did he expect to be enlightened by a student of only two days. He even rose and cupped his hands to Su Lu. “Thank you for your guidance.”

“Sir, what are you doing?” Su Lu quickly sidestepped.

“As Han Yu said, ‘Those born after me may hear the Way before I do; I must learn from them.’ Therefore, regardless of status or age, wherever the Way is found, there the teacher is.”

“I am grateful for your instruction.” Su Lu bowed deeply, realizing that no matter how powerful the new principal was, he could not dictate how teachers taught.

At least this Master Zhang continued to lead by example, devoted to teaching, unswayed by the principal.

“I’d like you to help me revise my lesson plans later, and also with the phonetic notation scheme…” Master Zhang looked at his remarkable student with appreciation, but then frowned. “Alas, let’s wait until next year. This year, you must find a way to stay.”

“Yes, I will strive to earn eight points.” Su Lu nodded, then couldn’t help asking, “Do you think I have a good chance, sir?”

“To be honest, not much.” Since Su Lu was no ordinary student, Zhang Yanqiu spoke frankly. “In the monthly exams, you have to be rated ‘excellent in both expression and reasoning’ to earn a point. Your thinking is clear, and your grasp of classical meaning is solid, so I’m not worried about your reasoning—you’ll be fine if you work hard. But your expression requires relentless practice and refinement; that can’t be mastered in a short time.”

Then, changing the subject, Master Zhang asked, “How is your skill with paired couplets?”

“Excuse me, sir, what do you mean by paired couplets?” Su Lu displayed his astonishing ignorance again.

“It’s when students match lines in pairs,” Master Zhang replied, exasperated. “How many days did you actually spend in elementary studies?”

“None, sir,” Su Lu answered truthfully.

“What?” Master Zhang was dumbfounded. “Then how did you get admitted?”

“With my family’s support, I crammed for three months. I couldn’t even memorize all the exam content, let alone practice couplets or essays.”

“Three—three months?” Master Zhang held up three fingers, stunned for a long time before smiling in relief. “Well, that explains how you could master subtle topic-solving in a day but know nothing of paired couplets.”

“Yes. I’ve wasted so much time, I don’t know if there’s any chance to catch up,” Su Lu sighed.

“Others may not, but you certainly can!” Master Zhang’s eyes gleamed, as if he’d discovered a treasure. What he thought was a dead-last “vice class leader” turned out to be a dark horse with incredible potential.

What discerning mentor could resist such talent? Master Zhang, restraining his excitement, said, “Return to class. From now on, come see me after school every day—I’ll assign you special homework.”

“Yes, thank you, sir.” Su Lu was delighted; he’d been hoping for special guidance.

~~

That afternoon, Master Zhang taught four more methods of topic-solving and, as usual, assigned homework.

This time, after Su Lu handed in his work, the Cheng brothers didn’t dare provoke him again...

He entered the preparation room to ask for the day’s extra assignments.

“I’ve been thinking,” Master Zhang said, “having you memorize just one Cheng essay a day is too little. From tomorrow, make it three. Also, starting tonight, you must intensify your paired couplet practice. Not by rote memorizing ‘Classic Pairs’ or ‘Sound and Rhyme Primer,’ but by having someone give you fresh topics.”

“You must start with single characters and words, then move on to lines and paragraphs—until you can match anything.” Sensing Su Lu might not understand, Master Zhang explained, “The eight-legged essay is fundamentally built on parallelism. Good essays have alternating tones and harmonious rhythms, all supported by paired structure. Even if full of empty words, once shaped into the eight-legged form, the rhythm rings out, giving it a sense of literary brilliance. That’s why the most urgent task is to improve your parallel composition!”

ps: The parallel couplets at the start of the next chapter were composed by me and took three hours—cost me a whole bowl of brain juice, so don’t think they’re copied and pasted. Also, the eight-legged essays are all...

As always, unless the story requires borrowing, I’ll strive for originality in this book.