Chapter 89

"Indeed, Brother Yue is exceptionally intelligent, as expected. Yes, the third question set by the chief examiner was 'Three Beats of the Kettle Drum'! The kettle drum originated from the Jie people of the Western Regions and later became familiar in Central China. It is both a delicate instrument and a sound of martial valor to boost morale!"

Yue Chen was slightly embarrassed by Ye Yu's praise but then bowed in admiration and said, "I am merely a latecomer in realizing this. Compared to Ye Jieyuan, I am far behind!"

As soon as the two finished speaking, the crowd suddenly realized what had happened. They all regretted their carelessness, wondering why they hadn't noticed the difference in the drum sounds. If they had, wouldn't they have been the Jieyuan of the autumn examination?

Meng Tong, after a moment of thought, felt不服 (unconvinced) and approached the two chief examiners to ask, "Please forgive me, but I cannot agree. In my humble opinion, since the imperial examination is to select scholars through questions, the questions should come from the examination papers. Your Excellencies' method of not following the examination rules is inappropriate..."

"Oh? Are you questioning my authority?" Fan Chengda's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and his voice turned cold and displeased.

"I dare not, I am merely speaking about the facts! If the chief examiner had hidden the question in a blank paper, it would not have violated the examination rules. However, using three beats of the drum as the question, I believe this is..."

"What is it? Why don't you continue?" Fan Chengda, seeing Meng Tong hesitate, coldly snorted, "Do you think I am hiding something and misleading the candidates?"

"I dare not!"

Meng Tong's words caused a stir in the hall. People whispered to each other, thinking that Meng Tong's point had some merit. Cheating on the examination paper was difficult, but using 'Three Beats of the Kettle Drum' as the question, if there had been a hint beforehand, wouldn't it have been easy to guess the question?

Moreover, such a question that was not written down was hard to convince people. After all, in everyone's view, this was not about scholarship but a trick based on luck.

"Hmph! Rigid and inflexible!" Fan Chengda, after hearing Meng Tong's argument, coldly snorted and turned his head, "Ye Yu, do you think my actions are right or wrong?"

"Right!" Ye Yu responded firmly.

Ye Yu didn't want to take on this hot potato, after all, he was just a candidate, and the question was set by the chief examiner. But since Fan Chengda had thrown it to him, he had no choice but to take it on.

"Oh? Why do you think so?" Fan Chengda asked with interest.

Ye Yu respectfully replied, "The imperial examination selects intelligent and quick-witted talents, not those who are confined to books! If one is always confined to books, they become slaves to the books and will never progress! How can such a person contribute to the state and the nation in the future?"

Ye Yu's words were like adding fuel to the fire. Yue Lin and Fan Chengda were pleased, but the fifteen officials, the inner and outer curtain officials, and the other candidates were all in an uproar.

"Ye Jieyuan, if what you say is true, why should we study at all? And you are also a student, how can you say such contradictory things?" Meng Tong coldly laughed and pointed out Ye Yu's flaw in public.

"Contradictory? I cannot agree. Books are the carriers of our Chinese cultural heritage. If we want to continue the wisdom of our ancestors, how can we not learn the essence of the books? But if we always follow the theories of our ancestors without striving for progress, how can we promote and develop them?

I believe Meng Nianxiong is familiar with Xunzi's 'Encouragement of Learning,' which says, 'The blue taken from the indigo is bluer than the indigo, the ice made from water is colder than the water...' Therefore, we should have a spirit of progress while learning from books, not remain stagnant and self-limiting!"

After this argument, Meng Tong was speechless but then countered, "Even if what you say is true, it still requires written words as a medium. In this autumn examination, the chief examiner did not use written words for the question. Ye Jieyuan, how do you explain this?"

Ye Yu glanced at Meng Tong, noticing his clear and refined appearance and the prayer beads on his wrist. He suddenly had an idea, "Meng Nianxiong, are you a Buddhist believer?"

Meng Tong, not knowing Ye Yu's intention, could not be impolite and replied solemnly, "My mother is a Buddhist believer, and I also understand Zen principles!"

"Oh! Then you must have read the 'Dharma Treasure Platform Sutra.' There is a passage that I remember: The Zen master received the Dharma from Huangmei and returned to Shaoguan's Cao Hou Village, where no one knew about it. At that time, there was a Confucian scholar named Liu Zhilüe, who treated him with great respect. Liu Zhilüe had an aunt who was a nun named Wujin Zang, who often read the 'Mahaparinirvana Sutra.'

When the Zen master heard the sutra, he understood its profound meaning. The nun then took the sutra and asked him about the characters, but the Zen master said he did not know how to read. The nun was surprised and said, 'If you don't know the characters, how can you understand the meaning?' The Zen master calmly replied, 'The profound principles of the Buddhas are not related to written words...'"

"The profound principles of the Buddhas are not related to written words..." Meng Tong recalled these eight words, seemingly deep in thought.

Ye Yu then turned to the crowd, "Since the profound principles of the Buddhas are not related to written words, what is wrong with the two chief examiners not using written words in the question? If every question must be expressed in written words, wouldn't that be a lower level of understanding?"

His eloquent speech gradually calmed the previously noisy hall. Yue Lin and Fan Chengda, seated at the head table, exchanged glances, both showing surprise.

"In my opinion, the two chief examiners' intention is to teach us that everything is not static! We should not read books rigidly! Reading is for self-cultivation, but the knowledge of governing the country and stabilizing the state lies beyond the books! With such a well-intentioned effort, how can you not understand?"

"..."

"We are ashamed and have failed to understand the good intentions of our teachers!" After a moment of silence, the crowd bowed to the two chief examiners in unison. Meng Tong, though unconvinced, remained silent.

Fan Chengda first looked at Ye Yu with satisfaction, then surveyed the crowd, "It is good that you understand the good intentions. It was not in vain for us to work hard! Now, this is your time to celebrate. We will not interfere, so you can enjoy yourselves!"

Fan Chengda and Yue Lin then left the hall, and the crowd relaxed. The Lu Ming Banquet officially began, with songs and dances, and the feast continued until the hour of Shen.

As Fan Chengda and Yue Lin walked out of the academy, Yue Lin, hearing the noise inside, shook his head and muttered, "We really shouldn't have stayed inside!"

"Ha ha! I overstepped my bounds just now, I hope Brother Yue doesn't mind!"

"Eh, Brother Fan, why do you say that? My son is among the candidates, and I should avoid any conflict of interest! However, Ye Yu's words just now surprised me..."

Fan Chengda laughed heartily, "Not just you, I was also quite surprised! We both designed the question to teach the candidates to innovate and not become the successors of the rigid officials in the court!"

"Yes, we were thinking about how to reasonably and justly uphold the court's principles. But we didn't expect Ye Yu to use Buddhist principles to argue! This solved our worries!"

"This young man has a talent for business, and I heard that the Grand Historian Yang Hui even came to take him as a disciple! To top it off, he ranked first in his first examination. Now, he even understands the essence of Buddhist principles. Is he a prodigy?"

Seeing Fan Chengda's surprised expression, Yue Lin smiled awkwardly, "Whether he is a prodigy, we will wait and see!"

...

The newly appointed candidates agreed to gather at a tavern the next day, a tradition called "Hui Tongnian," which is like a graduation party. Ye Yu wanted to decline, but Yue Chen's persistent persuasion made him agree to the gathering.

Ye Yu was quite willing to interact with Yue Chen, not because he was Yue Lin's son, but because of Yue Chen's humble attitude, which made Ye Yu feel that he was worth befriending.

As for Meng Tong, whom Yue Chen introduced, Ye Yu did not hold a grudge over their earlier argument. After getting to know each other, Ye Yu found that Meng Tong, though proud and competitive, was indeed talented.

However, in their conversation, Ye Yu could clearly feel that Meng Tong's words were always about Confucian principles, which made Ye Yu feel somewhat dull.

The Lu Ming Banquet ended with the clinking of cups and toasts. When Ye Yu returned home in the evening, he found the courtyard filled with gifts like a small mountain.

"Master, you're back..." Qiulan saw Ye Yu and hurriedly greeted him with a warm smile.

They say that a girl in love is the most beautiful. After their intimate night, Qiulan looked even more radiant. However, Ye Yu, while admiring her, frowned, "Didn't I tell you to rest more?"

"Master, I'm fine..." Qiulan understood Ye Yu's concern and blushed, lowering her head.

"Are you really fine?"

"I'm really fine, Master!"

Ye Yu rubbed his forehead, slightly drunk, and muttered, "There's no reason. I attacked five times, and you're fine?"

"Master, what are you talking about?" Qiulan, hearing Ye Yu's straightforward words, blushed deeply. Fortunately, She Tongcheng had already left, avoiding an awkward situation.

"Ha ha! Did I remember wrong?" Ye Yu laughed at the end.

At this moment, Sun Bo walked over and handed Ye Yu a list, "Master, this is the list of people who sent gifts today..."

"Wow, quite a few!" Ye Yu glanced at the list and then waved his hand, tiredly, "You and Uncle Su can handle these matters. Business people should be received by Uncle Su!"

"As for distant relatives, you can handle them as you see fit! When poor, no one asks; when rich, distant relatives come. I can't recognize so many relatives!"

"Master, the world has always been like this. But if they ask about you, how should I respond?"

"Just say I'm seeking a famous doctor to treat my leg, and I won't be back for a while..."

Thinking of this, Ye Yu suddenly remembered his uncle and cousin, and asked, "By the way, is my uncle well recently?"

"Second Master has been keeping his door closed and not seeing guests, as he has been seriously ill..."

Hearing this, Ye Yu couldn't help but laugh, then sarcastically said, "Oh? Ha ha! It seems I should visit my uncle as a nephew..."

---

The newly appointed candidates agreed to gather at a tavern the next day, a tradition called "Hui Tongnian," which is like a graduation party. Ye Yu wanted to decline, but Yue Chen's persistent persuasion made him agree to the gathering.

Ye Yu was quite willing to interact with Yue Chen, not because he was Yue Lin's son, but because of Yue Chen's humble attitude, which made Ye Yu feel that he was worth befriending.

As for Meng Tong, whom Yue Chen introduced, Ye Yu did not hold a grudge over their earlier argument. After getting to know each other, Ye Yu found that Meng Tong, though proud and competitive, was indeed talented.

However, in their conversation, Ye Yu could clearly feel that Meng Tong's words were always about Confucian principles, which made Ye Yu feel somewhat dull.

The Lu Ming Banquet ended with the clinking of cups and toasts. When Ye Yu returned home in the evening, he found the courtyard filled with gifts like a small mountain.

"Master, you're back..." Qiulan saw Ye Yu and hurriedly greeted him with a warm smile.

They say that a girl in love is the most beautiful. After their intimate night, Qiulan looked even more radiant. However, Ye Yu, while admiring her, frowned, "Didn't I tell you to rest more?"

"Master, I'm fine..." Qiulan understood Ye Yu's concern and blushed, lowering her head.

"Are you really fine?"

"I'm really fine, Master!"

Ye Yu rubbed his forehead, slightly drunk, and muttered, "There's no reason. I attacked five times, and you're fine?"

"Master, what are you talking about?" Qiulan, hearing Ye Yu's straightforward words, blushed deeply. Fortunately, She Tongcheng had already left, avoiding an awkward situation.

"Ha ha! Did I remember wrong?" Ye Yu laughed at the end.

At this moment, Sun Bo walked over and handed Ye Yu a list, "Master, this is the list of people who sent gifts today..."

"Wow, quite a few!" Ye Yu glanced at the list and then waved his hand, tiredly, "You and Uncle Su can handle these matters. Business people should be received by Uncle Su!"

"As for distant relatives, you can handle them as you see fit! When poor, no one asks; when rich, distant relatives come. I can't recognize so many relatives!"

"Master, the world has always been like this. But if they ask about you, how should I respond?"

"Just say I'm seeking a famous doctor to treat my leg, and I won't be back for a while..."

Thinking of this, Ye Yu suddenly remembered his uncle and cousin, and asked, "By the way, is my uncle well recently?"

"Second Master has been keeping his door closed and not seeing guests, as he has been seriously ill..."

Hearing this, Ye Yu couldn't help but laugh, then sarcastically said, "Oh? Ha ha! It seems I should visit my uncle as a nephew..."