Chapter 16

Zhang Xiang was so eager at this moment that his actions were somewhat rash, inevitably giving the impression of obstructing Shangguan's path.

County Magistrate Zhou's face darkened, and he said with great displeasure, "Do you want to try again?"

Zhang Xiang did not dare to speak in front of County Magistrate Zhou, but Lin Chengyi stepped forward and said, "Great Master, esteemed parents, these students of mine are all talents worth cultivating."

Tixue Hu turned his body and said gently, "There are differences in the time of entering school and in talent, which is not a problem. However, without propriety, a person cannot stand, and without propriety, things cannot be accomplished. You should teach your students this principle carefully."

Lin Chengyi's face turned red with shame, knowing that Hu Tixue was disappointed by the performance of Zhang Guihe and Zhang Haoyuan. He then said, "Thank you, Great Master, for your guidance. I will remember it and teach my students accordingly."

Hearing Hu Tixue's words, Hou Zhongshu angrily said to Xu Yanchao, "If the teacher is humiliated, how can I, as a student, bear it? Now, Tixue Hu looks down on all of us from Hongtang Township. I can't keep the big picture in mind anymore; I must stand up to save the teacher's face."

Lin Yanchao did not hold back Hou Zhongshu, but when he took a step forward, he was pulled down by Zhang Zongjia, who said, "Tixue Hu is here to test the students. What do you, an outsider, have to say?"

"Don't look down on me; I am also a student of the community school," Hou Zhongshu said angrily.

Lin Chengyi looked over, his face turning green, and said, "Zhang Zongjia, even if I am not a tutor anymore, I cannot let you insult my students like this."

Seeing Lin Chengyi and Zhang Zongjia in conflict, the onlookers could not help but laugh. Zhang Xiang lost face and could only force a smile, looking at Lin Chengyi with anger.

Lin Chengyi, feeling humiliated by Zhang Zongjia, stepped forward with a face full of indignation and said, "Great Master, I humbly request that you test another person."

Hu Tixue smiled but did not respond.

Lin Chengyi acted first and then reported, saying to Lin Yanchao, "Yanchao, you have studied the Thousand Character Classic well. Why not let Tixue Hu test you?"

Hearing Lin Chengyi's words, everyone smiled. The Thousand Character Classic is used for启蒙 (enlightenment) of young children and is not part of the Four Books and Five Classics. Testing a student with it is like a mathematics professor testing a primary school student on basic arithmetic. Even Zhang Xiang glared at Lin Chengyi, thinking he was grasping at straws.

However, some people followed Lin Chengyi's gaze and saw a young student step forward. At first, everyone thought this was nothing special, but seeing the student's composed and mature demeanor, they looked at him more closely.

Lin Yanchao saw Lin Chengyi nod at him and knew it was his turn. Hou Zhongshu was right; a teacher's humiliation cannot be tolerated by a student.

Lin Yanchao stepped forward and bowed deeply, saying, "Please, Great Master, give me a question to test me!"

Hu Tixue's expression was solemn, and when he saw Lin Yanchao step forward, his eyes lit up. "At such a young age, you have such a dignified demeanor. You seem mature and well-read; I thought you were already a scholar."

Hearing Hu Tixue's words, everyone present looked at Lin Yanchao again. Indeed, it was hard to believe that he was only twelve years old.

"Great Master, I will strive to live up to your words."

Hu Tixue smiled and said, "Well said, you have ambition."

"However," Hu Tixue continued, "fine words must be backed by real talent. You say you have studied the Thousand Character Classic; how well do you know it?"

Lin Yanchao replied, "Great Master, I have studied the Thousand Character Classic the most, and I can recite it backward fluently."

"Zhang Xiang and Zhang Zongjia both sighed in relief, thinking this would satisfy the Great Master.

At this moment, County Magistrate Zhou sneered, "Recite it backward? Show me!"

Zhang Zongjia wished he could slap himself for his ill-omened words, and several people in the room chuckled.

Hu Tixue also smiled and said, "Without trust, one cannot walk the world. Young man, I am pleased that you aspire to be a scholar, but do not be boastful."

"Thank you, Great Master and esteemed parents, for your guidance. May I recite the Thousand Character Classic backward?"

"Very well," Hu Tixue laughed, "let's see."

"Also, huh, zai, yan, zhe, zhu, yu, wei, qiao, deng, meng, yu, wen, gu, lou, gu..." Lin Yanchao began, without a single pause.

There were at least a hundred people in the ancestral hall, all looking at Lin Yanchao. Despite the many eyes on him, Lin Yanchao was unaffected, his hands behind his back, walking in the measured steps of a scholar.

"Zheng, biao, duan, xing, li, ming, jian, de..."

Lin Yanchao's clear pronunciation was like Cao Zhi composing a poem in seven steps, or strolling leisurely in his own courtyard. The onlookers gaped in amazement, their jaws almost dropping. The boy was indeed reciting the Thousand Character Classic backward.

"... huang, hong, zhou, yu, huang, xuan, di, tian."

When the last word was spoken, the hall was silent.

Lin Yanchao bowed to Hu Tixue and said, "I am dull, and in two years of study, I have only mastered the Thousand Character Classic. If you test me on anything else, I will not know it."

Hearing Lin Yanchao's words, everyone praised him. At such a young age, he knew his limits and gave County Magistrate Zhou a way to save face. The townspeople, who did not know Lin Yanchao, began to inquire about his background. Those with ulterior motives watched Hu Tixue's expression, waiting for his evaluation.

Hu Tixue was silent for a moment, and no one could read his thoughts.

Suddenly, he said, "What does 'Panxi Yi Yin, Zuo Shi A Heng' mean?"

This was a line from the Thousand Character Classic. Lin Yanchao recalled Lin Chengyi's explanation and said without hesitation, "King Wen of Zhou met Jiang Shang at Panxi and assisted a wise ruler, while King Tang of Shang honored Yi Yin as A Heng."

This line was not easy to explain. On the surface, it means Yi Yin, who was honored as A Heng by King Tang of Shang, was from Panxi. However, Panxi is where King Wen of Zhou met Jiang Shang. The Thousand Character Classic uses eight characters to describe two virtuous ministers who were recognized by wise rulers.

Hu Tixue could not help but tap his fingers in approval and said, "Du Gao's cursive script, Zhong Yao's clerical script, the lacquer script from the tomb of Wei Anli, and the classics hidden in the walls of Confucius' house. Together, they refer to the treasures stored in the palace."

Hu Tixue's face showed a slight smile. Lin Yanchao, who had a deep understanding of this section, said, "The previous line mentions Du Gao, the founder of cursive script, and Zhong Yao, the best in clerical script, referring to the treasures of the world."

"The next line describes how, in ancient times, people wrote on bamboo with lacquer, and later, someone dug up the tomb of Wei Anli, finding thirteen ancient books written in lacquer. The classics were rediscovered after the burning of books and burying of scholars by Qin Shi Huang, thanks to the discovery of the classics hidden in the walls of Confucius' house. 'Lacquer script and wall classics' refer to the preservation and continuation of knowledge."

"Very well explained," Hu Tixue praised, and those who had read the Thousand Character Classic nodded in agreement.

"I will test you on one more difficult question. If you answer correctly, you will pass," Hu Tixue said, stroking his beard. "What does 'Heaven and Earth are black and yellow, the universe is vast and ancient' mean?"

Everyone was attentive. This was the first line of the Thousand Character Classic, the most familiar to all. Those who had taken the imperial exams knew that each examination room was numbered using the Thousand Character Classic, but few knew its true meaning.

Lin Yanchao smiled and said, "Heaven and Earth are black and yellow comes from the I Ching, where heaven is black and earth is yellow. The universe comes from the Huainanzi, where the four directions and up and down are called the universe, and ancient and modern times are called the cosmos. The vast and ancient comes from the Tai Xuan Jing, referring to the ancient times."

Everyone was stunned, unable to believe it.

At this moment, Hu Tixue laughed and said, "Have you read the Huainanzi and the Tai Xuan Jing?"

"No, but I have read the explanation of the Thousand Character Classic, which says so."

Hu Tixue said, "That is still quite impressive. You can be considered a master of the Thousand Character Classic."

Lin Yanchao bowed and said, "Great Master, as the saying goes, reading ten thousand books is not as good as thoroughly studying one. Zhao Pu could govern the world with half of the Analects."

Hu Tixue, hearing Lin Yanchao's words, was very pleased and said, "To focus on the fundamentals and seek truth, you are truly a teachable child. To be able to say this, you must have a deep family background. Your father must be a scholar."

"My father is a scholar, a xiucai from the Qinglong period."

Hearing this, Hu Tixue and County Magistrate Zhou nodded. Scholars were close to each other, and a xiucai was part of the scholar class. If Lin Yanchao had said he was the son of a merchant, official, or farmer, it would have been a different story.

Hu Tixue, being even more kind to Lin Yanchao, said, "Your father is a xiucai, no wonder you are so polite and composed. Do you study at the county school or the prefectural school?"

Hu Tixue, who oversaw both the county and prefectural schools, should have heard of a talented student. Hearing this, Lin Yanchao could not speak and lowered his head.

"Why don't you answer?" Hu Tixue asked.

The onlookers were puzzled. Why didn't he answer Hu Tixue's question? Was he going to fail at the last moment?

At this moment, Lin Chengyi stepped forward and said, "Great Master, a few years ago, Lin Yanchao's parents died while helping the villagers avoid the Japanese pirates."

Hearing this, everyone felt sympathy. Lin Yanchao's inability to answer was now understood as 'choking with emotion.'

"Is this true?" Hu Tixue pondered, thinking it best to confirm.

An official whispered to County Magistrate Zhou, who nodded and said to Hu Tixue, "It is true. During the Longqing period, the pirate leader Lin Feng raided the area, and a Lin family xiucai was indeed killed."

The death of a xiucai was a significant event for the county, and the magistrate had to report it to the Tixue Dao, which then reported to the Censorate.

Hearing this, Hu Tixue felt it necessary to compensate the young man.

Hu Tixue thought for a moment, stroked his beard, and said, "Your literary talent is excellent, and I am very pleased. I decide to reward you."

"Tixue Hu," County Magistrate Zhou interrupted.

"What do you have to say, County Magistrate?" Hu Tixue asked.

County Magistrate Zhou looked at Lin Yanchao and said with a meaningful smile, "Since Tixue Hu appreciates him, why not ask the child what reward he wants?"

Lin Yanchao's heart sank. He looked at County Magistrate Zhou, wondering if he had offended him in some way.

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