Chapter 70

Lin Yanzhao asked, "What is the gentleman's way of contention?"

Yu Ziyu recited, "The Master said, 'A gentleman has nothing to compete for. If he must, it would be in archery! He bows and yields, then ascends to shoot, and after shooting, he descends to drink. This is the gentleman's way of contention.'"

This quote comes from the Analects, which roughly means that a gentleman has nothing to compete for, except in archery. When archery is involved, he bows and yields, then shoots, and after shooting, he bows and yields again, and they drink together. This is the gentleman's way of contention.

Lin Yanzhao nodded and said, "It should be so."

Yu Ziyu smiled and said, "It is indeed so. If I lose to Brother Lin, I will leave the academy."

Lin Yanzhao said, "Brother Yu, there's no need for that."

"You don't know, I've been in the academy for three years, always in the outer hall, with no progress. If I can't enter the middle hall this time, I will have no face to stay. So challenging Brother Lin is also a way to put pressure on myself, to force myself to give it my all. Will Brother Lin dare to accept the challenge?"

Lin Yanzhao was taken aback, thinking that Yu Ziyu had a lot of ideas. He had just entered the outer hall, and whether he could enter the middle hall was not a big deal, but Yu Ziyu was fighting a battle with no retreat. Mentally, he was at ease, but Yu Ziyu had no way out. What benefit would it bring him to agree to this gentleman's way of contention? It would only add pressure to his studies and disrupt his current good state of mind.

Yu Ziyu's thoughts flashed through Lin Yanzhao's mind, leaving no trace. Although he was a twelve-year-old boy, after spending time with his classmates, he had regained the playful feeling of his youth, but his mindset and experience were still those of a thirty-year-old adult.

"Ah, is that so, Brother Yu? Isn't this unfair to you? Because no matter whether I can enter the middle hall, I will continue to stay in the academy."

"That doesn't matter. Will you accept my challenge?" Yu Ziyu's gaze was sharp, pressing step by step.

Lin Yanzhao thought, "This is your own doing. A person who isn't even mentioned in history is challenging me."

Lin Yanzhao sighed deeply, showing a look of deep sighing, "Brother Yu, studying is not something that can be accomplished in a day or two. Don't focus on short-term gains and losses; look to the long term. But if you don't understand and think this will help you, I will accept it."

These words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing Yu Ziyu's fighting spirit. He stood there, thinking, "He said this, I should be very angry, but why do I feel that what he said makes so much sense?"

Seeing Yu Ziyu's pale face, Lin Yanzhao pretended to sigh, thinking, "Actually, I don't want to打击you so much."

The next day was the day for studying the classics, specifically the Five Classics. Although only one of the Five Classics was chosen, it had a significant weight in the imperial examinations. In the first round of the provincial examination, there were seven questions, with three from the Four Books and four from the Five Classics.

According to the examination outline given by Old Zhu, the Four Books used Zhu Xi's commentary, and the Five Classics were as follows: the Book of Changes (I Ching) used Cheng's commentary and Zhu Xi's interpretation, the Book of Documents (Shang Shu) used Cai's commentary and ancient annotations, the Book of Songs (Shi Jing) used Zhu Xi's commentary, the Spring and Autumn Annals used the commentaries of Zuo, Gongyang, and Guliang, as well as Hu Anguo and Zhang Qia, and the Book of Rites (Li Ji) used ancient annotations.

During the Yongle period, the complete editions of the Four Books and Five Classics were issued, and the annotations were abolished. Later, the commentary of Zhang Qia for the Spring and Autumn Annals was also abolished, and only Chen Hao's commentary for the Book of Rites was used. This format was fixed and continued until the Wanli period.

The students in the outer hall all chose the Book of Songs and the Spring and Autumn Annals, with only one choosing the Book of Rites, and no one chose the most difficult Book of Changes.

"Brother Yanzhao, have you decided which classic to choose as your main text?" Chen Xinggui asked again.

Lin Yanzhao replied, "Brother Chen, I have thought about it and decided to choose the Book of Documents (Shang Shu) as my main text."

"Shang Shu?" Lin Yanzhao's answer clearly surprised Chen Xinggui.

"Yanzhao, this is no small matter. Have you thought it through?"

"Yes, I have."

Chen Xinggui asked with a look of regret, "Since that's the case, who will you choose as your teacher for the Book of Documents?"

"I have already found a teacher outside the academy. If I have any questions about the classics, I will also consult my teacher."

Chen Xinggui said, "Brother Yanzhao, there are not many experts on the Book of Documents in this region. Even if there are, their knowledge may not be as profound as the headmaster and lecturers. It's a pity that you are seeking a distant teacher. Why don't you listen to me and study the Spring and Autumn Annals with me?"

Lin Yanzhao clasped his hands and said, "I really appreciate Brother Chen's kindness, but I have made up my mind."

Chen Xinggui, realizing that Lin Yanzhao's decision was unchangeable, said, "Since that's the case, I won't say more. If you need any help, Brother Lin, feel free to come to me."

"Thank you for your generous assistance, Brother Chen."

Lin Yanzhao couldn't figure out why Chen Xinggui was suddenly being so friendly, but he decided to keep a distance until he understood Chen Xinggui's intentions.

In the outer hall, Lin Yanzhao was the only one who chose the Book of Documents as his main text. After he reported his choice, many students were puzzled.

Yu Qingzhou said, "Brother Yanzhao, among the Five Classics, the Song and Yuan scholars have recorded the word counts: the Book of Songs has 39,224 characters, the Book of Documents has 25,700 characters, the Book of Rites has 45,806 characters, the Book of Changes has 24,207 characters, and the Spring and Autumn Annals has 196,845 characters."

"Among the Five Classics, the Book of Documents has the fewest characters. For someone of average ability, reciting 300 characters a day, it would take less than 90 days to memorize it. If you follow the method of memorizing famous essays, the Book of Documents would be the easiest."

Lin Yanzhao smiled but said nothing.

On the other side, Huang Biyou, who was studying with Lin Yanzhao, said, "The answer is clear. Brother Yanzhao, you are too cunning. You chose the classic with the fewest characters, and you are even planning to guess the questions."

Lin Yanzhao smiled and said, "Alright, I admit I am good at memorizing, but I didn't choose the Book of Documents for that reason."

"Then why?"

"In a few years, you will know."

Yu Qingzhou and Huang Biyou both said, "Brother Yanzhao, you are really not straightforward, keeping everything to yourself."

Lin Yanzhao said, "It's not that I don't want to tell you, but I won't say anything unless I am absolutely sure."

On the day he chose the Book of Documents as his main text, Lin Yanzhao told Lin Liao that he was preparing to go to the academy.

To his surprise, Lin Liao already knew his intentions. Lin Liao looked at Lin Yanzhao for a long time without speaking.

Lin Yanzhao asked tentatively, "Did I do something wrong?"

Lin Liao shook his head and said, "I know everything about you."

"Huh?"

"Your words, 'Can Yan be attacked?' not only saved the life of Mr. Wangzhai's grandson but also became a famous saying among scholars. If you are willing, many high officials would welcome you as a guest."

"Ah?" Lin Yanzhao was surprised.

"Don't believe me? I won't go through all the letters, but this is from the chief judge of this region, inquiring about you. And this is from the governor, praising your expertise in criminal law."

"The governor?" Lin Yanzhao was truly amazed, feeling a bit dizzy from the praise.

Lin Yanzhao said humbly, "I only wanted to save a life at the time, nothing more."

"Exactly. I also think so. Early fame is not good. So I have already declined all the invitations for you to visit their homes. For the next few days, stay in the academy and don't go out, to avoid distracting you from your studies. Talents are as numerous as cow hairs. After a while, people will forget about this."

Lin Yanzhao felt a lump in his throat, thinking, "Master, you are too harsh."

Lin Liao saw Lin Yanzhao's expression and smiled, "Do you want to go?"

Lin Yanzhao, who was initially a bit regretful, gradually calmed down and said, "If I had the ambition to be a criminal law expert, it would be a pity to decline these invitations. But my goal is to succeed in the imperial examinations. The recognition from these officials would be of no use to me and might even distract me."

"Exactly," Lin Liao praised, "It was that sentence, 'Two bulls fighting, one dies, one lives, the dead one is eaten, the living one plows,' that made me admit you to the academy. But I didn't want to praise you, for fear that you would have the wrong mindset."

Lin Yanzhao thought, "Didn't you say you admitted me because I was a student of Hu Tixue?"

"If you truly have a passion for law, being a criminal law expert is a low-level position. Law has a broad path and a narrow path. People like Zhang Tang, Zhou Xing, and Lai Junchen, who used the law as a weapon to harm the people, not only earned a bad reputation but also put their lives at risk. This is the narrow path! Only those like the father and son Du Zhou and Du Yanian, who wrote the 'Spring and Autumn Annals of Decisions,' and scholars like Dong Zhongshu, Shusun Xuan, Gu Lingqing, Ma Rong, and Zheng Xuan, are on the broad path!"

"If you have the ambition to study criminal law, you should take the broad path, with virtue as the main focus and law as the auxiliary. If you become an official, you should be like Bao Longtu, who fights for the people and clears their wrongs, making the poor also live in a clear and just society, and you will become a famous minister in the future."

Currently, the imperial examinations focus on the Four Books, and scholars are busy studying the Five Classics. As for law, it is left to the clerks and advisors. Therefore, the true experts in criminal law in this dynasty are clerks and advisors, not officials. If you can master criminal law, it will be very beneficial for your career.

Lin Yanzhao, hearing Lin Liao's words, knew that Lin Liao was afraid he would go down the wrong path in studying criminal law, either becoming a clerk or a lawyer, or misusing the law to harm others. So Lin Liao wanted him to start his career through the imperial examinations, first cultivating virtue and then law, with virtue as the main focus and law as the auxiliary, which is the spirit of Confucian legalism.

These were the teacher's words of advice to his student. Lin Yanzhao sincerely thanked him, "Thank you for your guidance, Master."

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