Chapter 72

Lin Yanzhao felt somewhat regretful that he had not joined the other's school earlier, and he couldn't help but be lost in thought.

"What are you thinking about?" The scholar's tone was somewhat stern.

Lin Yanzhao then showed a look of great difficulty and said, "After listening to Mr., I am thinking, how profound the Book of Documents is. How long will it take for me to fully understand it?"

In fact, the scholar had explained it very well, and Lin Yanzhao had almost understood it. However, the Book of Documents was indeed difficult, and compared to the Four Books, it was a step up.

The scholar smiled and said, "So you are thinking about this. Among the Thirteen Classics of Confucianism, the Book of Documents is not the most difficult; the most difficult is the Book of Changes. The Book of Documents focuses on ancient knowledge. In ancient times, scholars first studied the Book of Changes, then the Five Classics, following the principle of starting with the difficult and moving to the easy. We start with the Four Books and then the Five Classics, which is a more gradual and easier approach."

Lin Yanzhao asked, "Then, should I also study the Five Classics besides the Book of Documents?"

"That's not necessarily the case. Some scholars pursue breadth, while others specialize in depth. Some believe that as long as one thoroughly understands the Analects, there is no need to study anything else. My teacher once told me that anyone who can put into practice just one or two sentences from the Analects can be called a virtuous scholar."

After hearing this, Lin Yanzhao thought of a joke and, unable to resist, retorted, "Then, teacher, you said that as long as one puts into practice two sentences from the Analects, one can become a virtuous scholar. I have already put into practice two sentences."

The scholar smiled and said, "Then I must ask you, which two sentences have you put into practice?"

Lin Yanzhao chuckled and said, "Food should not be too refined, and fish should not be too finely cut."

Lin Yanzhao really wanted to see the other person's reaction, but the scholar only paused and mildly rebuked, "You, my student, are not learning properly."

Then the scholar closed the book and said, "Since you can no longer listen, it would be pointless for me to continue. Remember to come every five days. Go back and memorize all fifty-nine chapters of the Book of Documents. Only by thoroughly understanding it can you write essays."

Lin Yanzhao immediately agreed.

Thus, Lin Yanzhao set a schedule to go to the Lin family's residence every five days to study the Book of Documents, while spending the rest of his time at the academy.

Lecturer Lin Liao gave lectures on the Book of Songs every three days, and the head of the academy, Lin Yuan, also gave lectures on the Spring and Autumn Annals every three days. Students studying these two classics, whether from the outer, inner, or upper halls, could attend the lectures, though it was not mandatory. During other times, the academy allowed students to study on their own, and even the monthly exams were canceled to allow students to focus on the quarterly exams.

This sudden relaxation of the curriculum made Lin Yanzhao feel as if he had transitioned from high school to college.

However, not attending classes did not mean less homework. The Book of Documents, one of the Five Classics, was indeed difficult, surpassing the Thousand Character Classic and other introductory texts, as well as the Zhu Xi's Annotations, and even the Four Books.

The usual lectures were also suspended, and the academy's curriculum became much more relaxed. Days passed quietly, and it took Lin Yanzhao five full days to memorize the fifty-nine chapters of the Book of Documents, which contained nearly thirty thousand characters, spending five hours each day.

Reading the Four Books was at least somewhat melodic, but the Book of Documents was mostly difficult and obscure, living up to its reputation as the earliest of the Five Classics. Lin Yanzhao had to first roughly understand the meaning before he could memorize it, which undoubtedly slowed his progress.

In addition to studying the Book of Documents, Lin Yanzhao also attended lectures by Lin Yuan and Lin Liao, even though he did not specialize in these two classics. Listening to them was still necessary.

One morning, Lin Yanzhao prepared to go to the Zhu Zi Pavilion to listen to Lin Yuan's lecture on the Spring and Autumn Annals. As he approached the pavilion, someone suddenly called out, "Isn't this my benefactor?"

Lin Yanzhao paused and saw a young boy, younger than himself, looking at him with joy.

At first, Lin Yanzhao was a bit face-blind, but then he remembered the word "benefactor" and suddenly recalled that this was the boy he and Hou Zhongshu, Zhang Haoyuan had saved by the Min River. He seemed to be from the Gong family of Tongxian.

Lin Yanzhao smiled and said, "It's you! But I don't deserve the title of benefactor. Just call me Yanzhao. Are you also at the academy?"

The boy looked very happy and said, "Yes, I am in the inner hall. We didn't exchange names before. My name is Gong Zinan. Since you don't like being called benefactor, I will treat you as an elder brother!"

Not liking being called benefactor? Lin Yanzhao felt a bit dizzy, wondering how this boy had managed to get into the academy with such poor language skills.

Seeing that Gong Zinan was a couple of years younger than himself, Lin Yanzhao also smiled and said, "I'm only a few years older. Since that's the case, I'll go along with it."

Gong Zinan nodded and said, "Brother, are you new to the academy? I've never seen you before."

"Yes."

"I came here half a year earlier. It's great to meet you here." Gong Zinan said with great joy.

Lin Yanzhao felt a bit unbalanced. He was two years older than Gong Zinan, but the other boy was already studying in the inner hall. The academy had outer, inner, and upper halls. Since he had never seen Gong Zinan in the outer hall, he must be in the inner hall.

The imperial examinations not only required diligence but also talent. There were geniuses who became top scholars before the age of twenty and old students who took the exams at the age of a hundred. If one could put aside the anxiety of the examinations, it was truly a wondrous world, as the saying goes, "Those who achieve first become teachers."

"Zinan, what are you doing? If you don't hurry, you'll be late for the head's lecture." A few older boys nearby said.

"I'll be right there. I've met an old friend." Gong Zinan laughed.

"Then hurry up."

"... I don't know what you're thinking. At this time, you still have the leisure to chat with outer hall students..."

The voice was low, but the wind was blowing in Lin Yanzhao's direction, and some words still drifted to his ears.

Gong Zinan glanced at the Zhu Zi Pavilion and said, "Oh no, I'm late. Brother Lin, I'm going to the lecture. Let's chat over lunch."

"Sure."

After the lecture at the Zhu Zi Pavilion, Gong Zinan took Lin Yanzhao to the dining hall for the inner and upper halls.

While eating, Lin Yanzhao asked Gong Zinan about the inner hall. Gong Zinan, clearly a well-cared-for boy, was young and naive, and he chattered away to Lin Yanzhao.

"The inner hall isn't much better than the outer hall. The head teaches personally, but that's not much different. I think Lecturer Lin's lectures are also good. The monthly allowance of three silver coins is not enough for me to spend at home. The only good thing is that the inner and upper halls have a dining hall, so I don't have to eat like I did at the Second Plum Study."

Lin Yanzhao thought to himself that, in a child's eyes, the only advantage of the inner hall over the outer hall was the dining hall.

"Is it difficult to move from the outer hall to the inner hall?"

"Not really difficult."

"What do you mean?"

"If you have talent, the academy won't overlook you. I entered the inner hall after the second quarterly exam, ranking second in the outer hall. Generally, the academy selects the first or second from the outer hall, but in the last quarterly exam, only two students were selected. This time, it might only select one."

"I see. So, ranking second in the outer hall isn't entirely guaranteed to enter the inner hall."

Gong Zinan smiled and said, "Not necessarily. If you truly have talent, the academy will select you. Of course, there is one exception: if a student in the inner or upper hall is in mourning, they must leave the academy and can only return after the mourning period is over."

Lin Yanzhao recalled the academy's rules, which required officials to observe mourning at home, and students to do the same. He nodded and said, "Indeed, that is the rule."

"What about the outstanding students in the middle and upper halls?"

"There are some. Look, this is Lin Quan, the grandson of the current Minister of Works, Lin Rong." Gong Zinan pointed, and Lin Yanzhao quickly pulled his hand back. A thin boy had already noticed and turned to look at Lin Yanzhao.

Seeing Lin Yanzhao smile at him, the boy remained cold and continued to eat silently, clearly dissatisfied with the dining hall's food.

"Zinan, don't do that."

Gong Zinan laughed and said, "My sister and mother say I lack common sense. Don't mind it."

Lin Yanzhao laughed and said, "Don't say that. I am very willing to be friends with you, Brother Gong."

"That's great. Thank you for looking up to me," Gong Zinan said, "The people in the academy only know how to study. They lack human warmth, and most are older than me. I've been here for a year and haven't made any friends. I'm so bored that I want to go home."

Lin Yanzhao asked, "Why don't you make friends with the students in the middle and upper halls who are around your age?"

"He is very arrogant, relying on being a direct descendant of the Lin family. So what if his father is the Minister of Works? My uncle is the Chief Sacrificial Wine of the Imperial Academy in Nanjing."

Lin Yanzhao suddenly realized that the Chief Sacrificial Wine of the Imperial Academy in Nanjing, Gong Yongqing, was Gong Zinan's uncle. Moreover, Gong Yongqing was the top scholar of Jiajing's fifth year, a figure admired by all students in Fujian.

After saying this, Gong Zinan quickly lowered his voice and said, "My mother doesn't let me talk about this casually. Brother Yanzhao, you must keep it a secret!"

"Don't worry. How is Lin Quan's studies?" Lin Yanzhao nodded.

"He entered the inner hall after only three months in the outer hall and then entered the upper hall after only three months in the inner hall."

Lin Yanzhao felt a bit envious. Lin Quan and Gong Zinan were both a couple of years younger than himself, yet they had already entered the upper and inner halls. He was already a step behind these geniuses.

Lin Yanzhao asked Gong Zinan more about the rules of the middle and outer halls, and they parted ways. As they left, Gong Zinan kept asking Lin Yanzhao to visit the inner hall often.

Lin Yanzhao replied, "Not too long. Next month, when I pass the exam to enter the inner hall, we can study together."

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