Chapter 37.2

Translated by Aviana

Her heart was full of misgivings. But here, women rarely had any right to speak on the major issues of the family. As such, Lin Qingwan didn’t open her mouth; she didn’t want to offend anyone in here.

This was how the matter came to be-

The other day after Yang Xuezhang informed everyone in the family that he would be staying at his schoolmate’s place, he went to He-shi to ask for some silver, after which he packed his clothes and went to the town.

That schoolmate of his was surnamed Chen, and his family lives in the town. This Chen jia runs a small grocery store. Although the family wasn’t that prosperous, they also didn’t have to worry about food and drinks.

家 (jiā): Family/home

This schoolmate Chen was his family’s one and only son; thus, the family also had a high hope on their son becoming a dragon and provided him with everything for him to study at the academy.

望子成龙 (wàngzǐchénglóng): lit. to hope one’s son becomes a dragon (idiom); fig. to long for one’ s child to succeed in life / to have great hopes for one’s offspring / to give one’s child the best education as a career investment

However, this schoolmate Chen is also just like Yang Xuezhang and could not become a xucai even after several attempts.

秀才 (xiùcai): a person who has passed the county-level imperial exam

After both of them failing time and time again, and being schoolmates again, also sharing the mutual feeling of having talent but no opportunity…two of them soon became quite congenial in the academy and would also frequently join in the activities such as going to literary clubs together and the likes.

怀才不遇 (huáicáibùyù): to have talent but no opportunity (idiom) / to be an unrecognized talent

This time, Yang Xuezhang said that he would go stay at his schoolmate’s place, using the pretext of preparing for the eight-legged essay. But in actuality, a new literary club was opened in the town.

八股文 (bāgǔwén): ‘Eight bone text/ Eight-legged essay’ (lit) was a style of essay in imperial examinations during the Ming and Qing dynasties in China. The eight-legged essay was needed for those test-takers in these civil service tests to show their merits for government service, often focusing on Confucian thought and knowledge of the Four Books and Five Classics in relation to governmental ideals.

He and his schoolmate Chen made an appointment to participate in it together. But as Yang jia lived in the countryside, it was inconvenient as most of the literary club activities are usually held in the nights, his schoolmate Chen invited him to stay at his house. Because one, it was convenient; and two, both of them can be a mutual companion for each other.

It was said that Yang Xuezhang and schoolmate Chen participated in the literary club together-

Truly speaking, the so-called literary club was nothing but a group of scholars looking to drink a bit of wine as they discuss about poetry, eight-legged essays and talk about a few of their aspirations, ideals, and whatnot. This was also not the first time Yang Xuezhang has participated.

But this time, it was different because, amongst few familiar faces, there was a new face. Although this new scholar was not very good looking, his gorgeous clothes, rather cultured and in-depth speech and manners, quite insightful ideologies, were all quite different from the scholars from small places.

Let it be about poetry or eight-legged essay, all of his words carried deep insightfulness. Many scholars were drawn into him, and one after the other in succession, they stepped forward to meet him. Naturally, this also includes Yang Xuezhang and his schoolmate Chen.

After everyone introduced their names, they realized that the talented new scholar was surnamed Hu. This scholar Hu wasn’t from Luoyun town. His family was native to Xuyi County. This time he came to Luoyun town to visit his friends and relatives. Hearing that a new literary club was opened, he came here to participate and exchange knowledge.

After getting acquainted with the scholar Hu, everyone started chatting together, and naturally, the upcoming county examination topic also came up.

The majority of the scholars who took part in this literary club were the ones who failed even after several attempts. As such, it was inevitable for them to feel discouraged in their hearts and think that the evaluators of the exam papers have no eyes, making them have talent but no opportunity…

In fact, the majority of these people share the same thought, that the evaluators lack vision, and they themselves are talented but lack a good opportunity. Each and every one of them spoke with excitement and fervor as if they were a fine steed; alas, Bo Le wasn’t one of the examiners.

Sun Yang, better known by the honorific name of Bole or Bo Le. was a horse tamer in Spring and Autumn period, a retainer for the Duke Mu of Qin (r. 659-621 BCE), and a famous judge of horses. Bole was the legendary inventor of equine physiognomy. In Modern Standard Chinese, Bole figuratively means “good judge of (especially hidden) talent.”

It was inevitable to have a wine when conversing was about learning and sharing knowledge. All the scholars were busing conversing while drinking wine….

The rest of the scholars were frequent participators of these literary clubs; thus, their ability to hold the wine was also not bad. However, this scholar Hu nevertheless got drunk. His speech and words gradually became bold and unconstrained. Not only did he compose few poems, which felt pleasant to the ears of the scholars, but his words also revealed a little of complacency that this time he would surely become a xucai.

This group of scholars were all not much older in terms of age and were full of sap. At once, all of them fell over each other in eagerness to ask why scholar Hu was so sure that he would qualify because, according to them, the county exam not only included Four books and Five classics along with the Eight-legged essay. It was inevitable for them to be ambitious and aggressive.

血气方刚 (xuèqìfānggāng): full of sap (idiom); young and vigorous

四書五經 (Sìshū Wǔjīng): The Four Books and Five Classics are the collective name of the Four Books and the Five Classics, and they are the most important classics of Chinese Confucianism. The four books included Great Learning, Doctrine of the Mean, Analects, and Mencius. The five classics are Classic of Poetry, Book of Documents, Book of Rites, Book of Changes, and Spring and Autumn Annals.

The eight-legged essay was comprised of eight components: Namely, Opening (Breaking open the topic), Amplification (Receiving the topic), Preliminary exposition (Beginning discussion), Initial argument (Initial Leg), Central argument (Middle Leg), Latter argument (Latter leg), Final argument, and (Final Leg). The first component was to break open the subject. Without having an idea about what would be the topic chosen by the examiners, who could daringly guarantee that the eight-legged essay written by them would be surely chosen.

Moreover, the duration of the test wasn’t that long. Before the exam, the essay topic was revealed to the candidates, giving them the freedom to produce one or two eight-legged essays. Many scholars among them who time and again failed in the test lost for the most part in the eight-legged essay component.

Initially, the scholar Hu was somewhat intoxicated from drinking, and when this group of scholars eagerly interrogated him, he didn’t answer immediately, stammered a bit, and ultimately revealed the matter.

It turned out that his family, who was from Huai He county, had a bit of connection in county yamen. Thus, they spent a bit of silver to get to know this year’s test’s essay topic for him.

衙门 (yámen): government office in feudal China / yamen

The scholars at one caused upheaval. Few of them were aware that with adequate relations, exam questions could be leaked. But never did they expect that they would encounter such a case in actuality.

As soon as scholar Hu accidentally divulged the matter, he immediately sobered up and pacified all the scholars after bowing to them, cutting quite a sorry figure as he implored everyone not to leak this matter outside by any means else he will be finished.

When the scholars came to know about the actual matter, they became furious and resentful, hating this group of people who use the back door by exploiting their connections. However, who asked them to not to have an adequate family background and unable to have means to go via the back door. So, when they all repeatedly failed, they were pulled by this group of people who used their connections…

But apart from resentment, inevitably, it will also give birth to a bit of thoughts in their minds.

Seeing no one responding to his plea, scholar Hu, with no other choice decided to share the exam questions…

However, there is a condition; the condition is that all the ten scholars who were present there must give him 50 taels each. Because even upon using those so-called connections with county yamen, he had to pay quite a bit of silver.

Tael, a Chinese unit of weight that, when applied to silver, was long used as a unit of currency. Most taels were equivalent to 1.3 ounces of silver.

His family spent so much silver to get to know the topic for him, hoping that he would pass the exam and bring honor to his ancestors. As such, sharing with everyone for free of charge was absolutely impossible.

Scholar Hu said that only to those who gave him silver would he pass on the essay topic. Else, let either fish die or the net split; he will also not take the exam this time. They can reveal the matter to whoever they want to…

鱼死网破 (yúsǐwǎngpò): lit. either the fish dies or the net splits / a life and death struggle (idiom)/ to fight till both you and your foe perish.

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