Chapter 25

Chen Xiliang called on Sanlang to carefully prepare the medicine, Wulang to look after his younger brother, and Erlang to go to the teahouse to order tea and snacks. He himself took a few round stools and invited Su Xun and Song Fu to talk under the shade of the trees in the courtyard. "Sanlang is well-versed in medicine, but I wonder how he fares in his studies?" Su Xun took a sip of water and asked. "I'm afraid he can't match your Erlang..." Chen Xiliang replied modestly. 'Pfft...' If not for the quick turn of his head, Song Fu would have been splattered by Su Xun's spittle. He knew the two boys of the Su family well. Although the third son, Su Zhe, was not as brilliant as the second son, Su Shi, he was still a rare genius who could recite and compose on the spot. When Chen Xiliang said that his own third son might not match Su Shi, he implied that he was better than Su Zhe. Could this be called modesty? "Other people's wives are good, but one's own children are the best." Su Xun naturally didn't believe it. If not for seeing Sanlang busy preparing the medicine, he would have called him over to test him. "This time, Old Quan won't be the only one to shine." Song Fu laughed heartily and then reminded Chen Xiliang, "But not all prodigies grow up to be successful. Do you remember Fang Zhongyong, the famous child prodigy from a few years ago?" "How could we forget?" Chen Xiliang and Su Xun answered together. Because the child prodigy exams had produced a series of high-ranking officials like Song Shou and Yan Shu, child prodigies in the Song Dynasty were widely admired, seen as celestial beings destined for high office. Their miraculous stories were widely praised and celebrated. The most representative of these was Fang Zhongyong, a prodigy from Fuzhou. It was said that his family had been farmers for generations, and he had never seen paper, ink, or a brush until he was five years old. One day, he suddenly cried for these things. His father, unable to resist, borrowed paper and a brush from a neighbor, and Zhongyong immediately wrote four lines of poetry and signed his name. His father showed the poem to the local scholars, who all praised its literary merit and reasoning. When given a topic, he could instantly compose a poem. From then on, Fang Zhongyong became a symbol of innate genius, and his fame spread across the country, even reaching beyond the Sword Gate Pass. In the impression of Chen and Su, he was still that child prodigy, but after Song Fu's reminder, they realized that the boy must be in his early twenties by now. "He should have passed the imperial exams long ago," Su Xun said. "Why haven't we heard anything?" "Alas, the boy has fallen," Song Fu sighed. "It fits the saying, 'precocious in youth, mediocre in adulthood.'" "That can't be!" the two exclaimed. "Who told you that?" "A few days ago, I read an essay called 'Lament for Zhongyong' in 'The Collection of Contemporary Literature,' which described his current situation." Song Fu thought for a moment and recited the short essay. After hearing about Fang Zhongyong's decline, both Chen and Su sighed deeply. Su Xun shook his head and said, "How could his father only seek short-term gain and take him around, neglecting his studies? What a pity, what a shame... to have such a prodigy born into such a shortsighted and ignorant family." "Exactly," Chen Xiliang nodded. "The more gifted a child is, the more strictly they should be disciplined to prevent them from becoming arrogant. Otherwise, neglecting their studies will turn them into a waste." The two, who had been subtly competing, now found themselves in agreement. Sanlang, who was in the kitchen, suddenly shivered, sensing impending trouble. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The topic finally shifted away from the children. Chen Xiliang asked, "By the way, how did you find me?" "We thought you would return to Meishan after settling your family affairs," Su Xun resumed the conversation from before they entered. "But we didn't see you even on the day of registration." He looked relieved and said, "Fortunately, you left your household status and documents in the room, and I and Churen were able to register you." He made it sound simple, but Chen Xiliang, who had taken exams before, knew that the registration for the preliminary exam was very complicated. Not only did one have to be present to answer a series of questions and inspections, but also find five peers to vouch for them... Now, without his presence, the complications had multiplied. They must have sought help from many people and put in a lot of effort to register him. "Thank you both for your kindness; I will remember it," Chen Xiliang stood up and clasped his hands. "Close friends, no need for more words," Su Xun and Song Fu shook their heads and smiled. "After everything was done, it was already three days ago. We decided to come to Shibayi Village to see what had happened to you." "Alas, it's not worth mentioning," Chen Xiliang's expression darkened. "How did you find me here?" "Actually, we didn't even get in the door," Su Xun said. "Your brother and sister-in-law said you had separated and moved to an unknown place." "Later, one of your nephews secretly told us that you had moved to the county town," Song Fu said. "We came yesterday, but it was already dark, so we had to find a guesthouse to stay. This morning, after asking around, we found you here." "Looking at where you live..." Su Xun looked around the dilapidated house. "It seems you're facing some difficulties." "Heh..." Chen Xiliang laughed self-deprecatingly. "Heaven is about to bestow a great mission on me." Heaven, when about to confer a great mission on a man, will first test his resolve, tire his muscles, starve his body, and frustrate his actions... Chen Xiliang used a self-deprecating joke to describe his situation. "..." Song Fu was silent for a moment and said softly, "Hardship and adversity will temper you. Gongbi, it will pass." "Yes..." Su Xun also said, "Bite the bullet and hold on. With your talent, you will surely pass this exam. Then, you can return home in glory and see their faces!" "This exam..." Chen Xiliang lowered his head, speaking with difficulty. "I don't plan to take it." "Why is that?" Su Xun and Song Fu were surprised. "It only comes around every four years; how can you give up so easily?" "It's not giving up lightly; I've been considering it for days..." Thinking of his three sons being locked in the shed and suffering, Chen Xiliang felt no regret. He raised his head, his expression calm. "My children are still young and have no mother. I can't leave them for so long." "You're worried about them," Song Fu said. "Let them move to my house; they can keep my son company." "Or come to my place," Su Xun said. "My wife is good at raising children and won't let them neglect their studies." "Thank you both for your kindness; I appreciate it..." Chen Xiliang was deeply moved, but he knew that his two good friends were not much better off than he was and had heavy family burdens. They couldn't afford to take care of four children. Moreover, he had secretly vowed never to let his children live a life of dependence again! "But I've made up my mind. I'll put everything else aside and focus on raising my children first," he firmly declined their offers. "The exams come around every few years; there will always be opportunities... But as the story of 'Lament for Zhongyong' shows, a child's education only happens once; if missed, there's no second chance." The two knew his strong character and that he never changed his mind once he made a decision. They realized further persuasion was futile. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Then, how do you plan to make a living?" Su Xun asked again. "As long as one is willing to work, one won't starve in the Song Dynasty," Chen Xiliang looked at his rough hands. "I can support us five!" "Why not move to Meishan? It's a prefectural city, much larger than here, and it's easier to find jobs like writing, teaching, and copying." Su Xun invited him earnestly. "If that doesn't work, you can ask the prefect for a position in the government." "No, Qing County, though smaller than Meishan," Chen Xiliang shook his head, "has something Meishan doesn't." "What is it?" "The academy," Chen Xiliang smiled. "In a few years, your son will have to come here to study. Why should I go through the trouble of moving back and forth?" "That's true..." Meishan had the Zhongyan Academy, founded by the great scholar Wang Fang, who had passed the imperial exams. Previously, very few people from Sichuan passed the exams, and those who did mostly settled elsewhere. Wang Fang, who returned to his hometown to teach, was a rare exception. But his efforts were not in vain. His students consistently passed the exams, and the Zhongyan Academy's reputation grew. Even students from the prefectural city of Meishan came to study there. The availability of such excellent educational resources was the reason Chen Xiliang moved his family to Qing County. "Actually, it might be better to wait a few years," Su Xun said, half consoling and half practical. "You don't know yet, but Fan Xiang's Qingli Reforms have failed..." "That's impossible!" Despite his decision to give up the exam, Chen Xiliang had always been calm, but now his expression changed. "It's only been a year! At last month's literary gathering, everyone said the reforms were highly effective and praised by the entire court. How could they fail this month?" "The literary gathering was just old news," Song Fu shook his head. "We learned this from the prefect, who is a student of Fan Gong. He cried when he saw the news of Fan Gong and Fu Xiang being reassigned in the official gazette. It must be true." "The emperor, the emperor was determined to reform and govern well," Chen Xiliang said with sorrow and anger. "It was the emperor who issued the edict to completely abolish the reforms and reassign the two prime ministers," Su Xun said angrily. "Now the court is in chaos, with the old party, led by Xia Xiang, attacking the new party as a faction. Emperors have always been wary of ministers forming factions, and the current emperor, though benevolent, is no exception..." "I heard that Xia Xiang, to attack the new party, even had a servant in his household practice copying Mr. Cui Lai's handwriting until it was indistinguishable from the original. He then forged a secret letter from Mr. Cui Lai to Fu Xiang, claiming to want to depose the emperor. He presented this letter to the emperor and spread the rumor, accusing the new party of plotting to replace the emperor. Thus, rumors spread, and people were in a state of panic..." "Shameless! Utterly shameless!" Chen Xiliang shouted in anger. "Is the Song Dynasty to be destroyed by such scoundrels?!" －－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－分割－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－ "Please recommend me, everyone. If you still have votes, cast them. We're almost there, just a little more effort." <a href="