Chapter 68

(Votes needed to prevent explosion!)

A few more days passed, after the noon class.

Chen Ke brought the half-transcribed manuscript of the *Dictionary* and found Wang Fang.

Wang Fang had heard years ago that they were working on some sort of 'dictionary.' What is a 'dictionary'? A large book! A book that can serve as a standard!

Even great scholars and renowned masters did not dare to use the term 'dictionary' lightly. A few young lads actually had the audacity to say they were creating a *Dictionary*. This made him laugh and cry at the same time; they were truly a bunch of ignorant and presumptuous fellows!

However, Wang Fang admired their perseverance for sticking with it for several years without giving up. Now that they had finally completed the manuscript, he had already made up his mind to praise them, no matter how ridiculous the content might be. Who knew if one of these children might not produce a real *Dictionary* in a few decades?

Wang Fang, with an elegant smile, flipped through the manuscript briefly. The entries were all old news, nothing particularly novel, but the arrangement by phonetic groups was something he had never seen before. The radical index was also a first... Looking at the neat and detailed categorization and the dizzying array of numbers, Wang Fang was secretly amazed. How many years of hard work must it have taken to organize all these characters?

Impressed by their dedication and persistence, his expression became serious, and he asked, "The phonetic symbols you mentioned in the preface, are they these ancient characters?"

"Yes," Chen Ke replied. He had not used Latin letters for pinyin but instead used phonetic symbols like 'ㄕㄘㄨㄜㄛㄗㄐ'... This was the phonetic system that had been used for the longest time in the future. The only difference was in appearance; essentially, they were the same.

Moreover, these phonetic symbols were derived from ancient characters, making it easier to fool scholars.

Thus, Chen Ke began explaining the phonetic notation method to Wang Fang, starting from the most basic sounds. At first, the old scholar found it interesting, but as he listened, his expression became more serious, and he even stopped the class... This learned scholar quickly understood Chen Ke's method. The principles were still the traditional 'initials, finals, and tones,' but the reverse cut method had been greatly simplified, making it much easier to learn. The method was entirely feasible, but no one had ever thought of it before.

From now on, phonology would no longer be a mind-boggling advanced study but would become basic knowledge for students... He even thought that perhaps the whole world would be changed by this little *Dictionary*!

"The great way is simple!" After a long while, Wang Fang sighed deeply, "It can be called a 'dictionary'!" He straightened his clothes and bowed solemnly to Chen Ke, "I, on behalf of all the scholars and common people, thank you, Third Young Master!"

"Teacher," Chen Ke hurriedly bowed, "You are too kind..."

"This bow is not too much. Who knows how many people will come to thank you in the future." Straightening up, Wang Fang smiled, his beard quivering, "I always knew you were not an ordinary person, but you didn't show your true colors for years. It turns out you were like a dragon that doesn't roar for three years, and when it roars, it startles everyone!"

Chen Ke couldn't help but feel embarrassed, thinking it was all his sister's doing.

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"Have you finished compiling this dictionary?" Wang Fang slowly turned the pages.

"I have finished compiling it," Chen Ke said, "but the second half hasn't been transcribed yet." In fact, he was cautious and didn't want to give all the manuscripts to even the respected Wang Fang at once.

"Um," Wang Fang nodded, then looked for another half an hour before slowly saying, "This dictionary, in terms of practical use, is already perfect. The only flaw is these definitions... A discerning person can see that most of them are taken from rhyme books."

"Teacher, you are right," Chen Ke humbly accepted, "In other aspects, as long as one is patient and meticulous, it can be done well. But for the definitions... the students are indeed shallow and limited, and can only copy them."

"I see that you have done serious research, which is already quite good," Wang Fang pondered, "But it will still make this great work lose some of its luster."

"Please, teacher, help us revise it," Chen Ke respectfully requested.

"I cannot write in it," Wang Fang stroked his beard and smiled, "Though I am a recluse, I still have some reputation. If I were to participate in the revision, you would be in trouble."

"But why not, I don't mind..." Chen Ke said awkwardly, actually worried that the old man would insist on getting involved. He had even thought of a countermeasure.

"One should not put on shoes in a melon field or straighten one's hat under a plum tree," Wang Fang laughed, "You don't mind, but I do!" He then became serious, "If you don't think my knowledge is shallow, stay here for a while and revise this dictionary again."

"Thank you, teacher, for your great kindness!" Chen Ke was overjoyed, almost wanting to hug Wang Fang and kiss him.

After informing his friends, Chen Ke stayed on the mountain that day and began the day-and-night revision work.

Though it was said that he was revising, the main work was done by Wang Fang. The old scholar dictated the revised entries, and Chen Ke merely wrote them down.

Following the old man's advice, Chen Ke revised only about seven thousand commonly used characters. As for the nearly twenty thousand obscure characters, the explanations from the *Guangyun* were sufficient. The old scholar, with decades of teaching experience, was extremely solid in his knowledge and sometimes revised entries faster than Chen Ke could write.

The old man leaned back in his recliner, holding the dictionary in one hand and a cup of tea in the other, looking relaxed and comfortable, but in fact, he was expending a great deal of mental effort... It wasn't until the Qingming Festival that the work was completed. Over the month, the old man's white hair and wrinkles had visibly increased, and he had lost a significant amount of weight.

This month was also a great ordeal for Chen Ke. He had hoped that his sister would come to help him for a while, but she never showed up, which puzzled him.

But no matter what, both teacher and student were very excited when the work was finished. It being a holiday, Chen Ke cooked a few of his signature dishes and opened a bottle of high-quality Jian Nan Chun. The two of them enjoyed a leisurely drink in the gentle breeze and drizzle.

This was the first time Wang Fang had tasted Chen Ke's cooking, and he naturally praised it endlessly. Seeing the old man in high spirits, Chen Ke took the opportunity to ask him to write a preface for the dictionary.

This was a great honor, but Wang Fang firmly refused, "To make this dictionary widely known, my reputation is not enough."

"What's the problem with that?"

"The problem is huge, silly boy!" Wang Fang chuckled, "Compiling the *Dictionary* is just the first step. When it will become widely known and who will be the one to enjoy the glory is all unknown."

"Please, teacher, give me some advice," Chen Ke poured wine for Wang Fang.

"If it is published in a small place and a minor figure like me writes the preface, it will be hard for people to know and recognize it. The longer the pearl remains in the dust, the more likely it is to be imitated... Imitation is not difficult, just a change of appearance," Wang Fang teased, "Then you will have to watch helplessly as others take credit for your work."

"How can we avoid that?" Chen Ke gasped.

"Many things need to be done, such as publishing it in a big place, getting a famous person to recommend it, and if it can become an officially designated book, that would be even better," Wang Fang smiled, "But it can be summed up in one sentence: Get a famous person to write the preface, and all problems will be solved!"

"What level of famous person?" Chen Ke asked with wide eyes.

"The more famous, the better," Wang Fang held up a hand and retracted two fingers, "The best would be one of those three."

"Which three?"

"The Emperor, Fan Gong, and Ouyang Yongshu," Wang Fang said seriously.

"Ha...!" Chen Ke almost fell over, laughing bitterly, "Teacher, you really dare to think."

"If you don't even dare to think, what's the difference between a person and a salted fish?" Wang Fang slightly opened his collar, revealing his scholarly nature, "You have read enough books. Staying in this small place, Qing Shen, will not bring you any further progress. Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. Dare to leave Sichuan and meet those great people?"

"Teacher, can you really let me meet the Emperor?" Chen Ke was almost worshiping the old man.

"Um... Meeting the Emperor is indeed unrealistic," Wang Fang laughed awkwardly, then added, "But Fan Gong and Ouyang Yongshu are now in exile. Meeting them is not difficult."

"I remember now," Chen Ke suddenly recalled, "Teacher and Ouyang Gong are fellow scholars!"

"Heh..." Wang Fang smiled strangely, "We are fellow scholars, but not close friends."

"Aren't you often in correspondence?" Chen Ke asked, wide-eyed.

"We only exchanged letters once, after he was exiled. I wrote to comfort him, and he wrote back to thank me," Wang Fang was very embarrassed, speaking in a low voice, "Running a school is not easy. If I didn't embellish a bit, this academy would have been taken over by the official schools long ago."

"Teacher, it's not easy for you..." Chen Ke nodded heavily, not finding Wang Fang hypocritical at all, but rather admiring the old man's frankness even more.

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"However, once is a stranger, twice is a friend. I will write another letter, and you can take it to him. He will surely see you at least once," Wang Fang looked at Chen Ke, "But there is a problem you need to know. Whether it's Fan Gong or Ouyang Yongshu, they are both seen as leaders of the virtuous party. Whichever one you ask to write the preface, you will be considered part of their faction. No one can say whether this will be good or bad for your future." He finished the wine in his cup, "Think about it carefully..."

"No need to think," Chen Ke also finished his wine, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and grinned, "Meeting Fan Zhongyan and Ouyang Xiu is exciting just to think about. What's there to hesitate?"

"Truly a carefree young man!" Wang Fang clapped his hands in admiration, "Bring me some ink and paper, I will write you a recommendation letter right away!"

"Yes..." Chen Ke just responded when he heard the gate being knocked on urgently, followed by a panicked voice, "Headmaster, student Chen Chen seeks an audience."

"My brother..." Chen Ke was immediately startled.

"Come in, the door is not locked," Wang Fang said sternly.

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As usual, one update in the evening...

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