Chapter 019
Author: Feast of Masks
Raws: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3185016
Translated by Gumihou
Pillbug: Hrrrrrrrrrrgh, translating the exam part of this chapter was FRUSTRATING.
See TL Note [5] to read my suffering…
Zheng Lizheng’s words caused the eyes of scholars He and Qiao to focus on Xue Tingxiang’s face.
Naturally, while they did not know the details, they realised that there must be some hidden meaning behind Zheng Lizheng’s words. After all, even before they arrived, they already knew that this was a competition between two descendants from the same family.
They were competing for knowledge. They were also competing for a better future.
Being from humble origins, the two Xiu Cai scholars understood how difficult it was for a farming family in the rural countryside to sponsor a scholar. That was why, when Xue Tingxiang mentioned how the Xue Clan never forgot to cultivate their descendants even as they worked for their living, Qiao Xiu Cai praised him so highly.
This was because he knew that although this may seem trivial or something like common sense to normal people, the idea of changing one’s life through education was something that was deemed too difficult for rural farmers. Just how many people would actually consider changing their fate through education?
It could be said that all those who had achieved success despite their humble backgrounds had all experienced great hardships. Their starting point was much lower than others, having to expend countless efforts just to catch up to their peers. At the same time, they had to face all kinds of cruel competition.
These competitions were not limited to their scholarly peers, but also their clansmen and even their brothers.
To those who succeeded, opportunities as vast as the skies and the seas were open to them. Those who failed would have to put their books down, take up their hoes and spend the rest of their life with their backs to the skies as they toiled the earth for a meagre living.
Because they understood this ruthless cruelty, the two Xiu Cai scholars could not help but wonder whether Xue Tingxiang had deliberately downplayed his own studies to lower the difficulty level of the questions for his brother. This was a double-edged tactic because being known as someone who was lacking in his studies would be disadvantageous to him.
These various thoughts all occurred in an instant. Moreover, because of He Xiu Cai and Qiao Xiu Cai’s sudden interest in Xue Tingxiang’s education, Xue Qingshan’s brow furrowed even more. He feared that even more shocking words would come out of Xue Tingxiang’s wretched mouth.
At that moment, he did not have time to think about why Xue Tingxiang would even say something like ‘fully comprehending’ whatever he was studying. He had completely forgotten his great idea to cripple Xue Tingxiang’s understanding of the Classics so that his son could easily surpass this dog-like nephew.
As for Patriarch Xue, although he had some idea of what had truly happened, his overall opinion was that what happened within the clan should stay within the clan. Whatever schemes or tricks that have happened should stay within the family and should not be aired as public shame.
The stares from the two anxious surname Xue people were like needles drilling into Xue Tingxiang’s face. Unexpectedly, instead of saying anything unnecessary, the young man smiled shyly and said, “When this junior was young, this junior often fell ill. It is unfortunate, but this weak constitution caused some setbacks.”
Xue Qingshan quickly chimed in with a wide smile, “Indeed, that is certainly so. I do not fear looking bad before my two seniors. Though my nephew is naturally gifted and intelligent, his poor health has hindered his studies.”
Patriarch Xue also nodded in agreement.
The onlookers had no idea what the fuss was all about and could only stare at the little drama with wide eyes. Only Zheng Lizheng could sense that things were not quite right. However, since he had no details of what had really happened, he could only remain silent.
After a round of more courteous exchanges between He Xiu Cai and Qiao Xiu Cai, He Xiu Cai finally stepped forward to take the lead. From his honoured seat, he said to Xue Tingxiang, “As you are not yet proficient with the Classics and cannot fully comprehend the books, this competition is already unfair. The two of you are still young and in the process of laying down foundations. Therefore, I shall test your foundations.”
At this, although Xue Juncai felt a little disappointed at being thought of as ‘overqualified’ and missed the opportunity to show off his abilities, he also felt disdainful.
Even with the Classics off the table, Xue Tingxiang was still no match for him!
He Xiu Cai stroked his beard, and after pondering for a moment, he said, “Zhu Xi [1] once said: Learning may vary in scope, but its essence remains the same. Therefore, when it comes to children, if they are not familiar with their elementary studies, their hearts and character cannot be cultivated. The basics are the foundations of higher learning. Therefore, the two of you will each write down the <<Standards for Being a Good Student and Child>> from memory. [2]”
Neither of them expected their first task to be writing down the <<Standards for Being a Good Student and Child>> from memory.
It must be known that this text was typically studied at the beginning of elementary education, and the entire text only comprised about a thousand characters. Apart from the introduction, it was divided into seven chapters:
Be Filial at Home
Be Respectful Outside
Be Cautious
Be Trustworthy
Love Everyone Equally
Be Close to the Good and Kind
Study Diligently With Your Spare Effort
Each section was short, with three words per sentence, and written in a rhythmic, easy-to-recite way. It outlined various norms that disciples should abide by at home, outside, and in dealing with others. This was the classic text dealing with nurturing righteousness in childhood, fulfilling moral duties, avoiding frivolity, and cultivating a sincere heart, establishing a model for cultivating honest family ethics and self-reflection.
It also corroborated precisely what He Xiu Cai said earlier: the way of learning may vary, but its essence remains the same.
Someone had already prepared the square tables and writing tools for the boys at the front of the hall. Even the ink had been ground for them.
The two approached the desks and started writing without much hesitation. As their brushes stroked swiftly across the page, the general noise gradually faded. Even though these country folk had barely any literary knowledge, they knew better than to disturb scholars at work.
For Xue Tingxiang, this was hardly a challenge since he spent most of his time memorising all the books he had ever learnt during his elementary education. In fact, he had not only memorised them, but the contents were also deeply ingrained within him, to the point that he would refer to these elementary learnings when answering questions once he finally managed to enter a private school.
In short, having studied fewer books was to his advantage, he had long since committed these few books into his memory. Even more so since that dream, he had taken to reciting the books he had studied in this life to safeguard his mind against any more memory interference.
As Xue Tingxiang wrote vigorously, he had a slight change in his perception of He Xiu Cai.
He could tell that this unexpected question was not formed out of pity or as a way of giving him an easy way out. Rather, this type of question was meant to catch a student off guard. That’s because <<Standards for Being a Good Student and Child>> was often considered too basic for scholars and was only there to ease children into early education. Once learned, it was often tossed aside for the more important ‘Classics’.
Not to mention, teachers rarely test students on these basics once the students have achieved a certain level of proficiency. They might test the students on <<Three-Character Classic>>, <<Hundred Family Surnames>>, or even the <<Thousand Character Classic>>, but they wouldn’t test this <<Standards for Being a Good Student and Child>>. [3]
In fact, Xue Tingxiang could not wait to see Xue Juncai’s reaction. Surely, that fellow could probably remember some, if not most of the book, but to get every word down from memory? In the correct order without mistake?
Moreover, the reason why He Xiu Cai had them write out the <<Standards for Being a Good Student and Child>>? It was possible that he had such thoughts because the man had probably done some transcribing work himself and pulled that competition out of his past memory. This way, by the end of the competition, he would have not only tested the two boys but would at least have a ‘book’ by the end of it.
A quick peek at his opponent’s table was enough for Xue Tingxiang to be sure that he would outshine his cousin based on his calligraphy alone.
It was as Xue Tingxiang had thought. When Xue Juncai heard that the first task was related to <<Standards for Being a Good Student and Child>>, he even felt disdainful against He Xiu Cai for coming up with such a lame test.
After all, what self-proclaim scholar would not know the <<Standards for Being a Good Student and Child>>? It was something that every student learned at the beginning of their studies. However, when he actually set his brush to paper, he finally realised how wrong it was to underestimate this task.
Only those who had to perform the tasks would understand the difficulties faced. Therefore, it was only when he started writing that he finally realised that he might not have known the text as much as he had imagined.
As his writing slowed down, he pondered over the next phrase. Was it ‘my beloved’ or ‘I was hurt’?
You see, <<Standards for Being a Good Student and Child>> wasn’t like other texts; it was written in a rhythmical order that could not be easily pieced together by guessing the next parts. If the transcriber made a mistake on one line, it would affect all the following passages.
The more Xue Juncai repeated the lines to himself, the more anxious he became. Even after he had written something, he still felt like he had made a mistake somewhere. If someone were to question him verbally, he could still answer them fluently, so, surely it would really be alright?!
His brush, which had flowed swiftly across the page, gradually slowed. Eventually, there were times when he had to pause his writing because he could not be sure whether he had remembered the text correctly.
On the contrary, Xue Tingxiang maintained a steady pace. His brush flowed across the paper evenly. In the beginning, he looked slow compared to Xue Juncai, but it was clear that he was writing very smoothly with barely a pause.
At the head of the room, Qiao Xiu Cai looked at He Xiu Cai with a little sigh, not bothering to hide his surprise at all. Naturally, given his seat, he had a good view of what was happening below and could not help but admire He Xiu Cai’s ingenuity.
He Xiu Cai smirked a little to himself. He was rather proud of himself for this petty little trick. That’s right, this kind of question was a trap for hasty scholars who neglected their basics. He never thought that this little trick would impress Qiao Xiu Cai, leaving him very pleased with his own cleverness.
Stroking his beard proudly, he chuckled and said out loud, “There is no need for these two little friends to rush. You have an incense stick of time [a] to write down the text.”
While it seemed like a short time to write a thousand characters, the <<Standards for Being a Good Student and Child>> had a simple, repetitive style that was not difficult to write, so long as the person was familiar with the text and maintained their focus.
However, Xue Juncai had already lost the psychological warfare when he had first scoffed at such a ‘simple’ question. Now, however, when he heard the time, he became even more anxious.
He kept glancing at the incense stick, which did nothing but slow him down even further.
“Alright, it’s time.”
As the words fell, Xue Tingxiang made a final stroke before setting down his brush.
Xue Juncai did not move from his spot until someone approached him and found that he had frozen in place like a statue. He was drenched in sweat, but the paper in front of him was only half-filled.
Because the two of them were tested in the middle of the hall close to the two Xiu Cai’s, Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong could only see the boys’ backs and did not notice anything out of place. To their minds, there was nothing simpler than a little scuffle over a basic text like <<Standards for Being a Good Student and Child>>. Xue Juncai’s odd stiffness did cause some eyebrows to rise, but they never would have imagined that he would fail to complete the task. It was not until He Xiu Cai and Qiao Xiu Cai had checked the papers, exchanged a meaningful glance and He Xiu Cai had made the decisive announcement of Xue Tingxiang’s victory, did they finally react.
Xue Qingshan immediately stood up from his chair in shock, “How is this possible?”
At the same time, a buzz of chatter started up further down the room and spreading outside. It looked like no one could believe that Xue Juncai had lost the first round of the competition. Villagers who came to watch the excitement barely knew a word between them and had no idea what the test was. They only knew that those fancy scholars said that Xue Juncai had lost to Second Branch’s Xue Gouzi.
Xue Juncai lost to the Xue Gouzi?
This, wasn’t this too shocking? After all, everyone knew that Xue Juncai was the most outstanding young man in the whole of Yuqing Village. Who in the village would not raise their thumbs whenever someone even mentioned him?
“Senior He, Senior Qiao, could there be a mistake? That’s the <<Standards for Being a Good Student and Child>>…”
He Xiu Cai’s eyes flashed meaningfully and two people stepped forward to unroll and hold up the papers for everyone to behold.
On one piece of rice paper, the calligraphy was filled with a contained energy, it was neat and beautiful even to the eyes of the uneducated. On the other piece of paper, the calligraphy appeared decent but eventually became sloppy towards the end. There were even some ink splotches here and there.
“There is not a single wrong word in Xue Tingxiang’s paper. The calligraphy is flawless, neat and consistent with no ink blots. As for Xue Juncai’s paper, not only was the text incomplete, but there were also errors and omissions. Therefore, Xue Tingxiand is the clear winner this time.”
“Juncai!” Xue Qingshan exclaimed in disbelief. He was shocked to his core and wanted to say more, but Yang Zhong pulled him back.
Xue Juncai had been staring at the ground the whole time. It wasn’t until his name was suddenly called that he stiffly looked up and glanced at Xue Tingxiang with reddened eyes.
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For the second round of the competition, the question reverted to the usual question-and-answer practice.
He Xiu Cai would come up with the question, and the two boys would answer.
“‘Seeking ancient discussions, relaxed and carefree’. How would you explain this?” [5]
“By exploring ancient people and events, and reading wise words of truth, one can eliminate distractions and achieve inner freedom,” Xue Juncai stepped forward and answered.
“‘Mencius is simple, Shi Yu is upright, [4] common people are moderate, hardworking, humble, and always self-disciplined.’ Explain this.” [5]
This question was directed at Xue Tingxiang. He pondered for a moment before replying, “Mencius promotes simplicity, and Historian Zi Yu values integrity. As a person, one should strive to meet the standards of moderation as much as possible, by being diligent, humble, cautious, and self-disciplined.”
“Self-criticise when admonished, too much favour breeds resistance. What comes next?” [5] When asking this question, He Xiu Cai didn’t look at either of the two.
Xue Juncai was still baffled, but Xue Tingxiang was already answering, “When being humiliated to near disgrace, in the woods, fortune arrives swiftly.” [5] [6]
“‘Discuss not others’ faults, nor rely too much on one’s strength.’” [5]
This time, Xue Juncai didn’t hesitate and said hurriedly, “One should neither criticise others’ shortcomings nor become complacent with their own strengths and cease to progress.” As he spoke, his cheeks flushed, it was unclear whether it was from embarrassment or self-reproach.
“Good!” He Xiu Cai clapped his hands once, “Those answers were quite satisfactory.”
Suddenly, he added, “Water pavilion.”
Xue Juncai hesitated, while Xue Tingxiang’s eyes flashed, answering, “Mountain dwelling.”
Only then did it dawn on Xue Juncai that He Xiu Cai was testing them on couplets.
Before students entered higher education, in addition to the basic Three Hundred Thousand Thousand, [7] they also had to study works like <<Enlightenment of Rhythm>>, <<Dragon’s Words, Whip’s Shadow>>, <<Frost Forest Kindergarten>> and <<Popular Collection of Traditional Chinese Wise Sayings>> [8]
Among them, works like <<Enlightenment of Rhythm>> and <<Dragon’s words, Whip’s Shadow>> taught students the rules of rhythm and parallelism. Through learning rhythm and rhyme, they would begin to understand and master poetic metres, also acquiring a vast amount of vocabulary and knowledge of classical allusions in the process.
There was a saying that students who have studied these works were rarely incapable of making couplets. Specifically, these kinds of simple pairs and couplets.
After being disadvantaged twice, Xue Juncai demonstrated his abilities as a scholar and rectified his attitudes. Almost as soon as He Xiu Cai finished asking, he did not wait to see who the question was directed at, and just preemptively answered everything. This resulted in Xue Tingxiang failing to give a response several times in a row.
Xue Juncai’s academic performance was clearly commendable. There were hardly any couplets posed by He Xiu Cai that he could not answer.
“This old fellow has some lamentation in my heart. Now and then, after composing the first line of a couplet, the second line evades me. I shall speak the first line to you, though it may be a little difficult, you may give it a try.” He Xiu Cai then cast his gaze towards Qiao Xiu Cai. “Esteemed Brother Qiao may also give it a try, should your interest be piqued. It would certainly alleviate this old brother’s days-long pondering.”
Qiao Xiu Cai smirked a little. He knew that He Xiu Cai had just thrown a little challenge at him.
As the saying goes, in literary matters, there’s no first place, whilst in martial matters, there’s no second place. He and He Xiu Cai were the only ones to pass the provincial examinations within the surrounding villages. Therefore, although He Xiu Cai’s reputation was not as obvious outside his sphere of influence, he could understand the other scholar’s desire for a little friendly competition.
“Brother He, please proceed.”
He Xiu Cai stroked his beard and said, “One person is great, two people are divine. Divine favour is great, human favour is beyond divine.” [9]
Xue Tingxiang’s eyes flickered as he scanned the faces of the two seniors before settling on Xue Juncai. Seeing his cousin still deep in thought, Xue Tingxiang also lowered his head.
The hall fell silent and the four scholars stood in thought. No one dared to speak out. Isn’t this a competition between the two boys? How did it turn into a competition between the two seniors?
Clap!
The crisp sound of a clap suddenly broke the silence.
Qiao Xiu Cai rubbed his hands slowly as he said, “A pair of trees make a wood, a triple makes a forest; when a wood forest grows lush, the wood becomes a wilderness.” [10]
Xue Tingxiang thought: Actually, this couplet is neither too difficult nor too easy; the rhythm and parallelism are straightforward. The challenge lies in the transformation of the characters.
He Xiu Cai’s couplet ’One person is great, two people are divine’ was followed by an appropriate parallelism as a finishing touch. Qiao Xiu Cai’s ’A pair of trees make a wood, a triple makes a forest’ was an excellent response to the original couplet.
In fact, he had also composed a response for the couplet, even before Qiao Xiu Cai had his answer. However, he also knew that this was a private little game between the two senior scholars that did not involve the two immature boys, which was why he had remained silent. Now that Qiao Xiu Cai had given his line, there was no fear of overstepping his bounds.
After all, this competition was meant for himself and Xue Juncai.
With this, he looked up and said, “This junior has a response too.”
[Gumihou: Pill Bug worked really hard on the translation, so please read the notes so we can all appreciate the hard work put into this chapter.]
[a] An incense Stick of Time – generally varies between 5 min to 30 min depending on the incense. For a 1000-character text, let’s assume it’s the 25-30 min incense.
https://martial-world.fandom.com/wiki/An_Incense_Stick_of_Time
I’d like to also use this opportunity to say that an hourglass or sandglass has never, ever, been used as a ‘clock’ as we know it. It was used to measure time on a ship, because you can’t depend on the sun and a water clock would take up too much space. It certainly was not used in China. Not when it has water clocks, sundials, and even incense clocks. So, please take note, White Pear Flower.
Pill Bug TL Notes:
[1] 朱子 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhu_Xi [2] 《弟子规》 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Di_Zi_Gui [3] During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Three Character Classic formed the basis of elementary education, along with the Hundred Family Surnames and the Thousand Character Classic.
三字经 <<Three-Character Classic>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Character_Classic
“With the short and simple text arranged in three-character verses, children learned many common characters, grammar structures, elements of Chinese history and the basis of Confucian morality, especially filial piety and respect for elders (the Five Relationships in Chinese society).”
百家姓 <<Hundred Family Surnames>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred_Family_Surnames
It seems quite a waste to dedicate memory to remember so many words that would likely never see use, but:
“Each text was available in many versions, printed cheaply and available to all since they did not become superseded. When a student had memorised all three, he had a knowledge of roughly 2,000 characters. Since Chinese did not use an alphabet, this was an effective, though time-consuming, way of giving a crash course in character recognition before going on to understanding texts and writing characters”
千字文 <<Thousand Character Classic>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thousand_Character_Classic
“It contains exactly one thousand characters, each used only once, arranged into 250 lines of four characters apiece and grouped into four-line rhyming stanzas to make it easy to memorise. It is sung, much as children learning the Latin alphabet sing an “alphabet song.” Along with the Three Character Classic and the Hundred Family Surnames, it has formed the basis of literacy training in traditional China.”
[4] 史鱼 Shi Yu, also known as 子鱼 Ziyu or 史鳅 Shi Qiu:
Shi Yu, a senior official of the state of Wei during the Spring and Autumn Period (with its capital in the southwest of Puyang). His name was Tuo, with the courtesy name Ziyu, also known as Shi Qiu. He served as the chief historian during the reign of Duke Ling of Wei, responsible for the sacrificial rituals to the ancestral gods of the Wei state, hence he was called Zuo Tuo. When Ji Zi of Yanling from the state of Wu passed through Wei, he praised Shi Yu as a virtuous gentleman and a pillar of the state of Wei. In the 38th year of Duke Ling of Wei (497 BC), the uncle of the Duke of Wei hosted a family banquet for Duke Ling and warned him, saying, “If the subjects are rich while the ruler is poor, disaster will befall the state. The only way to avoid disaster is to be wealthy without arrogance and to strictly adhere to the duties of a minister.” Shi Yu recommended Qu Boyu to Duke Ling of Wei on multiple occasions. On his deathbed, he instructed his family not to “observe strict mourning rituals for the main wife,” in order to advise Duke Ling of Wei to promote the virtuous (Qu Boyu) and dismiss the flatterers (Mi Zixia). This was known as the “corpse remonstrance.” Confucius praised him, saying, “How straightforward was Shi Yu! When the state had the Way, he was like an arrow; when it lost the Way, he was like an arrow.”
[5] 求古寻论，散虑逍遥
孟轲敦素，史鱼秉直。庶几中庸，劳谦谨敕
省躬讥诫，宠增抗极
殆辱近耻，林皋幸即
罔谈彼短，靡恃己长
Oh god, the amount of scholarly research I have to do to understand and translate all these scholarly-sounding sentences! Am I the one taking the exam or what??
ಠ_ರೃ
These short 4-word phrases lack adjectives, leaving the missing areas to be filled in with context, which can very easily be misunderstood if someone has not read the source text. This is complicated by the fact that the same Chinese characters can have multiple meanings, so there can be maaaaany implied messages within an obvious message.
Take this simpler one for example:
罔谈彼短，靡恃己长
Literal translation: No talk other’s shortcomings, heavily rely own strength
Without context, it sounds like: “Use your own skill to shut them up instead of trash-talking.”
But that’s wrong!
Also, this 罔 character alone has multiple meanings:
1.“to catch with a net”,
2.“to frame someone else”,
3. “to cheat”,
4. “no”,
5. “sadness or frustration”
- “bewildered or confused”
If I did not know what it meant, the translation could become: “Lie and gossip about the other person’s weaknesses while relying heavily on one’s strength” -> Focusing on your own strength to get ahead of the competition while spreading false info about other people’s weaknesses, so that the others waste time and effort trying to exploit a weakness that doesn’t exist.
????
The correct translation is as Xue Juncai said: One should neither criticise others’ shortcomings nor become complacent with their own strengths and cease to progress.
[6] 省躬讥诫，宠增抗极, 殆辱近耻，林皋幸即When you hear other people’s sarcasm and warnings, you should reflect on yourself; when you are favoured, don’t get carried away and fight against the powerful. Knowing that something dangerous and shameful is about to happen, it is better to retreat into the mountains and forests.
It’s an elegant 16 characters in Chinese, but 46 whole words in English!
[7] 三百千千
《三字经》《百家姓》《千字文》《千家诗》
Three Character Classic, Hundred Surnames, Thousand Character Classic, Poems of One Thousand Writers
[8] 《声律启蒙》Enlightenment of Rhythm https://nlb.overdrive.com/media/3116891
《龙文鞭影》
“A classic Chinese children’s enlightenment book, which introduces allusions and anecdotes about people in Chinese history. It has four words per sentence and two sentences that rhyme. It reads in a rhythmic and catchy way. The story is short and the reading time is within five minutes, making reading more efficient.”
From https://books.apple.com/ca/book/%E9%BE%99%E6%96%87%E9%9E%AD%E5%BD%B1/id1129614266
《幼学琼林》
《增广贤文》Popular Collection of Traditional Chinese Wise Sayings
[9] 一人是大，二人是天，天大人情，人情大过天
Literal translation: “One man is big, two men is heaven. Heavenly big favour, favour bigger than heaven.”
He is trying to be clever here.
一 (one) and 人 (man) written together is 大 (big)
二 (two) and 人 (man) written together is 天 (sky/heaven)
[10] 双木成林, 三木成森. 森林木茂, 木茂林化森
Literal translation: Paired wood is a grove, three wood is forest. The jungle is so lush in wood, lush woody grove turns into a forest.
Again, he is also trying to be clever here.
双 is a pair / two
三 is three
木 is wood
林 is grove / forest
森 is forest/ jungle
森林 is also forest/jungle
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thanks for your hard work, i barely know the meaning if you don’t give any explanation
Ohhh, it was a labour of love~
I translate this when Higher Level Wife gets too insane and I needed to look at some work that’s actually intelligent.