Raising the Young Grand Secretary – 020

Chapter 020

Author: Feast of Masks

Raws: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3185016

Translated by Pillbug

Edited by Gumihou

 

The crisp, youthful voice rang through the hall as clear as a bell, drawing everyone’s attention, including the two scholars who had been busily complimenting each other in their best courteous way.

Xue Juncai looked up in disbelief. He could not believe that Xue Tingxiang had come up with a counter for the couplet when he could not do it.

The slender and scholarly-looking youth stood in place with an air of maturity with his hands clasped behind his back as he paced back and forth within the hall for a few steps before reciting

“The bait is aged, the hook is tested, the elderly Tong Sheng, is a Tong Sheng until elderly.”

In fact, Xue Tingxiang was not that good at composing poetry at all, but he could not resist this evil impulse influenced by the dream. The him in the dream lived to a ripe old age and had seen much of the world… He was also familiar with this long-standing joke circulating within the scholarly circles–

According to the story, there was once an elderly scholar who went to sit for an exam despite his age. His full head of white hair caught the eye of the chief examiner who instantly recognised him as an old Tong Sheng who had failed his exams repeatedly. Thus, to tease this old man, the chief examiner approached the old Tong Sheng to say, “I shall give you a couplet. If you can counter, I shall select you.”

 

The old Tong Sheng felt bitter but dared not refuse.

The chief examiner presented the fateful couplet, “The bait is aged, the hook is tested, the elderly Tong Sheng, is a Tong Sheng until elderly.”

The old Tong Sheng bowed humbly and replied, “One person is great, two people are divine. Divine favour is great, human favour is beyond divine.”

This form of flattery was exquisitely done, so much so that the chief examiner so embarrassed that he could not retract his offer and had no choice but to select this old man and elevate him to Xiu Cai status.

 

In actual fact, anyone who had any inkling of how the examinations work would immediately realise that this story was just that, a made-up story. Anyone who had ever set foot into an examination hall would understand that no chief examiner would personally test an old Tong Sheng. Not to mention, examiners and examinees do not speak to each other in general, precisely to avoid such situations.

This story was obviously created by some failed scholar, crafted to give themselves some amusement and solace. Since it was so amusing, it eventually spread throughout the scholarly community and even to the imperial courts. Since most of the high officials were former scholars or had experience working as academic officers, those who were sent out to preside over imperial examinations were often cautioned against harbouring a ‘human favour beyond divine’ kind of attitude.

It was both a jest and a warning. Examination fraud has always been rampant, and once caught, one’s reputation would be irreversibly tarnished.

Xue Tingxiang never expected to hear that couplet there.

He had no qualms about countering it with the original line since it had always been his dearest wish to win against Xue Juncai, regardless of the means.

It was true now. It was also true in that dream.

His dream self had struggled against this for a long time, and it was only after going through various efforts that he finally emerged triumphant. It was because he had already tasted this success once that he realised how much one’s obsession could influence their character.

Back in the present moment, he had broader goals now and many more things to accomplish. In short, Xue Juncai was but one of the many obstacles he would have to overcome in life. Right now, getting past this goal is the priority.

As for the reason he abandoned his original couplet to borrow this one? Xue Tingxiang cast a glance at Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong. Well, you may call him petty and small-minded if you like. He had done it specifically to mock certain people.

Obviously, among those present, there were only two Tong Sheng in the hall, Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong. Although the couplet was perfectly countered, it carried a very obvious tone of ridicule. ‘the elderly Tong Sheng, is a Tong Sheng until elderly’ [1] is a mockery and a curse against those who had attempted and failed many examinations for years.

How could the two Tong Sheng miss this message? Their faces turned purple, but they still had to suppress their emotions. In the meantime, He Xiu Cai and Qiao Xiu Cai were busily applauding.

“Excellent! Brilliantly matched!”

Everyone seemed to have forgotten all about Xue Juncai. He Xiu Cai and Qiao Xiu Cai whispered to each other for a while before He Xiu Cai stepped forward to announce, “Our decision is unanimous. The winner of this competition is this young friend, Xue Tingxiang.”

“Young friend Xue, I hope you continue to be diligent and achieve success soon.” He Xiu Cai said with a smile.

“Thank you for your encouragement, seniors. This young one will certainly work harder.” Xue Tingxiang bowed respectfully.

Meanwhile, as He and Qiao were speaking to Xue Tingxiang, the villagers within and around the hall began to chatter with each other. Most of the chatter contained remarks of admiration, but there was also some talk that was filled with disbelief and scepticism.

Of them all, the Xue family found this result most unbelievable. Xue Qingshan especially. He had held himself back just now, but could no longer stand it anymore. He stood up and said, “Is it not too hasty to judge the competition solely on these results? Aren’t the two seniors acting too hastily?”

When He Xiu Cai and Qiao Xiu Cai turned their attention to him, he flinched before regaining his composure to say, “My child has not given his counter to the couplet yet, so how can the winner be decided like this…”

He Xiu Cai’s expression changed. Instead of addressing him, He Xiu Cai turned to Patriarch Xue with a stern expression and said, “Could it be that Patriarch Xue also objects to our decision?”

Patriarch Xue dared not offend a great Xiu Cai, let alone two of them at the same time. Not to mention, he also had the impression that Xue Tingxiang’s performance far surpassed Xue Juncai’s. As an outsider, he saw things with less prejudice. Therefore, he quickly reprimanded Xue Qingshan, urging him to apologise to the two great Xiu Cais.

Xue Juncai also looked dissatisfied, “This junior also cannot accept the result. He has never been my equal in anything. I am merely unprepared. Seniors, please give another set of questions. This time, this junior will definitely surpass him.”

Just then, a woman pushed her way through the crowd into the hall.

The woman’s clothes were dishevelled and her hair in disarray. It was Yang’shi.

She stumbled forward to sob and cry out, “My son can’t lose. You two must have taken bribes and deliberately harmed my son-”

Such an accusation impacted the crowd like a bomb. To have a woman rushing in on an important occasion to make a scene angered not only the two Xiu Cais, but even the elders at the hall hurried to scold her for being disrespectful.

“Absurd! This is utterly absurd! Does the Lizheng and the Patriarch also believe that we have taken bribes!?”

“Esteemed Xiu Cai, please ease your anger. That woman’s hair is long, but her experience is short [2]. Only nonsense comes out of her mouth.”

“Lianxing, why have you not taken your family shrew away yet?!”

Old Man Xue, who had been fidgeting anxiously by the side, uncertain what to do, suddenly jumped. Even though he had been given a direct order, how could he, as a father-in-law, lay hands on his daughter-in-law, even to drag her away? Therefore, he could only have his son, Xue Qingshan, take his wife home quickly.

However, Xue Qingshan was still busy being indignant and trying to get an explanation out of the two Xiu Cai, so how could he even bother himself about that?

The commotion was such that He Xiu Cai flicked his sleeves and was about to leave in a huff with Qiao Xiu Cai also standing up to follow. Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng did their best to persuade them to stay, at the same time shouting angrily at the people to ‘remove those troublemakers’ immediately!

Qiao Xiu Cai sneered. However, he did not scold Xue Juncai. Instead, his wrath was directed at Xue Qingshan, “What a waste of a Tong Sheng you are. After taking the examination so many times, you still cannot discern the meaning behind Senior Brother He’s test. No wonder you never went beyond a Tong Sheng after so many years!”

Qiao Xiu Cai’s words struck Xue Qingshan hard. His face alternated between pale and green. In fact, Qiao Xiu Cai rarely acted so sharply. However, when he saw the father and son pair refusing to accept their loss and even making trouble for them, his tongue inevitably sharpened.

“Regardless of whether it is adapting to unusual situations or keeping a calm head, that boy cannot be compared to him!” He jabbed his finger at Xue Tingxiang, before pointing at Xue Juncai. “Do you believe that you have the leisure to fuss around at an examination hall and be given endless opportunities? Take a look at your stained paper. I cannot bear the sight of this thing. This kind of dreadful paper would be thrown out without reading!”

By then, Xue Juncai was practically pale with fear and could not even react. As for Xue Qingshan, he looked like he had been struck dumb by lightning.

Eventually, He Xiu Cai and Qiao Xiu Cai allowed themselves to be persuaded to stay.

With all the fuss happening, a dejected Xue Qingshan took the Xue Juncai and Yang’shi away, sneaking them through the crowd and returning home.

Seeing that the day’s excitement had ended, the villagers dispersed, eager to chew over what happened today to whoever they met on their way back.

In fact, what did they really know about the day’s events? The only thing they knew for sure was that the competition was won by Xue Lianxing’s second branch child, Gouzi, which gave them enough fodder to gossip about for months. After all, he was a young man from their village who was lavishly praised by two great Xiu Cai scholars. Therefore, his future would most likely be very promising.

As for Xue Juncai’s position as the village prodigy? It looked like this position would eventually be taken over by Xue Tingxiang.

Like his uncle, Xue Tingxiang also took advantage of the crowded chaos to walk out of Zheng Lizheng’s residence.

Zhao’er had been waiting outside for a long time. When she saw him, she happily exclaimed, “Gou’er won! You won against Xue Juncai! Elder Sis is so happy!”

She was so overjoyed that she had no idea what to do with herself. Seeing her like this, Xue Tingxiang could not bring himself to scold her for getting his name wrong and just looked at her with a smile.

After cheering about giddily for a bit, Zhao’er finally calmed down enough to say with some hesitation, “That’s right, now that you’ve won, are you going to study at Qinghe Academy?”

Xue Tingxiang pondered for a moment. “I don’t plan to go to Qinghe Academy. Uncle Chen had already said he could recommend me for Qingyuan Academy.”

“Qingyuan Academy? These two names sound almost the same. Is it any good?” Zhao’er suddenly laughed and said, “Well, since Uncle Chen is knowledgeable and well-informed, surely it can’t be a bad place.”

Xue Tingxiang nodded. “I plan to go to town in the next couple of days and speak to Uncle Chen about this.”

“Why wait two more days? Let’s go now.”

Xue Tingxiang had not expected Zhao’er to be so eager and hesitated for a moment.

Zhao’er added, “The house must be in chaos right now. We should avoid them for a while.”

He quickly understood her meaning. Given how much the elderly couple favour the main branch, who knows what kind of fuss that partial Old Zhou would make? He had no idea the kind of chaos the house would become, nor was he eager to find out.

The two of them skirted the crowds and left the village. Since they did not have the good fortune of encountering a mule cart, they rode a bullock cart to town.

When they arrived at the East Gate House, Uncle Chen happened to be there. Xue Tingxiang briefly explained the situation, and Uncle Chen readily agreed to arrange matters with his friend the next day.

After that, they remained at the bookstore with Xue Tingxiang continuing with his transcribing work while Zhao’er worked on cleaning and starching the remaining clothes from the huge sack she had gotten last time.

It wasn’t until near dusk that the two finally returned to Yuqing Village.

 

The Xue family’s courtyard was quiet. Smoke billowed from the chimney, indicating that dinner was being prepared in the kitchen.

Old Zhao was in the courtyard and spotted the two of them first. She immediately started cursing. Although she was careful not to name names, it was clear who the target of her curses was. “People say that grandchildren are a joy, but all I’d experience is suffering. We old people are nothing but old slaves to the young who only knew how to open their mouths when it is time to eat. It’s like we owe you everything in our past lives!”

Yang’shi came out from the east wing to say, “Mother, food for Third and Fourth Brother is ready. Let us set up the table and have our meal.”

Old Zhao snorted at them before turning to enter the main house. Yang’shi did not even glance at the two of them before following her mother-in-law in.

Zhao’er glanced at Xue Tingxiang.

Xue Tingxiang looked at her. “What are you looking at?”

Zhao’er chuckled and said in a low voice, “Just ignore Granny. She is too biased.”

“Hm, I know.”

The two of them returned to their room to tidy up from the day’s travel when there was a sudden commotion in the courtyard. They heard the voices of not only Old Man Xue and Xue Qingshan, but a slightly rarer, still familiar voice.

Zhao’er looked out the window and saw that the third person they heard was Yang Zhong, Yang’shi’s father.

Yang Zhong lived nearby at Bull’s Horn Ridge. As a Tong Sheng, he was considered quite prominent in Bull’s Horn Ridge and ran an academy for a living, just like his son-in-law. This person was ostentatious, fond of putting on airs and looking down on others, all of which annoyed Zhao’er a lot.

Yang Zhong looked like he already had too much wine at some point. His steps were unsteady and his fat face was reddened with drink.

The couple from the main house came out to greet them. Old Man Xue had an awkward look on his face.

“My dear old relative, you have made quite the trip for my family. We have troubled you too much. Do come inside and have a seat, you have had a little too much to eat and drink.”

Yang’shi said, “Father, you are also at fault. Why did you drink so much?”

“Isn’t this all because Zheng Lizheng is too hospitable? With how long we spent eating and drinking, how could your father not be drunk?” Yang Zhong looked proud at this. He glanced over at Old Man Xue, saying, “This is nothing. Juncai is also my grandson. As his grandfather, how could I not come and support him?”

This made Old Man Xue even more embarrassed. He knew that this morning’s matter could not be resolved so quickly. Even so, he laughed along and said, “I have shown my dear relative a sorry side of my family. If not for our financial difficulties, such a thing would never have happened…”

Their voices gradually faded away as they entered the house together.

Zhao’er gave Xue Tingxiang a look. “Luckily I bought some buns on the way back. So, there’s no need for us to join them for dinner tonight.”

In the end, no one ever called them out to eat dinner. Thanks to Yang Zhong’s sudden visit, the entire Xue Clan was thrown into chaos.

Yang Zhong was a character who liked to cause trouble for others. He also liked to put on airs and especially enjoyed it when Old Man Xue showed respect for his Tong Sheng status. Every time he visited, he expected to be treated to good wine and food.

In fact, the Xue family had not expected Yang Zhong to come to the house and had only prepared a few simple dishes. However, such food was not suitable for guests and dinner had to be hastily remade.

Zhao’er did not bother herself with what was happening outside. All she did was saunter into the kitchen for some hot water before returning to the room to nibble on buns with Xue Tingxiang.

By the time they were done with their buns, it had already got dark outside.

Zhao’er stood at the door and saw that the main room was brightly lit, indicating that they were still eating.

She was about to go to the kitchen to heat water to wash their feet when Xue Tao’er hurried out of the main room to say, “Elder Sister Zhao’er, Grandfather wants Gou’er to come over.”

 

[Gumihou: Love this clever people’s way of insulting others]

 

Pill Bug TL Notes:

 

[1] LOL, what a troll!

上钩为老，下钩为考，老考童生，童生考到老

This pun needs some Chinese character background.

 

This part: 上钩为老，下钩为考

钩 is hook. 上 is upper, 下 is lower

老 is old, 考 is exam.

 

上钩为老，下钩为考: Upper hook is Old, Lower hook is Exam.

老 and 考

The upper part with 土 looks like a person sitting on a riverbank, and the ㇀looks like a fishing rod being cast into the water.

Look at the bottom part of 老 and 考. The upwards pointing hook is 老 and the downwards pointing hook is 考.

The two Xiu Cai might see this as a clever way of wordplay, looking at whether the Chinese word hooks up or down.

 

BUT

上钩 means taking the bait, or getting baited

下钩 means setting down the hook into the water to fish (casting the rod)

上钩为老 can mean “the one who got baited is old.”

下钩为考 can mean “the baiter is the exam.”

 

Yang Zhong hears: “Old person gets baited by exam”!

 

This part: 老考童生，童生考到老

 

童生 can mean the students

Two meanings:

1. The old test the students, the students are tested until they are old.

This is what the two scholars hear. Sounds good, right? the old test the young, and the young test themselves for their whole lifetime

 

BUT 童生 can also mean the Tong Sheng exam or examinee!

So…

2: The old man is sitting for the Tong Sheng exam, the Tong Sheng has been sitting for the Tong Sheng exam until he has become old.

This is what Yang Zhong hears!

 

上钩为老，下钩为考，老考童生，童生考到老

 

The two Xiu Cai hear →  Upwards hook means ‘old’, downwards hook means ‘exam’; the old test the young, and the young test themselves for their whole lifetime.

Yang Zhong hears → The baited is old, the baiter being the test; the old sit for the Tong Sheng exam, and the Tong Sheng sits for the exam until they are old.

 

Bro was roasting his elders LMAO

 

[2] 头发长见识短 “hair is long but her wisdom is short”, i.e. foolish despite already having lived quite a while.

 

 

 

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