Confucianism under Heaven

Chapter 72 The National Competition for Children

Chapter Seventy-Two: The National Competition for Children

These words startled Ye Ru and Fang Zifeng, who then looked towards the door.

A colorful auspicious cloud drifted in from outside the door, and a person stood on the cloud.

"Master Chen?"

Upon seeing this, Fang Zifeng was filled with awe.

Ye Ru was also slightly taken aback, then said in a deep voice:

"Chen Ru, the old scholar Chen..."

“I already know. You don’t need to blame yourself too much. After all, you are an unprecedented genius, and we should protect you. As for him, he was stripped of his Jinshi degree, but he can still be reinstated in the imperial examination next year.”

Before Ye Ru could finish speaking, Chen Changfeng waved his hand, interrupting Ye Ru, and then said with a smile, trying not to put pressure on Ye Ru:

"Although your academic rank has been stripped, your talent remains. However, your lifespan has been shortened by ten years. Judging from your appearance, you are already showing signs of decline. I fear that in another year, you will die peacefully in your old age."

"Then what about the National Examination for Children of Scholars that you mentioned earlier, Chen Ru?"

Ye Ru took a deep breath and looked at Chen Changfeng.

"The National Examination for the Young Scholars is an annual competition held by the Yanhuang Kingdom and other countries. In addition to the examination for the young scholars, there are also the examinations for the scholars who passed the county-level examination and the examinations for the candidates who passed the provincial-level examination. This is to allow the court to recruit talented people from all walks of life. The winner of the National Examination can enter the court to serve as an official, at the very least as a fifth-rank official."

Chen Changfeng watched Ye Ru's reaction with a smile.

Logically speaking, such a state should most easily arouse people's passion or longing. As a fifth-rank official, although he was neither high nor low, his power and salary were still considerable.

Moreover, they would also receive a large mansion, which would attract most students whose resolve was not strong enough.

"I study not to enter officialdom, but to establish a moral compass for heaven and earth, to secure a destiny for the people, to continue the lost learning of the past sages, and to usher in an era of peace for all generations."

Ye Ru bowed, a resolute look appearing in his eyes, a resoluteness he had never shown before.

This saying was uttered by Zhang Zai, a great Confucian scholar of the Northern Song Dynasty, and was called "Hengqu's Four Sayings" by the contemporary philosopher Feng Youlan. Because of its concise yet profound meaning, it has been passed down through the ages.

This means to establish the life-giving spirit of heaven and earth, to point out a common path for the people, to inherit the untold knowledge of sages like Confucius and Mencius, and to lay the foundation for lasting peace for future generations.

"You have quite the ambition."

Chen Changfeng looked at Ye Ru, his smile fading, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. Although these words were only a few sentences long, they contained the classics of various sages and had even given him some inspiration.

“This is not ambition; I hereby make a solemn oath to the Holy Path.”

Ye Ru said in a deep voice.

"Ye Ru, this sacred oath cannot be made lightly."

Fang Zifeng quickly covered his mouth, signaling him not to talk nonsense.

Ye Ru stared at Chen Changfeng.

"One of the rewards in the National Scholarship Competition is the Longevity Fruit, so I hope you can participate. If you can win first place, you will not only receive the Longevity Fruit, but also gain fame in the Yanhuang Kingdom. This will be beneficial to you."

Chen Changfeng smiled.

"Thank you for informing me, Chen Ru. But I wonder when this imperial examination for children will begin? And how much longer do I have to continue my studies?"

Ye Ru asked.

"It's March now. In another month, I will personally send someone to take you there."

"So good."

"Alright, study hard these next few days. You must obtain the title of Tongsheng in the national examination, so you must pass the imperial examination. Otherwise, it will be all for naught."

Chen Changfeng stomped his foot, and auspicious seven-colored clouds appeared, then sped towards the capital.

Watching Chen Changfeng leave, Ye Ru took another deep breath and said to Fang Zifeng:

"Mr. Fang, please let the old scholar Chen stay at my place for the next few days. I would also appreciate it if you could help me find two nearby dormitories."

"Leave this to me, don't worry. You study hard and don't forget about the imperial examination and literary gathering. At that time, people from the other two academies may not be convinced by your literary reputation and may want to compete with you or make things difficult for you."

Fang Zifeng said.

"The other two academies?"

Ye Ru raised an eyebrow. People are afraid of becoming famous, just as pigs are afraid of getting fat. But in the Confucian Continent, one must improve one's literary reputation to let the world know about one's talents. This is also a drawback for scholars.

Then Ye Ru sighed and said:

"Once they arrive, I'll be right there..."

Next, Fang Zifeng vacated two school rooms for Ye Ru and Su Tongyao to stay in. In principle, Su Tongyao should not stay in the school rooms, but considering Ye Ru's great contributions to Qingyun County, she was allowed to stay.

For the next four days, Ye Ru did nothing but take care of the old scholar Chen and read and practice calligraphy in his own study, never going anywhere else.

With Ye Ru's care, the old scholar Chen gradually regained his mobility and then returned to the Sijing Sanming Hall to recuperate.

Ye Ru's behavior inspired many students at Wenxing Private School to follow suit, and for a time, a positive and inspiring atmosphere for studying once again emerged at Wenxing Private School.

Ye Ru's behavior also drew praise from Fang Zifeng and the other teachers. They had not expected Ye Ru to have such perseverance, working for four consecutive days without stopping, truly achieving the state of being oblivious to the outside world and focusing solely on studying the classics.

Time flew by, and before we knew it, it was time for the imperial examinations.

As the sunlight gradually shines on the earth, the students from the three colleges are all in high spirits, carrying their books and walking towards the Weiming River.

This imperial examination was a custom in every county of the Yanhuang Kingdom, so that every student could be blessed by the talent of the God of Literature, so that they could be quick-witted and achieve good results in the imperial examination.

Along the Weiming River, many students eagerly awaited the arrival of the Confucius Altar and other structures, which were prepared on a slightly raised hill.

"Ye Ru hasn't arrived yet?"

One of them raised his head and looked into the distance.

"Yes, without Brother Ye Ru, this literary gathering cannot be considered a complete one."

Another student jokingly teased, prompting everyone to nod in agreement.

Indeed, whenever Ye Ru was around, extraordinary phenomena would occur, and they would benefit from them.

"Ye Ru is our lucky star. Do you think he will top the list in the imperial examination?"

"Another student from Wenxing Private School laughed."

"Top of the list? Perhaps I could get top of the list when I was a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examination). What I'm thinking about now is whether Ye Ru can get the top score in the palace examination."

"That would be a tremendous boon for Qingyun County."

Many people whispered among themselves.

"Not necessarily. I heard that Liu Feng Private School also produced a genius this time. He ranked third in the first and second in the second in their preliminary imperial examinations."

"It's Liu Juecheng, the scholar from the Liu family."

One person pointed in that direction, and everyone followed their gaze. There they saw a young man in a brocade robe surrounded by a crowd, looking arrogant and domineering.

At that moment, Ye Ru pushed open the door, raised his head slightly, and looked at the sky.

Ye Ru was somewhat thin at this time, and his hair was also quite disheveled, but his eyes were exceptionally bright.

"Young Master, today is the Imperial Examination Literary Gathering. Mr. Fang said you were studying, so he left first and asked me to call you."

Su Tongyao paused for a moment, then said.

Upon hearing this, Ye Ru nodded, then stepped forward, took Su Tongyao's hand, and gently smiled, saying:

"Let's go, let me see how many geniuses are waiting for me at this literary gathering."