Confucianism under Heaven

Chapter 28 The Huangting Jing Calligraphy

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Yellow Court Classic Calligraphy

The two scholars' scramble for the prize left Ye Ru speechless, but there was nothing he could do but let them fight it out.

"I originally intended to put this couplet in the study as well..."

After a few rounds, Magistrate Zhang, whose talent surpassed that of Assistant Magistrate Song, managed to snatch the couplet and beamed with joy.

County Magistrate Song looked at Ye Ru with a wronged expression.

"When I come up with a good couplet in the future, I will definitely present it to the County Magistrate."

Ye Ru was both amused and exasperated, and quickly said something that calmed Song, the county magistrate, down a bit.

"I have accepted your reply, so naturally I will help you seek justice. Wang Bieqiu, hand over Wang Xizhi's calligraphy copybook."

Magistrate Zhang coughed and said.

"Sir, you accepted bribes and asked me for my Wang family's private property. I will definitely report you to the prefect!"

Wang Xiaoyang snorted coldly, his lungs almost bursting with anger. This time, he had truly lost both his wife and his army.

"You audacious Wang Xiaoyang, you have committed the crime of breaking your promise in full view of everyone, and you have also shown contempt for the imperial officials, framing the young scholar who was granted the title of Shengxia Tongsheng in our county. Tomorrow I will lead men to search your Wang family to see if you have committed the crime of colluding with the enemy and betraying the country!"

Magistrate Zhang's face darkened, and he angrily rebuked Wang Bieqiu, causing Wang's legs to go weak. Wang quickly replied:

"My lord, please forgive me. My unfilial son is ignorant. I will send someone to fetch the calligraphy copybook so that everyone can appreciate it carefully."

“Very well then, his offense of offending me earlier can be forgiven.”

Magistrate Zhang nodded and said.

After a while, a servant brought over a copy of Wang Xizhi's "Huang Ting Jing Tie".

Although it is just a copy, it still retains the scholarly spirit of Wang Xizhi.

This scholarly spirit can help Ye Ru improve his calligraphy skills.

All things have a sacred path.

"Thank you for your gift, Brother Xiaoyang. I gladly accept it."

Ye Ru thanked Wang Xiaoyang and, under the latter's murderous gaze, put away the Huangting Sutra.

Afterwards, Ye Ru also put away the ten couplets written by Registrar Wen.

This paper has been imbued with talent, so only Ye Ru can pick it up.

According to the "Biographies of the Saints", the original "Huangting Jing" was in the Creation God Stele. When the three armies attacked the Western demons, Wang Youjun relied on the Huangting Jing in the Creation God Stele to become the bravest in the army and directly used the Creation God Stele to suppress tens of thousands of soldiers.

"Because Wang Shusheng led the Right Army of the Three Armies at that time, he was honored with the sound of a thousand bells and was conferred the title of Sage Wang Youjun. Later, on the frontier, he fought against two great demons who joined forces, and then disappeared. The Creation Stele has also been lost."

Magistrate Zhang pondered for a moment, then recounted Wang Xizhi's historical achievements, eliciting a solemn silence from the crowd.

"The demon and monster races are truly going too far! Not content with occupying my nineteen prefectures of Yanbei, they also attempt to enslave my human race. They deserve to die!"

The registrar, Wen, spoke with righteous indignation, and everyone felt a surge of grief and anger.

"If I have the opportunity, I will definitely go to the front line and contribute my strength to the creation of the human race."

"I am a county magistrate," said Song, his expression serious.

"When I become a saint, I will surely bring peace to all generations."

Ye Ru clenched his fists and murmured to himself.

Not only for this country, but also for her.

After a moment of silence, Magistrate Zhang, seemingly sensing the heavy atmosphere, began to speak:

"There just happens to be an empty table here. Today's literary gathering should allow everyone to discuss and learn from each other, and to compose good poems for everyone to appreciate."

The preliminary examination for candidates to become students is an annual tradition, and the task of solving the questions is assigned to the magistrates of each county.

The county magistrate was a successful candidate in the imperial examinations, and his knowledge of classics and calligraphy was far superior to that of the students. He had the talent to teach, and many students came here to participate.

After all, the time for the imperial examinations was fast approaching.

"This essay, 'Exhortation to Learning,' was written by Xunzi and is of medium difficulty. You only need to memorize it. However, the interpretation of the classics in this exam paper is the most difficult part of the entire exam paper."

"Hey, Ye Ru is a student here, shouldn't we ask him for some guidance?"

At this moment, Liu Zhi looked at Ye Ru with a seeking expression and said.

Magistrate Zhang's expression changed.

This time, Ye Ru was truly put in a dilemma.

Ye Ru didn't think much of it, but instead looked at everyone and said:

"I've thought about this question for a long time. 'The people are the most important, the state is next, and the ruler is the least important,' said Mencius. Therefore, I used Xunzi's saying, 'The ruler is the boat, the people are the water,' to write another version..."

Ye Ru did not hide anything and finished explaining the meaning of the scriptures he had written.

After Ye Ru finished speaking, some students fell into thought. Some of the more intelligent students nodded in agreement, while others frowned, as if they were wary of something.

"Using Xunzi's words to explain Mengzi's words? Since ancient times, the Xunzi family and the Mengzi family have been at odds. The two families, who believe that human nature is inherently good or inherently evil, have been arguing for a long time. You are using Xunzi's words to explain Mengzi's words. Aren't you afraid that the Mengzi family will come after you?"

Suddenly, Zhao Cheng spoke, but then suddenly regretted it.

The others also looked at Ye Ru.

While this solution was perfect, the opinions of Xunzi and Mengzi were somewhat at odds.

"Yes, that was indeed my oversight."

Ye Ru said without any hesitation.

"No one is perfect, and everyone makes mistakes. Besides, this is just the first time I've experienced it. As long as I don't repeat the mistake in the future, it's fine. Now, let me explain my understanding of this statement."

Magistrate Zhang nodded approvingly when he saw Ye Ru admit his mistake. This kind of minor test would not be uploaded to the Academy of Saints, but would only be kept in the private school for future generations to admire.

Therefore, no unusual phenomena occurred.

However, the real imperial examination was different. Once there were any remarks that offended the saints, it would inevitably lead to a judgment by the saints or arbitration by the saints.

Magistrate Zhang then shared his understanding of the statement, but among the many students, they believed that Ye Ru's interpretation was slightly better than Magistrate Zhang's.

"If you weren't unaware of whether Xunzi and Mengzi had conflicting views, you probably would have gotten an A grade."

Registrar Wen smiled and comforted Ye Ru.

"We'll have to wait for the results to come out before we can judge who's the hero."

After the explanation of the scriptures, everyone began to drink and eat. Wang Xiaoyang, Liu Zhi, and the others all looked at Ye Ru with gloomy expressions.

After several rounds of drinks, Magistrate Zhang began reciting poetry.

"During the imperial examinations, calligraphy will be examined, the poems in the examination papers must not deviate from the rhyme scheme, and poems that criticize the court and the Academy of Saints cannot be written, otherwise, one will fail directly."

"We've all heard that Ye Tongsheng's poems are astonishing, that he has written a truly remarkable poem. I wonder if he could write a poem for our literary gathering here?"

Wang Xiaoyang interrupted Magistrate Zhang and said...

This made Magistrate Zhang's face turn somewhat ugly, and then he said in a cold voice:

"Ye Ru has a total of three poems that amaze the saints: one literary poem and two war poems. I have already sent the literary poem to the Academy of Literature, and the two war poems have been sent to the Academy of Martial Arts and sent to the front lines for our border soldiers to read."

"I have read these three poems before. The prose poems are rich in poetic imagery and have extraordinary ideas, giving people a sense of being there. The war poems are grand and magnificent, like a heroic spirit soaring to the clouds, like entering the realm of thousands of troops."

Three poems that astounded the saint, and two poems that astounded the saint in battle, caused an uproar in the audience.