noveltune 0032 [I am right, the world is wrong]
0032 [I am right, the world is wrong]
[On a late autumn night on the river, the fires of thieves illuminated the boats red.]
Why is it that in Qingyuan County, the people are so honest and loyal?
Suddenly, the hoe and stick rose, and both heads fell to the weeds.
No official funds were lost, and the village was kept in order from beginning to end.
These are all teachings from the magistrate, not the work of a commoner.
May this virtue endure forever, so that every household may sing its praises.
Shen Zhi savored the poem repeatedly, liking it more and more with each reading and becoming happier with each reading.
This is a very standard examination poem, with the introduction, development, expansion, and conclusion all flowing smoothly. Apart from a slight flaw in the parallelism, the tones and rhymes are flawless.
Most importantly, the credit for killing the thieves and protecting the silver was entirely attributed to Magistrate Shen.
However, Xu Lai secretly left a back door, praising "Mingfu" instead of the county magistrate directly.
"Mingfu" can refer to a county magistrate, a prefect, or, more generally, the government.
Once Xu Lai becomes famous, he'll have the final say, and he'll insist that he praised Yu Jing, and that it has absolutely nothing to do with Magistrate Shen!
But at this moment, Shen Zhi automatically put himself in Xu Lai's shoes and thought that Xu Lai was praising him.
Shen Zhi praised the poems and essays, and then commented on the "Ode to Courage": "The teachings of the sages are embodied in the classics of benevolence. To see what is right and not do it is to lack courage. Courage is neither the arrogance of a violent tiger, nor the ease of crossing a river by boat. It arises from within and cannot be controlled; it is rooted in virtue and cannot be replaced..."
"The way you approach the topic here is extremely clever, and the allusions are very precise; you could even pass the imperial examination with this. Have you also read the *Classic of Poetry* and the *Book of Rites*?"
Xu Lai gave an ambiguous answer: "I may have overheard those allusions and expressions at the village school, and somehow I memorized them."
"Good thing you kept it in mind!"
Shen Zhi continued his commentary: "Teaching is about nurturing the heart and cultivating the will. It enables one to know shame and be upright, that is, to follow what is right. Therefore, without waiting for orders from the army, righteousness will naturally be established in the neighborhood. This is what the *Spring and Autumn Annals* praises, and what virtuous and upright people value... This passage is also very well written; it doesn't seem like something someone who has secretly learned could write. Are there really child prodigies in this world?"
This "Ode to Courage" also praises a vague object, using the terms "virtuous and just" and "wise ruler".
It can refer to a county magistrate, a prefect, or, more generally, a scholar-official.
Magistrate Shen naturally brought himself into the conversation, while Xu Laizan was praising someone else.
After Shen Zhi finished commenting on the poem word by word, he went back and started reading it again. He felt that the poem portrayed him as an extremely virtuous and kind person.
Especially in the form of prose, the idea of "not picking up lost items on the road" and "not locking doors at night" was put forward.
The flattery made Magistrate Shen feel a little guilty.
But it was so cool!
Seeing that Shen Zhi wanted to continue arguing, Xu Lai couldn't help but interrupt: "Your Excellency, may I ask if the county government can find the name of the first magistrate of Qingyuan County?"
"Why are you looking into this?" Shen Zhi asked, quite curious.
Xu Lai quickly explained the reason.
Shen Zhi felt his face burning with embarrassment after hearing this.
Both were county magistrates of Qingyuan County, but the mountain people had been voluntarily worshipping Lord Su for generations, while Shen Zhi forced the examinees to compose eulogies.
High judgment.
Shen Zhi said, "I'll have someone look for it. The county government's archives are piled high with documents, and things were quite chaotic before the implementation of the Thousand-Cash Archives Law, so it's impossible to find it in a short time. But don't worry, even if we can't find it in Qingyuan County, we can find it in the archives of the prefecture, circuit, and Ministry of Personnel."
"Thank you for your trouble, Your Excellency!" Xu Lai said, bowing.
The conversation then turned to Su Gong, and Xu Lai only took his leave and left the hall when another candidate came to hand in his paper.
He moved the tables and chairs to the archer's shop and asked the archer on duty to inform Uncle Zhang and Bu Chao to take them back to the rented house. He then carried a small bamboo basket and left the county town. It wasn't too late yet, and he should be able to get back to the village by midnight.
As for the results, Xu Lai didn't bother to check them, because he was 100% sure he would pass.
……
Chen Yanhong's old house was in the mountains near Dafu Silver Market, but the whole family had long since moved to the county town and built a large house in the most prosperous southwest urban area.
The day after the county exam, in the morning.
Chen Yanhong didn't check the list; instead, he sat in his study reading "Jiang Linji's Miscellany".
This is a scholar's notebook, recording a wealth of observations from both the court and the common people, anecdotes about famous figures, and local customs. It was only published in Kaifeng six months ago, and it's currently unavailable in Guangdong even for those with money.
"My lord, my lord!" The pageboy rushed in.
Chen Yanhong continued reading the magazine without looking up, and casually asked, "What's the matter that you're in such a hurry?"
The pageboy, panting heavily, said, "The county government has released the results, and you, sir, are...second place."
Chen Yanhong didn't care about this.
Those two ridiculous questions, let whoever wants to be number one be number one.
The pageboy added, "Young master's essay, along with the first-place essay, will all be displayed as model essays at the entrance of the county government office!"
"What?"
Chen Yanhong stood up abruptly.
The pageboy produced a piece of paper: "This is what I copied."
Chen Yanhong hurriedly snatched it and carefully read Xu Lai's poems, until his vision blurred and he almost fainted.
He doesn't care about his ranking in the county exam, as long as he passes smoothly.
But his article was just a mess; he hadn't put any serious thought into it. Xu Lai's poems, on the other hand, were quite good, at least better than his haphazard writing.
None of this matters.
The real problem is that Xu came in first, he came in second, and his essay was even posted at the entrance of the county government office!
This gives people three hints:
First, he is not as good as Xu Lai.
Secondly, his writing is so bad, yet he still managed to get second place; his family must have bribed him.
Third, if his article is interpreted in a far-fetched way, it can also be seen as flattering the county magistrate, which is why he was able to get second place.
Any one of these points made Chen Yanhong feel like he had swallowed a fly.
Chen Yanhong read Xu Lai's poem: "The government is fair and the lawsuits are just; virtue prevails and the atmosphere is pure. Doors are left unlocked at night, and thieves are deterred... This Xu fellow really dares to write that! He even wrote about leaving doors unlocked at night. The magistrate and this fellow are both shameless and sycophantic!"
Just then, his grandfather walked in.
Chen Han said with a big smile, "Haha, my eldest son has won second place in the county examination. I'm going to host a banquet to invite all the distinguished guests in the county."
"No, Grandpa, you mustn't!" Chen Yanhong quickly stopped him.
Chen Han misunderstood: "My dear grandson, are you upset about not getting first place? Xu Sanlang has connections in Guangzhou, and Magistrate Shen wouldn't dare to neglect him. It's just a small county exam; what's wrong with letting him get first place?"
Chen Yanhong said dejectedly, "I don't care about being first, and I don't want to be second!"
"So what are you thinking about?" Chen Han asked.
Chen Yanhong sighed, "I just wanted to pass the county exam quietly, and I didn't want anyone to see those two essays. I deliberately wrote whatever came to mind, and they still ranked me second. It's outrageous, absolutely outrageous!"
Chen Han finally understood: "Sigh, you think too much. I shouldn't have sent you to Songyang Academy so early. You've been studying there for nine years, completely oblivious to the ways of the world. You think flattering the magistrate is shameful? Yesterday during the exam, countless students racked their brains to write essays that flattered him!"
Chen Yanhong stood tall and proud: "Those are all ordinary people. I disdain to associate with such people."
Chen Han remained silent.
Despite his advanced age and status as the richest man in the county, he felt fear at this moment.
With his bad temper, if his grandson were to actually pass the imperial examination, he'd probably cause a huge disaster someday, one that would drag the whole family down with him.
But he didn't know how to correct it.
Old Master Chen lowered his head and slowly walked out of the study, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
Chen Dalang, who disdained associating with ordinary people, changed into the clothes of a page and quietly headed towards the county government office.
Chen Yanhong wanted to hear firsthand how the scholars of the county evaluated him. What he cared about most was whether anyone would satirize him for writing articles that flattered the county magistrate.
The pageboy followed him at a brisk pace, and the master and servant soon arrived outside the county government office.
Some test takers were even copying the article.
"This Xu Sanlang writes really good poems. There's a hint of flattery in them, but they are, after all, examination papers, so even if he doesn't want to write them, he has to."
"His poems are just average, but some of his prose pieces are exceptionally brilliant."
"He deserved first place, but I can't stand second place."
"Keep your voice down. The second place winner is the grandson of Master Chen. No matter how bad his essay is, the county magistrate still has to rank him higher."
"So what if he's Master Chen? His writing is bad, that's all. Look at that poem of his, the introduction and the development of the theme are both a mess. And what about Songyang Academy? I don't think he ever studied properly there."
"Haha, I think he's a complete idiot."
"You probably didn't see it when we were queuing to enter yesterday. Liu Bozhang bowed in greeting, but Chen Dalang didn't even return the gesture. He's completely wasted his time studying the Book of Rites!"
"That's not all. Not only does he not carry his own desk and chairs, but he even has to have his books carried into the examination hall by servants. Why doesn't he just have someone else write his essays?"
"..."
Chen Yanhong stood to the side, his face turning pale and then flushed.
The discussions among these candidates greatly surprised Chen Yanhong.
No one mocked him for writing articles that flattered the county magistrate; they only ridiculed his poorly written poems for the imperial examinations and for not studying properly at Songyang Academy.
Xu Lai's obsequious poems were praised by the candidates, making flattery seem understandable since all candidates had to write them despite their reluctance.
Why is this happening?
Chen Yanhong's mind was in turmoil; he couldn't understand these people's thoughts.
Writing poems and essays to flatter the county magistrate is shameful, isn't it? Why don't you care about it at all?
The two examination officials volunteered to help me move my desk, chair, and books. I saved myself the effort, and they received a reward—wasn't that a win-win situation? Did I do anything wrong?
That scholar surnamed Liu, whom I don't even know, came over. He's clearly trying to curry favor with me; he's obviously an opportunist. Why should I bother with him?
Chen Yanhong walked along in a daze, not knowing what was wrong.
He only knew that he was right.
Perhaps the world is wrong.
"My lord, my lord, you've gone the wrong way. This is the way home," the pageboy whispered.
Chen Yanhong stopped and stood still, seemingly deep in thought.
After a long silence, Chen Yanhong said to his page, "Those people were just ordinary mortals. The county magistrate is shameless and corrupt, setting a topic for the candidates to praise. Although they harbored resentment, they went along with it and let things slide. They were making excuses for themselves, saying that writing flattering articles was out of necessity. Not only that, they also used the man surnamed Xu as a shield. The higher they praised Xu, the more innocent they seemed!"
The pageboy hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
Chen Yanhong had regained his composure and went home with his head held high, having completely forgotten what had just happened.
The world is muddy, but I am pure; the world is drunk, but I am sober!
The page scratched his head and quickly chased after him.
……
Xu Lai was fast asleep at the moment; he had only walked home late last night.
Xu Lai also had a deep impression of Chen Yanhong.
Xu Sanlang's thinking seemed to be different from ordinary people, and his perspective on Chen Yanhong was very unique: no matter how you looked at him, he seemed like a sucker, which made Xu Sanlang want to take advantage of him.
If everyone gets into the state school and can become classmates in the future... well, we can make some pretentious items and sell them to this Chen Dalang at a high price.
You've made the money!
It was impossible for Xu Lai to do business. At least until he passed the imperial examination, he didn't have time to do business; he was busy studying.
But you can spare a little time to make a few novelties and sell them to rich, gullible guys.
In Xu Lai's eyes, Chen Yanhong was a mobile ATM.