kvmb Chapter 86 Difficulties
Chapter 86 Difficulties
Chapter Eighty-Six: The Difficult Problem
As the exam bell rang, the entire examination hall fell silent. After Ye Ru finished grinding the ink, he picked up his pen and began to think.
The questions throughout were the same as those in the imperial examination quizzes: fill-in-the-blank, classical texts, ancient poems, and various historical accounts by semi-saints.
To prevent cheating, the order of the questions in the preliminary examination papers has been shuffled. However, the difficulty of these questions is several times greater than that of the previous minor examinations.
Ye Ru pondered as he looked at the problem, and saw the first question written as follows:
"Water, fire, metal, wood, earth, and grain are all cultivated."
These were just a few words, and the title was "Classic Meaning," which left Ye Ru completely bewildered. He thought to himself that he must study the classics diligently after the imperial examinations, as the minor exams were simply a matter of luck.
After much deliberation, he realized he couldn't figure it out. However, at that moment, he began to flip through the Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries), eventually turning to the "Shangshu·Dayu Mo" (Book of Documents: The Great Plan of Yu).
Then the article suddenly shattered into pieces, and at the same time, a commentary by Kong Yingda of the Sui and Tang Dynasties suddenly appeared in the Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries).
These fragments coalesced into a single sheet of paper, which finally surfaced in Ye Ru's mind, and Ye Ru seized the opportunity to pick up a pen and write:
"Water can irrigate, fire can cook, metal can cut, wood can be used for planting, soil can reproduce, and grain can nourish. These six are collectively called the Six Palaces, which are used by heaven and earth to nurture all living things."
After writing that sentence, Ye Ru breathed a sigh of relief and then wrote:
"The so-called 'virtue lies in good governance, and good governance lies in nourishing the people.' The virtue of the emperor is reflected in handling government affairs well, arranging and restoring the elements of metal, wood, water, fire, earth, and grain. Only through this can the people be well nourished."
"The specific methods were explained by Mencius, the second sage, in his work 'My Relationship with the State.' I have adapted them to write down: 'If we do not violate the farming seasons, there will be more grain than we can eat; if we do not use nets with small meshes in ponds and pools, there will be more fish and turtles than we can eat; if we use axes and hatchets in the mountains and forests at the right time, there will be more timber than we can use. With more grain and fish and turtles than we can eat, and more timber than we can use, the people will have no regrets in life and death. To have no regrets in life and death is the beginning of the kingly way.'"
As Ye Ru wrote furiously, he pondered and sought answers. His handwriting shone faintly and made a rustling sound, which even roused the drowsy examiner.
Everyone else looked at Ye Ru with surprise. In the entire examination room, only Ye Ru made a sound.
"A stunning pinnacle of calligraphy?"
The examiner showed a hint of surprise, but when he saw that the examinee was Ye Ru, he smiled.
In the eyes of the other party, this strange phenomenon was not worth mentioning at all.
"With some guidance, I'm afraid he could reach the second level of calligraphy."
Chen Tianjian pondered for a moment, wanting to offer some guidance, but ultimately gave up.
Now it's the imperial examination system.
Looking at the neat and orderly regular script characters throughout, he felt that he was not far from reaching the second level of calligraphy, where strokes were as strong as iron hooks and silver lines.
Ye Ru then wiped the sweat from his forehead. Luckily, he had the Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries). Otherwise, if he hadn't changed much in this life after being a poor student in his previous life, it would have been truly unbelievable.
After finishing the explanation of this passage, Ye Ru quickly wrote down several more questions. However, when he saw the next question, he stopped thinking about it.
"Once the three rivers are entered, the rebellion is lifted."
This was a definition question. Ye Ru knew that "the three rivers had entered" was from the "Yu Gong" chapter of the Book of Documents. The original sentence was: "The three rivers had entered, and the Zhenze Lake was settled."
The Zhou Li (Rites of Zhou), Xia Guan (Summer Official), Zhi Fang Shi (Official in Charge of Regional Affairs) contains a similar phrase, which reads: "Its rivers are the three rivers."
"Isn't this the Qiantang River, the Songjiang River, and the Huangpu River?"
Ye Ru shrugged, but just as he was about to write, his hand suddenly froze in mid-air as if he had thought of something.
"No, in this era, the name Qiantang River should not exist. The examiner who set this question is too cunning. When writing questions for the imperial examination, one must cite classical texts and not write blindly."
Thinking of this, Ye Ru broke out in a cold sweat. Now, after the Northern and Southern Dynasties, there is a break in the line after the Northern and Southern Dynasties. The Three Rivers are also mentioned in the "Commentary on the Waterways Classic" of the Northern Wei Dynasty and the "Geography" of the Book of Han.
This put Ye Ru in a second predicament.
Which one should I choose?
But then I realized that this is the Confucian and Taoist continent, not Earth, and that Zhongjiang refers to the ancient river channel through which the Yangtze River flows from Wuhu County, Taiping Prefecture, through Shijiu Lake, Gaochun, and Liyang to Taihu Lake before entering the sea.
The explanation in the "Geography" section of the Book of Han gave him a flash of inspiration, and he then filled in the blank:
"Nanjiang, Zhongjiang, Beijiang".
These two questions were the most difficult, so after Ye Ru answered them, it became easier to write the next part of the text.
With a single stroke, the image of a book appeared on his forehead, forming a point of light like a star. Then, Ye Ru quickly began to write.
rustling...
Such writing speed made everyone in the examination room gasp, and then they looked at Ye Ru as if he were a monster.
"Ye Ru wrote so fast... without even checking it?"
One person murmured to himself, filled with shock.
"As expected of Ye Tongsheng, his talent is so great that even if everyone in the examination hall were combined, they would probably still be unable to match him."
The examiner murmured the same words, his heart also churning with turbulent emotions.
"Is this Ye Tongsheng?"
One of the chief examiners, who was surveying the entire examination hall from the School of Arts, spoke to Chen Tianjian.
"Yes, but he's not Ye Tongsheng anymore. Yesterday, he entered the Xiucai level, but he hasn't received his official rank yet."
Chen Tianjian's words caused all the examiners present to gasp in shock, their faces showing extreme astonishment.
"In less than a month and a half, he went directly from a child to a scholar? I've lived this long and read so many classics, and I've never heard of anything so absurd!"
One of the examiners swallowed hard and said with difficulty.
"Whether you believe it or not, I believe it anyway."
Chen Tianjian shrugged and continued looking at Ye Ru.
At this moment, Ye Ru encountered another question on the interpretation of a classic text. This question was taken from a famous passage in the Analects of Confucius, "Taibo," in which Confucius praised Yao. The question on the exam paper read:
Confucius said: "How great was Yao as a ruler! How majestic he was! Only Heaven is great, and only Yao emulated it. How boundless was his virtue, which the people could not name! How magnificent were his achievements! How splendid were his accomplishments!"
However, since there were no punctuation marks on the Confucian and Taoist continent, Ye Ru added them himself on the exam paper.
This means: "As a ruler, Yao was great and sublime, comparable to the heavens! His benevolence is beyond description! His achievements will be remembered for eternity! His system is brilliant and splendid!"
Looking at this text, Ye Ru thought, "This praises the transformative power of the ancient sages and virtuous men, pointing out what Yao did for the people and which wise men he employed. I will write it in three steps: first, to praise the ancient sages and virtuous men; second, to praise the current ruler; and third, to describe myself."
After organizing his thought process, Ye Ru began to write:
"The ancient sage Emperor Yao was diligent, cautious, and frugal in his governance. He established the calendar, implemented virtuous policies, resisted natural disasters, established the national system, and selected virtuous and capable officials. His outstanding achievements made him one of the ancestors of mankind, and his merits were as great as heaven and earth."
As Ye Ru finished writing the last character "地" (earth), the entire Confucian Temple and the Confucian Academy suddenly trembled. An extremely terrifying sacred power suddenly erupted from the statue of Confucius in the Confucian Temple and shot towards Ye Ru's examination room, shocking everyone present!