Chapter 82 This prodigy track awaits his demise…
Fusu, in despair, lowered his hands from his ears. He knew that if Su Shi didn't finish speaking today, he wouldn't have any peace and quiet.
"Just tell me already, give me a straight answer. I still need to reply to my master first, and then write the policy essay that Mr. Mei assigned me. I need him to review and correct it tomorrow."
He said it on purpose.
I refuse to believe that Yang Anguo didn't assign Su Shi any homework during the holiday. Now that I've brought it up, do you think he'll be able to talk about it so readily?
Sure enough, Su Shi grimaced. But even though he was being attacked, he insisted on saying, "When they call you, they all call you 'that person'."
Fusu: "..."
Fusu: "…………"
He too wore a mask of anguish: "Why?!"
I didn't do anything wrong, so how did I become the "unspeakable" person in the Song Dynasty?
“Hey, I was curious too, so I went to investigate.” Su Shi’s tone was tinged with schadenfreude: “It turns out that it was because your apparent identity was leaked at the beginning, and people questioned whether you got in through connections. Since everyone was afraid of getting into trouble for talking about you, they just used ‘that person’ instead.”
"But the students from other places who have only recently come to Bianjing don't know about this. When they inquired about the formidable opponents this year, they heard about your reputation as 'that person' and assumed you were a tough character, so they naturally passed on that title."
How do you know so many details?
“Of course I found out myself!” Su Shi first pointed to himself with his thumb, and under Fu Su’s very suspicious gaze, he told the truth: “Alright, my father recently inquired about it when he was socializing with scholars from other places, and told me about it.”
Fusu immediately exclaimed, "Your father?"
Su Shi's father, wasn't that Su Xun? But didn't he never pass the imperial examinations in his entire life? How could that be?
“Yes, yes,” Su Shi said. “My father is an amazing writer; everyone in the surrounding villages praises him. Zhao Xiaolang, you’d better watch out.”
Even a precocious genius like Su Shi could only praise Su Xun. Perhaps his irritating temper and slurred speech were even learned from Su Xun. Sending his son on a trip to the capital before school is something few modern enlightened parents would do. How could Su Shi not admire him?
Fusu could only smile wryly and say, "I understand."
A quick calculation reveals that Su Xun, Su Shi, and Zeng Gong—three of the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties—participated in this year's imperial examination. It was truly a highly competitive exam. As Su Shi himself said, he indeed needed to be careful—not so much about achieving a certain ranking, but about ensuring his name was on the list and not being squeezed out by others.
That's enough, that's enough.
He lowered his head, trying to console himself: this list will surely go down in history. It's an honor to be a runner-up for these people... No, that's not right. I can't think like that.
I've worked so hard for so long, and I'm still not satisfied until I get a result.
Historical figures are one thing, but he stands on the same stage as them now, with neither owing the other anything. And who is obligated to yield to whom, or who is destined to lose?
Fusu slowly clenched his fist.
"Wow!" Su Shi pretended to cover his mouth, his tone incredibly exaggerated: "Did what I said work? Zhao Xiaolang, I feel like you're about to burst into flames! Was my casual encouragement really that effective?"
"Bang--"
Fusu's clenched fist slammed into Su Shi's waist in an instant, producing a dull thud. That poor boy, no scolding or beating goes unpunished! It's been like this before, and it will be even more so in the future!
After delivering that punch, he finally felt relieved. Ignoring Su Shi's exaggerated and strange cries, he ruthlessly turned him away, saying, "Go back and write two articles; I need to study too."
As the door closed, Su Shi's voice grew softer and softer—
"Hello, hello, hello..."
"Zhao Xiaolang, open the door quickly!"
"I haven't even finished telling you what they were saying about you!"
I closed the door precisely because I didn't want to listen to your slapstick bragging!
A scratching sound seemed to come from outside the door, indicating that Su Shi's resentment was extremely deep. Fusu stood in front of the door, holding his breath and listening for a while, until the noise finally subsided.
Fusu didn't study by lamplight as he had promised. During the day, he first went to see the Yunnan horses, and after returning to the palace, he went to Chai Yong's residence to persuade him. Even an iron man would be exhausted. After reading Fan Zhongyan's letter, he wrote a reply, washed up, and went to bed early, falling into a deep sleep as soon as he closed his eyes.
Forget about the imperial examinations, forget about the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties—we'll talk about all of that tomorrow!
-
The letter arrived at the northwestern border a month later.
Fan Zhongyan unfolded the letter, held it in his hand and looked at it for a long time, then suddenly laughed: "I'm not nervous about the autumn examinations, but I'm getting nervous about the spring examinations."
The attendant asked, "Is this the eldest young master?"
"No, it's my little disciple."
Qin Cong let out an "Oh," immediately recognizing the person. The young disciple—the very same child prodigy Fan Gong had recently taken in—was the culprit behind the dramatic increase in letter-writing frequency. Mingming and the eldest son only corresponded once every ten days, sometimes even once a month when busy. But since Fan Gong took in his disciple last year, after a long absence, the frequency of letters had risen to every three days.
On very rare occasions, Fan Zhongyan would even write a letter one day and another the next. If he happened to come across a good article, he would make a copy and send it to someone to broaden their horizons. Knowing that his young disciple was preparing for the imperial examinations and was lamenting the lack of renowned teachers and scholars in the Northwest, he would dig out his own old books from when he took the exams and send them to the disciple.
You might not even treat Chunren Gongzi with the same care he shows.
Qin Cong once subtly expressed this idea, but was reprimanded by Fan Zhongyan: "Even Chunren himself doesn't think there's anything wrong with it, and he complains that I, as his teacher, am just a figurehead, unable to help him at all, and can only pick the ready-made peaches."
He shook his head: "Chunren was not wrong at all. It was indeed my fault that I took on a disciple but could not personally teach him. Not only did I fail to protect my student, but I also embroiled him in the political struggles of the court when he was still a commoner, causing him to be burdened by me."
Fan Zhongyan was referring to the misunderstanding that Fusu had manipulated the situation behind the scenes. Since it concerned his disciple, Ouyang Xiu naturally wrote to him explaining the whole story. This included his own thought process in selecting Fusu as the top scholar, the subsequent public outcry, and how Fusu successfully silenced everyone with his own writing.
"The capital is so bustling, but I, as a teacher, am far away in the Northwest and cannot speak up for my students. All I can do is give them some good articles to broaden their horizons."
While reflecting on his own actions, Fan Zhongyan wrote a reply.
In the letter, unlike the previous one where he comforted his young disciple beforehand by saying, "It doesn't matter if you don't pass the provincial examination," he repeatedly said, "With your talent, it would be strange if you didn't pass the imperial examination. Just go and take the exam with peace of mind!"
Fan Zhongyan's claim was not unfounded.
Each time he sent out a carefully selected article, his young disciple's reply would become more skillful and refined, as if intentionally showcasing his progress. Anyone who has been a teacher knows how delightful it is to have a student who consistently provides positive feedback. Fan Zhongyan was so immersed in the role of "master" that he wished he could pour all his life's learning, through paper and pen, into Zhao Zongsu's mind.
It's a pity, a pity, the northwestern border cannot do without him now.
The emperor showed no intention of summoning him back to Bianjing.
Fan Zhongyan finished writing his reply, packed it into an envelope, and completed it in one go.
Suddenly, he seemed to remember something: "When is the imperial examination this year?"
"Tomorrow," the attendant said.
Fan Zhongyan sighed, "Then there's no point in writing and sending this letter."
The letter was full of words of comfort for the young disciple, and after it was sent, everything was settled. No matter how much he tried to comfort him, it was useless.
After much deliberation, Fan Zhongyan opened the envelope and took out the contents: "Wait a little longer. I recently came across another article, which I need to work on carefully. Once I've finished it, I'll send it to Zong Su. Perhaps it can help him before the palace examination."
The relative thought to himself: Are you so sure that he will pass the imperial examination?
On the surface, he asked, "Did Lord Teng ask you to write this?"
“Exactly,” Fan Zhongyan said. “If you don’t believe me, just wait and see when the results of the imperial examinations are released. In another ten or fifteen days, we should know.”
"..."
He touched his face: Had he been so obvious that Fan Gong saw right through him?
He secretly began to compete with himself: He refused to believe that even if, even if Lord Fan's disciple was a prodigy and extraordinary, capable of entering the imperial examinations, his ranking would never be higher than that of Prince Chunren! He had watched Prince Chunren grow up, and he knew how intelligent he was!
Half a month later, Qin Cong appeared, looking dejected. He held a report he had just received from the post station: "Reporting to Lord Fan, the results of this year's imperial examinations have been released."
Fan Zhongyan smiled and said, "Oh? It seems you've already seen it?"
He paused for a moment: "My little disciple is on the list, isn't he?"
Qin Cong: "...How did you know?"
"I can tell from your expression."
Fan Zhongyan unveiled the official gazette with one hand, stroked his beard with the other, and muttered to himself, "What's going on with Chunren? How did he get surpassed by his junior brother who hasn't even been a disciple for a year..."
Suddenly, Fan Zhongyan thought of a possibility.
Fan Chunren was his eldest son, on whom he placed high hopes, and whom he personally raised. However, he had never met Zhao Zongsu, his nominal disciple, and could only offer him a few words of guidance in letters. From clothing, food, and shelter to verbal instruction and personal example, everything was taken care of by Mei Yaochen.
Could it be that... Fan Zhongyan's ability to be a teacher is inferior to that of Mei Yaochen?
Impossible, absolutely impossible.
Fan Zhongyan forcibly suppressed that terrible conjecture, but the facts before him seemed to be the best proof: the top name in this year's imperial examination was none other than Zhao Zongsu.
Zhao Zongsu was taught by Mei Yaochen.
Fan Zhongyan: "..."
Now he was the one who looked disheveled and humiliated.
Fan Zhongyan closed his eyes briefly, as if facing a confirmed conjecture: "What's wrong with Chunren? How come he's not even as good as his junior brother who's only been with him for a year?"
Relative: You said that, not me!
Achoo!
Fan Chunren suddenly sneezed.
Amidst the worried gazes of the crowd, he rubbed his nose and said, "I'm perfectly fine. Perhaps the good news has already reached the Northwest, and Father is happy for me and my junior brother."
“Look,” Su Shi said, “but your junior brother isn’t happy at all. Damn it, you can give me the ranking you don’t want!”
Below Fusu's first place is his father. If he were to rank higher than his father, he could laugh at him for the rest of his life.
However, Su Shi only thought about it. When the current emperor first came to power, Empress Dowager Liu, who held the reins of power, used the "order of brothers" as a reason to force the elder brother Song Xiang to rank ahead of his younger brother Song Qi, who had performed better in the exam.
Fusu knew about this too. Song Qi had even been his teacher for a few days. He had been listlessly slumped on the table, but Su Shi's provocation made him force himself to sit up and retort, "Actually, you're just after your father's second son, aren't you?"
After saying that, he lay back down listlessly.
Su Shi: "..."
Fan Chunren: "..."
Zeng Gong & Li Guanlan: "..."
No, is this an act?
Bathed in the suspicious gazes of those around him, Fusu finally broke down. He said, on the verge of tears, "I really wasn't acting, I was genuinely devastated... How come things aren't as we agreed..."
Wasn't it said that after the spring examination, there would be no more rejections, and everyone would be a Jinshi or a Tongjinshi? Why is the palace examination still used to eliminate people?
Fan Chunren tactfully stated, "I have never heard of this matter."
He touched Fusu's forehead with his hand, suspecting that he had a fever or was delirious with joy and started talking nonsense.
Fusu covered his eyes with his hands: The case is solved. It turns out he was just born at the wrong time.
As the saying goes, behind every outrageous rule lies an even more outrageous incident. Fusu didn't know how the candidates of that year had broken their guard, causing the emperor to change the rules. But he didn't mind being that person who broke their guard for once.
He said quietly, "I want to petition the emperor... that no one should be dismissed in the third round..."
He studied for half a year, thinking the imperial examination was the end. Now he's truly exhausted!
Su Shi smiled but didn't say anything. Fan Chunren, however, stroked Fu Su's fluffy head and stroked it all the way down to his hunched back, comforting his distraught junior brother: "We'll have to wait until he passes the imperial examination to talk about it."
"Besides, you've already won first place twice in a row. Don't you want to keep up the good work for the third time and create another great success story?"
Su Shi clicked his tongue and said, "Ah, a four-year-old who achieved the highest honors in the imperial examinations! There is no one like him before, and it will be hard to find someone like him in the future."
Fusu sat up straight immediately.
“This is good,” he said with utmost sincerity.
Unlike Zhang Zai's vision of "continuing the lost learning of past sages and creating peace for all generations," he preferred to leave those who came after him with nowhere to go!
This prodigy is on the track; just wait for him to kill the race.
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Author's Note: The next chapter is what everyone's been waiting for... [Let me see!]
I'm a bit too exhausted to keep up today, my true colors are showing, lol. Let's see if I can keep grinding tomorrow!
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