However, this doesn't seem to be of much use to Duanmu Ci...
Yan Zhigui asked, "The eighth chapter of the Taibo section of the Analects—"
Duanmu Ci responded, “Confucius said: Taibo can be called the epitome of virtue. He thrice yielded the throne to the people, and they had no words to praise him.”
"The Analects, Chapter Ten: The Villagers' Community"
"Confucius was respectful and unassuming in his hometown, as if he could not speak. But when he was in the ancestral temple or the court, he spoke fluently, but only with great care."
"The Analects, Chapter 18, Wei Zi—"
“When Wei Zi left, Ji Zi became his slave, and Bigan died for remonstrating with him. Confucius said: ‘The Yin dynasty had three benevolent men.’”
...
Yan Zhigui asked a series of questions about the Analects, and seeing that Duanmu Ci answered them all fluently, he was greatly surprised. Just as he was about to ask another question, Duanmu Ci suddenly interrupted him, saying, "I have already memorized the Analects by heart, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that I can recite it backwards. Please test me on something else, sir."
These words were extremely arrogant, but Duanmu Ci had the right to be arrogant, because, to some extent, he compiled the Analects...
The highly respected professors looked at each other, wondering if they were being underestimated.
"You really can't be amiable!" Yan Zhigui said with a stern face. "The 41st hexagram of the I Ching—Sun (损), meaning loss of mountains and rivers, with Gen (艮) above and Dui (兑) below—what does it mean?"
The old man was really getting angry; he actually asked about the *I Ching*! Forget understanding it, even reading it is difficult! Every single word and sentence is incredibly awkward and difficult to pronounce smoothly. However—
"Loss: With sincerity, great good fortune, no blame, perseverance is possible. Is there a place to go? What is the use of this? Two sacrificial vessels can be used for offering. The image says: Loss, losing the upper and gaining the lower, its way is to ascend. Loss with sincerity, great good fortune, no blame, perseverance is possible, is the use of this..." Duanmu Ci spoke at length, in extremely obscure language, and some old professors who had not studied the I Ching in depth could not even understand what he was saying.
Yan Zhigui wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He never expected Duanmu Ci to be so familiar with the Book of Changes! Back when he was young, he wasn't even qualified to read the Book of Changes; he was still reading the Analects for beginners! Let alone being so familiar with it?
As for the claim that Duanmu Ci stumbled upon the "dead mouse" of the I Ching, he never even considered that. For a "blind cat" to encounter the "dead mouse" of the I Ching like that, it would probably have to be a celestial being...
He took out a thick book from a cloth bag on the side. "I'll ask you one last question. Whether you can answer it or not, I'll consider you to have passed!"
In fact, they had already asked questions beyond the scope of the curriculum. In fact, the school leaders' intention was that no matter what Duanmu Ci's interview results were, they had to recruit him for the sake of the building. At worst, they would just give him a sinecure and let him do nothing.
Now that Duanmu Ci's performance has been so unexpected and amazing, there's even less reason to refuse. Several veteran teachers have even considered taking him on as a disciple…
Please note! We are not accepting students, but apprentices.
Yan Zhigui asked, "Would the Zizhi Tongjian be acceptable?"
Duanmu Ci said, "He can probably recite it."
Yan Zhigui's expression changed. He had actually asked if it was possible to translate the original text, but Duanmu Ci directly told him that he could recite the entire text from memory. This was truly...exciting...
Yan Zhigui stroked the book and asked uncertainly, "This book contains 294 volumes, spanning 1362 years, a vast and magnificent history. Can you really recite it from memory?"
Duanmu Ci nodded, "Yes."
Yan Zhigui, "..." This is far too arrogant! This young man needs to be taught a lesson, otherwise he'll really never know his place...
Yan Zhigui casually turned to a page, “When the Wei people conquered the six provinces of Nanyan, Xu, Yan, Yu, Qing, and Ji, the number of casualties was countless. All able-bodied men were beheaded, and infants were impaled on spears and made to dance around for amusement. The counties and prefectures they passed through were left with nothing but barren land. In spring, swallows returned and nested in the trees—from which volume and in which year does this passage come?”
Duanmu Ci thought for a moment, “It comes from the Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 126, Song Annals 8, the 28th year of Emperor Wen of Song’s Yuanjia reign, which is the Xinmao year, 451 AD.”
Yan Zhigui glanced at the book and discovered that Duanmu Ci's account was even more detailed than what was written in the book...
Xia Zongzhou squeezed through the crowd, picked up the "Zizhi Tongjian" (Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government), and said with disbelief, "Given that this matter is truly too shocking, I will test you on another passage. If you can still answer it, I will be convinced!" The other professors also nodded in agreement. After all, if this was true, then the young man's memory was truly extraordinary.
To demonstrate impartiality, Xia Zongzhou closed his eyes and turned a page, then read aloud, "On the day of Xinmao, the Emperor said: 'The reason I was able to subdue the Rong and Di tribes, which the ancients could not, and to subdue them, is all because I followed the desires of the people. In the past, Yu led the people of the nine provinces, carving through mountains and clearing away trees, dredging hundreds of rivers to flow into the sea. His labor was immense, yet the people did not complain. This was because he understood the people's hearts, followed the natural terrain, and shared benefits with the people.'"
After reading it, he threw the book down and asked, "What is the source of this passage?"
Duanmu Jin responded, “This passage comes from Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 198, Tang Annals 14, the 21st year of Zhenguan reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang, 647 AD.”
Before anyone could react, Duanmu Ci continued, "Also, Professor Xia just read 'for the benefit of the people,' but the correct text should be 'for the benefit of the people.' I suppose Professor Xia deliberately misread it to test me."
Xia Zongzhou, who had "deliberately misread" the words, blushed. "Ahem—you're quite a young man! Your ability to be so knowledgeable and have such a good memory is truly rare. With such a good memory, you can be said to be the best helper for academic research! I hope you can study diligently in the future and live up to God's good intentions."
Duanmu Ci nodded, "Definitely."
Yan Zhigui looked at Duanmu Ci and suddenly sighed, "The younger generation is truly formidable. When I was studying, I often saw ancient people playing games, pointing to the bookshelf and knowing which book, volume, page, and line a certain event was on. I never believed it, thinking it was just the ancients exaggerating. But now, seeing this, I realize that the ancients were not deceiving me."
The professors all agreed, looking at Duanmu Ci with amazement and admiration.
What a genius!
Who in the literary field wouldn't want such an incredible memory? It's like having a library inside your head! And judging from this young man's performance, he doesn't seem like the kind of bookworm who can only memorize but not apply his knowledge—he has a bright future ahead of him!
"Clap clap clap clap—" Xia Zongzhou clapped his hands. He had just started the attack, and now he was the one to clap. He was a gentleman with a magnanimous and open mind.
Duanmu Ci earned the respect and recognition of the senior scholars with his genuine talent and learning!
All the senior professors began to applaud. Yan Yingjun extended his right hand to Duanmu Ci, who stepped forward and shook it.
Welcome to Haishan University.
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p: Second update.
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