Transmigrating to the Ming Dynasty’s Imperial Examination Ch. 134

Chapter 134

That morning, Cui Xie was diligently studying at the Imperial College, but in the afternoon, he was suddenly summoned by the Proctor and the Instructor to receive an Imperial edict at Biyong Hall.

After an official from the Ministry of Rites finished reading the edict, stating that Cui Xie was to go to the Eastern Palace the next day to prepare for lecturing the Crown Prince, Cui Xie was almost too stunned to react—him, with his academic background and limited study time, to lecture the Crown Prince? He felt utterly unqualified for such a heavy responsibility! Surely there must be a mistake in the name on the decree?  Perhaps they meant another Cui who was an instructor with the same surname?

Director Fei Yin gave a discreet cough beside him, prompting him to accept the decree and express his gratitude. It was only then that Cui Xie came to his senses and bowed to thank the Emperor.

The envoy who presented the decree handed him the edict with a smile and reassured him, “His Majesty personally stated that this is similar to Scholar Li’s story, intended for the Crown Prince to observe your knowledge. It’s fine if you do not perform perfectly. The palace has already prepared the topics; just prepare well, and submit your lecture notes to the Crown Prince’s instructors, who will assist you in revising them.”

They dared not let him really speak and so, it was just a ceremonial gesture, with a team to help him refine his lecture. What was there to fear?

Cui Xie had watched world leaders on television everyday and had even eaten buns at the same shop as a high-ranking official in modern times. How could he be afraid of giving a lecture to the Crown Prince?

He respectfully accepted the edict, stood up, and thanked the angel who had delivered it. Seeing the envoy about to leave, Chancellor Qiu Jun and others, noticing Cui Xie’s confused expression, could not help but stop the envoy to ask, “Cui Xie is just a student. How did such a decree come about in the Imperial palace?”

It was well-known that when Li Dongyang was summoned to lecture on the Classic of History, it was because he was a prodigy who could write complex characters at the age of four, and Emperor Jingtai esteemed him and willingly invited him into the Imperial palace. But Cui Xie, at his age—not to mention he was already seventeen—even when Cui Xie was declared a prodigy, he was already fifteen! There were many young scholars in the Hanlin Academy, like Secondary Grand Secretary Liu’s young son Liu Yun, who had received great favor from the Emperor and was granted a position as a retainer at a young age, yet even he had not been called to lecture the Crown Prince at the Eastern Palace?

The envoy smiled and said, “Well…I am here under Imperial orders and dare not speculate on His Majesty’s intentions. However, I vaguely heard Vice Minister Xu mention that Cui Xie had been exemplary in teaching his brother, creating some exercises that greatly impressed His Majesty, leading to this decree.”

Everyone looked at Cui Xie with a mix of surprise and curiosity. He stood there with a calm demeanor, his posture straight and dignified, looking steady and modest, truly embodying the demeanor and virtue of a Confucian scholar.

Cui Xie, of course, was not nervous. Gao taijian’s son had already hinted at the Emperor’s intention to observe him, and he had been anticipating this for months. He had long hoped that the Emperor would satisfy his curiosity about his family situation and remove the surveillance, so it wouldn’t interfere with his meetings with Xie Ying.

The only unexpected part was the Emperor’s decision to have him lecture the Crown Prince.

Seeing the instructors watching him, Cui Xie slightly lowered his head and replied solemnly and respectfully, “I only gave my mischievous and obstreperous younger brother some questions on laws and rites to make him more diligent in his studies and to understand proper conduct and be more calm in his behavior in the future. They are nothing extraordinary. I do not understand why His Majesty would take note of such minor matters.”

The envoy smiled and said, “This minor official, too, am curious about what kind of questions could impress His Majesty, but I must return to the Ministry of Rites with the decree and cannot stay to listen any longer. Scholar Cui, it would be wise to prepare several sets of questions. Should the Crown Prince have inquiries, you will be ready to respond.”

Cui Xie agreed, respectfully seeing the envoy off before being escorted back to the Biyong Hall by the Chancellor.

Chancellor Qiu examined him and kindly said, “His Majesty’s command for you to lecture the Crown Prince is a sign of favor. You need not fear, I will teach you how to lecture on the classics.” He then asked, “Do you often tutor your younger brother at home? What kind of questions did you set? Perhaps you could write them down for us to see?”

Although phrased as a question, the instructors had already prepared paper and ink, not giving him the chance to refuse with a ‘no’. Teaching Assistant Xie, who knew him well, had already informed the Chancellor of his photographic memory. There was no need to wait for him to fetch his notes from home; they gave him paper and asked him to write them down on the spot.

Cui Xie picked up the brush and asked, “Should I write the questions I usually set for my brother, or should I prepare a set based on the requirements in the Imperial edict?”

The Imperial edict required him to lecture on the 《Classic of Poetry》, specifically the 《Odes of Cao·Turtledove》 which is a poem praising the ‘the virtuous gentleman’s balanced and dedicated heart’. He knew the text by heart and the notes of earlier scholars well, so drafting a test was a matter of minutes.

Chancellor Qiu immediately said, “First write the questions you usually set. After you study with me for a few days, we will review the specific questions required by the edict.”

Cui Xie nodded, closed his eyes, accessed his mental PDF, and casually pulled up a recently prepared exam on the Rites of Zhou. He half copied and half wrote it from memory onto the paper.

The instructors sat on their chairs in the hall, waiting. They initially thought Cui Xie would merely set questions on the classics such as: presenting phrases from a Classic, asking the examinee to quote literally from the text based on a theme, and discursive treatises, perhaps even some excerpts from the classics for composition topics. However, he kept writing without stopping. He filled one sheet with dripping ink and then switched to another, writing so much that it seemed as if he was copying the entire provincial and metropolitan examination papers at the moment.

One of the academicians, growing impatient, quickly got up and took the finished paper to share with the other instructors.

However, the paper was densely packed with questions: first, large sections with some blanks left for the classics questions; next, quoting questions from the classics with multiple similar and confusing answers in the blanks; followed by questions requiring the judgment of right or wrong in the classics, some with added or omitted words, and others mixing unrelated sentences…

Those with weak memorization skills might easily make mistakes.

Below these simple presentations of phrases and questions requiring quoting, were long annotation questions based on the 《Rites of Zhou》 The questions were numerous and lengthy, while the answers required less writing, making it suitable for young students. But it seemed too simple. Was this worth the Emperor’s special decree to have him lecture in the Eastern Palace?

The Crown Prince, who began his studies at nine, had been reading the classics for longer than Cui Xie and was proficient and well versed in all the Classics. Such a paper might be suitable for Cui Xie’s younger brother, who disliked studying, but for the Crown Prince…

They would need to discuss further and devise questions more fitting for the Crown Prince’s status and academic ability.

As the instructors discussed, they noticed that Cui Xie was still writing steadily, with two more sheets filled. A young academician went to retrieve the new papers, noticing that these questions were shorter. Though they were also dense with questions with no fill-in-the-blanks, the content indicated that the students would need to write more detailed answers, thus testing their mastery more thoroughly.

One sheet, in addition to continuing the true or false questions, included etymological questions asking for explanations of terms like (she) society, ji (grain), yong (city walls), and tan (altars). Subsequent questions included ‘brief explanations’ of ceremonies such as yang li (positive rites) and yin li (negative rites), and then some ‘detailed explanations’ about regional divisions and land production.

As the instructors reviewed each page, their initial impression of simplicity gave way to admiration for Cui Xie’s dedication and brotherly love to his brother—

Cui Xie, known in the Imperial College for arriving early, staying late, taking meticulous notes, and writing excellent essays, already had a heavy workload. Thinking that not only did he have to review his own studies, but also that he would also create such detailed exam papers for his brother at night was impressive and they could not help but sigh a few times in admiration.

Such a dedicated brother was hard to find, and it would be a great disservice if his younger brother did not succeed in the future.

Chancellor Qiu also felt they had seen enough and instructed, “That will do for now. The instructors have seen the types of questions you set. When you write the questions for the Classic of Poetry later, you can be more detailed.”

Cui Xie had just finished writing the question, “How do you understand ‘Half of the 《Rites of Zhou》is about managing financial accounts’?”—a challenging question for his younger brother Cui Heng, who was not well-read. Hearing the Chancellor’s call to stop, Cui Xie put down his brush, dried the ink, and presented the paper to the instructors.

This sheet was no longer just about explaining terms, writing a short answer or essay question based on commentaries; it involved Neo-Confucian principles and historical anecdotes from previous dynasties. It required a deep understanding of history and the teachings of past scholars to answer correctly.

Especially the last question, which wasn’t from the Three Rites or their commentaries, nor from the words of Cheng-Zhu scholars, but from Wang Anshi’s writings. Wang Anshi, in his reform efforts, wrote《New Meanings of the Rites of Zhou》 , using the Rites to justify his reforms, which Zhu Xi harshly criticized, accusing him of ‘showing off with the Rites of Zhou, using whatever was convenient for his policies and only adopting those parts that align with one’s own ideas, using their high reputation to win over people’s opinions’. If someone did not know the origin of the question and followed its apparent meaning, they would be completely mistaken.

Academician Chen, who specialized in the Rites of Zhou, nodded approvingly and said with a smile, “These questions progress from easy to difficult and are well-set. If your brother can truly answer all of these, he could be ready for the examination rooms this year.”

Cui Xie shook his head and replied, “He learns slowly and hasn’t fully grasped the Classics yet. I set these questions to expose him to various related topics, and for any he doesn’t know, I write out the answers for him afterwards. This scattered way of learning helps him remember better, and when he writes essays in the future, he can recall these stories and include them.”

Chancellor Qiu, reading the questions, appreciated Cui Xie’s meticulous efforts and felt he had good intentions. With a bit of guidance from the instructors, these questions could indeed be suitable for the Crown Prince without causing embarrassment. He nodded and casually asked, “Do you usually set such questions for yourself as well?”

…These were meant to torture  others, who would be willing to torment themselves like this.

Cui Xie honestly replied, “I haven’t. I set such questions for my brother because his foundation is weak. If I were to set questions for myself, they would be on topics I am already familiar with. I would not think to test myself on what I don’t know, which would not be as effective as writing essays to identify gaps in my knowledge.”

Chancellor Qiu nodded slightly, “There is truth in that. When a student sets questions, they need a teacher to point out right from wrong. Self-study without guidance can easily lead to misunderstandings and cause one to go astray. However, in a well-taught environment, setting challenging questions for students to study can broaden one’s perspective…”

He did not elaborate, but Cui Xie felt a bit uneasy, fearing the Chancellor might consider increasing examination length.

However, on second thought, answering questions was easier than writing eight-legged essays. Questions provided prompts and direction, required fewer words, and were easier to tackle. If exams increased, so be it. Could it be that he, as someone who had mastered exam-oriented education in two lifetimes,  be afraid of such tests?

Those who should be afraid did not include him, one who had experienced regular classroom tests, monthly exams, quarterly exams, midterms, and finals…it should be the poor students of this era, right?

Cui Xie took a deep breath and followed Chancellor Qiu to the back hall to study the Classic of Poetry. The instructors discussed the details of the questions for this chapter in the main hall and slowly dispersed.

Chancellor Qiu was a learned scholar, and although his main subject wasn’t the 《Classic of Poetry》, he was eloquent in his teaching. Especially since he was well-versed in the《Spring and Autumn Annals》, he cross-referenced it with the《Classic of Poetry》, incorporating the strengths of Han and Song dynasty scholarship. He managed to turn the ninety-eight characters of 《Turtledove》, which included the title, into over two thousand characters of lecture notes.

Cui Xie took notes quickly with his pencil, recording everything diligently, even the parts he had memorized by heart, he did not skip. This time, it was not just about his own understanding but about preparing to explain it to the Crown Prince, who received a Hanlin Academy-level education every day. He needed to learn not only the knowledge but also the teaching style, rhythm, and diction of Chancellor Qiu…

Chancellor Qiu did not mind the trouble and patiently repeated the lecture two or three times, even having Cui Xie repeat it back to him. During the day, Cui Xie went to the Ministry of Rites for ceremony rehearsals, and in the evenings, he studied with the Chancellor Qiu…after several days of rehearsals and lessons, the appointed day for the lecture arrived.

Chancellor Qiu gave him a day off. On that day, Cui Xie donned a new student robe early in the morning and was led to the side hall of the Hall of Literary Glory by Eastern Palace officials, eagerly awaiting to prepare for the lecture.

Though Cui Xie was not a renowned scholar, he was appointed by the Emperor, so the Eastern Palace treated him with utmost respect. Vice Chamberlain Li Chun, along with academician expositor-in-waiting and academician reader-in-waiting like Xu Pu and Liu Jian and other such officials, arrived early to meet him, review his lecture notes, and instruct him on the proper etiquette for lecturing the Crown Prince.

Hearing the names ‘Liu Jian’, ‘Li Dongyang’ and ‘Xie Qian’ gave him the feeling of attending a historical book signing event. He discreetly observed the three men, trying to remember this moment in history.

The future cabinet members of the Hongzhi reign were teaching him the rules of standing and lecturing!

If he weren’t in the Eastern Palace, he would have wanted to ask these illustrious scholars for their autographs!

This group of academicians had heard of his name long ago and knew he had written 《Compilation of Antithetical Couplets from the Four Books》making him somewhat of a prodigy despite his age. They quietly sized him up.

Vice Chamberlain Li Chun, who was also the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, had heard Left Vice Minister of Appointments, Geng Yu, complain that this prodigy was too outstanding. Now, seeing him in person, Academician Li understood why the Emperor favored him despite his age and low status and had invited him to the Imperial palace to lecture the Crown Prince—Cui Xie was indeed impressive. Handsome, dignified, and composed, he showed no trace of fear or frivolous arrogance commonly seen in ordinary young talents in front of these esteemed senior scholars of the Hall of Literary Glory. When asked about his lecture content, he spoke confidently and knowledgeably, and his words always had a source, without any showy or sensational language.

The only new thing was the set of exam papers he had compiled.

These papers had been sent to the Eastern Palace after he submitted them to the Ministry of Rites. The Crown Prince’s officials had all reviewed and completed them. Although they knew it was not solely Cui Xie’s work, his ability to conceive such a pattern of questions showed his talent for teaching and his patience and thoughtful nature.

Such a person, even if he did not enter the Imperial court in the future, would be a renowned scholar with many students all over the world and was worth associating with.

Li Chun nodded and asked Academician Li Dongyang to share his experience: “Since His Majesty’s edict  mentioned your own story, Xiya (courtesy name), why don’t you tell him how you used to lecture on the 《Classic of History》.”

Li Dongyang smiled and said, “It was over thirty years ago, and I cannot remember it very clearly.”

He had been famous as a prodigy in his youth, favored by both the Yingzong and Daizong Emperors, and entered the Hanlin Academy at eighteen. However, he had lingered in the academy without significant progress and was not considered a good example. Cui Xie, on the other hand, had good talent, was diligent and knew how to make progress. Cui Xie should emulate him in the examinations but avoid his pitfalls in officialdom.

Shaking his head with a smile, Li Dongyang moved closer to Cui Xie and began to offer tips based on his own experience lecturing the Crown Prince.

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TN: Have a good rest of your week everyone and enjoy the chapter! Happy holidays 🙂

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