Transmigrating to the Ming Dynasty’s Imperial Examination Ch. 158

Chapter 158

Director Fei carefully reviewed the full set of lecture notes and cross-checked all the questions; finding no issues, he agreed that the book was ready for publication. Cui Xie respectfully offered him an honorarium for his contribution, and then delivered the first batch—fifty sets—to Director Fei. A few stacks were reserved for the Hanlin academicians, while the remaining dozens were bundled up and carried to the Imperial College to distribute to the classmates who had originally requested the printed notes.

With the Director as the lead author and a dazzling list of Hanlin Academy bachelors as contributors—just the official titles alone were enough to make one dizzy—this book wasn’t just popular among the students of the Imperial College. Even those Hanlin-affiliated students studying under court academicians would clamor for a copy if they found out about it.

Cui Xie set aside eight copies for Fei jieyuan to distribute to the other seven companions assigned to accompany the Crown Prince’s exams—the extra copy was for his uncle. The rest were distributed to his fellow classmates in the order they had made their original requests.

Each full-color printed note set came in four volumes, on thick snow-white paper, printed in seven or eight layered colors, with clear, neat typesetting. The content came from renowned contemporary scholars. Selling such a set for two or three taels of silver wouldn’t have been unreasonable. The college students hadn’t expected Cui Xie to produce something so refined, and many were too embarrassed to just ask for a free copy like they had when borrowing his handwritten notes.

Those who could afford it offered to pay; those with thinner purses simply waved it off, saying they’d borrow someone else’s copy later to make their own transcription.

Cui Xie had no intention of profiting off his classmates. Seeing so many who clearly wanted the book but hesitated over the cost, he told everyone about his plan to compile a Reference Answer Book. He invited his classmates to work through the questions at the end of each volume, promising that if their answers were selected for the collection, they would receive a free copy of the set as a token of appreciation.

Hearing this, a few classmates—short on silver but confident in their mastery of the classics and their own literary skill—came to ask him to borrow the book.

But Cui Xie had only printed a limited number of copies, and too many wanted to read it. They were all close classmates, so giving one person a copy and not another would be awkward. Seeing the demand far outstripped the supply, during the noon break, he went to speak with Director of Studies Fei and Proctor  Lin, requesting permission to donate five sets of the book to the library, and place two sets in each of the six lecture halls, so students could read and complete exercises during their free time.

The Imperial College had always been strict about stopping students from skipping class, but had never stopped anyone from donating books. Director Fei brought it up with Chancellor Qiu, who readily approved the plan.

Proctor Lin, in fact, was even more enthusiastic. As he flipped through the set of 《Imperial College’ Director Fei’s Lecture on Mencius》, he asked Cui Xie, “You’ve listed this as Volume Four—do you mean to complete a full Four Books series? And what about the Five Classics?”

Delighted, Cui Xie’s eyes lit up as he replied eagerly, “Yes, sir, that’s exactly this student’s intention. With this volume on Mencius by Director Fei, this student next hopes to produce editions on The Great Learning and The Doctrine of the Mean based on Chancellor Qiu’s lectures. As for The Analects, this student joined the College too late and only heard the latter volumes—so even if this student wants to publish it, it may take another year or two to complete. Regarding the Five Classics… since this student specialize in Classic of Poetry, this student can’t handle the others for now. Thist student will have to trouble Sir and Teaching Assistant Xie for those.”

He had long set his sights on these two poetry instructors, but Classic of Poetry was long and slow to teach, and it would take time to accumulate a full set of lecture notes. Plus, Proctor Lin, as the academy’s disciplinary officer—the man responsible for wielding the rod ten times when students were punished—wasn’t someone he dared to casually approach.

But this time, Proctor Lin had brought it up first.

Cui Xie could see where his thoughts were drifting and eagerly pressed the advantage: “Sir, you are the Academician of The Classic of Poetry here at the Imperial College of Beijing—the most esteemed institution in the empire, teaching the very best students. What other school or academy could compare to our Imperial College? If Sir can instruct students like us so well, is there any student you couldn’t teach!”

Those wavering thoughts in Proctor Lin’s heart were thoroughly stirred by this praise.

That printed 《Mencius》 guide was just so beautifully done—clean, neat, and orderly, with postscript exercises written by the esteemed Hanlin academicians. To have his name appear alongside theirs on the title page was enough to quicken anyone’s pulse. Deep down, Proctor Lin certainly wanted to produce a volume of his own. What held him back was hesitation—fear that something he had taught might contain a misstep, and once printed, would be torn apart by the great scholars of classical learning.

He voiced this concern, but Cui Xie responded with a deep, earnest bow and spoke with feeling:

 “Sir, this series is not meant to debate fine points of orthodoxy, but to offer a clear and trustworthy path for learners across the realm. Who would mock your efforts? Those who might scoff perhaps do have deep learning—but where is their book to help students in remote corners who long for guidance? If their knowledge benefits no one beyond themselves, then what good is it, no matter how deep?”

Proctor Lin, a lifelong educator steeped in the mission of instruction, the duty of teaching and educating people ingrained in his bones, was moved by these words. After only a moment’s hesitation, he tossed aside his doubts and agreed with his eyes closed: “Very well—I’ll speak with Teaching Assistant Xie. We’ll see about writing one together. And if any Hanlin academician is also willing to publish…”

Cui Xie quickly said, “If the Hanlin Bachelors’ wish to publish, then let that be the Hanlin Academican Series. But you, sir, are a National Imperial College Academician. Since you have the heart to give students everywhere a clear course to follow, there’s no need to compare with others.”

Proctor Lin gave an ‘En’, and moved on to another matter:  “I’ll have some blank boards prepared, and tell the Hall Clerks to copy your end-of-book exercises and hang them on the classroom walls. That’ll keep students from crowding to borrow books and copying things slowly—or worse, copying them wrong.”

Cui Xie said gratefully, “As always, Proctor Lin is thorough and considerate. Then this student will bring some graphite pencils tomorrow…”

But Proctor Lin waved him off: “What, do you think the Imperial College  can’t afford a few coins’ worth of pencils? Must students always bring things from home? There should be still some left over from what you donated earlier, and the Hall Clerks have bought a few more boxes from the Peace of Mind Study—don’t worry, there’s enough to go around.”

Pencils were a minor matter. The real issue was something else.“When are you bringing in an artist to do my portrait? Let me know ahead of time—I’ll change into something looser and more relaxed, like a Daoist robe. Don’t want to be painted wearing this stiff official uniform. It doesn’t look good.”

A Proctor of the Imperial College held only an eighth-rank post, and the standard blue robes were not flattering. Far better to wear something broad-sleeved and flowing, like a scholar of Wei or Jin antiquity—it gave a far more elegant impression.

Cui Xie nodded in understanding, smiling: “That portrait will be drawn by this student. So, Sir can wear whatever you like. This student paints quickly. Once a rough sketch is obtained, it is not too late to finish it from there.”

You drew it?

Proctor Lin nearly shot up from his seat. He flipped open the 《Mencius》 notes on the desk and stared at the portrait of Director Fei—so vivid, so lifelike, though the features had been rendered just a little smoother, a little more refined. He exclaimed, “You drew this? I never heard anything about you painting a likeness of Director Fei! When did you do this? And since when do you know how to draw, how have I not heard of it before?”

Cui Xie replied calmly, “This student is still young…I studied painting a few years back with Teacher Lu, a juren who once taught in our household. After I left and returned to the countryside, I kept practicing by copying prints sold in the market, painting landscapes and people I’d seen. I’ve studied under Director Fei for over a year now—his appearance and bearing are etched in my mind. I don’t need a live sitting to paint someone I know that well. If you asked this student to paint Sir’s portrait right now, it could be done.”

Proctor Lin, still dressed stiffly in his official robes, wasn’t about to sit for a portrait just yet. He sent Cui back to his books and gave instructions for Hall Clerks to hang wooden display boards in each study hall. He told the Hall Chiefs to distribute books and copy out questions.

After all, these questions had been written by Hanlin academicians. If not for Cui Xie securing the Mencius lecture notes from Director Fei and leading the editing of this volume, ordinary students at the Imperial College wouldn’t have had a chance to see them at all.

Hence, the most diligent and reputation-conscious of the “top scholars” at the College threw themselves into the question sets without needing a push. And many, annoyed at the slow pace of copying on their own or of the Hall Chief’s, simply brought silver straight to Cui Xie to buy their own clean, beautiful printed copies.

Such an excellent teacher’s work—four volumes of notes in a full set, and only two taels of silver total. That meant each book was just five-tenths of a tael—far more economical than other popular titles like 《Daily Notes from the Capital》, 《Model Compositions by Rank》, or 《Essence of Literary Excellence 》sold outside the College.

Everyone who bought a copy felt he was giving fellow Imperial College students a special discount, and many even tried to persuade him otherwise: “We all study here together and get our monthly rice and stipends. It’s not right for you to cover the cost out of your own pocket. Just name the real price—don’t undercharge us!”

But Cui Xie simply smiled and replied, “This is the real price. I’m not putting in anything extra. After all, I had these notes printed in the first place to help my classmates learn. The additional exam questions were compiled by the esteemed Hanlin academicians for that very same purpose—to help students understand the classics. How could I possibly profit from a book like this? This price just covers the cost. That’s already enough.”

This wasn’t a book like 《Water Margin》 or the 《Integrated Fragrant Diaries》—printed with lavish detail to be appreciated by wealthy literati. This was a book truly meant for scholars, for students who needed to read.

Because the content was strong and the price was low, more people could afford it. Even a poor student from a place like in Qian’an could scrape together two or three taels of silver by living frugally and still be able to afford the set—and thereby read the finest lectures by the best teachers.

What’s more, with profits kept so slim, there wouldn’t be much room for pirates and forgers to exploit. There’d likely be little incentive to bootleg it. The legitimate editions came complete with a foreword by Li Dongyang, prefaces from other Hanlin officials… and even a short colophon he himself had written.

Selling this book didn’t earn Cui Xie money. It earned him reputation—political capital for his future in officialdom. As long as there was a tiny margin of profit and he wasn’t losing money like with the graphite pencils, it was worth it.

Feeling quite pleased with himself, he sold the remaining twenty or thirty sets and went home to find Shopkeeper Ji. He instructed him to prepare more printing blocks, ramp up production, and distribute the books not only in Cangzhou and Qian’an but across the country. Eventually, they’d be sold beyond the capital. Every book purchased would now come with a set of graphite refills in varying thicknesses, along with a printed instruction sheet showing the proper hand posture for writing with the pencil.

Originally, these pencils were only sold in the capital, and outside the city there were still Lu juren and his friends to vouch for them personally, so instructions weren’t really needed. But if they were now going to be handled by major distributors and sold nationwide, then a visual guide would certainly help.

At the Peace of Mind Study, the printing of the 《Mencius》 lecture notes became priority, while the top scholars at the Imperial College were diligently working through the exercises. Meanwhile, Cui Xie delivered copies of the freshly printed books to Li Dongyang’s residence, asking his Master to distribute ten complimentary sets to each of the Hanlin scholars who had helped compile the book. Along with the books, he included bottles of floral dew, scented soaps, goose-fat balms, face creams, and flasks of liquor as tokens of appreciation.

This kind of annotated study guide—with post-lecture exercises—was a first even for the people who had written the questions. They happily took the books home to give to younger relatives or share with colleagues and friends. Inevitably, the conversation turned to praising Cui Xie’s clever mind. And so, the reputation of the book gradually spread from the Hanlin Academy to the Censorate and the Six Ministries.

Minister of War, Zhang Peng happened to overhear someone mention a book edited by a certain Cui, and suddenly recalled that he’d once used a prodigy by that same surname as a motivational example in youth lectures. He asked, “Is this Cui Xie the same prodigy from Qian’an who compiled that 《Compilation of Antithetical Couplets in the Four Books》?”

That particular book wasn’t especially famous, but the name Cui Xie certainly was. Vice Minister Ruan Qin, who was the one speaking, nodded and replied, “Yes, the very same prodigy. Li Dongyang’s student—the one whom His Majesty once summoned to the palace to give a lesson to the Crown Prince.”

Minister Zhang clapped his hands and exclaimed, “That’s him! When he produced that book back in the countryside, I could already tell he was a promising lad, destined to inspire others to study. Who’d have thought he’d be editing Confucian lecture materials now?”

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a classical commentary, but it was still a useful publication. Several Vice Ministers and Directors brought over a copy of the 《Mencius notes》 for the Minister to browse. He flipped through it from the beginning, read the appended foreword in which Cui Xie detailed his editorial process, and sighed in admiration: “My judgment back then wasn’t wrong. Though he was born into a bureaucratic family, unlike those who struggle up from the true countryside, he still makes for an excellent role model.”

The students at the Beijing Military Academy had only just recovered from two years of being harshly disciplined. Now they were starting to slack off again, so Minister Zhang saw this as a perfect moment for a corrective. He issued an order and allocated funds directly to Peace of Mind Study, buying several dozen copies of the lecture notes and placing them alongside 《Compilation of Antithetical Couplets in the Four Books》 at the entrance of every classroom in the military academy, hoping to instill some shame and ambition in the students.

The cadets—already grumbling over the strict regulations that had, for the past two years, banned even fashionable clothes on campus—saw the new books and heard instructors once again mention the name “Cui Xie.” It was as if their vision went dark.

They had already stopped picking on that scholarly boy—why wouldn’t he just stop showing up in their lives? Just when things had finally started to relax a little these past two months, he had to pop up again, dragging all the Ministry officials’ attention back to discipline and academic excellence. There would be no return to carefree fun now!

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TN: Hi everyone!! I had a super good week and I hope everyone else did too! Cui Xie is such a menace to everyone LOL! Sorry for the late upload, I am traveling to a conference this week ~

Announcement: We have set up a kofi and patreon account! If you would like to support us or get early access to advance chapters for Blood-Sucking Empress OR TMD OR my new novel, those options are available for you (in support us page)! I have just added a patreon tier for Transmigrating to the Ming Dynasty’s Imperial Examinations in which patreons can have access to a google document with ALL of my advanced translated chapters for the novel. Since I am a grad student, there should usually be at least 10 advance chapters in the document at a time, but depending on my schedules, there may be fewer or more. I’m currently extremely busy, but I have translated out some new chapters for you all! But, I will still post each week with the same schedule. Thanks!

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