Chapter 94
Now this was truly a public execution…
In a flash, Cui Xie raised his sleeves to cover his face, only thinking of running back to the study hall as quickly as possible. As for whether anyone back in the hall knew that it was his essay posted on the wall, he could not care less. Even if someone had learned the truth of the matter, could they be more ashamed than him, the author, from hearing how people praised how well he answered the prompt and had forcefully suppressed his upperclassmen who had been practicing traditional eight legged essays1 for years?
Cui Xie bowed his head and scrambled away, but in the end, he could not outrun that person’s dramatic exclamations behind him, “The phrase ‘revealed the Mean between’ has been well-adapted! Confucius once had the saying ‘following the advanced’, which was derived towards the end of the Zhou Dynasty. At that time, scholarly culture was excessively plain and simple, or indulging in frivolous and extravagant matters. Thus he wished to reduce the excess and strike a balance. 《The Doctrine of the Mean》states ‘take hold of the two extremes and determine the Mean between’, which is suitable to answer this prompt!”
Not only overpoweringly beautiful, it had even come with a commentary! Too shameful!
Cui Xie sprinted back to the study hall, stuffing the basket overflowing with zongzi into Hall Chief Zhang’s arms, quickly instructing the senior to hand it out to the students. He then dashed out, without a second glance back as he concealed his face. Heading to the Hall of Righteousness’s lecture hall, he draped his upper body onto a desk in an inconspicuous corner.
The students in the lecture hall had almost all dispersed for the day and no one had noticed his quiet return. He silently waited until there was no one left and then fished out the zongzi chunks from his school bag, sprinkled some sugar on top and ate but a few bites, just sprawled on the table as he reflected on the afternoon lecture’s prompts and topics discussed.
He planned on hiding out until it was time to attend the next afternoon lecture taught by Vice Director Lin, who possessed the dual role of teaching the students in addition to administrative duties. Cui Xie was certain no one would dare to mention anything in that class. In the evening, he would quickly skirt off and he would just go through the motions at tomorrow morning’s review lecture. As for the day after tomorrow…in short, this kind of novel gossip would only be discussed when newly discovered, but the degree of novelness would wear off in a couple of days.
He deeply questioned his own intentions at the time—publishing collected works from the Imperial College? It would have works from numerous people of varying qualities, the poorly written ones juxtaposed against the well-written ones, how embarrassing!
It was better to discuss with students one-on-one and produce a series of individual essays or articles.
As he mulled over these thoughts, he gradually fell asleep. As he drifted in a half-conscious state, he heard the drone of voices in the hall, the voices fuzzy and indistinct to the ear. All of a sudden, a not so loud or resonant voice came forth, piercing Cui Xie’s ears like a long, sharp sword, “Fei Zichong’s words are grand and majestic, smooth and fluidly elegant, naturally surpassing Cui Hezhong’s essay!”2
In a split second, Cui Xie’s eyes opened, immediately awakening from his slumber.
That person continued with their commentary: “Fei Zichong distinguishes himself through writing, which is according to the three imperishables3 as defined by the ancient sages. By sincerely taking the sage’s heart as his own, his vision is grand and far-reaching, dignified and genuinely profound. As for Cui Hezhong’s writing, his sense of righteousness is overly pronounced, so much so that his fervor overshadows the rest of his rhetoric. Upon a carefree glance, the article is exhilarating, uninhibited and thorough, but upon a second review, one may find it lacking in subtlety and precision.”
Another voice chimed in to refute: “That’s because you don’t know how to read! You only see the simplicity of his articles, so you conclude that they are crude. Do you not realize that such a style is precisely a remedy for the redundancy and verbosity prevalent in contemporary writing, a return to simplicity and authenticity, embodying the beauty of a relaxed and natural style? Confucious once said, ‘I follow the men of former times’, which considered that later generations’ articles are too plain and one should seek to add substance in their writing to achieve moderation and harmony. This essay is well-written in regards to substance, which truly corresponds to the intent of the topic at hand.”
God…to be praised was even more embarrassing than being trampled on. Even after hiding away in the hall, he still could not escape this matter.
Cui Xie stealthily shrank his head down and buried his face firmly into the crook of his sleeve. The two people were arguing heatedly, and later, many other voices joined either side. They were all preoccupied with commenting on the two articles that no one noticed him slowly shrinking further and further into the corner, covering his face as if he was asleep. The group was so engrossed in their argument that they continued even when the bell for the afternoon classes rang, unwilling to disperse. This caused court academician of the Book of Songs, Vice Director Lin to walk in on such a scene.
Witnessing their heated argument, Vice Director Lin paused at the doorway and listened for a moment. As he listened, he felt that it was inaccurate and not going anywhere, so he shouted loudly, “Enough! This debate has gone on long enough, all of you using excessive critiques. No matter how much you argue, you will be unable to extract the true meaning out of it. Everyone, go back to your seats now. After this lecture, I will provide critiques on these two articles for you.”
Pleasantly surprised, everyone cupped their hands in obeisance and murmured ‘Yes’, finding their seats as they prepared to listen to the lecture. Cui Xie was so frightened by this remark, that he bolted straight up in his chair, staring blankly at Vice Director Lin, his face clearly showing an expression of ‘not good’.
Vice Director Lin was also concerned about Cui Xie. After scanning the room, he finally saw Cui Xie sitting stiffly in a corner near the back, showing no joy over the fact that his own essay had been posted. Vice Director Lin internally thought that such composure and dignity indicated great potential. However, Cui Xie was sitting too far back, which the elder found unacceptable. He waved at Cui Xie and called out, “Why are you sitting at the back? Come to the front. How can you hear anything from there?”
Cui Xie dared not disobey. With his eyes fixed downward in concentration, he quickly scurried to the front row with small steps and found an empty seat to sit down. Those who had just been arguing about his essay only then realized that he had been in the room. They could not help but turn around to look at him, whispering in admiration, “His writing is excellent and unexpectedly, he is also very handsome. He was at the morning lecture as well, but at that time, I didn’t get a good look at him.”
“So he is Cui Xie. Quite young, but seems a bit proud ah. Just now, when people were debating his article, he did not even come forward to explain a word.”
“That is the demeanor of a true scholar. In such situations, one should just smile and let it go. Rushing to show off just merely because others are discussing your work would be frivolous, wouldn’t it?”
“Stepping up to offer a few comments would have been more impressive. However, his reluctance to come forward is understandable, given his tender age…”
Just now, at least they had been praising his article, but now they had moved on to praising his looks and mien. The more Cui Xie heard, the more embarrassed he felt. He took out his notebook and spread it out on the desk, focusing his gaze on Vice Director Lin’s face. He intently listened even to the faint rustling noises originating from his clothes, using this distraction to counteract the discussions reaching his ears.
This lecture, he listened more attentively than usual. Whatever the students called upon responded with, he noted down every single word, so as to avoid getting distracted and start thinking about the upcoming critique. However, as the water dripped from the bronze pot and the shadow of the sundial outside the door gradually lengthened, the day’s review lecture inevitably approached its end.
Vice Director Lin, observing the changes in the daylight outside, ordered the students not to come up for further recitations. Instead, he took the two essays brought in by the attendant and explained to the students present, “It is a pity that Fei Hong specializes in the Classics and focuses on the 《Book of Documents》. If he specialized in poetry, I could have asked them to both present their works face-to face. Going through each section systematically would have been clearer.”
The students all laughed in agreement, but Cui Xie just could not bring himself to laugh.
He had a vague sense of what Vice Director Lin was planning to do. He could only comfort himself: I’ve spoken in a lecture hall of 600 students before to discuss the Classics, the poetry lecture hall had less than three hundred. So what if I have to speak up?
Vice Director Lin took the first article and said: “Let’s start with Fei Hong’s essay: ‘The sages, in their rituals and music, narrate what the people of the time esteemed and demonstrate what they themselves followed.”
Since the audience consisted of scholars, he did not meticulously explain as Teacher Lin used to when teaching essay writing to his students, focusing instead on the merits of the essay’s purpose and structure.
“This opening sentence is derived from the last part of《Analects·Xian Jin Chapter 10》where it said, ‘The sages narrated the rods of the people of the time and also spoke of their own views.’ The subsequent passage of amplification, ‘As literature becomes overwrought, it is appropriate to restore it with substance. The sages discussed rituals and music, particularly following the men of former times’, is also transformed from the last part of the same chapter, ‘For they wished to take hold of their two extremes and determine the Mean’. The transition between the opening and amplification is seamless and blends together well. Afterwards, it shifts to discuss the Sage’s ‘following the men of former times’, using this to transition into the rest of the essay, encapsulating the entire text.”
“The next line is key to unfolding the grandeur exhibited in the essay”, Vice Director LIn placed the scroll on the table, inhaled a breath and brightly reciting: “Indeed, in rituals and music, the essence lies in achieving moderation and the nobleman strives for genuine superiority!”
A person of noble character was pragmatic!
This sentence shifted the essay’s style from that of the late Zhou era to later generations, from the Sage to the nobleman. From here, Fei Hong emulated the tone of early Confucian scholars, step by step, laying out his sentences based on the original text and its interpretations: the rituals and music of the former eras of King Wen of Zhou, King Wu of Zhou and Duke of Zhou were not plain, but truly the way of kings, maintaining a balance. By the end of the Zhou dynasty, extravagance was more valued and Confucious wished to use the rituals and musics of the Zhou Kings to refine current customs. In today’s world, where rituals are encumbered with excessive details and decorations, the nobleman should also follow the simple old rites to correct the customs and public morals of the world.”
“At first glance, this essay appears to have a straightforward and simple diction, simply because its language does not exhibit bizarre twists or florid embellishments. But, its vision is grand and far-reaching; it is a text about moral education and advocating the trend of pragmatic learning”. Vice Director Lin glanced at the students sitting below and added, “You all too should remember the importance of being pragmatic. In studying, in statecraft, and as scholars, you should have the mindset of bettering the world and its people. Do not let the fancy clothes and flashy stories outside blind you”.
Everyone stood up to accept the teaching. Cui Xie bowed his head particularly low—the fashionable clothes and colorful, bewitching novels popular outside were all trends he had started. He decided it was best to keep a low profile in the future and would conscientiously keep his tail between his legs lest someone link it back to him.
Fortunately, Vice Director Lin did not actually know Cui Xie’s shenanigans. Seeing Cui Xie so engrossed, he mistook it for attentiveness and he rapped his desk, “Alright, come here. I want to ask you, others only write about the distinction between form and substance, literary quality. But in your amplification, how did you come up with the sentence, ‘The world’s tendency leans towards style and it cannot be reversed?’”
Ah, this was just a habit formed from casually commenting on current affairs when writing political essays. Now, in the Chenghua era, the customs were simple and there wasn’t even color printed paper. But three monarchs later, in the Jiajing era, it would not be like this—there was a famous TV drama set in the Jiajing era called 《Great Ming Dynasty 1566》where it was clear that everyone had become corrupt and moral standards were beginning to wane…”
Naturally, these words could be thought of in his heart, but could not be uttered out loud. Cui Xie pretended to be very innocent and said, “It was when this student was reading the《Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government》and came across the story of Eastern Zhou, where the rituals had already deteriorated from the ways of the three previous dynasties. I was inspired to include it in my essay.”
Teacher Lin nodded, ‘This sentence corresponds well with the criticism of excessive formality in your amplification’s introduction, making a smooth transition. However, the following sentence, ‘Did not the Master (the Sage) follow the men of former times as an example of using moderation to the utmost?’, contradicts your earlier sentence. I almost disqualified your essay and did not allow it to be posted.”
Then, why wasn’t it disqualified?!
Cui Xie looked regretfully at Vice Director Lin, his expression dimming, resembling a primary school student worried about being punished for a mistake pointed out by the teacher.
Vice Director Lin’s heart softened and consoled sympathetically, “I saw that although these two used similar wording, they layer upon each other well, emphasizing the Master’s (Sage’s) intention to rectify the world, so I let it pass this time.”
Checking if others were listening attentively, Vice Director Lin did not take notice that after his comforting words, Cui Xie’s expression became even more sorrowful. Cui Xie self critically said, “Up to there, the transition is smooth, but then it suddenly shifts with a question of ‘why so’ to create a steep reversal. It questions why the Sage showed the world ‘the extremes of using moderation’ and then transitions to the main question with the answer: ‘The Way spreads throughout the world, and among them, rituals and music are the most prominent’.
‘The Sage’s rescue of the flaws in rituals and music was not just for the purpose of saving them, but to guide the current customs back to the way of ancient kings!’ ”
Vice Director Lin exclaimed, “Setting aside the rest, being able to connect Confucious “following the men of former times to the Sage’s “Way” elevates the depth of this essay. When you all write essays in the future, remember not to just stick to the literal words of the prompt, but also ponder the intentions and thoughts of the Sages in doing these things, to see the greater picture from the details.”
The students all acknowledged the lesson, glancing at Cui Xie, trying to comprehend how he had come up with such a profound interpretation.
Cui Xie could not explain it to them either.
In later generations, students began to summarize and generalize central thematic statements in their reading comprehension exercises. That was when many desperately tried to elevate their insights to higher, broader and more abstract levels of sophistication. Writing essays had already become a habit —Confucious was already a sage and had followed other sages like King Wen, King Wu and the Duke of Shou. To aim even higher, without reaching the heights of the legendary Emperor Yao, Emperor Shun and Yu the Great, one could only elevate their writing to the intangible and elusive ‘Way’, right?
Anyway, his essay had already been thoroughly scrutinized and his embarrassment had reached its apogee. He had decided to adopt a ‘nothing to lose’ attitude, treating these people as if they were mundane and ordinary vegetables. After all, none of them could really confront him and he was not afraid to face anyone in a fight!
Thinking this way, the awkwardness in his heart gradually subsided and ebbed away.
But later on, Vice Director Lin praised him for alluding to to the Millet poem4 from the Airds of the States from the《Classic of Poetry》to the decline of the 《Odes of the Kingdom》to the 《Odes of Wang》from the Western Zhou period, subtly hinting at the ‘extinguishing traces of kingship’, Cui Xie blushed slightly again.
This essay still lacked enough references, most were either from the 《Analects》or from the 《Classic of Poetry》, with just a few additions from the《Book of Documents》mentioned in Teaching Assistant Xie’s lectures about the 《Expanded Meaning of the Great Learning》and some common knowledge of Zhou rituals.
Given another year and a half of studying, he could have provided even more solid arguments.
As Cui Xie pondered how to improve, Vice Director Lin had already reached the conclusion of the essay: “The conclusion revisits the main theme well. ‘The world, in its decadence, increasingly leans towards falsehood’ echoes the theme from afar, adding a powerful, melancholic touch. With this lamentation at the forefront, it then speaks of the Master (Sage) following men of former times, is this not to demonstrate ritual and music to the world? It further emphasizes the Master’s (Sage’s) intentions and actions, inspiring one to bow in reverence and follow his path!”
The students below were silently impressed, finally understanding the merits of Cui Xie’s essay.
Afterwards, a student boldly stood up and asked, “Both essays discussed by the Teacher are excellent, but as a student with limited knowledge, I can’t tell which one is better?”
Vice Director Lin muttered to himself resolutely for a long time before concluding, “One is grand and straightforward, the other lofty and ancient, each with its own merits. If we consider the current trend, Fei Hong’s is slightly better. Cui Xie’s classical style surpasses the modern style in grandeur, but lacks the twists and turns of parallel prose, slightly deficient in rhythmic charm.”
He then advised Cui Xie, “Do not just read ancient texts, also look at well-written poems and odes. Their lyrics are soft and elongated, skillfully matched, similar to the parallel sentences in modern prose.”
Cui Xie stood up obediently in response. Vice Director Lin deigned to discuss others’ essays and dismissed the class.
A few Hall chiefs and peers came up to praise and congratulate Cui Xie, but he had dashed off immediately after class, deftly avoiding them without even taking his zongzi basket, quickly running out of the Imperial College’s gates.
Back home that evening, the awkward, embarrassed feeling lingered. He was in no mood to study as opening his notebook only reminded him of the traumatic and shocking experience of being called up to explain his excellent essay.
Promptly, Cui Xie decided to clear his desk and spread out a large piece of paper, closed the door, grinding a new ink stick to fill the inkstone with ink, beginning to draw a life-size poster of Xiao Qiao5.
The Southern Goods Shop would clear its inventory in two days. When Shopkeeper Ji and Cui Yuan arrived in the capital, he planned to have them hang two life-sized posters at the entrance during renovations, letting readers know they had new drawings and were not just imitating others. This would spark the reader’s interest in buying their newly printed books!
- Eight-legged essay: ‘eight bone text’; style of essay in imperial examinations during the Ming and Qing dynasties in China. The eight-legged essay was needed for those test-takers in these civil service exams to show their merits for government service, the contents often focusing on Confucian thought and knowledge of the Four Books and Five Classics in relation to governmental ideals ↩︎
- Note: Cui Xie’s literary name is Cui Hezhong and likewise, Fei Hong’s literary name is Fei Zichong. ↩︎
- Three imperishables: three ways to distinguish oneself so they are not forgotten by history: through one’s virtue, one’s virtue and one’s writings (originates from Zuo’s commentaries). ↩︎
- Millet Poem: English Translation by James Legge:
There was the millet with its drooping heads;
There was the sacrificial millet coming into blade.
Slowly I moved about,
In my heart all-agitated.
Those who knew me,
Said I was sad at heart.
Those who did not know me,
Said I was seeking for something.
O distant and azure Heaven!
By what man was this [brought about]? ↩︎ - The Qiaos of Jiangdong were two sisters of the Qiao family who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. In historical tales, the sisters were exceptional beauties who were pivotal to the Battle of Chibi, one of the most impactful battles of the pre-Three Kingdoms Period. Cao Cao, Chancellor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, was described to be interested in having the two sisters. They were literally referred to as Da Qiao (older Qiao) and Xiao Qiao (younger Qiao). ↩︎
TN: Hope everyone is doing well, long time no see!! I am finally back from hiatus and planning on resuming my normal schedule of posting once a week on Sundays for TMD. I’m sorry it took me so long to come back, I’ve been super busy with grad school applications and my senior year, but I am glad to be back 🙂
Huge 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, 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 college 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!
Twin Dragons Translations 
Thank You for the new chapter (∩˃o˂∩)♡
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